Wednesday, December 19, 2018

'Twas The Hodgepodge Before Christmas...



 Coffee Shop/Post Office in Burford, England



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1.  Wednesday, December 19, 2018, is National Hard Candy Day! So the first question today is to ask if you enjoy hard candy, especially the kind we usually see during this festive time of year?  What is your favorite?  Which hard candy brings up the best memories for you if any?
I do like hard candy, as I like all crunchy things. I tend not to let it melt in my mouth, but to crunch it. Any good dentist will tell you that is a bad habit. So I don't eat hard candy anymore. BUT, my favorite were always those little ones that look like raspberries and had something like raspberry jam filling. The one that brings up the best memories is the ribbon candy. We ALWAYS had ribbon candy in our treat bags that were handed out after the church Sunday School Christmas program (along with chocolate drops, another favorite), but my great aunts would buy extremely thin ribbon candy, the kind that was so sharp it would cut your mouth. But it was so exotic, and only they had it, so it was something special - and a fun memory. 
 Christmas Window in Burford (or possibly Fairford), UK

2.  Holiday shopping!  Are you finished? If you could spend an entire day in just one store, which one would it be and why?
I think I'm finished, but it wasn't easy. I did a lot online, then left for nearly 3 weeks in England to return to a lot of jet lag and wondering where I put my Christmas card list (cards which I sent out before we left, but don't remember who was sent a card!) and trying to catch up on last minute gift shopping and grocery shopping for the family who will all be here on Saturday! The store I'd most likely to spend an entire day in? Probably Barnes & Noble. Why? Because it is the only store I can think of that is more relaxing than hassle.
 The George, Southwark

3.  What holiday dessert describes you and why?
I'm not sure how to answer this, but I'd say my favorite would be mincemeat pie. Not mincemeat like you buy in a jar these days, but the mincemeat pie made with REAL beef and suet that my grandma made. It was absolutely delicious. I did look up a recipe and decided that I don't have enough time this year to make it, but maybe next year. What started me thinking about it was the little mince pie I ate in London. They obviously don't have my grandma's recipe. LOL

3" mince pie at Nero's - mostly crust, little mincemeat
I still regret not eating the walnut cake at St. Paul's.

4.  What is your least favorite holiday side dish?
I can't even think what the typical holiday side dishes are. But I will tell you that I bought a ham today that I will baste with homemade duck sauce, which I'd never heard of until a couple nights ago. And strangely enough, it's not made by squeezing a duck, thank goodness. It's a delicious blend of apricots, plums, apple juice, dry mustard, crushed red pepper, cranberry wine, and fresh ginger (This stuff is delicious!) I'm also going to serve a pan of BBQ chicken thighs, a bowl of glazed baby carrots, mashed potatoes, corn, one daughter is making her recipe of Brussels sprouts with bacon, others are bringing a green salad, a fruit salad, olives and pickles, our favorite bakery buns, and frozen custard. Everyone is supposed to  contribute Christmas goodies. I'm also making a cranberry pomegranate punch with ginger ale. So there you have it. And if you show up at 1 PM, we'll share it with you.

For those who wanted the recipe, I used dried fruit, and I think I used 8 oz. pitted plums (chopped), 6 oz. apricots (chopped), a cup of apple juice, a t. of dry mustard, a little crushed red pepper, 1/4 c. cranberry wine, and a t. of fresh ginger, brought it to a boil, then simmered for at least a half hour. Let it cool, run it through a blender or food processor until smooth. Cover and refrigerate. Will stay good for a couple weeks, they say.


Reindeer in Paternoster Square, London
I asked the Santa where his reindeer were from.
He answered, 'Lapland.'
Really!
'Yeah, just south of Oxford.' :-)

5.  Now be real!! There is one on almost every tree. What is the ugliest tree ornament you have ever seen?
I honestly can't think of an ugly tree ornament. I did bring back a few tree ornaments as souvenirs of our trip to the UK: a silver roundel with the Cross Keys from York Minster, a St. Nicholas coat of arms ornament from St. George's Chapel, a small Greek icon of the Virgin Mary and Jesus from Westminster Abbey, a beautiful small icon Cross from Southwark Cathedral, a felted Mouse King from Burford, and the cutest little pinecone hedgehog from Lacock. 
 Christmas Tree in Lacock Abbey

6.  Tell us something random about your week!!
This morning I was saying to Mr. C: "Can you believe that four days ago we were at Canterbury Cathedral???" We're both trying to get our body clocks back to Wisconsin time after a fabulous 2 1/2 weeks in England, and my body is refusing to cooperate. But I'm sure it will get there eventually. In the meantime, we've got family coming so food to prepare and beds to make up. We are nearly snowless right now, which is wonderful for me, although a disappointment for my snow-loving friends. I know that eventually we will still get months of snow, so every day without a snowfall is a blessing in my book.
I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Christmas! It is truly mind boggling that God would stoop to take on human flesh and come into our sinful dysfunction to rescue us. I can't possibly wrap my mind around it, but I can kneel in worship and thank Him. 


  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, 
and we have seen his glory, 
glory as of the only Son from the Father, 
full of grace and truth. - John 1:14



Have a blessed Christmas, everyone!

P.S. The last photo was taken in St. Paul's Cathedral, with permission, although given grudgingly.
P.P.S. All of our England photos were posted daily on Instagram, so if you're interested and have an IG account, it's @cranberrymorning. 


Judy

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Wednesday Medley for Thanksgiving


Barn near Colfax, WI
November


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Thank you, Terri, for the questions for Wednesday Medley!

 I was sure that I had a photo of a Thanksgiving turkey in my archives, but the only one I could find was this dead turkey I found along the road one fall. Look how beautiful that bird is. Look at the color!

A Thanksgiving (our Early Thanksgiving) past, October 2016.
Grandkids trying to coax the stray cat out from under the bench.
Unbeknownst to us at the time, that stray cat had already given birth to kittens, two of whom are
Tommy & Smokey
That amazing cat story can be found HERE

1.    What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food?
Without hesitation, the answer to that would be 'stuffing.' But it needs to be stuffing that's been roasted inside the turkey, so that it's got that delicious turkey flavor mixed in. Perfect! 

 Barn near Bloomer
August, not November

2.   What’s the happiest Thanksgiving memory of your childhood?

I'm sure we celebrated Thanksgiving when I was a kid, but I honestly don't have any Thanksgiving memories that stand out. But it's possible that my happiest Thanksgiving would have been the one just after my dad got Shammar for me. Shammar was an Arabian/Welsh horse/pony colt (little and fuzzy with his thick winter coat) and I remember going to his stall in the calf barn and feeding him apples and carrots whenever there was a celebration in the house. Maybe that was only a couple times, but it is a childhood memory and can be adjusted as necessary. LOL

 August - not November
3.   Who is the most consistently grateful person you know? 

That would be my dad. He just had an attitude of joy and gratitude. And I'm really grateful that he was in my life. I thank God for him and the tremendous influence he had on my life.

 My favorite photo of my mom and dad.

4.   If you could thank one person today—near or far, living or dead—for their influence on your life, who would that person be?

I can't limit this to one person, so it would be my dad (stated above), N.T. Wright, G.K. Chesterton, and Bishop Robert Barron.  If you want more gratitude in your life, read these three authors/theologians.

 “You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.”  - G.K. Chesterton.  (Who cannot love this man!)

5.   Who’s one person you’ve never thanked for their contribution to your life, but would like to?

That would most likely be my mom, for I was always closer to my dad and probably never made a special effort to make her aware of how important she was/is to me. But my mom not only gave birth to me after driving herself to the hospital because the men were busy in the fields, but she went on to be the world's greatest grandma ever. I definitely didn't inherit the wonderful grandma gene, but more the reader of theology gene from my dad. I miss my mom and so often wish that she and my dad could stop in or come over for dinner.

November.
Why I love August.

6.   Tell us something random about your Thanksgiving week.

To start with, this Thanksgiving week is COLD. We were at minus 5 degrees F. yesterday morning and are looking forward (according to the weather forecasters) to a mini Ice Age. For someone who is already missing my walk along Fifth Avenue because of ice and snow (already!) on the roads, I'm hoping they're wrong.

We'll be at our daughter's on Thanksgiving Day and after the weekend will be quickly packing our carry-ons (I know, it's become a pride issue - but it's not exactly about pride, it's about not being able to tolerate standing in long lines waiting for luggage) for 18 days in England. It will be cold there this time of year too, but dealing with 30s and 40s, rather than temps below zero will be like a heat wave to us. Also, England will be decorated for Christmas, and we've a number of cathedral visits, morning and evensong services on our itinerary, so I can't wait. And of course, tons of little quaint villages. There will be a lot of England photos coming to my blog ere long, so be forewarned. Also, I will most likely be posting photos on Instagram (@cranberrymorning) while we're on vacation.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everyone, and I'll see you back here, Lord willing, on December 19.

 Tommy & Smokey

Don't worry about Tommy & Smokey. Wonderful friends are going to living in our house and taking care of the birds, cats, and plants while we're away. And our son will be plowing the driveway whenever there's a plow-worthy snowfall.


 Tommy, napping beside the fire



 ***

NOTICE:

My shops will be closed November 25 - December 14.
All Christmas soaps are in my shops now.
I will not be making more Christmas soaps this season.


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Christmas Morning
Natural, handcrafted vegan soap




No harsh chemicals
No animal products
Only natural colorants, no oxides
Luxurious lather
Delicious Berry and Balsam fragrance
Gentle to even sensitive skin


Each bar comes labeled and wrapped,
ready for gifting.



...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at
 
HomemadeSoapNSuch

and at

Our ETSY Shop



Join me on Instagram: @cranberrymorning



Judy

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Wednesday Medley and Bits of Life Wednesday



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Thanks again this week, Terri, for the Wednesday Medley questions!

1.  With the holidays coming, what is your most essential appliance to help you prepare for the celebrations?

I'd say my most essential appliance is my beautiful deep red KitchenAid mixer. I use it for everything from cookies to bread. I used to keep it behind cupboard doors with the toaster, but I moved it out onto the counter where I can admire it. LOL When I saw it on sale, I finally managed to buy it after putting it back onto the shelf twice. I'm so glad I went through with the purchase!


2.  What is your favorite (clean) word?

You mean about cleaning? It would be 'vacuum,' because I notice the most difference when done. OR maybe the word is 'cleanser,' because I love how my old cast iron enamel sink still sparkles after all these years and how grateful I didn't take the advice of all those who thought I should get stainless steel. OR if you just mean a clean word, I guess my favorites are 'reciprocity' and 'verisimilitude' because I love the way they feel. I know, weird, isn't it.



3.  Are you a good judge of character?

Yes, I think I'm a very good judge of character. For one thing, I learned from my parents' example never to take subject A's word for subject B's character. There are too many people who think they can make a friend by creating a common enemy. Shudder. I like getting to know someone myself and try to see through the 'fluff.' I think I'm pretty good at that.

 Last Saturday was wood-splitting Saturday.
A lot was accomplished!
Note the littlest woodsman.


4. What is the last thing you took a picture of? Can you share it with us?

Well, of course, it just so happens to be a picture of Tommy & Smokey! 

 Two heads are better than one.
Tommy & Smokey

5. Tomorrow, November 15, is Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day.  How do you intend to celebrate?

You're kidding. There's a day for that? I suppose it was created for people like me who need a special occasion to do the job. Actually, because we're going to be leaving in a couple weeks and would like the house and refrigerator not to be disgusting, I will be cleaning it for sure. Maybe not tomorrow, though. It's that rebellious streak.

 God condescends in Christ to enter our human condition 
and to give his whole self away for our sakes. - Bishop Robert Barron

I have another Advent book soon to arrive in the mail. I like to get something new for Advent each year. I know, you're still planning Thanksgiving. But we celebrated our family's Early Thanksgiving on October 13, so I'm moving on. This morning, because of the very cold day and snow on the ground, I'm playing Christmas music. What's playing right now is 'Christmas With The Academy.' Academy and Chorus of St. Martin in the Fields (where it actually was before everyone got the idea that they wanted to live in London.) 

 9 degrees F.
Anyone want to get on that swing?


6. Tell us something random about your week!

Winter has settled into Northern Wisconsin in a big way. It was 9 degrees F. this morning and of course there's snow on the ground. But we are planning to make our annual pilgrimage to St. Mary's Basilica in Minneapolis and the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, MN. And of course we'll get a snack at Cafe Latte on Grand Avenue and have dinner at Brit's Pub in Minneapolis.

 Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis


***


 NOTICE:
 My shops will be closed from November 25
through December 14. All Christmas soaps are available now.

Check out my natural, handcrafted vegan soap!
Buy any 5 or more, Get 1 FREE

Christmas Forest
Natural, handcrafted vegan soap

No harsh chemicals
Only natural colorants
No animal products
Luxurious lather
Delicious fragrance!
Each bar labeled and wrapped,
ready for gifting.



...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at
 
HomemadeSoapNSuch
and at
Our ETSY Shop


Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!
Join me on Instagram: @cranberrymorning
Judy

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Wednesday Medley and Bits of Life Wednesday

Neighbor Bill's Barn
An eyesore? or a thing of beauty?





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and link up!
Thank you, Terri, for this week's
Wednesday Medley!


It's all about - What, what, what???

1. What is your claim to fame?
 I have lived a long time. I remember a one-room schoolhouse. I've shot and eaten an alligator.



2. What is something you like to do the old-fashioned way?
I like to make soap, to actually cook food using ingredients, and to bake bread (nut breads and regular yeast breads).

 This is banana bread, baked in pans 
that used to belong to Mr. C.'s grandpa

3. What did you think you would grow out of but haven’t?
I thought I'd grow out of being silly, but I realize now that my dad never did, so why would I have expected that I would? 

 Fall has come to an end.
I finally gave up on covering the mums at night
and let them freeze.


4. What is the dumbest thing you’ve done that actually turned out pretty well?
I homeschooled our kids for a zillion years. I never thought it was dumb to do, but certainly many other [skeptics] did, and this was 1981. I'm happy to report that it did turn out pretty well. The only difficult thing is getting rid of all the things I used during the years I homeschooled. I'm just not good at getting rid of stuff. Well, except for the kids. They left a long time ago, and honestly, I'd always trade all the stuff for a houseful of them. Not doing it all over again, mind you, but just from time to time.

 I finally took photos of the entire timeline on our walls
so that I could take it down. That worked.

5. If you had to change your name, what would you change it to?
Probably Benedict, for it would help explain how I could have lived out in the middle of nowhere for so long. 


6. What is something random you can tell us about this week?
My week is comprised of reading, praying, voting, cooking, baking, making soap, visiting friends, tending to Tommy & Smokey, and writing/drawing in my journal. 

Another thing about the week is that I have Daylight Saving Time withdrawal. It's now darkish by 5-something, and when I look at my watch at 7:30 PM, I can hardly believe that it's not 10:30. This is terrible.


Tommy & Smokey

***

NOTICE:

My HomemadeSoapnSuch shops will be
closed November 25 - December 14.
All Christmas soaps are ready and in the shops now.
I will not be making more this season.

Check out my natural, handcrafted vegan soap!
Buy any 5 or more, Get 1 FREE
 
Christmas Hearth
Natural, handcrafted vegan soap


No harsh chemicals
No animal products
Kind to sensitive skin
Great lather
Luscious fragrance
Each bar labeled and wrapped,
ready for gifting.

...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at
 
HomemadeSoapNSuch
and at
Our ETSY Shop


Have a great Wednesday, everyone!
Join me on Instagram: @cranberrymorning 

Judy

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Wednesday Medley and Bits of Life Wednesday



Daughter and Kids
Don't you love those pink Crocs!


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Thanks so much, Terri, for providing the Wednesday Medley!

It is all about Halloween!


 

1. You’re in a horror movie. Are you the final person left, the first to die, the comic relief, the skeptic, the smart one, or the killer?


I'm the final person left. I'm definitely not the killer, I refuse to be the first to die, don't feel in a mood to be comic relief, don't consider myself a skeptic or the smart one, so I'll go with the final person left. That means I'm Hercule Poirot, doesn't it! 

Although, I'll have to tell you one trick I've found works pretty well to discover who-dun-it in my British mysteries:  If there's a well-recognized actor in the cast lineup, they're often the killer. Really. It seems they only want the part if they get to be the villain. So that's my theory...



 Hercule Poirot




2. While watching scary movies, are you the person who yells at the characters, the person with their eyes covered the whole time or the person who falls asleep?


Actually, I try to avoid scary movies, except for the myriad British murder mysteries I watch (and really, they're hardly ever scary.)  But last night, I actually heard myself yelling, 'JONES, HURRY!!!' in a Midsomer Murders episode. What is this world coming to. 




 We played Spot It! and Skip-bo with the grandkids

over the weekend.



3. If you were dared to spend the night in a “haunted house”, would you do it?


Absolutely not. Are you kidding???  When Mr. C. had to be gone overnight for work, and Bridger was still with us, I slept with a shotgun *and* a 124# German Shepherd dog at my side. 




 Not my house.
But I did see it over the weekend.
Looks pretty spooky, doesn't it!



4. Favorite horror monster or villain?


I was trying to think of any scary movies I've watched - any at all, and decided to make a list:

  • Misery
  • Don't Say A Word
  • What Lies Beneath (I refuse to watch it a second time.)
  • Sixth Sense
  • The Other 
That might be it, except for all the Twilight Zone and Thriller episodes I watched as a teenager. 



But as for my favorite villain?  Sean Bean. For sure. He might be a cold-blooded killer, but...can't we overlook the minor details? LOL



 That healthy glow
(from the iPad)


5. Favorite horror or Halloween-themed song?  I definitely don't have one. When I looked it up on YouTube and came across 'Best Halloween Songs 2018' I listened to a few bars and decided I didn't even want to hear it. I loved being scared as a kid; I no longer find it fun.

 Tommy, avoiding Smokey's morning breath.


6. Tell us something random about your week.

The end of October and going into November is definitely the Shadowlands, The skies are gray, all the beautiful maple leaves are on the ground, the oaks are no longer brilliant reds but fading fast, the weather is turning cold, but it's not settled into winter yet. December brings us Christmas and January brings us squeaky cold snow and bright blue skies. But November? It's just dull and cold and gray and windy and haunted. Maybe not haunted, but of all the months, November in NW Wisconsin would be the one I'd vote most likely to be haunted - not October. 

 From the Files:
November 2013
Mr. C. and Grandpuppy Jazzie
R.I.P. Jazz

I've been listening to 'The Everlasting Man' (on YouTube) by G.K. Chesterton, which I've read in the past, but it's fun to listen to this as I'm making dinner or soap or whatnot. From the book,

“Now the best relation to our spiritual home is to be near enough to love it. But the next best is to be far enough away not to hate it. It is the contention of these pages that while the best judge of Christianity is a Christian, the next best judge would be something more like a Confucian. The worst judge of all is the man now most ready with his judgements; the ill-educated Christian turning gradually into the ill-tempered agnostic, entangled in the end of a feud of which he never understood the beginning, blighted with a sort of hereditary boredom with he knows not what, and already weary of hearing what he has never heard.”
G.K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man
***
NOTICE:
HomemadeSoapnSuch.com
(Gallery has returned)
and
HomemadeSoapnSuch.Etsy.com
will be closed from November 25 - December 14.
All of my Christmas soaps are ready and in the shops.
I will not be making more Christmas soaps this season.

Check out my natural, handcrafted vegan soap!
Buy any 5 or more, Get 1 FREE



Christmas Morning
Natural Vegan Soap
All-naturals base oils and colorants
No harsh chemicals
No animal products
Gentle to even sensitive skin
Luxurious lather
Luscious fragrance



All bars labeled and wrapped, ready for gifting




...and more! Check out all my handcrafted soaps at
 
HomemadeSoapNSuch

and at

Our ETSY Shop


Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!
Join me on Instagram: @cranberrymorning