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Our Christmas Dinner 2013

12/28/2013

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We had two Christmas feasts this year.  Talk about abundance and over indulgence!  Today I barely cared to eat.  No wonder people make  food related resolutions for the new year, Christmas does them in.  Friends Chris and Tina invited us to theirs on Christmas Day and then we cooked on Boxing Day.  Shane was off to his girlfriends house on the 25th so we opted to do our meal the day later.  Back to back turkey might be nice for some, but it's not my favourite food although I love all the dressings and veggie dishes that accompany the feast. 

Tina's stuffs her turkey and I learned this thing called a dressing bag.  All the ingredients are placed in a double walled gauze bag and stuffed in the bird for easy removal after the cooking.  I wasn't prepared to do that to our turkey yesterday with the stores closed and no way to purchase cheese cloth, but it will be great for next year.  I never liked the dressing sticking to the walls inside the cavity as it took forever to scrape it all out, so I usually just make the dressing and use some of the pan drippings to add the turkey flavour and just bake it in the oven casserole style.      

The table below is set with our plaid Christmas cloth with navy place mats and willow dishes.  I could have hauled out the Moonlight Rose china but I love the blue and white willow for special occasions as well as everyday.  We had blue plaid Christmas crackers that are always fun and I did bring out the silver cutlery for a bit of extra shine. Blue and white ceramic candle holders scattered around the floral centerpiece added a charming ambiance to the meal. 
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Despite the amount of food needed to feed the masses of family and friends, Christmas dinner is not a difficult meal to prepare.  The turkey cooks itself needing only a few bastings, and after the dressing is made and veggies are peeled and cut, there doesn't seem to be any panic.  I've made more elaborate meals that take a lot of planning and executing, so in comparison a Christmas feast seems a cake walk.  

We made Moose Milk for before dinner whistle wetters.  I'd made the cranberry ring for the Hook-in Christmas party that got cancelled, so we decided to use it or loose it to frost bite.  Moose Milk is a combination of 1 part Vodka, 1 part Kahlua, 1 part Dark Rum,  4 parts milk and 4 parts Vanilla ice-cream.  Simple to prepare and despite the white mustache, goes down like velvet and tastes heavenly.  The silver plated punch bowl was a purchases at The Bombay Company years ago, and still shines brilliantly after a polish.   

Dessert was an embarrassment.  Maybe I've lost my touch because I ruined the butter tarts with over cooking.  I filled the pastry too much so the filling bubbled up and ran out over the pan and burned to a caramelized crisp.  I had to perform operations to cut away the sticky mess to release the pastry from the pan.  Yummy of course to pick off and crunchy to eat, but a dogs breakfast to look at.  They weren't the beautiful tart I usually make so I announced dessert would be ugly. Thankfully, the flavour was there or I wouldn't have been able to serve them and that would have meant throwing some overripe bananas at the crowd.  No one seemed to care, especially the guys. What is it about men...they just love tarts.....

I'm very lucky to have a domestic, handy hubby who doesn't mind rolling up his sleeves to peel and cut veggies or wash dishes.  I call out the orders and he did my bidding....like a PA in the kitchen.  He came well trained so I didn't have to do any of the breaking in myself.  I'm a lucky woman!

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After dinner we removed the leaves out of the dining table and played a game of Mah-jong, a tradition in the Little house.  Shane and Ashley had to leave so Chris and Tina played with us.  It's similar to gin except with tiles instead of cards.  You need runs and multiples of three of a kind.  There is a great wall that you draw tiles from and place discards in the middle. Hubby learned to play with Chinese co-workers back in the seventies and would play three to four games during coffee breaks.  It's fun to play and we've spread the game to all our friends.   Tina on the right, was the big winner of the night, taking three in a row and then leaving after midnight on top of the Mah-jong throne.

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I loved my table centerpiece, a gift from Deanna from Seaside Flowers in Lunenburg.  She's a good friend and one of our Main Street Rug Hookers that meet at the studio on Wednesday evenings.
4 Comments

Letting go.....

12/24/2013

2 Comments

 
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This Christmas is wrought with change and a bit of sadness.  I'm experiencing  delayed empty nest syndrome considering my son left the roost decades ago, but he always came home to unwrap his Christmas presents and I liked it. 

Now he has a stable relationship, one that will undoubtedly go all the way to old age and rocking chairs.  He tells me he's 34 now, and I smile.   He'll be my boy no matter how old he grows but I have to respect that he's building a new life independent of me, one that might only accommodate me on occasion because his heart and future is  invested elsewhere, and so it should be. 


And don't get me wrong, just because I'm whining doesn't mean I don't understand or even appreciate the change, I'm infinitely happy that he's settled and is writing new life chapters with a lovely mate.  My hubby says the change is an indication of his moving on to a successful relationship and we rejoice in that. It's just that I'm an old dog that's grown accustomed to the traditions we made since Shane was a boy.  I like having him around to see his face when he opens his presents. To me that's the real gift of giving, to see the expression of joy on the receiver....well, that's the desired reaction one hopes for.  Discovering treasures under all the foil paper, ribbons and bows is not a commonplace event, it's a special bit of love waiting to be unwrapped.   This year, my son will start building traditions in his own home with the woman he loves.  I'm happy for him, but like the mother holding her five year old's hand as he embarks on his first day of school, letting go is bitter sweet.

And to his credit, he told me that if I really wanted him to come to our house Christmas morning to open his presents he would, and I loved that he is kind enough to offer....it's unspoken proof he loves me and that's the greatest gift I could ever receive.  So we worked out that he and his girlfriend are coming by Christmas morning for breakfast but they will start their own tradition of gathering together with their two pups and two cats,  under their very first tree as a couple, to unwrap all their goodies....except the one momma held back just so I can see that smile! 

M
erry Christmas all, keep safe and have fun! 






2 Comments

Hook-in Wednesday Dec. 18th!

12/17/2013

0 Comments

 

Hook-In December 18th

Wednesday afternoon will be our second
daytime hook-in at the studio. 

In case of stormy weather, call ahead to make sure we are here on our toll free line  1-855-624-0370
Time 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Coffee, tea and Christmas goodies will be served.  Hope to see you!
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Gingerbread Man Christmas Stocking

12/3/2013

2 Comments

 
PictureHe looks as if he's saying "Yippee"
I like the idea of the Christmas stocking.  As a child it was the first thing I saw coming down the stairs Christmas morn.   It bulged with smaller surprises, a prelude to bigger items under the tree.   I’m sitting here wondering  if my mother made my childhood stocking and wonder what might have happened to it?  Sadly my questions have no answers as she is now gone.   

What I do remember is finding a big orange in the toe, a nutritious filler that helped keep the cost down when dealing with Christmas on a budget.   I was a pretty observant kid, probably would have made a good detective because I deduced that the piece of fruit looked very much like the ones in the fridge vegetable crisper. So one year I counted the oranges before going to bed and sure enough there were three missing the morning after. I asked my mother why Santa would take our oranges to give to us and she said Santa liked to make sure children ate fruit.  On my own, I figured out that Santa was just being frugal, having to stretch that one, seemingly small bag of toys to last for all the world’s boys and girls.  I didn't hold it against him, after all it was understandable why he cut a few corners and of course, I liked fruit.  Interestingly, that was the last Christmas we found oranges in our stockings. 

My mother scrimped and saved all year for Christmas and we were never disappointed, always getting the one big item we picked out of the Sears Wishbook and a lot of little but very significant things.   There was always lots of ripping and tearing, squeals and laughter.  We received practical things like new flannel PJ’s and maybe a new tam and scarf set, socks and mittens.  Back then it wasn’t about high-tech presents, just simple things and necessary everyday items.   Things we needed anyway that got dubbed Christmas presents, sort of killing two birds with one stone while saving money.    

We didn’t own a fireplace which posed concern, but my father told me that Santa had a magic passkey for homes that didn’t have chimneys, so not to worry my pretty little head.  On Christmas eve, we stuck the stocking tab to the side of a stair tread with a thumb tack and set out the milk and cookies, although my father convinced us that Santa was probably fed up with milk and might appreciate a cold beer.  In the morning the bottle was empty and the plate had the telltale crumbs of an appreciated snack.  

As a child my stocking was made of a thin, cottony, gauze like material.  It was red and plain without any kind of Christmas motif.  Not as large as the stockings I design but large enough to excite a small child with all the goodies Santa stuffed into them. There were three of us so Santa would leave our names scratched on a piece of paper to make sure we didn't get confused and it was truly amazing how his penmanship mirrored our fathers.    

I like hooking Christmas stockings.  They are short and sweet, usually no more than a three evening project and supply a fun canvas to play with colour.   This one took the fourth night because of the smaller #4 cut, mostly for the show that was pixelated to conceal loop lines. I like this technique as it smoothly fills in the area without showing where one row starts or stops.  Although simple in its design this piece had a lot of snow to hook and a flat white wouldn’t have given me the challenge I appreciate so it was fun to add the shading to break up the large expanse of white.    

The sky was simple, a wash of blue over a piece of Copenhagen/Overcast Sky and hooked straight across but on a curve to match the stocking shape.  I thought about doing a swirled effect but then decided to keep it simple as not to compete with the Gingerbread man and the candy cane skis.   I didn’t hook the stars drawn on the trees in the initial design keeping once again the focus on the cookie and candy.  I guess I took artistic license with my own artwork!

The colours used for the candy cane skis
were Heart Red and Green With Envy and natural.  The trees were hooked with two different spots, Emerald and Aquarius. The Gingerbread man was done in Walnut medium value and the darker value herringbone for the outline. The hat was Heart Red and the scarf was Green With Envy (lighter value than the candy cane, yellow and orange straight from the bottle for brights).


Because the scarf ends touched I had to use colour placement to separate them. Normally the back piece would have been hooked slight darker than the one in front but for the little bit of wool needed to create the difference I didn’t want to have to over dye the colours darker.  I considered doing a painted wash of dye but hoped alternating the stripes would do the trick.  It worked, fooling the eye enough to create a separation.   If it wouldn’t have worked I would have done the dyeing but it’s only a little stocking, not a William Morris masterpiece and I figured I could cut that corner and pay more attention to detail elsewhere.   

I had to be careful with the snow around the gingerbread man’s body because of the white icing piping surrounding his outline.  I didn’t want it to appear like a hole through the cookie.  Anytime you use background colour in the motif you run the risk of it appearing as if there is a hole in the design where the background shines through.  I was careful to add the snow around the guy using the lightest values of a 6 value swatch called Snow & Ice so there was a subtle difference. 

A couple of years ago I developed a 6 value swatch for hooking snow and ice.  It’s a pale greyish blue that goes from dark to light with the lightest value being just a shade darker than Dorr Natural.   One swatch goes a long way to add interest to snow giving you a gradual shading of dark to light for snow drifts, under bushes, wherever you need a shadow and it breaks up the blaring overuse of too much white.  It might just be a little stocking for a child now, but it needs to grow with them into adulthood so the shading offers a bit of sophistication for the grownup.      

Contrary to what you may think, snow is not perfectly white.  It’s affected by the environment around it.  Take a look the next time the backyard is carpeted in white. You will see many shadows around bushes, under trees and the hills and valley of snow drifts will tell a story of light to dark.     

The hat trim is Curly Mohair or Mohair Boucle.  I added a bit of shading there as well using Sooty Santa, curly mohair over-dyed with a very light black and some seal brown.  Santa is only spiffy clean when he’s posing for pictures.  On Christmas eve, his chimney detail insures soot staining on his beard and suit trim.  Hooking with the Sooty Santa curly mohair provides a more antique old world appeal.   I added a bit of this on the bottom of the pom pom and hat trim and then filled in with the natural on top adding a little bit more interest to the gingerbread’s stocking cap. 

So I have to decide which one to do next.   I’ve drawn off the Celtic Tree and I could whip that off quickly in a #6 cut but more exciting ideas keep popping up.  Peacocks seems to be popular right now so I have a design in mind with the tail feathers sweeping into the toe of the sock.  Then the idea for a Carousel with a mermaid horse popped up, the curling tail dipping down into the toe.   What a colourful one it could be. I remember the carousel rides as a child, the hard bodied horses and the music, hanging on for dear life while riding up and down the pole in a stomach flopping motion.  I see it so clearly in my head that I almost hear the tune that used to play......

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Snow & Ice 6 value swatch. Provides shading for snow or ice and the seventh value is Dorr Natural, making for a smooth transition.
2 Comments

Wish Upon A Star.......

10/21/2013

1 Comment

 
PictureWish Upon A Star.....30" x 23"
I was floored last week.  My design, "Wish Upon A Star" has been around for a few years and although I've sold several patterns, I've never seen it hooked.  So one day last week I opened my email to find a fabulous picture sent to me by Sheila Swett. You can almost feel the crisp, cold winter's night as the snowmen wish upon the falling star. 

And then Shane brought in the mail and I opened a card to find the photo of the very same design, plus a picture of Welcome Deer, from Cathy Hallett! Wow....how cool is that? What are the chances of this happening? Stuff like this boggles my mind!  So...because they both came to me in one day, and because I can't decide which one I like best, I'll give a gift certificate to both of these gals for being the first to present me with a finished picture.  Thanks so much for sharing and making my day ladies! 

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I thought you might like to see your Wish Upon A Star finished. The nice thing about this design is the fact it is not just a Christmas scene but a winter one. This is hooked with a #5 cut new wool on linen. Thanks for a great pattern!


Sheila Swett

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During this past winter, I ordered several patterns from your shop.  Enclosed are pictures of two of the mats. I have completed these as gifts for my daughter and daughter-in-law for Christmas.  I hope they like them as much as I enjoyed hooking them.  I am particularly pleased with the snowmen.  I still have one of the big lady patterns to do and look forward to doing that over the winter.

I hooked these mats in #5 using mostly new material.  I found the mats very well drawn.  I also have your dyeing recipe books and loved every colour I've tried.  I have the latest one on my Christmas list, so I have my fingers crossed!

I enjoy your blog.  I hope to someday travel east and be able to  visit your shop.  Thank-you for producing such high quality, Canadian products.  I look forward to purchasing more of your designs after I work my way through my current projects!

Cathy Hallett

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Welcome Deer.....33" x 21"
Both of these designs are my patterns under Seasonal Designs:  Click the link to view.
http://www.encompassingdesigns.com/seasonal-designs.html
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    Christine Little has been ranked #5​ out of the 60 top rug hooking bloggers by Rug Hooking Magazine!

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    Max Anderson, Australia, recipient of my Nova Scotia Treasures rug.  An award of excellence for promoting Canada through his writing.  
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