Top Ten Photo Picks for 2017 - Howard Watson Trail

Since retiring I've had the luxury of being able to ride my bicycle every morning...well, almost every morning, throughout three seasons of the year.  It's great exercise that's easy on the knees and it's a great way to start the day. My cycling route takes me along a section of the Howard Watson Trail. The Howard Watson Trail is a rail trail. As a child, I used to walk along sections of this rail line with my dad on our hikes through the woods. That woods is now a subdivision, but the trail still retains some of the wilderness of the past. This year I began photographing the trail on my morning bike rides. These are my Top Ten Photo Picks for 2017 - Howard Watson Trail.

 

  

  

 

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Love & Joy: A Reflection on Christmas

Wassailing is an old English tradition that involves singing and drinking hot, mulled cider from a wassail bowl. The mulling spices usually consist of cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg and dried fruits, such as, oranges, raisins or apples. Many years ago, I decided that we should have wassail on Christmas Eve. It's been a Christmas tradition ever since. As I think about drinking my wassail once again, I also think about how traditions transition. Nothing ever seems to stay the same, including Christmas.

Christmas, for me, has always been about spending time with family. As a child, that meant grandparents and sometimes aunts, uncles and cousins. It also meant lots of food and fun. As my siblings and I got older, as family members passed and as a new generation was welcomed, the size of the celebration changed from year to year, but there was still always lots of food and fun.

I am thankful that I have always had some family around at Christmas. I am mindful that not everyone shares my experience, whether by choice or by chance. Christmas is a difficult time for many people. Some families are divided by distance and some families are distanced from each other. Some people are simply unable to participate in Christmas celebrations because of anxiety, depression or other mental health reasons.

Many people opt out of Christmas. It's just another day. For some, Christmas is simply not part of their cultural tradition. For others, opting out is what happens when they have no opportunities or are unable or unwilling to participate in the opportunities that they have. Celebrating Christmas is a personal decision, but for some people the decision is made for them.

As you prepare to celebrate Christmas with family and friends, be mindful of those in your own circle who may not be joining you. A kind word or deed is never out of place, and may help to make their Christmas worth celebrating on their own terms. Share some love and joy.

This year, our Christmas celebrations will be different. We will still enjoy some of our old traditions, but we will have the chance to create new traditions, as well. In recognition of change, I'm trying a new wassail recipe this year. On Christmas Eve, as I raise my cup of wassail, I will wish that "Love and joy come to you, And to you your wassail too, And God bless you and send you a happy new year". Merry Christmas, one and all.

Wassail recipe here: Wassail

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The Christmas Cookie Chronicle

When I was young, Christmas cookies were a big part of Christmas preparations and celebrations. There were plates of amazing and delicious tidbits served up for occasions big and small, right up to and including New Year’s Day. In between official offerings, my sister and I would snack on Snowballs or Cherry Surprises right out of the freezer.

Christmas cookies have been around since Medieval times in Europe. Biscuit style cookies were popular in the 16th century and the Dutch introduced Christmas cookies to North America in the early 17th century. My mother knew none of this. She didn’t need to because she was the Christmas Cookie Queen and a queen doesn’t need to be bothered with such details.

Even after I was married and had a family of my own, my mother continued for several years to present both my sister and I with a large Christmas themed glass plate filled with her wonderful cookies. Any leftovers went directly into the freezer for, well, you know...

As an adult, my contribution to the family Christmas cookie tradition was gingerbread cookies. I only ever made gingerbread men. I had a cookie cutter that was perfect for making gingerbread men for tree decorations. I also had a mini gingerbread man cookie cutter. These little guys were perfect for snacking, a handful at a time.

Time marches on and things change. My mother hasn’t made Christmas cookies in years, but nevertheless the Christmas Cookie Chonicle continues. I still make gingerbread, but now my daughter helps me. I’ve expanded my Christmas baking to include sugar cookies and some very tasty cookie recipes that involve coconut, chocolate chips, cherries and other yummy ingredients.

This year my daughter and I planned a weekend for Christmas cookie baking. It required some co-ordination as she lives out-of-town. I had decided that we would try one of my mother’s recipes. Cherry Surprises were the selection, partly because I knew that they would freeze well...

The cookie making got off to a bad start. I tried to half the gingerbread recipe. It came out all crumbly and would not roll out. Either my math was off, or the half an egg messed it up. I'm blaming it on the egg. Next, came the Cherry Surprises and then the sugar cookies. Both turned out really well. Day One ended with me completely exhausted and in bed early.

Day Two started early. The gingerbread dough had been in the refrigerator over night. When I took it out, I was a bit concerned because the top was quite dry. I'd forgotten to cover it... Anyway, warm hands, and a warm & wishing heart, got the dough ready to roll and it worked out perfectly. The assorted gingerbread shapes were all very tasty. As it turns out, they taste the same regardless of the shape...you maybe knew that already. We were very pleased with the new gingerbread ornament we created using the new snowflake cookie cutters.

So even though time marches on, some things don't change. I have frozen Christmas cookies in the freezer to snack on, and I have lots of gingerbread to munch on between raids on the freezer. Some things do change, though. My daughter and I took cookies to my Mom this year. She was thrilled. The Christmas Cookie Chronicle continues.

Cherry Surprises recipe here: Cherry Surprises


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Stuffing & Steiff

Is it even possible that anyone has not loved a teddy bear? I don’t think so. What’s not to love? The first teddy bear was created in 1902 by the Steiff toy company. It was called “Bear 55 PB”. Teddy bears leapt into our hearts in a big way when U.S. president Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt refused to shoot “Teddy’s Bear”.

The first teddy bear that I made was a jointed bear made from faux fur fabric. I made it in a class and it took several weeks to complete. I gave it to my daughter for Christmas when she was in Kindergarten. She now teaches Kindergarten, so that gives you an idea of my "teddy bear timeline”.

Fast forward to about two years ago. I decided that I wanted to make teddy bears, but I didn't want to break the bank (mine or anyone else's) doing it, and The Bear Boutique was born. I knew that I wanted to sew my bears from fabric, and that I wanted them to be fun to make and fun to own. I chose a Funky Friends Factory pattern and then started shopping. I visited lots of fabric shops and then stepped into the world of online fabric shopping. As you can imagine, I’ve accumulated lots of bears-to-be over the past couple of years.

It takes many hours to make a bear. I usually work on a single bear over two days. Stuffing a bear takes about an hour and requires about half a pound of polyester fibre fill. That's a lot of stuffing! Every bear is cut from the same pattern, but every bear looks different. Each face has its own personality. It’s quite an intriguing process to witness a teddy bear come to life, and it’s lots of fun, too.

I love all of my teddy bears, but when they are adopted I’m thrilled to see them off to their new homes. Last Christmas I made a teddy bear for my daughter. She loves her new bear, but it seems that her bear has been adopted by her cat, Boris, who enjoys spending quality time with his new friend.

I sometimes wish that I still had my childhood teddy bear. I have no idea where it went. Over the years, though, I have bought or received as gifts some wonderful teddies, and each of them has a special place in my heart and in my home.


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The Possibilities of Potpourri

I've always loved potpourri. It's a wonderful way to have the garden come inside with you for the winter. I decided this year that I wanted to try something new for Christmas. I made a list of my favourite Christmas smells, did some research and came up with a list of ingredients for my “Merry Christmas Potpourri”. I can now enjoy the "Scents of the Season" all month long.

“Merry Christmas Potpourri” is a dry potpourri, but it has no fixative or essential oils. Mix it up around the beginning of a December and enjoy it’s lovely fragrance right up until Christmas. You can refresh the fragrance by adding fresh ingredients, stirring it up to release the natural oils or by adding a few drops of essential oil.

The quantities of the ingredients are approximate and will vary with the size of your display container. Use a glass container so that you can show off all of your lovely creation. Experiment with your potpourri! Add more, add less, add something different. Stick to dry ingredients, though, in order to keep your potpourri smelling wonderful all month long.

My husband and I had lots of fun making the cedar curls. I borrowed my brother-in-law’s wood plane and we set up our cedar curl workshop on the picnic table. They look great and they smell wonderful. My sister teased me about getting a gerbil... Not happening! We found the little pine cones in a neighbourhood park. The rest of the ingredients came from the bulk food store and the grocery store. I dried the orange slices in my food dehydrator, but you could easily dry them in your oven.

“Merry Christmas Potpourri” would make a lovely gift. Give it a try! Mix it up and make it your own. You'll love enjoying the "Scents of the Season" in your own home.

You can find the recipe here: "Merry Christmas Potpourri"


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If you've visited before, you'll notice a big change. I am restructuring my Cupola Corner blog. I hope that you enjoy the changes and that you will continue to visit. If you have a Google account, you can follow my blog through your Reading List. Please feel free to provide any feedback by commenting on my posts or send me a message using the Contact Form. Share posts on social media by using the buttons at the bottom of each post. Thank you!

                                    Sandra

                                         

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