Wednesday, December 09, 2015

An Almost Tropical Christmas


The calm before the kitchen storm. Since the photo was taken, I've baked several pieces for the gingerbread house, and there's flour everywhere. That's OK, I like the look of a kitchen in-use. We made it into the low 60's today (parts of Nebraska on the Kansas border hit the 70's) and it feels slightly odd to be baking gingerbread-now I know how people in California feel. I have the windows open because any opportunity to do that in December is worth taking advantage of. Blondin has been hanging around the door-I think he can smell gingerbread at 100 yards. 


 I'm attempting a model of our row of houses on the block from gingerbread. I even bought some candy moulds shaped like cars to put in numbered spaces in front. I have fruit leather for shingles, chocolate covered cherries for the a/c units on the roof, and granola for the pebbles. We'll see how it goes, but I am rather excited about it. The pieces need several days to dry out completely before decorating and assembling. I should have started earlier, but I think we'll still have plenty of time to enjoy it. I had to scale it down when I noticed none of my baking sheets were large enough to accommodate the pieces! Just as well-I still haven't got over the year I baked St. Paul's Cathedral from gingerbread (a dome? WTF was I thinking baking a gingerbread dome?!).

It IS looking a lot like Christmas (inside, anyway).











I'm back to layering because it is 30 degrees when I get up in the morning, and 62 by noon! 

Outfit Particulars:
Pendleton wool skirt-Goodwill
1970's lacy knit sweater by College Town-Thrift World
Lurex polo neck-Goodwill
Vinage Naturalizer shoes-Thrift World
1960's vinyl handbag-Thrift World
Shiny Brite Christmas corsage-Thrift World
Christmas star earrings-K Mart
Cinnabar bangle-Hand-me-Ups
Painted lucite bangle-Goodwill
Fragrance-Fire and Ice
Lippy-Maybelline Vivid Rose layered with some stick gloss the name wore off of.

Every year, I like to bake cookies for the Game and Parks employees at the State park where Danny does his bird-banding. These are people that have been there for years, and have watched Danny grow-up. I try to decorate cookies that have something to do with our local wildlife (one year I did some elaborately decorated songbirds and raptors). This year, I'm doing fish (walleye, paddlefish, crappie (it is pronounced, "Croppy") and bass. I thought it would be fun to make cookies in the shapes of lures (spinner, etc.) but then I came up with the idea of including a small bait box filled with gummy-worms candy. I can't wait to get started. I need a similar box of cookies for the Friends of the Library volunteers, but they typically get holiday decorated cookies like wreaths, doves, and stars. Books just don't work that well as cookies (I've tried). 
These are on the lesson plan for art tomorrow afternoon. I'm letting Danny design them, which means they might be interesting.














11 comments:

Sue said...

My god woman you are always busy! I want to see St Pauls Cathedral made from Gingerbread now. Of course Blondin's wee nose will be whiffing the air for Xmas treats!!
PS: Got my card xxxxxxx, so sweet and thank you so very very very much, xxxxxxx. Hug yourself from me will you!

Connie said...

A bait box. That sounds like the BEST idea. I can't wait to see it. And why am I not surprised that you do it up big time at your house for the holidays. Love the 1950's ornaments and your clearly mid-century outfit. Takes me back...

Bibi Maizoon said...

With 3 Xmas trees you certainly are festive! I have an angel collection too, somehow they've survived all my travels.
Love the idea of a gummi worm bait box. Is the bunny in the glass Xmas tree a left over peeps from Easter?
Spoke with my aunt in Miami last night, apparently they're having floods this winter (which is usually their dry season.)

Goody said...

@Sue
http://eattheblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/almost-completed-gingerbread-cathedral.html

It was impressive, but I'm NEVER doing that again.

Goody said...

@Sue
You received it already? Wow, I was figuring it would take two weeks just getting out of Omaha. When I went to send out my cards, the postal clerk looked at all my international letters and asked, "Don't you know anyone in the US?"
"Sure" I told him, and pointed to the card going to New York.
"New York is NOT America."
I had a good laugh at that. I'm glad you liked it.

Goody said...

@Connie
I do love my Shiny Brite ornaments. We had a few break last year when the box tumbled from a shelf, but the ones that survived are, as you correctly observed, from the 50's.

My husband grew up in a family that just didn't do holidays, so this is all very foreign to him. We celebrated EVERYTHING in my family because it was yet another opportunity to get everyone together to squabble and complain. With Danny's birthday five days before Christmas, it does make for a long holiday season, but I enjoy baking, and filling my living space with shiny things.

@Bibi
Yep, the Peep is from Easter. I stuck a Santa hat on him, and tucked him into a jar of peppermint Andes.

Yeah, December flooding in Miami is messed-up. I'm trying to remember if I ever saw rain in Miami (we used to go in the wintertime when I was young) and I can't. It would get cold at night, but not rain, and certainly not enough to flood. Yikes.

Mim said...

I look forward to seeing what decorations Danny comes up with (will there be some Monty Python ones, I wonder...).

Your gingerbread creations are fab, I hope the neighbours like seeing their houses made out of cake.

Vix said...

That trapped rabbit is brilliant. Dying to see what you do with the gingerbread (it would have a few bites out of it if it was in this house, Stephen the cat adores it).
Fabulous skirt. We've got cold weather on the way apparently. they can keep it. xxx

Goody said...

@Mim
There's the most adorable little boy (about 3 years old) a few doors down that I know will be excited to see his house in gingerbread.

I just ordered Danny a Mr. Creosote mug with a message inscribed on the back for his birthday. Personally, I wouldn't enjoy my morning caffeine in a mug with a vomiting man on it, but 11 year old boys are different!

@Vix
Thank you. I always seem to have leftover candy from holidays, so I thought recycling might make sense. Hope the cold misses you.

ThriftyParka said...

My goodness!!! Is there anything you can't do? A dome from gingerbread! Bait box filled with goodies! Croppy cookies (hee, hee, couldn't resist).

You look fabulous as usual. You do realize you are raising the SUPERMOM bar very high, don't you, hmm??

Just wanted to say that I LOVE your Christmas decor. I'm not even remotely Christian, but I love decorating for Christmas...as I was scrolling down, admiring your decor, I saw the little pink bunny stranded in the glass, tree jar and I burst out laughing!!!!

thank you for motivating me to get out of bed and decorate (and sew)!!!

happy thrifting ;)

Goody said...

@Thrifty Parka
No supermom here (I'm improvising and winging it like everyone else!).

I'm not terribly religious either, but winter is so long-and the decorations so colourful it is hard to resist.

Are you still working on the quilts?