waiting for a star to fall

 After several mostly-dry weeks, we finally got some rain...

...and an absolutely gorgeous hard frost.

Still, it's mainly on the warmer side, even though there's usually a skim of ice at the edges of the front pond.

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and as usual, I made a feast.  In college, I used to carefully recopy my notes to get the contents straight in my mind, and I do the same thing with recipes...just a bit messier.

We ate...

...and spent the rest of the day like this:

Oh, I did find a real gem.  I made 6 mini (single-serving) pies - apple, cherry, and chocolate.  I'm not much of a pie person, though, so I added a half-batch of cookies  Now, I've tried dozens of oatmeal cookie recipes in my lifetime, and this seemed unlikely to overtake my beloved oatmeal/coconut/chocolate chunk one.  Somehow, though, it did.

Sally's Baking Addiction Iced Oatmeal Cookies

Plain and unassuming, sure, but with crispy edges and a soft center.  Pulverizing half the oats is a genius move, and the icing that tastes too sweet and sharp on its own somehow elevates a not-very-sweet cookie into something special.  This is going into rotation around here!

Otherwise, we had a bit of excitement this week.  I was outside at dawn, taking photos, when I noticed something unusual in the sky beyond the barn.

I used my Zoom to get a bit closer:

And more:

This was no airplane trail!  I submitted it to the American Meteor Society and got this terse response:

Not a meteor/fireball.  Someone online suggested falling space junk.  I'm dying to know what it was, but googling "strange things falling from sky" produced some, well, strange results.  Hopefully I'll have more time after the holidays to delve into this mystery!

Until then, I'll just keep an eye on the sky.  It's awfully pretty this time of year.

Have a great week!  

twice as ice

Cold outside and warm inside, but these kittens cuddle like they're warding off hypothermia.  I love it!

even with the dog!

It's so delightful to wake up from a lazy couch nap to find a kitten curled up, too!

I don't need snuggly kittens to tell me that it's winter.  It's cold outside - really cold, which means that it's a great time to make ice bowls.   I've made and posted about these before, and they're so easy to make.

Take two bowls and nestle with a layer of water in between, then freeze.  Put a candle inside and they look so pretty and atmospheric on a porch.  I have a lamentable lack of freezer space here, so I made two shallow bowls to stack.

I think it would look really pretty with the top layer inverted, or even a really tall stack of shallow ice bowls.  We're warming up today and they will melt...but it's easy enough to make more once the temperatures drop again!

I also took advantage of the cold temperatures to make some delicious bread.  I'd ordered some 6" cake pans and Sally's Raspberry Twist Bread recipe, halved, fit into one perfectly!  I cut the cooking time to 35 minutes and it was perfect.  

Flaky layers of brioche bread with of thick jam and puddles of cooked fruit...so good.  Kind of perfect on a cold winter morning.  

Since it's only a 6" loaf, it's perfectly fine if it disappears in a day!  Next time...cream cheese glaze.  Swoon!  

I've been sewing, and working on some secret knitting projects...

...and it's full steam ahead on my quilt!  I combined my 2 1/2" squares to create 17 larger blocks.  The Vintage Christmas fabric is perfect for this time of year!

Now I'll work on the star blocks, which will be solid color and interspersed with these mini-blocks.  It's shaping up nicely!  A really pleasant winter project.

When it's cold like this, I can't sleep in a sunbeam like the kittens...

...but I can still find little ways to make it more pleasurable.  That's a key to happiness, I think!

It's been a pretty great season so far. 

Have a great week!  

first snow glow

 First snow!  First snow!!

The day before, it was so warm that I was still seeing bees and butterflies.  It was almost too warm for our bonfire!

you've got to have marshmallows!

Then...temperature drop, and winter wonderland.

Even as a child, I knew that there was something special about the first snowfall.  The crisp air, the silence, the clean white landscape...and now that I'm older, I love the atmosphere that it creates within the house.  This weekend, there were lazy late breakfasts with two cuddly kittens and homemade quilts...

...long knitting sessions...and there's nothing better than a good book by the fire.  Winter always brings amazing sunrises/sunsets, too.   

For me, winter is a time to recharge, to release expectations and to slowly form new intentions.  I have greater focus and more compassion for myself. Gone is the persistent pressure to go go go. I let myself read more...knit more...and take long afternoon naps if work permits.  I bake bread and make thick, hearty soups.  I've always preferred winter clothing and love my hand-knitted sweaters and jeans.  It's a wonderful time.  Then, when I start feeling restless...when the cold begins to wear on me and I'm tired of grey and brown outside...it's usually about time for spring.

We're all excited about what the next months will bring.

Have a great week!

the boop troupe

November!  Some mornings are delightfully foggy...

...and sometimes, the heavy dew makes beautiful jewelry with the many spiderwebs that are still around.

We've had incredibly windy days that blow the leaves sideways...

...and spray the water falling from our downspouts.

A few days ago, the wind snatched away the last of our front bush leaves, exposing the red berries. I'd hoped to bring them inside for Christmas decoration, but they're highly toxic for cats.  I'm going to cut some branches and make a wreath for our front door!

Fog, wind, and rain, and so warm that many flowers are starting to blossom again.  I can't complain about open windows in November!  

The warmth has helped to prolong the leaf color in some instances.  I'm still able to pick plenty of small bouquets.

Perfect weather for yard work.  I got my dahlia tubers dug, dried, and wrapped...now I'm in the process of cutting down the dead stalks in the flower beds. Claudia keeps me company...

...and the horses across the street are blowing and chomping,  getting good grass before the freeze.

Halloween has come and gone.  We made it through our scary movie marathon and enjoyed some  "vampire bite" cupcakes...

...and kept the party going with a National Donut Day mini-celebration on Saturday!  

recipe from Sally's Baking Adventure

Borga spends most of her time napping.   

She's not a romping young pup anymore!

The kittens, though, still have their young-cat energy.  They spend most of it loving on each other (and us!).  It's pretty much a kitten lovefest around here 24/7!

Calliope is still not amused.

Real cold weather is coming next week...hooray for winter!

Have a great week!