Rose Chintz Cottage

Wednesday, 15 December 2021

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!

It's a marshmallow world in the winter

When the snow comes to cover the ground

It's time to play, it's a whipped cream day

I wait for it the whole year 'round.

Those are marshmallow clouds being friendly

In the arms of the evergreen trees

And the sun is red, like a pumpkin head

It's shining so your nose won't freeze. - Frank Sinatra

Hello my lovely friends! It's beginning to look like Christmas everywhere we go. We just had our first snow storm of the season and the snow blanketed the ground. Even though I am not a winter loving person, the first snow does make everything pretty!

Since the snow fall, we have gotten rain which took the snow away, then yesterday, we had another mini snow storm.

I have my decorating done now and I will have to concentrate on the baking.

My centrepiece on the coffee table which reflects the colours I decorated with in the living room; teal and white with a touch of pink.

This is the first time in forty years that I won't be making either one of my fruit cakes and my children are going to be very disappointed. My NB son and his wife especially look forward to getting some dark fruit cake every Christmas.

Alas, when we went to get the fruit at our local Bulk Barn, they were out of three of the ingredients I need for my cakes. I got lots of raisins and currants but that's it! Even if I had gone earlier, like two months ago, they wouldn't have had the fruit. Indeed, every grocery store in Charlottetown is out of fruit for Christmas cakes! All the groceries are out of Rice Krispies too, until February, so no Sugar Plums or Chocolate Balls can be made either. I'm in a pickle! Bulk Barn was also out of all the holiday teas.

A ship off the west coast had gone down in the Pacific back in, I think September, and many supplies were lost. Some of the containers are still floating, I understand. Michaels has nothing in their store here and I presume many places are in the same boat. It is all very unfortunate!

So, that means I will have to come up with another cake and I know just the one to bake; a War cake, which I had made at Thanksgiving and my family loves it too. Sticky Date Pudding with toffee sauce will take the place of the pudding I would have made and I'll come up with some other treats as well.

So, how is your baking going?

I made a big batch of fudge; the first in quite some time. This is one of the goodies I have made for my family. It turned out very well. When my mother was here she used to make the brown sugar fudge for me because I have trouble stirring. This recipe is an easy one and Hubby was here to do the stirring when the time came. I always made chocolate fudge but I decided I wanted brown sugar fudge this year for a change. The recipe makes a lot; like over sixty or seventy pieces depending how big you cut the candy, so it's wonderful to gift or take to a Christmas gathering at church or home.

The recipe for this fudge is as follows...

Easy Brown Sugar Fudge

1 pound butter

One k bag brown sugar

1 can evaporated milk.

Place these three ingredients in a large saucepan and heat and bring to a boil. Once it begins to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15-17 minutes. Stir often.

Once that's done, add 1 tsp vanilla and 1 k bag of icing sugar. Stir well until all the lumps of icing sugar are blended in and pour into a parchment lined cookie sheet. Let stand then enjoy! You can freeze fudge too which is good to know and it keeps for at least six weeks on the shelf.

This container is 13 x 9 x 3-1/2 inches so you have an idea how much fudge is in this. Several pieces are already missing. There were three layers of fudge in the beginning!

I refreshed the wreath on the patio doors and set out my little floral tree with its matching wreath which you have seen before. All three pieces have deep pink hydrangea flowerets on them.

Daytime

Nighttime with the lights lit.

The four foot tree in the living room has white lights but also a string of coloured lights which I can use whenever we want a different accent.

The tree above has white and coloured lights on. The tree below has the white lights only lit.

This is our new 7 foot pencil tree in the corner of the dining room. We are really enjoying the ambience it lends to the space.

All the ornaments on this tree are in shades of pink. The darker pink is the same as the ornies I used in the big wreath on the patio doors.

I just finished the big tree in the downstairs family room with red, gold, and white, as well as lots of sentimental ornaments in the same colour theme.

Hearts are aglow when we fill our homes with domestic warmth, nostalgia, and the beloved trinkets that symbolize the season. - Victoria magazine

Before I close, let's have a cup of tea. This is Davids Tea Butterscotch Chai Rooibos tea sent to me by my friend Margie.

Thank you, Margie, it is delicious! Help yourself to the fudge.

I love how the tree lights reflect in the tea!

Thank you for visiting me today and may the week bring you joy and many blessings. God bless you all!

"I thank God for Christmas. Would that it would last all year. For on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, all the world is a better place, and men and women are more loveable. Love itself seeps into every heart, and miracles happen...". ~ Peter Marshall

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi

Monday, 29 November 2021

Christmas is Coming...

Home is the nicest place there is. ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

Hello dear friends! T'is the season for busy-ness! It is snowing! The fluffy flakes are coming down slowly like feathers floating to the ground, and it's quite beautiful!

Hubby and I have been busy putting our trees up and getting all the decorations out of storage. It's a big job, and after the holidays, I am going to have to scale down because a lot of them I no longer use. I have put up four trees this year. One in the family room, one in the living room, and two in the kitchen-dining room.

My beloved daughter-in-law tells me it is a good thing because surrounding myself with beauty helps make me happy. She is right of course! You see, I am shut-in most of the time and Christmas just helps to make the weeks ahead a little more enjoyable.

I am however running behind. I don't have my fruit for my fruit cakes yet. This time last year, I had them both made. But I have been busier than usual this year.

Our son was over again three weeks ago and I am so thankful that he can come so often. Since moving from the west coast to the east coast in June, he and his family have been here every month since July. Sometimes we see him twice a month. What a wondrous thing to have taken place! God is good, and He does answer prayer in His own time!!

Let's have a tea break. I am using my Friendly Village today. I love this pattern by Johnson Brothers. It will take you through the Autumn and into the Spring.

I am using several pieces of FV including, The Ice House which are the teacups/saucers, the small tea plate is Sugar Maples, Willow By the Bridge, and The Covered Bridge.

I have made some muffins and some mincemeat tarts. Last year there was no mincemeat to be found in the stores so we have stocked up on it this year. I can do so much with this incredibly spicy fruit concoction; muffins, squares, pie, tarts, and there is even a sauce you can make to pour over ice cream. Yummy!

I have also been watching Hallmark Christmas movies with my hubby and reading some new books.

When you have flowers, books, and tea, you are never alone. ~ Alexandra Stoddard

I ordered Laura Childs' two new books and got a couple more Joanne Fluke books. If you enjoy mysteries, tea, and baking, then you will enjoy these books!