Oliebollen and fireworks...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

May you have a wonderful year full of love, friendship, warmth, sunshine and general merry making!
All my best wishes to everyone!

Enjoy and be safe!

Random musings...

I suppose I am not being highly original as I tell you that this is the time of year that you start reminiscing, but also try to figure out what certain relationships mean in your life and how you fit into the environs you have created over the years.
I will not bore you with too many details, but in our Queen's speech this year the main theme was that people are getting lonelier and more and more inconsiderate, I suppose more selfish, because of the digital age. People do not communicate face to face anymore because of all the instant messaging, texting, twittering and blogging that is going on. They lose sight of what binds them together and get more and more individualistic.
And sometimes that feels true, but for me, I sense a turning point this year. I really, truly think that at the same time people are getting more aware of the need of others and are getting more community spirit. ( something that never has been very prevalent in this country). When I look around me, indeed when I look at the last two weeks in my neighbourhood, I see things that never happened before. We had a massive snowball fight in which almost everyone in our street took part, we had a Christmas singalong in which a lot of people took part and tomorrow we will have a street party for New Year's Eve. We will all gather around 23.30 hours, count in the New Year and let off fireworks together and if the Christmas do was something to go by it will be tremendous fun! Anyhow, these are all things that did not happen before, so I think that there is hope for humanity yet.
Hope I did not bore you too much with all this, it was just playing on my mind today. Tomorrow I will bake/fry loads of oliebollen (traditional Dutch New Year's Eve fodder) for the party, and the house will probably smell much the same as the stall I started this post off with.
I started the other day on my to-read pile, which is about 4 times my height now, so really something needs to be done about that, as by no means that stops me from buying new books. I bought this one last summer, and was actually really looking forward to reading it, but somehow did not get round to it before...I am sure it is not meant to be read from cover to cover, but I am really enjoying it that way. It makes me realise that I can create a very cozy, safe atmosphere around me by doing the things I enjoy and by making time to be creative or do things together with other people. I love it, and there is lots of inspirations to be got from it, if only it was to wear Cashmere (this one made me giggle).
If ever you feel you want to read something heart-warming (for want of a better word), I can not recommend anything better than this, it is truly lovely.

Keep safe with the fireworks!

May all your days be merry and bright...

Wishing all my marvelous blogging friends a warm and cozy Christmas.
Have fun with friends and family, enjoy each others company, and make this a time to remember!

Hope you will all have a glorious time!!!

Hurray for the Hobbits...

I know he really was not the best dancer this series, but I just love these two dancing together, they just ooze fun... together they are just so watchable...


Not sure whether that was my favourite dance or whether this one is...


Either way, I totally agree with Len Goodman, this turned into the best final ever, just so completely entertaining.

What is the weather like at your end. I really do not think that ever in this country I have seen it snow like this before...
It is just so much fun. Yesterday afternoon suddenly everyone in our street was either having a snowball fight, children and grown-ups (?), not sure who had the most fun, or building a snowman, they have built giants, there is that much snow. It has been too dark to take pictures, but if they are still here at the end of this week, I will certainly post some.
Christmas has really arrived now, it could be the snow ( although in truth I have never known a white Christmas in real life) or because we had a gathering in our neighbourhood last night. It was truly magical because of the weather, there were fire pots and gluhwein and hot chocolate and everyone ended up singing carols together. It was truly lovely.

Now Christmas can start!

Coasters and cookies...

Do not you love the coasters I got through the post yesterday from Heidi. My blurry picture does not exactly do them justice, but you can at least see the lovely colours. The card she sent with them has the same sort of colours on it, which I thought very clever, I like that kind of detail.
I als received the new Christmas cookbook from Delia Smith today. Maybe a bit late in the day, but it has some great recipes in it, and most of them you do not particularly have to make for Christmas. Any other day in winter will do just as well. If you like cookbooks (personally I am obsessed by them), this one is well worth a look.

Ooh and I promised you cookies last time. These are truly delish, if you only bake one kind of biccies this Christmas, make it these, they are quite special!

Pfeffernussen
Makes 3 dozen

1 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (125gr)
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 160/350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the confectioner's sugar in a brown paper bag.
In a medium bowl combine flour, pepper, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and baking soda, set aside.
Place butter, brown sugar and molasses in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture, beat until just combined. Pinch off dough in tablespoon amounts; roll into 1 1/4 inch balls. Arrange balls 1 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake until cookies are golden and firm to the touch with a slight cracking, about 15 minutes. Transfer sheets to a wire rack to cool slightly. Working in batches, place cookies in paper bag, shake until well coated. Let cool completely on the wire rack.

Have fun with your last minute preparations, keep breathing and do not forget to enjoy the festive season!

Winter wonderland...

Look at what we woke up to... OK, admittedly that was yesterday, but with all the baking and dusting to do ( I am getting to the cleaning now) I did not get round to post a few piccies yesterday.
Snow always make me feel like a child, it makes everything sooooo pretty! And yes, I know it causes a lot of havoc too, but I blissfully ignore that.
Off to take some fab cookies out of the oven now, if they are any good, I will post the recipe tomorrow.

The chickens felt a bit frozen...
It looks like this picture has been taken in the middle of the night, a good argument for a new camera if ever I needed one...
Another early morning delight...
Is not our street gorgeous like this...

Enjoy the snow!

Christmas Express...

First of all I would like to thank you all for your kind comments on my last slightly panicked post. I feel much better now, I have decided just to go with the flow, and enjoy what gets done and forget what does not get done. I managed to do a lot of baking and cooking in advance, the cards are all written, and the frost can set in as far as I am concerned. There are still a few nigly little things in the back of my mind, but I will not bother you with them.
A special thanks too to the lovely Heidi from All my scattering moments. If you have never seen her blog, just hop over, as it is really lovely, as is her other one, the Cranberry chronicle. Anyway, because I commented on one of her posts I won a couple of Christmas coasters she made, and they look really lovely. It turns out that she lives in my hometown, so maybe one day next year we will meet up.
Every year there is a small Christmas Fair in the hall of the train station in our town. My mother and I go and have a look every year, there never is a lot of crafty things unfortunately, but it has a nice atmosphere and for us it is one of our Christmas rituals.
Besides, I love the Christmas lights in our station, there is something magical about it, it makes you even forget that this is one of the filthiest trainstations you have ever seen (truly)...
Afterward we went to the florist near us, as she always has a nice selection of wreaths and boughs. I love the fact that everything starts to look really festive now...

Wishing you all a peaceful week before Christmas...

Who is counting...

Are you all beset by an ever so slight panic now? Please do not tell me I am the only one...
I swear it was only Christmas last week! I thought I was organised this year, I even started making lists of what to bake, what to do with the turkey, who to make presents for, what to organise...
And really, all of a sudden it December,6. I did do some baking and crafting, but am nowhere near as far with it as I would have liked. Am really nowhere near as far as this...

I have been reading some of your blogs and am just in awe, can you send me some organisation skills? That is really all I want for Christmas this year. In my defense, I have really suffered with my back the past week, could not walk, could not cough, and worse of all, could not laugh, am a lot better now... So, watch out Santa, here I come...

Have a lovely, relaxed week! I am sorry for my little whinge by the way...