I showed you the resting rock in our neighborhood last week.  Well, yesterday we hiked up Blood Mountain in Georgia and we stopped at all the good resting rocks.  This was our favorite.  It is a huge rock along the Appalachian Trail, and located at just the right place for a needed rest.  And best of all, there was a spot just the right height for me to park myself for a little rest.

 

It was a gorgeous day for a hike: 73 degrees;  it felt like May or June.  There were lots of folks on the trail, and we all had smiles on our faces.  

 

I hope your weather is nice right now.  I know there are lots of places where it is really cold;  and we will get that soon enough, but for now we are loving our warm December.  

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

 

You gotta have pie for Christmas dinner, right?  Well, we made blueberry pie.  This is how it looked ready to go into the oven.  It wasn't quite as pretty coming out, but I'm not going to show you that.  It spilled over a bit.  And once we cut into it, it wasn't all that pretty anymore anyway.  Sure was good, though.

 

Hope you did something fun for your Christmas dinner.

 

 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!

 

How about this for a cute Christmas memory.  

 

 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS, Y'ALL!!!

 

We went for a walk in the park on Saturday, and it was beautiful.  I think the temperature was about 55.  Pretty nice for the last day of autumn.  As we passed this American Beech, Jon mentioned how pretty the bark is:  it looks like camo.  It kinda matched his Mossy Oak hoodie, so I had to take their picture together.    

 

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!

Picture borrowed from the Farmers Almanac.

 

Winter will arrive this morning at 10:03 EST.  It is the shortest day, and the longest night of the year. I know you know that already, but the Farmers Almanac has an interesting article on some fun rituals and practices surrounding the Winter Solstice.  Check it out:   https://www.farmersalmanac.com/winter-solstice-first-day-winter

 

 

HAPPY WINTER!!!

 

Yay!!!!  They turned out great!!  I guess the secret is to cut them a little thicker than 1/4 inch.  

 

We cooked them on Wednesday, and they were just like Momma's:  crisp and a little bit crumbly.

 

I just know that Momma and Betsy were cheering me on.  

 

 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!!

 

 

 

It is a lot warmer now.  We walked in the park the last couple days, and it is way better.  Yesterday it got up to 60 degrees.  What a difference!!!  We saw this grinch tree and Jon just had to have his picture with it.  Look:  no gloves.

 

You know, winter in the mountains is great.  We get a little cold, followed by a few days of warm, then a little more cold, then a little more warm, easing us into winter.  

 

We love all four seasons.  

 

HOPE YOU ARE HAVING FUN!!!

 

I know this is a funny picture to use for a weather report, but I am NOT going outside today.  It is currently 10 degrees here.  

 

And yesterday it only got up to 24.  So we stayed inside and cooked.  

 

We already made Christmas cookies, so we made this fabulous Cast iron Skillet Blueberry cake.  The recipe came from Cook's Country and uses 2 cups of raspberries and ginger, but there is also a version that uses 2 cups of blueberries and cardamom.  It is a great recipe.  Let me know if you want me to add it to the recipe section.  

 

 

HOPE YOU'RE STAYING WARM!!!

 

We love making these cookies too.  We only make them at Christmas, and share them with friends.  The recipe makes 60, and they generally last way into January, because we aren't really sweet eaters.  I guess we're sweet enough.  

 

Anyway, they're easy and fun to make, so we do it for the fun.  

 

 

HAPPY COOKING!!!!

 

 

 

 

I love to make stuff.  I especially love making stuff using the glue gun.  

 

I have a big box full of craft materials that I turn into Christmas ornaments.  I use chenille stems, wiggle eyes, ribbon, twine, pompoms, and lots and lots of glue sticks.  These ornaments are for the ladies in my Tuesday morning yoga class.  I bought a couple dozen candy canes and turned them into reindeer.  I have also used C5 outdoor light bulbs, chunks of potpourri, and cinnamon sticks to make reindeer.

 

Oh yeah, we also have a ton of corks.  I make reindeer out of them too.

 

Here's my cute story:  One of my three year old students made a hand puppet using a scrap of fur.  She shared it at Show and Tell one day, and told us that she made him with Arts and Craps.  That was 25 years ago, and we still talk about making stuff with arts and craps.  

 

 

HAPPY CRAFTING Y'ALL!!!