deck the halls, trim the tree, let the sparkle begin

When I was little and lived in the Czech Republic I believed that the little baby Jesus flew by on a golden string, entered our home through the window, and on December 24, Christmas Eve, deposited a fully decorated Christmas tree into our living room complete with real candles and presents. Only years later did I discover that my parents surreptitiously decorated the tree that day and lit the tiny candles to enable a Christmas miracle. The tree remained in place well into January, but the candles were lit only that one night.

Fast forward to today; in my home I do things a little differently. Unfortunately I no longer believe that the baby Jesus delivers tree and presents on Christmas Eve. I decorate my tree the last weekend of November so that it is fully resplendent in holiday glory for December 1. I love decorating my house and my tree and I want to enjoy it for the entire 'holiday' month. The tree and Christmas decorations all come down on New Year's day because to me, holiday decorations look sad and droopy after Christmas. Decorating the tree involves Christmas music, wine and yelling at the cat to stay away from the ornaments - she traditionally breaks one every year.

Since buying a house with a big red door a few years ago, the tree-decorating weekend always begins with the removal of my fall wreath from my door and the appending of the Christmas wreath. When everything is decorated I light all the candles and I light up the tree, I sit on the floor and happily gaze at the tree for a long time enjoying its sparkle and I reminisce about Christmases past.

Let the month of cheer begin.

transitions and traditions

chocolate ganache almond cake(yes I made it - can you believe it) and birthday flowers

Today is my birthday....my birthday is always a transition to the Christmas season for me. Once Halloween is over and my birthday is over I start feeling all jingle-belly. Of course it helps to get into that holiday mood when snow covers our part of the planet. My sister's birthday is the same day as mine (our dad was an engineer!) and the Babe and my sister's husband celebrate their birthdays a few days after ours - we just get everything over in one week and then we can happily go on to Christmas.

Over the next few weeks, specifically beginning with next weekend, I would like to share snippets of my Christmas preparations. Those of you who celebrate some kind of winter holiday or moment are more than welcome to join me in sharing your family traditions. It does not need to be anything elaborate - post a thought or a picture as often as you like. Leave me a little note here if you want to participate and I can check out your blogs on a regular basis to see your representations.

I love traditions - being of European descent but having lived in Canada for many years, my holiday traditions are a blend of the two cultures. The reason I love Christmas, is that it is a time when we celebrate with family and we get together with friends for some happy cheer. It is a time to dress up, feel festive, cook wonderful food and eat lots of it. We have never placed an emphasis on giving multiple gifts - rather, I am brought up with the philosophy that at Christmas you receive one thing you want but don't necessarily need. Growing up, gifts comprised one special item and usually a book. I am glad Christmas is only once a year because that is what makes the holidays festive...besides, if we celebrated in that manner all the time we would go broke buying new clothes for our ever expanding waistlines :)

So happy weekend everyone and more holiday thoughts and musings to come over the next four weeks.

demon cat and non-related ramblings

Tencents on the left; demon cat on the right (her real name is Boo)

**tee hee - Christmas teaser in top photo**

I have decided to give up trying to commit to a serious knitting project. My Anniki is half finished and idling upstairs in my room. Basically...it's just socks for me in the near-term. I am working on a pair right now that are half finished so maybe, in like about two weeks there might be a knitting post.

The Babe and I are watching a friend's cat while he is in Dubai...I have never had two cats in the house before - suffice it to say that the cat got named Demon Cat for the first couple of days as she cowered in the basement, growled at anything that came close, hissed at our Tencents (who I think hates her as only cats can hate) and basically sliced the Babe's finger open when he unadvisedly decided he should pet her. Why he wanted to pet her when the thing was practically pulling an exorcist (remember the head turning thing!) is beyond my comprehension. Thankfully we have progressed since those first couple of days - demon cat decided she really likes us hence we are now 'allowed' to pet her, however, her and Tencents are another relationship altogether. They don't fight - but they seem to know how to antagonise each other. I feel tired from all this for some reason. Between stress at work and dueling cats at home I really can't wait until Christmas when I get two weeks off.

I have also decided that all the world renown economists want us to be in a recession because they actually get to be on television spouting off inane predictions, bragging about having predicted this economic crisis (they are all geniuses - they all predicted this!! heavy sarcasm here) and....well...it's kind of like 'Revenge of the Nerds' - the Nerds are finally getting their 15 minutes in a long time...when did the IT bubble burst again? 2001 or so? Sigh...I am feeling catty for some reason.

kitchen poetry: day 7

I am so happy with my new cupboard and finally finished moving all my china and glass pieces onto its shelves. My little collection of vintage milk glass found a home within the confine of one shelf...there is something comforting about disciplining your collecting habits to one tiny space.

So this is the last day of kitchen poetry. It has been fun but I am gladly going back to my once a week posts....well until the next project...I have some ideas. A big thank you to Toni of simple sparrow for coming up with poetry week.

kitchen poetry: day 6

Deep purple hyacinths and french crystal grace my kitchen island providing a wonderful sparkle and a much needed splash of color. Have a wonderful Saturday. Tomorrow is the last day of kitchen poetry.

kitchen poetry: day 5

The anatomy of a mandarin. We found these mini-mandarins at the store...they looked so good. They photograph so well...they taste a little sour. The kitchen smells like citrus.

kitchen poetry: day 4

kitchen poetry = true love and the gift of time through the assembly of Ikea hell

kitchen poetry = a kitty who loves boxes more than anything else in the world

kitchen poetry = a completed kitchen eating area with free standing island and a cool farm house style storage cabinet

My icky 1979 kitchen will function for the next four years quite efficiently.

kitchen poetry: day 3

Homemade salad dressing and a fresh, spring mix salad...a staple with just about every meal - served in my favorite vintage pyrex ware.

kitchen poetry: day 2

The kitchen god - every kitchen should have a deity. I have had this Buddha for a long time and he has always kept a cheerful eye on my kitchen. I love how ample he is; a perfect symbol of a kitchen that offers sustenance and good food.

kitchen poetry: day 1

Here is my first instalment of kitchen poetry. There is nothing better than homemade macaroni and cheese cooked from scratch. I love this dish - ultimate comfort food. I can't just leave you with an image without sharing the recipe so here it is:

2 1/4 cups dry macaroni
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (I like the sharp variety)
1 cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon dry tarragon
1/2 teaspoon each salt, pepper and paprika
3 cups 1 % milk (I use 2 %)
2 tomatoes, sliced into rounds fairly thinly
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)

• Cook macaroni in a large pot of water according to directions (usually around 10 to 12 minutes). Drain when cooked.


• Meanwhile, in a bowl combine: cheddar, onions, Parmesan cheese, flour, mustard, tarragon, salt, pepper and paprika.


• In a large saucepan, heat milk until hot, GRADUALLY add cheese mixture, whisking CONSTANTLY until thickened and bubbly.


• Combine the mixture and the cooked macaroni. Transfer mixture to a lightly greased 11 x 7 inch (2 L) or an 8 x 8 inch baking dish.


• Place tomatoes over top


• Sprinkle with some extra Parmesan cheese and cheddar.


• Bake at 375 degrees F (or 190 degrees C) for 10 minutes


• Broil at low broil for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and tomatoes are nice and hot.


• Sprinkle with parsley and enjoy

up for some kitchen poetry?

I LOVE it when someone thinks up something fun to do! Toni of simple sparrow is hosting a 'kitchen poetry' week this week - from Monday, November 3 through to Sunday November 9. The idea is to take a picture at some point in a day in your kitchen...it can be any kind of picture...something delicious getting cooked, or a pot on your stove that just looks like it needs to be photographed, or your kitty hovering around you hoping something good might drop her way...anything at all.

I bought my house about two years ago, this month, and I am ashamed to say that this vast 2,000 square foot space is occupied by the Babe and I and our cat. Our living room does not contain a stick of furniture. We live in our family room and our kitchen. My kitchen is original to the house - circa 1979 - and desperately needs renovation. The price tag for renovations would be astounding, so much so, that we are not in the mood to undertake the project. Having lived in a shoe box most of my adult life I admit that I do relish all this space and openness. What is interesting is how having all this room makes me more conscious about stuff and clutter - I am an obsessive "de-clutter bug" - I am allergic to accumulating 'junk'.

The kitchen truly is the heart of this house - I love to cook, it adjoins the family room where we really live and it has catered to many friends and dinner parties over the past two years....and so as an ode to my outdated kitchen, I am excited to share little kitchen moments over the next week. If you want to join in the fun, leave your information on Toni's blog in the comments, and let me know too, so I can check out your pictures.