It's snowing cats and dogs!

Okay, okay! I know that the saying goes it is raining cats and dogs but it is not raining in Holland for a change...IT IS SNOWING! Can you see the big happy grin on my face? We had to stay here this weekend as we were babysitting for a friend (more in a minute about that) but could not have gone to Cranberry Cottage as there is too much snow up north to get to the cottage. I went out yesterday with a friend and will share photos of that on the next entry but today it is stay at home and watch the snow kind of day. Our table has a nice fat layer of snow covering it like whipped cream.

Last night after dinner, we turned on the TV and Dagi's favorite show was on BBC2 Wales. My cat loved to watch the One Man and His Dog competitions. He really watches it intensely so we put a chair right in front of the TV for him.

England won this year and I think Dagi approved, don't you? *wink*

Today we were dogsitting for my friend Saskia. Rover is a very handsome and amazingly behaved black Lab. He is just the greatest dog. We took him out for a walk in the snow and he did not mind posing for a photo with me.

We live on the edge of a newly built neighborhood. Just a block from us is the park. There is also a woods with a beautiful old farmhouse dating back to the middle ages. Normally you see sheep in this field but it was too cold today.

One section of the park is always full of young people flying kites. Now I don't know about you but flying a kite brings up Mary Poppins like images of paper kites flying in the spring breeze but these are serious kites nowadays. The young men using them had skies on. These are powerful things and can lift them right up into the air.

Our garden has a huge layer of snow now. I think this is the most I have seen since I have lived in Holland. It feels like being back home in Ohio on a lighter snow day.

As far as Saskia's day out with her parents, they had to turn around and come back home. The musical they were attending as a surprise for her father's birthday today was canceled but we did get to enjoy Rover for a couple of hours. She gave me this wonderful gift for dogsitting, like I needed to be rewarded for something that fun?

So I dug into my collection of pine and berries and already have the basket in use as decoration with the candles lit. Thanks Saskia and I hope you and Rover are safe and warm back home now!

Welcome to Christmas Village

Welcome to Christmas Village. This tiny town shows up only once a year in December. There is always snow. If you peek in a window and look closely, you will find a mother baking a kugelhopf.

Sister Charity arrives just in time to hear the carol singers entertaining Mrs. Potts. What is it about a carol that makes your own heart sing?

The schoolmaster has decided to allow the children to have the afternoon off to enjoy the bright winter air. The children have great fun sledding and playing in the freshly fallen snow.

Mr. Brownlow has just put his Christmas tree in a wheelbarrow to carry it home. He cannot wait to show Mrs. Brownlow how beautiful it is and commence the decorating.

Sarah is out taking in the fresh air with her sweet little lamb Snowflake. They pause to listen to a cardinal sing a winter song to them.

Thomas and Luke have lost all track of time as they have fun throwing snowballs.

Mr. and Mrs. Winston stop to look at the announcement for the ballet that is coming to the village. How exciting ... The Nutcracker! In the meantime, Mr. Rocester is busy seeing to the yule logs for the upcoming Christmas celebration.

The advent of Christmas is a buzzing time in this tiny village. All the villagers are out and about as this magical village will disappear again in a few short weeks.

A note to those of you new to my blogs...This little village was made especially for me by my mother and sister. It was made as close as possible to the village my mother made when we were children. I loved our village and later she made me one of my own. Each year, I think I love it even more. Thank you mother!!!

If you put on your speakers, you can hear the little song my sister used to sing. She learned it at school and my mother and I have memories of her singing it each year.

Snow day!

Today we awoke to this in our garden...


We had planned to drive to Germany and go to a Christmas market but the traffic jams were too bad and we decided to go to the city center instead. Here is one of the medieval city gates in Amersfoort. I took this photo as we walked into the city boundries.

Coming home the snow was melting slightly but still looked beautiful in our garden. Tonight, there is a light snowfall again. Don't you just love the look of freshly fallen snow?

DUST OF SNOW

The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

~ Robert Frost

Modern day comfort food

Every once in a while, I will post an entry about comfort food. We most often think of comfort food as those age old, tried and tested, beloved dishes that our mothers and grandmothers made. But what about some modern day foods that still give us that effect? So I thought it would be fun to share a recipe with you of an old favorite in my house. I have recently rediscovered this recipe. Years ago, I made it often. I have a quilting friend that I get together with. Each time we switch houses, one time at my house and then at hers. I made this the last time she came over and she told me that she liked it better than regular pizza. So for Elly and all of you, here is my recipe for Mexican pizza with my Nigella Lawson moment using lots of photos. *grins*

I had to give you a little Mexican holiday touch to this entry with it being so close to Christmas so enjoy the music while you read my recipe.


Cut up a half red and half green pepper in thin slices.

Slice one spring onion. This is optional as the pizza is spicy enough without it. We just love spring onions.

Mix 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup cornmeal, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 olive oil and 3/4 cup milk. This is a very wet cornmeal dough. Spray a 11 x 7 inch baking pan and sprinkle with cornmeal. Using your fingers (also sprinkled with cornmeal) spread out the dough to edges. I like to round the dough up just a little to keep the topping on the pizza.

Place the dough in a 425F oven for about 10 minutes just to set the dough.

While the dough is baking, cook the peppers and spring onion just to soften.

Remove the dough and sprinkle just slightly with mild taco sauce and then a layer of grated cheese. You can use any cheeses you like. I often like to mix Cheddar with my cheese but this time I used old Dutch cheese. This is something you can do to your own taste.

Now add the rest of the jar of mild taco sauce and another layer of cheese.

Now top top with the peppers and spring onion and ripe (black) olives. I cut the olives in half first. Add yet one more layer of cheese. Remember this is comfort not diet food. *wink*

Bake in the 425F oven for a further 10 minutes until the cheese melts.

Enjoy!

The warmth of the fireside....

Saturday evening and it is cold outside ... finally. It has been far too warm in Holland but our temperatures are now dropping. I hope it continues to become winter. It was wonderful to go out today to get our groceries in a very thick wool sweater. The sun was shining so we did not need coats as we were kept warm by our natural wool. Now if we would only get some snow...


We sit inside with our Christmas tree lights burning gaily, our first two advent candles burning and a warm fire in the woodstove. I have been quilting and sipping a cup of hot cocoa. Bliss!

It needed to be a relaxing weekend after my mishap yesterday. We decided to go up to Cranberry Cottage after originally not planning to. We were about half an hour on our way when I realized I forgot to bring my most important medicine with me. So we had to turn around at the next exit and drive home. Needless to say, we no longer felt like going and went out to eat instead.

So I leave you on this lazy Saturday evening to contemplate the words of America's famous fireside poets, James Greenleaf Whittier...

"We watched the first red blaze appear,
Heard the sharp crackle, caught the gleam
On whitewashed wall and sagging beam,
Until the old, rude-furnished room
Burst, flower-like, into rosy bloom;
While radiant with a mimic flame
Outside the sparkling drift became,
And through the bare-boughed lilac-tree
Our own warm hearth seemed blazing free."

~ from Snow-bound by James Greenleaf Whittier

O Christmas tree.....

What is the one most beautiful thing we decorate with at the Christmas season than our tree? Each year, I am a child again as I pull out each ornament carefully to hang on the tree.


My tree is made up of many layers and has developed over a number of years. I have made little changes here and there but it is a classic tree done in a Victorian style. It will not change with trends although there are new ornaments every once in a while. I like the idea that things return each year with the holidays. There is something very comforting about this tradition.

Those who followed my previous blog may remember that Charles Dickens himself influenced the look of my tree. I love the short story he wrote called 'A Christmas Tree'. This set the tone for my yearly search when I started to put together my own tree. Look for an excerpt at the end of this entry.


Along with the more serious ornaments are a few whimsical ones like this elf that was a gift from my mother.

My tree has ornaments that I have collected from many countries but also many ornaments that were given to me as gifts.

You will find many ornaments with The Nutcracker theme. I love this ballet and watch it each year. There are ballet dancers dancing among my boughs along with nutcrackers themselves.

Another love is vintage looking Santas. I rarely add ornaments anymore but this year found 3 of these beautiful reproduction vintage Santas at a little Christmas shop in Germany while we were on vacation.

I think the diversity of ornaments makes a tree something magical. You just want to keep looking to see each and every ornament. Hiding away among the branches is the German pickle ornament. Whomever finds the ornament first is said to have good luck throughout the coming year. My friend Saskia found it last year and she can tell you that the legend of the German pickle is true!

To get the Victorian look, I use three layers of various ribbons, candle lights, overflowing ornaments, pearl garland, berries, tulips (a reference to living in Holland) and red and white poinsettias. It is not a tree that is put up in a short space of time but each year we are glad we did take the time.

"I have been looking on, this evening, at a merry company of children assembled round that pretty German toy, a Christmas Tree. The tree was planted in the middle of a great round table, and towered high above their heads. It was brilliantly lighted by a multitude of little tapers; and everywhere sparkled and glittered with bright objects."

from 'A Christmas Tree' by Charles Dickens

My advent tradition

Each year, I have an advent tradition. I love advent calenders but do not have one. But what I do have is a wonderful book by Jostein Gaarder called The Christmas Mystery. It is the story of a boy who goes out with his father to buy an advent calender. He finds one in a bookshop. It is a magic advent calender through which he follows a wonderful Christmas adventure leading him all the way to the nativity.


The book is divided into dates instead of chapters. I read each date as it arrives in December ending the book on December 24th. I never tire of reading this sweet story and it has become my own advent tradition.


These houses were too cute for me to leave behind when I visited a brocante shop this past summer. They were white but that is a color that does not look good in my living room. We painted them black and they work well now. I love using real candles which is what I liked about these house as you open the side and insert a candle. I also like the idea of having them out after the holidays too. Don't you also get a feeling that things are so empty and bare once your Christmas decorations are down? These will work nicely in the cold months of winter. In the meantime, I still have to start my Christmas decorating. Have you started?