pre-show

On the fifteenth of December...

...I was backstage for the second night in a row helping with the dress rehearsal for Charlotte's dance studio's annual rendition of the Nutcracker.

 But on this night Rose was engaged to assist too. All the excitement the dancers were experiencing sparked off them and left us feeling it too. It was a busy and hectic place at times.



It was late, most of the dancers and cast had departed, the girls were waiting on me as I was replacing some trim on one of the costumes.

What's a person to do?

goodies

On the fourteenth of December...

...a morning was spent in the kitchen baking goodies.

yes, we did have a plan.

Specific baked items:

Rolled-out sugar cookies,

chewy molasses cookies,

peppermint bark,

dipped pretzels,

and with perspicuity of the necessity of something chocolate, we added truffles.

 After a full morning of sifting, mixing, rolling, dipping and decorating, Claire had a lunch date to get to and Rose and Charlotte had piano lessons. Therefore, the chocolate is gaining firmness in my refrigerator...still. But there are plans to scoop out little melon balls worth of chocolate and roll them in cocoa and shimmering gold dust.

at the stables

On the thirteenth day of December...

....we assembled a tote-a-long basket with a thermos of hot chocolate and pumpkin bread.

Upon which we headed to the stables, and while Rose rode

 Charlotte and I shared afternoon tea in Christmas mugs, naturally.

In the air there certainly wasn't a" feeling" of Christmas,

Which made sitting outside extremely comfortable for the knitting of a scarf.

And before I go I really must introduce you to Cosy.

The dangling feature out of his mouth is due to a broken jaw and makes him quite endearing, after you get over the initial shock of being a little grossed out.

He's a curious soul.

On the twelfth day of December...

...Internet services went loopy and I was not able to post.

But to give credit it was late anyway and I was rather loopy too.

But I did get snazzy with the making of black and white taffeta yo-yo's

and attaching them to red satiny hats.

On the Third Sunday of Advent...

Latin once again strikes a chord.

                                                      

Dignus Est Agnus

  Worthy is the Lamb

Barry Moser's paintings in this book are beautiful.

"about those...."

On the tenth day of Christmas...

....red and gold diagonally-challenged ornaments were looped with glittering gold ribbon and hung from the chandelier in the dining room.

They catch your eye when you walk by, therefore, they may be classified as a topic of conversation.

homemade greetings

On the ninth day of December...

...creations made from card stock, stamps, glitter and ribbon.

gloria

On the eighth day of December...

...we enjoyed an oratorio and orchestra performance of Handel's Messiah. 

I carried along a beautiful book for Charlotte to follow along with when the singers would be singing, a book I purchased back in 1992 so that Witt would have something to follow when I first started taking him.  Tonight he sat beside Charlotte and from time to time I saw him glance over and follow along with her. So helpful to see the words, "Oh, they are singing verses", she said.

It was glorious.

Then we stopped by the doughnut store.

Where they were being freshly made and served "hot".
I am not a doughnut eater, but...
...It was glorious.

Then we rode through streets where balls of colorful light dangled from tree boughs, dazzling us with magnificence.

It was glorious.

notes

On the seventh day of December...

 ...three seasons seemed to collide into one another.

 Because the weather was springlike, we took a walk around the block while it was yet early, a gentle breeze stirred and a light cotton sweater sufficed. The gutters we strolled past were level with newly-raked piles of leaves waiting for the leaf machines to come by with their noisy vacuums and clean away the remains of autumn.  Our eyes saw Christmas wreaths on doors and windows,  fanciful balls hanging from bare branches on outdoor trees and tiny candlestick lights shining in windows.

By afternoon, gales of hardy wind escorted in rain and chilly temperatures. 

a seasonal stack

On the sixth day of December...

...favorite Christmas books are delved from an eleven month hiatus and set in appropriate places of honor.

We have many favorites at our house that are read year after year.

Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck. 

It's guaranteed to bring a lump to your throat,

regardless of how many times you've read it.

secondhand dessert

On the fifth day of December...

 We served at the church, feeding a  home cooked meal to the surrounding community.

I spent a portion of my morning preparing a hamburger casserole, lima beans, potato salad and a trifle.

Once I actually set out to make a trifle. But usually it comes about as a solution to a cake that is not up to par, a blunder.

Anything goes really. This trifle was created with layering broken pieces of chocolate cake, vanilla pudding, whipped cream and topping it with crushed toffee pieces. 

No would would ever guess it was a secondhand dessert.