The In-Between days are good ones for just "being." I've been writing thank you notes, reading new books and just enjoying the quiet of the season. So here are a few things that were lost in the shuffle!
Baking!
This year I made six kinds of cookies, Anno's spiced nuts and blogger Diana's fudge. The cookie plate included Cousin Bonnie's Jingle Balls (you might call them "wedding cakes"), ginger cookies, Drumkikars, a recipe from one of my former bosses, my favorite shortbread, this time topped with maraschino cherry frosting, a toffee bar recipe from a fellow Friends of Theatre board member and Ina Garten's raspberry bars.
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| Clockwise from top: Jingle Balls, Ginger cookies, Drumkikars, Raspberry bars, shortbread, fudge, toffee bars |
Elfing!
After making all those cookies, I had to get them out of the house. So Rick made baguettes and we made "house calls" to the homes of several friends, singing a carol at the door and leaving goodies behind. We kept distance and masked but actually felt pretty normal, all things considered!
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| Making an Elfing visit to Mark and Jan with baguettes and cookies! |
I also left cookies for neighbors and made some of Marie's oatmeal-maple muffins for my next door neighbors who both had Covid.
Health
I said goodbye to my heart monitor on Christmas Eve -- talk about a great Christmas present, getting rid of that itchy thing! We'll get a treatment plan in January, after an echocardiogram and stress test. Meanwhile, I feel fine. Well, apart from every muscle in my back and shoulders aching from when my feet went out from me like a Keystone Cop on a banana peel as I stepped on the ice outside my door.
(However I'm still getting the ears irrigated and am missing my full hearing. Boy, you don't know what you've got till it's gone!)
Playing
I participated in a theater trivia contest that is now online. I didn't embarrass myself but I didn't make it to the semi-finals. Like "Jeopardy," where you bet and then answer a question, I bet more than I should have!
Creating
I loved these cute snowmen candy bars and I had to do some for Rick's stocking and table favors!
All you need is white paper, a cheap dollar store wool glove, tape, markers and scrap fabric for a scarf. I loved them -- and Rick thought they were pretty cool, too!
And, I finished what might be my favorite feltie and not for sale! I had a lovely model!
Growing
I have never done paperwhites before but there's always a first time. There will be a second and third!
Watching
In addition to holiday movies, I've been watching the wildlife outside my window. These two caught my eye, having a chat outside the bedroom window!
This fellow looks rather cheeky! I may have to move the nuts I put on one side of the house over to the other where they seem to like to play.
So that's life in the last couple weeks of December. I leave you with my happy model! (She's a little flirt!)
And I am SO happy to finally have turned the page and opened a new calendar to welcome 2021!
What - you fell on ice! Nooooooo! I hope you keep Arnica gel handy. Glad the heart monitor is history. You sure look happy, Jeanie. You and Rick are wonderful elves. Your baking looks delicious. Happy 2021!
ReplyDeleteThat plate full of goodies looks so delicious and I love that feltie!
ReplyDeleteI could just reach in and tickle your cat's belly! :)
Happy New Year!
Your goodies look so good and what a great idea elfing is! SO glad you were able to lose the heart monitor but so sorry to hear you fell! Looks like you had a great time playing, creating, growing and watching. Give your sweet kitty an extra hug from me! Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteI am sure your friends felt so wonderful with all of your deliveries. Your feltie is adorable, I have tried needle felting and it has been a disaster for me, and you know how much I love yarn and fiber! Happy New Year, great news about the heart monitor. Stay safe.
ReplyDeleteJeaie,
ReplyDeleteYou have been keeping busy...I too made a bunch of cookies but double batches of all the ones that Joe and the kids like....I also did a but of crafting but have a lot more to do so I realized that it will be much better to do Christmas crafting in the Summer....Thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind comments!! Happy New Year!!
Hugs,
Debbie
You were making me tired reading all that you accomplished. LOL Good for you that you had all the energy to do these things, Janice
ReplyDeleteI love the week between these 2 holidays as it is a time it seems we can put so many responsibilities aside and just relax and do things we like. Maybe it's just me with falling back into school vacation mode. But maybe not reading this post. I like seeing all the fun things you filled your time with. And congrats on getting rid of the heart monitor! hope the tests go well this month. Hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteGreat! You know very well how to enjoy days amid the big difficulty. Your cat never miss a chance to get satisfaction.
ReplyDeleteSo happy to see your radiant smile again! And your Santa Claus earrings are adorable -- and you visit your neighbors bearing sweet gifts? They must have been delighted to see you!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry, though, about your fall. Hope your aching muscles recover quickly.
Love your felties, and the snowmen. Love that we are done with 2020.
Welcome to 2021 -- Happy New Year!
What great photos. I can just feel the love and joy behind them.
ReplyDeleteGlad you are on the mend! Falling is no fun. Prayers no more of that.
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos, glad you have been having fun. The cookies look great! Stay well and safe, hugs, Valerie
ReplyDeletePatti's snowmen and the felt are cute.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
:-) Just nibbling on my very first baked bread! And I froze a lot, too.
ReplyDeleteOhhh, you sang carols and all? Sooo sweet! Sadly uncommon here... these days people even move in and out without saying hello....
Good on getting rid of that monitor, how scary is that. Sad there is still so much pain!
Brave to do that game, I would not... ;-)
Cute snowmen, so sad my Niece has diabetis, so I cannot copy this...
You have a BLACK squirrel? How sweet is that! Ours are red. And Lizzie, soooo cute. To 2021!
Jeanie, you fill me with cheer.
ReplyDeleteLoved your pictures, your bits and pieces.
Nothing better than YOUR smile . . .
and the “flirty” cat was great fun too!
Happy NEW Year my friend . . .
(no more ice slips please!)
Hello Jeanie,
ReplyDeleteI really loved this review post of what you are doing, baking and creating and the elfing sounds like fun. The snowmen and the felties are cute. Sorry to hear about your fall, I hope you have recovered and I hope your ears are back to normal soon. The paperwhites are lovely! Lizzie is a beautiful model. I hope your New Year is off to a great start, happy weekend..
Falling on ice is not something I recommend, Jeanie! And where we each live we have more than a passing acquaintance with ice! Skating on thin ice is something I do from time to time, as Miriam is prone to remind me! Do I have in-between days? I probably do but I don't recognize them. I get out for some part of virtually every day, and I always seem to have lots on the go. Good stuff though, pleasant agreeable stuff. Life with COVID has not been terrible, life without it will be sensational!
ReplyDeleteHurrahs and oh nos..Good news Xmas eve..the rest will follow re ears and fall..You have accomplished a lot!I could NEVER get J to sing carols lol..
ReplyDeleteRick s game for everything..bravo..Bonne Année!
PS I sing like I dance..I dance like Elaine on Seinfeld.
Alas, I ate too much of the baking I did (too late, but many cookies now reside in my freezer). You have used your between time very well. Great photos, as always.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year my friend!
ReplyDeleteI like how you gave away cookies to your neighbors and friends, even singing carols to them. Way to go! Your little cat is indeed a wonderful model and inspiration. Good luck with the EKG and stress test. I wish you all the best.
ReplyDelete{having just sipped a cherry brandy laced hot chocolate} I am trying so hard to get back on sensible eating, and along comes your plate of cookies! Finding myself trying to pick one off the screen I think it's bye bye good intentions!
ReplyDeleteWaving~~~Deb in Wales xo
I'm joyous that it's finally a new year. I love seeing all the things you did at the end of last year, especially your very-safe visits to friends with caroling and treats.
ReplyDeleteYour baking sounds yummy, and I'm checking out the raspberry bar recipe. Congrats on not eating them all so you have enough to freeze :)
ReplyDeleteMajor congratulations on being able to get rid of the heart monitor. I'm so sorry about your slip and fall. I trust you'll be completely recovered from your soreness soon. Your cat felt ornament is a real cutie. Nature watching out my window is one of my favorite things.
Happy New Year! and may the coming year bring us all change for the better :)
So many wonders, not least of which is Lizzie.
ReplyDeleteGlad you no longer need your heart monitor. Woot. Woot.
Wishing you the best of New Years.
I love that you gave away cookies and baguettes to friends while singing carols. I bet that really brightened everyone's day.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you've been having great fun being creative with baking and crafts... Glad to hear it. I'm also glad to hear you no longer have the heart monitor on, and are feeling about as good as can be expected (other than the pain from falling on the ice). Good luck when the treatment plan starts in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, keep enjoying your time with Lizzie and watching the local wildlife.
Jeanie, you are such a busy soul. Love all your photos and seeing what you are up to. I especially enjoyed your squirrels. Ours are gray and also red. Yours look black. And of course I love Lizzie and your latest feltie. I wouldn't sell it either.
ReplyDeleteI have been reading and puttering about. It is really nice. I have always said, "Winter is not long enough."
Happy winter days, Jeanie.
Happy New Year!!
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful to hear good news from you. I hope the treatment will go smoothly. Sending lots of hugs. xx
My computer died in November. It was a while before a new one could arrive, and then it was a while before I talked the new one into blogging.
ReplyDeleteSo I've missed a lot of what happened in the last six weeks.
I'm glad your heart news sounds good. I'm sorry about the fall -- that always sucks. I hope you're feeling better and better.
Sending you good vibes!
So many neat things in this post. Love the snowmen candy bars. I should have done those for the grands.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe it, but I've never done paperwhites. I will have to try next year.
I watched a little of your trivia contest. You were still ahead when I quit. I will catch the rest of it later.
Keeping good thoughts about your fall. Hope you're back to normal soon.
Your cookie platter looks like it came from Martha Stewart Living! They look soooooo yummy! Elfing sounds like a great idea, especially since our lockdowns increased right before Christmas! BTW I have never seen black squirrels before. I need to look those fellows up!
ReplyDeleteI hope 2021 is a much better year for us all and that safe, effective vaccines will be available to all who need and want them.
Happy New Year!
I was saddened to read you had fallen on the ice, but glad you were able to get rid of that heart monitor. I sure love your poinsettia, and Lizzie looks pretty under that tree, too. Hope you continue to stay safe and healthy. Just a few more weeks until we can inaugurate a real president. I am also looking for that day.
ReplyDeleteYour cookies look so good! And how sweet was that to take them to your neighbors and sing carols... I love that! I read another blog today that said they have more than one calendar. Can I ask why you would need more than one? My kids don't use wall calendars anymore, they put everything into their phones. I'm trying to do that as well but I LOVE my calendar! I look forward to buying one every year! Happy New Year Jeanie!
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you fell on the ice, Jeanie! Do take care. Your lovely treats make me wish our's were not gone. Happy New Year to you and Rick!
ReplyDeleteLove that you cared for your neighbours. Am shifting this subscription to my other email address. Love Cath
ReplyDeleteLove that you cared for your neighbours. Am shifting this subscription to my other email address. Love Cath
ReplyDeleteJeanie, all the sweets sound terrific, I finally have them all out of my house. How sweet to bake goodies to take to neighbors and sing a carol for them, that was a lovely idea. Take care on the ice, that fall could have been a bad one!
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry about the hearing loss. That is horrible. I lost my sense fo smell about 20 years ago..and that is such a loss, too.
ReplyDeleteI didn't do any baking this year but I made tons of candy..and gave it all away (except for what hubby ate/is still eating).
Those snowmen candy bars are adorable and I am saving that idea.
I hope yuo have a blessed, wonderful 2021. xo Diana
The Lizzie feltie is adorable!!! You’ll have to make more of those next year! Or in guess I should say this year! That was kind of you to bring treats to friends. I am sure it was much appreciated. My mom mailed me 2 of my favorite Christmas candies - peanut brittle and Heath candy! Yum! I did not do any baking this Christmas. But Phil’s mom made ande’s mint cookies and kiss cookies so Phil had sweets to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI watched the great British baking show holiday specials - I had never watched the show but was hooked after that! I am almost done with season 1. It’s such a delightful show.
I love the candy bars. I have to remember that for next year! Love hearing the monitor is gone and saying a prayer for your test results this month. God bless!
ReplyDeleteOoops! Not good to fall on ice! Do please take care ...
ReplyDeleteSo pleased to read the monitor is gone.
You have included such a wonderful collection of photographs from baking, to growing, and crafts too ... amazing!
Keep on enjoying life and have a happy 2021, that's what Eddie and I intend to do (having regard to Covid regulations of course)
My good wishes.
All the best Jan
What a cutie, Lizzie!!! And those cookies look sooooo good. I keep wanting to make peanut butter fudge and may just do so soon. What a lovely way to share. And the trivia sounds like fun. Best of all is getting rid of the heart monitor, congratulations. You look good.
ReplyDeleteWe do not have black squirrel in Nashville....or if we do they are so rare I never have seen on. They are fun to watch but I don't care for those rodents, they do a lot of damage. Cookies, candy, treats....I am over the sweets and that is so hard for me to say! haha. Great about the monitor but crappy on the fall. Be careful out there lady.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your fall.. but good news about the heart monitor.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had a wonderful holiday..
Yummy cookies. Jeopardy sounds like fun.
Happy New Year, sweet Jeanie and to your dear Rick! So glad you gave that pesty heart monitor a kick in the pants. Your cookies look yummy - I think I gained 5 lbs just looking at your pretty picture. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you did not seriously hurt yourself falling on the ice, Jeanie! I have been on a blog break and did not know you had a Holter heart monitor. Have you been skipping beats? I've had to wear one of those a few times in the past when they were big heavy boxes in a sling connected to a gazillion wires. I felt like the uni-bomber...lol I hope all your tests go well! I've also had to have ear irrigation too. Since that unpleasant experience, I use Debrox ear drops pretty regularly to help soften the ear wax. it works!
ReplyDeleteYour cookies and treats all look yummy. I had to freeze some treats too, as we received many wonderful gift baskets this year.
I will have to pin that cute snowman chocolate bar idea for next year as that would be a fun thing to add to a cookie tray! I also love your new felted cat ornament that you made ...she does resemble Lizzie! The black squirrels looked large and well fed--the ones I see here are golden or reddish-brown and smaller.
Hello Jeanie, all your creations are wonderful! Snowmen's are adorable. Thanks for sharing. have a great day!
ReplyDeleteGlad your heart monitor is gone. You fell on ice, bummer, that must be sore!
ReplyDeleteThe squirrels are so cute and so is your favourite model Lizzie :)
You've made good use of the last year Jeanie, and it's been fun to read your blog. It's always so conversational and it does feel like dropping in on a friendly neighbour! Lizzie obviously doesn't have a care in the world, and really helps to share your life with someone so obviously content :) I'm glad you feel recovered from the ice slip, although I am sure you will have a huge bruise. Happy new year!
ReplyDeleteHi, Jeanie! LOVE seeing all that's been doing and going there during your holidays, and your year-end review! HOORAY about the heart monitor--glad you are doing OK, and you're lookin' great! :) LOVE those snowmen-wrapped gifts--what a fun idea! And the felted Lizzie--sooo beautiful!! All pets should have a double in felt! ;) Wishing sooo much GOOD in 2021, my friend ((LOVE & HUGS))
ReplyDeleteYour kitty is the cutest!
ReplyDeleteOh, those snowmen are so cute. I love snowmen because we can use them for decorating into the January and February days as well. This is a fantastic picture of you with your pretty smile. And those cookies look so Yummy. I want one to go with my coffee right now. ; )
ReplyDelete~Sheri