The mouse-house tree & a recipe

Up until four year ago, this was the size of tree we always brought home to decorate. And I kid you not, I decorated every inch of it.

2012

Now we bring home a small tree or a table tree and are happy with that. I couldn't even imagine Christmas without a tree and it took some doing to change from BIG to little but I am fine with it now. I love table Christmas trees as long as they are nice and tall and charlie-brown-like.

So this is the mouse-house Christmas tree .
Now stop that laughing. :-b

You can see the bottom is yet to be decorated. =^..^= =^..^=

 It is decorated with little critters and some of my all-time favorite baubles. And a mouse, of course. :)

Audrey has plans; I can see it in her eyes.
Like these cats...

If I know Audrey, and I do, she will have her way with it and then be bored to death of it in no time. Annie will just want to lie on the table, under the tree, and look at the lights.

I have a cookie recipe that you may want to try this Christmas.

                            Moravian Cookies

c - cup, tsp - teaspoon 

1/4c butter

1/2c warmed molasses

1/4c brown sugar

1/8 tsp allspice

1/3 tsp baking soda

1 pinch of salt

1 7/8c  flour

1 pinch of nutmeg

1 pinch of ground cloves

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix together the butter and warmed molasses. Add the sugar, allspice, soda and salt.

Sift together the flour, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and cinnamon. Mix well together. Roll it like a sausage with your hands.

It should look like this.

Wrap and refrigerate for 10 days.

Bring to room temperature, roll the dough thinner and then cut each cookie. Bake in a 375F oven for 10 minutes.

These come out looking like your grandma's molasses cookies. :)

We have snow today and lots of it.

Our birds are very happy to see their feeders filled.

I put a log of home-made suet out for them to help pack on some weight.

Had enough...off she goes.

I'm enjoying all the beautiful decorating as I pop over to your blogs. Thanks for sharing. :)

hugs, Deb

Merrickville and a teeny tree.

Christmas is such a fun time to visit some of our little towns in the area. I mentioned in one of my recent posts that we visited Merrickville to do a bit of Christmas shopping.

It was alive with glitter and excitement.

Beautiful shops everywhere.

But no snow today.

love

Animals of all sorts were out and about taking in the Christmas festivities.

We went for a walk on family land today and found this little guy.

He'll do just fine for the mouse-house.

Let the decorating begin. "Please...Audrey."  :-{

hugs, Deb

A little more Christmas

Our snow is melting away.
But that's ok...
it was here far too early this year.

The mouse-house is coming alive with Christmas. It's so tiny here so
I'm just adding little touches here and there.

This little house opens up.

Annie always helps with decorating.

This garland was an adorable gift from a blogger years ago.

A little birdie told me the colder weather is on the way.

So....

I went into action and filled the feeders, the suet cages and put the heater in the bird bath.

Anything for my little chickadees and their friends. 

Like this beauty.

I feel so privileged when cardinals come to visit.

(taken through our garage window)

Soon we'll head out to find the purr-fect little tree.
Enjoy your Sunday.

hugs, Deb

love equals flowers and Christmas preparations continue.

The weekend was a busy one; lots of family get-togethers. We celebrated my youngest daughter's 30th birthday on Sunday morning with a birthday breakfast. How my baby is 30 already is a mind-blower but it's here and we are happy to celebrate with her. She is the artist in our family and we are very proud of her. 

There was a delicate little bouquet of flowers for her at the table and a story, told by my son, John,  that went like this...
His six year old daughter, Riley, told her dad to buy Allie flowers.

Riley: "Allie's your sister, right?"
John: "Yeah"
Riley: "And you love her?"
John: "Yeah"
Riley: (In a serious, matter-of-fact tone) "Then you buy her flowers on her birthday."

Christmas preparations are being made at the mouse-house.

It's cold outside now and we have had freezing rain.

Ugh!

There is still snow on the ground.

So now the shoveling and pushing snow from here to there begins.

Although, I hear it is to warm up this week. :)

One hundred more lbs. of seed was bought

so our resident birds are good.

And we have many more than usual to feed while our neighbours are down south.

We will gladly take care of them all.

=^..^=

Christmas cards are finished (thanks for your help, Annie)

and two very excited felines have their letters to finish. 

Were they naughty or nice this year?

Well...

Audrey's went something like...

Dear Santa,

Let me explain...

"busted"

=^..^=

hugs, Deb

Merrickville at Christmas.

You never know what you'll see in Merrickville.

Like these three little window-sill cats, for instance. :)

Just sitting there.

(source)

Hey, is that nutty nana and goofy Gwynn?

There's something around every corner for the believers.

And yes, I do believe.

Don't you?

Merrickville is a delight at Christmas; a magical place.

It's a little town I make sure to visit every Christmas.

Maybe twice. :)

I'll bring you back for a tour next week.

Have a peaceful Sunday, everyone.

hugs, Deb