Another easy recipe for gift-giving.

This was one of my mom's favorite loaf cakes. If you like cinnamon you will enjoy this.

                                Loaf Cake
1/4 c butter
1 c white sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 c sour milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Mix one tsp cinnamon with 3 tbsps brown sugar.

Line cake pans with parchment paper or butter and flour.

Put 1/2 of cake ingredients in pan then layer the cinnamon mixture. Then 1/2 cake ingredients on top. (see photos)
I sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon on top.

Bake 1 hr. at 350 degrees.

This is a nice bread with or without a bit of butter. It can be enjoyed at breakfast instead of toast or with tea any ol' time of the day.

I love this loaf cake. It tastes much like a coffee cake and makes a nice Christmas gift for a friend..


Our funny little Charlie Brown tree.

Boy, it's cold out there.

But, we are in for some warmer weather for Christmas.

I've been trying to clean the mouse-house today 

&

someone keeps getting in my way.

I told her to go down to the garage and nap in front of the warm, cozy pellet stove but she wants to help ?? me instead.

I told her I called Santa and told him that she was hell bent on making me work twice as long today.

And,

that he said he may not come to the mouse-house this year.

                                "OK, you're kiddin', right?"

 ;-)

"Happy first day of winter."
I'm glad I did this post up yesterday because today I am down with the flu. This is where nurse Annie will stay close for a day of cuddling. :)

Be well.

hugs, Deb

A Christmas memory.

I'd better lock up the old out-house so we don't have any confusion on Christmas eve.

The old out-house on our property is probably one hundred and fifty years old. It's been moved from here to there and, of course, it is out of commission now, but it is a piece of history here and always a conversation piece.

Our trail is covered in untouched snow.

I was thinking back to when I was a child and would come out to my grandmothers' farm house for Boxing Day dinner.

There would be a few families gathered around the table in the front room that held not only the Christmas tree but the oil tank, too.  Oh, the character of old homes. :)

Christmas music would be playing on the old turn-table.

The dining table was filled with aunts and uncles and cousins who had gathered to have another big Christmas meal with my grandmother.

From that table, you could hear the wood crackling in the wood-stove in the winter kitchen. And traditionally, it was a big fat chicken with all the trimmings that was the star of the meal.

Granny's pumpkin pie was the preferred finale of the feast.

After we had all stuffed our faces, the cousins would each receive a nice white envelope with a Christmas card and a brand new $2.00 bill inside. And there was always a bag of candy for each of us, too.

Believe it or not, that was a big deal to us kids.

Remember...that was one hundred years ago. ;-)

It's funny the memories you have at Christmas time and the ones that you hold so dear.

=^..^=

While Audrey guards the Christmas tree,

geesh, she's weird

and Annie snoozes off lunch

We wish you all a fun and peaceful week while you prepare for Christmas.

I'm heading out to fill the feeders and the heated birdbath.

It's like Alfred Hitchcock's THE BIRDS out there.

hugs, Deb

T'is the season.

T'is the week before Christmas...

It is very cold today; biting cold.

But, the wind has calmed down and now it is the perfect winter's day.

The birds, squirrels and rabbits are busy cleaning up every single seed we put out there. The mix we have includes peanuts which is a big hit with the blue-jays.
I have not seen a chipmunk in a month now.
I hope Simon and his friends are doing ok. Yes...I worry about them. :-b
It was time to add some Christmas cheer outside for our feathered and furry friends. :)
It was -26C this morning but has warmed up a bit as the day goes on.
Our little red squirrels are happy for the food.

And someone wanted to help but was not impressed with her Christmas garb.

"Please get this off me or I'll shred you in your sleep."
"Audrey...Santa is listening." :(
"He already got my letter. It's just wait and see now."

=^..^=

hugs, Deb

Little critters and Hawley's Corners.

"Good (early) Morning, little brown bunny."

The little critters and birds share the feeders well here.

red squirrel, bunny & mourning dove

I had the job of cleaning up all the empty shells at the foot of the maple today.

You'd think they'd be a little less messy for all the food I give them.

Home-made suet. They love it.

Waiting for Santa.

Even the shy squirrels at the back get some seed.

Hawley's Corners.

This is one of my favorite little shops that is only minutes from the mouse-house.

And it is a fun place at Christmas time.

There are four rooms in this beautiful Victorian home packed with something for everyone.

You can't leave without a trinket to pop in a stocking.

I bought a few gifts and came home with a vintage cat for the mouse-house tree. :)

Let's call him Frank

(ol' blue eyes)

As bright as the moon on a cold winter's night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvaffKP931o

Hope you are all knee-deep in snow and enjoying the Christmas season.

hugs, Deb

Little visitors at the mouse-house.

The mouse-house was busy this weekend.

Grandittles...

Riley, Brad & Tenley

and their mom and dad

 came for dinner.

So fun to have them visit.

And they loved our Charlie Brown tree.

These two are not too comfortable around little ones.

Overnight, the snow covered our trees and bushes and unfortunately all the feeders, too.

But that's easy to fix.

This beautiful cardinal sat waiting for the seed this morning.

It's time to get the shoveling done.

hugs, Deb

Helping our birds & a cheery fox.

It's getting very cold here and my heart (and pocket-book) goes out to our local birds. They do look cold out there.

 It was time to make suet again, but with all the Christmas preparation, I cut a few corners.
Here's the recipe...

                      Home-made Bird Suet
1 c peanut butter
1 c lard
2 c corn meal
1 c flour
1/3 c sugar 
2 c rolled oats

peanuts, seeds, sugar-free cereal, cranberries and apples. Add enough of each to make it thick and so it can be molded.

Looks good enough to eat. :)

This time, instead of filling muffin cups lined with saran wrap to freeze and distribute as needed, I just put it all on a big cookie tray to cut as needed.
Before cutting, I placed the tray out the side door on a stone to get good and cold. Then it was time to cut into squares, place in a freezer bag and freeze until time for the suet cages.
They absolutely love this suet; much more than the commercial stuff . And...it's "cheap..cheap..cheap..er."

                     But...it won't last long.

                                    Chickadee
Make it easy for yourself during the busy season. I know we are all running here, there and everywhere, but these poor birds do need our help during cold days and nights. I still can't get over the fact that some birds lose up to one third of their weight shivering in one night of -25C. No wonder they need to find extra food to stay alive. We can help them do that.

This is my latest tree ornament.
Isn't she cute.
It's the pearls that kill me. This foxy lady wants wine. :)
My mother's maiden name was Fox so you may find quite a few of these critters on my tree. 
We now live on a piece of the Fox farm. It's a dream come true. :)

Someone is practicing yoga at the moment; perfecting her poses so she can make her way around the tree this year.

I can't even begin to know what is going on in that head.

hugs, Deb