SURPRISE!

There is no gift to compare to the look on someone's face when you surprise them with a visit for the holidays!

Choose to be glad

Knowing that this was my last day of work before Christmas, I tried really hard to keep smiling all day long even though most people that either came in or phoned were all complaining. The new system isn't working 100% and a lot of people do not like it and they told us in no uncertain terms. Some even complained about the building, the weather, and our collection. The complaints just kept coming and even the bowls of candy did not seem to help. But listening to all this negativity at this time of year can really make you wonder; is there nothing to be glad about?

Here are a few things I am glad about:
There is hardly any snow so the roads are clear.
Surprise visit from friends late last night.
The neighbour really enjoyed the christmas cake I made for him.
A dear friend dropped in today for a christmas hug.
My girls are together, they have two weeks off, and they will do some travelling.
If I want I can have seven days off.
The birds are feasting on the sunflower seeds.
We have our health, the pantry is full, and there is a bottle of wine under the tree.

Wishing everyone a peaceful christmas and all the best in 2010.

Relaxing Sunday

Risotto may seem like a lot of work but as long as you have someone who is willing to dice up the bacon and finely chop an onion and grate a hunk of parmesan cheese, then it really is no work at all. This recipe called for a head of radicchio, finely shredded, and yes I did this myself. It also called for cream which I do not usually add to my risotto but did this time just because it is a new recipe. The verdict - I will be adding this recipe to my risotto collection.
Outside it is snowing and foggy and cold but inside we have apple blossoms. This is the first of my amaryllis to bloom and it looks just like the picture on the box. One down, six more to go.

The Christmas box

There is nothing like the sound of footsteps by the front door, the soft 'plunk' of something being dropped and then the wooden squeak as the lid is closed on the mailbox. And this time of year there are always a few letters, cards and packages waiting for us every evening when we get home from work. Dinner comes second to the ritual of sitting on the couch, with the special letter opener, and slowly going through the pile of mail.

I found a large wooden box at my favourite junk store and turned it into our christmas box for all the cards, letters, and pictures that we get during the holidays. This box was in bad shape but with Valodya's help, I reglued the back and reinforced the hinges. After a coat of paint, I covered the top with paper and fabric and some of my favourite buttons and jewelry. Did the same to the front and back and sides.
I did not change anything about the inside of this special box. On the inside of the lid there is a frame and the inscription reads,'To Rose from Ed, Xmas 1937.' I am guessing that Ed's photo would have been diplayed in the frame, I chose one of my favourite cards to fill it. And as you can see this box is quickly filling with all the holiday greetings from around the world.

Goodies and chocolates

Tomorrow is our Secret Santa potluck lunch so I decided to try two new recipes from Organic and Chic by Sarah Magid. I already have a great recipe for lemon squares ( Peri Wolfman's The perfect setting cookbook) but the one I tried is a recipe for lemon-lime bars. It sounded so healthy what with the whole wheat flour and wheat germ in the crust.


The other recipe I tried was for double ginger cookies. I like these cookies because they are vegan and they are also made with whole wheat flour, ground flaxseeds, and applesauce.

This is day 15 - Valodya stood out in the snow this morning to give our garbageman a box of chocolates to thank him for all the great work they do. What would we do without our garbage collectors?

Seven and fourteen

Over a month ago, I started seven amaryllis bulbs as I had never done this before. I went around to all my favourite food shops and picked out bulbs with names like Red Lion, Apple Blossom, Minerva, and my favourite Sydney which has a red and white striped flower. The one pictured above is over two feet tall but some of the others are only showing about an inch of green. They are all getting the same attention, they are all grouped together in the kitchen, and I am feeding and watering as per instructions. I'm hoping that Sydney will make it.
Bloody cold out today but I managed to go down the hill and pay a visit to my favourite junk store. Found two Ralph Lauren wallpaper books dated 2002 and 2005. The papers will make an excellent feature wall someday, somewhere.
And for day fourteen, we each popped in for a quick visit with our GP bearing boxes of chocolates.