Online show coming up

I've changed things.... now I have the banner for the Bright Star online show coming up in February showing on the right instead of the one from early December.  I  have started working on the bears and friends I will be offering up for sale... but they won't shown until the show.

Christmas was great here... lots of home made presents  from marshmallows to Chex mix  to Kahlua to cookies, crocheted  coffee cup warmers, hand turned pens  and knives. We are an eclectic bunch so it is reasonable that the presents would be too. It seems like we all tried making some new things.

Next week is vacations time for almost everyone ... so it's a good time to get some house repairs worked on. The chore for tomorrow is fixing my daughter's downstairs bathroom.... there's a leak somewhere so the water has been turned off until my husband, our son and his sister can figure our WHERE the water is coming from.. 

Hope your Holidays were as good as ours!!!

clock clicking down

The clock is clicking down towards Christmas. It was a strange evening here.  Everyone is due tomorrow for brunch and gifts but we are here alone tonight. The usual hectic last minute stuff  didn't happen. We  were DONE... and that feels strange!
So Merry Christmas everyone or Happy Holidays.... whichever you prefer!
Bettina

chestnuts... maron glace

I have a friend with a very prolific chestnut tree and have been gifted with pounds of chestnuts. I roasted quite a few in memory of Christmases in NYC and street sellers offering bags of roasted chestnuts for 25¢ a bag! But what to do next? My Mother used them in her stuffing for goose...but that wasn't my favorite. So I googled recipes and came up with one for candied chestnuts...it's a French delicacy maron glace.  I am in the middle of repeated cooking of the chestnuts in a sugar syrup. When all the syrup has been absorbed , a quick time in the oven to dry and the chestnuts will be done....and we will see!

Show is over...

The Holiday Stars online show is over...... that means cookie time is upon us. We send cookie boxes to Bob's siblings for Christmas so I have been making snickerdoodles, white chocolate with cranberries and toasted pecans, sugar cookies, Wheaties cookies ( a family comfort cookie) and chocolate brownie cookies. The last is a new  recipe for me and is full of chocolate ... 3 cups of chocolate chips and 4 ounces of unsweetened block chocolate. Really really chocolatey!!
I've made other edible  things as well .... and when Bob and I went to Independence's "Best Little Craft Show" we found someone who makes all sorts of jams and jellies. Another booth had shagbark hickory syrup... something new to both of us!  Lucky Bob has to pack all this!! After all they are his siblings!!

ps... 5 of my critters went or will be going to new homes!! Another one went to it's SIX now!!

My bears and friends will be available  from the February Bright Star online show and the Teddies Worldwide show in March.... and , as usual, from my etsy shop and BearPile

Bright Star's online show this weekend

Bright Star's online show.... Holiday Stars starts Friday at 11 am Eastern time .... here is the link
              
                                                                Holiday Stars

If you look for my bear Merry you will be able to link to my page.... I hope you will take a look!