Waving Goodbye to '09

As this year draws to a close, I can't help but pause to reflect on the ups and downs it has contained for me.  Echoing my first post here on this blog, it was the exploration of my hobbies/pastimes/loves that served to sweeten the pleasures of this year and temper the tough times for me.  Everything posted here (and much more!) has kept me sane and joy-filled.  I would never have survived the difficulties of unemployment or the challenges of graduate school that in many ways defined my 2009 if I did not continually take up cooking, baking, reading, crafting, and other things I love.  One of my New Year's resolutions is most certainly to continue this exploration of these things that I am passionate about--in other words, I hope to never forget love.





Wait!  I'm not done there, I can't close this post without mentioning some things about family.  I had a wonderful Christmas (except for getting a very bad cold!) and many parts of my holiday and vacation in Connecticut involved food and creative things prepared with love by family.  I realize for sure that this little blog of mine wouldn't exist without the creative inclinations of my family.  With that, I have to mention some of the food and crafts I am referring to.

When I arrived at my family's home, I was taken aback by the huge wreath made out of Douglas fir tree branches, bows, and Christmas balls.  Also adorning the house and garage were two swags made out of fir trees.  Credit for the decor goes to my Mom and Dad.

Above, you can see my sister made some yummy buckeye cookie/candies (plenty of recipes can be found on the internet for those if you are interested).

Here, I have some photos of the sticky buns I made for Christmas morning....it was my first time making them and it won't be my last, they were SO delicious!!!  

 The recipe is from my Brother Juniper cook book and is rather lengthy, so I won't type it out here.

Also, I got a wonderfully beautiful handmade purse from my Aunt who was my Secret Santa this year!!  I left it in CT by accident so I can't show a picture but will in the future.  And, I have to mention that for the umpteenth year in a row, my Grandmother cooked a ham for her family despite the fact that she is an almost life-long vegetarian!!  That takes love for sure.

And here I leave you with some snapshots of my family's home, all decked out for Christmas--wouldn't be complete without the little pup Hazel.

 

 Happy New Year!