Storybook Woods

We Wish You

"Those wishes in her heart were more than mere dreams; they were the strings pulling her towards the path of her life."

    The snow lightly drops icy, delicate flakes around Wren. Each one a masterpiece, telling the power and creativity of their creator.

    “How? Why, would someone put such thought into a tiny speck of water?” Wren ponders to herself as she sits by the frozen lake. “I mean, they could just be tiny balls of ice and leave it at that.”

    Lily and Wren have been reading about a gentleman, Mr. Wilson Bentley of Jericho, Vermont, who has been photographing snowflakes for over 30 years. After taking Lily to an exhibit of his work, both of them are fascinated with snowflakes.

    Again a reminder of the importance of observing nature! How the tiny details in the world around us are worthy of our time and observation! Mr. Bentleyunderstands this. His passion and dedication to his subject is humbling to Wren. It seemed to her, Mr. Bentley’s eyes lit up as he spoke of his work at his exhibition. Wren is not sure, if like him, she could stand for hours and hours out in the snow with hopes of capturing one photo of a perfect snowflake.

    Was she focused and determined like Mr. Bentley? Was she giving her full heart and attention to what she was created for? Those wishes in her heart were more than mere dreams; they were the strings pulling her towards the path of her life.

    With Christmas here and the end of the year around the corner, Wren makes a promise to God and herself to seek her wishes with a full heart and clear determination. She reminds herself not all her wishes may come true but she will have faith and do the hard work necessary.

 

 

Wren, I and my family (the girls say hi!!)

would like to wish you a Merry Christmas, a happy Holiday and a blessed New Year.

Every New Year is filled with opportunities, challenges, blessings and trials.

I pray you are filled with wishes and a determination this New Year xox

 

ps. I am taking a little break and will be back in two weeks (unless I am dying to tell you something) !!

Image from All The Beautiful Things

 

Mini Steampunk Tree

I have one more steampunk craft to share with you. I always like to have a small trinket at each place setting for guests to take home. This year I made mini trees. These were not hard BUT a lot of little steps.

I made a paper cone and covered it in one inch circles. Added a gear to the top for a star, cut and painted a wooden dowel which I glued to the tree. The base is cooper painted chipboard gear. The dowel just fits in the center hole but I added some glue on the bottom for stability. The final touch is randomly placed glitter made from tiny metal balls.

I am really happy with these and I think my guest will be too. I am off to get ready, our Christmas eve is tonight. I think I need to chill some Champagne for Santa ;-)

Christmas Menu

Good day, I have 3 days left until our Christmas eve and do not feel too behind!! Thought I would share our menu's. I am quite thrilled because normally we could never afford a prime rib but we bought half a cow (grass feed!!) this year. So it is quite a treat! This is the tree in our library and where I hide out!! I love to displaymy red transferwear in it. So what are you cooking this Christmas? xoxo

Christmas Eve

Grilled tuna with a Lemon Caper sauce

orange/pomegranate salad with a simple vinaigrette

french bread and brie cheese

Olive Wreath

sparking white wine

cookies and candies we have been making

 

Christmas Morning

Overnight Potato Sausage bake

Overnight eggnog french toast (made with almond milk)

Fresh fruit

tea

 

Christmas Dinner

Mushroom soup garnished with sour cream and sherry

Prim Rib

Yorkshire pudding

Creamed spinach

Roasted fennel with onions and bacon

Peppermint chocolate filled crepes

Brandy mincemeat pie

pumpkin pie (dairy free and gluten free)

 

Simple Wreath

Sometimes the simplest things work.

Keeping in our steampunk theme, I took an old rusted wheel, wired on some holly from our property with copper wire. Yes, sometimes simple is best!

Smoked Salmon Brie Hand-Pies

I mentioned on Facebook, I was making these hand-pies for a get-together and promised I would post the recipe. I have to say they turned out really good!!

 

Smoked Salmon Brie Hand-pies

makes about 2 dozen

2 pie crusts, room temp. Soft enough to cut and fold over without the dough cracking but not so soft it is mushy.

a wedge of brie, cut into ½" cubes

a piece of smoked salmon, broken into pieces about the same size as the brie

caper

1 large lemon, zest lemon onto a plate. (You will only need the zest, not the lemon.)

 

Cut pie crust in circles with a glass. I used a glass with a 3 ½" circumference. Take two pieces of brie and set them in the zest to pick up some. Not lots of zest, just a little. Set brie, salmon and about 5 capers in the center of the circle. Fold circle over and press edges down firmly. You can come back with a fork and press the edges but be careful not to poke holes in the sides. Then prick the top with the fork.

Set hand-pie in fridge for at lest an hour to firm up crust. * note below

Pre-heat oven 375°F  Grease a cookie sheet and bake hand-pies 25-35 minutes, until cooked and edges are browned. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

 

* They can be made a day ahead but cover with plastic wrap with the dough will not dry out.

It Just Makes Me Happy

I do not know about you but I need a little serenity today! It is hard to not feel overwhelmed this time of year. Our Christmas is early, I only have 6 days left! Not one package wrapped, I do not have my menu nailed down. We were suppose to make candy yesterday but ended up running errands. A good friend of mine is helping her 101 yrd. Grandmother move into a nursing home!! Life is busy and there are soooooo many things we want to do, need to do. Gosh I had some girlfriends over the other day and I served store bought cookies and used pre-made pie crust for the hand pies. (Shock, thank goodness for Trader Joes).

I am trying to embrace what I can do and let go of what I cannot. I am trying to stop and enjoy the season. I spent a half an hour last night, just staring at our Christmas tree. I sat as low as I could on the couch looking up at our 9 foot tree, remembering how as a little girl I loved to lie under the tree and look up in it branches. So my Pinerest photo today, will hopefully give you a moment to stop, take a breath and remember to let go of perfect. Enjoy these next few weeks. I am off to make candy and if something happens, oh well, I can buy some good chocolate. Love you  xoxo

 

Altered Pocket Watches

The last thing I wanted to share was our favorite ornament we made, altered pocket watches. This one is Auberne`s.

This is Chloe's and below, is mine. I have to say, I am so glad I take the time and money to do these projects because it creates memories. The girls and I will carry forever the love that goes into these Christmas themes. Each Christmas we pull out different trinkets and "we remember the year we did such and such." Instantly it bring us back to that time, what was happening, what we loved, what disasters we created. These are memories that hold us together as a family.

I also have to share the wonderful pocket watches Linda made us. It is amazing because Linda had not seen ours but look how hers so reflect what we were doing. Linda was in WA and came for tea with her hubby (Hi Jim!!). She was able to see our steampunk tree and how beautiful her ornaments looked with ours. Thank you Linda for the presents but mostly for you love and friendship. We adore you xox

Gears and Clockfaces

We also decorated gears and clock faces. The gears are chipboard's I purchased at Etsy's, which made them easy to paint and glitter.

Linking to Ruby Jean !!

Steampunk Keys

We decorated old keys for our Steampunk tree!!

Clock Snowflakes

The most interesting thing we did for our Steampunk theme was making ornaments for our little tree. Each day I will share what ornaments we made.

First we made clock snowflakes. All we did is punch a 1" circle from some thick scrapbook paper. We glued the hands from a clock on the circle and blinged up the center. Believe it or not, I used Fabri-Tac glue and it worked great!!

A Breakfast Tea Menu

I have a week of parties at my home coming up this week. A soup and bread lunch with a dear friend, a afternoon appetizers and muled wine party with girlfriends and a simple breakfast tea with a sweet friend and her hubby. With a bit of planing, a simple menu and a bit of creativity, having others in your home does not have to be stressful (well at lest the cooking part does not, it is the cleaning part that is stressing me ;-) xoxo

Scotch Eggs

Maple Scones

Fresh Fruit w/ Vanilla Greek Yogurt

Chocolate Cherry Fruitcake

Apple Spiced Tea

Picture from

Steampunk Cabinet

This is our cabinet. I have to say the girls told me it was not steampunk enough for them ;-) but I said I still wanted it to look like Christmasy !! Ended up with a combo of Santa's, a crown, Christmas candy, top hat, etc. I was soo thrilled when I found the red, green and cooper tartan wrapping paper. Such a small thing can make such a big difference.

I had to share my Christmas House find with you. I LOVE this Victorian pitcher. It is full of cracks but was also $12.00. A real find!!

A Steampunk Wreath

So our theme this year is, taadaa, steampunk! Actually I did not have a theme this year (shock, because I have had one every year, for like forever) but about two months ago, the girls and I were talking and they said they thought a steampunk Christmas would be fun. I said what the heck. I did a Victorian Christmas a couple of years ago and though I could use some of that, with a lot of tartan plaid and the girls steampunk stuff, it would make an intersting theme.

The first thing I have to share with you is our wreath this year. It is my favorite thing we made. I love the steampunk angel wings Auberne` made for her costume. I knew I had to use them somehow. I took an old, rusted wheel, added some ribbon, a glittered chipboard gear and Auberne`s wings. Whaalaa, I think it is soo sweet and cool all at the same time!!

Save on Wren

Hello dear readers, I do not normally post about Lulu sales but they are really putting them out right now, so I thought I would share a few Lulu deals on my books.

PS I do not think these can be combined but you could try!!

Buy 2 and get one free. At checkout enter code BUY2GETONE305  expires December 7, 2011 at 11.59 pm Pacific time.. Maximum saving $25.00.

Next, free ground shipping code, SLEIGHRIDES305   expires December 6, 2011 at 11.59 pm. Maximum $50.00.

Last is 25% off code, BUYMYBOOK305    expires December 14, 2011, 11.59 pm, Pacific time. Max saving $50.00.

 

 

It Just Makes Me Happy

My weekly Pinterest inspiration is a perfect appetizer for Christmas. I think this olive/rosemary wreath is such charming, simple idea and it just makes me happy!!