The most cherished of Christmas gifts...

are the most thoughtful ones.

As my mama handed me the last gift bag under her tree, she said my sister and her worked on this together.

I reached in and pulled out this framed photo of me and Darla taken a few Christmases ago.



♥

And she brought forth her first born son...

wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room at the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock at night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in the manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Luke 2:7-14

That's what Christmas is all about.

Merry Christmas.

♥

I was going to wait until it's official in January...

BUT I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

Yesterday, my sweet hubs brought me (through a blizzard) to pick out my Christmas present!

Meet... Stella.
I tried to fade out my big Mardi Gras head next to her.
((giggle))



As soon as I picked her up, I knew she was the one! I'm totally smitten!!



She is only a wee 4 weeks old, so we have to wait until January to bring her home.



YaY for puppy breath!!!!



I asked her if she wanted to come live in the country with us and have an awesome doggy life.

She said, "Yes."



She then mentioned something about wanting to have her own blog. Sigh.
I told her we'll have to wait and see.



Many of you know how heavy my heart has been since we had to say goodbye to my precious Darla. I've had a tremendous void after her passing. There is something so very special about the Boston Terrier breed. If you have one, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

I just hope Gracie will welcome her new baby sister with open paws and be a fantastic big sister like Darla was to her.

I am ready to move on. It feels right.
I know Darla approves.

♥

Wishing everyone a joyous, blessed Christmas!!!

:> )

Just checking...

You still here too????

Whew.



((giggle))

Happy Friday.

Be merry.

:> )

"Whoever is happy...

will make others happy too. He who has courage and faith will never perish in misery." ~Anne Frank



There is much sadness, despair and misery these days. At times it seems hopeless.
As a society, we seem to have lost our way.

But we don't have to give into it. We simply have to change it. The change begins from within. The change begins with you.

So be that light to others and pass it on.

♥

A new cookie for Santa...

Between you and me, 2012 hasn't been the best year for us here at the Countryfolk homestead.
Recently losing my precious Darla and dealing with the complications from my mama's back surgery, I'm ready to kick 2012 in the shin, send it on its way and ring in a better 2013.

That being said, I am finally able to take the time to bake some Christmas cookies. But unfortunately, I will only be baking a few batches instead of my 400+ cookies. Oh well... But my hips and thighs will thank me.

You all know I am a Christmas cookie nut and I've been chomping at the bit to try this new recipe! (I posted the link a few days ago)

They are called "Dark Chocolate Shortbreads."
Well, I baked my first batch yesterday and I was not disappointed!!! YaY!!!

Santa will be pleased!!

"Ho! Ho! Holy Moly!
That's a good cookie!!"



Now they aren't a super sweet cookie, but man, they are rich! The bursts of coarse salt (I know... sounds weird, doesn't it?!) gives it that fantastic salty/sweet flavor!!

Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel or coarse grained salt (I used coarse sea salt)
1/2 cup dark chocolate, cut into small pieces

Directions

Cream the butter and sugar.
Mix in the flour, cornstarch and salt.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients followed by the chocolate.
Shape the cookies as you like an place them on a parchment lined baking sheet with an inch of space between them.
Place the baking sheet in the fridge and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Bake in a preheated 350F oven until they just start to turn a light golden brown, about 8-14 minutes, remove and let cool. (The shortbread will still be rather soft when it is done but it with crisp up as it cools.)

The next batch I bake, I plan to tweak it just a bit by adding more of the dark chocolate. Also, I rolled them into 1" balls, flattened them and baked them for 11 minutes. They came out perfect.

So if you're looking for a more "adult" Christmas cookie, I'd definitely recommend this recipe.

Happy baking and be merry.

:> )

♥ Perhaps they are not stars,

but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy." ♥
~Unknown



As we mourn and grieve with the families for their tremendous loss, please continue to lift them up in prayer.

Reindeer humor...

Happy Thursday.

Be merry.

:> )

Twas the night before Christmas...

when all through the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
Ummmm... I spoke typed too soon.

It's Christmas Mouse 2012

He's on top of the world!
(He's having a "Titanic moment" too.)


Being a Smart Phone Zombie, Christmas Mouse is puzzled by the candlestick telephone.
(He's wondering where the App Store pad is)


He's now insisting Grant Wood's famous painting American Gothic be "revised."


To this...
Sigh


He loves reading his pocket Constitution to George and Thomas.
He has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of a bigger pocket to carry his pocket Constitution in.
(Yes, the pursuit of a bigger pocket thing is in the Declaration of Independence. But only for mice.)


Checking in on Baby Jesus.
(He's doing just fine.)
♥


Christmas Mouse is in total awe of presidential greatness.
(Me too. But unfortunately for all of us they don't grow 'em like this anymore.)


So until next year.

If there IS a next year.
**Insert sinister laughter**

Let's see, we've got the end of the Mayan Calendar which could mean the end of the world as we know it, a possible Zombie Apocalypse, the "Fiscal Cliff," solar flares destroying the planet, even more horrible reality television shows, the return of the McRib Sandwich...

Who knows???!!!
**Cue the Twilight Zone music**

;> )

Happy Tuesday!

It's after midnight so it's officially Tuesday.
Man, I should have never had that cup of coffee this evening!
Next time decaf.

**giggle**

Christmastime around the homestead...

Our lil' Christmas Mouse and his antics.
He's a bit of a handful.



If you've forgotten about all the trouble he's gotten in over the years, click on the links below to stroll down memory lane.
They will surely give you a giggle.

Christmas Mouse 2008.



Christmas Mouse 2009.



Happy Monday, everyone!!

Be Merry!

:> )

"He who has not Christmas in his heart...

will never find it under a tree."
~Roy L. Smith



♥

December 7, 1941...

a date which will live in infamy.


Hickham Field ~ Pearl Harbor, Hawaii December 7 1941.




Attempting to help douse the flames at Pearl Harbor, December 7 1941.

Teach history.

Never forget.

Yesterday we went from a record high of 67 degrees...

To this today!



We didn't get above 33 degrees either. It's nuts!
Even the woodland creatures are puzzled. Yesterday I saw a lil' gray squirrel sporting a two piece and flip flops. Today she was wearing a bubble vest and leg warmers.





Of course a strand of lights went out on some of my garland. Sigh.
Of course out of the 50,000 extra strands of lights I have in the basement for back up, none of them worked. Okay, I may have exaggerated with the 50,000 number. Deduct 3.
So now I've got to head out sometime and grab more strands of lights. Man, it's always something...




So who the heck knows what tomorrow's weather will bring?
But I wouldn't be surprised if I saw a buck driving a '66 Mustang convertible. The lucky, furry son-of-a-gun.

Happy Wednesday evening, all.

:> )

A Countryfolk Keepsakes Christmas...

I'm slowly getting the homestead decorated.
But it's rather difficult to get into the Christmas mood when it's 67 degrees outside... in Central New York... in December. WTHeck???
I bet Al Gore is doing the "Happy Dance."
C'mon, you know I can't resist poking fun at ol' Al. **snicker**

But I did manage to get some things done.

I enjoy spending Christmas with some of our great presidents.
Mr. Lincoln is one of them.



I couldn't bring myself to pack away Darla's stocking, so I placed hers and Hannah's at the base of their Christmas tree. ♥

It is now lil' Gracie's tree.







This carved Santa is one of my most precious Christmas pieces. My sweet hubs made him out of wood for me. He is very special.
♥(So is the Santa) ♥



I've got the outside pretty much set. I plan to snap some photos in the next day or two.

I'll keep you posted.

Happy Tuesday evening!

:> )

TONIGHT on TDIPT Mercantile...

I have two fowl offerings for December.

First is my Primitive Christmas Goose.



Next is my Polka Dot Folk Art Hen.



Just click on the "TDIPT" button below to go directly to my selling page.




See you tonight.

Happy Friday too.

:> )

The Christmas Tree is decorated...

But I'm having a heck of a time getting into the Christmas spirit.
I am really missing my precious Darla. I was hoping time would start to heal my heavy heart but so far it hasn't. It's two month ago today we had to put her to sleep.

Not a day goes by where either my hubs or I mention her. Little Gracie still isn't the same. She went from having two "sisters" two years ago, to having none. She has lost her feisty spirit. The only time we see life in her eyes is when we take her for a walk on the trail. But with snow on the ground, she's too tiny to trudge through. She'll now have to wait until spring.

So we continue to adjust.

I hope in another few months it will be easier. But for now I will occasionally post about how much I miss my beloved, loyal, four legged best friend and shadow.
It's therapeutic.

Thanks for "listening."

♥

Critters for Christmas?

My barnyard critters will make a great gift! Not only are they cute, you won't have to clean up after them.

Just click on the "Critters" button below to go directly to my selling page.

:> )