Dear Quarantine Diary #39

Tags

Christmas, covid-19 diary, covid-19 humour, dear diary, holiday, hope, humour

Dear Diary – As if the world isn’t messy enough, now we could be at risk from rogue, mutant spiders from outer space. NASA just commenced Operation Dragonfly, taking 2 spiders to space to see how they react to zero gravity conditions. Things became messy, figuratively and literally, when the “back up spider” escaped into the sealed chamber. Let that really sink in…

http://www.giphy.com

Apparently, this is not the first time arachnids have travelled in space. Frankly, it all just sounds like the makings of a horror story, and with days to go before we start 2021, it just gives me the hee-bee jeebies! Anyone else?

Dear Diary – On Christmas Eve Day, I set out to bake a lemon blueberry cake with a lemon glaze, a lemon meringue pie, and a pumpin pie. To save myself some grief, I bought the pie shells and a can of pumpkin pie filling. But I had been so efficient (Nana J would be proud), I put away my pie filling, somewhere I would find it. Until I couldn’t.

While Big Guy went searching for my can of pumpkin, in every cupboard and drawer in the kitchen and basement, I started the lemon cake. Did you know that butter explodes in the microwave?

It took Big Guy half an hour to find the pumpkin filling. I read the directions and my heart sank. It needed evaporated milk. I had evaporated milk…which I used to make inedible fudge. Big Guy texted all his friends in the neighbourhood, but none of them had any either.

Pie will be the death of me.

I made a substitution and crossed my fingers. It worked. So did the lemon curd and meringue.

The lemon-blueberry cake was to celebrate Hubby’s birthday that evening. In the spirit of not spreading covid, or any other airborne disease for that matter, we decided to use a sparkler that I had found in the food processor box. (Seems like a reasonable place to store sparklers?)

It seemed like such a clever idea…until the smoke threatened to set off the smoke detector.

Before bed, Little Guy decided to play with the corn pops box. I store cereal in plastic storage containers and for some reason, the corn pops were stuck together in a solid lump inside. Little Guy was shaking the box, upside down (do you see where this is going?) when the flap popped open as the lump broke apart. It was a family game of “pick up the pops”.

Dear Diary – I never thought I hear myself saying these words: “Don’t spit in your brother’s hot chocolate”. My sons are 16 years apart – you’d think they’d know better!

Dear Diary – We only had a couple nights with Big Guy before he headed home, thanks to the provincial lockdown. We watched a lot of great Christmas movies: Die Hard, Mad Max, Lego Movie 2 and Monty Python.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more! Dr. Seuss, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

While it really sucked, to say good-bye to Big Guy so soon, it was better than the alternative: Not having him come at all. When it looked like that was going to be the case, I had a complete breakdown. I’m not proud of it but Mama’s hearts are fragile things. I felt guilty for not being content with the many blessings we have compared to so many in our hurting world. I knew of other Mamas whose hearts were broken too. I had to choose to hold on to what joy there was, rather than lament what was not.

Christmas is as much about lament as joy.  No one could have imagined, as we gathered around the Christmas tree last year, that everything would look so different. I imagined the Israelite nation once felt the same way. That first Christmas, they were still under the thumb of Caesar. They were waiting and longing for Messiah to bring a new way, a greater kingdom, a beautiful hope. Meanwhile, an innkeeper was collecting his fees. Shepherds were watching their sheep in the fields. Magi were studying their books. And everything changed. God visited His creation as a divine and human baby, bringing light, and hope, and joy, to a weary world.

Our Christmas Day came and went. It was different. It was sad in many ways. But in truth, no one or no thing could ever steal the Hope and Joy that Jesus brought that first Christmas. Our celebration was always meant to go beyond gifts and glitter, or even the hugs and harmony in family gathering. It is deeply fixed in our heart and soul, and sustains us all year long. Even as the years pass, and the world changes.

Lord willing, it will be better next year. Even if it is not, don’t let go of Hope. See you next year!

Remember, I’m pulling for you. We’re all in this together! Red Green (aka Steve Smith)

What’s In My Cup: Red Dragon Chai

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#whatsinmycup, Christmas, food, holiday, tea, what's in my cup

I think Christmas is a wonderful time to drink tea.
And also after Christmas and before Christmas, and all the other days.

~Unkown

With no travel this Christmas (for the first time in 47 years), I had ample time to sip tea from an assortment of cups and tea pots. Last week, my friend and I each bought a box of Stash tea, and we traded some sachets. Her pick was Holiday Chai. My pick was Red Dragon Chai!

Red Dragon is a red rooibos base and therefore has no caffeine. It also contains cinnamon, ginger root, and clove. I found it a warm, comforting and cozy addition to the holidays. In fact, that’s how I started my Christmas morning. The aroma reminds me of apple cinnamon, and the colour is a rosy hue. The spice was lighter and brighter than Holiday Chai, which tasted strongly of clove. Instead, Red Dragon had a pleasant and balanced blend of spices. In fact, I used the tea bag a second time in a pot of regular black tea, and it added a soothing hint of chai.

I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.

Charles Dickens

Happy Monday!

Dear Quarantine Diary #38 – Part 2

Tags

Christmas, dear diary, humour

Dear Diary – Yesterday I met my parents halfway and we “celebrated Christmas” in a rest centre parking lot. We weren’t the only masked families lining the edges of the parking lot, swapping packages and gift bags between car trunks. Little ones chased each other around on the grass, squealing with delight. It was a beautiful sound (unlike the herd of elephants that live next door)!

Our visit was really short, probably no more than 5 minutes. It was cold. Little Guy took a picture of my folks on his ipad, and my parents took a pic of us. We smiled by instinct, even though our smiles are hidden by our facemasks. 🙂

• 

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We couldn’t hug, but it was SO good to be together! This is the first time in 47 years that I haven’t been home for Christmas. What a blessing to have such a long record!

On the way home, we listened to one of our favourite Christmas cd, The Arrogant Worms: Christmas Turkey. There were a few songs that just seemed appropriate for 2020! Santa struggles with his “huge debt accumulation”. Daddy is sick and contaminates the whole family. Maybe he was sick with Vincent, the “gift that keeps on giving all night long”. Santa Got Arrested, and the turkey is singing the blues.

Dear Diary – Hubby helped me make cranberry salsa. I carefully weighed out 12 oz. of cranberries. When I checked the bag, it was 12 oz. Not an auspicious start….

Spicy!!

Pies and Hubby’s birthday cake are next. Wish me luck!

Dear Diary – Christmas Eve. 1980-something. It was one of the scariest Christmas Eves of my life.

My Dad was a firefighter. He worked shifts – days or nights. When he worked nights, I slept with Mom. I was a kid with an overactive imagination and wicked nightmares so I looked forward to the nights when I slept with Mom because I was “safe”.

Dad was working nights. My grandparents were staying over too, sleeping on the pull-out couch in the living room.

I was a naughty girl. I crept downstairs in the night to check out my stocking. I had to be quiet because my grandparents were sleeping in the next room…

…until they weren’t.

They decided to turn on the light and talk (thankfully only talk – lol). In the middle of the night.

I held my breath cowering in the half-light for what seemed like an eternity. I hugged the wooden bookcase, sweating in terror. My little pink nightgown did nothing to keep me warm. I knew the floor would creak if I moved so I stayed frozen on the spot. I prayed Mom wouldn’t wake up and come looking for me. I was sure I would get caught!

But eventually the light went out and they settled to sleep. I tip-toed back upstairs and crawled into bed, careful to keep my frozen feet from touching Mom. What a way to wake up!

No one ever knew and I’m pretty sure my late-night escapades were not repeated. But I could be wrong! Mwa ha ha!

Dear Diary – A friend posted this on Facebook, and I thought it was great!

Merry Christmas! And God bless us everyone!

Dear Quarantine Diary #38 – Part 1

Tags

Christmas, covid-19 diary, dear diary, faith

This week I’ve felt like I’m a roller coaster. Difficult decisions were made and plans rearranged. Every day seemed filled with new changes and challenges. There has been heartache, and hard work, and more nights falling asleep on damp pillows, than not.

This pandemic has done more than interrupt my routine. It has toyed with my emotions, broken my sleep, and stolen my joy.

Everything is topsy-turvy, and while I’ve come to enjoy some “adventure” in my life, I’m still so much happier riding the Merry-Go-Round than a Roller Coaster.

On Saturday I went for a walk in the snow. It was large, fluffy flakes coming straight down, the kind that piles up on your hat and sticks in your braids. The streets were empty and it was crisp and peaceful. It gave my mind time away from the running to-do list and the ache in my heart as I wrestled between rocks and hard places.

It gave space for God to speak…and for me to listen.

God reminded me of another woman whose life was interrupted.

Mary was an ordinary girl dreaming of her husband, her home, and babies. Then she was visited by an angel with an incomprehendable request. Her love for and trust in God made it easy to answer, but it came at a cost. It didn’t always seem fair. There was probably a whole gammet of emotions. And the future held so many unknowns.

The circumstances around that first Christmas weren’t “normal” or perfect. God’s plan for salvation, from the beginning of time, arrived in a barn on a cold, dark night, to a young couple far from the comforts of home and family.

Immanuel – God With Us.

Life is interrupted, but God is still moving.

Life is interrupted, but love and joy, and wonder still exist.

Little about this Christmas is normal or perfect either. The tree, the lights, the gifts, the goodies – even the time with family – may all be part of the celebrations, but they aren’t the most important parts of Christmas. It’s a time, like Mary and Joseph, and the Shepherds, to look into the face of God and worship. It’s time to acknowledge our need and His presence in our mixed-up, messy lives. I needed that reminder.

O come, all ye faithful…come and behold Him
Born the King of angels
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

What’s in my Cup: Holiday Tea

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#whatsinmycup, Christmas, holiday, tea, tea addict, whatsinmycup

Good friends don’t let you do stupid things…alone.

Last week, my friend and I each purchased a box of Stash tea, and then we traded, half and half. It’s a great way to try two new flavours without the expense!

One of those teas was Holiday Chai. It’s is an aromatic blend of assam and darjeeling tea, with cinnamon, all-spice, clove, ginger root, natural gingerbread and run flavours, and nutmeg oil. It’s a spicy chai with a bit of heat. I found the clove was the strongest flavour and tended to overpowered the other spices. The nutmeg oil also leaves a strange film on the surface. It has a warm rosy colour and a strong spice bouquet conducive to dreaming of sugarplums.

It’s lovely with homemade orange-cranberry scones too!

Until one feels the spirit of Christmas, there is no Christmas. All else is outward display–so much tinsel and decorations. For it isn’t the holly, it isn’t the snow. It isn’t the tree not the firelight’s glow. It’s the warmth that comes to the hearts of men when the Christmas spirit returns again.

Author Unknown

Merry Christmas!

Dear Quarantine Diary #37

Tags

baking, Christmas, covid-19 diary, covid-19 humour, dear diary, disasters, family, humiliation, humour

Dear Diary – Last week, I arranged to go into the church office to finish printing the new church directory. I arrived in the early afternoon. Only the caretaker was there but no worries, I have still have a key. As a worship leader, I sometimes have to open the church to set up or rehearse.

When I arrived, the front door was unlatched, so I went in and dropped off my purse and box of materials. I went back for my mugs of tea, and the door latched behind me. But even though my key would go in the lock, it would not turn. It used to stick in the cold, so I threw up my hood and hoofed it around the building to the back door.

It was cold. The back of the church is surrounded by open fields and the wind can feel like a gale wind even on a relatively calm day. Again, my key went in the lock, but it refused to turn. And the latch looked pretty shiny….

I returned to the front door and rang the door bell. I rattled the latch. I pounded on the glass. I called for the caretaker. For half an hour.

I couldn’t drive home because my license was in my purse…safely tucked away in the warm church office. I couldn’t call anyone…because my cell phone was in my purse, which was tucked away in the warm church office.

By the time the very wary, and slightly surprised custodian appeared, I was ready to drop to my knees in surrender, my energy exhausted.

The locks had been changed weeks before. Both pastors knew I was coming in. No one told me. Missing my old job just a little less….

Dear Diary – We are officially in Lockdown, or “The Grey Zone”. I think “The Black Zone” would be a great name for comic strip like “The Far Side” or a sci-fi series reminiscent of “the Twilight Zone”. If only I could draw….I’m wondering if I should rename my Quarantine Diary, the “Quarantine Chronicles”?

It means more restrictions: dining and non-essential retailers are curbside only, churches are closed, fitness/ recreational/entertainment facilities are closed, indoor gatherings are suspended, outdoor gatherings are limited to 10. With Big Guy in one city, and my folks in another town, “Christmas” may be postponed this year.

I’m not happy.

I’ve been a “good girl” and followed every government request. I have even extended grocery shopping to every 10 days. Which is a lot of bags for this little frame. I’ve pouted over others’ posts of family photos, walks on the beach, sunsets at the cottage. I just want to open gifts by the tree, play games, and eat too much with my family, like we do every year. I don’t need to shop or party, or leave the house. I just want to be with the people who mean the world to me. I know it’s just one day! I know I was blessed to spend weeks with them in the Spring, when lockdown seemed like an amusing interruption to routine. I know there are plenty of others who feel the same way as I do. The heart wants what the heart wants. 🙂

The rain falls upon the just. And also on the unjust fellas. But mostly it falls upon the just cause the unjust have the just’s umbrella. Cormac McCarthy

It hasn’t helped that I had an unfortunate surprise this weekend. My Mom posted on Facebook that my Dad was in the hospital, a message she never intended for me to see. I saw! I called! All is right with the world! 🙂

He’s going to be okay and will probably hate that I posted this. Mom will hate that I posted this too. IF ever again, they’ll call! My home is like a squirrel’s nest – full of nuts! And my “nuts” are pretty precious!

It never hurts your eyesight to look at the bright side of things. Barbara Johnson

As for me and my household, no matter where we’ll be, we’ll worship the Lord.

Preparations for Christmas are moving forward. Most of the gifts have arrived. The tree is up. I’m slowly baking my way through my checklist.

My unconventional ugly tree – how many video games and movies can you identify?

Every year I admire the array of magazine covers with pretty cookies. Every year I try to duplicate them. Every year, my cookies taste great but look “meh”.

Saturday afternoon I made icing. It tasted weird. I divided it and added flavours – lemon, lime and almond. It tasted like lemon or lime or almond…plus weird. I investigated; it was the icing sugar. Maybe it absorbed something funky from the plastic container? But icing+cookie was ok, and I hate to throw anything out. I iced my cookies and resolved to make another batch in the morning.

The new batch with fresh icing sugar was yummy, but the viscose textur meant the longer it sat in the piping bag, the more solid it became. Soon two hands were not enough and the bag threatened to split. I scooped and thinned it, but now it dribbled slowly from the bag. They’re “meh” again this year, but taste good with tea!

Dear Diary – I aired out my winter sheets and pjs on the clothesline yesterday. How did women wash and hang out wet clothes in winter? My fingers were pretty cold by the time I was done. Hubby scoffed, “it’s only -10…with wind chill, that makes it feel like -18C”. That would explain it! My things weren’t out long. The pillow cases were wind socks and I didn’t want to hunt down my nighties in my neighbours’ yards.

Dear Diary – I asked! I asked my friend, “do I need evaporated milk or condensed milk for fudge”? I should have followed my instinct because I bought the wrong one. It took forever to find a recipe that would use the wrong one. I followed it exactly and I made inedible chocolate fudge. It’s a horrible, grainy, pudding-like brown blob of poo! Any takers?

Hello Darkness, my old friend. Simon & Garfunkel

Christmas Baking

Tags

baking, Christmas, family, food, food photography

A recent study found that people start dreaming about Christmas baking 3 weeks before Christmas. Dreaming as in eating, not necessarily baking. In 2015, studies showed that 73% of Americans get excited about baking at Christmas time. Are you excited? Have you started yet?

Ever since I gave up the will to fight Holly Homemaker, I feel a lot better. In fact, with fewer disasters and fewer crime scene photos, I’m actually starting to really enjoy baking. Not so much the eating, for vanity reasons, but definitely the tactile sensations of gooey dough, the smells of sweet spices, and the sense of accomplishment when it doesn’t turn into a burnt offering.

In the last couple of years I  started planning my baking list and perusing recipes online months in advance. I have to maximize the excuse to bake! Last year, the focus was rich fudge, dunk-able donuts, and crispy Italian crostoli!

This year, I’ve baked a few dozen cookies, including lemon thyme shortbread cookies, none of which made it to the freezer. This week I tackled lemon squares with a shortbread crust, pistachio & cherry polvorones, and Italian florentines. Most were successful, the exception being the florentines. The recipe said it made 66 cookies; I barely got 30 and they are tiny!

More about baking…

According to a 2015 survey:

We are inspired by recipes and tasty results

• Bakers are inspired by recipes and tasty results
• Our motivation comes from the enjoyment we receive in the baking, and in the sharing.

Baking is therapy. – Paul Hollywood

• Half of bakers use traditional recipes (tried & true), which a small portion seek out trendy recipes.

• Cinnamon is the number one spice added to holiday baking, with pumpkin, apple, nutmeg and cranberry following.
• Bakers are more selective when our baking is part of a gift, and more than half of us gift goodies.
• Pie is pretty popular, and often there’s more than one on the table. And while most of us wait until the meal is over and indulge (or over indulge) at the table, there’s a significant number who sneak it after everyone is in bed, or save a slice for breakfast.
•  We like to share recipes and photos of our baking.

I think sharing recipes is such an important part of baking and the baking world. – Christina Tosi

I still have a long list of “desires” and requests: shortbread (traditional, lime or chai?), tarts (traditional butter raisin or mini chocolate peanut butter), fudge, sugar cookies, peanut butter marshmallow squares, bread and scones, and of course, green tomato pie (it’s a long-standing family tradition)! What’s on your list this year?

I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert. – Jason Love

Happy Weekend!

What’s In My Cup: Nutty & Spice

Tags

#whatsinmycup, Christmas, holiday, tea, what's in my cup

“Nutty” and “Spice” – 2 words that I would use to describe me. You might pick other words and we’re all ok if you keep those to yourself. 🙂

In 2 weeks, I’ll be snuggling in, in my parents’ home…or helping with the last minute preparations that make us all a little nutty. So this morning I’m savouring a warm, cozy cup of Nutty & Spice tea from David’s to help me embrace the holidays…before I embark on another round of errands with the other nuts on the roads and in malls.

This tea is a low-caffeine, oolong tea & fruit/nut blend of roasted almonds, pistachios, walnuts, apples, cranberries, pineapple, and papaya. And for the spices: cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, roasted chicory root, and rose blossom leaves.

Reviews suggested it can be very strong and not to steep it too long or add too much at once. I heeded that advice and I agree. I found the first hot cup was heady and quite pleasant. It wasn’t overly sweet and the roasted nuts and chicory root provided an intoxicating depth of flavour which complimented that traditional spice one would expect in a holiday drink. I got heat without suffering!

The second cup had a much weaker colour, so not being one to waste tea leaves, I popped the infuser in the top of my teapot (with plain black tea waiting to be reheated later in the day).  I was pleasantly surprised with the results as the black tea buoyed up any weakness and I savoured an entire pot of slightly sweet and richly spiced tea.  Mixing black tea with other teas, whether plain or flavoured, can provide you with varied flavour profiles without the expense of buying lots of flavours, so don’t be afraid to experiment.

Life is nutty; anything can happen. – Paul Shaffer

Happy Monday!

Little Women’s Christmas

Tags

Christmas, humour, tea

“Nollaig na mBan” or “Little Women’s Christmas” is an old custom still celebrated by women in Ireland, hearkening back to the days of large families, whose care fell exclusively to Mom.

On the first Sunday in January (coinciding with Epiphany) these tired ladies got a one day break. The men would assume the household duties, freeing up their ladies to go out and relax in each other’s company.

Often, the ladies of the village gathered at the men’s domain, the local pub, for stout and sandwiches, pooling their small savings for this extravagant occasion. After chatting about the cares of the old year, they would make a pact to leave them outside the door, and spent their remaining hours carefree until the sun set and they returned home.

Even though this tradition involved stout rather than tea, it is awfully reminiscent of a tea party. Women gathering over refreshments to share sorrows and good hearty laughs, separated from the dreariness of the every day for a few precious moments. A tradition now ingrained in our culture in the midst of the everyday at Tim Horton’s and Starbucks across the country. We call it “going for coffee”! Whatever beverage you choose to consume today – be it coffee, tea or stout (or a bit of both), share it with a friend and raise a toast to the “little women” in your life!

Cheers!

https://www.ireland-fun-facts.com/little-womens-christmas.html

 

Royal Albert: Treasure Chest

Tags

#whatsinmycup, Christmas, food, photography, tea

While “Old Country Roses” is the most widely known and beloved of Royal Albert’s patterns, Royal Albert has always produced exquisite fine china in a myriad of shapes, colours and patterns.

This teacup, which belonged to my grandmother, is from the Royal Treasure Chest series. I have already shared some of the history of Royal Albert, but noticed this time that even the tea cup handles have different names. The handles on my Old Country Roses tea cup and this tea cup are similar because they both have a swirl and a point at the top. This tea cup has an Avon handle, which is simpler than Country Roses montrose handle, which also has a swirl on the underside.

These rich juicy apples, along with the dusting of gold, makes a lovely addition to a festive seasonal table.

I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. – Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Happy Monday!