vintage Christmas

I've been obsessed with this website for quite some time.  They're now available for U.S. orders and will send you beautiful catalogs if requested.  Check out their fabrics and wallpapers.

Anyways, their latest Christmas line was just released and it's making me wish I had the money to buy everything OR have the time to vintage shop for similar items.  Favorites include:

(Christmas sweater done right)

(the sweetest tea towel)

(actually a pin cushion, but would make the most adorable tree ornament)

While it's been almost 70 degrees and sunny this week, I almost (almost) wish that it were more chilly.  Without the cold weather, it is more difficult to 'feel' (such a silly word) the building anticipation of the Christmas season.  

My prayer is that we actively meditate throughout the entire Advent, wondering in the birth of God incarnate with wide-eyed childlike belief.

B

crustaceans

I'm going through a lobster phase.

As a child, I would always press my face against the glass of the grocery store's lobster tank, plotting ways I could buy one and keep it as a pet--saving it from a boiling and untimely death.

While I never successfully saved any of my invertebrate friends, I have managed to keep the spirit alive.  For example: our dog, Sweet Lime Sake, dressed up for a Halloween costume contest as a-

and yes, she won 1st place...

I found myself with a bit of extra time yesterday, so I whipped up a layered spice cake with a caramel filling just for fun, decorated with a-

And when we move and/or have the chance to re-redo our living room, you can bet that there will pillows with a-

So much fun.  So whimsical.  So...delicious.

B

wild honey

Husband returned last week from a hunting trip in Montana with an unexpected present.  They found a wild honey hive in the midst of their adventures, right on the face of the rocks.

It took several steps to make it edible.

(what he brought home)

(straining the honey from the wax)

(warming the honey and crushed comb on a double broiler for a second strain)

(3rd strain through fine mesh)

The result is a delicious, wild tasting honey.  It's really unlike anything I've ever had.  I think I'm going to use some of it in a Banana Bread recipe that calls for both honey and bourbon.  Those flavors should mix really well.  Although it's been pretty tasty on its own.  There might not be enough left for my recipe because we keep eating it off the spoon.

B