Happy New Year!

A very Happy New Year!

We couldn't let too much of 2011 pass before our first blog of the year! It's one of our New Year resolutions to blog more!

We hope you had a fab festive period? Halfpenny Home may have shut its doors for the holidays but Nic and I have both been busy!

Lots of knitting has been done - Nic will be sporting some stirrup socks, which will be appearing on a post very soon, I've no doubt! A mere novice when compared to Nic, I have managed to complete a cotton facecloth....

And, the saga of my Knit Collage cowl goes on.....I knitted it all up, even made a lovely button brooch to pin it with (thank you to Maria B who gave me the idea).....then decided it was too wide and I would prefer it a little thinner, so promptly unravelled it to start again! I am working on the new version - fingers crossed!

The end of 2010 was tinged with a good deal of sadness for me, with the loss of my beloved westie. He did have a fantastic long life but it doesn't make it any easier. He is irreplaceable and will always have a very special place in my heart. After convincing myself that I was not being disloyal by having another westie, we went to see some 11 day old puppies over the Christmas period. This is just one of the litter - how cute! Like minitiare polar bears. We visit again this month and, fingers crossed, one of the puppies will choose us!!!

With a birthday also over the festive period, we undertook the annual birthday pilgrimage to Southwold! I love it in Winter though I have to say the weather was not particularly great! It was a job to even see the sea! Southwold is home to Adnams and no visit is complete without a trip to the Adnams shop. I'd read that Adnams were producing their own gin (a favourite tipple) and so a small bottle was purchased for sampling on arrival home!

With all the traditional festive fare consumed at this time of year, the lure of a meal out just wasn't there! So, we had fish finger ciabatta sarnies - and gorgeous they were too!

As part of my birthday gift, Nic brought me some home made millionaires shortbread. It is to die for! It arrived appropriately beribboned on a lovely Piggery Pottery plate - just in time for dessert! What a fab birthday tea.

Halfpenny Home will be opening it's doors again on Saturday January 8th and we're both looking forward to a busy and exciting year. We wish you peace, happiness and lots of crafting joy for 2011.

Jacqui x

Snowy Ride and Whispers of Christmas Past

A few days before Christmas – the 21st to be exact - we had a very pretty snowfall so early in the afternoon I asked Doug if we could take a ride so we headed on out into the country – what a peaceful ride with anticipation of Christmas soon to come and then the New Year. I wasn’t feeling well at all as you all know so I had hoped this would take my mind off of everything and it did for awhile so join me on my little 2 hour ride.

 

 

 

 

We put all our Christmas things away yesterday and today and I really miss the look and feel the greens and berries give. I could have left just those up but then it’s re-arranging everything in the containers to put them away later so just as easy to do it all at once.
My home feels bare now – what I had out before the decorating doesn’t feel right for some reason. Do you feel that way???
In a few days when my eyes have time to reconnect to the old familiar decor everything will be good again.
So I thought I put a few Whispers of Christmas Past for one last time.

Our New Years was very typical of all our New Years Eve’s. We stay home and have a nice evening meal and watch a few movies but this year he watched, I kind of did but read my Kindle – Doug had Steak and Crab Claws and I had a steak and that was our evening. Quiet and very traditional for us.
Today was a very lazy and snacking day and leftover Scalloped Potatoes for dinner tonight – maybe later I will pop some popcorn but it had better be sooner than later, it’s already 7 pm here.

Yesterday and today my discs hurt something awful so it has been keeping me low…but when I think of all those out there that are suffering I feel small – very small.
Some are hurting to the point of no healing so I thank the Lord I have just this bothering me and that brings me to
JEN of Taylor’s Farmhouse Attic  http://taylorsfarmhouseattic.blogspot.com/
Jen…my heart goes out to your family, your brother, for the loss of his precious little son. What a tragedy. Your brother is strong…bless him and your entire family.

Jen’s Nephew Robby

Thank you to all my wonderful followers and friends – I’m so honored to have met several of you this past year and hope this coming year to meet even more of you. We all seem to be ‘like’ kind of people and that is a good thing.

May you all have a wonderful happy new year.
Karen

Christmas Dinner

This year SP and I hosted Christmas dinner. It's an easy meal, the same one we've had for years at my stepgrandmother's house, but when you're the one cooking it there's immense pressure to make it fantastic.

We started with delicious olives, artichokes, meat, cheese, stuffed peppers and asparagus that my aunt brought:


The main course was roast beef. I followed the Wegmans cooking directions but left out the red wine sauce. I hadn't anticipated how long the beef would need to cook, so I'm glad we had stuff to nosh on while we waited. Here it is resting before I carved into it:


... and a few slices for the table:


Green beans with almonds:


Mashed potatoes (I used my ricer to get them silky smooth):


Yorkshire pudding:


... which is much easier to make then I would have thought. My plate for the first round:


Everything was delicious, if I do say so myself. Next year I think it'll be even better because I know how long everything takes to cook!