Saturday, December 2, 2023

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting . . .

I can't guarantee you won't hear me some day soon bemoaning the fact that I've just had to shovel that pesky two-foot drift of snow that the wind regularly dumps across our door leading out to the front deck, but here it is this first week of December and we're still waiting for our first decent snowfall.  We've not had more than one or two weak flurries thus far.  No, our landscape doesn't look like the scene depicted in my current blog header photo taken a few years ago.  Our daughter did report she saw two rabbits in the woods a day or so ago wearing totally white coats so perhaps they know the snow is coming any day now.
 
I may have mentioned before that the Old Farmer's Almanac predicts a warmer and dryer winter season for us.  So far, gotta say they've been right on the mark.
 
Even though I have still been thinking it's autumn because of our continuing mild weather and no snow as mentioned above, in the last couple of days I packed away the Thanksgiving and all fall decorations.  I told Papa Pea it felt strange to be putting up the Christmas decorations but if one takes a good look at the calendar, Christmas Eve will arrive in a mere twenty-two days.  Eeeep.  And we all know how fast time flies.
 
Dear daughter has been experimenting making homemade egg nog (her dad's favorite holiday drink) and a knock-off Irish Cream (which her mother could live on).  The egg nog has been very good although I think she still wants to tweak it a bit.   We all agree the current batch of Irish Cream ain't gonna put Bailey's out of business.  We're so fortunate she loves fiddling around with recipes like these.  Not only am I in a period where I'd rather eat toast for every meal (with an Irish Cream chaser), but still have no desire to cook.  Period.  (I will confess to having taken a peek at our traditional holiday goodie recipes, however.)
 
Papa Pea is gone for the day so I'm logging in quilt room time.
 
Back to it I go.  I'm putting the binding on a baby quilt and then will listen to the audio book I'm in the middle of while doing the final hand sewing.  
 

Above is the quilt and although I didn't intend to make a wonky version of a Gay Pride Flag, I have heard comments that I did so.
 
Hope you're having a good day! 

12 comments:

gz said...

It's a nice jolly baby quilt..much nicer than all the pastel blues and pinks!
We have just had our first real snow..just an inch here, but more further south and enough further north to start shutting the snow gates on roads

Rosalea said...

That is a very colourful quilt! Love the idea of listening to audio books while hand sewing. We've had snow, some measurable, but it melts right away within a few days each time, as the temperature is on a roller coaster ride. The drink experimentation sounds fun. Happy stitching!

Michelle said...

I love bold primary colors for baby decor, and your quilt is lovely! I love listening to audiobooks, too; sometimes I put off doing things that require more attention because I don't want to stop listening.

Goatldi said...

Nice quilt. My son had a nursery that I painted and decorated in lots of primary colors. At the time the "experts" you know the "they" declared that bright primary colors would increase intelligence and stimulate brain development. However when his sister came along 32 months later she had a beige room and both were very intelligent. Perhaps "they" didn't know what they spoke about :-o

We are waiting through roughly the same autumn as last year. The promise of rain and then little to nothing shows. However we had a good old fashioned Sierra Nevada mountain winter before it was over. Lots of snow , rain, wind that came back at least three times before spring finally hit and stuck in mid June. Who knew??

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

We had some decent snow but temperatures have gone up and quite a bit melted. Be careful what you wish for! Ha ha! White rabbits - our little cottontails stay their usual brownish grey colour all winter. My mother- in- law used to make her own egg nog and it was such a treat! - Jenn

Leigh said...

Isn't it interesting how we associate holidays and their traditions with the weather. I grew up in the midwest, so when I moved to Houston, it was very odd having 80-degree temps on Christmas. Very fun about the egg nog and the Irish Cream and getting to be taste testers!

I love the quilt. Such a neat arrangement of the colors. Well done!

SmartAlex said...

I'm with you on the cooking. My go to meals for myself right now are toast with guacamole or a can of soup. But I've been pretty good about pulling myself together to make supper. I am easily tempted by Chinese take-out. I did manage to put together both a batch of Chex Mix and then the White Trash variation.

Tim B. Inman said...

Move on south! Down here in the sunny paradise section of southwest Iowa, we've had a major snowstorm, ice and today is trying to make up it's mind. Could go either way. So, I have snow and gay neighbors. I enjoy both; I think over/under rating either is a good way to sell newspapers. We're all in this together. Cheers!

Is there a fee for entering the Bailey's Knockoff Contest? Sounds fun!

Mama Pea said...

gz. I, too, much prefer bold colors rather than pastels. Always have. :o) Temps forecast in the mid-30s all week here. Actually, there have been many winters lately when we haven't had a snow cover until the week between Christmas and New Year's. 'Sokay, as it makes "getting around" whether on foot or in a vehicle that much easier!

Rosalea - Listening to audio books makes slow (and sometimes boring!) tasks go so much quicker. Also takes my mind off anything, such as a dilemma or problem, that has been taking up too much space in my brain!

Michelle - And listening to, rather than reading, audio books helps me get through what I consider boring or uninteresting parts, too. :o) Thanks for the compliment on the quilt.

Goatldi - Good parental attention and stimulation has to help more than colors!
Don't know if I should share this but I used to dress my daughter as a baby and toddler in accents of black because she looked so good in it! (She still does.) And she's turned out purdy darn smart.

Jenn - I know! This warm, dry (and easy) start to our winter season is going to one day soon say "Ha, take this!" and dump two feet of snow on us!

Leigh - I am super-happy with the way the quilt turned out, too. I've often wondered how climates with no snow for the holidays get into the spirit. I mean ALL the traditional stories and pictures depict everyone in knee-deep snow, right? Of course, being marooned when traveling for the holidays, or accidents on the roads, is absolutely no fun because of a snowstorm!

SmartAlex - Not too many take-out options around here. And if anything will get me back to cooking at home, it's the price of going out to eat! Holey-moley, how many groceries I can buy for the cost of one meal out. :o(

Tim - You couldn't be more correct about the over/under rating of most anything these days being strictly "a good way to sell newspapers." Can't count how many times already this season our weather forecasts have warned of a "winter storm warning." Huh? What high-tech equipment do they use to come up with that?? No fee for entering the Bailey's Knockoff Contest but I guarantee you could make a lot of money on the black (blog?) market selling a good homemade recipe!

Nancy In Boise said...

Really cute quilt! I saw a chef the other day who did an instant eggnog by thawing a pint of Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream. She then put it in a bowl and added whatever booze she wanted, a little bit of fresh nutmeg and instant eggnog!

Nancy In Boise said...

I just remembered the recipe for the eggnog was onSara's weeknight meals
https://saramoulton.com/2010/03/easy-eggnog/

Mama Pea said...

Nancy - Thanks much for the info!