>Christmas Recap- with lots of pictures!

>I WAS going to also put an etsy recap in here, but considering how many pictures I now have to add, that will have to wait until tomorrow!
Ah, Christmas.  All the frantic rushing around, making and baking, happily being domestic- and then- it’s over just as quick as it snuck up on us.  I used to be a major Scrooge, but I have found since I’ve been married I really love and actually look forward to the Christmas season.  It’s so nice to have our little family of three- me, my husband, and Mr Charles.  This is our second Christmas together since we’ve been married, and it was a lot of fun.  We spent the day at my Grandma’s house- and my cousins live right next door so we got to also go visiting with them.  My cousin Bob showed us how he’s making pens- we all got absolutely beautiful wooden pens for Christmas and he’s soon going to be opening up his own Etsy store. Yay for Bob!
Here’s me and Matt all gussied up on Christmas.  Due to the cookie baking marathon the day before I forgot to set my hair. Doh! Thank the Lord for combs (I really do!).

 

Here’s the lovely view driving to my Grandmas on Christmas day in Matt’s 1939 Plymouth.

Pictures of the Great Cookie Marathon of ’09

Nigella Lawson’s Ricciarelli

• 2 large egg whites
• Pinch of salt
• 225g caster sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• half tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond essence
• 300g ready-ground almonds or 500g whole blanched almonds, ground
• Icing sugar for dusting

Whisk the egg whites and salt until they are stiff and dry; then gradually whisk in the sugar until you reach a marshmallowy consistency. Add the lemon zest, vanilla extract and almond essence, along with the ground almonds; mix to a hard paste. Shape into small diamonds, dusting icing sugar over your hands to help form the lozenges. Lay on two baking sheets lined with greaseproof and leave to dry overnight. Heat the oven to 275F/140C/gas mark 1 and cook the ricciarelli for 30 minutes. When cool, dust with icing sugar and serve. Makes about 34.

Not all of our cookies came out so pretty.  I have heard various reports on Macaron making- the “to leave out for an hour” vs “pop them in the oven right away” argument.  Welp, this is what happened to the ones I let set for an hour. MONSTER COOKIES!  Nightmare Before Christmas has nothing on Me and Matt, so monsters they did become.  Here’s pictures of our motley crew.  The rest, needless to say, were popped in the oven right away and came out much prettier.

As far as Christmas presents go, I was up to my ears between sewing, crafting, and baking!  I made most of our gifts this year.  I made many necklaces, but I only have a picture of one! This was a Steampunk inspired one for my cousin Allison, which Mr Charles has been gracious enough to model for us:

And many ensembles for friends and family’s children.  Kids clothes are the best excuse to use fun fabrics!  These were all from vintage patterns from the 1930s and 1940s: