Reflections of a Christmas past

May the reflection
 of your yesterdays
serve as a platform
for 
reaching the potential
of your every tomorrow.








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 Reflection  1. A thought occurring in consideration or meditation.
                   2. A fixing of the thoughts on something; careful consideration.
 is finding your

 Potential    1. possible, as opposed to actual:
                            2. capable of being or becoming:
                             3. A latent excellence or ability that may or may not be developed.
         
in the absence of

   Din            1. A loud, confused noise; a continued loud or tumultuous sound; noisy clamor.

 
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 On the cusp of a  new year, every year I attempt to stop my world wheel and get off for a little while.
 I like to tone it down and tune it out if you will. 
I need to Re group, Rethink, Rehash, Re-assess and reconsider.

Although I can't afford to physically get away from it all,  I know that I cannot afford either,
not to get away from it all.

Lillian the Domestic Engineer.Blogspot.ca

 I manage to unplug the world
  by plugging into my tub!
 

It is largely
 through reflection
that I come to see 
how time invested in self
provides clarity.










My Sons traveled with their Dad  to visit Nanny and Poppy for Christmas this year.
It was a return trip home that was 14 years in the making.
The last time the trip was made, we drove across the country. 
The boys were  9, 7, 6 and 5. 
It seems as though it were only yesterday. 

They were all gone over Christmas and New Years for a stretch of ten days.

I spent Christmas day with my Mom, my siblings and their families.
The absence of my Dad who passed this last October gave rise to a nostalgia that continues to engulf and enlighten me into the ways of reality. 
Life really is short. 

My Dad had only just arrived at his 80th Birthday.

Domestic Engineer

 I spent the remaining holiday enjoying the company of self.
Contrary to the conviction of many who believed
 I must surely be sad to be at home alone over the holidays,
 I relished the opportunity.



I like to think I spend my time wisely.
There is so little of it.

Between commitments and obligations,
duties and celebrations
 rules and regulations
awaits the time for pondering and self preservation.
This time must be found, managed and enjoyed guilt free.

 

Domestic Engineer  - What matters?

Every movement of moment matters.

Every word of conversation counts.

Invest wisely in yourself.
Have a Happy, Healthy New Year

Lillian ponders on HERE

Best Butter Tarts

You butter, you butter, you bet!

Best Butter Tarts...ever!

Tis the season to be busy.
Time is a valuable commodity, especially at this time of the year.
 Time saving tips and delectable tidbits are a must on ever list.

Mark Frozen Tart Shells at the top of that list.
Some people see the frozen tarts shells as cheating but I prefer to view them as totally time tested
and as pretty good eating.

1-2-3

 1.Remove the tarts from freezer and place individually onto a tray
 or into muffin tins, as I have done here.

2. Fill tart shells.

3. Bake at 325 for 22-25 min.

The Filing
For 24 tart shells
 
2 cups raisins.
-I use the darker Thompson raisins, 
as opposed to the lighter Sultana.
-I also like to soak my raisins
for 15-30 before mixing and baking.
Pour boiling water over raisins to cover .
Let soak and drain before use.

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
 2 tbsp. heavy cream
2 eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla Flavoring, OR
1 tsp. Rum, Kahlua,
1 cup crushed walnuts OR Trail mix.
                                                       A lovely mix of nuts and dried fruits that add both flavor and flair to the Butter Tarts.

                                                      1. Melt butter in a pot, on low heat.
                                                      2.  Add sugar, cream, and vanilla.
                                                      3. Drain and add raisins

                                    4. Add crushed  walnuts or pounded trail mix to pot and stir well.
                                    5. Stir constantly over low heat until mixture reaches a boil.
                                    6. Remove from heat and beat in 2 beaten eggs.
                                           Stir till smooth and well mixed.

  Mixture will be quite sticky and runny.

                                                   I use a 1/4c  measuring cup
                                      to scoop the mixture into the prepared tart shells.
                                                           Bake at 325 for 22-25 min.

TIP
Fresh freeze your Christmas baking in batches.
Once frozen, individual pieces are easier to handle.

  I re-use the Styrofoam trays that are found under many food products.
 They can be washed  and lined with tinfoil to create the perfect tray. 
Once filled, wrap each tray with cellophane before placing it into a freezer bag and finally into your freezer. Good wrapping is essential in maintaining future freshness.
 Freeze all baking in single layers to avoid damaging the goods.

Make sure to keep plenty of styrofoam trays on hand for use as last minute gift giving trays.
 Line with foil and fill with a selection of your frozen baking collection.
Add a few well placed chocolates a bow to the tray, along with a gift card to complete your gift giving tray.
 Large coffee cans also  make great gift containers. Frozen goodies can be gently stacked in the can with tinfoil between each. They also travel well.

 Select 4 or 5 different bakers delights that will you prepare and freeze for the season.
 Over the course of  as many nights, whip, mix, bake up the delight
 that you have chosen to make for the night.
 Mix up the shape and color of what you make. Variety is the spice of life that takes the cake!
Try Tarts, Peanut Butter Balls, Naniamo Bars, whipped and dipped Shortbread, hand dipped chocolates, Crinkle Cookies....
Accessorize, Accessorize, Accessorize
Pick up a couple box of chocolates- a few strategically placed chocolates (hand made or otherwise),
a couple of candy canes, a beautiful bow or two are just a few of the things you can do
to add seasonal festivities to the gift of love, from you.

 Joy to the tray...the day is saved.

Gift giving..in the BAG

Easy, economical, enjoyable
          = Hot, Hot, Hot!
I happen to think that these magic bags are the hottest thing around.
 When you live where there is 6 months of bad winter followed by 6 months of bad summer
 anything associated with heat receives a warm welcome. 
The magic bags is loved by everyone. 
It provides therapeutic relief, it travels well
 and it is the gift that will keep on giving.

Heat magic bag in microwave oven for 2 min. and enjoy!

 This year I made bags to gift to my Senior clients. They were easy, economical and enjoyable.

SUPPLIES:  knee high nylons (2 pair for 1.00) Dollar store = .25/bag
                     work socks (2 pair for 2.00) Dollar store= .50/bag
                      rice (8kg = 10.00) approx. 10 socks= 1.00/bag
                                                                                  ------------
                                                                                    1.75 bag! 

 I use 3 cups of rice per bag. Start by filling the nylon knee high with rice, one cup at a time. 
I  put rice into a measuring cup and then stretch the nylon over the measuring cup.
 Turn the cup over, while holding the sides of the stocking and pour the rice, cup by cup into the stocking.
Make sure there are no twists in the stocking or the rice won't go all the way down.
Once filled,  lay the bag on a flat surface and stretch it out like a sausage. 
If you ball it all before tying it won't lay around your neck when finished. 
Tie a knot at the open end of the stocking. 
Next open the mouth of your sock and feed the stocking into it. Again, keeping the bag in a sausage shape will make it easier to feed into the sock. I have used a classic work sock here. 
Finally tie a knot in the open sock end.
I have added a fabric bow tie in seasonal colors. Any ribbon or bow can be tied on but don't forget to remind the user to remove any bows with wire BEFORE putting in microwave.

 Gift giving.....in the bag.

There's something about Christmas time...

Lillian the Domestic Engineer. Blogspot.ca

There's something about Christmas time

that makes me wish it was Christmas all the time.

STOP

 Listen. Take a look around.

Like a fog that settles in on a December morn,

like the new fallen snow upon the frozen ground,

like a sound in the distance that can't be found

it is present, it is around.

FOUND

in the stillness of a quiet morn,

found in the beauty of the snowflakes on the ground,

found in the music of our mind

gifted to all in time.

There's something about Christmas time

that makes me wish it was Christmas all the time.

 

Christmas door

A warm welcome 

now hangs on the door

of the neighbor we often see but don't really know,

Christmas lights

 now light the walk

 to the Seniors housing and the Christmas Pot Luck.

Santa Claus

 is at the Rink

where the community goes

to share Hot Chocolate and goodness knows

-a memory or two

about last year

at this same time

when we opened our hearts

to the world 

at large.

There's something about Christmas time

that makes me wish it was Christmas all the time.

 There is beauty everywhere

Beauty is everywhere

   
                                                 
                                                      

Creative Christmas Ornaments

Christmas Crafting

 Take another look.
This Christmas Ornament is created on a Styrofoam Ball base that has then been poked with individually folded twist ties.
 The greenery, the bow and the floral accessory and the hanging red string  have simply been hot glued
to the top.
Voila! It really can be that simple to fish up fun in the kitchen.

Creative Christmas Ornaments

 Styrofoam Balls can be purchased relatively inexpensively and are a perfect place to begin

 in the making of fun, quick, creative, home made  Creative Christmas Ornaments.

The first step is to hot glue  a loop of wire, bow, shoelace, glitter thread, fish line or wool to the top of the ball for a hanger. I do this first because it makes it easy to hold the ball for working and because you can then cover any excess hot glue with the decorations that are glued or pinned  over top, to the Styrofoam ball.

Almost everything and anything goes over the ball.
Fabric pieces can be pinned in place or wrapped creatively around the ball and tied with a seasonal bow.
Balls can be dipped in glue and rolled in glitter to deck the halls.
Old Christmas cards can be cut and kept in place using glitter glue smeared all over the place!

The Ornaments at bottom left were created using seeds and legumes;
I used mung beans (beansprouts) popcorn seed and bird seed  but the list could go on and on.
Seeds and legumes come in all colors, sizes and shapes. Use your imagination and as always,
have fun.

The Styrofoam balls are covered with white glue and then rolled gently through a seed or legume bath.
Another layer of white glue is then applied being squeezed right from the bottle tip onto, into and around
 the seeds or legumes that adhered to the ball in the first roll. After several applications of glue and seed or legume has been built up, the balls should be left overnight to dry.

It is optional then to give them an acrylic spray of glitter.

Ornaments of Seeds and legumes

                                                                Deck the Halls HERE
                                                                A Light bulb Moment HERE

 More Ornaments HERE

A Stitch in time

Christmas Ornaments

These of course are not edible

but some Christmas Ornaments are.

Bird Seed Feeder Ornament

Click on this lovely link for details  

 Pine cones are a perfect  pick for pint size crafters and also happen to be loved by the birds! 

Top of the Season to you all.

Sugar Cube House

                          How Sweet it is
                This Sugar Cube House is the perfect Christmas Kid Craft.
                                                      Let their imaginations run wild!

Sugar cube house

Lillian the Domestic Engineer

Crafting with sugar cubes

Sugar Cube house - Gingerbread alternative

 CLICK HERE for details

Button, Button

Button Cards

                  Button, Button, whose got the buttons?
    
   I remember the pleasures of fiddling through the buttons in my Grandma's button box. 
 I would scoop up a handful of buttons up and let them fall through my fingers like sand on the beach, 
imagining that the buttons were all newly discovered diamonds in the rough.

 As I played I pondered. 
 Where did all the buttons come from? 
 Were they all once worn on an article of clothing? 
Why were there so many buttons of one kind and so few of another?
 How did they make the shiny buttons so pretty? 
Would I have my own button box someday?

 I remember the joy of then discovering my Moms button collection. She had both a button box and big jar of buttons. 
I enjoyed spinning the clear jar around to view the vast variety of buttons contained within.
As I recall I used to spend a lot of time finding my own "Waldo"
 in the button jar.  I would select a button to re-find before turning and sometimes even shaking the jar in an effort to lose and then relocate the treasured button.

 My own button collection at that time were buttons with sayings on them. The kind that people pinned to themselves or their belongings. 
I pinned all my button collection to a large wall hanging so I could see them all at one time. Slowly my button collection grew old! 


 I got older too. 
After Jr. High School and the Home Ec. Classes, I began to see 
that my age old assumption may not be sew. (lol)
 To have a good button collection perhaps one did not have to be old.

I had grown old enough to know that I did have a growing thing with buttons!
After being gifted my first Singer Sewing machine in grade 7
 I began to gather folds and buttons of my own.


I was growing into myself while changing the buttons on everything else. The fun, funky, colorful buttons that could make a statement before I had to say anything else were changing me.
My button collection continued to grow.

 As did I. 
In the 80's I was introduced to Fimo Dough (Polymer Clay)
The polymer world opened the doors to the production of creative, colorful, original buttons.
Buttons were all over me!

True to tradition I was amassing a real button collection of my own. 
I never managed to leave old buttons behind 
that I would find in bargain stores for a nickle or a dime.
My beloved button collection is now the result thereof.  

Recently I have discovered the joy of re working old silk ties.

The old buttons I have collected are the perfect mate
 for these old guys...
They become the eyes of the I phone case
that see the joy in the memory of place.

I spent a bit of time the other day looking for the turquoise button 
that below is displayed
 I didn't only find the button I sought
 but also uncovered the sweet memories 
of which I am wrought.

I Phone Case

Buttons on I Phone Case

                                                              HERE- I Phone Cases                       


                                                          More Buttons Click HERE  

Lillian the Domestic Engineer Blogspot.ca

 Click HERE to see more   

Check out the link below for beautiful ideas accomplished with the re-creation of the way we see buttons

Click here Buttons Re Created


 Back to Button Cards...      enjoy!

Button Card

Gift tag and Button Card

Lillian the Domestic Engineer Card Here

Handmade button card

CARD Joy to the World

Merry Craftsmas Card

 Button Card

                             Craft, Love, Laugh More HERE

 

A Lightbulb Moment

Put on a Happy Face!

These Hand Painted
 Light Bulb
 ORNAMENTS
 are truly one of a kind!

Each year,
for two years
in a row
our familys annual acquisition of

 Hand Made Christmas Tree Ornaments,

were made from light bulbs and lovingly created by Grandma!




A Bright idea

Christmas Ornaments

Light Bulb Tree Ornament

These
Hand Painted 
Light Bulb
Christmas Tree
Ornaments

are priceless to me.
 Grandma made and impossible to replace!

The faces are painted in Acrylic paint onto a regular light bulb to which a primer coat of white Acrylic paint has first been applied and set to dry.
 Once the face painting is completed it is sprayed lightly with an acrylic sealer which gives the finished bulb the shiny finish as well as giving a little boost to the bulbs overall durability.
I must say however that I don't find the Light Bulb Ornaments to be any more breakable than any other glass tree ornament.




                                  Holy Cow, how lucky we are!

Lillian the Domestic Engineer Blogspot.ca

The hats were purchased at the dollar store and the hair and other embellishments are gathered through out the year. Be creative! Hot glue is used to attach the hair, the hats and the hanging cord or ribbon to the light bulb.

Light Bulb Christmas Ornament

Hand Painted Light bulb

MORE at Things I do for Love PAGE

Merry Christmas to all..

 Lillian the Domestic Engineer  Click for more

I've had this beautiful poem (author unknown) for a long time and every year at Christmas time I go and take a look...
Please feel free to share this poem with those you are indebted to.
Merry Christmas! May the spirit of the Season be with you.
 
I have a list of names I know,
All written in a book,
And every year when Christmas comes,
I go and take a look,
And that is when I realize
That these names are a part
Not of the book they're written in
But of my very heart. 
For each name stands for SOMEONE
who has crossed my path sometime,
And in that meeting they've become
the rhythm in each rhyme.
And while you may not be aware 
Of any special link
Just meeting you has changed my life
Alot more than you think.
For once I've met somebody,
The years cannot erase the memory
of a pleasant word or a friendly face.
So never think my Christmas Cards
are just a mere routine
Of names upon a Christmas List,
Forgotten in between.
For when I send a Christmas Card
That is addressed to you
It's because your on the list
Of folks whom I'm indebted to,
For I am but the total 
Of the many folks I've met
And you happen to be one of those
I prefer not to forget,
And whether I have known you
For many years or few,
In some way you have had a part
In shaping things I do,
And every year when Christmas comes,
I realize anew, The best things life can offer
Is meeting folks like YOU,
And may the spirit of Christmas,
That forever endures,
leave its richest blessings
In the heart of you and yours.