the moment in the middle

Hold your breath.

Here it is.

Christmas Eve.

My favorite day of the Christmas Season.

The perfect moment between all the preparations and all of the celebrations.

All is done yet all is yet to come . . .

"It was a moment of perfection he would probably not find again this year, and he sat without moving, almost without breathing. There was the upside of a garden, when one was digging and planting, heaving and hauling, and then the downside, when it was all weeding and grooming and watering and sweating. One had to be fleet to catch the moment in the middle, the mountaintop, when perfection was as brief as the visit of a butterfly to an outstretched palm.   {from the book Out to Cannan: the fourth book in the Mitford series by: Jan Karon}

indoor wireless remote

I was looking for an easier way to turn our 

Christmas tree lights on and off.

I found an  Indoor Foot Switch Extension Cord but

 the cord was 15 feet long and would look cluttered

Then I found an  AmerTac Indoor Wireless 

Remote Plug-In Receiver Kit

Gotta tell you I love this little gadget.

on / off couldn't be easier

pinwheel christmas cookie

Pinwheel Christmas Cookie

Each year I look for one or two new Christmas cookies to try.

This one from Southern Living Magazine caught my eye today.

I did substitute almond extract as I already have another mint cookie.

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 ½ cup cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract (I used almond extract)
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
red food coloring paste or gel

Directions
Beat butter until creamy (about 2 minutes). Gradually add sugar beating well. Add eggs and extracts.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add to creamed mixture until blended.

Divide dough in half and mix food coloring into one portion. Wrap each with plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes.

Divide each half of dough into two equal portions. You will now have two red disks and two white disks.

On 4 pieces of waxed paper draw an 8x8 square. Roll out each section of dough on the floured waxed paper into the 8x8 square.

Place one white square on top of one red square. Tightly roll up jelly-roll fashion, peeling wax paper from red square as you go. Repeat with remaining two squares

Wrap rolls in plastic wrap and chill for 1-2 hours until firm.

Preheat oven to 350°. Unwrap and cut dough into 1/4-in. slices. Place 2 in. apart on parchment lined baking sheets.

Bake in batches until bottoms are lightly browned, 12-14 minutes. Cool on pans 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Yield: about 5 dozen.

sand sculptures

We recently visited the 7th Annual Siesta Key 

Crystal Sand Sculpture Classic on Siesta Beach

 America's #1 Beach it has become a favorite of the professional sand sculptors 

.Citing the beauty and cleanliness of the pristine white sand, sculptors have remarked 

that their sculptures look almost as if they were "carved in marble." 

It is always fun to share our

adventures with good friends.

free 8x10 photo

Through November 26th, head on over to the Walgreens Photo site 

where you can score a free 8×10 Photo Print ($3.99 value) 

when you use promo code THANKYOUGIFT at checkout. 

Opt for free in-store pickup at your local Walgreens store to save on shipping!

Here are two that I ordered . . .

{photo of Erie Barge Canal}

{photo taken at Chestnut Ridge park}

{thanks Hip2Save.com}

sidewalk chalk

We recently visited the

Venice Chalk Festival

featuring the most incredible

3D pavement paintings

The artists come up with intricate ideas 

that make images and the ground appear to 

dip inward or rise above 

when viewed from a particular vantage point.

heading south

The best way to bid farewell to 

Summer/Fall in Brockport is with 

a visit from our Vermont family

Opal cuteness

celebrating an early thanksgiving

{hmm . . . would you chose wine or coke}