While digging out the Christmas decorations I came across my favorite
holiday season mug. I used it as my breakfast bowl today - oatmeal with nuts,
dried cranberries, chia, turmeric, a sprinkle of Demerara sugar and a splash
of heavy cream.
Delicious - hopefully healthy!
Yes, the holiday season is in full swing now, and I'm just beginning
to get going. Late for me, but Christmas preparations are different this
year. In all honesty, circumstances for completing just about
anything have been trying due to unexpected niggling problems.
Anyway enough of that. . . . . .I'm breathing and managing best I can,
especially when it comes to decorating the cottage. Perhaps not as over
the top as in previous years, but making things attractive enough with
lights and a few vignettes of old and loved Christmas ornaments.
This week I will continue to add a few more, such as the dining room table
centerpiece which will be comprised of mostly natural materials. Right now the
table is awash in cards awaiting writing and addressing, lists of things to
do/buy/cook and bake - such as another swing by World Market to find more
British treats - and a garden center stop for some cut greenery for the
mantel etc.
I've hung the 'kissing ball' and Bob and I tried it out. It worked!!!
The tree is up in the gazebo, fewer lights and ornaments but still pretty,
lit up as dusk arrives and until we turn them off at bedtime.
Photo below is from another year - it still looks much the same.
We've been so spoiled with such a beautiful spell of gorgeous weather
since returning from Arizona - today will be the last though for the remainder
of this week by looks of it. Rain coming in tonight and temperatures dropping.
Later today we will hang outdoor wreaths, add a couple of spotlights,
and a few white lights on the porch. Good old Bob is out there raking/blowing
more fallen leaves from yesterday's blustery wind.
December moves along so quickly and keeps us on our toes. . . . . .
.png)
Your picture of that gazebo looks like it's out of a magazine. So pretty, so imaginative. Love it.
ReplyDeleteI love it too Latane. Best thing we ever had built in the back garden many years ago, and especially because it's screened in my continuing fight against mosquitoes in summer time!
DeleteHope all well with you dear.
Dearest Mary,
ReplyDeleteThat looks really nice the tree inside your gazebo.
You sure indulge in a (to both of us) sinful treat for breakfast. Demerara sugar has not a low glycemic index and the heavy cream is too high cholesterol for both of us. Oh, we used to eat it all... never gained any weight but inside the body got affected.
It is great to live by a World Market, we have to drive some two hours or more to the nearest...
Hugs,
Mariette
. . . . . not every morning though, and we don't eat any lunch. Something good like this is a treat that keeps me going until supper time! The Demerara was just a smidgen and the cream a teaspoon - which made it delicious like skimmed milk could never do, haha!
DeleteSorry you have to be careful with what you eat - but you both look amazingly healthy so I commend you for watching your diet so carefully.
I'll be on the lookout for a few European Christmas items at World Market - sad thing is with COVID the shipping is way behind and many stores just aren't getting their expected stock!
Enjoy this week dear Mariette x
Mary, we both don't diet for 'looks'... but being diabetic type II and having CKD is a double negative as it accelerates the CKD. Pieter can enjoy his sweets though!
DeleteIt all looks very Christmassy.
ReplyDeleteDear Mary - I commend you for being so diligent in getting your home looking special for Christmas even though you are still feeling below par. Hope that things will continue to improve for you. Just to let you know that your lovely greeting sent across the pond has arrived here safe and sound - it was the first we received - thank you bothX
ReplyDeleteI am definitely just doing token bits of Christmas around our home as with we are heading off to stay with our youngest son and family. When we return home our eldest son will come to us with his family, but with luck they will bring some contributions for the table.
I have always loved your Christmas gazebo! I love the fact that you and Bob tried the kissing ball. So sweet!
ReplyDeleteYour Christmas gazebo is a treat for the eyes. Good to know the "kissing ball" still works its magic for you and Bob. I have lots of things to do on my list, but things keep interrupting me and I'm trying to be gracious about it. In the end, it's the people who matter. Your breakfast bowl/mug is a great way to begin the day, and sounds filling and delicious. Stay well,
ReplyDeleteLorrie xo
Whata lovely idea to have a gazebo tree!
ReplyDeleteI think sometimes we expect too much of ourselves and forget that things dont need to look perfect. I know that this year my energy levels have been too low to do muchm but its not the end of the world.
Your gazebo looks gorgeous decorated for Christmas! Don't worry about so much decorating and such when you're not feeling well. Be good to yourself!
ReplyDeleteYour breakfast looks yummy and yes, healthy. I can't digest oats anymore, so I now sometimes eat Bob's Red Mill hot brown rice cereal. I had it this morning with a mix of chia, hemp hearts & flax meal, cinnamon, organic beet powder, raw pumpkin seeds and almonds, a tiny drizzle of organic pure maple syrup, and a splash of unsweetened almond milk.
We have a World Market in the neighboring town, but I rarely go there. We are fortunate to have two large grocery stores nearby with extensive international aisles, so if I'm looking for any food product that's not American, they usually have it.
The gazebo photo would make a beautiful Christmas card! If I were you, I'd have my own cards printed from it.
ReplyDeleteYour breakfast sounds healthy enough to me! When I am on my own during the week, my breakfast usually consists of a bowl of muesly with a sliced banana or a handful of blueberries (depending the season) in fresh milk. It is actually the only way I have milk; I don't use it it tea or coffee, and never have hot chocolate, as I prefer to eat my choccy rather than drink it (unless it is Cadbury's Chocolate Liqueur!).
I hope your niggling problems can be solved or go away so that you can fully enjoy this enchanting time of year.
My Christmas preparations will be much more modest than yours, I'm afraid. When my parents were both alive I always had the job of decorating the tree for them. It was a very old artificial tree that looked neither realistic or attractive but if I suggested getting a new one my father always said "There's nothing wrong with the one we've got". When Dad died, Mum wouldn't hear of replacing the tree that he always insisted on. Now I find myself hanging on to it for similar sentimental reasons.
ReplyDeleteI am sure your house looks as gorgeous as ever this Christmas, Mary. Your gazebo is spectacular, and must be a highlight in your neighbourhood. We came home from a delightful first experience of babysitting our little twin grandsons for a short time today (they have accepted us quite readily, encouraged by toys and treats) - and to our delight in the post tonight was your sweet Christmas message, complete with some beautiful Red Cardinals :) xxx
ReplyDeleteYour gazebo is beautiful all decked out for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteTake care and keep warm.