Seasons Greetings !

 

~ Seasons Greetings ~

My Christmas Card to you...

Sending you warm wishes

peaceful thoughts

and

hope that you enjoy a wonderful festive season.

Take some time out to relax and breathe...

count your blessings.

Help someone less fortunate

surprise a busy clerk or a hard worker with a kind comment 

perhaps volunteer to do a shift or donate to the local food bank.

There are so many things that we can do...

and if you find yourself in need I hope that you will be helped.

The reindeer votives are lit and are gathered together in the bowl...

I always think this Tapio Wirkkala Ultima Thule piece

looks like a frozen pond.

The quarter sawn oak arts and crafts shelf unit holds

 our collection of matte green art pottery.

The wee wood tree on top was made by our clever grandson Henry!

Mom's festive silver baubles have found a place to shine.

Fresh mandarin oranges...and my journal.

Writing in a journal is a newish habit after many years of toying with the idea.

It's been helpful to track my weight and write down my thoughts...

The scale has been used more than usual ~ keeping my eyes on the end goal.

I feel much more disciplined and am very happy that I am seeing results.

Losing 14 pounds (as of today) meant my jeans needed to be replaced...

Fortunately I was able to quickly find 2 pairs of jeans...

one is a dark wash wide leg style by Spanx

the other is a straight leg medium wash...(see above)

Shopping is pretty much done, gifts are wrapped, and we're feeling relaxed.

I've been baking fruit loafs, shortbread and mince tarts...

(allowing myself the occasional treat)

The tins are full and gift packages will be given away to family and friends.

We will be celebrating Christmas quietly with our immediate family.

Thank you for popping by The Humble Bungalow Blog.

Hope that you have a wonderful Holiday.

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

December 6th...Fairy Lights, a Christmas Tree and Fruitcake

 

Are you in Christmas baking mode yet?

I'm not making a ton of sweet things but have a few basic recipes on the go...

I make shortbread and mince tarts.

This year I decided to make a simple fruit loaf and searched on line to find a recipe that was quick, easy and could be made as a single loaf.

I found one on the Lord Byron website...

Holiday Fruitcake 

I brewed up a small pot of strong tea and added all the fruit to steep.

The rest of the ingredients are mixed in and then popped into a prepared loaf pan.

Bake about 55-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out cleanly...

I highly recommend this fruitcake!

My candles had melted onto the candle holders

which I cleaned in super hot water in the sink using a soft scrubby.

 Plus I needed to replace the wee ones with new candles.

I love the scent of beeswax as they burn...

and they are a "clean" burning candle.

Honey Candles are a BC company.

Easy to find in the shops and even our grocery store stocks them.

Frequently they go on sale so that's a good time to stock up...

they make great gifts too!

So I have a wee confession...

I absolutely HAD TO BUY new jeans.

My old MNG pair were hanging off me and the butt area was SO BAGGY...

it was terrible...

(I've lost over 12 pounds)

I was on The Avenue mailing Christmas cards...

wearing said baggy jeans under my long puffer vest...

Feeling SHABBY.

Well fitting clothes really DO matter.

I happened to go into Nicholas Randall to look for some gifts.

Spied a pair of jeans made by SPANX :-))

Did you know that SPANX made jeans?

( I didn't!)

They have a smooth waist, back pockets, and wide legs.

Tried them on and Bingo they fit...

smooth around the hips and derriere

wider legs for a bit of fun.

They were not cheap

 but I didn't give that a second thought...

I have one other pair.of jeans...

(they too are baggy)

Will see if I can salvage them by having them altered...

as they were new in the summer.

If not I will consign them...

The fairy lights are glowing...

orchids are in bloom.

Things are looking Festive.

The house is feeling warmer with the lights and the Christmas tree.

I'd say they are positive mood shifters during these cooler grey days of December.

Bought some new walking shoes by Remonte 

(by Rieker)

which will replace my New Balance shoes from 2019.

These are very comfy and have great support.

(on sale for half price)

Darling Daughter found me a pair of Tod's driving Mocs at the thrift shop !!

These are suede so will be dry weather shoes...

Tod's Gommino Penny Bar Driving Shoes  

(NEW price well beyond my budget)

So when Jennifer asked if I would be interested I said SURE!

She's got a great eye for bargains and quality.

My OOTD is uber casual...

LuLuLemon Black Yoga pants

Gap Faded Denim shirt

Cashmere socks

Slippers

I'm

dusting and vacuuming

knitting and reading

and

making soothing chicken vegetable soup.

You can see the melted wax on these candle holders here...

my current murder mystery book

by Caroline Graham

Chief Inspector Barnaby of Midsomer Murder Fame.

Love a good murder mystery book...

If you celebrate the Festive Season...

Are you getting ready for Christmas?

Do you send cards?

Have you started decorating?

Shopping?

Making Gifts?

What recipes are you planning to make?

We will have a fairly quiet time here in The Humble Bungalow this year...

I'm not planning much entertaining as my hips are not great.

I have good days and bad days.

I am still coming to terms with this...

I do accomplish stuff but need to take breaks in between tasks.

It is all completely new and I am figuring out as I go...

Any how...

Hope that you are doing well and enjoying the start to the festive season.

Merry Christmas

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~