Merry, Merry. Slowly.

Slowly getting ready for the holidays...

The outside  decor is all taken care of...

The hall tree is swagged...

                                    

And MY 55 year old skates are hanging next to Santa's hat. How is it possible that MY skates are this old when I'm only 39? I must have calculated that wrong...they must be MY 35 year old skates, LOL.

Favourite Christmas CD

I have several Christmas CD's but there is one that I absolutely love. It's called Sarah McLachlan Wintersong. Apparently it was released in 2006, but I have only had it in my collection for a few years. My favourite track is "River". I could listen to this one song all day long...
Live footage of Sarah performing 'River'
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB2dlEH9U0E

Santa's Watching

Do you believe in Santa? I do. I guess that's why I have a Santa collection. I like to display some of my collection on our antique buffet hutch in the dining room. (It's a tricky place to take a photo because of the large mirror below the top shelf.) 

I add a new Santa (or two) each Christmas. That tall one I picked up for .75 cents at the thrift store about a month ago.

A few more on the other end. Love that tole painted one with the clay star...

...and a few more below, waiting for SNOW!

Confession # 5, I Love Chicken Bones

I LOVE chicken bones! No, no, not real chicken bones. I love the candy version, especially the ones made by Ganong in St. Stephen, New Brunswick.

They are a little on the expensive side, but they are so yummy! Pink, spicy, cinnamon candy filled with bittersweet chocolate. You can either let them melt in your mouth or you can crunch them to get that delicious rush of goodness! Check out this video clip if you would like to see how this delicacy is made. 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcfPO_SO3wU
Chicken bones are labour intensive, I guess that's why they are so pricey. It just wouldn't be Christmas without chicken bones! What is your favourite Christmas candy?

Overlooking the Ocean

On Sunday, my husband and I spent the afternoon attending the River John Country Village Christmas Tour. Since the home tours didn't start until 2pm, we also shopped at the Lismore Sheep Farm Christmas Market, checked in on our cottage, and took a little jaunt over to Pictou. I don't have any photos of the first two homes we toured, but here's one shot of the Robinson Retreat, our third and final stop.

Isn't it lovely? Believe me, it was just as nice on the inside. (Please excuse the quality of the photo, my husband snapped it with his phone.) The Robinson property was settled in the mid 1800s with a traditional Nova Scotia 1 1/2 story home with barns and outbuildings. I had passed by this house on my way to the beach at Cape John this summer, but I had no idea it was being so extensively renovated. The current owners have removed the outbuildings, but they have utilized some unique pieces from the barn in their house. For example, they used huge arch-shaped pieces to define the dining area. They also used a beam from the barn as a mantel for their fireplace. The Robinson Retreat will be available to rent this summer. If  you are looking for a huge farmhouse to host a family reunion, this is the spot!

A Sneak Peak

Yes, yes. It's that most wonderful time of the year. The lull between having my first term report cards finished and Christmas. I absolutely love Christmas. I think I inherited that from my dad as he loved Christmas too. So today I decided to begin my decorating. Well actually I put up one decoration earlier in the week, a swag on our antique hall tree. I like to take my time and haul out a few things as the mood strikes.

 These photos show an old crock filled with pine, fir, red ozier dogwood twigs and false holly. They should rename that "hard-to-find holly" as I only found one patch of it last weekend on our way home from the cottage. It likes to grow in wet, swampy areas so luckily I had my rubber boots with me. In the next couple of weeks I hope to share a few more photos of my Christmas decor. Stay tuned!

Mr. Mouse

See this little guy. How cute! NOT. No, not when you discover that he has been visiting your trailer!!!

Yes, as I was taking all my goodies out of Betty yesterday, I discovered some mouse droppings under one of my dinette benches. Yuck!  Maybe there was more than one and they were having a party down there...

Oh my, I knew it had to happen sooner or later. Funny thing is, this is the first year that I even thought to plug the sink drain hole with steel wool. But research tells me they can get in through a hole the size of a dime. Guess they had several entrances to choose from, LOL. Lucky for me they did not get up into the living quarters. My 14 pillows would have been shredded to make their little mouse nests. So what did I do after I made this discovery? Well, I cleaned up their mess with Pine Sol and then set a mousetrap outside underneath the trailer. Next weekend before we tarp Betty for the winter I will lay a few fabric softener sheets inside too. Then I will cross my fingers and wait for Spring...