Happy Solstice, dear friends.

During these days of long winter nights we’re seeking light. We’re joyfully celebrating the shift and looking forward to the lengthening of our days.

Best wishes for a beautiful holiday season full of light and love! Wishing you peace and joy, harmony and laughter.

Merry Christmas!! Much love to you all!

xo R

The days have been flying here – even more than usual. There is last minute crafting, hopeful knitting, always baking and extra holiday fun. The first set of grandparents have arrived and we’ve been squeezing in extra special outings and activities. We’re popping vitamin C, double dosing on essential oils and wearing extra woollens as we fight a sniffle or two…and I’m trying very hard to give my immune system a fighting chance by avoiding all the Christmas goodies that are milling around the kitchen.

And while all this has been happening I’ve not been very good at responding to emails or making online visits. But I have been thinking of so many of you – wondering how your holiday celebrations are coming together, wondering how you are lighting these short days, and wishing our festivities could overlap.

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So how are you enjoying these December days? I’ll boil the water for tea and serve you up a piece of pistachio fudge (please, I really can’t eat it by myself). Stop in for a chat!

For the seventh birthday we may have stumbled upon a new tradition. By a happy accident we discovered a candy factory in the city which I’d never heard of (although my mom remembers it from her childhood). I spied a Christmas open house listed on their website and the plan was set. The littles were excitedly counting down the days for weeks.

Finally the day arrived and we finagled a few friends to join us. We arrived just in time for a candy cane making demonstration. Just as I was lamenting my forgotten camera my friend started snapping photos on her iPhone for me.

This is the giant pot that was bubbling with HOT sugar.

They set up this work surface with the metal dividers than poured out the hot sugar – yes, our children’s eager faces were this close to the action (yikes!!).

In went the food dye. Mmm, gotta love that Red Dye 40.

Then they sprinkled the sugar with flour before adding the natural oil based flavouring – root beer!

This was my favourite part – it was incredible to see how quickly the mixture was hardening (although still incredibly hot). They folded the candy over itself a few times to mix the colour and flavouring (oh, my Canadian is showing in that sentence).

Then he took the lump over to a lethal looking hook and threw the candy at it – toss, pull, toss, pull. My arm flab could use some of that action.
(Note the kids with their faces pressed against the caution tape, awesome.)

Then the colours were rolled together.

The candy was kept warm and turning in this machine. It was pulled out the end and snipped to the proper length.

Then they were wrapped around a shot glass for the tradition hook on the not-so-traditional root beer flavour.

Samples of warm candy cane were not only yummy they also helped remove a wobbly loose tooth – now all she wants for Christmas is her two front teeth.

(I added a mixer to my wish list.)

The rest of the tour led us past many sticky sampling possibilities.

Then the five biggies each chose a candy cane to take home (they’ll be on the tree Christmas morning). Four kids chose quite easily, one kid had a line form behind him while he hummed and hawed. Can you guess who that was?

I could understand his dilemma. At least he didn’t choose bubble gum…

We all agreed it was so much fun we’ll mark the date for next year!

There have been many projects, celebrations and preparations happening in the jay house lately. It’s been December busyness at it’s best. Now that the first birthday of the month has passed we’re fully into Christmas mode.

We’re keeping up with old traditions and making new ones. A tree came home for trimming, the lights strung and the ornaments hung. We’re making fudge (recipe here) and turtles (using this, of course), nuts and bolts and shortbread. Packaging preserves, cutting snowflakes and gift knitting. We celebrated with friends who filled our home with such a surge of love and joy that I feel it buzzing still.

These are busy days not without their stress as we try to keep our home tidy (just in case anyone is interested in that for sale sign*) but full of excitement as we deck the halls. And as always we try to keep a balance between doing and resting, getting things done while we relish in this special season of joy. The littles enjoy the advent with great zeal and have gotten somewhat fever pitched in the excitement of lights, tree, treats and special plans.

We have lots of ideas for later in the week after Dan’s parents have arrived but for now we’re baking up a storm while we squeeze in a few more school lessons before we have far better distractions.

* Some of you have kindly asked about our house being on the market. I haven’t said much about it simply because there hasn’t been much to say. No bites on our place, a lowered price here, a house we hoped would be ours selling before we got to it. We’re taking it in stride, though, and letting it be. Trusting and reminding ourselves to be patient.

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How you enjoy this beautiful season? Do you have a special celebration or tradition to share?

Beautiful Girl, how is it seven years since you entered our lives? Seven years that feels like a lifetime and yet only a moment.

This year perhaps more than any other you have grown and changed. You are no longer such a little girl but always our baby. And somehow it has just happened. Suddenly older, suddenly growing. Your baby face hides behind those bright eyes…I still see it there.

Such a dear, dear girl full of generosity and kindness. Sharing of your great or of your little, making the peace, offering a smile full of heart. You slip a hand in mine, an arm over your shoulder, stroke a baby cheek, snuggle a little brother.

You are unique and special and wonderful. From your outrageously wonderful sense of fashion: jewelry, stripes, skirts and leggings, always leggings. You are a little mother, always aching, moaning, begging to help with the babes. Daddy’s little charmer, pulling that sideways smile, that twinkle in your eye, the batting of eyelashes. The horse, the piggy back, the mama in so many games. The dancer, the princess, the good sport and the gracious winner.

And as I struggle to write this I realize I struggle because you are so intangibly you – that look, that smile, that style, that laugh, that joy. It’s all so wonderfully you, Amalia.

So full of love, so full of life, you bring a flavour all your own to our lives.

Happy Birthday, lovely.