2012 Tea Towel Calendar

There comes a time before Christmas when everyone needs a day to recoup, reconnoiter, recharge and regroup. Today is that time for me. Already had a morning cocoa and think maybe some rum and soda for lunch would be fitting.

Today is also my sister Jan's birthday - number increases but she's still six years behind me. We'll celebrate but not until January as one of the issues of being a late December baby is that no one has time to celebrate another birthday this week.

At the moment I am in the process of hemming one of the six square 2012 calendar tea towels with a circular calendar print ordered from Spoonflower, the fabric-print-on-demand company in Durham. Check out the pattern on flicker.

All sizes 2012 Tea Towel Calendar (Circle) Flickr - Photo Sharing!

The weekly contest from Spoonflower a few weeks back was the annual calendar contest in which the viewers get to vote on their favorite designs and the above design from 'pennycandy' was not just my favorite but won the weeks top honor.  The owner of Spoonflower, Kim Fraser is also a member of the local Modern Quilt Guild and gave the guild a tour of the plant last summer. I loved it from the first moment.
See: http://www.spoonflower.com/

DH is on his way home with the shopping for Christmas Eve dinner - our tradition of getting little bits of delicacies to nibble on all evening.  For Christmas, Sunday dinner, I will do my Grand Mariner souffle - one more time.

Got some great responses to my pre-Christmas e-mail about making fruitcake. I have no idea who wrote this originally but it goes around at least once a year.

HOLIDAY FRUITCAKE RECIPE
You will need the following; a cup of water, a cup of sugar, flour, 4 large brown eggs, two cups of dried fruit, a teaspoon of salt, a cup of brown sugar, lemon jice, nuts, and a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey. Sample the whiskey and check the quality.
Take a large bowl. Check the whiskey again. To be sure it is the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer, beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.. Add one teaspoon of sugar and beat again. Make sure the whiskey is still okay.

Cry another tup. Turn off the mixer. Beat two leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fit. Mix on the turner. If the fired druit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the whiskey and check for tonsisticity.

Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Who cares? Check the whiskey. Now sift the lemon uice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Spoon. Of sugar of something. Whatever you find.


Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin to 350 degrees. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Throw the bowl out of the window. Check the whiskey again and go to bed.
Winter has just arrived, only 88 more days to spring. The house is so quiet - not even the mice are stirring. Something must be up. bbf