T Stands for Tuesday & Christmas Cookies and Cards

  Another December Tuesday is upon us.
      So it's time to join friends for T-you are most welcome to join us-- just share a drink related post. 
   Find link in my right hand column, our hostess Bleubeard and Elizabeth.

  Wow we are so warm right now during the day-sometimes mid 50's and some days even with sun. Am Loving the weather for sure. Looks like most of the week will be in the 50's or 40's so am not complaining at all. 
   If we were younger and didn't need to rely on help for heavy duty construction work right now we would be at the lake house every day for sure-getting that concrete sidewalk out-working on being patient, have a little help coming on Thursday.

  Sunday I mixed up batches of cookies for cut outs-I love those at Christmas time. Growing up as a child at home the cut outs were my most favorite cookie.  After leaving home,over the years I have collected a small trunk full of cookie cutters, and those jello molds. I also have cookie pottery molds, cookie stamps, a wooden carved piece, and two of those rolling pins from Europe with the designs on them. So when the holidays come around I have lots to choose from lol
  I don't have many people any more that I gift with a tin of sweets, but I do love to bake a bit and make a little candy.

  I mixed up batches of gingerbread dough-wheat and gluten free, white sugar cookie-wheat and gluten free, and a new peanut butter roll out cookie recipe gluten free. I also changed up all the sugars-to be coconut sugar with Stevia, or coconut sugar  and molasses or Splenda. I also changed up the flours for gluten free-using half almond flour and half gluten free flour blend. Baked with half butter and half coconut oil.

  I baked up two batches today.  
      I am terrible at decorating and frosting cookies-are you good at that? I never can frost them to look as beautiful as I have seen them done. My Hubs does not seem to mind as long as they taste good lol

    I did not get many photos as my hands were always full of dough-this is the last batch out of the oven for today-and my set up. This is a vintage bread board that I just love-was a wedding gift from my  brother some 36 years ago now.

My Mom had taught me when rolling out the dough to use powdered sugar instead of flour-keeps the cookies from getting tough as you are working the dough til it's used up. It sometimes makes the cookies puff up a bit-but that will get covered with frosting.

I wanted to share Christmas cards that have arrived and were hand made. I love them all and thank you so much.

This first one is from my friend Carole in North Carolina (USA)
   and hers was set up to recycle-just detach the sticky note and replace with another greeting on a sticky note-thought that was clever.

I could not get a good photo

This next one is from our Wisconsin friend that gifts us with their own homemade honey, maple syrup, veggies-His wife makes gorgeous cards

I think you will know who this lovely card is from when you see the script-

sorry another photo that kept reflecting back on me

CJ also sent me these awesome deer-so I would have deer at the lake house--this is amazing CJ and thanks again I will find a spot for them in my craft room

and this beautiful card is from Bleubeard and Elizabeth-love the sheet music and the Santa stamp especially and the deer-well actually everything hugs thank you

When I realized that all of my wax seals did not make it through the mail-sigh-I did some research on that-and will share in another post. I love to use those seals. but want them to make it through in tack.

  We just started getting our deer visitors again. The other night a group of 8. I took this one just as it was getting dark, and through the window glass I don't get good photos during this time of day-this was the best one. 
    You can see in the back we have been so warm that the grass is green again.

For my beverage share-I found a Christmas wine from Germany at our Aldi store, that I bought last year-so decided to open it last weekend. It is good warmed up or also at room temperature too.

Happy T everyone!!