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I have had such a wonderful year this year, so many lovely things happened... The renovation was completed by the end of March so I have had a lovely new kitchen, the sauna, a more practical layout, a lovely home to be in for a good part of the year. Having the house finally completed (no more dust, dirt, living in tight quarters) made a huge difference to my everyday well-being. Living in a renovation zone is no joke. I have met some lovely people in our new town, a couple I knew when I lived here as a teenager, but most are brand new friends. The gardens came together in time for planting. Yes, there are changes and tweaks to be made, but for the most part, it was a wonderful gardening season. My most favourite son ( not to worry, I only have the one, hah) came to for a short holiday in summer, so we got to hang out with no time/work constraints. We both enjoy having long discussions about current events, or sometimes any old, obscure topic. I am looking forward to 2024 with both happiness and anticipation. Let's see what the year has in store. To (hopefully) tip the odds in my favour, I enjoy doing some of these traditions on new year's eve. Am I superstitious? Well, yes, a little bit, but mostly, I just really enjoy the pomp of rituals and traditions. 1- Start with a clean house and fresh bedding. I start the eve by cleaning the house, washing our bedding, and doing laundry. To clean tomorrow, on New Year's Day, you risk bad luck, or worse. So, I am doing my part to keep the luck inside the house by starting off the new year with fresh bedding and clean floors. 2- Burning Bowl Ritual. This one is my most favourite of all. Shed yourself of anything you want to leave behind from the past year, and welcome the new year feeling free of anything weighing you down. I like this one as it involves fire! Write down on a slip of paper what you want to rid yourself of from the year 2023 on a slip of paper. Write as many slips as you need for each unhappy or negative thought, memory, happening. This can be done at anytime during the evening. Light a candle in a bowl, or gather around a firepit outdoors. Touch the slip of paper to the flame, hold it till it gets too close to your fingers and then drop it into the bowl to finish up. As you watch the paper burn, visualize your unwanted thought rising up in the smoke, being released from you. Allow yourself to experience whatever you are feeling: fear, anxiety, sadness, loss, gratitude, and let those feelings lift as the slip(s) burns. 3- Burn A Wish . This is kind of like the second part of the above. You can do one or both. As close to midnight as you can, write a wish or a resolution on a slip of paper and burn the slip to make your wish come true. This can be something you are hoping will come your way in the new year, or a resolution that you hope to keep. 4- Smudge The House. Cleanse the house of all energy to create a new and welcoming environment for the new year. I have several smudges that I can use but have decided to use the one you see in the picture above that was locally made with cedar, lemon balm, sage, and lavender to purify, connect, cleanse, and heal, plus mint for happiness. Sounds like the perfect combination for tonight. Some say to open the windows as you do this to allow the energy to escape, which kind of fits in with one of the other traditions you can read about below. You can say a mantra at the same time, if you wish. Am I a bit hippy dippy and crazy? Yep, maybe a bit ; ) 5- Light a candle . There are many varied traditions that revolve around lighting candles on the eve, depending on your religion or culture. In my (Finnish) family, we always light a candle to remember and honour deceased family members. We use a nice, big candle that will burn for many hours, or even days. 6- Open Doors. If you are able to stay up till midnight, this Irish tradition is a nice one that I like to do. Open the back door wide to let the old year out, and the front door to let the new year in. Some Other Traditions.... Make a resolution. Are you making one? I sure am! Will put it on my slip of paper to burn. The past two years, my resolutions have been about making changes for better health. As I have that well under hand and continue on that journey, my resolution this year will be something new and different. Not a fan of resolutions? Here are some other new year's traditions that I think are lovely... and hey, who says you need to do just one thing? I do many of these! Pick a word of the year. Just one word that sums up what you want the year ahead to look like and to be. You might choose mindfulness, intent, charity, or maybe simplify, self-love, growth, or maybe grace or strength. Just one word that helps you set a goal to aim for this year. Place this word where you will see it each day. Choose a New Year's Intention. A positive vision for the year ahead that is broader than a resolution. Resolutions are generally more specific, while with an intention you can set your vision with a mood board, or a mantra. Something like 'Let it go' or "Find joy in the everyday', or maybe 'See goodness around me'. What about 'Find beauty in your day'? 'Be mindful' or 'Lead by example'. My mantra last year was 'Go forth with faith and courage'. Or maybe you like some of these fun ideas.... Wear red underwear to find love, or yellow to increase your wealth. Hoping to do more traveling in 2024? After midnight, grab your luggage and take it for a stroll around the block for more chances to travel in the new year. Sweep the bad energy out of your house. Make sure to clean the floors, the shelves, and the closets before midnight on New Year's Eve. Eat 12 grapes, one for every month of the year, eat them for good luck as the clock counts down to midnight. Wear polka dots for good luck in the new year (my paper slips are polka-dotted, I hope that counts). Kiss a loved one. They say that the first person you come into contact with in the new year dictates your destiny. See below for something similar. Several countries have a tradition about a 'first footer'. The first person to enter a house on New Year’s Day brings either good or bad luck to the household, so chose your first visitor wisely ; ) A dark haired male is is considered the luckiest, the best harbinger of good fortune. It should not be a person who lives in the home, rather a friend, stranger, or someone from the extended family. The first-foot should also bring gifts for the household symbolic gifts, such as a silver coin, a lump of coal, a piece of bread, a sprig of evergreen, and some salt or whisky. These represent prosperity, warmth, food, longevity, and good cheer. I saved one of the best ones for last... A Stocked Pantry. A pantry stocked full of staples on new year's eve symbolizes a bountiful year to come. It never hurts to have extra foods and basics in the pantry, this one certainly cannot hurt, and might just bring good fortune to your home, and bounty in 2024. I didn't used to do much to welcome in the new year but starting doing some of these rituals during the pandemic. I really felt that all that bad luck and energy had to leave the house for a fresh start in the new year. Sure, it might not do anything, but it makes me feel better, feel like I am doing something positive and proactive, and that is the main thing. I likely won't be up at midnight as I am too old and tired for that, but the new year will be welcomed with a little bit of retrospection, a clean house (just in case), a semi full pantry, and a whole lot of hope for what is to come. Wishing you good luck, health, happiness, & prosperity in 2024 ~ Tanja

The Poinsettia, Christmas Cactus, and Amaryllis are the 3 most popular flowers of the holiday season. The flower that first comes to mind is the poinsettia, of course. A tropical dessert plant (that really dislikes cold weather) has become the ubiquitous holiday flower in Canada. They used to only come in red, white, and pink back a millions years ago, when I was young, but now you can get them in all sorts of fabulous colours, including purple. You can also get them spray painted in all sorts of shimmery colours, like the blue one in the picture above. To have your poinsettia thrive throughout the holiday season, and then some, here are some things you need to know... Buy a healthy plant. If they have drooping leaves, they have likely been over-watered or caught a cold, and will not recover. Walk away from droopy or spotted ones. Poinsettias are tropical plants. Keep it warm when you are taking it home. If you live in a colder zone, most all nurseries/garden centres will wrap them up nicely for you in paper cones. Box stores or grocery stores will not usually have anything like that on hand to wrap it up with. If it is a grocery shop with a florist, ask them to wrap it for you. If there is no florist, ask for a paper bag and fold it over a couple times to keep out the cold drafts. Paper insulates better than plastic does. Bring it straight into a warm car. Purchase your poinsettia at the end of your shopping day, on the drive home. If you leave it in a cold vehicle for any length of time, it will not survive. Cold means a certain death for poisettias. When you get it home - taking it out of the paper or cellophane sleeve is a thing! Poinsettias are very brittle, the branches will easily snap off, so DO NOT try to dig it out of the sleeve. If it is a cellophane sleeve (like above), hang on to the bottom of the pot and start to pull down the sleeve so that it bunches up at the bottom of the pot. If it is a paper sleeve, you want to open up the top of the sleeve, hang on to the bottom of the pot and slowly push the pot up through the sleeve. The paper will bunch up on your arm. Failing all that... cut the sleeve open rather than trying to dig it out. Place it in a bright location but not right beside the window (too cold). On a table, buffet, counter top, stool... in a bright room. Ensure that your poinsettia in away from all drafts, both hot and cold. Not beside a door or window, but also not near a heating vent, woodstove... Watering - Keep it on the dry side! Poinsettias do not like wet feet. Check the soil in the pot once a week. If it is dry to the touch, it needs water. If still damp, wait a few more days. To water it, you want to remove the pot cover, place in sink and let the water run through it till well watered. Leave it to sit till it is no longer dripping from the bottom. Place the plant back in the fancy pot cover (we called them party hats at the greenhouse, hah) and back into it's happy, bright location. Important note! Poinsettias are not fatally toxic to pets, as was commonly thought in the past. Nibbling on the leaves may give Fido or Fifi a mild tummy upset, but your pet would have to eat several plants for it to cause any real harm. Whew! When I worked at Hole's Greenhouses ( a large greenhouse in western Canada), one of the owners, Jim Hole, would go to home and garden shows and eat the leaves of the poinsettia to show people that they are not toxic, not dangerous for people (or pets). The Christmas Cactus. Yes, there are actually Easter cacti, Thanksgiving cacti, and Christmas ones, but they all have the same care requirements. The come in pink, red, white, and a lovely golden hue, and can be kept as an indoor plant for years, or even decades. The care is very similar to the poinsettia. It does not like wet feet, nor cold. Keep it in a bright location, but not in too much direct sunlight. Keep it away from drafts, especially cold ones, but even warm ones from the heat register can cause it to lose it's blossoms. Water only when the top surface of the cactus is dry. This may be once a week or just twice a month, depending on it's location, temperatures, sunlight, etc... Water till water is just coming out the bottom, do not saturate the soil, place back on it's saucer when it has stopped dripping. Do not let it sit in water. When it is flowering, feed it with a high phosphorous fertiliser (higher middle number) every 2 weeks. In general, if you want to keep your cactus happy, feed it once a month from March through November with a 20-20-20 fertiliser, letting it rest in the winter months. If you have a 10-20-10 (or similar) you can feed it with that in September, October, and November to promote blooming. It prefers to be a bit rootbound so do not be in a hurry to repot it, and when you do, only go up one size at a time. Amaryllis is the third Christmas flower plant. These lovely big holiday flowers are tall and stately, make a big splash, and come in a great many colours, from solids to bi-colours. You may have picked up your amaryllis bulb at the greenhouse, box store, or perhaps been gifted one. If it has already been planted up into a plastic pot, place the entire thing into a larger, heavier pot that is sturdy enough to hold it up when it gets top heavy with blooms. You might also want to give it a bamboo stake to tie the flowers to. Turn the pot a quarter turn every second day to keep the flower from leaning too far in any direction. Water regularly, as needed. If the bulb has not been planted, use a high porosity potting soil in a heavy 6 inch clay pot (or any pot that is just slightly bigger than the bulb) and has a drainage hole. Plant the bulb so that the top third is above the soil level. It can take as long as 12 weeks before it flowers, may start at 8 to 10 weeks, if you are really lucky and it loves it's location. Place the flower in a bright indirect light area, or some place where it gets a few hours of morning sun. Water sparingly, just enough to dampen the soil, until you see growth emerging from the top of the bulb. Water normally after that. Your amaryllis will make one or two flower stalks, depending on the age of the bulb, and each stalk can make anywhere from 2 to three, or even 8 flowers. These flowers make really beautiful cut flowers, if you want. To get your bulb to rebloom next Christmas, cut off the stalk when the blooms are spent. Chop the leaves to an inch high once they have yellowed. Water and feed regularly with a 20-20-20 feriliser to put strength back into the bulb. It will make new leaves throughout the spring and summer months. In August, you want to place it out of the direct sun and stop watering for 8 to 12 weeks. I just moved mine to the back of the sunroom, out of direct light, but you can place it in a spare room, downstairs plant stand, or some like to put it in near complete darkness in a closet, or a cardboard box. In October, you want to bring it back out to the window ledge, a table by the window so that it gets some direct sunshine, or some place nice and bright. Repot into fresh potting soil, begin watering sparingly again until you see new growth coming on, the water once a week, as usual. It kind of thrives on neglect. The hardest part is remembering to bring it back out with fresh soil in October, during your busy garden clean up time. As it takes 8 to 12 weeks to bloom again, you need to get the timing right if you want blooms for Christmas. Those are three most throught about Christmas and yuletide flowers, but here are a few others... Cyclamen - Purchase healthy plants with lots of buds or blooms. Keep out of direct sunlight, in a coolish room. They do not like heat! Water from the bottom by having it sit in a saucer of water for 15 minutes, remove. Do not get water on leaves, remove spent blossoms and any signs of rotting or mouldy leaves, as they are very prone to fungal issues. Orchids - like a warm, bright location, but heartily dislike cold or warm drafts, so not near the heat vents. Do not have them sitting in water. Grows in a special bark medium. Azaleas - water well when in bloom but do not let sit in water, pinch off spent blooms. Alternatively, in my opinion, there is nothing lovelier during the holidays than some long stemmed roses in a pretty vase. Tulips are also often sold for the holidays, I try to get the red parrots, if I can, buy 3 to 5 bunches to make a nice, big, full display. Happy Holidays ~ Tanja

Here we are, it's the big day. Happy Christmas, friends! The Christmas tunes are playing today while the mister is working on the Christmas dinner. My job today is to set the table, sort out the bevie station, clean the floors before folks get here... all the other little bits. The sauna will stay on for most of the day, as folks start to trickle over for this evening's Christmas Eve celebrations. It all happens today, from the feasting to the gifting... and tomorrow we rest. The house is ready for the guests to arrive. The gifts are all wrapped and under the tree... Okay, it is a tiny pencil tree, so they're actually nestled all around the tree. This was a bit of a fluke, but check out how the velvet ribbons on the tree match the new blue velvet drapes in the living and dining room. So stoked, these velvet curtains! They have many years in the making. Many Europeans change out their curtains for Christmas .... This is my aunt's house, in northern Finland. I am not quite that dedicated to the holidays, but the home feels cosy and nice. This table will soon be extended to it's fullest, but will still be a bit of a squeeze to fit everyone in as we all gather round the table. The Christmas decor was kept simple everywhere. In this room, a poinsettia in an old crock, boughs from our spruce tree out back, and a little bit of JOY. Fresh roses (or tulips) are a must. Definitely for the holidays, but also any other time of year. Means more roses for drying later ; ) I feel like this year, everything has been so lovely, wonderful, and just right. Christmas gatherings, sharing of laughter with friends and neighbours, hubs at home to share in the pre-holiday celebrations. This has never happened before! I am looking forward to the good food and family tonight, the sauna, the faces of my sweet grandies, niblings, and kids, as they open their gifts. Tomorrow will be a day of leisure, of eating leftovers and Turtles chocolates, while reading a good book. On Boxing Day the tree and holidays are put away, and we start on a couple weeks of rest... or whatever. Things will be crazy around here by mid-January again so will be a good time to recoup our thoughts, and energies. During this quiet time before the craziness begins again, I'll be planning, prepping, working on my seed planning and orders, might do a bit of sewing, painting, and puttering. I'm also pondering doing a 4 month on-line course (still brewing on the idea). Wish it was a bit shorter timewise... On the blog, I'll be sharing my ideas for the new garden year of 2024... There is a pizza/bread oven in the plans (so excited), some new pollinator beds, a variegated hedgerow, the wee shop reveal (yay!) and the new workshops. Lots to come about gardens and growing, of course! I am so looking forward to this spring in the yard and garden already. Super excited that the workshop will be done, so we can start learning, growing, and doing! If you have any topics you'd like me to cover, let me know by email or in the comments below. You all know that I love everything about 'garden talk'! I'll also (finally) be sharing all the details of the kitchen and bathroom renovations (I know some of you have been asking and waiting for a long while already - so sorry!), the new seed and growing plans. We'll be back to gardening before we know it....and hey, the days are already about a minute longer already ; ) Thank you all so much for following, for your questions and comments, for sharing your ideas, gardens, successes, (some of your flops, too), and thoughts with me : ) Enjoy your holidays, chat with you again very soon. Wishing you all a very, very, very Merry Christmas ~ Tanja *Disclaimer. There may be Amazon links on this post. As an affiliate, if you were to purchase an item(s) from one of the links, I get a wee small amount of money to support my blog. It does not cost you any extra to purchase through my link than if you went to that item on your own.

One week from today is Christmas Eve! The big day! I can hardly wait! Am so excited to have everyone over. We celebrate on the eve, the 25th is a down time day, a do nothing day. It's a day to read that gifted new book, eat lots of (Turtles) chocolates, wear new loungewear all day long, eat leftovers, and just hang about. We sometimes go to the movies in the evening, but probably not this year as my son (the big movie guy) is not able to come home for the holidays. We are ready! We have guests coming tomorrow so I need to do a quick clean... while hubby does the cooking, hah! I then have the cleaners coming on Wednesday to do all the big stuff, the stuff that I cannot do, so then all I have to do is keep it sparkling till the big day. Check out this article with tips on how to clean your whole house for the holidays in 5 days. This is what we are serving the guests tomorrow... well, our version of it, plus a veggie tray for yours truly. This easy holiday cheese board would work great, too. Here are this week's Gardening Bits You know we (crazy?) gardener's are still reading about all things growing, that never stops. Here are this week's tips and reads that caught my eye.... First of all, I wanted to share this sale on heirloom tomato seeds from Tomato Fest. One of my most favourite tomato suppliers of all, they have a bit of everything. Sale on till January 2nd. How to get rid of those annoying fungus gnats! This gardenhouse/greenhouse is gorgeous, very inspirational. The wee workshop we are in the midst of building, will also be more of a garden house than a greenhouse... but this one is ott, in a really good way, is the stuff that dreams are made of! This house is retro and fun and beautiful. Those dark green wall tiles! Has such a cool vibe to it. The kitchen in this house is so pretty, and that mudroom makes my heart go pitter patter! This piggery turned guest cottage is amazing. Love the kitchen, the velvet sofa is to die for, the porch... well, it all is just absolutely lovely! However, one thing I can say for certain... I would not ever, ever, ever climb those stairs to the loft, haha! Wow, this laundry room! The mudroom is pretty awesome, too! What do you all think of shaker pegs? I have been trying to figure out where and how to incorporate them into this house since we moved in. So practical but I just don't seem to know where a practical place to put them is. Maybe if I move this clock, I can put a small beadboard wall with pegs there? Christmas Bits (tips and recipes) I would love to go visit Denmark and see these Christmas markets. What a lovely post this is. These super cute vintage Santa gift tags for your wrapping! This Christmas breakfast (or anytime) bake! If you missed this in yesterday's post, it is worth a read. Such a good gift idea from the local shops. You can adjust any which way to fit your price point, too. How to set up the perfect bar cart/table for your gatherings. I am using these tips on the 24th. Our living and dining room is just too tiny to do it all in there, so moving into the kitchen nook for the perfect bar/beverage set up. I also wanted to share these yuletide bevie ideas. All can be made into mocktails, too. We are doing mostly mocktails this year, a bit of virgin wines, plus a good red, or two. Holly Jolly Christmas Punch - easy holiday cocktail recipe! (inspiredbycharm.com) Non-Alcoholic Sangria for Christmas - easy and tasty recipe (inspiredbycharm.com) Whoville’s Spiced Up Christmas Margarita (with mocktail). - Half Baked Harvest WhoVille Christmas Punch (+ mocktail). - Half Baked Harvest There will be no Bits post next Sunday as we will be in full holiday mode. Not to fear, several posts coming out yet this year though! Happy Sunday & Happy Holdays ~ Tanja Ps. the spell check is still on the fritz! I try to catch any bloops but may have missed some. My apologies if you find some!

Happy Sunday and second Advent! My second candle, the candle of love/peace, has been lit, while we bake some Lucia buns (lussekatter) for the 13th. Hubby glazed ours with a bit of lemon glaze and we used cranberries instead of raisins. A nice glass of mulled wine is the only thing missing ; ) We started wrapping our gifts, got about halfway done last night and then petered out. We hope to finish up tonight (hubs and I wrap together, we have a routine that we've been doing for many years). My son and dil's stuff is packaged up and ready to go to the post office first thing tomorrow morning. Just need to add a few baked goods to the box and tape it up! How are you making out with your gift buying and wrapping? Did you stick to your budget? We thought we were done with the shopping and then noticed (as we were wrapping) that one stack was lesser than the others. No idea how that happened, but we are heading back to the shops again to pick up a couple more things. And then we are done! For real this time. And... for the record, we did not stick to the budget this year, haha. I think we are both excited this year, first year in the new house after the renovation, living close to family and friends Hubby has been home to help with everything this year so we are able to bake more, do more... is going to be such a lovely Christmas. Here are this week's great Gardening Bits. This one, about greenhouse gardening is very good. Here on the prairies, we are not growing oranges inside the greenhouse, unless it is attached to the house and more like a sunroom, but it give you lots of ideas for how to set up and use in all areas. Here on the prairies, use your greenhouse as a season to grow longer in fall and earlier in spring. How to control pests in your greenhouse is informative, also. Like that the author gives bee friendly ideas/options. I will just add that you should remove yellow sticky tapes when you start to open up your greenhouse in spring, to prevent bees, beneficial insects, and hummingbirds from getting stuck on them. Also, if you are going to spray with anything, including a simple soap spray, do it in the evening when bees are not active and close it up tight for the night. I like to rinse all the soap off the plants in the morning before I open up for the day. This (USA) interesting read about the 20 best seed companies. I start looking right after Christmas is over ; ) For my west coast readers, Charles Dowding's December blog post. Is interesting for the rest of us, too, as he gives the numbers on his no-dig versus dig garden beds. As a no-digger, I always like to read his blog for the tips, ideas, and the comparison results. This read about growing microgreens, from a Canadian grower! All these interesting read... Ice-Bred Plants and Cold Hardy Vegetables – Mother Earth News Winter Mulch for Vegetable Garden – Mother Earth News Amazing Cold Weather Greens to Grow – Mother Earth News The Ultimate Guide to Growing Delicious Swede at Home in the UK (1garden.com) Can you reuse potting soil? When should you not reuse it? See how this author makes hers go further and last longer. Growing yarrow. You guys... I love yarrow. The bees love yarrow, and so do butterflies. However, it can and does spread. You gotta stay on top of it. I literally pull it out, leaving just a smaller clump. This is also how I keep things like lemon balm and oregano in check. In spring, when you start seeing new growth, just start chopping (with a shovel) and pulling out the new growth at the sides to keep it at the size you like. Or, grow it in a pot. Here's how-to about yarrow. Well, this is just the greatest idea! How to make your own cut flower food. with normal, everyday ingredients that you have in the home. My helpful hint... I learned a couple of things when I worked for a florist, a great many moons ago. The first thing they do when they get their shipment of flowers in is to give them a good chop and pop them in fresh water with plant food, let them sit for anywhere from a few hours to overnight. Therefore, to keep my roses fresh for a good 10 or more days (or other flowers), when I bring them home from the local grocery store (yep, that is where I get mine from), I do the same tricks I learned from the florists. Fill your vase with fresh, cold tap water. Next, give the bottoms of the flowers a good chop, anywhere from a half to full inch off the ends, or more. If you want shorter stems, chop off more. The key is to give them that really good chop right away. Stick the flowers in the fresh water and let them sit for a while. Can be 20 minutes, can be several hours. Then get your actual flower vase ready with the flower food and fresh cold water. Cut the flower stems to your deisred length, cutting the ends on an angle to allow more surface for them to take in the water, pop them into the vase. They will last you a long, long time! Design Inspo Bits Still sharing kitchens with you all! Maybe you need inspo? Maybe you just want to look at pretty pics, like I do ; ) This blue one has amazing beams and I kinda like that granny chic backsplash, too! This other blue one is so pretty! Love the lights above the banquette seating, the slate floors!!! The wood and blue comination. So many lovely little details in this one. Check out the kitchen and laundry room in this lovely house! Diy Ideas Here is another tuturial on how to make giant paper snowflakes. I am obsessed with these super simple to make holiday decorations! Little wrapping paper snowflakes to put on your parcels! These are cute. Christmas gift wrapping ideas. These are super upscale looking, you all! You are going to loooove these ideas! America's top 10 most disliked holiday candies! Funny, my husband loves #9 and daughter loves #5! Here is a quick video on how to make a lovely double bow! So elegant and perfect! This super cute Vintage Seed Packet Flower Pot Wreath is too early to make now, you gotta pin it for spring! Or make it for your gardener friend for a great gift idea. It really is adorable! Recipe Inspo Bits Check out these recipes! They all sound yummy, if you are looking to add a few baked goods to your list yet? Hard Tack Candy - this looks so good, old-fashioned yummy treats. Butter Toffee! Salted Brown Butter Marshmallow Treats! Upscale rice krispi squares! Rugelach! World Peace Cookies. We made the chocolate chunk ginger crinkles from last week's Bits post... you guys, they are super yummy! They make a regular ginger cookie something special! My hubby loves them and he generally stays away from all things gingerbread! This Christmas tree charcuterie board! I really want to make this for our family Christmas but we tend to all eat way too much food as it is, lol, so not sure.... maybe for entertaining ahead of time? I want to do, just gotta figure out when. Need some last minute gift ideas? Here are some of my favourites! This lovely watch is on sale at nearly half price! It is a fitness tracker, blood pressure, and heart rate monitor, too. I love a good traker watch but it has to be pretty, too. This one is! This trio of wooden dishbrushes! Or this earth friendly pack of 6 brushes. I would love to get something like this : ) These vintage looking frayed ribbons are fabulous! I bought this pink combo, plus the dusty blue.... love them so much that I am ordering more! I need (hah) the green one now that I know how gorgeous they are in real life! Prefer velvet? I have this forest green velvet ribbon and absolutely love it! The silver is super pretty, too! This rose gold trio of velvet ribbons is similar to the gorgeous one used in the wrapping ideas link above. These will get here just in time for you to wrap up your last minute gifts. Or maybe you love the look of satin ribbons and bows? The green satin ribbon is my vibe this year, will get to you in just a few days. This bronze and gold satin ribbon trio is gorgeous, too. My son-in-law is big into cars and boats. Is always cleaning them, puttering with them. This cleaning putty is something that he would really like to get. Is a great stocking stuffer idea. Add these microfiber clothes, too. These back seat covers are super to keep the truck seats clean, hair free. Comes with two doggie seat belts. *Disclaimer - As an Amazon affiliate, if you purchase an item(s) from one of the Amazon links in the post, I get a wee small amount of money to help support my blog. It does not cost you any more to purchase through my link than if you went to that link on your own ~ happy shopping! Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Tanja

We have had quite the week over here, busy, busy, busy. My brother brought over my mom's hibiscus tree in October but we just got around to repotting it the other day. This tree is about 50 years old and is from a clipping of my grandmother's hibiscus tree. In other words, it has been in the family for a very long time. It is not one of the new fancy hybrids, is one of the original varieties, with single red flowers that are about 4 inches wide. Very pretty, but mostly the pressure is on to keep this 'family heirloom' thriving, hah! This is what she looks like now. She is standing straight and tall, has fresh new soil, and a good haircut. Looking forward to seeing her blooms again in the new year. This is what she looked like when he dropped it off.... yikes! There was little to no soil in the pot, it was all root ball. You can see the on the sides that there is like an inch of air space... no wonder the poor thing is leaning like the Tower of Pisa. I removed the dead branches, anything growing from the bottom part of the trunk, pruned the branches back, gave it as good a root prune as I could, and as much fresh new potting soil as we could fit in that pot. The root ball is so big that we absolutely need a bigger pot, but finding a nice one at this time of year is a challenge. We decided to do what we can for it right now and find something pretty in spring instead. GardeningBits Tis the season, so you are probably worrying about poinsettias and your pets. I remember Jim Hole (of Hole's Greenhouses) at one of our short informational meetings, telling us about eating many, many poinsettia leaves during the holiday season in order to show folks that they are, indeed, not toxic to people, or pets. These beautiful flower seeds are available as stocking stuffers from Floret Flower Farm right now. Winter gardens and 7 reasons not to clean up your garden in fall. I think most of us already leave things be, but I thought I would share for the pretty pictures, as well as the good read. Seed shopping with Lia Babitch and biodynamic growing/seeds. That conversation then led me to looking into what is biodynamic gardening? Homey Bits I am a huge fan of Mint Cleaning, as you probably already know! It is mild, smells fresh and clean, is eco-friendly, and best of all... is a Canadian small business. They have an amazing promo going on right now, check out their Instagram account for the giveaways! Plus, you are thoroughly going to enjoy their fun videos ; ) Check out that summer beach one! These 12 design features that the pros say homeowners are looking for now... Check out the list and see if you agree with any of them. For me, #4 is a must, though never in my kitchen. The kitchen is a busy enough place! We did #5 so I highly agree with that one. I will be posting more about all that after the holidays. Yes to #7. Am gutted that we do not have the room for it at this house. Everything happens in the kitchen, which is why #4 would never fly. Need a bigger house for that ; ) This is just about the most elegant, pretty kitchen I have ever seen, and that kitchen island/table is to die for. I would probably just live in this kitchen, never leave! Check out this bathroom with a sauna in it! Hidden doors and secret spaces.... what do you think of hidden rooms? Is it on your wish list? This pickled cabbage salad that keeps for about a week in your fridge. As you all know, I am a big fan of all sorts of quickles, love pickled foods, especially a vinegar coleslaw. I will be making this, for sure. These cranberry sweet rolls! Wow! You might have read that I made my own version of these buns, just because I already have a tried and true sweet roll recipe.... that does not need to sit for 6 hours ; ) Either recipe is great though, you gotta try them, they are so delish! And along the same theme, these cranberry orange breakfast rolls that you make the night before and pop in the oven for breakfast or brunch. Yum! Check out this herb and cheese focaccia bread! Christmassy Baking and Decor Bits... With Christmas Day just 21 days away, here are some more recipes, decor, and stuff... 24 really nice DIY decor ideas you can make for the holidays. This house tour with simple decor for the holidays is right up my alley. Check out the lovely ideas. I absolutely love all things starry for the holidays, especially these Moravian stars (and this super pretty porch). These stars work in a wintery scene, or a coastal one, just about anywhere. Simple, elegant yuletide decor : ) Here is a Moravian star being used indoors, in a Swedish home (from close to my old stomping grounds). So pretty. To buy your own Moravian star, or two, try this 18"star with a timer, or this 23" one! Or maybe this 12"one without a timer? You would not want to put these in a windy spot though, they are light and so would be tossed around. I have the perfect spot on my front stoop ; ) Disclaimer - As an Amazon affiliate, if you purchase an item(s) from one of the Amazon links in the post, I get a wee small amount of money to help support my blog. It does not cost you any more to purchase through my link than if you went to that link on your own ~ happy shopping! This gift wrapping idea. Love, love, love the ribbons. I am all about pretty ribbons this year ! Holiday Recipes... 26 of the best Christmas cookie recipes! I have saved a few of these to make for our holiday guests, like the salted caramel crumb bars, the cream horns, and the kitchen sink cookies. Apparently, I am on a big cranberry kick. Last week I made those cranberry buns, and now I have put these cranberry chocolate chunk cookies on my cookie list as a must bake. Gingerbread is also a holiday must, right? These chewy chocolate chunk gingerbread cookies are soft and chewy, look so yummy! Here is another gingerbread cookie recipe that looks so good - soft gingerbread latte cookies, that can be rolled and done as cutouts, or as drop cookies. Mmm! This hot apple cider recipe! You may have noticed over the years, that I usually say Happy Yuletide or Seasons Greetings... but you may be wondering.. What is yule? and the yule log? Whether the edible one, or the one for the fire... I like both ; ) Oh, and one last thing. I updated my homemade 'Cough and Cold Remedy' yesterday. With it being flu, cold, and Covid season, this anti-flu brew will boost your immune system, soothe your sore throat, and it tastes great, too. Happy Sunday ~ Tanja

Cough, cold, and flu season is once again upon us, so here is a recap of my all time favourite, organic, homemade cough and cold fighting syrup. It also works well as a preventative as it boosts your immunity. This yummy flu brew is my go-to remedy whenever the throat begins to tickle or the chest feels heavy. I make loads each winter to share with family and friends, plus give as gifts. It is super simple to make, tastes yummy, is completely organic. What you need to make your homemade Cough & Cold Remedy? Organic lemons - Homegrown or organic as you will be adding the peel, too. Ginger root - Just a small knob will do you! Honey - I am blessed to have a terrific local honey farm just a few minutes down the road. Support local, if you can. How-to make your own Cough & Cold Remedy... I use one half to one whole lemon per jar. Scrub the lemon well, and slice into thin wedges, quarters, slices, anything you like. I tend to use really thin half slices or thicker wedges that I quarter. Remove seeds and any tough, pithy bits. Peel the knob of ginger and slice into small discs. I like to slice the disks into slivers so that you are sure to get a bit in each cuppa. Use as much or as little as you like. I am not a huge fan of the taste of ginger so I use less, however, I have found that the zing nicely mellows as it sits, so if you are a fan, use more. Place a few layers of lemons into the washed and sterilised jars. Toss on a few pieces of ginger, and repeat till full. Cover with honey, letting it ooze into all the crevices. Let sit and settle for a few minutes and then top up with more honey, covering all the lemon and ginger slices. Refrigerate. The juices from the lemons will settle on top while it sits, so give a good stir before you scoop out a spoonful of goodness for your cup.... or dig through the layers and grab a bit of everything on your way. Add a spoonful to your cuppa tea or into a cup of hot water. It tastes terrific both ways! Why this works... Ginger helps to control and calm the symptoms that come with colds, flu's, upper respiratory tract infections, and bronchitis. It also helps to reduce muscle pain, and settle the tummy if one has nausea or vomiting. Lemon aids in controlling fever and chills as well as adding that much needed boost of vitamin C to soothe your sore throat. It has anti-septic properties and also gives one a boost when feeling fatigued. If taken before you get sick, it helps to build up your defence system and prevent flues, colds and inflammation. Honey has natural anti-septic and anti-bacterial properties so helps to boost immunity to fend off colds, coughs and flues, plus aides in the healing and soothing of symptoms if you do get sick. It is also a soothing cough suppressant. You will not be keeping these in the pantry so can use any pretty jars that you like. I found a set of 6 of these jars at my local dollar store. Good health, Good luck, & Happiness For Today and Every Day (An Irish Saying) Tanja

Here is another one of those recipes that I really loved so I took it, changed it about some, added my own twist to it... made it into a Nordic cranberry roll. Here is the original recipe for those who want to check the differences or make the original. Doesn't look a whole lot different than mine, except no icing on mine, I used pearl sugar instead. As soon as I saw this recipe for cranberry sweet rolls, I knew I had to try it. I make Finnish/Swedish sweet rolls all the time. They are a staple with anyone from the Nordic countries. Called 'pulla' in Finnish or 'bullar' in Swedish. I used my own 'pulla' dough recipe but made the cranberry jam filling from the original recipe. Make the 'jam' first so it has time to cool while you prepare the dough. 1.5 cup fresh cranberries ( I used frozen) 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup water 1 teaspoon orange zest A squeeze of orange juice (optional) Add ingredients into a saucepan and slowly cook down till it looks like jam, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. To make the Finnish Pulla dough for sweet rolls... 1.5 cups of warm milk or cream 1 egg 6 tbsp sugar 6 tablespoons melted butter 1.5 tsp salt 1 tbsp instant yeast 1 tsp cardamom seeds that you crush with a pestle (or ground cardamom) 3.5 to 4 cups of flour 1 egg plus a bit of milk for the egg wash (makes buns shiny) Pearl sugar, optional Warm the milk and butter in the microwave, or a small saucepan, till butter is melted. Do not overheat the milk. Place egg, sugar, butter, salt, and milk in a mixer bowl with a dough hook. Blend together. Keep the dough hook mixing, add 2 cups of flour with the instant yeast mixed in. Add crushed cardamom seeds, if using. Ground cardamom will work but does not give quite the same punch of flavour. Slowly add the remainder of the flour while the dough hook mixes the dough. Your dough is ready when it forms into a ball around the hook and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. Mix for a few more minutes. Cover with tea towel. Allow to rise for 30 to 40 minutes, till doubled in size. *If you are making this by hand, mix the ingredients in a bowl till the dough is no longer sticky. Place on a well floured table/counter and knead for 8 minutes, if you can. Hubs (the chef) says that the longer you knead your dough, the better it will be. To make the twisty buns... Roll the dough into a rectangle, approximately 12 inches by 18 inches. Spread out the jam onto the dough. Fold the rectangle in half so it is now 12 inches high by 9 inches wide. Slice the rectangle into long strips, about 3/4 inch wide, smaller for smaller buns. Take each end of the strip and start turning in opposite directions to give it that twisty look. Wrap the strip around itself to make a bun shape, tuck the end underneath the bun. As I forgot to take pictures while I made my buns, (obviously am not a food blogger, lol), here is a video of how to do it. She does hers a bit differently than I make mine, but the end look is similar. Alternately - You can also roll the jammy rectangle into a long roll and slice as you would with cinnamon buns. Will look amazing either way with the jam showing in the layers. Heat the oven to 375°F Place the buns on a greased cookie sheet (or parchment paper) with room to grow. Let the buns rise for 20 minutes. Whisk together one egg and a bit of milk (1/4 cup-ish) to make an egg wash. Brush this over the buns, sprinkle with pearl sugar. Bake for 15 minutes, or till golden brown. The original poster made a cream cheese icing but I just used the pearl sugar. Icing is just not something I grew up with so I rarely make it. He also mentioned glazing them with a wash of marmalade. I thought that was genius. I will make a peach jam glaze next time to try instead of the pearl sugar. Any which way you make these cranberry sweet rolls, you will love them. Make them your own! Use either dough recipe, or your own favourite, make them any shape you like, use any filling that you like. Cranberry is great for the yuletide season, but maybe peach in spring and plum in fall? The cranberry jam looks so festive swirled inside the buns, and they taste amazing. Was a thumb's up from my chef-y mister! Happy Baking ~Tanja

Happy Sunday and down time day. What a busy week it has been over here! I am so happy to have a day of hanging out at home, puttering with all the little things that were put off during the week. While we were out and about in Red Deer last week, we dropped in to Bo's Bar & Stage for lunch. It was our first time there and we loved it, will definitely go back again. I ordered this lovely vegetarian sandwich called 'Boygenius', made with a beet bruschetta! It was so good, you all! I have never thought to make a beet sandwich, but now, you betcha I am going to try making something similar at home... plus hit up Bo's whenever we're in town ; ) I considered making today a baking day but am just not in the mood. Decided to put that off for a couple more days, while I make up a list so that when I do bake, I knock a few things off the Christmas list, too. Bread is a weekly thing around here, as store bought contains too much sugar for hubs (not to mention preservatives that keep it 'fresh' on the counter for a week or more - yikes!). So, is a puttering day instead. Will start working on my advent wreath and do a bit of the crafting that has been put off for so very long. There are a bit fewer shares this week as it was Thanksgiving in the States and Black Friday shopping. That said, the shares I do have for you are very stunning and wonderful. Starting with these Gardening Bits... I remembered a few more favourite gardening things after I wrote the list the other day, hah! Isn't that always the way, eh? Here are two of the items that I forgot... Those bulb auger bits that I told you about at garlic planting time are on Cyber Monday sale. Get BOTH the long and the short bits together, at a great price! I promise that any gardener will love this gift idea. Also, this greenhouse min/max thermometer is the one I have in my greenhouse to keep an eye on things (especially in spring when the fluctuations are big). It was recommended to me by a friend gardener on the island. It is not on sale but it is not pricey. *Disclaimer - As an Amazon affiliate, if you purchase an item(s) from one of the Amazon links in the post, I get a wee small amount of money to help support my blog. It does not cost you any more to purchase through my link than if you went to that link on your own. T&T Seeds has a Black Friday sale on through Monday, so you can still take advantage of the 25% off seeds. some of my favourites on sale this weekend are the Howden pumpkins, Candy onions, Deep Cylinder beets, Mammoth basil, and Strawberry Blonde sunflower. They also have carrots, cauli, brussels, and tomatoes on sale. How to mulch your vegetables with straw next summer for the best results. This was a good read. I have my bale ready for the potatoes! For those of you who love to look at pretty gardens and greenhouses, check out Carola at gronkullagard. These ideas for enjoying your yard in winter. If you want to see more of this lovely greenhouse, you can find that here. For the gardeners of your gift list, these great book recommendations - this list for the backyard gardener, and these ideas for the homesteader in your life. Baking and Homey Bits These kitchen before and afters. Wow! This lovely basement reno. I made this spelt bread the other day to see what we think. Hubs is fairly newly diabetic so we play around with trying new recipes, to find ones he likes that don't make his numbers spike. This week, we tried this spelt bread. We did not have a white and whole spelt flour so just made it with the whole flour (add just a titch more salt). It is dense but nice, like a rye bread but without the rye flavour, if that makes any sense. I like it, but then again, I like rye breads and dense breads much more than whites, so I will make this again. If you like dense breads, you will like this one. Christmas Bits Check out this Christmas tree in a beautiful greenhouse! So pretty! The tree is lovely, but the greenhouse is amazing. Has me second guessing my light choices though! I purchased very simple lights for inside the wee workshop but now thinking maybe I should have gone with some bling. What do you think? Do you love this, or is it OTT? 115 DIY Christmas gifts for the everyone on your list. whew, that is a lot of ideas. I have pinned a few. That plant stand is super cute! This cute little diy gift bags are beautiful! I wonder if I can figure out how to do the transfer paper and all that? These paper bag stars! I love these. Will be making some this afternoon : ) These 2 air dry clay diys - This chain of stars and these cute ornaments. Those stars and clay diys would work really well in this 'How to have a Scandinavian Christmas' look. My wee shop (mökki/cottage) got power yesterday! We now have light, and heat! The exterior is almost done as much as can be done today, the painting and little bits will have to wait till spring. Hubs is going to start on the interior now... and hopefully get it done by March-ish for workshops! My daughter (@wildheartartanddesign) is going to make the sign across the front for me... so those lights have something to shine down upon ; ) Happy Sunday! Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend ~ Tanja

Happy Friday! Here are a few of my favourite gardening things, some ideas for that gardener on your list. These recommendations are things that I have, things I use regularly and highly recommend, plus a few items that I really would like to have. This one is pricey and sadly is not on a Black Friday sale, but I thought I would share with you all just in case it is something you have always wanted, as I did. This chipper/shredder is a good one! I know it is super hard to find a smaller one that works in the everyday garden, does a good job, is worth the money. This is that chipper. It really works, so well! We use it on all smaller tree and shrub branches, corn stalks, sunflower stalks, and even garden debris (after it has sat and dried a while). All Renee's Garden Seeds are on sale at 20% off till Monday. Great time to pick up your seeds for spring, and for gifting. My favourites? Flowers - The zinnias! The sweet peas! Signet marigolds, all the sunflowers but the Birds & Bees is my favourite. Oh, and the larkspur! Love the blues. Veggies - All the cucumbers, especially the Chelsea Prize. The purple cauliflower, King Midas and Starica carrots, the Italian scallions, Chianti Rose and Black Krim tomatoes. These Tools These wooden garden tools! I try to always buy wood or metal everything. This set has not only the basics, but also a few extras that I would love to have, like the dibber for planting seedlings and bulbs! That weeding trowel! And the cultivator. I love this set. Mini pruners! I love the minis! I have several, and use them all the time! I rarely use the bigger ones as these ones do the bits of deadheading, easy clean, and they fit in your jacket pocket, or apron. Or these minis. Or these ones from Fiskars - always a reliable brand. Disclaimer - As an Amazon affiliate, if you purchase an item(s) from one of the Amazon links in the post, I get a wee small amount of money to help support my blog. It does not cost you any more to purchase through my link than if you went to that link on your own ~ happy shopping! This wagon is on sale! This is one of my most used things in the garden. Top 3, for sure. It comes in several colours, not just the red one that I have here. Grey, black, yellow, green, and blue, too! I love the blue one. You need this wagon in your life! It has the big tires so goes smoothly over everything, is big and sturdy, fits several grandies, or flower pots ; ) A garden spading fork is a must! I have about 6 of them! They are great for turning soil (if you are into that kind of thing), digging up potatoes, turning compost, digging up plants, dividing perennials, mixing soils and compost together... I never use a shovel, just one of these spading forks for everything! I like this one a lot, easy to find in the garden. This one is shiny and beautiful, is on black Friday pricing, this one is all metal so might not break as fast as the other ones I have. This box of 600 coloured tags is on sale at an amazing price! Tags are 4 inches tall. I go through so many of these! You can also remove the ink with nail polish to use again. If you grow a lot of seedlings, these are for you. If you don't, buy them at this great price and never have to buy more again! These soil blockers! No more plastic seed trays. I have these and love them! On sale Black Friday sale! Or, if you prefer seeding trays, I bought these last year and really like them. Seedling heating mats are a necessity when starting seeds. I always say that you can get by without lights but not without bottom heat. This is a two pack for a great price. You should be able to start as many seedlings as you want with 2 mats! I LOVE my compost tumbler so much! It has 2 chambers so you fill one first and then add your compostables to the other side while the first side breaks down the compost. You will have compost from both sides in one summer! I am going to be adding another one for next summer to make even more of my own compost. Here is another one that is also on sale and looks very similar. This tumbler has just one chamber, very heavy duty! Looks super good! Last is this coldframe. I use it inside the greenhouse in late winter and early spring, then move it out to a part shade area outside to harden off seedlings before putting them in the ground. Great for flowers or your tomatoes! This one here is a bit cheaper but requires more bending, hah, in case bending is not an issue ; ) I hope you enjoyed this read about gifts for gardeners, my most favourite gardening things, things that I use all the time. May these ideas help you find that perfect gift for the gardener on your list! Happy Browsing ~ Tanja

I'm going to share as many fun ideas with you as I can over the rest of this week and the weekend, while the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals are on. Starting with these ideas... This would be a gift to yourself, probably not something you are giving as a gift, but I had to share when I saw that these fantastic machine washable rugs are on at an amazing price right now, during the Black Friday sale! Hide spills, dirt, and messes from kids, guests, and dogs! If you missed out on the how I keep my house clean with big dogs post, these rugs that are affordable and can be thrown into the washing machine weekly, if need be, are tops on my list. Love these. Get them before the guests arrive. Disclaimer-As an Amazon affiliate, if you purchase an item(s) from one of the links in the post, I get a wee small amount of money to help support my blog. It does not cost you any more to purchase through my link than if you went to that link on your own ~ happy shopping! I really love this 5x7 rug in orange and blue, the colour is homey and warm, plus will hide the dirt and juice spills well (always my main goal!). I purchased this one. Love the warm hues and it's ability to hide messes. I already had it in my basket, pulled the trigger as soon as I saw the new sale price! I bought it in a 5'x7' but it comes in other sizes and colours. Maybe you want a pink one for the princess room? Also on sale in the 4'x6' and 3'x5' sizes. Check out the amazing Black Friday prices. Wrapping Ideas - I love, love, love to make 'care package' type gifts for the family. A bunch of small homey gifts given in some kind of a 'vessel'. This is my most favourite thing to do. It puts joy in this humbug yuletide heart of mine, hah! So, rather than a cardboard box or a gift bag, I buy something usable to hold the smaller parcels, like maybe a box, a pretty basket, a dough bowl, a nice tote bag for groceries or the beach. Something that can be used again, is part of the gift, but also practical. This 4 pack of foldable fabric storage bins is perfect for gifting. Maybe for a new mom for those baby toys or clothes, a crafter to store supplies, or for anyone with a home office to hide away the small bits and bobs. My son is very tidy, likes things just so. These are perfect for packing his gifts into. This Weekender Bag 3 piece set. Comes in many colours for men or women. I liked this pink one, but the leopard print is super cute, too. Great for the traveller on your list. Fill with passport holder and this gorgeous crossbody bag/purse that works for safe travels, hiking, sports, walking, shopping. This square basket comes in several colours, is perfect for gifting in, and then used afterwards for throws, magazines, dog toys... This deep tool box is one that my guys would use, and it would be fun to fill with all sorts of things, from cookies and throws (this plaid one is pretty and cosy) to actual tools. This fleece plaid throw is so gorgeous! Reusable totes like this jute one in the picture, or this one, or maybe beach bags, and grocery bags are my favourites. The lovely vintage looking one in the picture with the roses above, is mine. I love it! Fill them up with pajamas, chocolates, a favourite bottle of wine, a restaurant gift card, or a handmade coffee mug from a local artisan/etsy, plus a coffee card. Check out these cute Van Gogh tote bags are terrific, too. Very affordable, buy one or two as they are great for groceries and whatnot afterwards, too. 28 bag designs to choose from! Ideas that I like to give as gifts. We usually give one special thing from our kids 'gift list, and then fill up the bag/bin/box with all sorts of fun things that we think they can use. My kids love to get pajamas, like these pretty pink plaid Pajamas, or these long sleeved cotton pj's, this men's flannel pj set. Slippers are a big favourite, easy to slip into the parcel and always appreciated. Finding good slippers is hard! These are some of my favourites, all on sale right now. Love these ones! And they have rubber bottoms so you can walk outside with them a bit, to sweep the snow off the deck, or whatever. and these ones! or get them without backs on them, if you prefer slip-on's. Wrap up the gifts and pile them all into the bag or bin - I like to pick out a holiday colour scheme to wrap things in. While I don't make over the entire room in a new colour, I change up the little things. The paper and ribbon colours change, maybe just a few new baubles for the tree, or ribbons, bows, garland, table runner and/or napkins. The little things that tie it all together in small ways. This year, I will add bows made with pretty velvet ribbon in my colour scheme of dark green and blue, with a hint of blush. I was able to pick up the wrapping papers locally. I like to use two that match a bit, go nicely together under the tree. Then add nice ribbons, or butcher's twine. Keeping it simple. I use butcher's twine a lot, for all sorts of things throughout the year, but especially during the holiday season. This year I am using greens and blues, so I like this combo and this multi-pack. I use them for hanging the gift tags, of course, but also wrapped around the gift This green velvet ribbon is perfect, but I also love, love, love this set of 4 sheer chiffon blush ribbons. This vintage fringed ribbon is not on a Black Friday sale but I absolutely love it so wanted to share. There are a several other colour combos but this one makes my heart go pitter patter. But this roll of 1"wide satin ribbon in rose gold or silver is on sale a great deal, and so very pretty! Come in other colours, too. This wired 1/5 inch wide ribbon is perfect for making bows! You guys already know that I am making my own tags with these great letter stamps! Add that vintage, homemade feel to my gifting. My neighbours loved their stamped gift tags at the last coffee klatch. Use them with these vintage looking gift tags! Or, this set of red tags is super cute! These kraft paper self adhesive gift tags mean no strings or tape needed. I hope this post gives you some lovely ideas for wrapping and gifting, taking advantage of the Black Friday deals! Tomorrow is the gardener's gift list : ) Happy shopping and gifting! ~ Tanja

This is a good Sunday Bits post! Jam packed with baking ideas, festive ideas, and best of all, all sorts of gardening reads. Our weather is fantastic, sunny and warm, and dry! Oh so dry. My task this afternoon is to go water in this year's new trees and shrubs, the seed bed, and the garlic. Luckily, we are well into the plus degrees so no problem to hook up the hose and give everything a drink. Here are this weeks' reads.... Happy Sunday! Gardening Bits Stems Seeds has some of their flower seeds available right now, in case you want to give some to that gardener friend on your holiday gift list. Or perhaps pick them up now for yourself so you are ready to start in January, when the holidays are in the rearview mirror? Also, Tomato Fest has some of their heirloom seeds on sale right now. Sale goes on till January 2nd. I have bought from TF for many years, they have great service, very personalised, the largest heirloom tomato selection, and great seeds. Creative ways to use your leaves. If you still have leaves to deal with (I sure do!), here are many great ways to use them. I have fed my raspberries and garlic beds, and made a pile to use in my compost bin next spring, the ones on the front lawn get to stay there, we definitely never waste them. Check out some of these really great ideas, like the tomato idea! Starting a new bed next year? The time to get it ready is now, if you can still get in your yard to get it ready. Read all about sheet mulching here... no more digging out grass! I thought this garden trial was very interesting. They buried different food scraps by their tomatoes to see if they would help produce more fruits. I think you may be surprised by the results. Winter gardening tips and ideas for all the zones! I loved the coldframe in the greenhouse idea for here in my zone 3. For the zone 7, the watering in winter tip was very important! I used to keep my potted bay tree and apricot in the hoophouse, along with any other tender plants, plus my bed of winter veggies. They would all get so dry, especially during those sunny winter days. As the water was turned off in winter, I lugged many watering cans of water into that hoophouse once a month, or so. Honey mushrooms! They may well be a delicacy, but mean a certain death for the tree or shrub they show up at the base of. Check out the above picture of a shrub in my Cedar yard. It was alive, healthy, flowering, so pretty all summer long, but died the following summer. The honey mushroom spreads (albeit, slowly) underground from tree to tree, shrub to shrub. It does not affect flowers or grass, just woody plants. This is very grave concern on Vancouver Island, is very destructive and has no cure. I had a semi-circular area out front (of the acreage) where I had planted a row of shrubs all along the curving pathway to the house. Thought it would make a lovely border planting to have something in bloom from spring through fall, plus provide some shade and privacy. One by one, these shrubs all died. It did not happen all in one year, happened over a span of 4 years as it takes a while for the mushrooms to spread underground. I turned this area into an alternative, flowering, eco-lawn for the pollinators instead. Still pretty, just different. Bees love Beebalm, and I do, too! Here is a how-to for growing it from seed. Also, how to grow Anise Hyssop (and what to do with it). I had a blue/purple one in my potager, but I sure did love this lovely pink one I found! It's favourite with the bees and hummers. This read about calcium in soil. It made me think to mention that if you are watering correctly but end up with BER each summer, you may want to check your ph. If your soil is acidic, it makes it harder for the tomatoes to take up the calcium from the soil. Dolomitic lime with calcium can be added right now so that it has time to make a difference in your garden in time for next summer. Maybe just try in a small area? This is absolutely not a thing here on the prairies, where our soil is clay and more on the alkaline side, but may be pertinent to your potager if you live on the west coast. Homey Bits Okay, I have posted a lot of kitchens over the past year, but this one, well, this one has to be in the top 3, for sure. So pretty and functional. Love those open shelves, too. I know most people don't love open shelving, but when used for the containers, I think is such a smart idea. Gets them off the counter tops (where mine reside). Or, imagine them with pretty cannisters of tea all lined up in a row, eh? Something like JusTea., they have the loveliest cannisters! Make your own vintage Christmas cards. I do this each year. I print off freebie vintage cards and use them as gift tags, place cards, and cards to send friends and family. Also, these free printable gift tags! I have already printed off a bunch of them : ) This list of Christmas tree decorating ideas even has a Humbug like me oohing and ahing. Loving trend #6, especially in velvet. Tbh, anything in velvet makes me happy, though. This lovely coffee bar idea is written for Thanksgiving but I think it would be perfect for Christmas, as well. When you have those guests over for the holidays. I am so envious of everyone who has a coffee bar! I would have to do some more renos to make space for one... and I am not ready for that quite yet ; ) Make these paper bag snowflakes! Recipes This cranberry orange cake is beautiful! I think this is one that I have to make. Unlike the baker of this cake, who hates baking but loves cooking, I am exactly the opposite. I dislike cooking, only make things that are fast and easy, but I love to bake! The unfortunate part of that is that I love to eat my baking, too ; ) Speaking of baking... if you do not follow me on social media, you have not heard about those ciabatta buns that I posted the recipe for last Sunday. I made them, and you guys, they are the best, the most delicious, yummiest, chewy outside, airy inside, as good as bakery bought! I am ridiculously proud of my perfect ciabatta buns! Here is The recipe again, it is super simple to follow, has very few steps. The only drawback is that they take about 18 hours to make! You make the starter, the biga, the night before, and let it bubble away for 12 hours. I made mine just before I went to bed, it took less than 2 minutes to put together. The next day, you put the ingredients together and let it rise 3 times! At an hour or more each. So, you gotta plant to be at home that day, or at least all morning. They are so worth the time. Host a wreath making party! Here are the things you want to think about. You need to hold one! They are so much fun! I used to hold wreath making workshops at my wee greenhouse biz. We always had such a blast, and it was so neat to see how very different each wreath was though made at the same time, with the same supplies. I will be holding a few of these next year in the new wee workshop. Btw, the metal wreath frames can be so hard to come by, pricey at Michael's, so just in case, here is a link for 2 of the frames we used at the ngg. Hoping you all have the opportunity to spend the afternoon with friends... making wreaths, baking cookies, crafting cards or snowflakes, or maybe some other yuletide goods. Happy Sunday ~Tanja As an Amazon affiliate, if you purchase an item(s) from one of the links in the post, I get a wee small amount of money to help support my blog. It does not cost you any more to purchase through my link than if you went to the link on your own ~ happy shopping : )