This year, our winter holiday celebrations were quiet, subdued and simple. We had hoped to spend Thanksgiving in Michigan, as it has been two years since we have visited our friends and family there. However, things did not work out and we spent it at home. We enjoyed a semi-traditional mostly homegrown feast.
Mashed potatoes, glazed sweet potatoes, squash, roasted vegetables, garlicy greens, fresh spinach and mixed green salad all organic and grown at home. (the turnips were a gift from a neighbor)
As a vegetarian family, we obviously don't eat turkey. Instead of purchasing a Tofurky this year, i made my own version. This tasty meal was created with tofu, wheat gluten, vegetable broth and seasonings. It's stuffed with wild rice and glazed with orange juice and tamari. i loosely used this recipe from Vegan Dad i always cut the recipe in half, leave out the smoke flavor and add way more seasoning than suggested. It's really good, and makes great leftovers. Sage enjoyed the 'Giving Thanks' part so much, that at almost every meal now...she asks to do the 'thank you's'. Such a sweetie.
Sadly, our 10 year family dog, Sampson, was killed on Thanksgiving day and that sort of set the mood for the rest of the holiday season. We went through all the motions, but something was definitely missing. We made gingerbread, decorated cookies, dug and decorated our usual holiday tree. We had been hoping to spend part of the holidays in Florida with family, but again were unable to make the trip. We were snowed in, and spent a quiet holiday with just the four of us.
Mashed potatoes, glazed sweet potatoes, squash, roasted vegetables, garlicy greens, fresh spinach and mixed green salad all organic and grown at home. (the turnips were a gift from a neighbor)
As a vegetarian family, we obviously don't eat turkey. Instead of purchasing a Tofurky this year, i made my own version. This tasty meal was created with tofu, wheat gluten, vegetable broth and seasonings. It's stuffed with wild rice and glazed with orange juice and tamari. i loosely used this recipe from Vegan Dad i always cut the recipe in half, leave out the smoke flavor and add way more seasoning than suggested. It's really good, and makes great leftovers. Sage enjoyed the 'Giving Thanks' part so much, that at almost every meal now...she asks to do the 'thank you's'. Such a sweetie.
Sadly, our 10 year family dog, Sampson, was killed on Thanksgiving day and that sort of set the mood for the rest of the holiday season. We went through all the motions, but something was definitely missing. We made gingerbread, decorated cookies, dug and decorated our usual holiday tree. We had been hoping to spend part of the holidays in Florida with family, but again were unable to make the trip. We were snowed in, and spent a quiet holiday with just the four of us.
Twas the night before Yule, when all through house...not a creature was stirring, not even a...
....goat.
This was my Yule surprise. His name is Casper and he's 6 months old. We all adore him.
Sage was thrilled to find these hello kitty socks in her stockings.
She immediately fell in love with this beautiful Melissa and Doug dollhouse. This amazing gift from 'Santa' was made possible by Gummy Lump toys. i came across a link for a contest they were having, and entered...not really thinking about it again.
i never in a million years thought i would win. i was completely floored when i read the email saying i had won. This was such an amazing blessing, as with so many people, money was especially tight this year.
The doll house came fully furnished and to add to my amazing luck, i came across this set of wooden dolls, still in the box at the thrift store for $1 . It is so much fun watching Sage set up the house and see how she has the dolls interact with each other.
i never in a million years thought i would win. i was completely floored when i read the email saying i had won. This was such an amazing blessing, as with so many people, money was especially tight this year.
The doll house came fully furnished and to add to my amazing luck, i came across this set of wooden dolls, still in the box at the thrift store for $1 . It is so much fun watching Sage set up the house and see how she has the dolls interact with each other.
Both kids were also very blessed with handmade gifts and toys. You can see more about them on my craft blog. The end of the year, the holidays, it always comes too quickly for me. i never have all the gifts finished, never get all the cards mailed out on time. Regardless, this year was nice. For the simplicity, and for the surprises. Although the season started off rough, it ended nicely and once again we were able to feel the magic.
1 comment:
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