The candles in the window picture is a sign of remembrance in the Finnish culture. We light a candle to remember and honour loved ones who have passed. Tomorrow is my dad’s heavenly birthday, so is on my mind today. I will be lighting a candle in the hurricane lantern outside, or indoors by the window, depending on the weather. A simple way to remember him on his birthday.
We went to the loveliest neighbourhood Christmas party last night. Met up with old friends and new, sipped my ’19 Crimes’ cabernet sauvignon wine, laughed a whole lot!
Those casual parties are the very best of all, eh?
What I found interesting though, was that it was 95% appies and savoury finger foods. I am sure there must have been something sweet on the (groaning) table, but I cannot remember seeing one cookie, one square, or dessert of any kind. Is it just me that finds this unique? It was all superbly delish, btw ; )
Our weather has been up and down. Yesterday was a high of minus 15, which is brr enough, but add in the cold wind and it was downright frigid. These prairie winters are not for the feint of heart (and I am a wimp, I must say). Today, however, is lovely, so we might go out to the farm to help install snow fencing… or I might stay home and clean house while the ‘boys’ deal with that ; )
Oh, check out the fencing idea at the very bottom of the post. What do you think? Kind of brilliant, eh?
On to the Sunday bits…
This week, I have so many great recipes for your holiday entertaining, plus some affordable stocking stuffer ideas. I am always looking for some fun, inexpensive ideas to add to their main gift.
Gardening Bits of Inspo…
Night Pollinators: How to Design a Garden that Helps Moths
This video from a Great Dixter gardener tells you how you can create a similar wildlife and eco-friendly garden in your city yard. Loved this video and all the great tips.
Seven Steps to Making a Woodland Garden – gosh, I sure liked this read. Wish I had a larger property.
Trying to decide on a colour scheme for your garden next summer? Get inspiration from Arianne’s Urban Garden in Minnesota.
holiday flowers with history, with matt mattus – Growing flowers in vodka water… and other fun tips.
Holiday Ideas
I have been seeing on TikTok that gift budgets really vary from $100 all the way up to $2000 per person. I definitely fall to the lower part of that scale and kind of love the idea of the 5 Gift Rule – something to wear, something to read, something they want, something they need, and something special.
Wherever you fit on that scale, I hope you like some of these stocking stuffer ideas.
- my scandinavian home: A Little Cosy Scandinavian Christmas Inspiration
- Poinsettia Care: How Do You Take Care Of Poinsettias
- How to Upgrade a Basic Christmas Wreath
From Renee’s Garden Seeds – is having a sale on their seeds and garden tools, books, etc.
I love this blend of zinnias called Berry Tart. It’s on sale for $2.88 a package!
Gift ideas for the gardener from this great Canadian seed company. For more gardener gifts, see December In The Potager Garden.
Stocking Stuffer Ideas Under $10
From Etsy… I thought this would be a fantastic gift for your hard to buy for, pet crazy adult kids (can you tell that I have someone in mind?)
I do not know this artist, there are plenty to choose from on Etsy, but I thought a pet and people portrait would be such an amazingly fun gift to get.
Stocking Stuffer Ideas Under $25
We have these spatulas/flippers and I really like them, would never go back to a regular flipper!
Stocking Stuffer Ideas Under $50
Last of all, I wanted to share this little label maker with you.
It will label your spice jars, your pantry, make garden labels… but best of all, it also will write on ribbon! Put happy birthday, congratulations, or their name on the ribbon. Anything at all.
And, it is under $40 for the Niimbot N1 label maker.
*Disclaimer. As an Amazon affiliate, if you were to purchase any items from one of these links, I earn a wee small commission to support my blog. Rest assured, it does not cost you any extra to purchase through my link than if you went to that item on your own
Holiday Foodie Bits….
Perfect for holiday get-togethers.
- Homemade Almond Roca (Easy Recipe) – I just made these! They are amazing!
- Almond Biscotti – She Loves Biscotti – my favourite biscotti! I also made these.
- Finnish Gingerbread Cookies
- Jam tarts recipe – it doesn’t get any easier than these tarts!
- Cranberry Orange Scone Recipe
- Easy Vanilla Bean Christmas Lights Cookies
- 30+ cookie recipes (so many great ideas here, if you are looking for inspiration)
- Spicy Ranch Pistachios
Bevie Ideas….
I adore the shape and colours of these wine glasses. Great for mocktails and mimosas, too.
They also come in one colour sets. That rose gold would be stunning for New Year’s Eve.
Non-Holiday Related Food Tips & Ideas
The Benefits of Cashews and the Best Ways To Eat Them – I am not a fan of the nut itself, but as a veggie, I often soak them and make sauces.
I make the easiest, most insanely good marinara sauce that has no tomatoes in it. For those of us with arthritis or immune diseases that cause inflammation, this sauce is perfect.
- Soak 1.5 cups of cashews overnight (or at least 4 hours)
- Peel and chop 5 large carrots. Boil for 10 minutes, or till soft.
- Puree the carrots and cashews together.
- Add whatever spices you like – I add a bit of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder.
From Martha…. Why You Should Refrigerate Cookie Dough
This photo from Panama shows the ‘fencing’ that you see everywhere along the highways and roadways. They grow these fast growing trees close together, stripping the lower parts of branches as they grow. They then string barbed wire, or regular wire along the trees to keep their animals off the road, keep wildlife safely off the roads. Some had let their trees grow quite tall while others trimmed the tops down every few years.
I just love this idea. Maybe you can use it on your property?
The Marigold Potager - A Zone 3 Prairie Garden 
Leave a comment