Saying Goodbye to Hudson Valley Winter!

Winter is coming to an end

Underneath a hardened snow bank, running along the front of my house, is the garden bed that last summer was full of vibrant colorful flowers, attracting bees, butterflies, Cicadas, and hummingbirds. I am ready for spring, and long for summer.

I am not a fan of winter, and this one has been particularly brutal. The last snowstorm dumped over one foot of new snow over an existing six inches of snow, already on the ground. My poor husband spent time on the roof breaking icicles, cracking ice out of the gutters, and pushing snow down to the ground, which created the snow banks that surround the house.

Our house has made winter more tolerable. On frigid nights, and cold weekend afternoons, we usually light a fire in the fireplace, and lounge on the cozy couch, wearing warm slippers, and drinking tea.

While sitting at our kitchen table for meals, we can look out of the window at the snow covered backyard that seems to go on forever. We watch the deer, hawks, and the variety of birds that nibble seeds and suet. We can measure how much of the snow has melted by how much more of the wooden picnic table becomes visible. 

Today, the temperature was in the 50’s, and more snow melted. Tomorrow is predicted a heavy rain storm, and behind the storm, the temperatures will plummet back into the 20’s. I can tolerate the final blasts of winter, because the days are longer now.

It will probably take another month or more for all of the snow to melt away. Once spring arrives, forsythia, tulips, and daffodils will bloom, and the colors of yellow and red will surround the house.

Once the snow bank in the front of the house melts, and the dirt in the garden bed is warm and soft, I will plant the same variety of vibrant colored zinnias that grew there last summer. The roses will bloom again, and I will add more flowers. The hummingbird feeders will be hung once again. The blueberry bushes outside of our kitchen window will bear their fruit, and the dogwood trees and lilac bushes will bloom. I will plant the vegetable and herb garden that I am planning.

I know that spring is just around the corner.

Jenny - Reclaimed Design

Groundhog Day Inspiration

Groundhog Day is one of those holidays that you don't really think about until it arrives.  Then you see on the news that night that Punxsutawney Phil did or did not see his shadow that day and you chuckle because you KNOW winter is going to last 6 weeks more.  Hello, it's only February in the northeast!  We'll be lucky if the snow is gone by April.

Punxsutawney Phil in 2005 courtesy of Wikipedia.org

To celebrate Groundhog Day this year, let's look at some charming items from the beloved Hudson Valley Etsy Team that may warm you through the rest of Winter and encourage dreams of the spring to come.

My Blood Type is Coffee Scrabble Pendant Charm by Tarry Tiles on Etsy

Rococo Hand Knit Shawl by ElenaRosenberg on Etsy

Handspun Merino Worsted Weight Singles Yarn in Desert Rose by theKnitChix on Etsy

Snowgazer Plaid Winter Coat by meerwiibli on Etsy

Felted Wool Vase Cover Cozy with Ruffles by HuzzahHandmade on Etsy

Print of Original Blue Bird Art Collage Acrylic Painting by digiliodesigns on Etsy

Art Nouveau Marriage Certificate by RichHoursArt on Etsy

Keeping Warm with the Hudson Valley Etsy Team

Feeling the Cold?

Here are some woolly ways you can warm yourself up, from head to toe! 

Snowgazer Plaid Coat by Meerwiibli

Slipper Booties from MollysPurl

Keep your Ace Noggin warm!

Knitting fingers won't be cold with hand dyed yarn from Spinning Mule Fibers!

Rococo Knit Shawl by Elena Rosenberg

Fingerless glove pattern by Atelier TPK

Golden slouch hat from the knit chix

Boot topper cuffs from Huzzah Handmade

Hand knit emerald green scarf from Stone and Fiber

Jody

www.astudiobythesea.etsy.com

Holiday Baking with Kids

Blue Snow Cookie Trees

When I baked with my kids, both of them had an egg allergy.  Since you don't want your children eating raw eggs when they taste the dough (how can they resist?) it's safer to use a shortbread recipe for making cut-out cookies.  

Cut-Out Shortbread Cookies

2 cups unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

4 7/8 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

Simplest Frosting

Confectioners sugar

Milk

Equipment

Mixer

Rolling pin

Tree cookie cutters

Wilton blue sugar nonpareils/sprinkles

Food coloring

Tiny spoons

Mix butter & sugar on medium speed.  Mix salt into flour, add to butter & sugar until fully blended. Dough maybe a little crumbly but push together by hand.  Take out a 5" ball to work with at a time.  Flour a flat, clean surface.  With rolling pin roll out dough to 1/4" thick layer.  Cut with tree cookie cutters and place on baking tray.  Bake for approximately 14 minutes in middle of 325 degree oven or until edges are lightly brown.  Cool.

Wilton Sprinkles can be found at your local Michael's

I never felt that taking out the cake decorating set, with nozzles and everything else was going to be anything but an exercise in frustration for my smalls, so instead we would mix a very little milk, like two teaspoons, with a cup or more of confectioners sugar, and then add the food coloring of their choice.  It should be quite thick, not runny at all.  We would then spoon the sugar frosting on top of each cookie, spreading it in place with the back of the spoon.  Then they would add sprinkles of all sorts on top.  Then my daughter thought of dribbling a second color of frosting onto the cookie while the first layer was still wet.  She liked to make plaid Christmas cookies.  From her novel method came the idea for these pretty blue trees.

Simple and Elegant

 Mix up a bowl of white and a bowl of sky blue frosting.  Frost with the blue layer and then, before the frosting dries and sets, dribble from the tip of the spoon a zig zag of white frosting.  It may take a little practice at getting the timing and flow right. Put blue nonpareils along the white zig zag.  Let dry.  Frosting will become hard in about an hour, and then put cookies in a plastic container.

Mug from Cerulean Blue, cards from My Zoetrope and KBatty, plate from Megan Hart Porcelain 

 After all that work, it's time to relax with a little hot chocolate.  Happy Holidays, everyone!


Jody Lee

www.astudiobythesea.etsy.com