SEVEN!

All seven of our seedlings have sprouted! We’ll have an ORCHARD! In about fifteen years. Assuming I don’t kill any of ’em. :) I’d just decided that last one wasn’t gonna come up and that I’d probably have to toss it at the new year. But then it popped up. I think those seeds are psychic. :) Anyway, pretty nifty, although I’m going to have to find a deeper box for them, because the tallest ones are brushing the plastic wrap now. I thought it would take MUCH LONGER for…

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Kitsnacks: Russian Tea Cakes

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES (traditional Kenai Russian ladies’ recipe) 1 c softened (not melted) butter 1/2 c sifted powdered sugar 1 tsp vanilla 2 1/2 c flour 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 c finely chopped walnuts Allow the butter to soften to room temperature–do not melt. Sift the powdered sugar & measure. Stir them together using a spoon–do not use a mixer. Stir in the vanilla. Sift and measure the flour, then re-sift with the salt. Stir in the chopped walnuts. Stir the flour mix into the butter mix. The resulting dough…

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Happy Birthday of the Unconquered Sun!

I got up this morning and lit a candle for the Ember Days, because defying the gods of a fictional world is just how I roll. And also it was certainly long before sunrise, so I’ve done my part in showing the sun the way back today (although I think tonight may actually be the Longest Night. Close enough.). Happy Birthday of the Unconquered Sun, everybody. :) I tell you what, poor Indy is so wrecked that I’m about ready to wrap all the presents and declare it Christmas. He…

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look, i wrote a book

I have, a year late and after half a dozen false starts and tens of thousands of words thrown away, finally finished the 3rd book in the quartet I’m writing for my nephew. It is, I am pretty confident, utter shit, but Christ, at least it’s finished. That’s…three, I think. Books I’ve written this year. STONE’S THROE, which will be out–soon! January, maybe, for Kickstarter backers? March or April for everybody else? BEWITCHING BENEDICT, the Regency we’re shopping around, and now SKYMASTER. Also I have written pretty nearly half of…

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christmas tins

I made vanilla fudge, chocolate fudge, German nut tarts, Russian tea cakes, toffee, coconut joys and shortbread cookies for this year’s Christmas tins. Then I went to get the tins, and concluded I might have a Christmas Tin Problem problem: Seriously, I love buying Christmas tins. I’m always like YES MUST HAVE MORE! But to my considerable surprise, I filled all but four, and of those four, the train, although cool, isn’t appropriate for unwrapped treats. So I’ve been going around like the Christmas Fairy, handing out tins of goodies…

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