I hope everyone has a WONDERFUL DAY!!!

Open lots of gifts, eat lots of food and enjoy lots of good times..make memories!

Oh oh..PS:
Check out the new 'LOOK-A-LIKE" at the bottom of the page!! You'll love it.
See ya next time......down on the farm!

Sage

Well if you've kept up...

With the main blog "Sagewood Farm" then you know we've been kinda busy around here..specially with a NEW BABY!! Woohoo! Daughter gave birth on Dec 17th to an almost 9lb baby girl and we are thrilled. It's made for a busy month, what with traveling and new births and Christmas..and well you get the drift.

In the meantime..here's a little idea for all those lovely holiday smells we love to smell but can never get to stay around long.

I have one little pot..a small saucepan really that I use for this ONLY. You can use a regular saucepan that you always use..but I need every pot and pan I have to prepare big holiday meals..so go thrifting or yardsale'ing it and find a small saucepan for this purpose only.

Everyone has oranges or tangerines or even grapefruit for the Christmas season it seems. I'm sure if you look in your spice cabinet you'll find cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Any one or maybe all of the above right? RIGHT!

So take your little saucepan and peel that orange (or whatever citrus fruit you have on hand). Toss the peels in the saucepan and now run to the spice cabinet. I prefer to use cinnamon and nutmeg, but you pick the two or three that you like best and add 1 teaspoon of each one to the peels. Now fill the little saucepan 1/2 way with water. Stick this concoction on the back burner of your stove ..preferably the one your oven 'vents' on. (if you have a fireplace insert, you can sit it on top of that too!)
Turn on the burner and bring the mixture to a simmer...add more water if you need to to keep it at 1/2 full. Once it begins to simmer, turn it down to low and let it sit there..all day. Check it often and refill with water as it evaporates.

Your house will smell FABULOUS all day long! Turn it off at night of course and remember to add water the next day and start over again! You can keep this running for about 3 or 4 days before you'll need to 'refresh' it with all new stuff and start over again!

Every time I do this people walk in and ask me "What are you bakin' it smells wonderful!" ..little do they know! LOL

Now..you can always opt to do the 'new fangled' way of making your house smell by using scented candles and such..but hey, why not try and old fashioned 'air freshener' once in a while.

Things you can add to this or do differently to 'spice' it up and make it different are:
Apple peels
Pumpkin pie spice
cinnamon sticks
whole cloves
bay leaves
Vanilla flavoring (or any flavoring..orange, peppermint even maple!)

The possibilities are limitless ..and only curtailed by your imagination, so let it run wild and create your own 'house scent' designed for the season your in!

A Christmas Cake...

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe for everyone or taken any pictures of the things I've made...so shoot me. :)

I have been busy with traveling to NY and then came home to the birth of a new Grandbaby (a girl) within a week or so. In between that I've been scrambling for Christmas gifts, getting interviewed for a job (that I've waited and hoped for for almost a year) and just the general every day stuff. HOWEVER..all that said I do have a cake recipe for you to try this Christmas season.
It's fattening, decadent and totally delish!

Ready for it? Here ya go..

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

3 sticks of butter, softened
1 pkg (8 oz.) Cream cheese, softened
3 Cups Sugar
6 eggs
3 Cups flour (self rising)
2 teaspoons vanilla

Line the bottom of a tube pan with wax paper and coat lightly with butter. (I use a brush) Heat oven to 300 degrees.
Cream butter and cream cheese together. Add sugar and beat till light. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Begin adding flour 1/2 a cup at a time, beating after each addition till all 3 cups are incorporated.
Bake on center rack of oven 1 1/2 hours.
Cool and remove from pan.

Additions you can do:
1. Sprinkle the top with sifted powdered sugar, serve.

2. Heat up to 2 Cups of strawberry jam, adding 1/2 C. (or more if needed) apple juice to make a hot sauce. Sever over cake slices.

3. Melt 2 bars of your favorite chocolate, add 1/2 C. heavy cream, drizzle on top of slices.

Or do it like I do..and just EAT IT like it is! YUM!!!

ENJOY!!

Well..she has arrived!

Announcing the arrival of Grandbaby #3.... Lillian Ayla.
She was born Dec 17, 2009 at 10:04 pm and weighed 8 pounds and 13 oz. Check out her page here : Lillians Page ..,.,She's a little chunk of a thing and definitely has little cherub cheeks!

See ya next time......down on the farm!

Sage

Here we are....

Just a few short days away from 'the big day'...are you ready??

Don't even ask if I'm ready..cuz *I* won't like the answer!!
All I can say is, I've got my decorations up. That's good isn't it?? Shopping?? what shopping? HA!

With 9 days left, I guess I better get something started huh? NAH!! Christmas will come and go whether I'm ready or not!
I will say I'm baking cookies today. Yep, that's my contribution..cookies.

We are all on pins and needles waiting for the newest addition to the family to arrive. She's due on Christmas day so it won't be long now!

Your newest weekly fail is at the bottom of the page. Since I'm an original Virginia girl, I couldn't resist this one. Hope you enjoy!

See ya next time......down on the farm!

Sage

Well, it's the beginning

Of another wonderful wintery week! (spell check says 'wintery' is wrong..it's wintry, but Dictionary.com says it's either..so there!)

As promised, your new 'FAIL' is at the bottom of the page. Mind you, I had read this before, but when I found it and read it again, I just about pee'd my pants from laughing so hard. So do yourself a favor, start your week with a smile and a giggle or two and go read it! Just scroll down you'll see it!

Christmas is just around the corner..are you ready? I'm no where near it! It's funny how that goes ..you have a WHOLE YEAR, you know it's coming it happens at the same time every year, but it seems to sneak up on you every time!..why is that I wonder?
I must get better organized for next year! (I say that every year!)
Now, for the good and the bad...

Good news to share..I've got a job interview on Tuesday..I'm pretty excited about that. I've waited a year for this one! I've got my fingers crossed! (cross yours too!)

Bad news: Sam, the black cat that we have has disappeared. He's been gone for several weeks now so I'm pretty sure he's not coming back. Not that I believe someone has him, but maybe one of the wild creatures (to include logging trucks and hunters!) we have out here got him or something to that effect. We'll keep our eyes out of course, but it's been an awfully long time already.

Have a festive and productive week!

See ya next time......down on the farm!

Sage

As you can see

There have been no posts for two weeks! WOW! But if you've read the main Sagewood Farm page, then you know I've been on a Thanksgiving vacation of sorts. All the way to upstate NY!

I missed the snow (dang it) but I did get to celebrate my granddaughter Ciannons first birthday!

Now that the vacation is over, I guess that means..back to the more normal routine. Although, I'm hoping that a job I applied for comes through, which means my entire routine will change! I do hope I get the job however. Keep your fingers crossed!

SO here it is, Thursday morning (really EARLY by the way..can't sleep) and we've missed several 'One thing Mondays'..but that's ok..never was written in stone!

I'll be off to visit the girlchild and hubby along with Squishy tomorrow then back to 'decorating'! It usually takes me two or three days to get it all done. So tell me, share with me..how much do you do?, how long does it take you to get it done? and when do you start? Do you like classic simple decorations? or are you an out and out blinger? Do you do a lot or a little? Tell me your Christmas decorating scheme..share!!

I've always been a late decorator. I'm afraid I'll get sick of it if it's up too long. It usually takes me 2 or 3 days to get it all up and 'fixed' the way I want it. (Heck..who am I kidding..sometimes I rearrange it till the day I start taking it down!) I love the old fashioned simple look. Greenery on the shelves and around the candles. A bowl of 'stuff' like balls and pine cones for the table (maybe even a studded orange or two) old fashioned looking stockings hung in various places about the house and heck, I even have a lighted village that I put out (one that is missing lots of pieces cuz I haven't painted them yet..sad ain't I?)

I've got much to do before the holiday is upon us. More gifts to make and all of them to wrap of course. Dinner to plan and almost all the decorating to finish! WHEW..a lot to do huh?

Guess I'll get busy with that after I get home tomorrow.
So..get busy, decorate, it's the season!!

I'm BACK!!

That's scary isn't it?

After driving from here (SC) to VA, two days in VA, then driving to upstate NY, 3 days in NY then driving back to VA, one day in VA, and finally driving home (SC) ..whew! That's a lot of driving, let me tellya!
As you can see I've updated the page to reflect the 'season'..hope you like it.
AHH YES...Something new has been added. As promised I will be featuring a 'FAIL' pic each week, so scroll to the bottom of the page to see a great one!
Now it's time to get out all the decorations and begin the process! I'll have most of my family with me for Christmas so this is exciting!! I've got to decorate, plan dinner still do some crafting and shopping..lots to do, must get busy!

See ya next time......down on the farm!

Sage