One of my sons gave me a gift certificate from Williams-Sonoma for Christmas, so I’m having fun doing a little shopping.

This is one of the favorite things I ordered. It’s called a ‘pancake pen,’ which is a a very good description of how it works. I made the usual round pancakes, but I bet you could write out names or make simple designs with it. What child wouldn’t want to eat a pancake made in the shape of their name? Fun!

You might like to know that my Oatmeal-Buttermilk Pancakes recipe fits perfectly into the pancake pen.

Washing the laundry is what a woman does that nobody notices unless she hasn’t done it.  -Aunt Middle Mary, in Mrs. Dunwoody’s Excellent Instructions for Homekeeping

The arrival of November works an internal switching of my gears to holiday mode. I love the sights, sounds, tastes and scents of the holidays. You know what that means, don’t you? The annual posting of my favorite holiday scent. It’s fresh, it’s spicy and citrusy. Put ‘er on the back burner and let it fill your home with deliciousness.

Christmas Scent

1 fresh lemon
1 fresh orange
3 three inch cinnamon sticks
6 bay leaves
1/4-1/2 cup whole cloves
2 quarts water

Slice the lemon and orange into 4-6 pieces. Place in saucepan (I suggest using one that you won’t be using for other things) along with cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and cloves. Pour in the 2 quarts of water, and bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer all day, adding water as needed. This mixture will last for days if you refrigerate it between uses. Just add more water and reheat.

This is also a wonderful, inexpensive hostess gift. Put the lemon, orange, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and cloves in the middle of a square sheet of clear or holiday-themed cellophane. Gather the paper into a pretty bunch, and tie with raffia or ribbon. Add a tag with instructions for use.

Ironing gratifies the senses. The transformation of wrinkled, shapeless cloth into the smooth and gleaming folds of a familiar garment pleases the eye. The good scent of ironing is the most comfortable smell in the world. And the fingertips enjoy the changes in the fabrics from cold to warm, wet to dry, and rough to silky. There is nothing like keeping the hands busy with some familiar work to free the mind. You can learn Italian while you iron, as a friend of mine did, or you can simply think. -Cheryl Mendelson in Home Comforts: The Art & Science of Keeping House

I never gave it much thought, but perhaps this is why I rather enjoy ironing, especially flatwork, like napkins and pillowcases. Do you like to iron, or do you avoid it as much as possible?

Just so you know, Home Comforts was published in 1999.

This iSi cream whipper is one of my favorite kitchen tools. I first saw one  in a home kitchen twenty years ago when a friend pulled one out of her fridge and I watched as she assembled a gorgeous strawberry shortcake, making sumptuous swirls of cream. Very impressive! So one fine day a few months later, I happily walked into a kitchen supply store and bought one of my very own. The beauty of the whipper is that it keeps cream fresh for a couple of weeks in your fridge. Cool, eh? The whipper uses N2O (nitrous oxide) chargers to do the whipping, with only a few shakes when you use it. Just fill with heavy cream, sweetener, and flavoring; you’re good to go. No yucky preservatives, just pure ingredients. And no wasted leftover whipped cream that turns watery in your fridge. Use the whipper to make your dessert and then….ta da! swirl leftovers on top of your morning coffee. Nice.

“It breathes reassurance, it offers consolation; after a weary day it promotes sociability…There is nothing like a bowl of hot soup, it’s wisp of aromatic steam teasing the nostrils into quivering anticipation.”  -Louis P. DeGouy, The Soup Book

Our counseling guests left the lodge today. I’m so amused by this picture—it isn’t a self-portrait of Harry and me, but it could be.

Or actually, from the looks of things, a third chance. I was perusing Craigslist and ran across this baby:

She’s $35.00 worth of orange vinyl potential. A real beauty, isn’t she? I love the petite shape of the frame and the carved wood, so I thought it would be fun to fix her up. I’ve already released her from the vinyl and a mishmash of padding underneath. Now for a cleaning, tightening up the joints, gentle sanding and new coat of stain. Then comes the really fun part. I don’t know exactly what fabric I’ll choose yet, but I guarantee you it won’t be vinyl! It’s been a lot of years since I’ve reupholstered anything, but this is a very manageable project and it’s nice to have something like this to work on again. I know it will take a while to complete the reupholstering since I have to sandwich it in with other work, but bit by bit I’ll get it gone and show you how she turns out.