Dragon's Orchid Garden

From Blogger Pictures Things have been a bit hectic of late, what with baking and knitting and putting up the holiday bling.  I haven't had time to check in here.  I will have a new bookmark design up after the holiday.  In the meantime, here are pictures of what we've been doing around the homestead. From Blogger Pictures From Blogger Pictures I found these beautiful little boxes at Pier1 .  They're a perfect size for a gently rolled up bookmark. From knitting This fun dish or wash cloth is from KrisKnits . From knitting I baked six loaves of Zucchini Bread and six loaves of Cranberry Orange Nut Bread as well as dozens of Pistachio Pecan Cookies  this weekend.  The breads are from Beard On Bread  by James Beard.  They are delicious and make the house smell fantastic.

I'm an atheist.  I have a Christmas tree and lights on my house, or at least I will once I finish decorating the tree and can convince my dearest husband that it's not too cold to go out and put up the lights.  It's Florida.  It's not that cold, honey.  You'd perish in New England.  I love Christmas (except for all the TV ads and a lot of the sappy music).  To those Christians who think their holiday has been hijacked, I say "pfffttt".  No one is stopping you from celebrating in your own way.  Try to be more tolerant of others.  'Tis the season. I celebrate this holiday because I love hearing from family and friends this time of year.  I love it because I love presents.  I love getting them and I love giving them.  I love getting paid time off from work.  I love to bake and the way zucchini bread makes the house smell wonderful.  Most of all, I love this song.