trimming and baking

The Christmas tree has been sitting nude in the living room since Sunday. Shameful! To maintain a little modesty in its bay window perch, we kept the shades drawn. But tonight, we opened the shades for the world to see!

My favorite ornaments are the chimney sweep and the crochet snowflakes from my grandmother. The chimney sweep goes up near the top of the tree and always gets a little light in his hands. The snowflakes are all unique, just like real snow flakes. Amazing works of art!









Keeping with the holiday theme, I baked tonight.

Two dozen big, soft ginger snaps. A favorite in our house!



And, vegan chocolate chocolate chip cupcakes. Some of the key ingredients in the recipe were oat flour (organic!), cocoa (fair trade!), applesauce (local, organic!), and chocolate chips (organic!). I'm planning to take these to the DC Namaste yoga/knitting meet-up on Saturday. Since this is my first go at this recipe, I made a baker's dozen and let the mister try one. He approves! I hope my fellow yogis/knitters enjoy them too! They were pretty quick to make, and I'm thinking these might be a great addition to our Christmas dinner spread. (Oh, and I used my lovely monogrammed apron , a souvenir from Firenze, to control the mess. I am such a messy cook!)