True Colors Thursday - Pine Green

Today is true colors Thursday and we're still in the Christmas mode! If you want to play along, let our hostess Blue know!
Today's color is pine green!

Father Christmas that lives year round in our downstairs hallway is holding a pine green Christmas tree!This carved Santa is holding a pine green tree. This pine green tree is inside the jelly cupboard that dad made for mom years ago! She uses the cupboard as her Christmas cupboard!
This is the mini-pine green tree in our dining room. That is the very first Airedale spoon that mom ever carved. The chip carved ornament above the spoon was carved by master carver, Craig Farrow. He's mom and dad's very good friend. And the Airedale sliding on the sled is one of Carol Ushers works of art!Next week's color is white - snow white!

Happy New Year to all of our friends!
Love ya lots,

Maggie and Mitch

Wheelie Wednesday - Pannettone

Hi everyone! It's me, Autumn!
Mom and I are baking Pannettone bread in our bread machine today!
We made one last week and it was so yummy that mom and dad ate it all and dad has requested that mom and I please make another one.

The recipe calls for 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons of milk but mom has eggnog in the house and she thought that it might add a nice flavor. And seeing as the eggnog is richer than milk, we decided to do 1/2 cup of eggnog and 1/2 cup of water + 2 Tablespoons of water.
Mom is afraid that straight eggnog might be too heavy for a yeast bread? We shall see!
This is the candied fruitcake mix getting added in!And we're adding crushed anise seed and some anise extract because we like the flavor.
Here is the recipe in case anyone else would like to make it:

Mix in the order given~

Into the bread pan place 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons milk
Add 1 egg
Add 3 Tablespoons of butter, sliced into smaller pieces
Add 3 cups of unbleached flour
Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar
Add 1 teaspoon of salt
Add 1 cup of candied fruitcake mix
Add 3/4 teaspoons of anise seed and 1/4 teaspoon of anise extract
Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of bread yeast over the top.

We're all set to close the lid and push the start button!
In 3 hours and 30 minutes we'll be popping a nice hot loaf of bread out of the bread pan but in the meantime, get ready for delicious smells to be happening in our kitchen!

Here is the finished loaf! It's ready to eat for breakfast tomorrow! Dad will be so pleased! I guess the eggnog wasn't too heavy! The bread has height!

This is a Christmas card that mom's friend, Elaine sent to us. Isn't it just adorable!
See you all next Wednesday!

Love, Autumn

Gingerbread Airedales

We're kinda late in posting this but before Christmas, mom and I did a lot of cookie baking and I was the best kitchen helper! Mom mixed up gingerbread cookie batter and I needed to make sure that all of the spices were just right!
Lots of people make gingerbread men for their Christmas cookie platter but not our mom! She wanted to make gingerbread Airedales - lots of them!
These are actually not dog cookies. They're cookies for the hoomans with all of the sugar and molasses and spices but they're still Airedale cookies so we just have to have one of these!I'll bite his head and you get his butt, Mitch!
OMG, you just swooped right in and snagged that right out of my mouth, Mitch! You're a most evil boy!That's okay! There are a lot more on that plate and if I do a high-five I bet mom will share one with me!We'll have to make gingerbread Airedales a tradition every Christmas, mom!

So until next time.................

Love ya lots,

Maggie and Mitch

Christmas Pressies

We had a wonderful Christmas yesterday! Our sissy and her husband, Jim, spent the day with us and ate with us and we all watched a movie together. We were all phat and happy!

Look what Santa brought us!
It's a treat machine like the one Sunshade and Jaffa have only mom says that we're not as smart as Sunshade is because we didn't master this treat machine in record time like she did!
Jim spent quite awhile doing the paw thing with us and mom has spent lots of time with us too but we're still not there!

I'm trying to figure out how to get the food out of there with less effort than hitting the bone lever with my paw!

Do you think if we stare at the treat machine long enough the food will just fall out, Maggie? Help me stare it down, okay?
Mom says practice makes perfect so we'll be practicing and hopefully one day soon we can tell you that we're both masters of the treat machine!

We also both got new antler chews for Christmas!
We both love these things and we gnaw on them for hours without getting bored! Mom loves them because they don't make a mess and they don't smell!
One of the gifts that Missy and Jim gave us was Christmas Henrietta! She's a chicken in combat boots and some pretty sassy undies! She makes the funniest noise and every time one of us grabs her and races through the house, mom and dad both break into gales of laughter! Check out Henrietta clucking away! It sounds like she's crying for help, doesn't it?!



We got a couple more gifts that we'll have to show you next time............

Love ya lots,

Maggie and Mitch

Christmas Cookies

Mom and I were making Christmas cookies yesterday morning!
See the ones in the back?
They're called Peanut Blossoms!
They're a peanut butter cookie with a hershey kiss center!They look yummy, don't they?
I asked mom if I could please have one and guess what her response was?

She grabbed my beard and kissed my nose and told me that her kiss was much safer and sweeter for me!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Love ya lots,

Maggie and Mitch

True Colors Thursday - Christmas Eve

It's a special true colors Thursday today! It's Christmas eve!
If you want to play along, let our hostess Blue know!Today's colors are our choice - whatever we wanted to choose and seeing as it's Christmas eve we choose red and green together!

About a month ago, the bergenia plant in our garden was red and green together!Our neighbors, Heather and Chris gave these pretzels with chocolate and M&M's on them and mom won't share! Geez, mom! Our names are written all over them! NOT FAIRE!This teddy is wearing a red and green sweater!The mini Christmas stockings that mom has been knitting are red and green together!
Mitch's moose from Jeter, Toby and Ginger is red and green together! Yes, he's still in one piece surprisingly!
This is our Christmas wreath that's next to our back door!We didn't participate in the DWB card exchange this year but we have gotten so many wonderful snail mail cards and ecards from so many of you! Thank you so very much! We appreciate it more than we can tell you! You guys are the BEST!
Have a Merry Christmas and we hope that Santa is good to all of you!

Love ya lots,

Maggie and Mitch

Wheelie Wednesday - The Forever Sock Project

Hi everyone! It's me, Autumn!
Mom has been working on this pair of socks FOREVER!
She FINALLY got one done~
And she's been truly wishing that hoomans didn't have two feet!
This second sock is just not getting anywhere! It's almost like she purposely avoids knitting it!She's was knitting mini-Christmas stockings and now, of course, it's the Airedale quilting bee's block for the 2010 rescue quilt, which by the way is almost done, but unfortunately because it's a top secret project, we can't show the finished block to you and you probably won't be able to see mom's block and all of the other blocks until summer! It's a long process but trust me, it'll be well worth the wait!

Today mom made Date Nut Bars for our Christmas cookie platter!
Here's the recipe in case some of you would like to have it:

In a large saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter. Add 1 cup of brown sugar. Add 2 eggs, mixing these ingredients well. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts. Keep mixing the ingredients in this saucepan as you add each one. Now add 1/2 cup of flour and 1/4 teaspoon baking powder. And lastly, add 10 ounces of chopped dates.

Pour this into a greased 9 inch pan and bake at 325 degrees for approx 40 minutes!
When the date nut bars have cooled. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar and cut into bars.
I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy and safe new year!
See you all in 2010!

Love, Autumn

Albert

Our weatherman named our first snowstorm of the year Albert! It's how they keep track of how many snowstorms we get this winter!
Saturday, we waited FOREVER for the snow to start and naturally, it stared when it was time for us to go to bed!
That's okay! The next morning we were raring to go out and play in it!
You will not believe this but mom says that every single picture that she took was just horrible so she trashed them all and gave up on picture taking on Sunday!
But Monday was a great day! The sun was out and the temps were a wee bit warmer and all of the snow was still in place!
Dad estimates that we got about a foot of snow. It was hard to tell because it's been so windy and it blows and drifts and there are places, like where I am sitting right now, where there is none and there are other spots when the snow is up to my belly! ewwwwwww, it's cold! HAHA
We love it! Mitch and I LOVE the snow!Come on, Maggie! Let's play!
That's Jonathan, our garden horsie that stays outside all year because he's too heavy for mom to lift! The snow has covered his eyes and he can't see!
Why is he eating a pencil? YUK!Those are sure big footprints! Do you think we can walk on the ice too, mom?
Maybe I should go for a swim with Dauby! She looks pretty happy and content so the water must be nice and warm!
We hear there's another storm coming - possibly on Christmas day! Oh boy! We can't wait!

So until next time................

Love ya lots,

Maggie and Mitch

Twenty-two Christmas Questions

We found this meme at Blue's blog on Saturday and it's definitely a "mom" meme!
Mom had fun playing in between batches of cookies! Maybe you can too!

(1) What is your favorite Christmas movie?
A Christmas Story with Ralphie and Randy!(2) What is your LEAST favorite Christmas movie?
I don't really have a least favorite.
(3) What is your favorite Christmas Song?
Feliz Navidad!
(4) What Christmas song(s) drives you crazy?
Blue Christmas by Elvis!
(5) What is your favorite Christmas drink?
Eggnog!
(6) What is your favorite Christmas memory?
Sledding with dad and my brothers!
(7) What is the best toy/gift you've received on Christmas?
WoolieDales!
(8) What is the worst toy/gift you've received on Christmas?
Soap!
(9) What do you LOVE about the holidays?
The Christmas lights!
(10) What annoys you about the holidays?
Rude shoppers!
(11) Do you prefer star or angel on top of a Christmas tree? Or something else?
I don't really have a particular topper - just an ornament near the top and it changes from year to year!
Family room tree:Airedale tree in the kitchen:
(12) What is your family favorite recipe at Christmas?
Nonna's fruitcake!
(13) Are you a Grinch or a Who at Christmastime?
I'm not a Grinch. What's a Who?
(14) Christmas light displays - Love them or Hate them?
Love the lights - both white and colored but I hate the LED lights. They're too white and impersonal.
(15) Santas at the mall - Fun times or Creepy?
My daughter visited with Santa in the malls for years. I never did that as a kid!

(16) Christmas cards - do you send them, yes or no?
We do send out cards and we love receiving them! Our list got cut in half this year though.

(17) What is the best thing about Christmas, in your opinion?
Giving gifts to others and making them happy!
(18) What is the worst thing about Christmas?
Again - the rude crowds!
(19) When do you put the tree up and take it down?
I try very hard to wait until after Halloween till it goes up! LOL shhhhhhhhhh
The family room tree comes down usually the second week in January and the Airedale tree sometimes makes it until the end of January!
(20) Out of the 12 days of Christmas, which day and item would you want your truelove to give to you?
Five golden rings sounds very nice!
(21) What is your favorite smell at Christmastime?
The balsam greens!
(22) What would make you happy at Christmas this year?
Being with my husband and my sweet furbutts and my daughter and her hubby! It sounds wonderful to me!

That was fun! If anyone else has time in between cookie recipes, you might want to give it a whirl!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Maggie and Mitch's mom, Sue

Another Early Christmas Pressie

Our Christmas pressie from Lilly, Piper, Carrleigh and Java arrived yesterday!
We are part of Jazzi's Christmas package exchange!

TREATS!
YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Hey, Mitch! Give me some help here, will ya?! I want anther one or two or three!An adorable Scottie bag and a cute Scottie tag!
What's inside, mom?
It's a checkbook cover with Mitch's eyes on one side and my eyes on the other side! Mom and dad have been fighting over who's going to keep it!
What a great gift, guys!
OMG, they sent us keepsake photo ornaments!
Hey, that's me poking my head out dad's workshop door!
I got one too, Maggie! How special is this?!
And I got one too! I'm in my summer hat! Thank you so very much! You guys are way too kind! I never expected a gift!This is the best Christmas pressie ever, guys! Thank you so very much! You've made our Christmas so much more meaningful! We will have these gifts for years and years to come - well, except for the treats! Let's get back to opening up that package Mitch!
Our thanks to Jazzi also for hosting this awesome Christmas pressie exchange!

Guess what? Snow is predicted to fall at our house today and tomorrow! We're watching for that first flake to fall!

So until next time............

Love ya lots,

Maggie and Mitch