Winter holiday

Solstice came and went, Christmas came and went, and Yuletide is drawing to a close. I'm excited to report that since I decided to not give everyone I know a plate of baked goods, my holiday work load decreased dramatically. I made pizzelles to sell at our co-op's winter market and I made another batch last night because they are so good, but that's about it. Instead of handmaking ornaments for my aunt's family, I spent $20 and made a gift basket of organic snack foods, which I know they will enjoy more anyway.



I made a duck, which I stuffed with mushrooms, cherries, apple, and onion, and then sprinkled with poultry seasoning. The pan I roasted it in was bowed a bit, and so some of the fat burned in the corner and smoked horribly. Other than that, a success!

Our winter market at the co-op went wonderfully. Linda Mickley made wonderful butter, the day before I bought it, from nothing but cream (probably raw) and salt. Nothing else. Christmas morning I made french toast and enjoyed it with some of Linda's applebutter, which is possibly the best tasting thing in the entire world.

I found an e-mail in my spam folder today (oops) from someone at gardeneggs.com asking me if my co-op sold chicks, and if we might be able to put a chicken tractor on display and take orders for them. I think it's a great idea! I'd love to see as many people as possible be able to keep chickens at home, and group ordering of assembled, portable hen houses is a great way to facilitate that.



I had given up on making jewelry a few weeks ago, which was obviously the best strategy. I have gotten so many orders by word-of-mouth and made a few surprising Etsy sales, and so I decided to start making an effort again. If I don't, I soon will have nothing else to sell!

Today I discovered this amazing new website, called soopsee.com. You can create your own page for free, and it links multiple Etsy pages and blogs. There's a few basic themes, and it's yet another great way to get more exposure. I'm really pleased with my soopsee page. Of course, I just ordered new business cards, and it would be nice to have my new web address on those cards.