A "Sunny" Christmas

Hi blog readers; This entry is late, but I had to post it this is my Sunny, what a happy Boy he is at Christmas..!!! Hope this works??

Hugs

B.

My Silly Sunny Loves Christmas !!!! Watching him is a treat!!!

A Very Merry Christmas to All...

Silence in the woods today,
A cool crisp breeze blows the fall leaves away.

A sparkle in the the sky I see,
Then another floating right by me.
Tis the first snow of the year you see,
That leaves these woods a glow.

So the fairy's of the Fairy Knowel
can awake to fresh fallen snow.

BeeCharmer
Nov 2006

Yule-Tide cake

How to Make a Yule Log

Begin by wrapping the log loosely with the ribbon. Leave enough space that you can insert your branches, cuttings and feathers under the ribbon. In our house, we place five feathers on our Yule log – one for each member of the family. Once you’ve gotten your branches and cuttings in place, begin gluing on the pine cones, cinnamon sticks and berries. Add as much or as little as you like. Remember to keep the hot glue gun away from small children.
Once you’ve decorated your Yule log, the question arises of what to do with it. For starters, use it as a centerpiece for your holiday table. A Yule log looks lovely on a table surrounded by candles and holiday greenery.
Another way to use your Yule log is to burn it as our ancestors did so many centuries ago. In our family, before we burn our log we each write down a wish on a piece of paper, and then insert it into the ribbons. It’s our wish for the upcoming year, and we keep it to ourselves in hopes that it will come true.
If you have a fireplace, you can certainly burn your Yule log in it, but we prefer to do ours outside. We have a fire pit in the back yard, and on the night of the winter solstice .

Yule log cake

The Yule log is a traditional feature of most winter solstice celebrations. In addition to making one you can burn in your fireplace, why not whip together a tasty chocolate one for dessert? This super-easy recipe uses a boxed cake mix as its base, and can be put together ahead of time for your Yule celebration dinner. Chill overnight for easy slicing the next day.

Ingredients:
• 1 box chocolate cake mix, along with ingredients as called for
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tsp. instant coffee granules
• 1 stick butter
• 16 oz. semi-sweet baker's chocolate
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• Spearmint leaf jelly candies
• Cinnamon red hots
• Mini marshmallows & chocolate kisses (optional)
Preparation:
Prepare the cake mix according to the instructions on the box. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, pour the batter out onto the paper, and spread until it reaches the edges. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until cake is firm and springy - be sure you don't over bake it!
Allow cake to cool in pan for ten minutes, then invert it onto a cloth towel dusted with powdered sugar. Peel off the parchment paper. Roll the cake up inside the cloth towel, starting with one of the short sides. Let the rolled-up cake cool completely on a wire rack.
While the cake cools, mix up the filling. This particular blend is a coffee-flavored variety that I adapted from a tiramasu recipe, but you can replace the coffee with cocoa if you prefer more chocolate. Blend the whipping cream, powdered sugar and coffee granules together to form the filling. Chill until thick and firm. After the cake has completely cooled, gently unroll the cake from the towel. Remove the towel, and spread the filling over one side of the cake, stopping about a half inch from the edge. Roll the cake back up -- this should be easy, since it cooled in a rolled-up form. Place the cake on a serving platter and allow to chill for a couple of hours.
To make the frosting, melt the butter in a double boiler and then add the chocolate. Once the chocolate has all melted, stir in the heavy cream. Let the icing sit at room temperature until it's a little thick. Spread on the cake, covering the entire roll, and then drag a fork through the icing to create a bark-like appearance on your log.
Add a couple of spearmint leaves and red hots to form clusters of holly on the log. If you'd like to add "mushrooms" to your log, stick a toothpick through a miniature marshmallow, and then poke it into the flat side of a chocolate kiss. Snip off the pointy part of the kiss, and you'll have a small mushroom. Use the toothpick to stick these on top of your log.
If you're not going to serve immediately, wrap the cake in loose plastic and refrigerate overnight. Allow the cake to sit out for about an hour before slicing.

Yummy Wassail

Wassail was originally a word that meant to greet or salute someone -- groups would go out wassailing on cold evenings, and when they approached a door would be offered a mug of warm cider or ale. Over the years, the tradition evolved to include mixing eggs with alcohol and aspiring the crops to ensure fertility. While this recipe doesn't include eggs, it sure is good, and it makes your house smell beautiful for Yule.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 Gallon apple cider
• 2 C. cranberry juice
• 1/2 C honey
• 1/2 C sugar
• 2 oranges
• Whole cloves
• 1 apple, peeled and diced
• Allspice
• Ginger
• Nutmeg
• 3 cinnamon sticks (or 3 Tbs. ground cinnamon)
• 1/2 C - 1 C brandy (optional)

Preparation:

Set your crockpot to its lower setting, and pour apple cider, cranberry juice, honey and sugar in, mixing carefully. As it heats up, stir so that the honey and sugar dissolve. Stud the oranges with the cloves, and place in the pot (they'll float). Add the diced apple. Add allspice, ginger and nutmeg to taste -- usually a couple of tablespoons of each is plenty. Finally, snap the cinnamon sticks in half and add those as well.
Cover your pot and allow to simmer 2 - 4 hours on low heat. About half an hour prior to serving, add the brandy if you choose to use it.

Happy Christmas

Christmas is so very near,
I’m just in time to wish my friends dear,
A holiday with sparkling joy, and fairy hugs,
I wish peace to all with all my love.

Yuletide in the fairy garden

Hi All, I got my fairy garden deer up this past week.. I must say it is lovely to behold at night.. Yule will truly be bright and beautiful this year!! I also splurged and got the muti colored star lights for my windows this year I usually have white icicles lights but i just wanted color this year!! I am decorating the tree today while I watch the harry potter marathon on TV...

Happy Christmas!!

Christmas is Near...

Hi to all, I had to have these very bright crystal deer silhouettes. I had to set them up in my living room.. I am going to put them on the rocks in my fairy garden it should light the area very nicely!! The Buck looks magical.... Hopefully it stops raining so I can prepare the spot for them.

Hugs Bee

42 day til Christmas???

Today the first day of the "Beaver Moon" and 42 days til Christmas.. My how fast the wheel turns . I have begun working on my Christmas cards and making my decoration plans for the house.. I bought three new fairy ornaments this year, and can not wait to see them sparkle. No Christmas shopping really this year already done what I am going to do. So that's a plus.. I cannot believe I actually was frugal enough to have anything to spend at all? But I got little surprises for the ones that are closet to me.. The first wind storm hit last night -->not to bad, but beat up on my green house.. More rain too! Although we have been making head way on tie downs and such for the green house.. There is still more caulking to do and a plan "A" for tying it down, & a plan "B" for emergency situations.. We get hurricane force winds here more often than I like during winter.. Gusting 70 to 90mph.. SO hopefully we have thought this through.. We are very resourceful when need be.. Thank goodness ! Maybe that comes from being poor our entire life..? See, there is always a positive in every aspect of ones life!

Well off to clean my oven.. Yep, how boring is that!!!!

Hugs

Bee

Merry Christmas 2007

Hi to all,

I wish you all a very Happy Holiday. Here is a new picture of My Sunny..

Today I call him "Sunny Clause"

I also included a photo of my Holiday card exchange display.

Much Joy

Bee

Exit Holiday Decorations

Hi all, Well here isthe last of the holiday decorations.. I put up also a photo of the holiday card exchange and how I displayed them.. It was truly lovely.. I miss it already now that its down.. The rest of the photo's are of new tree decorations I got his year.. In the fantasy theme!! <--- Of course===> LOL

HNY
Bee

Merry Christmas

Hi All, Happy Holidays,

Well, Tis almost time to "RIP" open my Queen Bee Box.
Just a few short hours away.. Alls I have to say is;

*~* LOOK OUT TREE HERE I COME !!! *~*

Sparkling Holiday wishs to all

~(*)~(*)~(*)~(*)~
Bee

Lady Ravens Yule Gift

Merry Christmas my Dear Lady Raven,

This gift is for you with many thanks for all the Merry Making you have given us lucky , lovely , & Sparkling *~*Fairies at Castle Raven this last year..

*~* You have been delivered a very special treasure. *~*


The wardrobe is constructed from solid mahogany which came from the ancient forest of the; Faynavia Tahfirara.
The Mirror is made of crushed & polished crystal acquired in the realm of “Zelle of YuesGrove”. This wardrobe is unlike anything in this world.
With the help of my house elf Knobby I searched the world for this gift. This is a very powerful magical object. Unlike the Mirror of Erised, Alice’s Mirror, or even a Witch’s Glass. This wardrobe is “Portal Exceptional”. Do not let this wardrobe fool you*~* the three doors all have a separate purpose... But only to the one who holds the key.

The door on left; Is an all seeing eye something like the Wicked Witch of the West’s crystal ball. It enables you the holder of the key to see any where in the world in this present time. Anytime of the day or night. Enabling you to see all when ever you like. So when fairies go missing no more worries. If I partake in too much honey wine you can find me quickly <---- LOL.

Insert the key in the left door for the mirror to activate. And call to the mirror with your request.

The door on the right; Will enable you to see the future, but with this there comes a “WARNING”. It can be a dangerous enterprise to seek the futures view too often...
Insert the key at your own risk and call to the mirror with your request.
The Center door; is the best of all. This door enables you to step into any world, in anytime you choose; King Arthur’s Court... Narnia, The Land of Arcane, or Dragons living room. The worlds of time are yours....

Insert the key in the middle door think your happy travel thought and step into the mirror.
To return home place the key upon your third eye and say to yourself “To Castle Raven *~* “Away”

The beads on the keys necklace are polished Aquamarine & Chrysocolla.
The beads were cleansed by Sea Witches in ocean water by the light of the Full Moon.There is more magic in these beautiful stones when worn or carried.
Aquamarine will enhance the utilization of psychic powers. Holding these stones or wearing them around the neck reduces our conscious mind's hold on the psychic mind. It allows the ever-present physic impulses to be heard and to enter our conscious mind. Thus this helps “you” the holder of the key to pass through the mirror and return...
Chrysocolla, Will drive away unreasonable fear and illusions and grants the power of discretion and increased wisdom. Thus protecting the owner of the key.

Dragon Ornaments

Hi all, Well this was a job... You could not believe how hard these pictures were to get.. I just could not get it right, So here are some. I have 9 dragons new this year and they are much prettier than the pictures show.. Each dragon is holding a beautiful crystal.

Sparkling Snow flakes

Bee

Castle Lights

^ Fire Fly Lane; Entrance to Castle Raven ^

Fairy Caught in the act

Scotch on The Rocks has finished the lighting of the Castles Entry Way tree AHhhhhh she is Grand!! ------------>

Castle Raven

Hi My fairy friends, Here are a couple of pictures of Castle Raven :-)

To the left *~* the rear entrance in the early morning as I returned from my morning walk.

To the right *~* A night photo snapped through my witches glass on my way back up the hill to the castle entrance after helping Scotch on the Rocks with the piling of wood for the Yule Fire.

Sparkling wonder isn't it!

Bee

Antique Christmas Post Cards

Hi all, Here are a few more post cards from my antique post card collection. These really make me happy. I always look at my cards and my KF jewelry when I need a lift. The last few days I find myself really looking at them a-lot.... Please enjoy these images from times long ago....

Sparkling
Bee

More Holiday Decorations

Hi My fairy friends here is my "KF tree topper" that I use for a stand up angel. I just love her she is gorgeous!! Another picture of my tree and a close up of my tree ornaments. A collection of a life time.. I think there is just about everything on that tree..

Stay tuned for some pictures of my new dragon ornaments.. ( If I can get a good picture of some of them???)

Sparkles

Bee

My Christmas Queen Bee box...

Ok girls, here it is the first one under the tree....
All wrapped up by Sir Scotch on the Rocks!!