Christmas anticipation and recipe

**Written December 19th and published today....

Our advent season involves a book that my husband got 3 or 4 years ago titled "God with us: Rediscovering the meaning of Christmas". I really enjoy it and look forward to it every year. It's harder now as the readings are a bit long for a 2 & 4 yr old to sit through, but they are learning, and we know that this is a tradition we will continue for many years to come and someday they will listen, absorb and by God's grace, believe.

From Monday's reading "Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. but if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over" John 12:24 MSG
Written by Luci Shaw (one of the authors): Buried in a woman's body. Birthed in a cold cave. Buried in a lifetime of ignominy (dishonour/public contempt). Buried again in the tomb. Buried in human hearts to be birthed and rooted and risen again - in us. God's buckets of water will do it - drench and nourish the seed in us that makes more seeds - a hundredfold.

This created such a picture image in my mind that made it more tangible and so I wanted to share :) I am really excited for Christmas and being with family and celebrating Christ's birth. I'm getting antsy!!! And I think the anticipation is good, it is what the advent season is about, the waiting, the wondering, the awe that is the birth of Christ through young Mary. May you experience the season with anticipation as well!


While on the topic of wheat, I thought i'd share my favorite pizza dough recipe. Pizza crusts/frozen pizzas were one of the last processed food items that I would still buy because making dough just seemed like too much work! But now that I have this recipe and it only has to rise for an hour, it makes it much more doable and of course is much better for me and my family!! Enjoy :)
1 TB Active Dry Yeast
1c Warm water
2 1/2c Unbleached flour, or your favorite combination (we always do 1/2 wheat, 1/2 Unbleached)
2 TB Oil
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp honey (more or less)

Dissolve yeast and honey in water. Let stand 5min. Mix dry ingredients together, add yeast mixture and combine well. Knead in mixer or on floured surface until smooth. Place in greased bowl and cover, allow to rise 1-1.5 hours. Dough will perfectly fit in a rectangle stoneware bar pan, or divide in half to make 2 rounds. Top with fave toppings and bake at 425 15-20 min (2 rounds will need a bit less time) 

Some of our fave topping combos:
- spinach, black beans and avocado
 - ham, pineapple, peppers and mushrooms
- BBQ sauce, chicken , onions, spinach, peppers
 Enjoy! This is what we're having tonight!

Market goodies!

Simple Blankets ranging from $10 - $25

A variety of knit items for babies, kids, and ladies ranging from $8 to $30

Cards available individually for $2.50 or sets of 5 for $10

Enjoy these insights into the the creations that have come "From the work of my hands" and please please visit me at the Three Hills Christmas Market at the Community Centre on Main Street tomorrow - Saturday December 1st between 10am and 4pm.

Any items that do not sell at the market will be available on here to buy, so if you are not in TH and see something you are interested in - let me know :)

Christmas Market & First post!

Well I have decided to have a booth at the market in town this year and have been racking my brain for weeks for a name.... something that reflects the love and care I put into what I create, as well as the variety of things I create. FINALLY - today, 4 days before market, it came to me after a lot of time praying and thinking on it... "From the work of my hands". And behold, as I sat down to create some kind of logo or design, I decided to Google the phrase and was surprised to find few results.... then I searched it as a blog name and it was available. Hmmm..... interesting! So I seized the moment and claimed it!
I hope to post some pictures of the creations I have prepared for the market, though it may be after market day as these last few days I am preparing in every spare moment.
Things you can expect to see are:
 - Four different designs of homemade Christmas cards with envelopes, $10 for 5
 - Four handmade gift bags that turned out actually quite nice and I am having second thoughts about selling them! No no, I will put them out. Will be priced at $3-5 each, depending on size
 - Knit items for women and children, various prices from $8 to $30 and mostly in natural fibres
 - Simple cozy blankets with fun patterns for babes, boys, and girls. Ranging from small 24" square size, to 45"x25"(with the cutest monkey pattern you've ever seen!) Still working on the pricing for these!


As a random side note, a friend who is an Usborne  consultant has been trying to encourage me to sign up, or to spread the need for a consultant in town. I saw her yesterday and she asked if I wanted to take a box of books to the market since no one else was likely to be selling them. I agreed... though not sure how I am going to fit all this stuff on one table!

Hope to see all you locals there, and for anyone who isn't in town and is interested in anything after I post pics, I will be happy to arrange getting it to you!