Books, baking and crafts...

The aroma of baked cookies which fill the air, wraps us up in a warm hug and bring so many memories back from our childhood. Gingerbread stars, other interesting shapes too. All which had a hole in the top, through which a ribbon could be laced to hang on the tree. Mom used a straw to make the holes in the cookies on the tray before putting the cookies in the oven to bake.  One thing in the Southern hemisphere is the heat in summer, baking in the heat not easy to do in those days. No air conditioning,  just the breeze with which nature blessed us. Opening the back door and the windows.

The cookie tins will be filled, once the large bowls of cooled cookies were baked. These tins was passed from Mom's to daughters and they came in many shapes and sizes. Decorated in patterns, colours and pictures expressing the seasons. Baking has been a family affair and everyone helped. No matter their age or skill level.  It was part of the anticipation and excitement that would lead up to Christmas Eve, when many of these treats would be what would be eaten on this night and shared with everyone else.

Mom  would make us all a new dress for Christmas,  it would be a festive colour. Red or yellow with white lace around the collar and sleeves of the dresses. During the year she smocked dresses for us as girls. Maybe that is where my love for smocking come from? Funny thing was, as a youngsters we were always playing with our brothers toys, which seemed more fun to play with. Maybe we got more of our Dad's gene's?  Engineering seems so much more interesting...

As an  adult I learnt to smock, from books.  Mom lived 1800km away, so it was with books from the library that this craft was mastered.  Amazing what we can do with a book in those days,  it did not matter how old the books were. They held within their covers a wealth of knowledge for anyone who was able to read.

 All it took was an interest and a willingness to spend the time to learn. Today one can go online and learn with the click of a button and the use of a Mouse. Generosity of everyone who practice their crafts with others is just such a gift in our world. You-tube came along and helped us become more self sufficient in many ways.  When a plumbing issue needed addressing in the beginning of the year and hubby away with business from home, being able to watch the video and be able to go to the hardware store and do it and resolve the problem was great. 

No matter when it was published,  we can still enjoy what books offer us. Some of us just love to open the book and read it on paper. Libraries are a great tool in the world,  they have adapted and moved on with the times. They do so much for so many in the community and are a place for many to spend happy hours. So on the seventh day of December the advent calendar said: Read a book.

This is the start on the Christmas decorations,  doing them on Border ribbon strips for cross-stitch, they are small and fit on these ribbons making it easier for finishing the decorations,  when they are done. What is your favourite books to read?