Have a Very Merry Christmas!

Holidays, Homestead Video, Audiobook Updates, and More

It’s That Time of Year

Normally, I would have started baking Christmas goodies long before now. But Jeff has been trying really hard to stick to a Ketovore-style eating plan. And he assures me he WOULD eat the cookies, bars, and candies well before Christmas morning when we will be taking them to our daughter and son-in-law’s house to share with the grandkids. Sooo…I’m holding out until this weekend.

The baking photos above are from a couple of years ago. But they still depict two of our family’s traditional Christmas cookie recipes; Almond Rusks and Peppernuts. These recipes are traditional family treats reserved exclusively for holiday snacking. The Almond Rusk recipe is one that my Swedish grandmother brought with her from Sweden and baked every year for my mother and her sister during their childhood. But the recipe was made from memory and lost when she passed away at age 45. So, my mom and her dad worked out the recipe details so that we could enjoy them, too.

The Pepper Nuts are hard little molasses ginger nuggets of joy! This delicious recipe comes from my ‘adopted’ grandma, Dora, and while I don’t make them every year…they are always a special treat when I do!

Now that my mother is gone, I’m pretty sure none of my other siblings bake these traditional cookies. I think I’m the only one. So, it’s important to me that I keep the tradition alive! So, I make them every year…my own private ritual.

Homestead Update

Things are coming along on our land! We’re very excited about all the new developments. Some things have happened since this video snippet below, which was recorded on December 8th. But I’ll share that with you before I tell you about the other things…

I’m thinking about creating a YouTube channel all about our homesteading experience…I asked Jeff if he’d mind if I shared, and he said he’s fine with it. I’m curious to know if that’s something you might be interested in. Please vote below and let me know if you think I should do that.

Developments -

Since that video above the following has happened:

Our meter rack is installed.
The electric company has trenched under our driveway and hooked up our power lines. Woo hoo!
The meter itself is scheduled for hookup in the next few days (it’s CRAZY all the different steps required to get power installed and available on raw land!)
Our well is scheduled to be drilled next week.
And tomorrow morning we have a gravel guy coming to lay a gravel pad for our 5th wheel rv.
OH! Did I neglect to mention that we purchased an awesome RV??

We’ll be living in that, on our land, while we build our forever home.

Pretty cool, huh?

So, there is A LOT going on in our lives right now between all of that a-n-d Christmas!

AUDIOBOOK UPDATE and SAMPLE CHAPTER

The audiobook for The Risky Reunion: Book Four in my Jack and the Magic Hat Maker fantasy series is really coming along! Nikki, my amazing narrator, has delivered THIRTY(30) CHAPTERS!!! That means there are only twelve(12) more, plus the Epilogue before the audiobook will be ready for submission to Audible for approval! I’m very excited!

And to whet your appetite for the story…I’m including a Sample Chapter for you here! **SPOILER ALERT!!! - If you have NOT read or listened to the other books in the series you may NOT want to listen to this chapter! You’ve been WARNED!!!

Chapter 27 - Prince of the Demon Realm

Read the Rest of the Series Now!

Jack and the Magic Hat Maker