I made Florence a sister; Kelly called her Dolly.
Dolly having a nap after her 'operation'.
Dolly was well stuffed, unlike her wee sis Florence.
Rag Doll No. 2; pretty girl.
We had beef stew with potatoes and dumplings last night, all cooked in the one pot. Lucy helped with the dumplings.
Beef Stew, potatoes, carrots, onions and dumplings.
It was warming, tasty and just perfect for a cold winter's night.
There was nothing left!
We had shortbread drizzled with chocolate for dessert.
Shortbread...mmmmm.
The temperature reached -20 in some parts of Scotland last night. We were at -11 and despite the heating on, it is cold. Any window that may have a tiny breeze or any tile which may be a wee bit loose lets in a bit of biting wind and reduces the temperature greatly, leaving the central heating struggling to cope.
The cold water is hard to bear, the tiled floor in the kitchen is like ice. There are icicles hanging from the awning and pipes ready to burst. Therefore, I have no choice but to snuggle within the confines of the toasty living room, drinking hot tea, eating leftover shortbread and spicy almonds that I'd made for Anne last night. It is a terrible thing to admit, but underneath this fetching outfit I'm wearing not...really, really not is the pair of pjs I refused to take off when I got up.
The cold water is hard to bear, the tiled floor in the kitchen is like ice. There are icicles hanging from the awning and pipes ready to burst. Therefore, I have no choice but to snuggle within the confines of the toasty living room, drinking hot tea, eating leftover shortbread and spicy almonds that I'd made for Anne last night. It is a terrible thing to admit, but underneath this fetching outfit I'm wearing not...really, really not is the pair of pjs I refused to take off when I got up.
I'm taking the day off.
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59 comments:
lol! Sounds like a good idea..the day off! I am taking it off too! Take care!
Oh Helen, these rag dolls are fabulous! I especially like Dolly, she's very bohemian. Gosh, you're so talented, girl! I never tried stew with dumplings, yum! I adore dumplings (my Hungarian genes!). Still frozen up here, travelling is treacherous so am staying put. I sure hope the roads are better in your neck of the woods.
Shortbread with Chocolate! Mmmmmmm!
And, the doll is beautiful...
I like Dolly, she looks very pleased with herself with that little rosebud mouth. :)
And oh, how I sympathise with you over those temps. We're at the opposite end of the country and it's miserable enough here!
Stay warm, stay safe.
Wow. That sounds cold. Good for you for taking the day off.
Cute dolls. =)
Dolly is delightful, a little Japanese fashionista. Mind you keep her nice and warm.
You are taking a day off! I am hibernating until Easter. At least!
You never cease to amaze me at your extraordinary talents and abilities!
Oh my goodness...Dolly is ADORABLE! I think you are amazingly talented to whip her out of your imagaination my friend. I will be right over for some of that stew....please save me some...oh and the cookies..yummmmmm. Stay warm. Have a cozy weekend. xoxo
Looks like you guys were as well stuffed as Dolly! I've blogged an award for you, take it or leave it, pass it on or not. I won't be offended, just wanted to acknowledge how much I enjoy your blog. :}
Love stew on a cold winter night.
Having homemade turkey pot pies with a biscuit crust for dinner.
Comfort food (low and slow cooking) is my absolute favorite type of food.
Hope it warms up soon.
Dolly is so cute! Oh and the stew and the shortbread looks yummy!
No, you can't have a day off until you make a rag doll for me!
Great job!
You're after my heart with Dolly, aren't you??? For those who don't know, seems there are Dolly's on both sides of the pond and I wrote last week on how attached my daughter was to hers!
One of my favorite foods are stews! Chicken stew, beef stew, my favorite, vegetarian stew(all left over veggies thrown into a pot). Your pictures make my mouth water and my stomach growl! It's cold here in Alabama as well, I'm leaving my faucets dripping so I don't have to deal with pipes. The last three days the temps have been in the low teens. I want Spring! I think I'm going to have me a Hot Hottie!
Dolly is perfect! I love her!!
It's cold here too but not like where you are....
keep drinking tea and stay warm.
Have a good weekend!
Beth
LOVE those dolls, seriously, they are absolutely lovely and original.;)
Here it is freezing cold as well, in Sweden they have -40C. Brrrr!
Stay warm dear and have a great weekend,
xo
Zuzana
Nice dolls...
No letting off...... we look at the pictures in the tv and shiver!!!
Stay warm .... how are the little ones coping
Oh...stew and dumplings...and floaters to boot! Lovely...
Oh now look what's happened...I've got a sticky keyboard.
Oh...stew and dumplings...and floaters to boot! Lovely...
Oh now look what's happened...I've got a sticky keyboard.
I love both of the dolls, but Dolly is exquisite.
jenn, hope it was a good day off; mines was great.
ER, thank you, that is a lovely thing to say! The roads have been awful but of course, this morning, a thaw has set in...how about you? It's revealing all the black ice underneath though!
Caroline, thank you. Shortbread with chocolate would have been sacrilege in my house previously but we like to shake it up now and then... ;O)
angelcel, you too! Is it thawing yet? It has started here.
Wackymummy, thank you. The temp has jumped to 2 degrees but it's still too cold. I need a trip to Hawaii.
mise, oh yes, lots of gas being burnt (and not just from my gob) and slankets or snuggies or whatever they are called being wrapped around!
Grannymar, Ireland won't have faired any better than us...hibernating therefore sounds like a grand idea!
Mrs Fish....och, stop! No don't.... *L*
koralee, you're always welcome for some stew and tea, my friend!
Janice, thank you so much! I can't wait to come get it.
LMB, oh, they sound divine. I love pot pies and still have turkey leftover from Christmas, frozen I hasten to add! ;O)
Kileen, thank you lass.
5thsister, I've enjoyed making them...although the average time of 10 hours is a bit much! *L*
Conrad, it's a wee girl's right to be attached to her dolly the world over. :O)
Judy, me too. Spring, please hurry. I hope you had a hot hottie...I've had several and thought of you each time.
Beth, thank you...your picture makes me think of warmer times, beaches, sangria...sigh. :O)
Protege, -40?? I think my nose would snap clean off! Thank you for your lovely comment.
Sumandebray, they have been fine, just making sure they stay wrapped up, even indoors. They've loved it as dressing gowns are so fluffy and they've been allowed to wear them all the time. *L*
Magpie, *L* I'll send you some!
Unknown Mami, thank you my friend. x
yum, yum and tripple yum. stew with dumplings AND shortbread!
Now I'm starving :(
You have beautiful children, by the way!
those dolls are soooooo cute and fun!
Now my husband is drooling over your potatoe dunplings ;) -20?!
P.S. He wants this recipe - and he said he'll do the conversion ;)
Oh Dumplings *insert Homer Simpson drool here*
So you're crafty and you can cook? You are fabulous. P.S. I am neither.
Oh my gosh, on the other side of the world we do not know that type of cold at all. Hope it's a bit warmer by now, but saw the chaos on TV over here.
Stopping by from SITS!
That stew looks amazing!! And the dumplings....oh my! I wish I could make dumplings properly. I rely on packets of dumpling mix!!
Just stopping by from SITS. Love your blog!
xx
That is WAY too cold for me. Taking the day off sounds like a good idea. Again, your food looks so good!
Congrats on your SITS day!
It sounds so cold where you are. I am glad you have warm food, layers, and tea. Your doll so cute.
Wow, -20???? And I've been griping about the 30 and 40 degree weather around here? Apparently, I need to shut up. Wow. That's really cold. Glad you have some great winter recipes to help keep you warm!!
What a darling doll!
Congrats on your SITS day!
Stew on a cold day is perfect.
Love Dolly! It may be cold, but the blog is very warm.
I made beef stew the other night too! Yours looked AMAZING though... And honestly, I should stop complaining about the 20 degree weather we had here last week ;)
This sounds like a perfectly delightful day! I miss cozying up in my Scottish living room with a hot cup of tea. I live in South Florida now but I still find occasion for cozying up (they mostly involve rain).
Love the doll, and want to eat that stew right now, even though it's 5:30 am here right now.
Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner?
www.MaWhats4Dinner.com
Yum!!! Shortbread and chocolate are my favorite.
That stew looks extremely delicious!
The doll is adorable. Shortbread, yum!
I was just going to post how much I love the rag doll, then I saw the stew and now I am hungry!
that looks yummy! and reminds me I need to make dumplings one of these days.
Precious doll - I have a little girl that would love that but...her mama can't even sew a button. I admire women like you!
Hope things are warming up there ~ although I can tell that despite the cold outside, you've done wonders to warm things up inside! Your stew looks delicious and heartwarming! Your doll is positively charming. I love the vivid colors and her adorable long stockings!
I love how you mix things up and don't just post about cooking. The doll is adorable.
Your beef stew looks a lot better than mine! Oh and dessert makes me want to quit my diet.
I want that stew. And those dolls!
that sounds lovely cozying up in the living room with tea. Love the ragdolls. Guess I won't complain when it's only 5 out. ;)
Happy SITS day!
I love stew on cold nights, I've never made it with dumplings in it, but it looks good.
Happy SITS day!
Katrina
www.proverbs-31-wife.blogspot.com
Yummy...cookies and tea. I may know what I am having before bed :) Thanks for the idea.
Wow, can I come over for dinner???
Dolly is adorable. The stew looks delicious, and I'm glad we do not have negative degree weather here in Texas.
Dolly is cute and that stew looks good.
handmade dolls are the best.
also. i truly believe you're trying to make me go into some kind of sugar coma. but of course, i know that can't happen just by looking at the pictures... so i'll just wait for you to send all the sweets you make to me.
That stew looks great! Love the doll!
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