Last day of birds and critters, but there's one more day of Christmas Open House tomorrow that you'll want to stick around for!
Is the Tufted Titmouse the cutest bird on Earth? Why yes, yes it is. If you've never seen one, do yourself a favor and have a quick google. Adorable overload.
We couldn't have all these critter friends and not have a bunny, so now we have a lovely, round, pearly white Snowshoe Hare.
And a black squirrel. Why is this squirrel black, you ask? Because when we were stationed outside of DC, we had a small population of black squirrels. I'd never seen one before, and I just loved them.
The wee Wren. So small and chubby and cute. My aunt always had wrens nesting on her porch.
And finally, the Downy Woodpecker. These are quite small and pretty. We had several varieties of woodpeckers, but these are my favorite.
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This last recipe is one I use when I'm too pressed for time to make these Lemon-Orange Rolls, which we always have at Christmas. I've mentioned before that for me, citrus is a must at Christmas. Not only is it traditional, the sharp, bright flavors are a perfect balance for all the sweet and savory flavors of the holidays. This Orange Loaf Cake, which I tweaked a bit to be more like the rolls, is easier and faster and just as delicious. My changes:
For the 3 Tablespoons of orange juice, I used half orange juice, half fresh lemon juice.
For the Tablespoon of orange zest, I used half orange zest, half lemon zest.
I did the same with the glaze ingredients and baked mine in a tea loaf pan at 325 for 50 minutes.
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The final freebie is a very sweet, soft little Winter Bird. I must stitch this.
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Twenty-two birds and eight critter friends later, all that's left is the tree. Oh, this tree. Come back tomorrow for a Christmas Eve treat!
Fun fact: black squirrels are just Eastern Grey Squirrels with a genetic mutation that causes their fur to grow in dark instead of light or mottled. My grandfather used to go squirrel hunting every year, and would chop the tails off for the grandchild brood to play with. Even though they were all Eastern Greys, the tail colors would range from yellowish, beige, reddish, black, and of course, silver (grey mixed with white) and grey.
ReplyDeleteWe always fought over the black tails, for some reason they were the most desirable.
Every post is more lovely as the week goes on. I can't till tomorrow! Peace and love to you!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas Honeybee: Your special friends are adorable; the bunny is a sweet addition.
ReplyDeleteWe have black squirrels her in Minnesota, in my father's lake home that is all we saw, once in a very great while we would see a gray or red, but it was rare.
Thank-you for sharing your beautiful ornaments and links.
Catherine
More cuteness!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the links & recipes.
Marilyn
What a show. The birds and critters are awesome!!
ReplyDeleteDarlene N
Another beautiful assortment of birds and little critters. Love that squirrel and you have given me an idea for a future gift. Thank you for the links.
ReplyDeleteYour tree is a wonderland of beauty , Happy Christmas .Hugs June.
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