Lucia and ginger bread biscuits

The Lucia looked beautiful as ever and it was wonderful to hear the choir sing. We have ( me and the children) been baking some ginger bread biscuits this afternoon. They are so nice and the whole house smells of Christmas now....
Here is a recipe that I have found on the net if you would like to try and bake them.

Ingredients

10–12 decilitre of flour
1/2 tablespoon of bicarbonate
250 gram of butter
1/2 decilitre of cream
3 decilitre of sugar
1 1/2 decilitre of syrup
1 egg
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of ginger
1 teaspoon of grinded clove

This is what you do
1. Mix half of the flour with the bicarbonate in a bowl-
2. Put pat of butter into the bowl and mash it together with a fork to a grainy dough.
3. Whip the cream and knead it into the dough.
4. Mix together the rest of the ingredients into the bowl.
5. Knead the dough with the rest of the flower (save some for the baking)
6. Place the dough inside a plastic film and place it inside the fridge until the next day.
7. The day after you take half the dough and knead the dough soft together with some flower.
8. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until its 3–5 millimetre thick.
9. Use gingerbread moulds to shape the gingerbread biscuits. If you don’t have gingerbread moulds you can use a glass that is turned upside down and that way make round biscuits. Not as fun as a heart, an elk or a Moomintroll but it works.
10. Place the biscuits on a buttered baking tray.
11. Put the baking tray in the oven at 175–200 degrees Celsius for about 5–7 minutes. Take them out while they are still yellow and soft. Enjoy them with a big glass of cold milk… the once you don’t give away, that is…


Have a nice Sunday!

Hugs
Ann-Marie

3:e Avent and....

Sssshhh....here she comes.....Lucia



She wakes up early on the 13th of December. This is the day when she is going to be the Lucia and she will dress up in a special white dress with a red lace around her waist.
She puts on the crown of candels and begins her round to sing to a lot of people. Behind her the girls and boys starts to walk slowly after her. They too have white dresses but without the crown. They sing with her about Christmas and this is the beginning of the beautiful holiday.

Many years ago there was a believe that this was a very dangerous night with a lot of supernatural forces out. You used to believe that the animals could talk during the Lucia night. Because of this a lot of people stayed in and were too afraid to go out.

It is so nice to hear and see the Lucia and this is something that is special to Sweden. Even if it is Lucia today we can´t forget to light the 3rd candle.


I hope you will all have a wonderful Sunday. Myself I am off to see the Lucia and listen to her voice singing about Christmas.

Many Hugs
Ann-Marie

2:a Advent

It is the 2:a of Advent today and it is getting closer to Christmas. I have bought some of the presents already but I am still not done. I am that kind of person that want it to be done in advance. I can´t imagine running around the last days before Christmas trying to get everything. I would like to have bought all the gifts in November if I could but that never happens....
Anyway I hope that you all have a wonderful Sunday.

Hugs
Ann-Marie

Advent

December is here and we have light the first of four candles before Christmas, we do that when it is 4 Sundays before Christmas Eve.


Everthing is going so fast now in this month and there are so much to do. I have started to put some decorations up but there are going to be so much more before I am done...
We have not got any snow yet, but it is so cold that it could snow if it wanted to. For me it can wait until Christmas Eve but all the children wants it now...;0)

An other thing that I am SO HAPPY about is that I am featured in a dutch magazine! Yaahhhyy!!!
It is the "Poppen & Teddy- Beer" magazine nr. 86 from Holland. The editor for the magazine contacted me some time ago and asked to do an articel and I got my issue yesterday and I am so pleased with it. A big thank you to Nico!
Well, I have to get back to do some more bears and get a cup of tea....
Have a nice day!

Hugs
Ann-Marie

Annabelle

I have created a new little girl called Annabelle.


Can you tell that I have been inspired by December and everything that comes with this month?


She is really lovely in her bright red colour. She has got a scarf around her neck and there are some red, green and white colours in it. It is tied together with some white roses.
I hope you like her and if you would like to adopt her, just send me an email.

I would like to ad, that after a second look, Annabelle looks a bit orange in the photo..and I just want to let you all know that her colour is RED and not anything else. She was a bit tricky to take a photo of.....
Have a super day!

Hugs
Ann-Marie

I have been nominated in BBAA

I am so happy to share with you the news that I have been nominated in the "British Bear Artist Awards 2009".
I am dancing happy dance here at home and I can´t believe that I made it to the final.
Here are some photos of my entry.

Miss Ellie Red Hood





Many hugs
Ann-Marie

Tova and Christmas ornaments

I waited and waited for some sun but did it show itself?? No!
So I took the photos anyway and I think that they turned out alright.;0)


I have a new bear up for adoption and her name is Tova. She is really nice in her colours and the mohair was so nice to work with.
I hope that you will like her and if you are intersted in adopting her just send me an email.

I have been busy too making Christmas ornaments as you know and I hope that you will like them.... If you buy one, I will pack it really nice in a box.




Have a nice weekend!!!

Many hugs
Ann-Marie

Soon.. ( I hope)

The days have gone fast since I wrote last. I have been working on a new bear that is going to have it´s debute soon and some Christmas ornaments as well.
They turned out really good so I hope that you will like them.

Christmas is my favorite time of the year and I look forward to it so much. But as every year there are a million( well, it feel´s like it) things to do before Christmas Eve. And I stress a (little) to have everything perfect and done... that is not really what Christmas is about but do you know what I mean? Do you stress too?

Anyhow all I am waiting for now is some sun so I can take the photos. The weather has been so grey and gloomy lately and there have been so much rain. Sigh....

So please be patient and I will do my best and speak to the weather gods for some sun now.
Have a niceday!

Hugs
Ann-Marie

Jace

I have decided to put a teddybear that is very special to me up for adoption.


I am talking about Jace that came on 3rd place in a German competition this year. So if you would like to give him a really nice home then he would be happy to travel to you!
You can read more about Jace on my website, and if you would like to adopte him then send me an email.
Have a nice day!

Many hugs
Ann-Marie

It was wonderful!

Well, I am back again and did we have a nice time???? YES!!!!!
As you probarbly know me and my husband went to a spa a bit up in Sweden. It took about 2 hours to drive there but the time went fast. We arrived at 4 o´clock yesterday and I couldn´t wait to get in the water...
It was so nice and warm and not too many people either. I like swiming and I think I did it for an hour...or more....Then we had a drink next to the pool and it was relaxing just sitting there doing nothing.
We had a nice dinner in the evening and we dressed up and it felt special doing that. (We don´t get out very often LOL). But the food was lovely and they even played live music in the backround.
Today in the morning we had a massage and I loved it! After that we walked on the beach as the spa is located on a beach. The wind was cold but it was still really nice!
Then we went to the pool to swim some more before it was time to drive home again, even though I could have stayed longer....no problem!

I enjoyed this weekend so much and going to the spa was everything I hoped for. I am all relaxed now and I feel so good!
Our children were happy to see us again and they have now decided that next they are coming as well!!!!!

Hugs
Ann-Marie