tiny happy

I found a little time for some homely activities over the past few days, including making a few presents and baking. Inspired by our German teenager and her Dad who is visiting at the moment, I tried some Christmas biscuits from their part of the world, and luckily the finished product gained their seal of approval: chewy, almondy Zimtsterne. But as you can see they're not 'sterne' (stars) at all, but rather small circles (I couldn't find my set of cookie cutters, typical! Had to use the lid of a plastic container instead.)

To make them, I used this recipe (translated with their help – let me know if you want the English version) but found I had to cook them for longer and at a higher temperature than stated. I also halved the amount of sugar and used the contents of one vanilla pod for a nice strong flavour. They are my new favourite biscuit. Especially with strong black coffee.

Because we're going away for the holiday period and (I hope) it will be much sunnier than Wellington I made up a summery top to wear. It's the Scout Tee again, this time with the sleeve modification (you can read more about this here) and now the sleeves are about elbow-length. I used a fine cotton lawn: cream with mauve/gray circles. I really love this pattern and the way it fits. I'm always thinking of different versions I could make next.