Be Someone's Light

 I'm taking a short break from packing to say a quick hello and wish you Merry Christmas. It's the time of year we head to the mountains and enjoy a few days with family in a Christmas wonderland. We've visited this same place since our daughters were 2 and 4. And it is an extravagant display of things that glitter, things that sparkle and things that dazzle. The decorations at my own house are pretty simple this year. So I'll enjoy looking at the festive decorations at the resort.

But I always am reminded that not all Christmases are filled with glitz and glitter. People have sad Christmases. My grandfather died on December 18 many, many years ago. I was nine but still remember that different, somber Christmas. Some people skip Christmas out of necessity. One year after the holiday I asked a friend if she and her daughter had a good Christmas. She told me that they went to church but there were no gifts. None. There was no money that year. 

And there are many who are sick at Christmas. The sad little tree in the photo was the only Christmas tree at my daughter's house a decade ago. Our 9-month-old granddaughter spent her first Christmas in the hospital. And her 4-year-old sister was distressed that they had no Christmas tree. So she took matters into her own hands. She found the Charlie Brown tree and decorated it by herself. 

That little tree also reminds me of hearing how kind people were during that stressful time. My daughter and family were living a thousand miles away from us then. So strangers and neighbors and friends showed up. Gifts were delivered to the hospital. Food arrived at the door. 

So as we celebrate during the next couple of weeks, remember those who are not in a place to celebrate. Keep your eyes and your ears and your heart open. Today is the winter solstice. Tonight is the longest night—the longest period of darkness—we will have this year. Be someone's light. 💫

Merry Christmas To You All!

Busy days around here. We made an early Christmas visit to see the smallest ones 

and to attend their school  Christmas program.

Little Brother calls these his "ho ho toes" pajamas. 

Excellent description. See what you learn when you help fold laundry?

I delivered a couple of new caps for the littles.

We took apart a nativity nesting doll set

 and then looked at the tiniest Jesus that was in the center.

It was a good chance to talk about the Christmas story.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Tbe older set will be here this week for Christmas. So many things to be squeezed into our time together. Music to prepare for church. Baking to get done. I've made my list and checked it twice. Fingers crossed I didn't forget anything. And it I did, it will be okay. I keep reminding myself...Christmas isn't about the list.

I'll see you back here after the holidays and after everyone gets back to their own homes. I'm looking forward to some new recipes. Some new adventures. Some new stories to share.

Merry Christmas!

 I 

 

Paper Angels

 

Years ago I attended a community Christmas dinner at Mommy's church and I remember walking into their gym and seeing the many tables beautifully decorated with angels. So many angels. When I looked closer, I saw that each angel was simply cut from a single sheet of heavy white paper, like card stock or cover stock.

I did not take one of the angels from the table when the meal was over. My mother taught me not to take without asking. But later thanks to heroic efforts by Mommy and one of the associate ministers at that church, they tracked down a paper angel for me. And they shared a website that showed how to fold these adorable angels. The directions were in some slavic language, but the pictures were useful.

Jessica and I made stacks of these angels for a cattlemen's dinner the following year. And yay for me, I saved the angels and added them to my accumulation of Christmas table decorations. (I decorated for the cattlemen's association for years.) So when a friend asked this week if I remembered how to make the angels, I told her we could use one of mine to trace some for her. I thought it would be good for Joanne to see the original link but I cannot find that original site. I thought it might be wise to make a new set of instructions right here. In English.

These are so easy to make. And they are extremely economical. It just takes time. The tracing was the hardest part. This morning I realized that as I was making a new, more permanent pattern, I could print the cutting lines and eliminate the tracing.

This is what the printed pattern looks like.

Fold it in half to cut.

If you trace by hand, you would fold the paper first and place your template on the fold.

YOU CUT THIS OUT FOLDED!

When I first saw the pattern I thought that cutting out the interior around the head was going to be impossible without tiny sharp scissors. But then realized that if you cut the line above the head (see blue arrow) first, you just keep cutting around the arms and head. Then it was pretty simple.

I cut this one with my not-so-sharp scissors I use for gift wrap.

It's possible that you might need to smooth out the printed/traced lines as you cut. And when I printed the pattern, the lines didn't quite reach the edge of the paper. You crafty people can extend it to the edge. Try to cut so that the pencil/printer line is cut off. My goal was to have a pure white angel. I didn't always achieve my goal.

Open the paper enough to make the angel stand, arms straight up.

Fold the arms and trumpet forward, giving a little pinch at the shoulders.

And then fold the arms down, pinching the "hands" at the trumpet.

You can download the PDF for the angel pattern here: Paper Angel Template   I hope. I've never attached a PDF to the blog. If you are the artsy type, you could freehand the pattern onto folded paper and make a template.

Friend Joanne is going to put an angel on a charger plate with greenery and votive candles. I honestly don't remember exactly how I used them on the tables years ago. I do remember that the air from the heat vents would blow them over. They are only paper. So I taped them to the table on the back side.

Party For Two, Anyone?

Toasted Maple Pecans

Just because you're not having a Christmas party this year doesn't mean you can't have party food. We decided yesterday that it would be fun to have just appetizer type foods for our supper. Then when I picked up my grocery order, there were several items out of stock. I checked out what I had here in the fridge and make a new plan. And it turned out just fine. 

And in another change of plans, Jessica and baby arrived right at dinner time—a day earlier than expected. She decided the smart thing to do was come the day before the predicted bad weather. So it turned out to almost be a party. A party for three. Right after she put the baby to bed, we used Christmas plates and helped ourselves to party foods. And settled in to watch some wonderful Christmas concerts on PBS.

Using what I already had here, I made the very quick and very delicious Baked Sausage Dip that we've made before. And in an effort to balance that heavy recipe with some healthy options, I added carrot and celery sticks and hummus and fresh fruit. It was a perfect combination. 

The other snack food I added to the tray was a little bowl of maple-flavored toasted pecans. I've toasted pecans for years but adding the maple syrup was new to me. It was so easy and it only made a little bowl full. Of course, you could easily make a huge batch but one cup of nuts was all we needed this time. These are not glazed and sugary like pecans sometimes are prepared. But there is enough maple syrup to give them a little extra umph!

TOASTED MAPLE PECANS

1 cup pecan halves

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Salt

Pepper, optional

Preheat oven to 375º. Line a sheet pan (I used a quarter sheet pan) with parchment paper. 

Pour maple syrup over nuts in a small bowl and stir to coat. Spread in a single layer on a sheet pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper if using.

Toast nuts for 10 minutes then stir. Toast for another 2 minutes and taste them. Toast for another 2 minutes if needed. (Mine took the whole 14 minutes.) Let them cool before serving. Store in an airtight container.

Toasting pecans is a judgement call—they need to come out of the oven just before they are crisp because they will crisp up as they cool. 

Having a party for two or three at home is simple. I arranged everything on a tray and just that one step made it look special. A local restauranteur years ago said, "I could sell peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at a premium price if I presented them well." He was speaking at a ladies club and told that group that half of success in the fine dining business was in the presentation. Yes. His food was also delicious, but the other half of his success was in creating the proper ambience and serving the food well. I heard many speakers in that club over the years. He is the only speaker I remember 30 years later.

I am taking a blog break for a few weeks. We, like many of you, are observing Christmas in new ways. Our celebration will be pared down to suit the times. We may discover that there are part of this scaling back that we like. And at the same time we will miss some of our traditions. But Christmas will come in its own fashion this year. And it will be one for the books. I imagine we will be talking about this particular Christmas for years. Be sure to make some good memories, too.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you all!

Christmas Count-Down

Pattern: Sock Recipe: A Good Plain Sock, by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Yarn:  Lollipop Yarn Quintessential, Christmas Carol colorway

Needles: size 1-1/2

Are you a member of my tribe? The tribe that slides into Christmas hoping that everything is done? I do know people who are so organized that everything is completed by Thanksgiving. All gifts bought and wrapped. Menus made. Freezer stocked. 

That is not me. I wish it was, but I'm not made that way. Now that you know that, you'll understand that this is likely my last blog post until after Christmas. There is still much to do. And my list is mostly in my head. (Maybe I should write it down?)

Wooden reindeer made by my dad years ago.

On the up side, I finished my Christmas socks last night. A whole WEEK before Christmas. The plan is to wear these with my green plaid pajamas on Christmas morning. And the couple of hand knitted gifts are done. The house is decorated—in my "less is more" style.

I finished the angel costume and got to see our little angel sing in her preschool concert. 200 adorable costumed little people all lined up on risers, singing their hearts out. So much excitement.

Now I'm reading the book.

We've entered a new stage of life. The one where our grown children have to split their holidays between families. I totally understand that. So we had the newlyweds here for this past weekend and went to see Hamilton with them. What a treat! And they will be back for New Years. Can't complain.

The other family (with the grandchildren) arrives this weekend. That means I have a few days left to tie up loose ends. To madly practice music. (Mommy is singing a solo at church on Christmas Eve, with me accompanying her. Not much pressure there. ) To make a menu plan and a grocery list to get us through Christmas. Then I'll regroup and shop again for the post-Christmas week.

I love that this nativity set is the first thing I see as I walk in the front door. It's a reminder that the very first Christmas didn't require extravagant decorations, huge meals, lots of baking, or mad shopping sprees. That first Christmas was simple. It was messy. It wasn't carefully organized. (A baby born in a barn?) It was filled with uncertainty. And it blessed the world.

Hand lettering—my new hobby.

My wish for you is that you find some empty spaces in this coming week to just "be." To breathe, to appreciate, to contemplate. To have a cup of coffee in front of the tree in the morning quiet before the day gets started. To walk outside, even if it's just in your yard. Find some Christmas calm. It's there somewhere. 

Merry Christmas to you all!

Luke 2:8-14  (KJV)

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

In One Weekend

Apple Cake

Before I left at the end of last week, I baked a quick-to-make cake for Daddy-O so he would not feel neglected or forgotten. So quick to stir together that I mixed it while still in my pajamas. Popped it in the oven to bake while I took a shower. With nearly an hour baking time, I had plenty to time to get ready before it was done.

The apple cake was ready for Daddy-O to sample before I left. He came in from feeding cows and was happy to find a treat waiting. A warm cake, fresh out of the oven.

My weekend trip to see the grandchildren had a two-fold mission. One...make sure that Baby Girl had an angel costume for her preschool Christmas program. And two...to attend Little Sister's piano recital. Soon after I arrived at their house, I pulled out the little sewing machine I bought the last time I was there and set it up on their dining room table and set to work.

Baby Girl discovered she did not like trying on garments in progress. She didn't like getting stuck by the pins in the first try-on. Who would? But her mommy told her that a few sticks are part of having a mommy or grandmother that sews for you. Thankfully, when it was done, she climbed up on the sofa to see herself in the mirror and all was good.

Little Sister had her Christmas piano recital the next day and played like a seasoned professional. Having an audience didn't seem to bother her in the least. I was so happy that they live close enough now that I could go watch her play.

And the *next* day, I loaded up and pulled out of their driveway an hour before the sun came up and drove straight to church in time to ring handbells at our morning worship service. It's a three hour drive. This time a third of it was in the dark, in the rain, in the fog.

And when my very tired self finally got back to my own house, I found the best surprise waiting for me. A dear friend had created a yarn advent calendar for me! A yarn a day from now until Christmas. For the first time in forever, we do not have a paper advent calendar in our house. I made sure the children (grown and little ones) all got home. But somehow I skipped us. Thanks to this friend, we will count down the days until Christmas with yarn. (There was also the perfect knitter Christmas mug tucked in that stuffed-full-box.)

And in a blink, the whirlwind weekend was over.This morning I'm in recovery mode. Sometimes if Daddy-O wakes up before me, he brings me coffee in bed. I asked last night that if that happened today, please bring it in a Christmas mug. And that's what happened. He is THE best.

Here is the recipe for the "one bowl apple cake" that took two bowls. One bowl for the wet ingredients and the apples and one bowl to mix the flour and baking powder together. The cake begs to be served with a cup of coffee or tea. Or, maybe a glass of milk. Daddy-O did tell me that after a few days (I left him with a whole cake to eat by himself) it got "wet and sticky". So maybe this is best eaten in the first day or two.

ONE BOWL APPLE CAKE (that really takes two bowls)

2 eggs

1-3/4 cups sugar

2 leaping teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup oil

6 medium apples

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, cinnamon and oil. Peel and slice the apples directly into the bowl, stirring them in as you go to keep them from turning brown. (I sliced them thin.)

Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well until all of the flour is absorbed by the wet ingredients. Pour mixture into a greased 9x13-inch baking pan, or two 9-inch round pans. Bake for 50-55 minutes for 9x13 pan. Might be less if you use the round pans.

I will admit that I had my doubts about this recipe when it was mixed up. It looked like apple slices barely coated with batter. But it baked into a lovely cake, crusty on top and dense with apples. 

As I was trying to salvage some files from an old computer, I found this recipe that I had saved years ago. Glad I stumbled across it and was able to print it out. That old computer is on it's very last legs.

One Year Ends - Another Year Begins

Nine dozen eggs. Or maybe it was 10. Five pounds of butter. About 20 pounds of apples. (We had fried apples, apples dumplings, apples in oatmeal, apple crumble, but mostly we just ate apples. "No peels on mine, Mimi. Remember?") Several gallons of milk. Multiple loaves of bread. Eight boxes of Kleenex. Six boxes of Advil Cold & Flu/Tylenol Cold & Sinus. Countless pots of coffee and cups of tea. (Thankfully people headed home feeling better than when they got here.)

I wish I had counted how many times the dishwasher ran each day and how many times a day the kitchen trash can was emptied. It took a lot to get us through the holidays.

At the height of the holiday there were nine in residence here. Plus, one very big dog. Then a few departed one by one until we were down to six. That family stayed on to celebrate New Year's Eve and a birthday. This afternoon, the last four of our Christmas visitors headed home. Our kitchen is decorated with drawings left "so you won't forget me, Mimi." There are notes still stuck on the bedroom door declaring, "YES: Mimi, Daddy-O, Little Sister." "NO: Baby Girl." Since Baby Girl can't read yet, that didn't accomplish much.

The bedtime books (Underpants For Ants and Pete the Cat: I Love White Shoes) are still stacked by my bed where we ended each day. We would all get in bed...me in the middle and one little girl snuggled on either side and I would read the bedtime story. That was possibly the best time of my day. Because it meant I could go to bed after a long day and MOSTLY because I love reading to them.

Over the past two weeks we had little girl dance concerts in the music room at night. Huge jigsaw puzzles were assembled in record time on the dining room table. Mommy sang a solo at church on Christmas Eve. Santa found the farm and brought gifts for the girls. Christmas Day clay shooting happened again. Folks rode down to the river in the old blue Jeep and found a beaver dam on the creek. Down in the pasture, the little girls and Mommy explored the red barn that used to be a house. There were inside days when it was too cold for outside play. That's when the puppets and the plastic figurines had great adventures. Football games were watched and teams successfully cheered on.

Every dinner ended with "What was your good thing of the day?" It was fun to hear what was each person's favorite thing. Now, before you think everything was perfect, there were little girl tears more than once. Mimi got tired and cranky. (More than once.) But overall it was a good and wonderful family time.

We had our share of minor holiday mishaps that made for some laughs. The big dog took his job of guarding the stash of Christmas gifts a little too seriously and almost didn't let "Santa" get to them. ("Santa" was not the owner of the big dog.) That episode will be talked about for years. We miscalculated cooking times couple of times and had some very late dinners. That made them even more delicious. I underestimated how many hot dogs people would eat one night and they just had to stop when the wieners were gone. They filled up on apple crumble and ice cream instead.

Some major cooking successes included the New Year's Day pork tenderloin and collards and the prune cake baked by my son-in-law. The birthday chocolate pound cake was pretty yummy, too. There was also an excellent standing rib roast on Christmas night and this morning, for their last breakfast, I made a delicious pan of crispy hash browns with leftover baked potatoes. So many meals. I'm sure I've forgotten other good ones.

Tonight floor is clear. There is no castle tent in our den. No little feet running from one end of our long house to the other end, shouting as they go. The quiet is deafening. The kitchen is closed for the next few days. Daddy-O and I will eat whatever is left over. And it will be eaten on paper plates.

We are taking the night off after a busy two weeks. As Daddy-O said today, as the last car pulled out of the driveway, quoting Clark Griswold from the movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, "We did it!."

Deep Breaths

I don't know where you are in your holiday preparations, but I might be a little behind. I got home last night from several days of babysitting. Driving home, my mind was full of "what needs to be done" thoughts. When I looked at the early morning sky today, it was a reminder to take a deep breath and admire nature's beauty.

Yes, I still have a list to deal with—menu planning, grocery shopping, last minute gifts to find, music to practice, beds to get ready. And there is the "fun" to-do list—movies to watch, cookies to bake, maybe cinnamon rolls to be made, holiday lights to see. My helper elf, Jecca, is here to help, thank goodness.

Again I tell myself...I'll do what I can, not worry about what doesn't get done, and enjoy the family who will be here soon to spend Christmas at the farm.

And having said that, I'd better get dressed and tackle at least part of that list!

Morning Glory

The view from my kitchen when I poured my coffee today. I love morning.

It's that time of year—for me, at least—when thinking about my ever growing to-do list makes me feel slightly nauseous. So it's even more important for me to take a little morning time to be quiet and still.

Time to put things in perspective. Time to say a prayer for the family who will lay their precious mother to rest today. And another for the family who said goodbye to a dear husband and dad last week. Time to say a prayer for a friend's granddaughter who is in the hospital having tests. Time to give thanks for another busy day.

If I get everything crossed off my list, that's great. If I don't, that's fine, too. I have learned that it's okay to make the list shorter. Lots shorter, if necessary. It might be time to embrace the "less is more" philosophy.

And in that spirit, this is all I'm writing today.

Lowered Expectations

How are things at your house? The count down to Christmas is getting intense. I know there are some of you who had everything in place for the holiday before Thanksgiving. Or, you wrapped up your preparations over the Thanksgiving weekend. I am not one of you. I imagine there are many of you who, like me, will stumble through Advent and limp into Christmas, getting some things done along the way and leaving other things in the "Well, it was a nice thought" category.

I told someone last night that my secret to "getting it all done" was lowering my expectations. Way lower. And that's okay. If you are like me, the expectations are mostly self-imposed anyway.

The photo-a-day Advent project a couple of years ago was a truly meaningful exercise for me. When it was announced this year, I thought about it. For two seconds. It was meaningful because it required much more thought than I had anticipated. And this year I know I cannot be that focused. Instead I am taking part in Project Peace, a knitting project sponsored by The Healthy Knitter with over 15,000 participants world-wide. It is a simple exercise in mindfulness. With knitting.

I love sending Christmas cards with a family photo. But this year when the grandchildren were here for Thanksgiving, Little Sister was still broken out in hives all over her face from her illness and Baby Girl cried much of that week with an ear infection. So no grandchildren photo happened. My holiday expectations dropped another notch. And that's okay. The list of things-not-done is growing.

Certainly there are many things that will get done. But they will be chosen carefully. We are already opening the doors on our Advent calendar. That means a lot to us. I might not decorate our lamp post. I'm not sure anyone would notice.  Maybe instead of "lowered expectations" I should say we are having a "curated Christmas" Participating in things carefully selected to enhance the season. I am sifting through the events, the recipes, and the traditions and deciding which ones will make us feel better and not feel pressured.

You get the idea. I plan to do what I can, what is meaningful, and truly not worry about the rest. By December 27, no one will remember if there was greenery on the mantle. Or, whether or not I pulled out the Christmas mugs.  We will remember that we were together. We will remember laughter. We will remember that we could feel the love.

Merry Christmas To You!

Way back in the 1950s, my mother was friends with the editor of our small town newspaper. For reasons I don't know, he decided to make a photo of me and my sister with Santa just before the Christmas parade started. I was five. My sister was three and not a fan of Santa at all at that point. She wanted no part of this photo shoot. So it was just me and Santa.

I don't know if there was a plan when the photo was made, or if the idea came later. But the newspaper editor made a huge print of that photo and used it for a Christmas decoration in the window of the newspaper office. After a year or two, he gave that giant photo to my mother. And of course, it passed on to me later.

Years ago, to tease me, Daddy-O put it out as part of our decoration. It's a tradition now. A few days before Christmas, he hauls Santa and me up from the basement and puts us on an easel.

So when we see this photograph, we know Christmas is almost here. The tree has been decorated. That gifts are wrapped. The family is all tucked in here at the farm. The music has been rehearsed. (Mommy and Big Sister are singing at the Christmas Eve service, with me accompanying them.) Little Sister just put her list for Santa on the hearth. ("So he will see it first thing when he comes down the chimney.") All the crazy preparation is over. All the work is done. And now we wait.

It is time to close the lid on this computer and focus on the faces in front of me for the next few days. I hope your celebration, whether big or small, brings you joy.

Merry Christmas 

from all of us at the farm

to you!

What Makes Christmas "Christmas?"

I went to visit the grandchildren last weekend. I got to watch Little Sister cheer at a basketball game. ("You know, that game where you try to throw a ball through the hoola hoop.") I heard the magnificent Christmas concert at church where Big Sister sings in the choir. I saw the Night of Lights in their neighborhood. And I stayed an extra night so that I could watch the preschool Christmas program. Little Sister was Mary in the play. Her line was, "It was a long journey. I didn't think we'd EVER get here!"

I got home late yesterday. It's pretty obvious at this point, that everything on my list is not going to get done. The ingredients for the party mix are sitting on the kitchen table where they have been waiting on me for days. Most of the gifts are wrapped, but not all of them. There are two stocking that are completely empty as of this minute.

So? Does it matter? Some of it does. (You know I can't have two people with empty stockings on Christmas morning.) Most of it won't matter at all, except to me.

Last year our Christmas took a turn of its own. Like so many people who find that there is no "jolly" in their "holly," ours was a little on the bleak side. Baby Girl was spending her first Christmas in the hospital in the midwest where they lived. Big Sister and Little Sister were here at the farm with us and Little Sister was crying for her mommy. Mommy was far away from the rest of her family at Christmas.

But we found that Christmas came anyway. So many people helped Mommy and Baby Girl have a special Christmas at the hospital. Strangers came with gifts. One family had experienced a similar Christmas years ago and made it their mission each year to bring a little cheer to sick children spending the holiday attached to tubes and monitors in the hospital. Nurses brought handmade gifts for each tiny patient—blankets, caps, pillows. The church family made sure that Mommy had a Christmas dinner. Meanwhile at the farm, Aunt Jessica made things fun for the older sisters, keeping them busy in the kitchen and wrapping gifts and playing games. 

Mommy and J-Daddy, even before the hospital stay, had decided to skip a tree last year since they were all coming home for Christmas. They didn't want to leave a live tree to dry out for two weeks. So sweet Little Sister (who was 4 last Christmas) made a tree for her family. She found the little Charlie Brown tree whose single ornament had broken the year before. She decorated it with the baby's teething ring, one of her hair bows and wrapped a doll blanket around the base and put it in the corner where the tree usually sat.

Now, when I looked at the photo of this sad tree this week, I saw a reminder of last Christmas when things were not going so well. But Little Sister was hanging on my shoulder looking with me. When she saw this, she exclaimed, "Oh! That was a pretty tree. I remember that." I should take lessons from her.

Yes, Christmas did come last year. In its own way. In a way that was probably closer to the original Christmas. And it will come again this year for all of us, just like it has for two thousand years. In this last week as things seem to speed up, let us try to keep our focus on what's important. And remind ourselves that it's not about the decorations. It's not about the gifts. It's not about the food. It's about caring. And kindness. And friends. And family. And love.

As we celebrate the birth of Christ, let us be the hands and feet of Christ to others. Just like those special people who brought Christmas to a hospital room last year. Just like a tiny child who found a way for her family to have a Christmas tree. Let us shine Christmas love on someone who needs it this year.

Christmas Cookie Party

I think I lived an entire year's worth of life last week. I'm not even telling what the whole week held because listing it would make me tired all over again. Let's just say I've come out here on the other side still upright. Last week's crazy/busy was mostly good things, but just too much crammed in together. 

Last night's cookie party that Mommy hosted was a nice end to the week and I only had to help—light duties compared to the other full days. Their neighborhood has an annual "Night Of Lights" and everyone in a three-county radius must know to drive through and look at the decorated houses. One house even had a live nativity scene in their yard, complete with a camel and donkeys and chickens. There was a major traffic backup on the highway to get into this neighborhood.

Mommy had invited a few friends to drop by for cookies, hot cider and cocoa when they came to see the lights. Turns out it was really hard to get here in all the traffic (this is Mommy's first Christmas here and they had no clue what a big deal this night was) but persistence paid off and before it was over, little people filled the house with laughter and shrieking and lots of running about. Then they ate cookies. God bless the mamas of these sugar-filled kiddos today.

Mommy baked and baked and baked to get ready for the party. This new recipe was a big hit with everyone. I want to make these at home soon. Or, maybe after Christmas. I'm kind of full of cookies right now.

BROWNIE COOKIES

2 ounces baking chocolate (semi-sweet or unsweetened or bittersweet)
2 sticks softened butter
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2-1/4 all-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2  teaspoon salt
powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, stir, and let it cool.

Cream the butter and sugar together until totally combined. With the mixer on low, slowly drizzle in the cooled chocolate. Scrape the bowl and mix again. Mix in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Scrape the bowl once more and mix.

Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Stir it together, then add it in large spoonfuls to the mixing bowl, with the mixer running on low. Scrape the bowl again and mix again until all combined.

Scoop generous tablespoons onto a baking sheet lined with parchment, then bake for 11 minutes until puffed and set. Remove them from the oven and let them sit on the pan for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove them to a baking rack to cool completely. Once cool, sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.

This recipe came from one of Mommy's good college friends. It's wonderful how these recipes remind us of friends from years ago.

SPICED APPLE CIDER

4 cups water
2 cups sugar
Bring to a boil in a big pot, them simmer for 15 minutes. Take off heat.

Add:
3 cinnamon sticks
8 whole allspice balls
10 whole cloves
Let sit for 1 hour. Remove cinnamon sticks, allspice and cloves.

Add:
1/2 gallon apple cider
4 cups orange juice
1 (7.5 oz) bottle Minute Maid lemon juice (in frozen juice section)

Stir and heat slowly. Serve hot. Refrigerate leftovers. You can put this in a large crockpot to keep it warm for serving at a party.


I have given beverages as gifts. Your friends and neighbors  might a welcome change from a plate of cookies. Pour cider into a pretty bottle. Use one saved when you empty a bottle of juice or purchase an inexpensive carafe at the grocery store. Add a festive label with heating directions and tie on a bow. What a treat to have homemade hot cider on a cold day!

To help you find the frozen lemon juice, this is the bottle Mommy used. The bottle was packaged in a box in the freezer section. The bottle says it is equal to the juice of 7 lemons. You could certainly use fresh if you've got the time and energy.