Christmas Past with Seasonal Sunday

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Christmas  is   probably  my favorite time of year.... besides \ the excitement of Advent, for sure,  but, also,  because  of   family, especially,  now when   family is more and more  spread  apart...therefore,   it is my delight to  pull out all the stops at Christmas!

 I started blogging in 2008 and this was  my first digital Christmas

looks  like we were all set for the  Christmas Eve  gathering.
Christmas   Morning  breakfast  was  a snowman affair in the sunroom  that  year!

The next year the   Christmas  breakfast   was   held  in the dining room! SO great to have my mom and dad with us...   regretfully, they  wont  be  with us  this year...  They 
are  both  bedfast now!

Praise the Lord,  our dearest Amanda   will be, though!

How sweet  when  she and Joshua were  still living  nearby and  we got to  hear them perform  in the  Christmas  orchestra  on Christmas Eve!

IN 2009 the  Snow theme  was  blue!

Dont you like to mix it up?  I do.. and in 2010   the Snow theme   was   enhanced with  a  snowy evening...   so we had  our Christmas Eve  in the sunroom!

The Dining room also invited  folks   for  a bit of a warming libation!

along with a  tasty   savory!

Another   Christmas  Morning...   I see  Amanda's favorite  cranberry  scones!

I believe I will recreate this   scene.. I like it!
and, of course, there is nothing like Christmas lights!

Looks like I liked it in 2011  as well!

I   had   a nice mantel  in 2011


Maybe I wont   get my hair cut for Christmas...   I kind of  like it this length!  heheheheheh
I really think this  is interesting to see the effect of light each year...
 

  So what about last year...





Last year was the last year we'd all  be together...  this year  we'll be  celebrating a  bit here and yonder as we take  Christmas to  2  separate nursing facilities...   but  I am determined to make this Christmas just as festive as I can...  because this year,  we  are celebrating with our new granddaughter, Birdie!!!!

Holiday Baking Party

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Just as  Im sure you feel the same,   one cant  truly  celebrate  Thanksgiving without  certain  holiday favorites...  for me, it is   the family  dressing  that  came down from  my grandma and mom!

I have updated the recipe  by adding  the  fresh apple and  dried cranberries   which I think  makes everything taste better..

Thanksgiving dressing

1 bag Pepperidge farm stuffing

I  pone of  day old  cornbread, crumbled

 ½ c. onion chopped

½ c. celery, chopped

1 tsp.  dried sage

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

4 T. cooking oil or bacon grease

2  cups  good stock...homemade with  the  giblets is best... I  strain them out and  dont use them in the dressing as my personal  preference,  but mom used them.

3 or 4 eggs as needed

  1 large apple chopped  and  ½ c dried cranberries( or more as   desired)

In a large pan sauté onions and  celery in oil  add stock and simmer for  30 minutes

  Put bread, sage, salt, pepper in large bowl, pour onion mixture  over  bread and mix well 

Beat eggs and add to mixture  mix well, I usually use my hands to mix this well.

Add  chopped apples and cranberries

Place all in a greased baking dish  and bake 45 minutes or until   browned in 350 oven,  covered.

Can be made in well greased  crockpot on low in about 3 hours..   one recipe  said this which would be good  if  you are lacking  oven  space... but I actually have never tried this.

Roasted Sweet Potato Medley
Ingredients
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into small wedges
2 medium sweet red peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 medium red onion, cut into wedges
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 425°. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, red peppers, squash, sweet potato and onion. In a small bowl, whisk oil, vinegar and seasonings. Pour over vegetables and toss to coat.
Transfer to two greased 15x10x1-in. baking pans. Bake, uncovered, 30-40 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.Yield: 7 servings.And  Now I must share my favorite  Christmas  baked  item..

Everyone I know  loves these!

 Cranberry  Walnut Scones

3 c  Virginia’s best  self rising flour

1 T baking powder

½ c sugar

¾ c butter…slice in  tablespoon  slices  to make  working it in  easier

1 c fresh  works best cranberries… I have added golden raisins to make a cup

½ c chopped  English walnuts.. I have used pecans

1 1/2 T orange zest

1 c buttermilk  I used  clabbered milk  

( 1 cup milk  with 1 table of  white vinegar)

To top  unbaked scones.

1 T cream or milk

1 T sugar mixed with ¼ teaspoon cinnamon..finish with a sprinkle of  powdered sugar

Stir together all dry ingredients at top  of list..   Rub the butter  slices into the mixture until  only coarse crumbs form…   Like  cornmeal….  Incorporate the butter evenly.. no large  chunks….Stir in cranberries, nuts, and  zest. Add buttermilk and mix with a fork until evenly moistened.  I  didn’t  mix  it too much  and  as soon as I saw it coming together  I  poured it out on a floured surface and  shaped it into a  ball.   Pat the ball into a  ¾ inch thick circle.    Don’t work the dough too much…   it should be  fairly easy to  work with   you will have a lot on your fingers 

   As it will be moist. So  incorporate just enough flour     so not so sticky

   But  keep it   pliable.

Cut  rounds with a biscuit cutter and place on a greased sheet. Brush tops with the cream or milk and  sprinkle the sugar mixture on top.    Bake at 400 for 14-16 minutes or until  golden…  if you desire  lightly sprinkle with  powder  sugar.

 Cream topping:

8 oz  cream cheese.  I used mascarpone and thought it was much  better.  But  it is  much more expensive

  1 T  zest

  2 T honey  but I didn’t have honey so I sued 1 T of orange Marmelade  This is a fine  spread for any  specialty bread!
Here is a very yummy  recipe for  

Cookie Dough Cheese Ball

8 ounce pkg  cream cheese, softened

½ cup of butter softened

¼ tsp vanilla

3 Tbs Brown sugar packed

½ cup powdered sugar

¾ to 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

¾ cup pecans, finely chopped

Method:

Blend first 3 ingredients together until creamy. Add powdered sugar and brown sugar, blending well. Fold in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate 3-4 hours. Shape into a ball; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm. Roll in pecans before serving.

THanksgiving Inspiration

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I am trying  very  hard to  keep up    with   my family traditions this year, even though,  this will be the first year that  my  parents  won't be with us   in my  whole life of 63 years.Sadly, they  are now living in separate  nursing facilities and a re both  too fragile to travel... The kids live too far away to join  us,  so  this year it may  be just the two of us.... unless  we decide to invite  someone  over....    Thanksgiving  is one of  our most favorite holidays....  reminiscent of huge family gatherings, .... we  have  watched  the years  go by and each year it seems  the table  is  becoming  very much more  intimate..I still   put my all into  the  decorating, however, and  I  do plan to   fix  the  turkey and all the trimmings... then pack it up and  take it to  mom and dad    so they  can  enjoy the  savory  tastes of the season!

 Last year the table looked like this

    and  as I   walked about   our home     I  saw  repeating autumnal  hues in every room...

When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of this old favorite..

"Over the river and through the woods
Trot fast my dapple gray.
Spring over the ground
Like a hunting hound
On this Thanksgiving Day, Hey!
Over the river and through the woods
Now Grandmother's face I spy.
Hurrah for the fun,
Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie."

My parents and I would sing it every year on our way to grandmother's we'd go.... up the very long 90 miles of mountain road it seemed to t ake forever... I couldnt wait to get there.... wondering which of the cousins and aunts and uncles would be there already..Grandpa was a dairy farmer in the 1950's and going to their home was like living in a Currier and Ives print...the house burned down over 25 years ago but this farm house reminds me a bit of the place




although my heart tells me Grandpa's home was larger much more lovely... with several boxwood bedecked steps leading up the wrap-around porch and it sat prominently on a knoll surrounded by piny woods all about..

It was flanked by the dairy barn and out buildings including the farm-hand's house, the woodshed, and the smoke house.



Perhaps the lane  leading up to  it  drew me in... ,   but  grandpa had   clean a nd sturdy  fence rows    and  ever so often  you passed over the  cattle guards  that were so  difficult to manuever  on  foot.
But the heart of the home was  grandma's kitchen..

Something about  this photo reminds me of  it...   so cheery  and warm...  but  grandpa  made  grandma  a gorgeous  hexagonal  dropleaf table  that opened wide   then was  set with myriad  chairs of various    shapes and  colors...  and the  savory  aromas of  baking  permeated  the scene...  the  delicious dressing,    the  wondrous   scent of   baked apples, cinnamon  in her  apple  raisin walnut  cake...  oh my, I  want a piece of that!

Thirty Days of Gratitude

When I  started this  month of thanksgiving  I fully intended to  stick with  posting  the days of gratitude,  but unfortunately life  gets in the way of doing things we  love   to do  but just   have to lay aside  and that is exactly  what has happened   to us this month... Thankfully,   the  issues of  this month have  not been  grievous ones  but just days  filled with  responsibility and    important  projects....and as tired  as   we  do get  running to and fro,  it is all good...  good to be  serving  others,  on committees, with others,  and  going work of the Kingdom!  Praise God's holy name!

Happy Homemaker Monday

Visit Sandra here for more HHM!

The weather.....

Sunny, low fifties and    a good day to get the leaves raked..

Right now I am....

really enjoying   having the time to actually  sit down and compose this post..Ive missed  blogging these past 2 weeks!

Thinking.... how wonderful it was  to  have some facetime with  my girls today!

Looking forward to...
 this week's end..On Friday  and Saturday our  church Benevolent committee  of which I am co-chair  will be   preparing and delivering over 50 Thanksgiving  Dinner  fixin's..including  turkeys,  5 pound bags of potatoes and  bags of    food staples... it is always   a special time to  put smiles on  the many faces  during this season.. there is so much need in the world.  

On my reading pile....

The Spirit of Python, by Jentezen Franklin

Daily Bible reading...  Ezekiel

On my TV..... 

reruns of Downton Abbey in preparation  for  season  4  beginning  early January
Hallmark Christmas movies

Blog Hopping

Heritage Schoolhouse
 Join Mrs. H.   for some  really  great  old-fashioned recipes and tips!

On my to do list....
Scrapbook Committee  work   for the Garden Club
facetime with the kids 
laundry

errands
Bible Study

Looking around the house....
 

 planning  for TURKEY DAY

From the camera:

On my prayer list..... 

Our family, parents, daughter ,  Little Birdie*, son-in law, 

Our church, and church family 

our nation, leaders, 

Israel and the Middle East 

Bible verse, Devotional  or  thoughtful  words: from Andrew Wommack

CHOOSE TO SERVE

In Romans chapter one, Paul calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ. Out of the six Greek words for "servant" used in the New Testament, Paul used one of the most slavish terms possible. The word used in this passage is "doulos" and comes from the root word "deo" which means "bind." Paul literally speaks of himself as a bondman or slave of Jesus Christ - a slave by free choice; yet owned and purchased by Jesus Christ.

The idea of being a love-slave by choice comes from Old Testament passages such as Exodus 21:2-6 and Deuteronomy 15:12-17. If an Israelite bought a Hebrew slave, he must set him free in the seventh year. However, if the slave loved his master and said, "I will not go away from thee," then a hole was to be bored through the lobe of his ear pronouncing him a bond-slave forever.

Jesus is the supreme example of selflessness - He puts others ahead of Himself.

We see clearly from Jesus' example, that the way to exaltation in God's kingdom comes through humility and servanthood to others. Christ's humiliation, displayed in His coming to earth as a man, is not only a lesson in Christology but also an example to all believers of what greatness in God's kingdom entails. Let this attitude of heart, taken from the example of Jesus Christ, continue to motivate all true believers in Jesus Christ.

The Creator became the creation; the Lord became the servant; the Highest became the lowest. All of this was done because of God's great love for us.

Happy Homemaker Monday

Visit Sandra here for more HHM!

The weather.....

Sunny, low fifties and    quite   colorful   autumn  colors  abound

Right now I am....

thinking about finishing up  so I can  go downstairs and prepare  the  house for receiving guests this evening to pray for the election

Thinking.... wishing that   these  exacerbated  allergies would clear up....   tired  of  the  coughing....

Looking forward to...
feeling better and being excited about  practicing for the Christmas  choir  production... it is hard to   be excited   when  I   am   singing on 1 cylinder  breath wise and  throat wise....  binding the enemy in this... he  desires to  hinder my  worship and   destroy my  ability to   sing with joy...  he  is a defeated foe and has no place in my  situation....   (  a bit of spiritual warfare, there)

On my reading pile....

The Spirit of Python, by Jentezen Franklin

Daily Bible reading...  Ezekiel

On my TV..... 

reruns of Downton Abbey in preparation  for  season  4  beginning  early January

Blog Hopping

Quill Cottage

Very  inspired offerings....

On my to do list....
Coffee time with my prayer Sista's
facetime with the kids (hopefully)
laundry

errands
Bible Study

Looking around the house....

Seeing my sweetheart doing the vacuuming for tonight..yayayayayaya

From the camera:

Skyscapes  are   God's   way of   revealing   His great  love, presence,  power  and  reality to me....  His holy fire  is  "seen"  in  autumn    sunsets.....

On my prayer list..... 

Our family, parents, daughter ,  Little Birdie*, son-in law, 

Our church, and church family 

our nation, leaders, 

Israel and the Middle East 

Bible verse, Devotional  or  thoughtful  words:

Acts 10:38

38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

I  love how   God  inspired the   Biblical writers  to   use  the  term, "Jesus of Nazareth"  to demonstrate  Jesus's humanity... even though  he shares in the trinity with  God  he  was also   fully man  and   by His   baptism in the spirit  he was  empowered  to go about doing good.   Because God was with Him...at his death on Calvary,  he clearly never expected his work on earth to   come to an end, but he commissioned his followers to continue  his same good works  by the power  and authority   he  gave us   when our spirits  were  united with   His....  that is  the  gospel being lived out  in the world  through the generations  where  his life and light is spread  throughout   the world!

Thirty Days of Gratitude ~ Day 3-4

John 15:7

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

  I am so grateful   for the  leaing of the Holy Spirit in my life....   How  he teaches and  directs  me   into all knowledge and   discernment....   how   very much  that  small one syllable word  really means  to our faith   and life in this world....it is  a powerful truth   but seems so  very difficult to appropriate  the  true  implementation of it  because of   the  griplock  of the world  on our spirit!Yet, we must  allow   God  to   have His way  with us  to  pour that  truth into us   so that  we will   finally  be  able to  stand in the face of adversity that is  surely coming    to the  church in the coming days...   that  deep abiding   whereby  we stand  with  faith   that  in God all things are possible!

Thirty Days of Gratitude ~Day 2

Ezra 3:11

With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord: “He is good; his love endures forever.”

God is so good to us....  I  am  extremely thankful for my   family....my  dearest  husband who   is the perfect complement to  our home....  

And  now that we are both retired and  can share in the  activities   we love with one another, life is so sweet!

I suppose there is something to the adage though that opposites attract for  we are   definitely   cut from opposing cloth..     but   what I lack  he supplies   and vice versa..  God  set   the plan for  our lives in motion  before we  were   even conceived...  even  the    long  years  of our  early marriage when we  couldnt   agree on   having children and  it seemed that   life was passing us by,,, it wasnt until   our mid thirties   that   by God's grace we  adopted   our  one and only   wonderful daughter....  God knew   who he had   prepared for us and  when, in his timing   it would all come to pass..  our daughter   continually blesses  us every day....just knowing  how   perfectly  God is working in her   life and  in her family..

And even though this photo was taken 2 years ago,  before the   arrival of our   lil Birdie,   God is so good  that  I am still experiencing 4 generations now in our family.  Mom  and Dad  are still with us at ages  90 and 95, respectively . 

And of course,God's dearest  expression of love to our family is   the arrival our   lil Birdie...

God's love endures forever!