Friday's Fave Five

FFF is hosted by Suzanne!!!

It has been a while since I  was here and  I suppose it is  because  the month of December is so hectic. But, believe me, it is about to become quiet and contemplative. 

We celebrated the holidays with our only family back in  November when we drove up to Boston to spend a couple of weeks with our daughter's family! It was blissful!

We were so delighted to be there in time to go to  see our youngest granddaughter's  first main recital  playing the violin.  Oh, that brought back so many memories  of going to see our  daughter's performances.  She became so proficient she  became the Concert Master for the Youth symphony of our city!  Our dear little Vivi is well on her way!!! Praise the Lord, she loves it so much!

Our oldest  granddaughter loves to get  really dressed up,  so  she  told me she only had this yellow lei that  matched my Thanksgiving outfit,  so I was honored to where it  all day that day!!!  Besides,  I was perfectly at my leisure while  Amanda, (Daughter) and her hubby   presented a fabulous feast!!! I helped the girls set the table and Leila, our oldest, busily created beautiful  napkin folds for each person!  

Right before dinner,  the girls played a few duets  for our listening pleasure. I am so  thrilled that they both love music.!

Scrumptious!!

Before we knew it it was  Christmas..  three  days later..

So much fun  being together to enjoy the festivities!!!

The girls dressed in the Christmas dresses  looked  so  sweet.. Leila was deeply engrossed in putting her desk together with her new organization package  that included  everything possible for a budding almost Middle Schooler!!!  Her look seems to say, "please, dont bother me now.  I am  composing my new desk arrangement!!!" 

Viv was trying to  hide a look of,  "I think  I  figured out  what I am getting,. but I better not give it away too much!!!"

Baa Baa is just taking in everything, so he can remember  what fun we had 6 months from now!!!

Our  Christmas morning  tradition is  Cranberry Scones,   egg casserole and cranberry salad with oranges and spices.

I think outfits were changed  3 times  on Christmas Day..  but  by now we just wanted to rest and be comfy!!!

One of our last  ventures over our Christmas was to travel north  in Massachusetts to Sudbury,  the home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and  dine in the Wayside Inn! What a treat  and blessing!!

  So since our  marvelous time   up north    we have  enjoyed  Christmas pageants, and  getting our own home  ready for  the holiday!!!  We so very much were blessed this  past weekend by the visit of Vickie and Bill.  Vickie was my  best friend in elementary school and  we  have  been  dear  companions as able  ever since.  Everytime we do get together it is as if no time has passed.  We are still silly fourth graders!!!!

My ladies' prayer group is  still thriving.  We meet every two weeks to pray  for the  dire needs of  the nation and world, and  it is a lovely time to get together for fellowship prior to our prayer time..         So life  seems to be speeding past, and sometimes it seems hard to accomplish everything. So I am actually thrilled to have a quiet week planned next week. To revel in the glories of  Jesus' birth and    what it  truly means to be His child!!!  I will, also,  start  up my  new Christian Planner  that  helps  you create  your goals for the new year. Because I am now the  chairman of the  Bereavement Committee, we  set up meals for the bereaved following the funerals at our church.  So my new word of 2024 is Compassion.   I will have  all of next week to consider  that and  how I need to grow into  it more!!   Blessings to all and to all a Merry Christmas!

Christmas Scones!

 Dear  friends, I  had  a lot of interest in my cranberry scones from my last post so I found the recipe!

Cranberry Scones

Serves: approximately 13

 

Ingredients

·   3 cups all-purpose flour

·   ¼ cup granulated sugar

·   4 teaspoons baking powder

·   ½ teaspoon salt

·   ½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed

·   1 cup plus 3 tablespoons cold heavy whipping cream, divided

·   ¾ cup cranberries

·   2 tablespoons sanding sugar

Instructions

1.    Preheat oven to 375°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.    In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Use cold butter and using a pastry blender keeps butter cold  .. works better. 

3.    In a small bowl, stir together 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold cream.  Add to flour mixture, stirring with a fork just until a dough begins to form.  Add cranberries.  Working gently, bring mixture together with hands until a dough forms.

4.    Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead gently until smooth by patting dough and folding it in half 4 to 5 times. Try not to mess with the dough very much.  Bring together easily and lightly pat into a round about  ½ in high.

5.    Using a 2¼-inch fluted round cutter dipped in flour, cut scones from dough, rerolling scraps once. Place scones 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.

6.    Brush tops of scones with remaining 1 tablespoon cream, and sprinkle with sanding sugar.

7.    Bake until scones are golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

You can always add  some  chopped walnuts  , and orange zest into the  dry mix  after step 2   to  really  jazz  these up!!! 

I like to mix up a topping  made from mascarpone cheese.. like  cream cheese only better..  with    orange  marmalade  until a speadable consistency.  Very good  served on top of  the scones!

Tuesday 4 Merry Christmas

 

Sunday, December 17, 2023

Hosted by Annie!

Christmas

 Hi there. It's time for another of Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4...  

Christmas is next week...Let's talk a bit about it, okay?

1. Are you excited for Christmas to come?   I am always excited about Christmas, even though we celebrated  with our family during Thanksgiving. … it was our turn, so we have no gifts to unwrap, no fancy food  to prepare, and with my bursitis, I can’t see me inviting friends in for munchies, But as I am typing, we are sitting in our cosy den listening  to Andy Williams sing It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, and I have to agree.  I enjoy my memories of growing up, and long ago family gatherings.  I can see the laden table at Grannie’s and the  punch bowl all fluffy with Grandma’s  Boiled  Custard with nutmeg! I love the carols and Luke’s Christmas Story  as we sit by the fire and enjoy the lights in the room. Christmas is so rich with every blessing imaginable! 

2. What do you look forward to on Christmas?  I look forward to going to the Candle lighting ceremony at the Christmas  Eve Service.  Hopefully , I will be able to make a small batch of my Christmas sconces, my sausage / egg casserole, and a bit of cranberry fruit salad. That is certainly all I need,  to know we celebrated Christmas!

3. What will Christmas Eve find you doing?

Well, I suppose I should have waited til I read all the questions. But I will add, we love to leave our church service and drive around a bit enjoying the Christmas lights. We didn’t put up our tree this year, but we are quite festive here, too.

4. What will be on the menu for Christmas?    

These are my Christmas scones plus think on an egg sausage casserole, and cranberry salad!I make a yummy creamy concoction to spread on these made simply of mascarpone and orange marmalade!

Happy Homemaker Monday

  

Hosted by Sandra! 

    ♥ ♥ weather ♥ ♥

    Monday -cloudy, 46/30

    Tuesday - cloudy, 39/24

    Wednesday - mostly cloudy, 51/31

      Thursday -partly cloudy, 55/34

            Friday - partly cloudy, 53/35

        Saturday- partly cloudy,  53/37

       

       ♥♥ As I look outside my window ♥♥ 

Again, this Monday morning,, we are drenched after an extremely rainy Sunday! But the sun is shining brightly even as there is a whirlwind outside.

   ♥♥ Right now I am ♥♥

 I am watching one of my favorite  Hallmark movies while working on this post!

  ♥♥ Thinking and pondering ♥♥ 

On this past Saturday Lynn and I were blessed by some wonderful company.  Vickie was my best friend in elementary school. We walked to school together.. …9 blocks in wind, rain, and snow! And for most of the way there was no sidewalk.  But there were gullies and in our galoshes, we made the best of them.  We sat in school with wet socks.  Not great for the legs or feet!  We shared so many wonderful memories.  It was grand!

  ♥♥How am I feeling ♥♥

.   Speaking of legs, I am not in tip top shape.  I am suffering from bursitis of the hip. I returned from Boston a couple of weeks ago with an injured hip joint…..mainly from rising up from such low toilets.  The b&b we stayed in had the worst.  My problem was made worse in that during the night I go multiple times.  Being in the 70’s has a whole new set of life changes!  I’m not supposed to take Aleve anymore, but it helps with this pain so Lynn is bringing some home after his morning appt. Thankfully, I have an appt set up with the orthopedic the week after Christmas so it’s up to me to rest and try my best to keep this pain minimal.

   ♥♥ What am I Wearing♥♥

I’m in my wine colored gown, lying in bed resting my hip, watching A wish for Christmas.. lovely with Lacey Chabert and Paul Greene.  

♥♥ On the breakfast plate ♥♥

Lynn brought my coffee and yogurt to me on a tray before he left. What a sweetheart!

  ♥♥ On the dinner plate ♥♥

We have left over Chinese which is a great dinner as far as I’m concerned!

  ♥♥ On my reading pile ♥♥

     Zephaniah,, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, John

     

♥♥On my TV this week ♥ ♥ 

I love Christmas movies, except any that promote ungodly relationships. I also really enjoy vlogs on housekeeping, , travel, news channels, and several other items I run across!

♥♥ From the camera ♥ ♥

My sweet friend, Vickie, and her hubby, Bill.

♥♥ To Do List ♥ ♥

Correspondence

Decorate the House

Bible Reading and Study 

prayer meeting 

Dental appt.  

Plan a gathering of a few couples either this week or next

Drive about one evening enjoying the decorations

  ♥♥ Favorite Vlog ♥♥

This is a very nice, cosy Christmas tour of a home in New Hampshire! I follow Linda Smith every week! 

♥ ♥  A Good Word ♥ ♥

If you’d  like to spend some time just singing some carols!

Tuesday 4 Gifts

 

Gifts

Hosted  by Annie.

 Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4..

It's the giving season and people are shopping for presents for people they love.  Can we talk a bit about it?

1. Do you enjoy shopping for gifts at the holidays?  I do.   Why or why not?  I feel the great love I have for them when I am seeking a gift that I  know will make them very happy. But for some men in our family, I have no idea what to get them and so I always resort to gift cards which they like, but it isn’t any fun  for me!😜

2. Is the price of things putting a damper on buying this year? Well, I try not to worry about price.  If I know it is something someone I care about needs, I am blessed to be able to provide it. Lynn and don’t spend much on ourselves. We enjoy giving.

3. Do you shop online or in stores and why do you choose that way to shop?  We usually shop online these days, so much easier, and now we will probably do so to have them shipped to family, as we have decided we will not drive to Massachusetts again. We will probably take the train or fly. 

4. Which people do you find hard to select gifts for and what do you do when you just have no clue!The men, especially my son in law. He has a style that is very nice but I have no idea what he  buys. His wife doesn’t even try to buy for him, clothes wise.  We always get him a couple of gift cards. Boring!

Happy Homemaker Monday

                                          

Hosted by Sandra! 

    ♥ ♥ weather ♥ ♥

    Monday -cloudy, 42/36

    Tuesday - sunny, 50/26

    Wednesday - cloudy, 52/26

      Thursday -partly cloudy, 45/25

            Friday - partly cloudy, 52/26, 

        Saturday- partly cloudy,  54/30

       

       ♥♥ As I look outside my window ♥♥ 

We have had a very nasty, dreary, wet couple of days. Thankfully, the rain is gone, but it has turned much cooler. But I wouldn’t mind thinking about a white Christmas.  A bit of snow makes Christmas more nostalgic like the ones  we used to have when we’d go to grandma’s in the country and gather around a bonfire at night to go sleigh riding!

   ♥♥ Right now I am ♥♥

 I am working like mad trying to get this post finished so I can get busy on my desk clean up.  It’s like where did all this stuff come from. My drawers are full already so I really hope I can just fill a bag with it all and get rid of most of it.  Only problem is, it all looks important! Yikes!

   

  ♥♥ Thinking and pondering ♥♥ 

I am so looking forward to having Vickie and  Bill here Saturday.. we’ve been to their home in a nearby city a couple of times, and other than that we’ve met in between for lunch and just getting together. Vickie and I were best friends in elementary school.we reconnected at a school reunion about 20 years ago, but we were both working and didn’t really get together until about 19 years ago, but this the first time they are coming to our home.  Bill is an engineer and gifted home developer.Their home has had a major overhaul and is absolutely spectacular. I love our home but there is very little updating that we have accomplished….just the kitchen and bathroom, but they were mainly updated , nothing spectacular, so my only hope is to get the house spic and span and everything in its place .  I can tell you, that will be a job.  Right now things are pretty topsy turvy because I’ve been decorating and the boxes are still out and about. I need to clean and sort and get stuff back its place. My desk is atrocious and the sunroom needs quite an overhaul!  With bursitis,  

I pretty much dread it, but having company come is the very best way to get these pesky tasks done!

  ♥♥How am I feeling ♥♥

.Well the Bursitis still  plagues me.  It is difficult to get up from sitting, or walking upstairs is quite painful! But I’ve started using aspirin for pain.. It  helps more  than Tylenol . I’m not supposed to used NSAID’s, except for short periods of time.  But this definitely qualifies!

.    

   ♥♥ What am I Wearing♥♥

Today, we prayer sista’s  and best friends are treating  one of us, Dottie, to lunch at a lovely restaurant, which requires a bit of a dress up. I will be wearing black slacks and a beautiful rose colored tunic I ordered recently from J Jill.. I will try to take photo. The top is really very cute and stylish! I really want to get the kitchen done before I have to leave for this event!

♥♥ On the breakfast plate ♥ ♥

I am back to my coffee with creamer and fruited yogurt.  Thanks to my dear hubby!

  ♥♥ On the dinner plate ♥♥

Veggie plate.  I need to get more serious about my WW diet.  Tis  the season! 

  ♥♥ On my reading pile ♥

    Revelation, Zephaniah, Luke

     

♥♥On my TV this week ♥ ♥ 

 Always Hallmark Christmas movies.. I enjoy them so much.. 

I am. Copying some to watch  next week. Not much time to watch this week!

♥♥ From the camera ♥ ♥

♥♥ To Do List ♥ ♥

Do some clean up in the kitchen, bathrooms, den, and sunroom this week!

Plan our wonderful visit with my dearest school friend and her hubby over the weekend.. This will  be her first visit to our home.!

Decorate the House

Bible Study 

Attend a prayer meeting at a friend’s home

  ♥♥ Favorite Vlog ♥♥

I love Lost Forest.  A vlog set on a farm in Ireland hosted by a lovely young woman who shares her environs and her gorgeous jewelry making.

♥ ♥  A Good Word ♥ ♥

Amanda gave me a gift I absolutely love. A book by Ruth Chou Simons the fabulous author/ artist. Last year I had her Christian planner which I so enjoyed..  This year Amanda gave me 

Emmanuel: An Invitation to Prepare Him Room at Christmas and Always 

You might recognize her artwork .. she is the author of Beholding,  and Gracelaced.  Her artwork and illustrations are fabulous.  Her writing is sublime.  I highly recommend this book!