Little One and Little Two Tell All

As narrated by Little One:

     Nonna always has something up her sleeve. I usually try to go along with her plans. I have learned it makes life easier for everyone. 

     She picked me up one day last week and we went back to her house. I was all dressed up in my Christmas clothes. I have a whole series of outfits that Nonna bought on sale last year and I am dressing up in a different one every day. She is very happy when I wear them. She tells me over and over how cute I look. I agree. I think I do look pretty cute.

 Today we made Christmas cookies. It's a tradition. 

I had a lot of fun. Nonna is not one of those neat cooks. 

She always makes a big mess in the kitchen so she doesn't care if I make a big mess either. 

We had flour everywhere. Flour on our hands. Flour on our noses. Even flour on our toeses. 

Nonna laughed really loud when I said that. 

 I am really good at rolling out the dough. 

I put the flour on the rolling pin and roll it around and then I press it down real good with my hands. Then I pick out the cookie cutter I like and press press press it into the dough. 

Then Nonna has to figure out how to scrape it up and put it on the pan. 'She's pretty good at that. Then we shake the sprinkles. I really like that part. 

I shook the jar so hard I used up all the red sprinkles. Nonna just laughed.

I have my technique perfected at this point.

I'm also pretty good at posing, too!

Here is Nonna trying to help me get the dough off of the rolling pin. 

Oops, I guess I didn't use enough flour.

 Hurry up and take the picture, please. I need to get back to work.

We are finished with the cookies but I am making my very own doughballs.  

It's a very important job!

Nonna and I also decorated a gingerbread house. I love it. 

She said more gumdrops went into my tummy than on the house, but I'll never tell.

Now it's Little Two's turn

As narrated by Little Two:

     Nonna and Pappy have been talking about taking me to Cheekwood. They want me to see Santa and some live reindeer. I am not really sure about sitting with a stranger named Santa, but I am excited about seeing some reindeer. 

    Here we go. The reindeer are under this tent outside. They are named Comet and Vixen.

 Wow! I like the reindeer. They have big horns called antlers that look so heavy.

I really don't understand why they don't fall over.

 After we see the reindeer we go inside and stand in this line. I am getting a little nervous.

 I would rather go back outside and look at the reindeer again, but nobody is listening to me.

 I kept thinking, "No, no," but Mommy keeps telling me that everything will be okay. 

 I am not buying it.

 This Santa is one smart cookie. He lets me sit in Momma's lap. 

I really didn't know he was there.

 I am not too happy yet, but this lady is trying really really hard to get me to smile.

 I decide to help her out.

 Whew! Glad that is over. Now I get to go see the trains.

 I like the trains a lot more than Santa. A whole lot more. 

The trains and the reindeer are definitely my favorite things. 

Not Santa. I hope somebody got the message.

 Yep, it's been a long day.

 One last picture of me saying cheese and then I am off for a nap.

After all, a girl has to get her beauty sleep.

This is Little One and Little Two signing off. 

We would wish you a Merry Christmas, but I am

sure that you will be seeing us before then!

The Many Traditions of Christmas

     Among the traditions that our family has embraced for Christmas, the lighting of the Advent Wreath and the Christmas Eve Birthday Party for Jesus are two of my favorites. I never spent any money on either party, just used the simplest of decorations for each, yet both hold a certain poignancy of memory for me.
    As for the Advent Wreath, we adopted this tradition at home primarily because it was a tradition celebrated in our church. Each Sunday during the four weeks before Christ's birth we would light a candle during Sunday evening dinner and read a portion of the Christmas story from the book of Luke. We would have a candlelit dinner on those Sundays and it was always a special time.  I remember my children asking as their father read part of the story when they were little, "When is the baby getting borned?" "When does King Jesus get here?"
    I love that as the candles burned lower, the anticipation of the Holy Child's arrival was building. For my own Advent Wreath I always simply gathered pine boughs and holly from my yard and wreathed them around an old brass candle holder I had picked up at a garage sale. There were four white candles and either a fat candle for the middle or a single red candle in a candlestick in the center. Nothing fancy. Just what was on hand.

Source: flickr.com via Roberta on Pinterest

Source: abbey-roads.blogspot.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Source: sjarmerendejul.blogspot.com via Marta on Pinterest

Source: herz-allerliebst.de via Ashley on Pinterest

I love the simple white plate filled with fresh eucalyptus
and stacked with white candles....lovely!

Source: sinnenrausch.blogspot.com via Christina on Pinterest

Source: hegegreenall-scholtz.blogspot.com via Lisa on Pinterest

The mixed greenery used here is especially appealing.

And how appropriate that wooly lamb's ear is used to 

represent the Lamb of God.

Source: onefunmom.com via Katie on Pinterest

Here is a sweet baby proof design, imagination required!

Source: google.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

Our birthday Party for Jesus was also simple and always took place on Christmas Eve. The Husband would read the Christmas story in its entirety. The long awaited babe had finally arrived. There was usually a great sigh of relief. The final light in the Advent Wreath would be lit. Then the lights were all extinguished and the children waited in darkness while I scuttled into the kitchen to bring back the cupcake with the single candle, surrounded by unlit cupcakes back into the room. Each person would have a chance to blow out the single candle and talk about why he or she was thankful for Jesus. Then we would talk about the meaning of Emmanuel, God with us, and the fact that Christ is the Light shining into the darkness both in the world, and most importantly, into our hearts. My heart is warmed that my children are embracing this tradition with their own children. It's a tradition so simple and easy to execute, but one fraught with great meaning.
   Here are some additional ideas. There are a host of resources available for the celebration of Advent on Pinterest and other blogs. Don't get overwhelmed. Just keep it simple.

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I love Christmas, but what I love the most, is the truth behind Christmas: The King of Heaven coming to earth in the form of an infant, a child born to be the sacrifice and the atonement for the sins of the world. It is at once both a wonderful and terrible truth, is it not...Emmanuel, God With Us.

Celebration Time

    This was a November to remember. As Vanderbilt graduates and longstanding Commodore football fans, 2012 was a season to savor and remember. The crowning achievement was a decisive and memorable victory over the University of Tennessee. Even though we usually find ourselves a somewhat divided household when it comes to sports allegiances, this day it was all about Vandy. The Husband was in the stands the last time that Vanderbilt defeated UT, and it was 30 years ago. A long long time. I guess that it made it even sweeter. He got some great shots but here are a couple of my favorites from that magical day.

It has become a tradition to have our daughter-in-law Annie's family come up every other year to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. We've become one big extended happy family, and I look forward to getting the "cousins" together. There's nothing like four little girls to completely take over a playhouse!

The weather was mild enough for everyone to play outside.
I think you might spot a princess or two.
It's important to have a princess at Thanksgiving.

Middle son and his baby girl! 

The next day we all celebrated precious Little Two's second birthday! Her momma had designed the party around a "camping" theme. There were tiny Coleman lantern favors, glow stick necklaces, and a firepit for roasting marshmallows...well supervised by the daddies, of course!

She was telling her daddy that this was fire,
 and she was not allowed near it!

 Enjoying the homemade cake pops!

 Men love an excuse to have a fire...but it's perfect for s'mores!

Time for some girl talk in the yard 

 Little Three joined in on the celebration, but he decided to chill inside with Pappy!

Easy Christmas Foods to Make and Give

   The older I get the less time I want to spend laboring over a hot stove, so I have reduced my holiday cooking to a few good things that I can prepare very quickly, sometimes even while I am doing something else. Here are five favorite go-to gifts that are not too labor intensive!

Spicy Pecans
   There are endless variations of this dish and most are oh so easy. Thankfully, we no longer live in a day and time when we must shell and pick out the pecans ourselves. I grew up living in a pecan grove so I have certainly picked my share of pecans, and trust me, it is tedious work. Now I just hop over to the grocery store and find the freshest nuts available. To pick a good pecan, look for those that have not darkened in color (the oils in the pecan darken the flesh as it ages), are not brittle or shriveled and are still fragrant. If you follow these tips, you will pick good pecans every time!

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 Cup sugar (I cut it back slightly)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1-2 egg whites
2 cups pecan halves
Mix the dry ingredients together in a large ziplock bag. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. I sometimes add a shake or two of Tabasco sauce at this point, but this is my own variation of the recipe. Dump the 2 cups of pecans into the egg white and stir to make sure they are coated, then empty the pecans into the ziplock bag, seal and shake well! Your granddaughter can help you with the shaking part!

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with aluminum foil. Coat lightly with cooking spray. Spread the pecans out on the pan and bake for 20 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container. Wrap in a cellophane bag and tie with a ribbon!

Recipe can be easily doubled or tripled.

Pretzel Treats
Three easy variations for this.
Number One Tip: Go ahead and buy the waffle shaped pretzels which are called snaps. They seem to disappear quickly around the holidays so I pick up a bag or two whenever I can find them!

Ingredients:
1 pkg of waffle shaped pretzels
1 pkg of Hershey Hugs or Hershey Kisses (I buy the mixed bag)
Option 2:  Red and Green M&M's
Option 3: Rolo's

Unwrap the Hugs and/or Kisses. I do this one evening, and then store the unwrapped candy in a ziplock bag. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (who wants to clean up?!). Preheat oven to 350. Line your cookie sheet with the pretzels and then place a Hug or a Kiss on top of each one. Set your timer for TWO minutes. No longer. Cook the pretzels with the Hugs and Kisses for the requisite two minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press another waffle pretzel on top to make a little pretzel cookie sandwich. Let cool and then store in a ziplock bag.

Option 2: You may also choose to press a red or green M&M into the top instead of the pretzel. Then you have an open-face treat as opposed to a little sandwich! It's also a bit sweeter and less salty than the other version.

Option 3: The decadent version. Buy Rolo's. Upwrap them. Try not to eat too many. Place the Rolo on top of the waffle pretzel. Heat. Press an M&M or another pretzel on top. Gooey. Caramelly. (That's not a word, I know.) Yummy. Also more expensive, but definitely worth the extra cost.

Nuts and Bolts
This is an old recipe that I received nearly 40 years ago by way of The Husband's grandmother Mimi. I still have the original recipe in her lovely handwriting. There are many variations to this recipe, but I love the slow cooked buttery goodness of this one. It's the slow roasting and stirring that let the flavors penetrate the nuts and bolts and make it delicious. Try it, you'll like it.
Ingredients
4 cups of Cheerios (may use whole wheat, if preferred)
3 cups of Wheat Chex
3 cups of Rice Chex
3 cups of Corn Chex
2 1/2 cups of unsalted mixed nuts (preferably with cashews)
4 cups of skinny little pretzel sticks
4-6 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (no substitute)
1 Tbsp celery salt
1-2 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tsp onion powder

Melt butter, Worcestershire Sauce and spices together in a large roasting pan. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well coated. Bake at 200 degrees for 2 hours, stirring every 20-30 minutes.
Cool and package into airtight containers.

At my house, each person likes a different component and will dig through to pick it out. You won't find any cashews left after my husband has been around, while I prefer the Cheerios!

Fire 'n Ice Pickles
You don't really "pickle" these because they have already been pickled, but you are "dressing" them up in a little holiday finery that is the perfect combination of sweet and spicy.
Ingredients:
1/2 gallon of dill pickles (you don't need to buy the expensive name brand)
1 head of garlic, peeled and minced
2 lbs of white sugar
1 (2 ounce) bottle of Tabasco (must be this brand!)
Red pepper flakes
1 gallon jar

Drain your pickles and discard the juice.  Slice your pickles into substantial rounds (not too thin). Layer in the larger jar in following order: a layer of pickle slices, a layer of garlic, a couple of shakes of hot sauce, a blanket of sugar, flakes. Repeat until all used up.

Put the jar into the refrigerator and turn it over every day. Upside down. Then right side up. In about 5 days your amazing pickles will be crisp and ready to eat!

Reindeer Nutter Butters
Haven't made these yet, but I picked up a couple of packages of Nutter Butters at the grocery store this week, and I have the rest of the ingredients on hand so I think I am good to go! I am hoping you just use the icing (royal from Wilton is my easy choice) to get the pretzel ears to adhere. Then pipe the eyes and put a bit where you will stick the red nose (for Rudolph, of course!) I am betting that is black licorice for the mouth but I am going to use a bit of chocolate instead.

Source: mommysavers.com via Jo Ann on Pinterest

Happy Cooking, Happy Eating, and Happy Gifting. 'Tis the Season to do all three!

Here She Is Again...The Christmas Bride

    A friend of mine recently asked me if The Christmas Bride was coming back again!

    "Of course," I replied. 

    And here she is in all of her glory...

     One of our oldest family Christmas traditions was borne out of desperation rather than necessity as the age-old axiom asserts. In the early years of our marriage my husband and I argued incessantly over the annual purchase of the Christmas tree. It is not that the man was the incarnate Ebenezer Scrooge, but rather the one who tended to view life from an immensely practical side (I suppose ole Ebenezer did too). My husband's point of view was based on the fact that since we traveled 500 miles to spend Christmas with my family of origin every other year, the purchase of a Christmas tree for a house that would be vacant on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was totally superfluous. But I, who was raised by the Queen of Christmas Decor, knew otherwise. 

      It mattered little whether the house was occupied on the actual day of Christmas or Christmas Eve...the tree was an essential component of the festivity and celebration of the season. Yet my husband would not budge. Thus I was forced to badger, cajole, plead, and use every resource available to convince the recalcitrant man that a Christmas tree was a vital purchase EVERY single year.

     Once I had won this battle, I had little time to rest on my laurels before another problem arose. The tree was purchased and firmly ensconced in the living room but alas, there were very FEW LIGHTS and virtually NO ORNAMENTS. What was a girl to do? I was desperate. I had won the right to have the tree each year, but who wants a naked tree in the house...staring at you night after night waiting and begging to be dressed in some appropriate holiday finery. And I knew better than to go to my husband and ask for more money to purchase items that he already struggled to find necessary. And so in my desperation I prayed for inspiration and inspiration I found.

     The first year I popped popcorn, bought cranberries and made garlands galore until my thumbs were sore from the needles going in and out, in and out as I strung for hours on end. And when I realized the next year that I was in the same boat as before because used popcorn and cranberry garlands are only good for the birds... I prayed once again. On the hunt in our tiny apartment, I dug through an old trunk to find carefully preserved bows, ribbons and leftover tulle from our wedding. I also found a few bits -- a yard or two here and there-- of several laces that I had purchased to embellish a dress or two. Soon these ribbons and laces found their way onto the tree and over time have become the tradition in our home. Now there are ribbons from our daughter's wedding and some gorgeous antique lace given to me by a special friend over 20 years ago that have been added to the original collection.

      Each year these ribbons and bits of lace more than garnish our tree-- they serve as the tree's primary decoration and help to make each tree a object of beauty. 

    When my daughter was about six or seven, she was helping me drape the tree in its finery when she turned to me and said, "Look Mommy, our tree is a bride." 

     And I stepped back and squinted my eyes just so. And then I saw it. The tall green lady in her odd bits of lace and ribbon had suddenly become a very beautiful bride. And so it has been for the past thirty-five years that all our Christmas trees are brides. Each one different and each one beautiful in her own right. 

      I love it. 

     For me, it is another extension of the picture of Christ and his love for His people, the Church. We are His bride and He is the Bridegroom. And each year when we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate the mystery of the unlovely who become the lovely by the grace, mercy, incarnation, and sacrifice of God. And each year our tree stands in her bridal glory as a tangible reminder of that glorious and powerful love.

      And here is our tree in wedding finery, another reminder to me of the faithful love of God and the fact that despite the darkness that prevails in the hearts of men, Jesus is the Light of the World.