Merry Christmas!

(Sherri, Santa and Me)

There were lots of plans for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but sickness was not in the plan.  It came anyway.  Boo!  We did our best to celebrate, but it was hard, knowing that half the family was feeling lousy.  I didn't take many pictures this year of the big day.  Here are a few from Christmas week.  Yes, I've adopted the lovely tradition of celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas, that begin on Christmas Day.  So, Christmas is still happening here...

"Only he who has experienced it can believe

what the love of Jesus Christ is."

Bernard of Clarivaux

I've imagined this table setting since I started that table runner months ago.  It is my first completed quilting project and it exceeded all my expectations.  I love it!

Decorating the tree at Micah's place.

Eggnog ice-cream from the leftover egg nog.

The Cookie Everyone Loves

It matters little what else I bake at Christmas, as long as we have these cookies.  Each year I ask my family, if they could only pick a couple of favorites, what would they be?  Sugar cookies and poppy seed bread always top the list.  Now there are other things we enjoy too.  Like chocolate chip peanut butter cup cookies, lemon, molasses, and spritz.  Kenzie and I like fudge with nuts.  I'm usually tempted by a new recipe or two.  Last year, the Cranberry Bliss Bars were a big hit and now I want to add them to the list.  This can become a problem, adding new recipes, while still trying to hold onto the tried and true favorites.  

Each year I say I won't bake as much as I did the last year, and then I do.  It's a hard habit to break.   

I hope I will get to every yummy thing on the list, but if not, I have sugar cookies in the freezer waiting for Christmas Eve.  This family favorite came from an old Betty Crocker cookbook, and the recipe is so good, I've never felt the need to search for another one.  

Once the dough is mixed, it needs to be refrigerated for a couple of hours. Forming the dough into a disc and covering with plastic wrap, makes it easier to roll out later.  I usually mix it up in the evening and then make the cookies the next day.   

I let the dough soften for about fifteen minutes before rolling.  Unpacking the cookie cutters and reminiscing about where they came from is part of the fun.  I have some that belonged to my grandmother, as well as a few brand new ones I picked up on vacation this year.  

Roll, cut and repeat.

I bake them for five to six minutes, watching really closely not to let them brown.  If you see brown edges, you've let them go too far.  They'll continue to set up as they cool.   After a couple of minutes, move them to a wire rack.  I do all the baking before I start decorating.  If I'm going to freeze them for later use, I do it now, before the glazing process.

To make a glaze, I sift confectioners sugar and mix it with water to a consistency for dipping.  I don't want it to be so thin it runs off, nor so thick it sits stubbornly on top.  It has to be just right...

  I dip the top of the cookie in the glaze,

and scrape the excess off on the side of the bowl.

You have to work fast to get the sprinkles on before the glaze begins to harden.  This is the messy part and of course the part that kids like the best.  In our family, we have those who like the flat sprinkles, some who like the colored sugar, and others who want them naked, with no frosting or sprinkles at all!  

 Once the frosting is dry, they're ready to plate and enjoy.  Or, give  away to lucky people!

Christmas Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

1/2 t. almond extract

2 1/2 cups unbleached plain flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. cream of tartar

Mix powdered sugar, butter, egg, vanilla and almond extract.  Mix in 

flour, baking soda and cream of tartar.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and

refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Let

dough soften a little and roll out onto floured surface.  Cut into shapes.

Bake 5- 8 minutes.

Our Favorite Christmas Books

"A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is

not a good children's story in the slightest."

C. S. Lewis 

Ever since my children were very small, I purchased a new Christmas book each year.  This has been one of my favorite holiday traditions.  There were years when I was younger and had more energy, when I wrapped all our books, so we could open one each night in December.  But more often than not, I just stacked them all in a big basket to be picked up by a reader whenever the mood would strike.  Over the past thirty years, I've built a nice library of beautiful books.  Unpacking the "book box" early in December is a delight that I look forward to every year.  Each book carries so many memories with it.  At times, I would encourage the kids to write some thoughts in the back of the book after they read a story.  Those words are family history and mean more to me than I ever imagined they would.  This is one tip that I would share with young families.  I wish we had done more of it.

This story was one of our favorites, and we read it each year before going to pick out our tree, sometimes carrying it along with us in the car to be read on the way to the farm.  A  number of years ago, I was involved with a Girls Camp at church and our theme was "May the Forest Be With You".  We had all kinds of fun "tree" related activities.  One evening we divided the girls into groups and had them rotate to different readers, who shared one of their favorite stories about trees.  I chose this book.  

Unfortunately, when I got home and began unloading all the camp stuff, I couldn't find the book anywhere.  I think an entire box was lost somewhere along the way, because our walkie talkies were never found either.  The walkie talkies were not a big loss for me, they could be replaced.  But the book, with years of journaling in the back, that's what made me the saddest.  I waited to see if it would surface, but after a few years, I gave up the search and bought another copy.  But, it's not the same without those childish scribbles.  

 And speaking of scribbles, our copy of The Night Before Christmas has a few.

Carl's Christmas tells a sweet story with no words.

This beautiful book, purchased in 1997, tells the story of a sad woodcarver whose heart is softened by a questioning child,  who spends time with him and watches him carve the holy family.  By Christmas Day his grief is lighter and he feels joy for the first time in years.   The illustrations are lovely.

This little book has been read aloud on many a family home evening prior to Christmas.  The little shepherd boy is the son of one of the shepherds who heard the angel choir and saw the newborn Christ.  On the 33rd anniversary of this event, he has an encounter with a man who changes his life.

Based on the true story of the Christmas Eve cease fire that took place in 1914, this book demonstrates the spirit of Christ beautifully, when for a brief time, the enemies stopped fighting one another and behaved as friends.  The book includes a CD, with the story being narrated by the author, as well as a beautiful version of Silent Night.  This is one of my more recent purchases and I love it. 

This has become one of my very favorites.  I cannot make it to the end without crying.  It's such a touching story about a young boys Christmas gift to his father.  Be sure and have the tissue close at hand. 

The Polar Express is the number one family favorite.   The cassette tape is a give away as to how long we've been reading and listening to this story. Every Christmas Eve the gift set comes out, and at the end we ring the bell to see if we are still among those who truly believe.  This tradition lives on, even with my adult kids.  Last year, Dillon and Jantzen read it to us, one reading, the other turning the pages.  Melts my heart just thinking about it.  

This is my book for 2014.  I didn't really know what a treasure it was when I ordered it.  I've been singing this Christmas carol for years without really understanding the back story.  The book includes a DVD with narration by the lovely Jane Seymour ( oh, that red dress!).  And that's not all.  There's dancing, live orchestra, handbells and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.   Oh man, this is a gem.

There are more, but I'll stop here.  I guess you can see how precious this collection is to me.  I would definitely run for this storage box in the event of a fire!  And, I haven't even touched on my favorite adult Christmas stories.  Maybe next year.   So, do you favorite Christmas books?  

Tucking Away Hope.. and Waiting

Each fall I buy bulbs to plant, envisioning lots of daffodils and tulips abloom the next spring, and then October and November come and go, while my bags of bulbs sit untouched.  I attribute my procrastination to the fact that I'm worn out from summer gardening.  It really doesn't take very long to plant bulbs.  I know this, and once I finally have them in the ground, I wonder why I have put off the task.

Well, this year I've followed my same pattern and it's the first week of December.  My bulbs were still sitting in the garage.  We've had a couple of beautiful, sunny, warm days and feeling a little rested from my garden chores, I actually had the desire to get outside and work in the dirt. There are some real advantages to living in the south.  I feel fairly certain that I would never have flowers in the spring if I lived further north.   I had good company as I worked.

It occurred to me while I was tucking those bulbs in the ground that maybe it's ok that I procrastinated after all, because this is the perfect Advent activity. Preparing, nurturing and waiting expectantly with hope are the steps for planting fall bulbs.  A lovely and intentional Advent involves the same things.   I've been preparing for this season by unpacking the Advent wreath with it's candles of purple, pink and white.  I've pulled my favorite reading material from the bookshelves.  I've clicked over to my Advent file on iTunes and have been listening to sacred music.  I've labored over the squares on my calendar, trying to decide which activities will help me "stay in the Christmas story".  Lots of preparing.

Each year I pray that Christmas will be different for me and those I love.  I pull ever so gently back from the frantic pace that seems to be the norm and try to move more intentionally through this wonderful season.  How can I nurture the feelings of good will to everyone that I feel right now?  Who needs a visit?  Who would benefit from an unexpected gift?  Who needs a phone call or card?  Who needs a hug or a plate of cookies, or both?  Who needs to be reminded that God loves them?  I have to remember as I seek to serve others, that taking care of myself is important too.  A walk through the woods, sitting quietly with a cup of cocoa, writing notes to friends, knitting by the fire, baking festive foods. These are the things that nurture my spirit and slow me down.

This first week of Advent has been full of beautiful and happy moments.  I delivered Advent calendars to some children I love, watching their eyes light up as I explained the process of reading a scripture each day and doing an activity to think about Jesus.  I've filled our house with the smell of spices, while baking tons of molasses cookies for sharing ( I exaggerate only slightly.), I spent a morning worshipping in the temple and some time visiting friends who were ill. I attended a concert where I heard Bach's Christmas oratorio performed, complete with harpsichord!  I listened to a book (thumbs up for Audible) about Saint Nicholas, planned some surprise gifting in his honor, and I planted fall bulbs.

The only decoration that I have pulled out so far, is my Advent wreath.  I've enjoyed looking at it every day and pondering.  Next week, I will add to this, perhaps unpacking fewer items than I have in Christmas' past.  Each year, it seems I need to do a little less.  Slowing down, enjoying the process and not just the end results, and pacing myself, are what I love most about observing Advent.  Baking, decorating, gift giving and celebrating doesn't have to be done in a hurried and rushed way, trying to quickly move to the next thing on the "to do" list.  I'm slowly learning this.  Real progress for this type A, sometimes overzealous girl.

Hopeful and expectant waiting, this is Advent.  A celebration that isn't just for remembering the Savior's birth, but also for celebrating his presence in my life now, while also looking forward to His glorious return.  This kind of waiting isn't passive.  It's actively engaging in the best that this season has to offer, while gently declining those things that pull me away from the true meaning of Christmas.

It's amazing the things you think about while on your knees, digging in the dirt, tucking away hope.

"Jesus stands at the door knocking.  In total reality, he comes in the form of the beggar,

of the dissolute human child in ragged clothes, asking for help.  He confronts you in

every person that you meet.  As long as there are people, Christ will walk the earth as

your neighbor, as the one through whom God calls you, speaks to you, makes

demands on you. That is the great seriousness and great blessedness of the Advent

message.  Christ is standing at the door; he lives in the form of a human being

among us.  Do you want to close the door or open it?"

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Starting My Second Gratitude Journal

Three years ago, I decided to start counting blessings.  Inspired by Ann and her book,  I bought this little journal in which to name them one by one.

In December of  2013, I jotted down # 3815 on the last page and closed the book.  I'm pretty excited that I actually completed this journal, all the way to the end!   I have a bad habit of starting journals and then getting bored with them before I finish.  But not this time.  This exercise of counting blessings has become a way of life for me, a good habit.

At the beginning of this year, I started writing in my second gratitude journal.  I've decided to start over with #1 and keep counting until I come to the last page.  A line or two a day is all it takes. And even though I like to set the goal of counting 1000 blessings, the number isn't what's important.  It just reminds me of how numerous my blessings really are.  There's something wonderful that happens when you make the time to record the things for which you're grateful.  Little things, big things, and everything in between are gifts and when you stop to write those down you begin to realize how much you are loved by God, who is the giver of all good gifts.  This is what has happened for me.  Even with the wonderful life that I have, I find that I often battle

discontent, and my gratitude journal is the best tool I've found for fighting against that.        

Keeping this journal has been like being on a never ending treasure hunt.

I feel as though I'm more observant of everything around me.  I take the time to notice the beauties of nature, something I didn't do so well before - always too busy!  Counting blessings slows me down and I like that.  It opens up my tunnel vision.   I'm paying more attention to people and relationships and appreciating even the smallest encounters.

I am reminded that even on the worst of days, life is still very good.  That's what my gratitude journal teaches me.  I'm thankful for that lesson!

 A Few of December's Blessings

- scooting around town in a new car that perfectly meets my needs

-a tearful conversation with a friend who "gets me"

- a completed project

- the smell of bacon sizzling in a pan

- making carrot cake and remembering my mom

- Christmas visiting

- cut out cookies and sprinkles

-reading Christmas stories

- the Holy Family carved in wood

- watching Jantzen climb the tree to get mistletoe for his mom

- the scent of pine

- lovingly unpacking each ornament, along with sweet memories

- gifts of warmth from Mark

- Christmas jammies

- watching the Nutcracker with Kenzie

- a clean house and clean dogs, on the same day!

- observing Advent and lighting candles

- a box of "cherry goodness" from a far away friend

- watching my Amaryllis grow

- going to the movies with friends

- hanging the stockings

-Christmas brunch with the kids

- primary children kneeling in front of a manger

-  new insights from Luke 2

- Christmas greetings pulled from the mailbox

- visits by the fireplace with people I love

- my annual gift of a Snowbaby ornament, in Micah's memory

"When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude." G.K. Chesterton