Last Wednesday night, Brian & I went to a parade of lights at a local college campus. I tried to photograph them using the special night setting on my point & shoot, and this is what I got. Guess I needed a tripod! Nevertheless, this made an interesting picture!
Monday, December 24, 2007
Pondered in my Heart
I have been thinking upon the dramatic and amazing events that surrounded the humble birth of Christ. God reached down, in unbelievable fashion, and placed His one and only Son into our world. I marvel at the faithfulness of Joseph, who handled the shocking news that his betrothed was carrying the child of God with such dignity. I wonder at Mary, who, in the throes of teenage hormones, did not become overcome with histrionics at the unsettling changes thrust upon her. Rather, she eloquently praised the Lord, then quietly pondered His sovereign plan. What strikes me most about these two is their openness to God's work in their lives. In this season, when tradition almost eclipses what is really important, I find I need to pause and ponder. To quietly accept and embrace what the sovereign hand of God is offering to me. This hymn moved me today. I tremble before Almighty God, who loved me so much that He sent His one and only Son to be my Savior and King.
Have a blessed Christmas!
Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.
King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.
Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.
At His feet the six wingèd seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!
Words: Liturgy of St. James, 4th Century; translated from Greek to English by Gerard Moultrie, 1864. Music: Picardy, French carol melody; harmony from The English Hymnal, 1906, number 318
Have a blessed Christmas!
Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.
King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.
Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.
At His feet the six wingèd seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!
Words: Liturgy of St. James, 4th Century; translated from Greek to English by Gerard Moultrie, 1864. Music: Picardy, French carol melody; harmony from The English Hymnal, 1906, number 318
Thursday, December 20, 2007
This jewelry is amazing!
This jewelry is amazing! As in magical. As in elves and fairy dust. Michael Michaud's creations are the most delicate and breathtakingly realistic botanical jewelry designs I have ever seen. You can almost smell them! Please go take a look at the whole line. I love the mistletoe, juniper, firethorn, oak/acorn, leaves....oh heck, I love it all!h/t to Michelle at Scribbit
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Delicious No Calorie Cookies!
Yeah, right! I baked and baked last night, because I was going to participate in a cookie exchange today. I liked all 3 of the new recipes I tried, though one was a clear favorite. I thought I'd share the recipes with you...no calories included! All 3 of these recipes came from Better Homes & Gardens' 100 Days of Holidays email series. Incidentally, if you haven't already signed up for this email series, you should. They put it out every year and it includes tips for Halloween - New Years. They have recipes, decorations, gifts, etc. Really a great resource.
First up are Cran Crackle Bars (click for .pdf recipe) - sort of a trail mix in a bar. They're yummy, but not for denture-wearers (sorry, Dad!). They're also a little crumbly, so don't eat them in bed!
Next up are Cappuccino Love Bites. They're called Love Bites because they have Hershey's kisses, or hugs, on top. They're called Cappuccino Love Bites because they have instant coffee crystals in them. These are yummy, but if you don't like coffee, you won't like these. They have a fairly strong coffee taste...and they might keep you up all night!
And I've saved the best for last. These little beauties are White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread. The dough is absolutely DELICIOUS (and no raw eggs, so safe to eat!). It took all my will-power not to eat the whole bowl of dough! I will say that these were the most labor-intensive of the 3 recipes, but they're so yummy, it was worth it! They were a big hit at the cookie exchange, too. Try 'em, you'll like 'em!
First up are Cran Crackle Bars (click for .pdf recipe) - sort of a trail mix in a bar. They're yummy, but not for denture-wearers (sorry, Dad!). They're also a little crumbly, so don't eat them in bed!
Next up are Cappuccino Love Bites. They're called Love Bites because they have Hershey's kisses, or hugs, on top. They're called Cappuccino Love Bites because they have instant coffee crystals in them. These are yummy, but if you don't like coffee, you won't like these. They have a fairly strong coffee taste...and they might keep you up all night!
And I've saved the best for last. These little beauties are White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread. The dough is absolutely DELICIOUS (and no raw eggs, so safe to eat!). It took all my will-power not to eat the whole bowl of dough! I will say that these were the most labor-intensive of the 3 recipes, but they're so yummy, it was worth it! They were a big hit at the cookie exchange, too. Try 'em, you'll like 'em!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
You Won't Mind, Will You?
If I give you just a little more tour? I finally recharged my batteries and took a few more pictures of some of my favorite Christmas treasures!
Here are the Christmas bed linens I didn't have a picture of yesterday. Actually, we use that comforter all fall and winter, switching to a lightweight quilt the rest of the year. I just added Christmas pillows!
These are our Christmas dishes (the salad plates) on top of our wedding china. The Christmas dishes feature 4 different types of Christmas greenery.
A crystal trifle dish filled with vintage ornaments adds some sparkle to the coffee table. Most of these ornaments were picked up at yard sales for pennies. Some came from my husband's grandma.
A couple of carolers my mom painted for me, for my first apartment:
Mixed greenery and berries collected from roadsides and friends' yards deck our mantle and other spots about the house. Don't you love the radio antenna wire accent?
Here's a framed vintage Christmas card. I used pastels to color a background on art paper and applied fixative, then wrote the lyrics to "I'll Be Home for Christmas" with silver pen. Mounted the Christmas card on my "matte", then framed. Isn't that a sweet little cabin?
Finally, here a few cookie recipes waiting in my kitchen for my baking marathon tonight...we are having a cookie exchange tomorrow! We just finished remodeling our kitchen a few months ago, and I was so tickled last night to discover that I could use magnets on the backsplash to hold up my recipes as I mix them!
Thanks for coming back for more (you glutton, you!). Speaking of gluttons, I'll post my cookie exchange recipes after I've tested them. Stay tuned!
Here are the Christmas bed linens I didn't have a picture of yesterday. Actually, we use that comforter all fall and winter, switching to a lightweight quilt the rest of the year. I just added Christmas pillows!
These are our Christmas dishes (the salad plates) on top of our wedding china. The Christmas dishes feature 4 different types of Christmas greenery.
A crystal trifle dish filled with vintage ornaments adds some sparkle to the coffee table. Most of these ornaments were picked up at yard sales for pennies. Some came from my husband's grandma.
A couple of carolers my mom painted for me, for my first apartment:
Mixed greenery and berries collected from roadsides and friends' yards deck our mantle and other spots about the house. Don't you love the radio antenna wire accent?
Here's a framed vintage Christmas card. I used pastels to color a background on art paper and applied fixative, then wrote the lyrics to "I'll Be Home for Christmas" with silver pen. Mounted the Christmas card on my "matte", then framed. Isn't that a sweet little cabin?
Finally, here a few cookie recipes waiting in my kitchen for my baking marathon tonight...we are having a cookie exchange tomorrow! We just finished remodeling our kitchen a few months ago, and I was so tickled last night to discover that I could use magnets on the backsplash to hold up my recipes as I mix them!
Thanks for coming back for more (you glutton, you!). Speaking of gluttons, I'll post my cookie exchange recipes after I've tested them. Stay tuned!
Wooly Cuteness
From a $3 wool sweater I picked up at Goodwill I made 15 ornaments for office coworkers. I brought the sweater home and felted it by washing it in hot water and drying it on high heat.
Cut out simple shapes (hats, mittens, hearts, stockings, & trees)and stitched them together, then added a few vintage buttons and some hanging ribbon and voila! I'm keeping the heart and the tree. They make me feel all snuggly inside!
Monday, December 17, 2007
Oh There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays
Crackle....ssszzzz....pop.....The internet's a-buzzing today, thanks to Boomama's Christmas Tour of Homes. Everybody's doing it!
Here's where you're saying, "And if everybody were jumping in a lake, would you?" In a word, yes. WARNING: epic-length post to follow!
So, let's jump in the lake, shall we? Here are some highlights of our Christmas home (click on any photo for a larger picture):
In the post below, I shared our manger in the front yard, as well as a picture of the front of the house. We love the traditional look of the simple garlands and red bows. We also have a sled and a pair of skis (purchased at Canton), which hint at snowy Christmas traditions (something we rarely have here in Texas, though it did snow in my hometown on Christmas 2004 - for the first time in recorded history!).
Closer to the front door, you're welcomed by Tera the pig, in her holiday finery:
Then you're greeted with the scent of fresh pine at the door.
Come in, come in! Don't mind the dog bouncing at your knee! To your left is our dining room. The table has been set with our Christmas dishes (on top of our wedding china), and we'd love for you to pull up a chair! (I don't normally keep the table set, but I did it on a whim this year!) Brian's grandma's vintage cardboard village is featured atop the china cabinet. The reindeer on the table boasts vintage ornaments on his antlers.
Not hungry right now? That's ok...save your appetite for the Oreo Truffles I'll share at the end of this post! Shall I continue to show you around? Straight ahead is the living room.
Our Christmas tree is a giant this year. We normally buy a Fraser Fir (similar to a Noble, but less expensive), but this year, opted for the cheaper and more fragrant Douglas Fir. It is a gorgeous, lush, very aromatic tree, but it has wimpy branches! We've been collecting heavy mercury glass ornaments since we got married, and this tree just isn't "man" enough to hold them up! I guess we'll go back to the Fraser next year. Anyway, since our ornaments weren't showing up very well, I resorted to a lot of lightweight filler. Fresh holly clippings and gaudy jeweled berry picks, velvet ribbon pieces & bows. You'll notice the colored lights. That was a big issue the first year we were married. Brian grew up with colored lights, while my family chose white lights. Our first year, I decorated the tree with white lights, and Brian was very disappointed. Wanting to please my new husband, and knowing that this issue would return every year unless we reached a compromise, I stayed up half the night undecorating and redecorating our tree! The end result was something we were both pleased with. Our compromise involves wrapping white lights around the trunk...they add depth (though, again, you can't tell as well on the Douglas Fir), then wrapping colored lights around the branches. And honestly? I'm kinda glad to buck the white light trend. True, white lights are classy and timeless (we still use them outside), but colored lights are kind of magical. I think that's why kids love them so. Anywho, here's our living room tree:
See the red velvet stockings on the mantle? There's a matching tree skirt hiding under the tree. I sewed rhinestone initial ornaments to our stockings. We bought the stockings and tree skirt with a gift card after our wedding. We were married in November, so we received a lot of wedding-themed ornaments. They're a special part of our decorations on this formal tree. The stockings and tree skirt, as well as the romantic ornaments, influenced the red highlights on our tree. Speaking of romantic, that's (artificial) mistletoe hanging from the ceiling fan cord. Grab your hubby and lay one on him! Ahem....I think we'd better continue our tour!
Incidentally, while you're standing in my living room, take a look up at the nativity scene (in my header). I'm sure many of you are familiar with the Willow Tree by Demdaco nativity scene. We used to sell Willow Tree in our store. I love the simplicity of it. The "star" is one of several Moravian Star lanterns we used at our wedding reception. We just stuck white lights into it, as they last longer than a tea light!
Now, as we head back to the bedroom, take a look at our yummy fresh pine swag over the front door, and breathe deeply (unless you're allergic!).
OK...now, just down this hall...here's our bedroom. We have always had a "lodge tree" in our bedroom. It's a skinny artificial tree, and we light it with white and amber lights. We have made this more rustic, and it showcases ornaments from our honeymoon and other trips. It features pinecones, cabins, skis, snowflakes, and even a hiking boot! I've also tucked in vintage Christmas postcards with cabins. The bows on this tree are made from ribbon used in our wedding. This tree holds so many special memories!
Over our bed is a fresh pine swag (made with free clippings from Lowe's). The pine cones are from our store. We have a nearly identical set on our lodge tree that we bought on our honeymoon. I just this weekend added a sprig of fresh mistletoe, but I took the picture last week, so you'll just have to imagine it!
I normally put a few more Christmas touches up in our room, but I didn't get that far this year! Our bed is decked in Christmas finery, but the day I was taking pictures, it wasn't made up, and I didn't want to stop to make it pretty! Oh well! I also usually put up small trees in our guest room and craft room, but that didn't happen this year either. So....
Let's move on to the kitchen, shall we? Remember I said something about Oreo Truffles? Back through the Dining Room...forgot to show you Brian's Grandma's Christmas plates (Johnson Bros., and a hand-painted plate that I made for her several years ago). And the aluminum plate on the plate rail sits next to our first Christmas card of the season. I display all of our Christmas cards on the plate rail...love seeing them up there. Oh, and here's another peek at the vintage village!
In the kitchen, I've added several things since taking these pictures (and cleaned up a bit, I might add), but I'll show you what was there last week. I've tucked little Christmas treasures into my pie safe, and I've hung the stockings made for us by Brian's grandma. I love having a little kitchen tree...Oops! I forgot to turn on the lights! The kitchen tree has antique and modern cookie cutters and ceramic cookies. It puts me in the mood to do a little Christmas baking.
Well! You must be exhausted from this tour of my home...and my incessant chattering! Why don't you sit down now for some coffee and Oreo Truffles. This deliciously easy recipe was shared by a church friend, who for some inexplicable reason, calls them Pelican Balls. I prefer the more elegant title of Oreo Truffles! You must try these for yourself. But I warn you, you may only make them at Christmas. Oh, and maybe Valentine's. And your birthday. But that's all. If you make them any other time, you'll hate yourself for it. Because you will eat.the.whole.batch!
Oreo Truffles
1 pkg of regular Oreo cookies
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 pkg chocolate melting bark - I use Ghirardelli when I can find it.
Set out the cream cheese to soften. Crush the Oreo cookies to coffee ground consistency ( I usually crush them in the food processor, several at a time). Place the crushed Oreos in a bowl and add cream cheese. Use your hands to mix the Oreos and cream cheese until it is one large ball. Then shape into smaller balls of desired size (about 1"). Place them in the refrigerator until ready to coat with chocolate. Melt the chocolate bark as pkg directions suggest. Dip the Oreo balls into melted chocolate until coated then set on wax paper until hardened. Refrigerate.
Yummmmmmy. Hope you enjoy them.
Thanks for visiting our Christmas home. It's been a pleasure having you! Merry Christmas! And remember, Jesus is the reason for the season!
Here's where you're saying, "And if everybody were jumping in a lake, would you?" In a word, yes. WARNING: epic-length post to follow!
So, let's jump in the lake, shall we? Here are some highlights of our Christmas home (click on any photo for a larger picture):
In the post below, I shared our manger in the front yard, as well as a picture of the front of the house. We love the traditional look of the simple garlands and red bows. We also have a sled and a pair of skis (purchased at Canton), which hint at snowy Christmas traditions (something we rarely have here in Texas, though it did snow in my hometown on Christmas 2004 - for the first time in recorded history!).
Closer to the front door, you're welcomed by Tera the pig, in her holiday finery:
Then you're greeted with the scent of fresh pine at the door.
Come in, come in! Don't mind the dog bouncing at your knee! To your left is our dining room. The table has been set with our Christmas dishes (on top of our wedding china), and we'd love for you to pull up a chair! (I don't normally keep the table set, but I did it on a whim this year!) Brian's grandma's vintage cardboard village is featured atop the china cabinet. The reindeer on the table boasts vintage ornaments on his antlers.
Not hungry right now? That's ok...save your appetite for the Oreo Truffles I'll share at the end of this post! Shall I continue to show you around? Straight ahead is the living room.
Our Christmas tree is a giant this year. We normally buy a Fraser Fir (similar to a Noble, but less expensive), but this year, opted for the cheaper and more fragrant Douglas Fir. It is a gorgeous, lush, very aromatic tree, but it has wimpy branches! We've been collecting heavy mercury glass ornaments since we got married, and this tree just isn't "man" enough to hold them up! I guess we'll go back to the Fraser next year. Anyway, since our ornaments weren't showing up very well, I resorted to a lot of lightweight filler. Fresh holly clippings and gaudy jeweled berry picks, velvet ribbon pieces & bows. You'll notice the colored lights. That was a big issue the first year we were married. Brian grew up with colored lights, while my family chose white lights. Our first year, I decorated the tree with white lights, and Brian was very disappointed. Wanting to please my new husband, and knowing that this issue would return every year unless we reached a compromise, I stayed up half the night undecorating and redecorating our tree! The end result was something we were both pleased with. Our compromise involves wrapping white lights around the trunk...they add depth (though, again, you can't tell as well on the Douglas Fir), then wrapping colored lights around the branches. And honestly? I'm kinda glad to buck the white light trend. True, white lights are classy and timeless (we still use them outside), but colored lights are kind of magical. I think that's why kids love them so. Anywho, here's our living room tree:
See the red velvet stockings on the mantle? There's a matching tree skirt hiding under the tree. I sewed rhinestone initial ornaments to our stockings. We bought the stockings and tree skirt with a gift card after our wedding. We were married in November, so we received a lot of wedding-themed ornaments. They're a special part of our decorations on this formal tree. The stockings and tree skirt, as well as the romantic ornaments, influenced the red highlights on our tree. Speaking of romantic, that's (artificial) mistletoe hanging from the ceiling fan cord. Grab your hubby and lay one on him! Ahem....I think we'd better continue our tour!
Incidentally, while you're standing in my living room, take a look up at the nativity scene (in my header). I'm sure many of you are familiar with the Willow Tree by Demdaco nativity scene. We used to sell Willow Tree in our store. I love the simplicity of it. The "star" is one of several Moravian Star lanterns we used at our wedding reception. We just stuck white lights into it, as they last longer than a tea light!
Now, as we head back to the bedroom, take a look at our yummy fresh pine swag over the front door, and breathe deeply (unless you're allergic!).
OK...now, just down this hall...here's our bedroom. We have always had a "lodge tree" in our bedroom. It's a skinny artificial tree, and we light it with white and amber lights. We have made this more rustic, and it showcases ornaments from our honeymoon and other trips. It features pinecones, cabins, skis, snowflakes, and even a hiking boot! I've also tucked in vintage Christmas postcards with cabins. The bows on this tree are made from ribbon used in our wedding. This tree holds so many special memories!
Over our bed is a fresh pine swag (made with free clippings from Lowe's). The pine cones are from our store. We have a nearly identical set on our lodge tree that we bought on our honeymoon. I just this weekend added a sprig of fresh mistletoe, but I took the picture last week, so you'll just have to imagine it!
I normally put a few more Christmas touches up in our room, but I didn't get that far this year! Our bed is decked in Christmas finery, but the day I was taking pictures, it wasn't made up, and I didn't want to stop to make it pretty! Oh well! I also usually put up small trees in our guest room and craft room, but that didn't happen this year either. So....
Let's move on to the kitchen, shall we? Remember I said something about Oreo Truffles? Back through the Dining Room...forgot to show you Brian's Grandma's Christmas plates (Johnson Bros., and a hand-painted plate that I made for her several years ago). And the aluminum plate on the plate rail sits next to our first Christmas card of the season. I display all of our Christmas cards on the plate rail...love seeing them up there. Oh, and here's another peek at the vintage village!
In the kitchen, I've added several things since taking these pictures (and cleaned up a bit, I might add), but I'll show you what was there last week. I've tucked little Christmas treasures into my pie safe, and I've hung the stockings made for us by Brian's grandma. I love having a little kitchen tree...Oops! I forgot to turn on the lights! The kitchen tree has antique and modern cookie cutters and ceramic cookies. It puts me in the mood to do a little Christmas baking.
Well! You must be exhausted from this tour of my home...and my incessant chattering! Why don't you sit down now for some coffee and Oreo Truffles. This deliciously easy recipe was shared by a church friend, who for some inexplicable reason, calls them Pelican Balls. I prefer the more elegant title of Oreo Truffles! You must try these for yourself. But I warn you, you may only make them at Christmas. Oh, and maybe Valentine's. And your birthday. But that's all. If you make them any other time, you'll hate yourself for it. Because you will eat.the.whole.batch!
Oreo Truffles
1 pkg of regular Oreo cookies
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 pkg chocolate melting bark - I use Ghirardelli when I can find it.
Set out the cream cheese to soften. Crush the Oreo cookies to coffee ground consistency ( I usually crush them in the food processor, several at a time). Place the crushed Oreos in a bowl and add cream cheese. Use your hands to mix the Oreos and cream cheese until it is one large ball. Then shape into smaller balls of desired size (about 1"). Place them in the refrigerator until ready to coat with chocolate. Melt the chocolate bark as pkg directions suggest. Dip the Oreo balls into melted chocolate until coated then set on wax paper until hardened. Refrigerate.
Yummmmmmy. Hope you enjoy them.
Thanks for visiting our Christmas home. It's been a pleasure having you! Merry Christmas! And remember, Jesus is the reason for the season!
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