All in All

All in all it was a very fine Chistmas.  We didn't get the blizzard like last year and for that, I am thankful.  My daughter got me up at seven in the morning, it was still dark but she just couldn't stand it anymore.  We had to drag the boy out of bed.  Since he's fourteen and a half, getting early is not as much fun as it once was on Christmas morning.

Last night, after my daughter went to bed, he just kept hanging around in the living room.  I finally got tired and took their stockings down and went to my room.  He followed his dad around and finally asked, 'is this about when Santa comes?  I want to see him!' My husband took him into our bedroom and sitting on my bed was Santa! She even had on a red hat!  He laughed and laughed and went to bed....if I'd have known it was that easy to get him to bed, I'd have done that years ago!

My in-laws came over this morning for our traditional breakfast.  It was relaxing to sit and just visit for a few hours.  They went off to pack for the trip they are leaving for in a few days.  We goofed off for several hours, playing with all the toys and picking up.  It's fun to see the kids play with the new things they get every year.  Now, it seems, that mostly it's electronics but that's the age they are now.

 When we sat down to eat our late lunch, it was baked ham with cherry sauce, twice-baked potato casserole and salad; we thanked God for allowing us to be together.  It was a quiet Christmas dinner at home.  We decided during the meal that after we'd cleaned up, we'd go into town to our church and help out a bit.  Some our church members host a Christmas dinner and give-a-way for those that need it in Claremore.  It's for people in our church who don't have a family close or those in the community that need a warm meal.  The church donates mostly kid stuff for people to 'shop' for after they eat. 

It does amaze me that there are needy within my community.  I tend to forget that not everyone has a warm home and as much 'stuff' as they can stuff into their surroundings.  It felt good to help out in the small way we did. 

All in all, it was a very good Christmas!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

I'm posting this a little early so I can be with my family this morning.  As you read this, I'm probably opening presents and getting the traditional family breakfast ready.  We sit the table with the fancy china, crystal glasses, candles, tablecloth and advent wreath the night before.  After we open presents, we sit down to a really good breakfast of sausage-cranberry quiche, cinnamon rolls, fresh fruit, coffee and orange juice. 

As we are waiting for the food to finish baking, my husband reads the Christmas story, the family lights our advent candles and we sing some Christmas songs.  We sit around and talk and talk.  It's a great time to remember why we are doing something so special on this day.  When the kids were little, we sang 'happy birthday, baby Jesus'.  Oftentimes, we had a special cake for dessert.  Now, we talk about how blessed we are and how much we take for granted.

I truly believe that within my lifetime I will see Christians in the United States being persecuted for our beliefs.  We are already beginning to see the tide turn from not being a Christian nation, even our president has said so.  This makes me very sad.  God has blessed this country for many years and yet we are not willing to even acknowledge His presence. 

For today, I will celebrate Christ's birth with my husband and children.  I will celebrate being able to openly worship the God I serve.  I am truly blessed.

Christmas Eve!

At last, it's finally here! Christmas Eve, that's when my daughter gets to open the present under our tree marked to her to open today!  She's so excited!  The truth is, she knows what it is and most people would think it was crazy!

You have to know the story......several years ago, some friends sent us a gift box with smoked sausage, cheese, mustard, crackers, etc.  You've all seen those gift boxes from Pepperidge Farms.  When I was a kid, my grandpa always got a big one from someone and he'd open it on Christmas Eve.  I loved all those little miniature food items.  Well, so does my daughter.  We ate it that year on Christmas Eve with soup I had made after we got home from the Christmas Eve service.

The next year, she asked Santa for one of the boxes with food in it.  Took me awhile to decipher that one!  But sure enough, there was one under the tree with her name on it a couple of days before Christmas.  The next year, her brother bought it for her and the last few years, I've purchased it for her to open up on Christmas Eve so we can eat it that night. 

Some years, we eat it at our house, some years at another family members but it's turned into a fun tradition that we all get to enjoy.  Sausage, cheese and crackers, who knew something so simple could bring so much excitement!

Cranberry-Sausage Quiche

Had this recipe for many, many years.  We've had it only for Christmas morning breakfast each year.  It's pretty, easy to make and tastes special on Christmas morning!

Christmas Morning Cranberry-Sausage Quiche

1 9 inch pie shell
1/2 lb sausage, mild or medium
1/2 C chopped onion
3/4 C dried cranberries
11/2 C monterry jack cheese, this can be a blend on mj and chedder
3 eggs, lightly beaten
11/2 C half and half
Preheat oven to 400F. Bake pie shell for 7 minutes. Don't prick the pie shell before cooking.  Reduce temp. to 375F.  Crumble and cook sausage and onion.  Drain.  stir in cranberries.  Sprinkle cheese on bottom of pie shell.  Top with sausage mixture.  combine eggs and half and half.  Pour over sausage mixture. Bake 40-45 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes.  You know it's done if you put a knife in the center and it comes out clean.

I bake the pie shell and make the sausage and eggs the day before.  I just put it all together Christmas morning and start baking.  Then we open presents!

Busy, busy, busy!

Christmas is coming! I am busy making and baking goodies for all the get-togethers that are coming in the next week.  I've made oodles of chocolate dipped pretzels for my kid's youth group party and my husband's work guys.  I've made chicken salad, salsa, brushetta and cheese logs for the ladies at my husband's work.  They are so good to him all year, letting him 'forget' to  bring things on eating days but still eat.  I try a couple of times a year to send a full lunch so he can stay in their good graces! I remember how the men at my work always were.  They never brought anything but were always the first in line to eat!

I'm making chocolate candy canes and baking cake mix cookies for the kids party on Wednesday.  There will be about one hundred kids and they will all need SUGAR!  I'm sure there will be enough sugar to get the entire town on a rush that will last a few hours!

Yesterday, I had the entire family sit down and decide what our Christmas breakfast and dinner would include.  Usually, everyone has their favorite dishes.  I tend to overcook so I decided to let everyone tell me what they wanted.  Green bean casserole - good bye.  Oven french toast - you're toast this year.  One by one, they deleted from the menu extra stuff I always made that they really didn't care for.

The menu for breakfast will be; cranberry-sausage quiche, homemade cinnamon rolls, fresh fruit, orange juice and coffee.  The dinner menu will be: baked ham with cherry sauce, twice-baked potatoes, mixed veggies, strawberry-feta-lettuce salad and hot rolls.  A lot less than I usually make but since the family chose the menu, I decided that we'd just make what we wanted.  Of course, they'll be several desserts including a cherry pie.  We always have to have a cherry pie for my son.  It won't be Christmas without a cherry pie!  And gingerbread men and women.....and fudge.....and toffee.....and coffee! 

My mouth is watering just thinking about it.  I've got to go roll out some more cheese logs!

Thinking of others......

We're in the process of coming up with little gifts for all the extra people in our lives.  The sunday school leaders, the piano teacher, the youth leaders who spend a little extra time helping my kids.  Now, we're not wealthy.  Most years, it's homemade gifts or little gifts I've picked up on sale over the year.  I've made soup mixes, bath salts, hot chocolate, homemade baked goods, etc. 

As someone who, over the years, has been the recipient of little gifts like these, I know how much they really mean to the person who gets them.  No, it doesn't have to be expensive.  But when someone actually spends a little money or a little time to make or purchase something with me in mind, it tells me that they noticed the things I did throughout the year.  I don't volunteer so I can get things back, I don't expect anything in return. That's what makes those little things even better.  It's nice to be noticed and thanked, even if it's just a card thanking me for my time. 

My challenge this season is to remember a person that maybe most people look over.  A person that isn't expecting anything as a gift.  Give them a little something, a baked good, a card thanking them, just something.  Something that lets them know you  noticed their service over the year.  You'll make their day!

Geez mom, everybody knows your organized.....

In the paper today, there was an article about not getting stressed over the holidays.  I laughingly commented that I hardly ever felt stressed over the holidays....maybe every other thing, but honestly, not the holidays.  He said one word as he ate his leftover stew we were eating for lunch, ' organized'.....I just about choked on my stew, 'organized?!' I asked?  'Mom, you are so organized.  You have it all down so none of us ever feel stressed about Christmas and stuff.  We know what we're going to do every day.'  'Like what?', I asked.  'You know, Sunday night is advent night. Each week, we take turns reading and lighting the candles. We put the outside decorations up the week before Thanksgiving but don't turn them on until after Thanksgiving.  You put the tree up and all the inside decorations after Thanksgiving.  You've already bought the gingerbread house and all the stuff that we'll bake.  I've already delivered all the baked goods to the neighbors.  The week we're out of school, we'll decorate the gingerbread men.  We'll have soup and bread after church on Christmas eve, usually nanny and poppy come over.  Christmas eve, you'll set the fancy table for Christmas breakfast and we'll have that yummy french toast.'  He took a long sip of his soup as he looked over at me, 'Geez mom, everybody knows you're organized.' 

I was speechless for a full minute.  How in the world had my son, who can't even seem to find his shoes anymore by himself, list all the stuff in order that I do each year? It dawned on me that it was because each year I do things in the same order.  I guess I am pretty organized!  And golly, he had actually noticed! 

Maybe there is hope for him afterall!  He recognizes that being organized keeps the stress away! I'm hoping that some of that extra planning may be sinking into that teenage brain so when the smoke clears in a few years around that brain of his, he'll come out thinking a little extra planning is a good thing! 

Decorating for Christmas!

We are in the major throws of decorating at my house.  The outside lights got put up a few weeks ago on a really warm week-end.  I informed the men of the house that since it was going to start getting cold, that we'd put them up on the warm week-end.  I lose serious interest when I have to bundle up to string lights.  My fingers get too cold to work! 

The tree is up and decorated in the living room but the other trees will get put up as the week progresses.  It's a busy week because on saturday, our church youth group is in the Christmas parade downtown.  Guess who offered decorations and help?  Oh yeah, it's me!  It will be fun!

Saturday is also the Christmas home tour in our town.  A bunch of girlfriends and I take the morning off and become peeping toms throughout Claremore!  It's always a good time of gabbing, lunch and usually, I feel very blessed by my own home when I return.  My house may not be the biggest or fanciest, but I truly love my house! 

Gotta go!  My daughter is hauling up the trees from the garage!