Reminiscing Christmas

I have had so much going on during Christmas I haven't even paused to post anything Christmas related. No matter how I try to slow down and simplify during this blessed season I always find myself in a flurry. Most of it is wonderfully, special happenings, but it can still get overwhelming.

In all of the celebration I don't ever want to forget what it is that I'm celebrating. Each year I when I think of the Christmas story my mother's heart goes to Mary. I can't imagine the tidal wave of emotions she must have went through. Her expectations surely must have been different than the way her life turned out. I also think of Joseph and the battle that must have risen in him whenever doubt plagued his mind. I think of those things each year.

This year, though, I couldn't get the shepherds out of my mind. How do you suppose their lives were changed after an angel encounter and hearing the perplexing truth that the Messiah was born in a stable. They actually witnessed the scene, and after it was all over, what then? Did they go away different? Did it change the course of their lives? Were they still alive when Jesus started His ministry thirty years later? I really wish I knew.

What of us? We read the story and sing the carols, but have we truly been changed by that long ago birth, life, death, and resurrection? Some people see it only as a sweet Christmas story, part of a tradition of Christmas. Oh, I hope it is more than that to you! It is the truth that rocked the world then, and it still does today. God's only Son sent to live a perfect life and willingly lay it down in order to pay the price for the sin of mankind. We owe Him everything!

The wonder of Christmas is that we can all be changed, made new, born again. So we can celebrate that all year long! Merry Christmas!

Satsuma Marmalade

Satsumas are one of my favorite fruits. If you haven't experienced this fabulous citrus fruit, I can't possibly explain the essence of all you are missing out on. They are easy to peel, with the perfect balance of tart and sweet. They are in abundance around here this time of year, and usually we simply eat them as they are until they are all gone.

Last year we juiced some and

froze the juice. This year my daughter decided to make marmalade out of them. I had been planning on making kumquat marmalade, but had honestly never thought of using satsumas for it. She called to say how great it turned out, and since a local farmer had just invited my husband and son to come and pick the rest of his crop before they froze I just happened to have plenty on hand, so I decided to try my hand at it.

My daughter came over and we decided to work together. It was a lot of fun. The whole process took quite a while. We worked on it practically half of the day, and we only got 8 half-pints, that's only 4 half-pints a piece. We really didn't mind that much. It was a new experience and we enjoyed doing it together.

I've never eaten a lot of marmalade, I mainly use it to baste grilled chicken, but after smelling it I had to have a sample on some toast. I don't know if it was all of the time put into it that made me biased or not, but I think it turned out really tasty!

While working with my daughter, we used her electric juicer. Angel Eyes, came in and asked why we didn't use the juicer on my Hoosier cabinet. It was a vintage model I picked up at a flea market, thinking it would go nicely on the antique cabinet. I had never planned to use it. She asked if she could try it out. I washed it up and let her have at it, and to tell the truth I liked using it better than the electric one.

Angel Eyes, fixed herself a couple of cups of juice, and offered to squeeze some for anyone else who wanted it.

The next day I decided to do another batch and used the old juicer for the entire recipe. It worked great. If you would like to try making a batch yourself, I'm including a link to the recipe here, at Pots and Pins, a food and quilting blog that I plan to peruse more closely after the holidays.

Christmas Parade

I thought I would share a few pictures of the kids in the local Christmas parade. That's Scooter between Mary and Joseph. Thumper is playing the part of baby Jesus, being held by her aunt, playing Mary. Angel Eyes rode a little farther back on the float, and threw a big wad of candy to her Mimi who later shared some of it with her.

Sweet Cheeks and Dino had a float of their own, shared by their Momma,

and pulled by their daddy. Why yes, that is a lawn mower, he's using to pull it. Did I ever tell you we live in a thriving metropolis? I didn't think so...good thing, huh?

And yes, there were other floats, bands, a dance team, horses, and other interesting things, but I knew what you were really interested in seeing were my grandkids, right?

I'm Not Going to Burst Her Bubble

This little six month old thinks she can read!

She looks at the picture, and then at the words, then she echos the sounds made as her great-grandmother reads to her.
Watching this was one of the funniest things I've seen. (She's checking to see if I'm watching her.)
I should have gotten out a video camera, but sometimes you just have to enjoy the moment and imprint the memory as best you can on your heart.
I am glad that I did at least get a few still shots to document a little bit.

Stocking in a Hurry

My daughter was decorating for Christmas and a birthday party for her husband while we chatted on the phone. She said, "Oh, no, I just realized I have 5 children and only 4 stockings. Oh, it's okay, I'll make one later." and we moved right along in our conversation. I was trying to bring some sort of order to my sewing room after pulling my Christmas decorations out of a dormer closet while we talked.

Not twenty minutes after our conversation I found a stocking I cut out several years ago. I think my plan was to make matching ones as the babies came along, but I only finished the first one, and apparently cut out the second one, and that was as far as it got. So I sewed it up added a ruffle from a scrap of lace, added a few buttons and some crocheted pieces a friend gave me in a bag of left over fabric from her mother, and here it is. (Try not to notice that the leg of the stocking is narrow and the foot must have been traced from Sasquatch. Hmm, maybe that's why I never finished it.) Okay, I see you laughing, but then I'm giggling a bit too. Maybe I should just start over.

Two Ingredient Magic

The longer I go without posting the harder it is for me to post. However, I found something post worthy last night. It is not my original idea, I've actually seen it more than once on other blogs, but just in case you've missed it I'm going to share a super simple recipe that entertains and taste good too. Actually, I'm not stealing anyone's thunder. I'm just going to give you a link and let you hop on over to Skip to My Lou and learn, like I did, how to make your own magic ice cream topping. Your kids will be impressed and you may even impress yourself. It just takes two ingredients and a microwave. How much easier does it get than that?