Thursday, November 30, 2006

Winter Wonderland

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening,
In the lane, snow is glistening
A beautiful sight,
We're happy tonight.
Walking in a winter wonderland.


Well, it wasn't exactly a winter wonderland but it was wonderful just the same! :0) It started snowing mid morning and continued until late into the afternoon.

Tree
Originally uploaded by pwinn.
Brrr...even my flowers look cold!

Flowers
Originally uploaded by pwinn.

We started out with little ice pellets but by afternoon big fluffy flakes were falling.

Velvet
Originally uploaded by pwinn.

Along with it being a "snow day" I declared it a "stay in pajamas and make crafts" day too. The kids got dressed to go outside, but I stayed in my sweatpants and t-shirt all day.

The first craft we made were Scrappy Fabric Ornaments. We used small styrofoam balls and 1 inch squares of fabric, cut with pinking shears. They *do not* have to be perfect squares.


Fabric
Originally uploaded by pwinn.


Place each square on the ball and push down into foam with a pointed object. Sharp pencils work well as do shish kabob skewers, which is what we used. The end result should be a crinkled up piece of fabric sticking out of a foam ball. Don't worry, the end result is pretty. ;0)

Benjamin is hard at work on his ornament.


Benjamin
Originally uploaded by pwinn.


Here is one partly finished. Tuck in the squares of fabric fairly close together.

Unfinished
Originally uploaded by pwinn.


We added a embroidery floss bow and loop mad onto Benjamin's ball and he found the perfect spot for it on the Christmas tree.


Ornament
Originally uploaded by pwinn.


Here is the one I finished, with a ribbon bow.


Ornament
Originally uploaded by pwinn.


The next craft we did was transform our Christmas cards from last year into "new" cards.

Cards
Originally uploaded by pwinn.


We cut out the pictures, glued them on a plain white card, then applied glitter all around the edges of the picture. We added little dots, swirls, etc. with a gold pen, along with Christmas verses and greetings.

Finished cards
Originally uploaded by pwinn.


We had such a fun time and I want to show you my favorite part of the day....

You really can make a snowman with only 1/2 an inch of snow! Grace made this little fellow and he is about 1 foot tall. :0)


Snowman
Originally uploaded by pwinn.


Thanks for letting me share our "snow day!"

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Snowflakes and Black Velvet


Snowman
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Tomorrow our high is going to be 38F. In Texas, that is considered cold! Also, when I read our weather forecast, it has little pictures of snowflakes. :0)

In Karen Andreola's book, "A Charlotte Mason Companion" she shares how to Catch a Fallen Snowflake. We have used her method for the past few years.

All you need to celebrate the first fluffy cold snowfall is a piece of black velvet (or any black fabric really). Keep it hidden for the big event. Put the fabric outdoors, long enough for it to become as cold as its surroundings. Once it is cold, you can use it as a "snow-catcher."

Snowflakes will stay frozen and retain their shape as they gently land on the cloth. With a magnifying glass - or even the unaided eye, you'll be able to get a clear look at all the crystals.

We have our sweaters and slippers ready to enjoy our cold day. Hot chocolate and Apple Butter Spice Cake are on the menu.


Cake
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Apple Butter Spice Cake

1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup apple butter (found in the jam section of your grocery store)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup wheat germ or quick oats
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray or grease one 9x13 inch pan.

2. In small bowl, prepare the topping by mixing together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and chopped pecans.

3. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

4. In bowl of standing mixer, blend together butter and sugar; add eggs and beat well. Add apple butter, vanilla, wheat germ or bran cereal. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with sour cream; mix well after each addition.

5. Pour 1/2 batter into pan, sprinkle 1/2 the topping over top. Pour remaining batter and top with remaining topping.

6. Bake for 40 minutes.

The best part about this cake is the brown sugar topping on top and in the middle!


Cake
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Recipe fromAllrecipes.com
Photo from Art.com



Stay warm and if you get any snow at your house send some down to Texas!

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

O Christmas Tree!

We began our evening with a little snack. Crackers and cheese, snack mix, "candy cane" Hershey kisses, and eggnog!

Snack
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



We used our Christmas dishes that I found at a yardsale a couple of years ago. Service for 8 for $8.00 total!

Dishes
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Even though Phillip is a major Pepsi fan, he was sweet enough to get me these Coke bears back in 1994. It looks like one of them has snuck off with a real bottle of my Coke! ;0)

Bears
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Time to decorate the tree! We used white lights, silver and red balls, candy canes and a variety of ornaments that we have collected. The kids pick out a new one every year.



Emily
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Grace
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Benjamin
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



This year, it was Emily's turn to put the star on the top. She needed a little help from Dad, 8 feet high is scary when you are only 7!

Star
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Ta-da!! All finished!

Tree
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



We put our nativity under the tree.

Nativity
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Here it is with the office lights off. We all love how it turned out!

Tree
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy leaves are so unchanging;
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy leaves are so unchanging;
Not only green when summer's here,
But also when 'tis cold and drear.
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy leaves are so unchanging!


Thanks for looking!

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Ready to Decorate

I can't begin to tell you how happy I am right now. Standing in our office is a real Christmas Tree. The year after Phillip and I got married (1995), we had a good friend that was extremely allergic to pine. So, we got an artificial tree which was a huge adjustment for me. I grew up in the country and was used to my Dad taking my siblings and I out into the back field and cutting one down.

So what led to this wonderful occasion? Something "killed" our fake tree last year. That little something was our cat, Fern. She was 12 weeks old at the time and practicially lived in our tree. She also chewed up every strand of lights by the time December was over!

It's hard to be too mad...look how cute she was!

Fern
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



I was quite happy to take advantage of the situation and told Phillip we would try a real one for just one year. ;0)

Here we are with our tree safely tied to our van roof. We have always had our tree in the livingroom, but this year we have it in the office-which has closing doors. No chewed wires this time.

Tree
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Grace
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



To help us get into the Christmas sprit we have plenty of Christmas music to listen to. We have been adding a few CD's to our collection every year. My favorites are Steven Curtis Chapman, Bryan Duncan, Evie, Michael Bolton (don't disown me, Tina Leigh!) and my very favorite, Mariah Carey. The Christmas season doesn't start until I hear her sing "O Holy Night!"

Music
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



I'm waiting for my favorite bloggers to share their decorating ideas so I can steal borrow them, but in the meantime I am looking for inspiration in old issues of Martha Stewart and Victoria Magazines.

Magazines
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Phillip has the next 3 days off so we will be busy decorating the tree, drinking lots of hot chocolate and hopefully sneaking in a trip to Michaels. :0)

Until then, here is a peek at what my livingroom looks right now....

Unpacking
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Boxes
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Thankfully, we have a few elves to help us out. ;0)

Emily
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Have a great Monday!

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Saturday, November 25, 2006

We have an appointment with winter and we are ready.
-- Gladys Taber

Friday, November 24, 2006

Our Thanksgiving

Are you all out shopping on this "Black Friday?" I am going to be staying far away from the malls today! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Our first guest arrived around noon. We all sat down to eat at 1:30am. There were 17 of us! Later in the evening we had dessert and played "Apples to Apples." Everyone left at 8:00pm and I washed dishes until 10:00pm. :0) We have lots of leftovers for our dinner tonight...and lunch tomorrow..and...Sunday dinner....ok...you get the idea!!

While I was in the kitchen, we had a bit of trouble in the livingroom. Hankies and tinkertoys are dangerous things! ;0)

holdup
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Grace, Emily and Benjamin weren't sure about sitting at another table but the mini cans of sprite helped.

Kidtable
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



My kitchen heated up quickly so I put my hair up for the day.

Kelli
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Our 20lb. turkey.

Turkey
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



The candles are lit....

Table
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



All the food is hot.

Food
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Is it over already?!

Leftovers
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



We waited for awhile to eat dessert. The bluebell ice cream is a dessert requirement here in Texas!

Dessert
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Phillip's mom made a lovely pumpkin and cream cheese roll and our friend Amanda made some awesome chocolate chip cookies. They disappeared very quickly!

Pumpkin
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Here is the recipe for our Orange Fluff.

Orange Fluff

2 boxes Americana tapioca pudding
1 small box orange jello
2 small cans mandarin oranges
1 large container of coolwhip
3 cups boiling water

1. Mix dry pudding and jello.
2. Add water and stir well.
3. Let sit 15 minutes, and stir well again.
4. Chill 2-4 hours until semi-set but not solid.
5. Stir in well drained oranges and coolwhip.
6. Cover and chill several hours or overnight.

Today I will be cleaning up some more and putting our fall decorations away until next year. Then, it's up into the attic for our Christmas things!

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

~Happy Thanksgiving!~

May this day fill your heart with contentment and peace.

Thanksgiving
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Happy Thanksgiving! I will be stuffing the turkey shortly, getting it into the oven, and then watching the Macy's parade. I want to thank all of you who come to visit me here every day. I never knew I would meet such wonderful friends when I started blogging this past January. Thank you so much for all your sweet comments, I really appreciate them! Whether you are celebrating Thanksgiving today or not, I hope your day is wonderful. I will be back this weekend with lots of pictures-maybe even of our Christmas tree. :0)

Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 106:1

Thanksgiving Preparations

I have all of my serving dishes washed and ready for tomorrow. I have been using my 3 tired plate for fall leaves that my sister sent me from up North.

Leaves
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Grace was in charge of the pumpkin pies. She did a great job crimping the piecrusts.

Grace
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Emily fills up her crust with cinnamon apples. Mmmm...

Emily
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Benjamin stirs up the orange fluff while Emily wonders if she'll get to sample a bit. :0)

Fluff
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



I had a very nice crimped crust on my apple pie but it FELL OFF in the oven, about 10 mintues into the cooking time. I have never had that happen before! LOL

Apple
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



My favorite, pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Here is the table, set and ready for tomorrow. We will attempt to squeeze 11 people in...I hope no one is claustrophobic!!

Table
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Thanks for looking!! I'm off to bed!

Baking Day


Pie
Originally uploaded by pwinn.



Our day will begin in the kitchen (and I'm sure end!) making pies and other things for tomorrow. I am baking one apple and two pumpkin pies. I also need to boil some eggs, cut up veggies and make a double batch of Dot's Yeast Rolls. The girls and Benjamin have their aprons on so I'm off to join them!

Thanksgiving Time

When all the leaves are off the boughs,
And nuts and apples gathered in,
And cornstalks waiting for the cows,
And pumpkins safe in barn and bin,
Then Mother says, "My children dear,
The fields are brown, and autumn flies;
Thanksgiving Day is very near,
And we must make thanksgiving pies!"

~Author Unknown.~