An Update on The List

Two and a half weeks into break,with one and a half weeks left, and this is where the list stands:

• Two paintings - One finished and delivered. The other is in progress
• Finishing one quilt - Really four or five hours of work left - still, we're making progress.
• One dress - just needs buttons and hemming
• One linoleum block - done
• Finishing one hat - done
• One pair of mittens - one down, one to go

I think I'll make it!  I'd like to make a bird feeder too - the weather did in my old one.  We'll see...

The Twelfth Day of Christmas

     Well, it's time to "wrap" up these Twelve Days of Christmas posts.  Let me end with some verses (you may have noticed some of them them at the beginning of previous posts) that briefly sum up the Good News of Christmas.

     "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1

     "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:3-5

     "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14

     "For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God." Romans 3:23

     

     "She gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and  laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn." Luke 2:7

     'Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."' John 14:6

     "And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him [Jesus], and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left." Luke 23:33

     "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Luke 24: 5-7

     "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world." John 4:14

    "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galations 2:20

     If you have any questions or want to know more, just leave a comment with your email - I won't post it.  I'd love to share with you.  I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

Other Twelve Days of Christmas bloggers:

• Rachel at The Purple Pretzel
• Sarah and Madeline at Flame in the Darkness

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas

Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Luke 24: 5-7

     It's 11:00 and I just realized that I had not yet posted.  Ordinarily I would have gone back to bed and just posted in the morning, but it's Christmas break and I really can stay up late (and yes, eleven is late - my brain usually shuts off at ten).  Here I am!

     Because it's after ten, and my brain isn't functioning properly, here is a quick link to an oyster stew recipe.  We used to have it for Christmas dinner, and are semi-resurrecting the tradition by having it for dinner tomorrow night.  With grandparents!  The recipe calls for a pound of fresh oysters, but, being land-locked, we use about 3 cans, and add some clam juice.  Enjoy!

'Tis the Tenth Day of Christmas

"And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him [Jesus], and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left." Luke 23:33

Seeing how close we are to Christmas, it's time to wrap presents!  Here are ten (count 'em - ten) ways to wrap your gifts:

Brown paper packages, tied up with string - either use brown craft paper (it actually comes in roles!), cut up a paper bag, or scavenge the paper used as a filler in packages.  Then, tie with ribbon, raffia, twine, or a strip of fabric.  You can use stamps to dress it up.

The funny papers - pretty self explanatory.  Just use the comics to wrap your present, and tie with a bright ribbon.

The rest of the newspaper - after all, words are popular these days.  Tie with ribbon, then put an over-the-top newspaper bow on top.

A map - top with a coordinating, solid color bow.

Fabric - This is especially nice for a person who likes to sew. Double up the fabric to maximize secrecy (and give them more to sew with).  Secure your wrapping with pins instead of tape, and please, stay away from the ugly fabrics.  You could top it with a cute little felt bow.

Disco - a little unusual. Well, very unusual.  I have never heard of this before, nor seen it done.  To be candid, I'm making this one up.  If you try it, tell me how it goes, and send a picture.  I may have a prize for you! Wrap the present in silver paper, then glue tiny, square mirrors (available at most craft stores) about 3/4 of an inch apart all over it.  A disco cube!  Groovy...

A silk scarf - place the present in the center of the scarf, then tie the four corners at the top to make a pseudo bow.  Go here for directions.

Layered tissue - wrap the present in layers of tissue paper.  Start off with a bright color, then use white tissue as the last layer.  Gently tie with strips of tissue paper.

For the accountant - print off tax forms on yellow, pink, or white paper, scribble in some numbers here and there, then wrap the gift (using lots of tape).  Top with a tax form bow.  Beth's roommate did this for her (they're both accounting majors), and it gave us all a good laugh.

The classic way - solid color or lightly striped paper, color coordinating ribbon, with a bow on top, done neatly.

Other Twelve Days of Christmas bloggers:

• Rachel at The Purple Pretzel
• Sarah and Madeline at Flame in the Darkness

On the Ninth Day of Christmas

'Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."' John 14:6

Christmas always makes me think about how much I have been given compared to how little people in other countries (or often, people in my own town) have.  While I may be disgruntled because I don't have this or that, these people are desperate for their basic needs, things to eat, a place to sleep.  I don't say this to guilt anyone into giving, but to remind you how much we have been given, that it was given to us out of love, and that when we share with those in need we show the love of Christ.  With that in mind, should you wish to make a donation this Christmas, here are several charities and organizations to consider

Compassion International - You can make a one time contribution, or sponsor a child, providing for their schooling and some of their basic needs as well as corresponding with them.

For His Glory Adoption Outreach - This organization supports Maison des Enfants de Dieu, a Christian orphanage in Haiti that is home to over 70 children, most of whom were either abandoned after the January earthquake or left by parents who could no longer care for them.  

National Right to Life - Fighting for the right to life of the everyone, but especially the unborn, elderly and disabled in America. 

Samaritan's Purse - Providing shelter, food, clean water, medicine, and other assistances to people around the globe.

Other Twelve Days of Christmas bloggers:

• Rachel at The Purple Pretzel
• Sarah and Madeline at Flame in the Darkness

P.S. I think it's time for a new header.  The marigolds have been gone from the garden a long time.

The Seventh and Eighth Days of Christmas

"She gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and  laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn." Luke 2:7

     Well, no post yesterday, because I was on the couch with a cold most of the day.  It's still here, but I feel more like writing today (and the post may be coherent - no guarantees of yesterday would have been like).

     Because America is full of people from so many different backgrounds and heritages, we get to enjoy Christmas foods from many other countries!  On my mom's side, my grandma is 100% Norwegian, and my Grandpa is 50%, so we have lots of traditional Scandinavian foods at Christmas.

• Lefse -  Lefse is essentially a very thin, large, tender potato tortilla.  It's usually eaten with butter and sugar, rolled up.  Here's a recipe - we cheat.  Traditionally, people cook potatoes and then rice them.  We use 7up and potato flakes but there's no difference in taste.  
• Rosettes - These are so good!  A hot iron (usually flower shaped) is dipped in a thin batter, then cooked in hot oil until crisp.  Then they're sprinkled with sugar!  Northern groceries often carry them around Christmas time.  
• Lutefisk - I'll spare you most of the details.  Lutefisk is lye-treated codfish that somehow does not kill you.  Actually, with enough butter, it's not that bad.  It has a texture that resembles jello, just tougher.  We try not to eat this, and have been successful the past decade or so.  I don't think anyone misses it.

Do you have any food traditions for Christmas?

Other Twelve Days of Christmas bloggers:

• Rachel at The Purple Pretzel
• Sarah and Madeline at Flame in the Darkness

'Tis the Sixth Day of Christmas

"For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God." Romans 3:23

     We're at the halfway point in these twelve days of Christmas.  I wish it would go slower - more singing, more outings, more time to really think about Christmas and Christ's incarnation.  About how he, very God! humbled himself to the point of coming in the form of a human, something he had created, to save humans who did not want him, mocked him, rebelled against him, yet desperately needed him.  That is Christmas.

~~~

     Yesterday we went to the candy store.  It's a small, very old fashioned place, where they make almost all of their own candies (not the jelly beans), and live in the apartment above.  Going to this candy store is a Christmas tradition for many people in our area.  If you ever visit, I'll take you there!  

     One of the lures of this particular store is their sugar plums.  The are thin, oddly shaped rounds, purple, sugar coated, resembling flattened grape gum drops.  Infinitely better!  We looked up a recipe for them online, and found that sugar plums are actually balls made of chopped dried fruit, nuts, and spices! 

     Perhaps you like real sugar plums.  I have not tried them, and do not plan to make them anytime soon, partly because I've had more than my share of sugar this past week.  However, don't let my hesitation stop you.  Should you decide that you would like to make sugar plums and be very Night-Before-Christmas-y, here is a recipe!

Please let me know how you like them.  Pretty please, with a sugar plum on top!

Other Twelve Days of Christmas bloggers:

• Rachel at The Purple Pretzel
• Sarah and Madeline at Flame in the Darkness

On the Fifth Day of Christmas!

A Christmas carol that is sung year round.

In Christ Alone

by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend

In Christ alone my hope is found

He is my light, my strength, my song

this cornerstone, this solid ground

firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace

when fears are stilled, when strivings cease

My comforter, my all in all

here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh

fullness of God in helpless Babe

This gift of love and righteousness

scorned by the ones He came to save

’Til on that cross as Jesus died

the wrath of God was satisfied

For ev’ry sin on Him was laid

here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain

then, bursting forth in glorious day

up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory

sin’s curse has lost its grip on me

for I am His and He is mine

bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death

this is the pow’r of Christ in me

from life’s first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny

No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man

can ever pluck me from His hand

’til He returns or calls me home

here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand

Other Twelve Days of Christmas bloggers:

• Rachel at The Purple Pretzel
• Sarah and Madeline at Flame in the Darkness

On the Fourth Day of Christmas

     John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

     Reading seems to be a part of Christmas at our house.  Almost all of our wish lists (especially Dad's) contain books.  The extra time we have during Christmas break can be used up by reading.  David, who specifically told us not to get him any books, because "they're boring", has been frantically searching the shelves for more R.M. Ballantyne adventures to devour.  Maybe it's the cold weather, I don't know.  Whatever it is, here are my four favorite Christmas books:

The Blue Carbuncle by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - a Sherlock Holmes Mystery

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski - One of my favorites

The Substitute Guest by Grace Livingston Hill - I don't like many of her books, but this one - I really do

The Mitten by Jan Brett - A Ukrainian Folktale

Do you have favorite Christmas books?

Other Twelve Days of Christmas bloggers:

• Rachel at The Purple Pretzel
• Sarah and Madeline at Flame in the Darkness

The Third Day of Christmas

 John 1:3-5 "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're enjoying these Christmas posts.  Today is number three.  Good books to give for several people types.

The Artist:  Art for God's Sake by Phillip Ryken, or Francis Schaeffer's Art and the Bible.

The Outdoor Enthusiast:  If young, a Jim Kjelgaard book (preferably A Nose for Trouble and/or its sequel) or Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransom. Another good one is The Birds Our Teachers by John Stott.

The Musician:  I am not one (sniff and sigh), but if I was, this is the book I would want. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Composition.  My friend Kate is a musician, and she says this book is very useful.  

The Historian: A Patriot's History of the United States.  I could go on and on about this book.  Balanced, honest, details (but not too many), timelines, connecting the dots and the reasons behind events.  Yes.

The Classical Person:  Any of the Penguin Classics. These clothbound books are gor-ge-ous. 

Other Twelve Days of Christmas bloggers:

• Rachel at The Purple Pretzel
• Sarah and Madeline at Flame in the Darkness

The Second Day of Christmas!

     There's just something about hand-made presents that makes them extra wonderful.  Maybe it's the time and thoughtfulness that goes into them, or the uniqueness, or the quality.  Whatever it is, handmade presents are so nice to give, so here are a few handmade ideas.

     Fabric Flowers from Simply Vintagegirl.  So, so pretty.  You can attach them to a barrette, headband, or broach pin to decorate the receiver's hair or coat.

     Toasties from A Friend to Knit With.  Basically, they are fingerless mittens that are knit in one piece.  If using double pointed needles is something that intimidates you but you'd like to try, these make a easy pattern to start off with.

    Zipper Pouch from Modern Quilt Love.  Could be filled with small surprises.  Like candy.  Or little plastic army men.

Other Twelve Days of Christmas bloggers:

• Rachel at The Purple Pretzel
• Sarah and Madeline at Flame in the Darkness

On the First Day of Christmas...

     John 1:1 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

  
      It is time to begin!  Each of these twelve days of Christmas, I and a few friends will be posting on Christmas topics - books to read, decorations to make, recipes, gifts to give, songs to sing, etc.  The number of ideas we post may or may not correspond to the day of Christmas, so no pressure to come up with 12 Christmas themed books!  If you decide that you'd like to join us, even if there are only a few "days of Christmas" left, please do!  The more the merrier.

Photo borrowed from SeaSpray.

     If you are going to decorate your house or room for Christmas with just one thing, let that thing be long strands if silver tinsel.  A package large enough to decorate an entire house (or one tree like the one above) costs only a dollar or two.   It can be as under or overstated as you like, and doesn't clash with color schemes.  If you use it heavily, it looks brilliantly festive and old fashioned, while if you put it on sparingly, it takes a more modern twist.  Just be sure to put on only a few strands at a time; any more and it will just look clumpy.  My grandma used to have her kids put the tinsel on their tree one strand at a time!

     We put a little bit on tinsel on our tree, and I put some on the plants in my room.  I don't really like a lot of decorations for Christmas (it looks too crowded, and most of the little figurines don't have any practical purpose), but tinsel dresses up everything without getting in the way.

Other Twelve Days of Christmas bloggers:

• Rachel at The Purple Pretzel
• Sarah and Madeline at Flame in the Darkness

A Neighborhood Brunch

     Today was the day!  My dear mother had ten ladies from our neighborhood to the house this morning for an evangelistic brunch.  Oh, so fun.  A lady from our church (who happens to also be a neighbor) shared about the birth of Christ, and how this Christmas is a time to "fear not," to forgive and be forgiven, and to rejoice in the hope that we have been given through Christ!

     One of the foods we served (well, several of them, actually), I had never had before. This one sounds extremely odd, but was really very good.

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts
     For 1 hour, marinate two drained cans of water chestnuts in 3/4 cup soy sauce, and 1/4 cup brown sugar or marmalade or jam or honey, or something else sweet. Wrap each chestnut in a half slice of bacon, and bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

     P.S.  Don't forget about the Twelve Days of Christmas! Everyone is welcome to participate - just leave a comment letting my know that you are doing it, and I'll link to your blog in each post, so that we can share each other's ideas.

Twelve Days of Christmas

     I've had this idea brewing for a little while now, and am going to start.  Each of the twelve days before Christmas, I'm going to post something Christmas-y.  One, two, three, four, etc. things each day, whether recipes, places to visit, Christmas books, gift ideas - you get the picture.  If you'd like to join me, leave a comment, and I'll link to your blog at the end of each post, so that we can share one another's Christmas ideas!

We'll start Monday the 13th and end on Friday the 24th.

Whole Wheat Biscuits

  
     Tender, flaky, and buttery aren't usually the adjectives that come to mind when I think about whole wheat biscuits.  I love whole wheat bread, but those little, round quick breads always come out of the oven like hardtack. Now, hardtack isn't bad as hardtack (at least it wasn't when I was 13 or 14 and in the throws of a Civil War obsession), but hardtack makes really lousy biscuits.

     The batch I made today was flaky, tender, and buttery.  I altered our usual Better Homes and Gardens recipe.

Whole Wheat Biscuits

     Mix together 4 cups whole wheat flour, 8 tsp plus a little baking powder, 4 tsp sugar, 1 tsp cream of tarter, and 1 tsp salt.  Cut in 1 cup chilled butter, cut into chunks.  It's very important that it's chilled.  Cut it in until the largest chunks of butter are the size of peas.  Make a well in the middle and pour in 1 1/3 cup milk. Stir the dough until it sticks together, then dump onto a floured surface, and need about 10-18 strokes.  Pat the into a round about 3/4" thick, cut into 12 wedges, and transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes, until the tops are brown.

There's really no need to butter these while they're warm. Enjoy!

That Kind of Day

Yesterday was a good day.  The main object of the family was to prepare the house for Christmas.

It was a gingerbread and sugar cookie kind of day.

Green tea and old books.

Beef stew and sweaters.

Snow and Christmas lights.

I liked it.  December is upon us.