Priceless, Meaningful Gifts

This Christmas I received a very special Christmas gift from my dad. It wasn't something that cost a lot of money or came from the store. It was something so sweet, something that would mean something only to me. The gift was thoughtful and absolutely priceless. Inside this package were two recipe books filled with my Paternal Gramma's recipes as well as a few canning recipes. It means a lot because they were hers. Recipes she used in her home and they were all in her handwriting. My Gramma Charlotte passed away about 12 years ago. I miss her. She was my crafty Gramma. She would always be crocheting or sewing or painting something. She canned goodies and had a frugal knack about her. The end of her life was a sad one since she was unable to remember who we were. It's so hard to see someone you love like this. I remember the last Christmas we spent with her. She sat in a chair among the whole family...We were making memories and reminiscing the old memories. And there she sat...Not realizing who or where she was. But she was having a good time. That was the last day I saw her. I hope she felt loved. I am thankful that is the last memory I will have with her. It was a memory of her being happy. There is a really cool pin on Pinterest where you can print recipes on tea towels. I am going to do a few of them in her recipes. I think it would be a fun display in my kitchen.I'm even going to try my hand at some of her recipes in the books.

The second gift my dad sent me was a beautiful snow white hand crocheted tablecloth that belonged to his Gramma Kate. ( My Great Gramma) Also Gramma Charlotte's mom. This is something my dad acquired from my Gramma Charlotte's things when she passed away. He held onto it because he had some special memories with his Gramma. She crocheted this tablecloth many years ago. My dad remembers being with her as she worked on it. I never got to meet Great Gramma Kate, since she passed away from a broken heart after her husband died also during the time my dad was away in Vietnam. So, after holding onto this tablecloth for sometime, he decided to give it to me, knowing I would be the perfect recipient of such a beautiful treasure. He was right! I cried when I opened up. He shared the story behind it and asked if I would please keep it in the family, and wanted me to hand it down to my daughter someday. I am more than happy to do that. I am looking forward to putting it on my table in my home. So there you have it. Simple and sweet and thoughtful. These sorts of gifts are priceless. You just can't put a price tag on something like this.

They are things I will cherish close to my heart.

Making Candy Cane Syrup & Homemade Pancake Mix

I pulled together a couple homemade gifts from my kitchen for a few friends this year. There is nothing like a sweet, thoughtful homemade gift to give to a friend. Thought I would share the recipes for an easy, inexpensive gift. Most items you would probably already have on hand in your pantry.

For Candy Cane Syrup:

Combine 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water to a saucepan. Stir well and cook on medium heat. Add 6-8 broken pieces of candy cane to the sugar mixture until dissolved. It will turn a nice pink color. Stir frequently. Let it come to a boil for about 2-3 minutes and turn off heat allowing the syrup to cool in the pan. Once cooled, pour into a jar with lid for storage.

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I saved my glass maple syrup containers through the year to use for such things. Syrups are easy to make. You can make different flavors and give them to friends or family for any occasion. If you don't have a maple syrup container. A jar will do.

For Homemade Pancake Mix:

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.

4 cups all purpose flour

3 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar

Mix well together and store in a large mason jar. You can double this recipe to make more!

I made a card and wrote in the instructions to make them:

 Add fabric, twine, tag etc...to personalize the gift to the receiver. Use your clever quips and be creative! Have fun with it!

You can double or triple the recipe for making the pancakes here:

Add 1 cup of mix above

1 egg

1 cup of milk

1 tablespoon melted butter or oil

mix together well.

Preheat greased griddle on medium to high heat.

 pour 1/3 cup of the batter and cook until pancake bubbles on top,

 flip and cook 1-2 minutes more.

Enjoy pancakes with candy cane syrup for a nice

 Christmas breakfast treat.

Enjoy!!!!

Advent Progressive Dinner

We had a few years in the past enjoying the experience of a progression dinner when we lived in Southern California. The tradition was meaningful to our family and was on our list to share the wonderful experience with our church family /church plant this year. It was a lot of work and planning, but we pulled it off. I had a lot of help from a sweet family that has always been so willing to do stuff. It means a lot to have their sacrificial love for our little church. And so thankful they were willing to open up their home as one of the stops for the progression dinner.

(Hi Andrew!!!)

Freckles and I had a blast doing all the decoration at church. That is one of my favorite parts. I sure hope everyone enjoyed it as much as our family does. 

We hope to do this even every year...

Something our congregation can look forward to as Christmas approaches each year.

It was a blessing that we could share this with them. 

Christmas Jammies & The Christmas Stocking...

Christmas traditions are extra special. We have enjoyed many different little traditions in our family since our kids were little ones. And even though our son is grown and living on his own and our girl is still home...She may be a teenager, but she still loves the traditions. She looks forward to the special Christmas Jammie's she gets every year and The Stocking she gets to open when she wakes up Christmas Eve Morning. I love it too. I make or find the special jammie's that will be worn throughout the year before getting the new ones next Christmas. I usually give them their jammie's the night before Christmas Eve, so they can wear them to bed and when they wake...They have them on while opening up The Christmas Stocking

The Stocking is filled with particular items every year. It consists of:

Something to Read, something to eat, something to play with and something you need. I place The Stocking in their bedroom while they sleep. And when they wake on Christmas Eve...(even if no one else is awake or with them) They can open The Stocking and enjoy their goodies. It's a nice way to have a quiet morning, make breakfast while they are reading the book they have wanted so badly. The treat tides them over while they wait for Christmas Eve breakfast. The thing to play with can be a little toy or game or puzzle. That will also keep them amused for the morning. The something they need. I add in something like socks, or bubble bath...Just something they can use throughout the year.

This is a tradition I will hang onto for as long as I can. I am sending my son a stocking of his own via snail mail..Because your never too old to enjoy some Christmas fun! This year I let Freckles have her jammie's early...But...She will have to wait on The Stocking just a couple more days. 

Santa & His Elves Cocoa Party

I love having parties! 

We invited our neighbors kids over this morning for a little cocoa party to bring them

 Christmas cheer before Christmas Day. These kids are adorable!

 Freckles has been babysitting them for this last year. 

We wanted to make it a special time for them.

 We decorated the table all fancy with Santa mugs and elves

 (who were on there best behavior today)

 and wintery things.

 We added English Christmas Poppers and paper crowns..

.Snow donuts, cocoa, chocolate chips, sprinkles and marshmallows to top it off.

It was fun...Even though they only lasted an hour...

But it was a fun, festive hour.