Not Monday, TUESday!

Three-day weekends sort of mess with my head.  By the time Tuesday rolls around, I don't even know what day it is anymore.  But... we managed to get everyone out the door this morning with the right day's schedule in mind.  I reminded our daughter that she only has go go through this morning process 6 more days!!!

We enjoyed a wonderful, traditional weekend with all of my immediate family, and extended out-of-town family-friends as well.  Cornhole and Hillbilly Golf are always set up, but most of all, we sit on the deck at my parents home talking and munching.  Beside all of the munching... great meals, too!

We look forward to, and treasure the time together.  This year, the weather was wonderful -- even though rain was in the forecast.  We managed to get away with just wind and lots of falling seeds-and-such from the trees.

Back at our house, the Poppies opened -- sort of a Memorial Day weekend tradition, as well.  Hope you had a wonderful weekend with the ones you love.  Enjoy this shortened week!

Thinking About Christmas Traditions

I remember, back in my school days, being asked to write about our family's Christmas traditions.  At the time, I was thinking of "traditions" as being big, ceremonial things that our family did year after year.  I kind of came up dry, and I think I hurt my mom's feelings when I told her I couldn't think of any traditions we had.  Truth is, I just wasn't getting an accurate picture of the word TRADITION.

Through the years, I've come to realize that a BIG part of my family's traditions revolves around food -- nothing that is particularly from our heritage in any way, but things that are just special-occasion favorites to us.  Some people plan a new menu each and every year to keep it interesting, but my family knows what we like, and what we like is cheese-ball and crackers, and sausage balls waiting as an appetizer when we arrive at Mom & Dad's.  We like our main course to be beef, and it wouldn't be Christmas without mashed potatoes!  As for dessert, Peppermint Patty Brownies are a favorite, and there are always frosted "cut-out" cookies.

I've also realized that one of the things I love about Christmas is bringing out all of the "old faithful" decorations.  Some people decorate in a different color scheme each year, but to me, a big part of our decorating is our "same old" tree with the mismatched lights and the family-made ornaments.  I can't imagine a tree with color coordinated balls, or something that "matched" our decor.  For me, decorating for Christmas has almost nothing to do with home decor, and everything to do with memories.

It took me a long time to realize our most precious traditions, and to bring the things I love into clearer focus.

What are your favorite Christmas traditions?  Do some of them revolve around FOOD?

Do you have a favorite ornament that you can't wait to hang each year?

Is familiarity important to you around the holidays, or do you like all-things-new?

Thanksgiving on Sunday ~ The Best Thing We Ever Did

We found out early last week that our son would have to work on Thanksgiving Day.  Two jobs, spanning the day from 7AM to 10PM.  Boo.  The retail world is not my favorite thing right now.

But, I learned a long time ago [from my mom] to make the best of things.  You know -- the "when life gives you lemons" principle?  Besides, Thanksgiving is more of a state of mind that a specific DAY.

So, when my frustrated son texted me to give me the Thanksgiving news, I shot back, "I'm sorry. Maybe we can do a turkey just for us on another day.  Keep your chin up. xo"

I didn't know what day that might be, but I was determined to fulfill what I had meant as a promise.

When he came home on Saturday evening and said that he didn't have to work at all on Sunday, my brain starting weighing the options.  By Sunday after church, it hit me that TODAY WAS THE DAY.  Because of the combination of my hubby's and my son's work schedules, the only time we could all do this together was... SUNDAY.

We talked about it on the ride home from church, and after verifying all of our son's favs, we stopped at the grocery store, and stocked up for our evening meal.  After a quick lunch of leftovers, I got started.  I was on a mission, so everyone sort of left me alone.

I decided that I could make this feel like "flying by the seat of our pants," or I could make it feel like Thanksgiving.  I chose the latter.  At our house, that means a tablecloth and runner, good china, good silverware, the beautiful crystal glasses that we got as a wedding gift, and of course -- most of the standard Thanksgiving fare.

And, I am happy to say that I pulled it off.  It wasn't much by some people's standards, but... I was only looking to put a smile on my son's face.  It was a great meal, and we enjoyed it SO MUCH that we had to save the pie to put in lunches the next day!!

Thanksgiving Day will still come along tomorrow, and we won't be together -- but I've got a couple tricks up my sleeve.  I hope that the memories of our Thanksgiving on Sunday will come to mind throughout my son's workday.

I just baked our family-favorite coffee cake for breakfast.  Our son usually eats on-the-run in the morning, and this will be a special treat for him, as will the Cinnamon Applesauce salad -- a Thanksgiving tradition that I can put in his lunch tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends.  I hope you will make the best of whatever circumstances life throws at you tomorrow.

Make lemonade!

Tradition, and... GRAVITAS

"I like tradition at Christmas,

the over and over of things gives the years gravitas..."

~Susan Branch

Yes, I confess... I looked up the word "gravitas" -- not a word I was familiar with.  I'm so glad I did, because it made me love this quote from Susan even more.

I can recall a time, back in my school days, being asked to write about our family's Christmas traditions.  I was stuck.  As a kid, I didn't really think about us as having traditions.  Our family just did the same things over and over again each holiday season.  Nothing too special, I thought.  Afterall, didn't everyone "do Christmas" as we did?  Oh, the naiveté of a child!

What I didn't realize at the time was that those things that we did over and over again year after year gave OUR Christmas a certain pageantry.  At our house, we always knew how Christmas "went."  We didn't have to wonder.  Truth is, we still don't.  Though we've adapted to various situations through the years, my parents still count on doing things much the same way.  While we don't take ourselves too seriously (as the term "gravitas" may suggest), we DO enjoy knowing what to count on year after year.

TRADITION::  Bringing out a favorite Christmas afghan made by my Great Aunt

When I was a tween, my family moved from Buffalo, New York to Ohio -- and Christmas changed.  Christmas (and every other holiday) was now spent traveling back and forth across the miles to spend time with extended family.  After many years, we had the chance to wake up in our own beds Christmas morning, and we realized -- the travel HAD BEEN our tradition! -- and we missed it like crazy.

Sometimes when we're LIVING the tradition,

we don't even realize it IS one...

TRADITION::  a favorite homemade gift from a friend ~ Biscotti!

Traditions can just be the carrying on of the daily daily-ness in specific circumstances (like a holiday) -- or as Susan might say, the over and over of things that gives the years... dignity, seriousness, or solemnity of manner.

What's your favorite Christmas tradition?

Traditions: The Tree Topper

When we were newly married, and shopping for our first Christmas, I found a sweet little angel made out of a lace-bordered handkerchief, and dreamed of making her into a tree-topper.  Someone along the way suggested using starch on her skirt, allowing her to sit upright on the top of the tree.  Well, that's what I did, and she sat atop our tree for many years.  But she was rather "country," and after many years, she seemed dated, and wasn't the look I was going for any longer.

I decided to shop for a "real" tree-topper -- you know? -- a traditional ANGEL or STAR.  Oh, I couldn't wait to find the right one.  I did eventually find a star I liked-but-not-loved -- and brought it home only to find out that it was WAY too heavy, and would in no way stand upright at the top of our skinny tree.

In desperation, we threw a plush santa hat to the top.  The bulb on the top branch shone through the fabric, causing it to look rather lovely in its glowing scarlet-ness.  But... it bothered me that anything "santa" was at the top of our tree.  Our kids were older, and I had chosen to remove most santa items from our Christmas decor.  (Call it personal preference.  No judgement on those who use Santa's image!!)

There the hat stayed for that entire season.  And the next.  And we grew to love it.  I GREW to realize that I was placing much too much importance on what graced the top of our tree.  The hat has no significance.  It is merely a decoration, and now... a TRADITION.  Our daughter couldn't wait to see it at the top of the tree this year!

Turns out it was exactly the look we were going for.  *wink

P.S.  If you like those cute little baby picture ornaments, you can find out more about them HERE.

Traditions: The Cookies

It has been the tradition the past few years for the grand-kids to help Grandma (my mom) decorate her Christmas cookies on the Second Sunday of December, after our lunch together.  Then, she freezes them for the BIG DAY.

Grandma has the cookies made in advance, and provides frosting and sprinkles for the kids to use for decorating.  Sometimes they are so wrapped up in their work that a call from Aunt Sal to "look up" for pictures surprises them...

On Christmas Day, we all enjoy Christmas Dinner at Grandma & Grandpa's.  In addition to the decorated sugar cookies, we usually enjoy birthday cake (or cupcakes) for Jesus, peppermint ice cream, and Peppermint Patty Brownies.  There aren't usually any "new" additions, as we are a family that knows what we like!

We were loving this new RED frosting that Grandma found this year.  It's much more festive than the PINK that we usually get with a few shots of red food coloring.

What is your family's favorite Christmas cookie?

The Day After...

If you follow MY PHOTO BLOG, you've no doubt already seen my Thanksgiving photos.  People really did show up to grace that table.  I was really happy with the way it all came together -- thus all the photos, but... it was really just a representation of all that is beautiful and lovely in my life.

Those "grateful lists" that I've been making for October and November seem almost trivial now that I have had two days surrounded by those I love.  Not trivial as in I didn't really mean it.  Trivial in the sense that there's nothing like literally sitting in the the midst of and basking in the glow of everything that is good in your life. This Thanksgiving really seemed to be that.  Just stopping mid-bite and realizing that this life, these people are what it's all about for me.  Thanksgiving Day has a way of making all the stuff  fade into the background, showcasing the important... the "things" you truly could not do without.

Today?  Today is all about sleeping in.  No "Black Friday" for us.  Probably a crock pot full of chili.  Our "day after" has always been more about recovery(so to speak) than kicking off Christmas with a bang.  Christmas comes slowly around here.  That's not to say that I won't start bringing some decorations out from their resting places today -- but... no expectations, you know?  The tree waits until the first weekend in December.  That's just how we roll.

In recent years, we have learned to do what works for us rather than trying to keep up with anyone named Jones -- and most of all, to do what we do with GREAT JOY!

I hope that wherever this day finds you, that you are also living with GREAT JOY.  'Tis the season!

Survey Says...

The other day as I was perusing Pinterest, I came across some Easter eggs painted with chalkboard paint.  A cute project for sure -- especially for a mom with young children who just can't seem to decide how to decorate their eggs.  Can you say "wipe off and re-do?"

However, I became increasingly alarmed to think that anyone would crack these eggs open to eat them. HELLO!  NOT food safe!  I posed a question in the comments, and the blogger assured me that NO, these were not for eating -- only for decoration!  Then she asked (surprised), "Do you eat your Easter eggs?"  It struck me funny because, yes -- we totally eat our Easter eggs, and also -- I've never entertained the possibility of people NOT eating their Easter eggs.

We do get steeped in family traditions, don't we?

At our house, if we decorate eggs, we DYE them with the old original food-safe Paas kits... sometimes writing on them with a white crayon first to leave a design or a message.  My mom, on the other hand, likes to use these plastic sleeves that shrink to the egg in hot water.  They peel right off, so the eggs are completely edible.  Both techniques were used by my gram before me, as well.  {You can read a little history of Paas HERE.  They've been around forEVer!}

As kids, we always received decorated Easter eggs in our Easter baskets, and they were always served with Easter dinner as well.  The following week, egg-salad was often made up from the extra eggs.  These days (with people much more aware of food safety temperatures and such), we don't put eggs in baskets, but they are still served with Easter dinner!  Egg salad isn't such a hit around our house, but nobody complains about eating the leftover eggs during the week.  There's never a problem getting rid of them!

So, yes -- onto the survey!

So, here are my questions for you:

1. Do you color or decorate Easter eggs?
2. Do you have a traditional technique like Paas, or do you try new things each year?
3. And most importantly: DO YOU EAT YOUR EGGS, or do they strictly serve as decoration?

Please tell me.  I'm dyeing to know!  *wink

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And Away We Go!

We were blessed to have both of our kids at home this year for New Year's Eve.  I am well aware that these opportunities are fleeting, and so we kept our traditions going...

I prepared some of our favorite appetizers, and we pulled them out to enjoy while we watched rented movies, and late into the evening while we waited to ring in the new year.  This year, we enjoyed Sausage Rolls, Queso Dip (you know, that awesome Velveeta recipe?) and some fresh fruit and veggies.

Also, sparkling white grape juice is a must.  In glasses to clink.  At the last minute, I was wishing that I had purchased some inexpensive glasses that were a little classier than our every-day glasses.  But... nobody seemed to mind.

We watched the count-down on TV, and then, a more recent tradition:

Last year, we heard (where? I don't remember) about the tradition of opening the front door to let the old year out, and welcome the new year in.  And so, with everyone gathered in the living room, I did just that. Last year, and this year.  I'm so glad we remembered!  I don't mind telling you that there's something a little bit emotional about the process.  The freezing cold air sweeps in, and in my head, I visualize it swirling around in our living room   This year, I held the door open extra long.  There was a lot to let out -- and so much more I wanted to let in.

Let this be a year of welcoming all God has for us.
Please God, help us be gracious recipients!
Everything you give us is so much more than we deserve.

An Answered Christmas Prayer ??

The other day, I asked my son if he wanted to hang his ornament collection on the tree.  He said I could hang mine first, and he would fill in the "holes."  So, I hung mine.

Today, my daughter noticed that her brother had not hung his ornaments.  When I told her about my conversation with him, she said, "I think that was just his way of NOT hanging his ornaments."

I said, "That's okay.  It's not important enough to make a big deal about, or to argue about. I'm all about that this year!"

"All about what?" she asked.  I told her that I don't want to become frustrated about the things that don't really matter.  And (NO guilt intended) if my son doesn't care so much about hanging his ornaments, that's okay.

"I'm really trying to be better about that this year," I said.

"You ARE?" was her reply.  (Said in such a way as to indicate disbelief.)

Okay, I was the tiniest bit offended by her reaction.

Until my daughter explained to me that she didn't intend for it to come out "like THAT!"

"It's just that... it's like an answer to prayer," she said.

WOW.

Took me long enough to "get it," huh?

Don't be like me.

Don't be SO CAUGHT UP in keeping

what you think are "Christmas traditions"

that you miss deep enjoyment with the people

that you're supposed to be making those traditions with.

Only took me 19 years of married life

and 17 years of motherhood.

Tradition: Peppermint Patty Brownies

Let me start by saying... these brownies could probably kill you.  That said, I should also tell you that I've tried to adjust things (i.e. using egg replacements and etc.) and um.... NADA.  Not happening.  No.  Don't bother.

Here's the rule at our house.  We only make them at Christmas time.  Serious.  And at Christmas time (and Christmas time only) we eat them like they're going out of style (or as much as you can with one pan-full).

{UPDATE: The Peppermint Patty Brownie recipe can now be found in Gooseberry Patch's Best-Ever Cookies cookbook!  See page 136.}

York Sensational Brownies
{The recipe was found in a magazine years ago -- in a York Peppermint Patty ad.} 

3 sticks margarine (1.5 cups)
3 c. sugar
1 T. vanilla extract
5 eggs
2 c. flour
1 c. Hershey's unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
24 small York peppermint patties

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 9 x 13 pan.  Stir together margarine, sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs, and blend well.  Stir in flour, cocoa, baking powder, & salt.  Blend well.  Reserve 2 cups batter, setting aside.  Spread remaining batter in pan.  Arrange peppermint patties in single layer over batter.  (I usually do a 4 x 6 arrangement of patties in the pan - so that there's a little bit of patty in every brownie.)  Spread reserved batter carefully over patties. Bake 50-55 min. or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan.

Cool completely before cutting.  About 36 bars.

Tip:  One year, I thought I would be fancy and use the special peppermint patties that were PINK for breast cancer awareness.  I thought the brownies would look so festive when you cut into them & saw pink.  It didn't work.  Not only did they NOT show up as pink, but they melted differently than the traditional patties.

Sorry, no photos.  These disappear pretty quickly around here.

Gooseberry Patch

p.s.  You know how all-crazy I am for anything peppermint?  My daughter and I got to talking the other day about how peppermint (anything) makes us feel.  If you like peppermint too, you might be interested in THIS PAGE from the University of Maryland Medical Center.  It has some really interesting information about the medicinal characteristics of peppermint!  You'll be amazed.

Let's Talk Turkey (& Stuff)

How was your Thanksgiving Day?  We enjoyed a quiet lunch-time meal with my parents. As in every previous year that I've cooked a turkey, the "red button" popped early, and I made a call to my mom with the code words, "The eagle has landed!"  That means: if you haven't left home yet, come ANY time, because the bird is ready!

We enjoyed a feast together using Gram's turkey platter, and serving dishes.

It's been the tradition at our house, that whoever comes for dinner (which is served close to the lunch-hour) typically stays for the afternoon to visit and play games.  This year, we enjoyed a challenging game of the Cleveland version of Monopoly, which is always... interesting (I am SO NOT a Monopoly player).

Sometime around the dinner-hour (or later) we get out leftovers and some new snacks. This year, some church-friends joined us for great conversation, a few rounds of Taboo, and some yummy snacks (including but not limited to Black Bean Salsa, Shelby's Pumpkin Roll and m&m pretzel kisses).

It was a lovely day.  Of course, at the end, when everyone had gone home, I realized I had taken all of the photos, and not one had been taken of me.  I asked Shelby to grab the camera and snap a couple of pics -- even though I was already in the cleaning-up stages.

We made great memories this year.

What are YOUR favorite memories of the day?

The Gift Exchange

The Christmas day gift exchange with my family includes eleven people.  My family of four usually arrives first at my parents' home.  If the gifts aren't already organized, my daughter helps sort them and put them at each person's seat.  We then add the gifts that we brought to the individual piles.  Later, when my sister arrives with her family, they do the same.

For many years now, we have taken turns opening our gifts.  That becomes a pretty long afternoon for eleven people.  We go in order of youngest to oldest. So it goes:

*
Grace

Noah   Sam

Shelby   Tyler   Mike

Jill    Kevin    Sally   Nancy

Jim

and we start all over again...  Believe me, each person knows the line-up.  In particular, they know who opens a gifts before it's THEIR turn!  Well, you know, we like to keep things moving.

While we open gifts, Christmas dinner continues to cook, and at some point, my mom heads to the kitchen to "start the potatoes."  We usually slow the gift-opening so that she doesn't miss anything.

The exchange continues until every last gift is opened -- all except the stockings that is.  My mom has a stocking for everyone hung on the mantle.  All have been made (or embellished) by Mom herself. Each one is a treasure.  We save those for after dessert.  We all make our way back into the living room, into our original seats, and dig out little goodies that Mom has collected for us. There usually aren't any "pricey" gifts in the stockings -- though we've had a few surprises over the years.

I treasure this time together with family.  It is slow, and purposeful, and everyone gets a chance to see what everyone got, as well as what everyone gave.

I'm linking up with Heather for Life Made Lovely Monday.

What makes your life lovely?

Come join the fun!

A Public Service Announcement

Did you know that today is National Doughnut Day?

Yep.  It's the first Friday in June, and that's TODAY.

Big deal, right?

YES, IT'S A BIG DEAL.

Listen to this.

Did you know you can 

Get a Free Doughnut from Krispy Kreme on National Doughnut Day?

True story.

You can read about it HERE

--and your welcome!

{I'm just doing my part to make the world a happier place.}

Lamb Cake

 {Read on!  Complete instructions included!}

On Easter Sunday, my mom, sister, and I got to talking about the "Lamb Cake" that my grandma made for Easter when my sister and I were kids.  I inherited the unique pan for this 3-D cake, but I thought that there were no instructions included, and I have never tried to make the cake.

I did a search on-line, and found out that there are other people who are looking for instructions -- as well as people who offer their help and suggestions.

Before I searched too far, I decided to make sure that my pan contained no instructions.  When I dug the pan out,  I was so surprised to find out that the plain(?) piece of cardboard that was sandwiched in between the two sections of pan actually had printed instructions on the other side!  I'm sure this was cut out from the original cake pan box.  Though the blue ink isn't faded at all, the cardboard is quite yellowed.

I'm sure the pan is old - probably more than 50 years.  My grandma was "famous" for keeping things in their original boxes - so I have a feeling that this pan was handed down to her - since it only came with the cut-out instructions.  There is nothing identifying it as "Wilton" or any other manufacturer - just FYI.

Here are the instructions

(copied exactly from my printed cardboard!):

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

".....Here's the way to bake a LAMB CAKE

2 cups sifted cake flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup milk

Heat oven to 375F.  Grease pans well and then flour.

Mix flour (which has been sifted and then spooned into cup for measuring), baking powder (tartrate or phosphate type), and salt.  Sift together three times.  Cream butter, add sugar a small amount at a time, and continue creaming until mixture is light and fluffy.  Add beaten eggs and extract.  Add flour and milk alternately.  Be sure to mix lightly and keep the batter smooth.

Pour batter into FACE HALF of the mold.  Fill to the top being careful to get batter into nose and ears of mold.  Left over batter may be baked as cup cakes.  Place BACK HALF of mold on the top -- bake face down -- place on try and bake from 40-45 minutes.  Remove from oven after 40 minutes and gently remove back half to test.  If done, replace back half and allow to stand for 5 minutes before removing the cake.  If not done, replace back half and return to oven for 5 minutes.

When removing cake from molds, remove back half first and then front half, carefully.  Allow cake to cool standing erect.

When the Lamb Cake is cool -- ice with a boiled icing, cover with cocoanut if desired -- use 1/2 raisin for the eyes and a small piece of cherry for mouth.

For a white cake, substitute 4 egg whites for the 2 eggs and use lemon or orange extract in place of the vanilla extract.

If a spice cake is desired, substitute one cup brown sugar for one cup of white sugar and add spices to dry ingredients.

BAKING TIPS

• Cake sinks in center - inferior butter, improper mixing, improper oven temperature, over-baking or inferior flour.
• Cake sticks in pans -- pans too dry or haven't been washed clean enough.
• Never store your molds closed.  Leave them open so the air can circulate.
• When you use molds for the first time wash them thoroughly in hot soapy water.
• It is advisable to grease the molds with your hands to make sure all the contours are covered.
• These are hard strong aluminum molds made by a special process so that they won't pit, stick or discolor.  With ordinary care they will last for years and years.

You can expect perfect results when you use your own favorite cake mix!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

{Isn't that the best news you've heard all day?  You can use your own cake mix.  Hurray!  That means you don't have to sift the flour THREE times as they suggest!}

And there you have it.  Maybe these instructions will prove helpful to one of you.  I debated about posting them after Easter (since Easter was the time that our family would've served this cake).  However, in my on-line hunting, I found people that also made the cake for 1st birthdays, and for Christmas.  My sis suggested a baby shower, too!  Cu-ute! 

When I got the cake pan and instructions out to show my mom and sis on Mothers Day, my niece and nephew seemed very interested in the possibility of making this cake.  They are the kiddos that came over for some cupcake baking in January.  I love that they're already looking forward to the next time they can come over and bake with Aunt Sal.  Love, love, love that!

Happy Baking!

If this post was helpful to you,
please 

And...if you've ever baked this cake,

I'd love to hear how it worked out!

December 27th ~ Going Home Again

Christmas Eve 

The day started with one of us having a migraine, and another of us having had an absolutely sleepless night.  The result?  Two of the four of us went back to bed for several hours.  Immediately, I adjusted my expectations for the day.  The ice skating and pretzel baking - new traditions started last year - would have to wait.  I'm glad that I "released" those things early in the day so they did not rob me of any joy!

{Note: I feel like I've grown up a little this Christmas.  To those of you who blogged about JOY -- thank you for your insight.  It changed the way I approached this Christmas season.}

We arrived early for the 6PM Christmas Eve church service because our son was in a skit.  His costume?  Full camo.  A faithful church lady met him at the door and asked him if he was a soldier boy.  Even at 16, he looked the part.  I observed the scene, with a tear in my eye... 

Afterwards, we enjoyed a quick dinner at home. Then it was off to my in-laws for a wonderful family time with my husband's family - giving the gift of time - time that seems so fleeting during the year.

Christmas Day

The "Want.Need.Wear.Read." gift ideas worked again to give us a clutter-free Christmas morning, helping to keep our hearts in tune with the things that really matter.  It was a quiet morning -- each one enjoying their gifts, watching movies, playing games...

Then, it was over the river and through the woods...  We had an amazing time at my parents' with my sweet sis and her family too.  Just like always.  No need to ask, or wait to be invited.  Peel the potatoes and bring the brownies.  Sweet memories were made - yes, more of them.  Just when we think our hearts are bursting at the seams with all of the memories... there are more.  Ever thankful for them, we find little empty corners to stash them in.

I paused to wonder: Who was it that said, "You can't go home again?"  I think they were wrong.  You CAN go home again, and it's never better than at Christmas-time.

 After dinner, and before dessert, we go around the table and read our assigned scripture passage

relating to the Christmas story.  This has been a precious tradition through the years

-as each of the five grandchildren has learned to read.

The Day After Christmas
We enjoyed another gathering with my husband's family - relishing the homecoming of a nephew, a sister, a brother-in-law.  We were glad for another reason to be together.  There was TONS of laughter.  We're so thankful for relationships that have been healed over the years, and hearts that have been changed.

What was the best part of your Christmas?  Was it something that is a tradition for your family -- something it would not be Christmas without?  Or, did you do something new this year that was a success?

Either way, I'm hoping that your Christmas was filled with joy!  Feel free to share in the comments.  I love to read what you have to say.