Happy Anniversary Shaun and Kristal!

Has it really been ten years?

The thought of a December 21st wedding still brings flurries
to my emotional being . . .
making me glad I too was that much younger and still able
to learn a bit about being organized.

Shaun and Kristal . . . your adventure began right here on a beautiful, cold day.
It took you south of the border, through several states,
and brought you back with three kids in tow.
It has been a blessing to see how your love for each other
has brought you through many changes
and helped you grow stronger through them.
We wish you a very Happy Anniversary
and God's continued leading and protection over you.
With love,
Mom and Dad

It's a Mostly Wonderful, Busy Time

These past weeks have been full of plans made and plans coming to fruition.
Sometimes I'm just amazed when the days come to pass and it all happens,
always with reminders of more to come.
Editing deadlines, taste testing, hosting guests, shopping, wrapping,
Christmas programs, Mom's Birthday, baking cookies, babysiting and
preparing for family to come home.
I'm making my lists and checking them twice...
often wishing for more time . . .
but knowing that in the end it will be what it will be
and it will be okay.

Last Sunday we got up for the earlier service at church
 to take in the children's production at church.
The service began with the the Kid's Town Band leading us in Carol singing.
It was followed by two, three and four year-olds singing songs such as
Come on Ring Those Bells while vying for the mike
 and ended with a wonderful musical/drama by the elementary school aged kids.



After church we packed the oldest kids into our vehicle
and met up with their parents at Krause Berry Farms.
You'd think that a place with a name like that would be dead in the
middle of winter, but this was not the case.

Pancakes with fresh berry sauce, face painting, Santa and
all kinds of entertainment was to be found.
The only thing that would have made it better
would have been to have our Saskatoon family come
and bring us some snow for sleigh rides.

Early evening we, the Mennonite Girls with hubbies, were invited to Elmer and Judy's for a Christmas Party. Judy is so great at making her home feel welcome. Snacks were waiting . . . while Ellen served up a tasty little mulled drink brought from her home.
 

The table was set for the girls and the guys were told to go in the adjoining room.
Oh, before that, we played a game that revealed tidbits we did not about
each other. . .things we obviously have not blogged about . . .
and had fun with a white elephant game which you can
read about on Lovella's great post.
 

We fussed around a bit setting out the food. What else would eight cooks do?



Lovella served up some homemade eggnog.



So pretty!

We shared gifts with each other . . . gifts celebrating our friendship, our love for cooking, the coming cookbook and the meaning of Christmas.

Betty and Charlotte in Winnipeg . . . we missed you . . .
but realized once more, what a special friendship we have been gifted with . . .
all because of sharing recipes on a blog.
It's a good thing to stop for a day and just realize,
our busy lives are filled with blessings!

Light a Candle

 

I got out my glass candle stands . . . gifted to me over the years and sometimes forgotten about.

These may be the kind of pieces that you have on hand.

 

 

 

I thought I'd try putting a candlestick inside a cylinder vase

and quite like the idea for a quick centerpiece that does not take up the whole table.



You can keep it plain or add berries or baubles . . . whatever suits the occasion, really.

Any taper candle holder works nicely. However I would stay away from tea lights in the bottom of a vase because it may get too hot.

On this photo I have glass pillar candle stand inside the vase.
Setting them out as a cluster is also a pretty idea to enjoy the old in a new way.

Third Advent - JOY

It is difficult to think about joy with the terrible news that has America reeling this week. The kind of hate and desperation expressed by this young gunman is impossible to fathom.

In thinking about this, I had to conclude with the fact people seeing this as a terrible thing shows that we have been given an inborn sense of right and wrong and a desire for good to prevail. We have been made in the image of a just God, but fall short in our sinful nature.

The reason God sent His Son into the world was to provide forgiveness . . . relating to true peace and joy. What happened in Newtown shows up the darkness of our world . . . a world that happened to be just as dark at the time Jesus was born. In reading about his birth, we read about a king who went about killing all newborn babies in order to, hopefully, kill this newborn king. Evil then, as today, tried to win the upper hand . . .  tried to get rid of any evidence of a loving God. Yet God continues to pour out His mercy on good and evil men.

In an unnamed shopping mall in America, one lady in the food court began singing and soon the entire mall was singing. Even though there were parts that were pre-planned, it filled me with joy to see that for a moment, shoppers could stop and focus on the reason for the season.

Hope was born on this dark night . . . as angels proclaimed Joy to the World.

From Christmases Long Ago

The oldest ornament hanging on my tree is an angel my grandmother gave me when I was about five years old. At the time, we were living in Uruguay. She followed us to Brazil and then to Canada.

I mention the moves, because as a young girl, I had to leave behind anything that would take up too much room . . .  leaving me with just a few tiny mementos. This is one that's always gotten tucked into a box somewhere along the line.

She is the same on both sides.

Maybe that angel was the start . . . or maybe it was my grandmother's fascination with Victorian cards that had me purchase a set of these angels, about twenty years ago. I love the German verse printed on them.

Although I have changed up the decor on the tree over the years,
 there are a few sentimental pieces that I keep putting up.
Angels will always fit into the Christmas story.

Wrapping it Up

Before I begin wrapping, I lay out the gifts and gather boxes to fit, so that every gift is ready to wrap.  Once I start I don't want to be jumping up and down too much. I mostly do this on the floor. It's a good idea to have a large board to work on.  Odd shaped gifts that don't fit in a box, get a bag or a sheet of cellophane.



 

I decide on a theme according to what I happen to find. One idea is to go with the natural look of brown paper, pine cones, raffia ribbon and nostalgic embellishments.

On the complete other side of the scale . . . you can purchase a large roll of white or silver paper and create an elegant look with all the gifts wrapped in the same paper and ribbon.

I could not find exactly what I wanted this year but I also did not look hard. This one looked like an economical choice . . . four or five rolls of paper that co-ordinate or compliment each other.

 

Now . . . if you have a method of cutting and wrapping that works well, you can just scroll on by.  This is a basic method that works for almost any box.

1. Wrap the precious gift with some tissue paper.

2. Lay the box on top of the wrapping paper, nice side of the paper down. Cut paper to size - ends should be no more than the depth of the box and not much less - then be sure there is enough to wrap around the main part, with a bit extra.

3. Wrap main part, leaving ends open.

4. Fold and tape on center of box.

5. Fold down the top part of the overhang on the end, crimping the edges to create straight lines.

6. Fold the angled edges in, then flip the last remaining open part up and tape. Repeat on other end and you are done.

 

To switch things up you can fold the centre part in different ways. Sometimes I do an accordion style fold and tape it down.

Use ribbon and/or picks to embellish.

 

This year I dug out some of our old tree decor and thought it  might be fun to use for the small kids.



I like to stack and co-ordinate gifts for the same person, then tie them up together.

Just another way to pile one person's gifts.

 

One of the boxes I had saved, was a sturdy orange box. It was only the lid that gave away what it was from and so I thought I'd just wrap it up like a little storage box. You can do this with both top and bottom if your lid is not as deep as the box.

1. Lay the lid on the paper, nice side of paper down. Measure sides and cut paper about an inch larger than the depth of the lid all around.

2. Keeping lid centered appropriately, cut in at an angle on each corner.

3.Starting on one end, bring paper up the side

4. Fold over the edge and tape on the inside.

5. Repeat with other end and then the sides.

6. Your finished lid should easily slide over the box.

 

Part of the joy in giving is the anticipation . . . I remember boxes being shaken . . . wanting to know, yet not. When the hour comes to open our gifts, my favorite being Christmas Eve or a pretend Christmas Eve, we sit in a large circle and only one person at a time can open a gift. We all like to watch and enjoy the giving and the receiving together . . . making this most special night of the year . . . last as long as possible.