...and a partridge in a pear tree

What is the religious symbolism of the 12 days of Christmas?

1 Partridge in a pear tree represents True Love and refers to God

2 Turtle Doves refers to the Old and New Testaments

3 French Hens refers to Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues

4 Calling Birds refers to the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists

5 Golden Rings refers to the first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which gives the history of man's fall from grace.

6 Geese A-laying refers to the six days of creation

7 Swans A-swimming refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments

8 Maids A-milking refers to the eight beatitudes

9 Ladies Dancing refers to the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit

10 Lords A-leaping refers to the ten commandments

11 Pipers Piping refers to the eleven faithful apostles

12 Drummers Drumming refers to the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

Pine Cones

When I was a little girl, I always loved the big pine trees at the top of our hill. I was fascinated by the pine cones. At Christmas, I like to recapture my love for pine cones by using them around the house in assorted displays. Thanks to my dear friend, Deb, at Wise Old Owl Designs, I have some fresh pine cones to work with for this Christmas. She collected them for me and I really appreciate it.

I gathered together my supplies. I have had this bowl for years. I bought it at a yard sale for 50 cents. I used 3 picks I purchased at AC Moore for 25 cents each (on sale). I picked out the pine cones I wanted to use. I had some silver and gold ribbon I bought earlier this year at AC Moore, leftover from another project. I had some sugar cookie sprinkles from last year as well.

On a piece of Reynolds Wrap for easy clean up, I squired a small pile of Elmer's Glue and a small pile of the cookie sprinkles. I rolled each pine cone in the glue, then rolled it in the sprinkles. They stick better than glitter so there isn't any messy after effects. I cut silver and gold ribbon and tied it in a knot and hot glued it to each pine cone.

I placed them in a bowl and stuck my picks in and here is the finished product.

Happy Birthday to my precious twins

(Then)

I dedicate my blog today to my wonderful, precious twins. The love I have for them cannot even begin to be described by words. I look back over the past 33 years and marvel that God trusted these beautiful children to me. I cherish every moment with them. I think of all the stages they have went through......

The midnight feedings

The 2 AM feedings

The 4 AM feedings

The 6 AM feedings....When they were born they ate every two hours.

The sweet baby smiles

The tiny fingers holding onto mine

The terrible two's (which weren't so terrible after all)

The giggles and laughter and the private conversations between brother and sister

Hearing them calling each other Bubby and Sissy, which was later shortened to Bub and Sis and they still call each other that to this day.

Barbies and baby dolls

Matchbox cars and WWF Wrestlers

Doll houses and Castle Greyskull (I remember when Skeletor and HeMan would borrow Barbie's red Ferrari and go for a spin around the house)

School dances and sleepovers

First dates and first cars

Bringing that special someone home to meet the parents.

Wedding bells and happily ever after

That first phone call from each of them to let me know a little baby is on the way

Watching them become parents and seeing their eyes light up with pride over their children.

Hearing those same words coming from their lips that I used to utter, "Because I said so." or "NOW"

My hope and prayer is that I have set a good example on parenting and I hope they enjoy the experiences with their children as much as I enjoyed my experiences with them.

Here's wishing a great day to the two best kids any mother could have. I love you both.

Happy birthday, Chris and Diana (Bub and Sis)

(and now)



Color me Christmas

The Star Still Shines........

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. - Matthew 2:1-2

As we move forward into the Christmas season, let us not forget the One who made this possible. This holiday is not about the gifts, the trees, the tinsel or lights. It is about THE Light. The Son of God. The birthday of a King. It is not the number of parties you attend or the value of the gifts you prepare. It is a celebration for Mary & Joseph's boy, the Son of God, King Jesus.

As a mere babe in a manger, I'm sure He slept quietly while others looked on. He was observed by the shepherds who came in from the fields. He was bowed down to by the Wise Men who traveled by the light of the star.

Today, that Star still shines. It shines for each and everyone of us. A guiding light to prepare the way. He is still The Light of the world. He is still reigning in all His splendor.

As we go into this Christmas season, remember that every bell you hear ringing, every word you hear sung, every tree you see decorated and every stocking you see hung is simply a celebration of the love of Jesus and an acknowledgment that His light STILL shines today.

Merry CHRISTmas to one and all.



Bee's Baking Tips....

With the holiday season upon us, visions of sugar plums are dancing in our heads. Okay, maybe not sugar plums, but what about cookies, cakes and candies? There is nothing better than a homemade treat on a cold winter evening. There is nothing worse than slaving all day over an old family recipe, wanting it to taste "just like Mom made it" only to have it be a huge flop.

Here are some of the tips I have found make my baking life easier and insure success with each recipe.

Being Precise:  Baking is not a matter of adding a pinch of this or a dash of that. As opposed to cooking, baking requires exact measurements and precise ingredients. If it calls for a cup of sugar, use an exact level cup. Use a knife to level off any excess ingredients in your measuring devise to insure you are using the proper amount.

Using Proper Equipment: Like any professional, you should use the proper tools for your product. Dry ingredients should always be measured with a standard measuring cup while liquid ingredients should be measured in a cup that has a spout. Measuring spoons are a must. You can not use a kitchen spoon to measure a teaspoon of ingredients. Your mixing bowls or cooking pans should be used in a size to allow plenty of room for mixing. Using a bowl or pan that is too small can result in "spill over" causing a loss of ingredients and a flop for your dessert.

Following the Recipe:  This is one of the most important rules of baking. You must follow the recipe exactly. If it calls for 1 1/2 cups of flour, that is what you must use. Don't say "I just have 1 1/4 cups, but that should work." Trust me, it doesn't. While it may "turn out" okay, the taste will definitely be effected if you take shortcuts or cheat on the recipe.

Talking with the Source: One thing I have found to be very important when you try a new recipe, is to talk it through with whoever gave you the recipe. Especially ones that are old family recipes that have been passed down. I have tried recipes from Mom that were a huge flop. When discussing it with her, she would say "Well, did you make sure you......? And my response would be no, the recipe didn't have that on it. Many times through the years, the cooks have failed to write down pertinent steps and it results in a disaster when you try to follow their recipe. For example, the famous No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal cookies. I tried to make those for years. I even had Mom's exact recipe in her handwriting. They never would set up. They were always gooey. When I mentioned it one day, she asked how I was making them and I read her the recipe. She had neglected to tell me that over the years the family realized that 3 cups of oats made them gooey so she had changed it to 2 cups and it worked better. But it was never written on the recipe. So make sure you go over every ingredient.

Following the directions: Again, discuss the instructions whenever you can with somebody who has made it before. It may have left out pertinent information that you need to know. For example, do you add the ingredients in a particular order so it mixes and blends better. If you are heating part of it on the stove, do you use medium or low heat. Do you time it or cook it to a particular stage (soft ball, hard ball, etc.) These little things will insure your success, but earlier generations just knew to do them, so they failed to write them down. When I get a recipe from someone, I ask a ton of questions about the process to insure the success of the dish.

The Importance of Ingredients: This one is something that not everyone adheres to, but I have found it to be invaluable. If you eat a dessert and love it, ask for the EXACT recipe, down to the brand they buy. I have an easy, delicious no fail peanut butter fudge recipe. I always make it with Carnation cream and Parkay margarine. When I give the recipe out, I make sure they know that is very important. One lady tried numerous times to make it and she said hers was never as creamy and smooth as mine. Upon checking with her, she substituted the cream with Eagle Brand and the Parkay with real butter. The taste will never be the same if you change ingredients. I make a Reese Peanut Butter Brownie trifle. If I do not use Duncan Hines brownies and Cool Whip brand whipped cream, it is nowhere near as good. So if someone mentions a specific product, don't try to cut corners and use an off brand if you want to duplicate the flavor.

Patience: The final and most important ingredient of any successful dessert is the patience the baker puts into preparing the product. If you are required to stand and stir constantly for 5 minutes after it comes to a boil. Then that is what you must do. You can't stop to go answer the phone, or grab a cup of coffee. Extreme care and a great attention to detail must go into every recipe you make. You cannot allow distractions. It could cause a simmer to become a rolling boil. It could cause you to miss including an important ingredient. Baking is not something you can "throw together" in a few minutes. It is a process and it requires patience to see it through. But the end result is well worth the wait.

Mish Mash for Monday

I took a day off from blogging yesterday. We had an awesome church service. Afterwards, we gathered in the fellowship hall for our traditional Christmas dinner for the church. I ate the best dessert and have no idea what it was. It was a chocolate type concoction similar to a cake/brownie with gooey fudgey icing. Heavenly!!

I finally made my little snow shovel. (Ignore the background color. The wall is a soft yellow but with the mirror lights on, it makes it look real dark) The shovel was $1.49 at AC Moore, the ribbon and blue balls came from some stuff I had around the house. The background in the blade is scrapbook paper I had and the little snowmen were foam stickers from AC Moore for $1.00. Total cost: $2.49.

Colby is starting to stay awake more. His Mommy had him grinning and laughing so much. He turned 2 months old on the 1st. Here he is totally vegged out on Uncle Michael. He stayed there forever.

The family came over for our annual birthday get-together Saturday night. The kids decorated the Christmas tree for the "everything" room. It's a combo of office-guest-library-den-play room. I let them do all the ornaments and icicles and left it like they did it. No adjustments made. They had a great time decorating it. (Just a note, when I put the lights on it Saturday morning, they didn't work either....so back to the store for more lights. This has NOT been my year for lights).

I just wanted to post this picture because I love it. Mamaw's boys and Mamaw's girls...all together...all smiling and having a great time. This was at Thanksgiving. I'm going to blow this one up and frame it for my office. Love my grandbabies!!

Got a gift from my secret sister at church yesterday. I love this little angel. We find out Saturday who our secret sister is. I can't wait. She has gotten me some neat things this year and I want to thank her.

This was taken at Thanksgiving. Full of Turkey, and having worked 60 hours in 3 days, Michael was enjoying some R & R. Shelby was patting him on the head. I told her not to wake him up. She looks up and says "But I WANT him to wake up."

The next few weeks are going to be busy. Here is my cooking schedule for this week:

Monday - Try new peanut butter fudge recipe from Mom

Tuesday - Try the chocolate coconut cream cake from Family Circle magazine

Wednesday: No baking Scheduled

Thursday: Experiment with a new cookie recipe from my new cookbook

Friday: Make Allen's Mom's Orange Cream Cookies for after the Christmas program

Well, off to start my week. Need to finish addressing Christmas cards and get started on wrapping. Hope everybody has a great week!