Christmasing

Christmas came in the beautiful way it always does... Thankfully though, Christmas will continue to linger around here for at least another week because we still have one Christmas celebration to attend. 

We enjoyed our time here at home.  We played games, we made a gingerbread house, we worked on gifts, we rested, the family practiced shooting, we feasted, we worshiped together yesterday at church, we opened presents, we spent time together, the boys went hunting ... although our days were far from perfect, they were grand. 

I hope your Christmas was spent with those you love and hold dear. 

And that it was very merry and bright. 

Bake Day 2016

Today is bake day, the day I spend with my Mom, my sister and all our kids and we make goodies. Goodies to give, goodies to have for our Christmas dinners, and goodies to eat while we work. While we work, we listen to Christmas music, we talk, we sometimes play cards if we have a lull, and we laugh a lot. This year with how Christmas falls on Sunday, and how my nephews school schedule was laid out, we are a little later than normal for our special day, it would seem... but nonetheless, I am excited to be some of my favorite people in the whole world. 

Each of us pick several treats to make, we then make at least three batches of each to share. This year, my three treats are peanut butter fudge, oreo balls, and cornflake candy. 

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Cornflake Candy

5 cups of cornflakes (I use generic and have great results)

1 cup sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 heaping cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

Lay out some wax paper to drop your candies on after you mix everything.

Combine sugar and corn syrup in a medium saucepan and cook til boiling, stirring often. Once your mixture is boiling, remove from heat, stir in your peanut butter and your vanilla.

Once smooth add your cornflakes. Mix to combine.

Drop rounded spoonfuls onto wax paper and let cool. Depending on how large your candies are will depend on how many you end up with. I got about 18-24 good size candies.

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Peanut Butter Fudge

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 1/3 cup peanut butter

1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow cream

Combine sugar and milk and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard for three minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and then marshmallow cream.

Pour into a greased 9x13 casserole dish

Cool completely

Makes about 2 lb fudge

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Oreo balls

42 oreo cookies

1 block cream cheese

White chocolate 

Crush oreos in food processor and then mix with cream cheese

Roll into balls

Dip in white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate or whatever you choose.

Sprinkle with colored sugars, etc for a more festive look.

Makes approximately 48 balls

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I hope you have a wonderful day!!! Happy Christmassing to you all! 

Nannie Black's Egg Pie

Few things can spark a memory like the smells that come from your kitchen... Certain foods can take you straight back to a moment, a memory, a time that you may have long since forgotten. 

As a kid one dessert we would often have for holiday meals was "Egg Pie". It was something my Nannie Black would make often. I'm sure for one reason was because it was easy, it was fairly inexpensive, and finally because we asked for it all the time! 

When talking about the Thanksgiving meal this year, the dessert menu was brought up and my sister asked for "Nannie Black's Egg Pie".  I jumped at the chance to make it. Come to find out, I was the only one who had her recipe still... I am so thankful one of us still had it.  And even better... I had a book that had it in her own handwriting. 

As I gathered the recipe and ingredients that day for baking, my heart was pricked and tears welled up in my eyes, remembering my little Nannie. She was a little woman, she loved plants, and baby animals, she liked to cook, and she lived cautiously. Anytime you would go over to her house you could find the sales papers laid across the kitchen table. Coupons cut, weekly deals circled and usually some type of seed that she was saving drying on some paper towels. I sure do miss her. 

What is egg pie you may ask? It's one of those old fashioned desserts. It's not super sweet. It's kinda jiggly, like custard. We eat it hot. We eat it cold... we would probably eat it in a pot, nine days old... if it ever lasted that long. 

It was so good I made it for two of the Thanksgivings we went to. When my Daddy took a bite, he said it took him right back to his grandmas kitchen. And it was just as good as he remembered. 

When I made it for my Mom's Thanksgiving, we all remembered Nannie and her egg pie and our kids tried it for the first time. Some loved it. Some not so much... but it's like I said to them, when there is so many more SWEET things to choose from, egg pie may not seem like much. Super sweet peanut butter pie, brownies, cupcakes usually will win with kids hands down. Egg pie is a humble, simple dessert. 

How fitting that I snapped this picture of what egg pie looks like for a friend of mine.... I didn't notice it at the time, but that's a picture of my Nannie Black in the background. 

So, on to the recipe. 

Some know this recipe as "Impossible Pie", but like I said, to us... it is always and forever,

Nannie Black's Egg Pie 

1/2 stick butter (4 Tbsp)

4 eggs

2 cups milk

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup bisquick (you can make your own if you don't keep this on hand)

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

Put all ingredients into a blender, blend for about 20 seconds and pour into a greased and floured 9x13 casserole dish. Bake at 375* for 45-55 minutes.

Enjoy!

Christmas Making

Christmas around my house is FULL of Christmas making. There are a lot of wonderful things you can buy in this world. I often choose to make many of the gifts that we give as a family. Not because it is cheap or thoughtless.... but quite the opposite. I want it to be something that is appreciated and remembered. Not everyone cares for a homemade gift, I am aware of that. And that is just fine. But know if I take the time to consider YOU in the gift that I make, it's just that. I tried to come up with a gift to give that would be something YOU would appreciate! I think that is a very grand thing. 

Or if you buy something from someone that makes things, it is another act of love. No doubt in my mind. The person making, like myself, puts many hours into that gift. 

Speaking of, the last few nights, my bedtime has changed dramatically because of all the love from my Messy Bun Hat! I am seriously BLOWN AWAY! I don't think this little blog has ever witnessed so many views! It's awesome! I am happy to be making so many for people to give their loved ones or for themselves! And then making for my family gifts. I love this time of year so much, I just would love to be able to survive and thrive on so little sleep. I know these late night and early mornings are gonna catch up with me!

So again, appreciate those handmade items... they are special. 

Happy Christmas Making

Crochet Messy Bun Hat

The cyber world is abuzz in my neck of the woods, with this hat that everyone is in love with, and I can see why. 

It's adorable. 

And anyone with enough hair for a ponytail or a messy bun is in for a treat with this hat! 

When several of my friends and my sister all inquired to me, asking if I had seen the hat and if I could make it, I knew it was something I needed to try. Not having a pattern, nor looking for one, I decided to give it a go myself and I'm going to share my pattern here with you.

***Please note, I am not a professional crocheter or pattern maker, this is just what I did***

Messy Bun Hat

** I used as Size K crochet hook for this project**

Chain 15, slip stitch to form ring,

Chain 2

Double Crochet in each of the 15 chains, slip stitch

chain 2

2-double crochets in first stitch, 1-double crochet in next stitch, repeat all the way around, slip stitch to join

chain 2

2-double crochets in first stitch, 1-double crochet in the next two stitches, repeat all the way around, slip stitch to join

chain 2

2-double crochets in first stitch, 1 double crochet in next 3 stitches, repeat all the way around, slip stitch to join

chain 2

2 double crochets in first stitch, 1 double crochet in the next 4 stitches, repeat all the way around, slip stitch to join

chain 2

2 double crochets in first stitch, 1 double crochet in the next 5 stitches, repeat all the way around, slip stitch to join

chain 2

2 double crochets in first stitch, 1 double crochet in the next 6 stitches, repeat all the way around, slip stitch to join

chain 2

double crochet all the way around and continue til you have 11 rows

In row 12 you will begin the cuff

in rows 12, 13, 14, 15 you will follow this same pattern below

chain 2

2 double crochets, 2 front post double crochets, repeat all the way around, slip stitch to join

after row 15, cut length of yarn and weave in ends.

Done

Don't want to make your own or don't know how to crochet?

Order one for yourself or someone you love HERE!

Please let me know if I can help make this pattern any more clear. I'm happy to help!

Have a blessed day!

Christmastime at Woodlawn

Woodlawn is even more beautiful this time of year. 

With the twinkle lights, the garland, the red bows... it's so beautiful and festive.

But, it doesn't happen all by itself. It takes many hands to make things look lovely for the Christmas season... it takes many hands to make things look lovely for any season for that matter.

Lots of time. Lots of effort. Lots of hands... working together. I love this time of year.

Everyones talents coming together. 

Making our church look great.

Last night was our Cantata. 

It was probably my favorite one so far. It was so reverent and worshipful. 

The church looked wonderful. Everyone was dressed in red, green, silver, gold... 

Happy Christmas Cantata, from my honey and I! 

The Season of Giving

Every year for as long as I can remember, our church has gathered foods for Thanksgiving boxes and each year on the Monday before Thanksgiving, the youth department goes out and delivers the boxes. 

We were blessed with plenty of food this year and were able to deliver nice big boxes of food to several families. 

We even had a sidekick this year. Saige was all the rage while we delivered boxes. 

I'm so thankful that some great kids came out and spent their Monday night with us and gave of their time and energy to give to others. I'm so grateful to be a part of a church that loves to give. We are abundantly blessed. May we remember this is the season of GIVING! 

Have a blessed weekend!!

Christmas Crafting

It's December!! And that means Christmas crafting is in FULL swing! I always feel terribly behind when December finally shows up, but at the same time, I get incredibly excited too... because this is my most favorite time of the year... ever! 

I love it that there are always new things to make and new crafts to try. 

Ranging from crochet and knitting to paint and woodworking, soap making, candle dipping, to any and all things in between, I like to dabble in it all. 

I enjoy getting messages asking me to make this or that. And then getting one of the best compliments ever, a friend called me to ask about a baby shower gift... she said she was thinking about what to do when her little girl said, "Moma... call the lady that makes pretty things!"
Swoon! 

Now that is a compliment!!

Keeping my hands busy and keeping my heart full of all of the wonderfulness that Christmas brings. Seeing the excitement on my children's faces when they see a present under the tree with THEIR name. Witnessing them sneak around to wrap gifts (made or bought) for their siblings. 

And this year... we have a little extra sweetness around here. A little bundle of love that we get to share our days with. He makes us smile, laugh, and brings us all so much joy.