This Amazing Lady

Those of you who have met John's grandma, Billie, aged 92, know her wild, fun personality. She has a kissing relationship with what feels like half the county (if we go anywhere with her everyone gives her kisses and she teases about pinches). Vivacious, witty, smart. And a very good sport. Could you ask your grandma to do this???

We borrowed Ho Ho Halsey Reindeer games and changed our usual family holdiay get together with some fun competition:

Put an oreo on your forehead and try and beat your challenger by getting it into your mouth to eat it first, no hands. If it falls on the floor, pick it up and start over from forehead. Suzanna was the champion of this game!

Here is Grandma cheating at the Mac & Potato game: ribbon tied & wrapped pkg of mac/cheese tied to a baseball hat and swing to get Mr. Potato head down to the finish line. Erik won this, and the Rudolph nose (ribbon hot glued to pom pom, vaseline on your nose, swing it up and make it stick to your nose).

Crazy fun, prizes, and opening Christmas presents to cousins and birthday cake for our pretend birthdays, including nephew's on New Year's.

I was thankful for the time together.

Billie said at one point, "There are 15 people here, and 11 are blood related to me!" We wouldn't have been there without her! We missed missing family. Maybe we will expand the games next year, but I hope it becomes a new tradition.

One more party next Sunday for 12th Night and another nephew's birthday. Dean's birthday, too. I think we are keeping things low-key for New Year's, dinner & movie here at home.

Recently

Skyped with our missionaries on Christmas! Didn't get a screen shot of Mom & Dad, but here is Stewart & his companion.

Went out to dinner at a once-in-a-lifetime pricey place; very fun 4 course fondue meal. Flaming Turtle dessert fondue was wonderful. The server brought out two candles, one for each of us with the dessert items to dip.

This week ends up being daily celebrations: tonight more friends and good food to share, tomorrow adult family at another restaurant; Saturday celebrating birthdays with cake and cousins, and sparklers!

Working full days, busy.

Carolling Christmas Eve

Suzanna made the treats, organized us. We sang German "Silent Night" to our German neighbors--they gave us German treats and said they were touched...Another house the grandchildren teenagers said they had never seen carollers before! Glad we went this year.

Thrifted ceramic cow gaurds the fridge full of milk & eggnog. We did another taste test, Wawa brand won over Wegman store brand (but Uncle Bob likes Wegman's).

New carpet I painted today to go under the dinning room table, thanks to Cutting Edge stencil.

Merry Christmas!

Starched & Pinned Snowflakes

My grandma taught me how to wash doillies, immerse them in liquid starch, and pin them to a board to stretch out the patterns and influence the shape.

I've tried both, liquid and spray. Both work.

This pattern is the same as the one below, just pinned differently!

They dry, you unpin them, and hang an ornament hook or invisible fishing line and put on tree or in doorway.

I've had a hard time following patterns, not knowing how to read them, but a sweet friend this year has helped me. She is my Thursday afternoon grandma, Ruth from Germany. We've made nearly a hundred snowflakes between us, crocheting and talking. This is her finished archway:

She shared stories from WW2, running through the streets to get home during a bombing because she was worried about her family... Inspiring, brave family history. She is a widow with no children, so we have adopted her.

Sam Sings Well

Week of concerts! Sam is a freshman, but he has a voice of a man. Sam's voice is a deep bass, a lot like Maxwell's in late high school. He seems to really enjoy singing with choir.

Shortbread Secrets

Great Grandma Jane Davidson's Scotch Shortbread pg 89 Blue Book

5 cups flour
1 cups sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 lb butter softened
1/2 cup chopped nuts if desired

THAT is what is written, with these instructions: "Mix all together with your hands until it sticks together. Place into baking pan and bake 1 hour at 300'. Cut into squares while it is still hot."

Then Grandma Laura wrote: I use anohter quarter lb of butter, and 1 tsp vanilla. I have found that using more butter gets the texture that Mother had. Otherwise it is too dry. Grandma Davidson [her mom] pressed it into a 9x11" pan. I like it thinner so I put it in a jelly roll pan."

I use the jelly roll pan, too. My almond version has a 1 1/2 cups bag of slivered almonds that I crushed with the back of an ice cream scooper (until smaller slivers, tiny smashed chunks, some pounded into near marzipan) and the rest of a bottle of almond extract, probably a teaspoon at most. It could have used more almond extract. I do use all 5 sticks of butter Grandma recommends. It looks like a lot of salt, but I put a whole teaspoon in--the salt is needed unless you are using salted butter. The better the quality of butter, the better it tastes...but this stuff is wonderful as is! We make it for Lord of the Rings marathon movie days--it's real name is Lembas Bread, travelling elf survival energy bars!

Using your hands is necessary. I butter the jelly roll pan, even though this is a buttery cookie. Mix everything well, but don't knead it--you don't want it to go tough. Using the back of a fork, press criss-cross (Scotts plaid) pattern neatly across the entire surface.

DO NOT OVERCOOK! I actually like it before it turns golden and dries out too much. So I put the timer on for 45 minutes and look at it. 50 minutes tops, local time cooking-or maybe it is my hot oven? Maybe cooking it in UTAH is different? Or altitude?

YOU MUST CUT WHILE HOT! (If you wait too long it is too hard to cut, even with my under-baked preferred version.) Squares are my favorite. Don't make too big. You want it to fit in your mouth whole. But it hurts if you eat it too soon out of the oven. This cookie lasts for as long as you can stand to not eat it--making it good to make in advance, it seems to get tastier with age (if you can hide it from yourself).

Other versions I have tried: dipped in chocolate after cooled. Raspberry preserves spread on top and baked. (I am making myself drool.) Or I've used this as the base layer of cream cheesecake cookies...I have a sister-by-marriage that uses this recipe and tops it with toffee and chocolate.

Younger Jane (my great grandma).

Seasoning for the Season

Made Great Grandma Davidson's shortbread but added almond extract and a bag of crushed almond slivers...very, very yummy. I also burned a batch of banana oatmeal pecan muffins because I didn't hear the timer as I was watching the end of season 2 of Downtown Abbey. At dinner before Suzanna's play (Footloose, musical) we talked about the British dressing for dinner and the formalities--this was after a splatter of sour cream from someone's baked potato hit me.

More Favorite Ornaments

The best, most stress-relieving idea for me: giving all my ornaments to our children, dividing them up into boxes labeled with their names. That way, they are in charge of hanging, and later, putting them away. If they don't feel like doing it, I don't force them. Suzanna even did the lights, so I can look at the tree and just enjoy it.

When they all move away from home, I will start a different tradition...

Christmas Decor

The red circle was a thrifted table, covered with stickers (removed) and painted with LOVE.

Front door wreath.

Outside.

Folded origami stars.

My Grandma Laura Carlson crocheted around red ornaments. I have one for each of our children.

The old picture ornaments are some of my favorites!