The Twelve Days of Blog-mas, Day 12 (!!!)

Day 12:
I don't have any time to post on this last day of Blog-mas :(
Hope everyone has an amazing Christmas!

The Twelve Days of Blog-mas, Day 11

Day Eleven: Christmas/Winter quotes


Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl. But it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart… filled it, too, with a melody that would last forever.
- Bess Streeter Aldrich


It was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well,
if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us!
And so, as Tiny Tim observed, “God Bless Us, Every One!
- Charles Dickens


The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others’ burdens, easing other’s loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas. – W.C. Jones


Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you're home.  ~Carol Nelson


May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through!  ~Author Unknown


Christmas in Bethlehem.  The ancient dream: a cold, clear night made brilliant by a glorious star, the smell of incense, shepherds and wise men falling to their knees in adoration of the sweet baby, the incarnation of perfect love.  ~Lucinda Franks


What is your favorite Christmas/winter quote??

The Twelve Days of Blog-mas, Day 10

Day Ten: What Makes Christmas Christmas for You? (What Makes it Special, etc.)

There are so many things that make Christmas what it is for me. It's definitely not going out to department stores jammed with holiday traffic, blaring Christmas music favorites over the speaker, or the giant paper snowflakes hanging from the ceilings in Target...(although the latter might be a little special;) And it is most certainly not the chaotic commercialism of it all. What really makes it special for me is all the little things that our culture can't quite turn into a billboard or ad. Like the look on peoples faces as they open a really special gift, the scraping together all your savings for gifts, spending it all and not even caring. Or the smell of my absolute favorite Christmas cookie-Scandinavian Almond Bars- in the oven. Or when you sit by the tree with an extra good cup of cocoa and listen to the Cambridge Singers Christmas album.  

But all these little things are so tiny in comparison to the ultimate purpose of Christmas. It is so easy to get sidetracked and swept away with the millions of other Americans who have lost their grasp on why we're even celebrating Christmas anymore. The ones who honestly believe it's all about Santa, Rudolph, and the Elves of the North Pole (no hard feelings guys, I like them too:) So just remember why we're able to have this wonderfully amazing holiday---it's not because Santa finished all his gift orders in time, but because Jesus Christ was born on earth, born of a virgin in a lowly stable in Bethlehem. And that is why it is so special for me. As easy as it is to focus only on giving and receiving, don't forget the why you're really celebrating this year.



Recipe for:
 Scandinavian Almond Bars (A must try!!!)

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon 2% milk
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, chopped
• 
  ICING:
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 to 2 tablespoons 2% milk

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
• Beat in egg and extract. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture and mix well.
• Divide dough into fourths; form into 12-in. x 3-in. rectangles. Place 5 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Brush with milk; sprinkle with almonds.
• Bake at 325° for 18-20 minutes or until firm to the touch and edges are lightly browned. Cool on pans for 5 minutes, then cut diagonally into 1-in. slices. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
• In a small bowl, combine the confectioner's sugar, extract and enough milk to achieve desired consistency; drizzle over bars. Yield: about 4 dozen. 
• (via)

The Twelve Days of Blog-mas, Day 9

Day Nine: Holiday DIY

What better place to find a DIY then The DIY Network? There are so many awesome ideas, and this is one of my favorites:

How to Make Christmas Ornaments from Old Necklaces

To make these ornaments, we took apart some faux pearl necklaces, re-strung the beads on dressmaker pins and then inserted the pins into polystyrene balls. These ornaments are easy to make, and they make great gifts.

Tools and Materials

§    hot glue gun and glue sticks

§    scissors

§    small Styrofoam balls

§    a box of 1-1/16" dressmaker pins 

§    2 to 4 old costume jewelry necklaces (depends on the number and size of ornaments)

§    package of clear seed (bugle) beads, cream or a color of your choice 

§    ribbon

Gather Beads

Make sure the necklaces you are taking apart are not valuable. There is a way to test for real pearls — check online. Cut the string of the costume jewelry and pour the beads into a platter with raised sides. You don't want to use a bowl — it is hard to maneuver a pin in it.

Insert Beads on Pins

Choose the size of the Styrofoam ball you want to work with, depending on the amount of beads you have.

Start stringing your beads onto the pins, leaving at least 1/2 to 1/3 of the pin exposed. Do a variety of patterns: one bead, two beads, three, depending on the size and shape. Always put the smallest bead on first, then the largest. Use the seed beads as toppers on the pinheads. Also, use them if the bead holes are too large and can slip through the pinhead.

Put a little glue on the tip of the pin and then insert it into the Styrofoam. The glue will help keep it all together and prevent the pins from sliding out of the ball.

Add Ribbon to Hang It

When you get close to filling the whole ball, add ribbon to the top. Glue down the ribbon, then pin it down with beads; glue the pins down, too.

Use Seed Beads as Filler

Fill in whole ball. When it gets harder to fill in some tiny spots, use the seed beads, four or five together, as filler and for additional height.

Joanne Palmisano is the author of Salvage Secrets (W.W. Norton, September 2011). Visit her blog, also called Salvage Secrets.

The Twelve Days of Blog-mas, Day 7

Day Seven: A Christmas Memory

Getting up early...no...cross that out. Getting up super early was always something we did on Christmas morning. It wasn't uncommon for us to already be out of bed and hyped up on sugar (thanks to stockings) by 4:00 am. One Christmas, Katherine got a little...er...confused about the time. Earlier that week, our power had gone out due to ice, so some some of the clocks around the house were still a little wacko after it had come back on. Somehow, she thought it was late/early morning and was going about the business of waking everyone up and giving them their stockings. Yeah, it was 2:00 am...I remember being really confused and even more tired. I also have this faint-ish memory of my Dad stumbling around with red eyes and matching face, chasing each and everyone of us back to bed.

Now on Christmas mornings, It's a little harder to get me out of bed..."Come back in here and turn that light on one more time, and I'll hurt you very badly, Dear." But we still have fun!

The Twelve Days of Blog-mas, Days 5-6

Day Five:

I'm so sorry I missed day five :-P. We had family over and I was just waaaaay to busy to post anything! Check out Kendall though.

Day Six: A Picture of Your Christmas Tree

We are halfway through Blog-mas, which is super hard to believe! I don't know if it's just me, but Christmas seems to have come up way to fast...I think my brain is still in denial. Even though it's finally cold, everywhere you go Christmas music is playing, Target has snowflakes hanging from the ceiling, Starbucks is decked out, and there are more baked goods sitting around begging to be eaten than possible, I still am having trouble grasping the fact that, "Hey everybody, Christmas is this coming Sunday!"

This was pretty difficult to get a picture of. The tree is kinda crooked in it's stand and at a really awkward angle for snapping. Oh well.

Our house is decorated in blues, browns, silvers and greens. Hence the color of the ornaments :-)

We had an extremely busy weekend. My cousins came (five girls) so there was a lot of action with ten kids running around (a lot of them under the age of twelve)

But that's not to say we didn't have fun :-) Plus there was a brand new Chihuahua puppy in the mix creating chaos all around with it's extreme cuteness and puppy-ness. 

Rachael 

Cookie Dough (Hannah's Chihuahua)

Yesterday we took everyone to the playground and froze our faces off. It was already terribly cold, not to mention the fact that some people got a "Blue Coconut" slush from Sonic beforehand :-D

(Oh yeah, this is Karis...I think.)

And Katelyn, unless it's the other way around...oh dear. Pretty sure I got it right though :-)

No one was smiling very much, but that might have been something to do with the fact that their faces were already permanently frozen beforehand. 

Comment, anyone?

The Twelve Days of Blog-mas, Day 4

Day Four: Free

I wasn't really sure what to post on today. But, yesterday I made some...cookies. Except no one could really eat these ones. They were really tasty, so where's the problem? Well, they were mice. And looked realistic enough to have trouble sticking in your mouth. I made them for a Christmas party we had here last night and they were pretty popular among the younger crowd. Here is a link to the recipe. (I had to give them blue eyes, the red kinda psyched me out.)

They're cute as mice...but as cookies?? Yikes. 

And here are a few pictures I took yesterday that I <3

I love black and white photos. 

Chucks...you gotta have at least one pair.

Charlotte :-)

Oh and when taking pictures, always try to take them in color and not B/W, because you can always change them later. But if you take them in B/W they'll stay that way...just something I find useful to remember :-)

I know this post doesn't have a lot to do with Blog-mas,  but Merry Christmas all the same!

The Twelve Days of Blog-mas, Day 3

Day Three: A Favorite Ornament

OK, so I'm supposed to post on my favorite ornament today. Problem? My "favorite" favorite ornament broke a while ago...I got it at Bronners in MI when I was about 3 or 4. It was a cat peeking out of a stocking, and it was even customized...it had my name on it. Now how cool is that? :-D But when you live in our family, things break. A lot. So my new fave is a safe pair of wooden Ice-Skates.

And few of my favorite Christmas quotes:

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.~Laura Ingalls Wilder

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. ~Charles Dickens

There’s nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child.~Anonymous

"There has been only one Christmas - the rest are anniversaries." ~W.J. Cameron

The Twelve Days of Blog-mas, Day 2

Day Two: A Christmas recipe

This recipe looked far to good to pass up! Serve warm with a plateful of Christmas cookies.


Christmas Cocoa:
Christmas Cocoa Recipe4 Servings

• Prep/Total Time: 15 min.

15 /15Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 4 cups milk
• 2/3 cup instant chocolate drink mix
• 5 chocolate mint candy canes, crushed
• 1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 pure vanilla extract

Directions

• In a large saucepan, combine the milk and drink mix. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. Remove from the heat. Set aside 1 tablespoon crushed candy canes for garnish. Stir remaining candy canes into cocoa; keep warm.
• In a small bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until stiff peaks form. Ladle cocoa into mugs. Top with whipped cream; sprinkle with reserved crushed candy canes. Yield: 4 servings.

Oh and one more thing, I'm not about to give you the nutrition facts on this hot cocoa :-)

I know everyone one around here is anticipating Christmas very excitedly. Emmaline is already having problems sleeping and had to get up extremely early. She passed the time playing "Corn Maze" on the couch with her stuffed animals. :-)
Merry Christmas!

The Twelve Days Of Blog-mas, Day 1

The Twelve Days of Blog-mas is a blog challenge I'm doing with Katherine,  Kendall, and Meghan.
Be sure to check us out every day as we blog about our favorite Christmasy subjects :-)

Day One: A Favorite Christmas Song/Carol

I couldn't decide which to post about: song or carol? The carol won in the end...

Fact: I love Celtic Christmas music.
The "Wexford Carol" has probably got to be my favorite (although choosing just one was tough!)

The Wexford Carol
Lyrics

Good people all, this Christmas time,
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done,
In sending His belovèd Son.
With Mary holy we should pray
To God with love this Christmas Day;
In Bethlehem upon the morn
There was a blest Messiah born.

The night before that happy tide
The noble virgin and her guide
Were long time seeking up and down
To find a lodging in the town.
But mark how all things came to pass:
From every door repelled, alas!
As long foretold, their refuge all
Was but a humble oxen stall.

Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep;
To whom God’s angels did appear
Which put the shepherds in great fear.
“Prepare and go”, the angels said,
“To Bethlehem, be not afraid;
For there you’ll find, this happy morn,
A princely Babe, sweet Jesus born.”

With thankful heart and joyful mind,
The shepherds went the babe to find,
And as God’s angel has foretold,
They did our Savior Christ behold.
Within a manger He was laid,
And by His side the virgin maid
Attending to the Lord of Life,
Who came on earth to end all strife.

Here is my favorite recording of it. 

There are so many Christmas songs and carols I would love to share...leave a comment letting me know what your favorite is.