all wrapped up.....

The parties that is.......everything was so lovely. I haven't even had a chance to look at the pictures a friend snapped on my camera......today was the first time to stop for a breather. It all began last Thursday when we shopped for the dinner for 80 people......4 spiral hams, 5 cans of green beans, 40 pounds of potatoes, 3 industrial sized bags of romaine, 8 lbs of butter, 2 quart of half and half, 5 bags of rolls.......sounds a little like the 12 days of Christmas song....but no pears or partridges! We delivered it all to the church kitchen and then after decorating my two tables, I came home to finish up the desserts and would you believe my family wanted to eat??? Then on Friday, did a little of my Christmas shopping {no I am not finished--I have a few more days!} and went to the church to start the cooking....There were three of us cooking and the meal turned out to be most delicious! Our menu was Spiral Ham, Green Beans (made with garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, and bacon pieces). My friend Renee and her daughter had made two lovely Buche de Noel cakes, another friend had made Layered Hazelnut Cheesecake (search for the recipe on Taste of Home) and I had made the luscious trifle that I gave you the recipe for. The tables were set in our multi-purpose room and with only the sconce lighting and 10 beautifully decorated tables, it was like a wonderful, fine dining restaurant. The meal was a hit, we had such fun making it, and it was a nice night of fellowship. It was just a little bit intense on the effort it took to pull it all off, considering we are all trying to take care of our own Christmas things. Nonetheless, it was a very fun night. We also had an ornament exchange as part of the evening, as well as my talented friend Renee entertaining us with a touching skit about our Christmas attitudes.......sweet, my friend!
On Saturday afternoon, I went to my friend's house to help her set up for her Open House, which has become a HUGE party....I could only stay a little while as I needed to come home and get ready for Saturday night...........still partying to be done......
My daughter Allison had planned her PALS dinner where we hosted 19 of her friends who all brought a covered dish. They all came with their dishes and were all dressed up. It was loud but very, very fun. They ended their evening after dessert with a rousing game of Taboo! It was a fun-filled weekend.
Today after church, it was time for all activities to come to an abrupt halt and take some time to recoup. David got home from college and we enjoyed snacks and family game of Scrabble....and now what's left to be wrapped up is a whole pile of presents!!! It was a great weekend!

So tomorrow is the Giveaway announcement....I know there are all manner of parties going on to link to for tree decor, Christmas tours, gift ideas, etc. Well, all I've got is a giveaway, so send everyone you know over here.........It's going to be all about RELAXING......some magazines, some craft books, some tea bags, some cookies, maybe a jar of fresh clean air to take a deep breath of !! LOL!! A chance to stop and take a quick break .......Come back tomorrow for some pics and the chance to sign up for the giveaway itself....I appreciate YOU coming by today and would love to hear all about your parties and weekend activities. I appreciate YOU for your blogging encouragement and friendship! I am continuing to gain followers, which just totally amazes me....but thanks! See you tomorrow!!!!

all wrapped up.....

The parties that is.......everything was so lovely. I haven't even had a chance to look at the pictures a friend snapped on my camera......today was the first time to stop for a breather. It all began last Thursday when we shopped for the dinner for 80 people......4 spiral hams, 5 cans of green beans, 40 pounds of potatoes, 3 industrial sized bags of romaine, 8 lbs of butter, 2 quart of half and half, 5 bags of rolls.......sounds a little like the 12 days of Christmas song....but no pears or partridges! We delivered it all to the church kitchen and then after decorating my two tables, I came home to finish up the desserts and would you believe my family wanted to eat??? Then on Friday, did a little of my Christmas shopping {no I am not finished--I have a few more days!} and went to the church to start the cooking....There were three of us cooking and the meal turned out to be most delicious! Our menu was Spiral Ham, Green Beans (made with garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, and bacon pieces). My friend Renee and her daughter had made two lovely Buche de Noel cakes, another friend had made Layered Hazelnut Cheesecake (search for the recipe on Taste of Home) and I had made the luscious trifle that I gave you the recipe for. The tables were set in our multi-purpose room and with only the sconce lighting and 10 beautifully decorated tables, it was like a wonderful, fine dining restaurant. The meal was a hit, we had such fun making it, and it was a nice night of fellowship. It was just a little bit intense on the effort it took to pull it all off, considering we are all trying to take care of our own Christmas things. Nonetheless, it was a very fun night. We also had an ornament exchange as part of the evening, as well as my talented friend Renee entertaining us with a touching skit about our Christmas attitudes.......sweet, my friend!
On Saturday afternoon, I went to my friend's house to help her set up for her Open House, which has become a HUGE party....I could only stay a little while as I needed to come home and get ready for Saturday night...........still partying to be done......
My daughter Allison had planned her PALS dinner where we hosted 19 of her friends who all brought a covered dish. They all came with their dishes and were all dressed up. It was loud but very, very fun. They ended their evening after dessert with a rousing game of Taboo! It was a fun-filled weekend.
Today after church, it was time for all activities to come to an abrupt halt and take some time to recoup. David got home from college and we enjoyed snacks and family game of Scrabble....and now what's left to be wrapped up is a whole pile of presents!!! It was a great weekend!

So tomorrow is the Giveaway announcement....I know there are all manner of parties going on to link to for tree decor, Christmas tours, gift ideas, etc. Well, all I've got is a giveaway, so send everyone you know over here.........It's going to be all about RELAXING......some magazines, some craft books, some tea bags, some cookies, maybe a jar of fresh clean air to take a deep breath of !! LOL!! A chance to stop and take a quick break .......Come back tomorrow for some pics and the chance to sign up for the giveaway itself....I appreciate YOU coming by today and would love to hear all about your parties and weekend activities. I appreciate YOU for your blogging encouragement and friendship! I am continuing to gain followers, which just totally amazes me....but thanks! See you tomorrow!!!!

A giveaway is coming up...

Um, no I am not giving away a trifle, silly.......but I wanted y'all to know about the giveaway coming up for my 300th post!!!
Can't do it today, as I am on the go. A friend and I are preparing the food for our church's Adult Christmas Dinner (80 adults!!!). It sounded easy enough and a good idea back a few months ago when we said we'd do this. {Note to self: don't take something like THIS on in December}. It's so very fun, and so inspiring...and we will have so much fun. I also agreed to decorate and set two tables...so really I guess I should have chosen one or the other. Oh, well, tomorrow I will hit the other lists hard and come up just fine. After all, I have a whole 2 weeks before Christmas right???? :)
I am going to be putting this trifle together after I post this....it is one of my friend Renee's recipe.....which are always yummy!
And I will hopefully be back tomorrow to begin the giveaway for my 300th post!!! Geez, how time flies. Oh, and we do have our tree to get and decorate. Since we get a real one, we usually wait until the second weekend to do it. I am ready to get it and be done with that part!! I hope y'all have a productive, fun-filled weekend.

Trifle

1 frozen pound cake, thawed (10 ¾ oz)

Raspberry preserves

½ c. orange juice + ¼ c. alcohol (sherry, amaretto, brandy). OR – increase juice to ¾ c. and add a tsp. of extract (almond)

Coconut macaroon cookies crumbled to make 1 c. crumbs (about 10 or so)

1 pkg. frozen raspberries (10 oz) thawed and drained

1 small pkg vanilla instant pudding mix

2 c. milk

1 c. whipping cream, whipped

¼ c. sliced toasted almonds

Cut pound cake lengthwise into one-inch slices. Spread preserves over each slice. Cut slices into one-inch cubes. Place cubes in bottom of 2 quart trifle bowl. Pour sherry/juice mixture over cake cubes. Sprinkle cookie crumbs over cake and top with raspberries. Prepare pudding according to package using milk, then fold in whipped cream. Spoon over raspberries. Chill. Before serving, garnish with toasted almonds. Serves 8.

A giveaway is coming up...

Um, no I am not giving away a trifle, silly.......but I wanted y'all to know about the giveaway coming up for my 300th post!!!
Can't do it today, as I am on the go. A friend and I are preparing the food for our church's Adult Christmas Dinner (80 adults!!!). It sounded easy enough and a good idea back a few months ago when we said we'd do this. {Note to self: don't take something like THIS on in December}. It's so very fun, and so inspiring...and we will have so much fun. I also agreed to decorate and set two tables...so really I guess I should have chosen one or the other. Oh, well, tomorrow I will hit the other lists hard and come up just fine. After all, I have a whole 2 weeks before Christmas right???? :)
I am going to be putting this trifle together after I post this....it is one of my friend Renee's recipe.....which are always yummy!
And I will hopefully be back tomorrow to begin the giveaway for my 300th post!!! Geez, how time flies. Oh, and we do have our tree to get and decorate. Since we get a real one, we usually wait until the second weekend to do it. I am ready to get it and be done with that part!! I hope y'all have a productive, fun-filled weekend.

Trifle

1 frozen pound cake, thawed (10 ¾ oz)

Raspberry preserves

½ c. orange juice + ¼ c. alcohol (sherry, amaretto, brandy). OR – increase juice to ¾ c. and add a tsp. of extract (almond)

Coconut macaroon cookies crumbled to make 1 c. crumbs (about 10 or so)

1 pkg. frozen raspberries (10 oz) thawed and drained

1 small pkg vanilla instant pudding mix

2 c. milk

1 c. whipping cream, whipped

¼ c. sliced toasted almonds

Cut pound cake lengthwise into one-inch slices. Spread preserves over each slice. Cut slices into one-inch cubes. Place cubes in bottom of 2 quart trifle bowl. Pour sherry/juice mixture over cake cubes. Sprinkle cookie crumbs over cake and top with raspberries. Prepare pudding according to package using milk, then fold in whipped cream. Spoon over raspberries. Chill. Before serving, garnish with toasted almonds. Serves 8.

Sanctuary....

I visited BooMama early this morning and read her post about Sanctuary, then I read Richella's post telling of a sweet, sweet story about her mamma......then I took some time to think. I was thinking about what we DO to provide Sanctuary for those whose resting place may be our home. Family, friends, even strangers leave our homes regularly with a memory of what they felt like in our homes, what they smelled in our homes, what they ate in our homes, what they were encouraged about in our homes, and what they enjoyed in our homes, or did.not.enjoy. Did they feel loved, did they feel enveloped like a cocoon, did they feel nourished and satisfied, did they feel joy?

I pondered what kind of environment my own family feels in our home. My husband NEEDS order and non-clutter. Do I work to keep things in line and in some sort of array? It's very hard for me to do so, but I am learning how it adds peace and calm.

Does my home smell clean and fresh and maybe even fragrant? Windex and Pinesol smell clean to me, but I know my husband also appreciates the smell of good food to welcome him home. Others appreciate that as well. My family won't succumb, even though I've campaigned!, to a faux tree because they love the smell of a fresh one. Those Balsam candles at Bath and Body works smell just like a live tree is my contention....still working on that!

What is the conversation of in my home? Do those who find refuge here feel dragged down by the cares of the world or filled with hope because we talk of the hope that our Jesus offers, we talk of the blessings the Lord has given in abundance......do we whine of what we want or rejoice over what we've been given????????????

Are you a hugger? It takes some perception really to know if others are comfortable with receiving hugs. I love to give them freely, but sometimes it's a little threatening. So in that case, a touch on the arm or a side hug is enough of a touch......but DO reach out to touch someone. We sometimes just need to sprinkle our conversation with grace and that may be the touch someone needs. Take time to perceive.

Take time to unwrap the gift of haven, of sancturary, of restfulness and peace, of calm and silent night. It's a gift you give to those who enter your home. No tinsel really needed, no shiny paper or bows. JUST DO IT.....just give it, just live it.
I'm linking to Emily's chatting at the sky Tuesdays Unwrapped today.....go enjoy some inspiration!

Sanctuary....

I visited BooMama early this morning and read her post about Sanctuary, then I read Richella's post telling of a sweet, sweet story about her mamma......then I took some time to think. I was thinking about what we DO to provide Sanctuary for those whose resting place may be our home. Family, friends, even strangers leave our homes regularly with a memory of what they felt like in our homes, what they smelled in our homes, what they ate in our homes, what they were encouraged about in our homes, and what they enjoyed in our homes, or did.not.enjoy. Did they feel loved, did they feel enveloped like a cocoon, did they feel nourished and satisfied, did they feel joy?

I pondered what kind of environment my own family feels in our home. My husband NEEDS order and non-clutter. Do I work to keep things in line and in some sort of array? It's very hard for me to do so, but I am learning how it adds peace and calm.

Does my home smell clean and fresh and maybe even fragrant? Windex and Pinesol smell clean to me, but I know my husband also appreciates the smell of good food to welcome him home. Others appreciate that as well. My family won't succumb, even though I've campaigned!, to a faux tree because they love the smell of a fresh one. Those Balsam candles at Bath and Body works smell just like a live tree is my contention....still working on that!

What is the conversation of in my home? Do those who find refuge here feel dragged down by the cares of the world or filled with hope because we talk of the hope that our Jesus offers, we talk of the blessings the Lord has given in abundance......do we whine of what we want or rejoice over what we've been given????????????

Are you a hugger? It takes some perception really to know if others are comfortable with receiving hugs. I love to give them freely, but sometimes it's a little threatening. So in that case, a touch on the arm or a side hug is enough of a touch......but DO reach out to touch someone. We sometimes just need to sprinkle our conversation with grace and that may be the touch someone needs. Take time to perceive.

Take time to unwrap the gift of haven, of sancturary, of restfulness and peace, of calm and silent night. It's a gift you give to those who enter your home. No tinsel really needed, no shiny paper or bows. JUST DO IT.....just give it, just live it.
I'm linking to Emily's chatting at the sky Tuesdays Unwrapped today.....go enjoy some inspiration!

You'll want to make these for Christmas morning!

The original recipe for these biscuits I found in the 1984 Southern Living annual recipe book. And I've been making them for a long time. They freeze well, so we'd both do well to get some in the freezer and then forget about them until Christmas morning. If we don't forget about them, we'll be too tempted to pull them out and eat them EVERY MORNING from now until then. They are THAT good.

So dear reader, here are my (well the original recipe came from Martha Martin in Vardaman, MS....If I knew Martha, I'd send her a thank you note!)

Sausage Biscuit Bites

3/4 pound hot bulk pork sausage (or just regular is what I use)
2 2/3 c. all purpose flour
2 T. sugar
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. shortening
1 pkg. dry yeast
1/4 c. warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 c. buttermilk***
Melted butter or margarine

Cook sausage in a skillet until browned, stirring to crumble; drain well and set aside.
Combine the next 5 ingredients, mixing well; cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until mixture looks like coarse meal. Dissolve yeast in warm water; let stand 5 minutes. Add yeast mixture to buttermilk, stirring well. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients, stirring just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Knead in sausage. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 3 or 4 times.
Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness; cut with a 1 3/4 inch round cutter. Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush tops with melted butter. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 3 dozen biscuits
Note: To freeze, place uncooked biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet; cover and freeze until firm. Transfer frozen biscuits to plastic bags. To bake, place frozen biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet ; bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Thanks, Martha!! These are one of our favorites!!!
***I always keep Buttermilk Powder in my fridge, but don't always have real buttermilk. Many times I have substitued dry buttermilk powder mixed in the dry ingredients and add the appropriate amount of water to the liquid ingredients. Also I have doubled this recipe many times and it always turns out great! Enjoy!!!!

Here is what my brand of Buttermilk powder look