Treasures Of The Heart...



Today as I carefully packed this fifty-year-old Christmas card away with all the other decorations, I smiled, and was reminded of how our personalities are shaped in so many ways and by so many things as we grow. On the inside, it says, "Merry Christmas to Mother and Daddy Love, Kathy."

I don't remember making it, but what I do remember is having a coloring book at my grandmother's house when I was about six. I remember asking my uncle if he wanted to color a picture in my book. I watched him as he outlined and colored each item on the page. I clearly remember thinking how beautiful his picture was and how I needed to outline if I wanted mine to be beautiful. To this day I outline every picture I color. I think that simple experience may have shaped me, may have caused me to be more careful, more meticulous, wanting my efforts to be just right, or maybe it had nothing to do with anything at all.

I found the card while cleaning out my parents home after both of them had passed away. It reminded me of how, we as mother's save so many little things our kids make for us. We save ornaments that we hang on the tree year after year, construction paper paintings, letters they've written to us... We save these things never knowing what will become of them when we're gone.

A lot of things have to be thrown out. You can't keep it all, but every now and then something comes along in the form of a treasure. You know it's a treasure because it speaks to your heart. This is one of those treasures. The heart kind. The kind that reminds us to remember.

It reminds me of that little seven-year-old girl who must have been outlining and trying to make her picture as beautiful as she could. It reminds me of time spent at my grandmother's house and of the mother who lovingly put it away, only to have it resurface 50 years later. I'm glad she did. I framed it and hung it behind the Christmas tree.

Today I carefully packed this fifty-year-old Christmas card away with all the other decorations. I wrapped it in cotton batting, the kind that sparkles with glitter, and when it resurfaces again next year I'll smile, and I'll be reminded, and I'll remember.

I hope your January has started out to be the beginning of a great new year.



It All Has To Go...

               The time has come once again to pack it all away.

     The Santa,

      and the favorite book.

The pictures

and the lighted houses.

 The bells and ornaments,

and things from the past.

 

Christmas cards and Santa mugs,

Angels, carolers, and advent calendars that decorate the mantel.

snowmen and snow globes,



it all has to go.

 

Normally, I feel like it's over before it begins, but this year I started decorating in November and next year I may start in October. I love Christmas and everything that goes with it.

Hope everyone has a wonderful new year filled with the best that life has to offer.

Have a great week!

 

 



Mother's Baked Beans...

For every family get together that we have my kids want me to make baked beans. In September, for Labor Day, I decided to surprise them by making a Crock Pot full of Great Northern beans. I love white beans. My grandmother used to make them and call me to come eat with her and take home the left-overs. She would always say nothing tasted good if she tried to make it for one person, so she would make a whole pot. Well, after Labor Day, to my surprise, the kids informed me that they wanted me to stick to the baked beans. Even my newest son-in-law requests the baked beans.
My husband's family is having their Christmas party tomorrow night, so in the morning I will get up and make baked beans. Sunday we are having Christmas at our oldest daughter's house, so Sunday morning I will get up and make another pot of baked beans.
When I first got married in 1975 my mother-in-law shared her recipes with me and this was one of her recipes. I call it Mother's Baked Beans. I get so many compliments on these beans that I thought I would share.

MOTHER'S BAKED BEANS

 

• 1 can of Van Camp Pork & Beans
• 2 ribs of celery, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 bell pepper, diced
• 2 T of prepared mustard
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar
• 2 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces 

Mix all ingredients together and pour into baking dish. Cook 3 hours at 250 degrees. The last two years I have used the Crock Pot to cook them. I put the pot on low and let it cook for about 6 hours. It works fine.

 

This is the original recipe. I have never made it using only one can. I use 6 cans and it fills my Crock Pot. If the beans have a lot of liquid in them I will partially drain because the Crock Pot seems to create it's own liquid. If you are using a baking dish you may not need to drain them. I don't care for too much celery, so I just guess at the celery, a couple of ribs may be all I use in the whole pot. When it comes to the onions I cut up two or three medium to large onions. I cut the bacon into 1 inch square pieces. It will seem like a lot of bacon, but when it cooks up it isn't too much. I follow the recipe x 6 for the rest of the ingredients.  

 

My mother-in-law with my kids in 1987. She was a good cook and we enjoyed many wonderful meals prepared in her kitchen.

 

Enjoy!!!

Have a nice weekend!

A Bed For Baby Jesus...

In April, while in Santiago, Spain, I bought this baby Jesus as a souvenir. The young man that ran the store was very nice. I was thinking about buying the large one for double the price. He told me he thought the medium size would work for me and he was exactly right. Then he opened at least five boxes trying to find the perfect one. One with no flaws. He was an example of every Spanish person we came in contact with.

Some wood, some glue, a piece of cotton and

Baby Jesus has his bed. He's going under the Christmas tree.

Have a nice week.

The Party's Over...

We had to have an early Christmas party with our kids this year due to some scheduling difficulties. It was my turn to host. Originally I had it planned for December 22, but another family party was scheduled on top of ours and I try to remain flexible. So, between the birth of the new baby, the cruise and three weeks of being sick I almost ran out of time. I have been working non-stop trying to get presents bought and wrapped, Christmas cards mailed, house cleaned (oh my that was a killer), Christmas tree bought and decorated, and groceries purchased and cooked. Since hubby works out of town it all fell to Mwa.

I'll start with the baby. He has finally started to gain some weight and even smile. I was worried about him for awhile. He seemed so scrawny and wiry (hope those are acceptable words when describing ones newborn grandson). Every time I held him I would say, "There's just nothing to him". I was certainly in for a surprise when they arrived Saturday.  There was actually some meat on his little bones and then yesterday my daughter texted this picture of him smiling.

 I can stop worrying and will try to find better adjectives when describing him. Adjectives like precious, sweet, and cute and I may even  get to talk about his baby fat in a month or two.

The cruise was great as usual. We went to Key West and the Bahamas. I chose Key West in order to tour Hemingway's home. Hemingway had six-toed cats. After his death and after turning the home into a tourist attraction they continued to breed the cats. There were six-toed cats everywhere. They were under bushes, in the house, lazing on the porch, and one was even on the bed. We took a walking tour of that area and wound up at Hemingway's favorite hang-out, "Sloppy Joe's". It was a nice vacation.

Two days before the cruise I started getting the dreaded sore-throat. I was sick the entire cruise, and two weeks afterward. Finally went to the doctor. He gave me a Z-pac and some funny looking pills to take for cough. I coughed until my muscles hurt on the cruise, but the minute I got to the doctor's office I felt better. As soon as the sickness left and I got my energy back it was time to start preparing for the party. No time in-between.
I shopped, bought, wrapped, decorated and cooked. They started showing up about noon Saturday. Everything went off with out a hitch. It's amazing how long it takes to prepare and how soon it's all over. I cleaned some Saturday night and Sunday and by Monday was starting to feel a little like a free-spirit again. Today I'm sipping my "warm baudee" (at two my uncle couldn't say coffee), writing this blog and wondering what to do with all this free time. Well, actually I do have that party on the 22nd and my dad's on the 25th, but everything is squared-away, so I'll feel more like a guest and less like a host.

The Three Santa's.



Oh, I mean four.

They passed out the presents and we had another successful Christmas. Zombies seemed to be the sought after gift this year and they were in abundance at our party. And let's not forget Spiderman because what would any party be if "Pidaman" didn't show up.

This was our Christmas Elf that kept popping in and out of every picture we took. (I wouldn't pay the $30 for the one from Target  every one seems to be crazy about this year). I liked mine better anyway.

Even the donkeys got in the Christmas Spirit.

Have a great day and a Merry Christmas!!!

Token Gifts...

Fill a jar with a snack of your choice. Sketch a quick drawing on top of the lid with a Sharpie and tie on a ribbon.

I try to find lids without writing on them, but have used both.

You don't have to be an artist and when they don't turn out, like my gingerbread man, I just think, "Oh well, it's the thought that counts."

Have a great Tuesday!!!

Poor Kitty...

Whenever I leave the house I have a little orange kitten that loves to run down the sidewalk ahead of me. I am always afraid I might run over him. I play tricks to convince him to stay where I can see him as I drive off. Lately, when I tell him to stay, amazingly he does.

I have been gone since Tuesday and arrived home tonight just after dark. He ran to greet me as usual. I got out of the pick-up and went to my car to get the mail. A friend puts it in the front seat whenever I am gone for more that a day or two. This time there were several boxes of Christmas items I had ordered. I stood with the car door open for a full minute looking at return addresses to see what had arrived. I then gathered up what I could safely carry and gave the car door a gentle shove. I didn't slam it. I was coming back to get the rest of the mail, so I gave it a push, not caring if it closed all the way or not. What I didn't realize was my little orange kitten decided at that very moment to leap into the floor board of the car. The door caught him just right and broke his neck. It was very sad. I hadn't even named him.

Internet kitty.



On a happier note, here is a Santa picture of my brother and myself in 1959. We were at Leonard Brothers in Fort Worth, Texas.

I love pictures like this.



Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!!!



 

Seventeen Shopping Days Left...

A couple more gift cards and I'll be through with my Christmas shopping. Yeah!!!



Who would have thought a GI Joe would cost $30.00 (if you can find one). I guess it was a bargain though because you can throw him up into the air and his parachute will open. I wonder how many times he'll need to be rescued from the top of a tree or house?

 

 

And the "Walking Dead" Zombies-OMG-I don't even want to go there.

 

 

The one bargain I did get, after pawing for 20 minutes through the $5.00 bin of  Christmas CD's, was three Bing Crosby CD's.

Merry Christmas!

Have a good weekend!!!

Yesterday's Thrift Find...

Thomas Kinkade's "SANTA'S WORKSHOP TOYS" for $3.15.

It's going to take center stage on the living room mantel.
 

Have a great day!!!

Happy Count Down...

Time to get out the Advent Calendars

and start the countdown.

Have a nice week!!!