Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you!!

May Christmas fill your home with joy 

and your heart with love.

I Haven't Baked A Single Cookie...

I haven't baked a single cookie... 

...but my kitchen is brimming with sweets.

See post from last year for my Mom's gingerbread recipe.

(PS- We will bake when the kids come home from college.)

Part of my gingerbread collection

Hedgehog Cheese Ball

This is such a fun cheese ball appetizer to make for holiday parties!  This idea came from a "Country Christmas Ideas" magazine  (I don't remember which year).   I made him for a recent family gathering and everyone loved him!  I used an old family favorite cheese ball recipe as the base, and then decorated him  according to how they had done it in the magazine. 

Hedgehog Cheese Ball

Ingredients:

4 boxes of Philadelphia cream cheese, softened

2 pkg Budig deli corned beef, finely chopped

8-10 scallions, finely chopped

2 teaspoons Accent

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1 pound (2 cans) Smokehouse salted almonds

1 red grape 

1 olive (or 2 raisins)

crackers

Mix 3 packages of the cream cheese with beef, scallions, accent, garlic and curry powder.  

Cover and refrigerate for an hour.  Shape like a hedgehog.  

Use the last package of softened cream cheese to spread a thin layer of white over entire hedgehog.  

Use a 1/2 red grape for his nose.  Cut an olive to make two eyes.

Press almonds into body, pointed side up.

Serve with crackers.

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Lullaby

Shepherds and wise men will kneel and adore him,

Seraphim round him their vigil will keep;

Nations proclaim him their Lord and their Saviour,

But Mary will hold him and sing him to sleep.

-J. Rutter








Linking to:
Reason For the Season @ Happier ThanA Pig In Mud

Tomten

Lots of little Tomtar with the wild creatures of the forest.

Are you familiar with this Astrid Lindgren story?  

A sweet story for children, that tells the tale of a kind hearted Tomte.

Linking to:

Mosaic Monday  @ Little Red House

Thank you for hosting, Mary.

Suspect

 "What do you mean 'a bird is missing from the little tree' ?
I don't know anything about a missing bird."

"What bird?  I don't see any bird."

 "No bird down there either."

"Lady, I am not gonna sit here and listen to you accuse me of birdnapping.
This interview is over.  I want a lawyer."

"Looks like there are still plenty of birds on that tree.   

Why is she fussing cuz one little ol' bird is gone?"

Later...

"No, I did not attack the big Christmas tree and pull the ornaments off.  

Why that must have fallen clear across the room and scooted itself under the table."

Candy Canes- Little Mice

Candy canes.

A favorite Christmas treat!

Candy Cane Mice

(We made these when my kids were young.)

Supplies: Candy canes, felt, wiggly eyes or dark colored beads, small pompoms, 

dark colored stiff thread/fishline, white glue, scissors

Cut out the two felt pieces.  

Make three small cuts in the mouse body where marked.

Glue eyes, whiskers and nose.  Let dry.

Insert ears.

Slide candy cane into tail cut and through the back of the ears to secure. 

Hang by their tails from the Christmas tree.   Or use in place of a bow on a wrapped gift.

I'll Give Them All To You To Hold

look  the spangles

that sleep all the year in a dark box

dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine,

the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads,

put up your little arms

and i'll give them all to you to hold

every finger shall have its ring

and there won't be a single place dark or unhappy

then when you're quite dressed

you'll stand in the window for everyone to see

and how they'll stare!

oh but you'll be very proud

(from little tree  by ee cummings)

My tree is up and ornaments adorn every branch.  

Each one holds a special memory.

Linked to:

Show That Sapin @ My French Country Home

Thanksgiving Table

I need to show you these pictures of my Thanksgiving table 

before I move on to Christmas posts.

So... here it is.  

 I am starting to think that blue is a perfect color for Thanksgiving.

Liberty Blue (Staffordshire) dishes mix with Ginger Spice Route (Pier One) salad plates 

and Virginia (Fostoria) stemware.