Santa's Big Reveal

Christmas this year was a whirlwind of family celebrations...

We had the traditional cookie decorating at my mom's house using my grandmother's cookie molds.

Mom is not really that strict about the decorating!  ;-)

A few years ago we had an almost crisis.  The 1940's - something plastic Santa cookie mold had begun to crack and the company was out of business so there was no replacing it.  Apparently the same was happening to others families who share the Santa Cookie tradition.  One day a random ebay search revealed Aunt Chick's Cookie Cutters.  A fellow nostalgic baker started making the molds again!  Tradition saved!

I bought a new set for my mother and one for each of the 4 siblings in my family.

Right after Christmas, my parents celebrated their 50th anniversary!  What a great example of love and faithfulness.  

Renewing their vows
50 wonderful years together!

The day after the anniversary party, we headed to Florida to visit with the in-laws and to swim with manatees - one of the many crazy items on my bucket list.  I'm waiting for my daughter to send the pics of the manatees from her underwater camera, but here is one of us on the beach in Pensacola.  Don't be fooled - it was NOT warm!  

The holidays were amazing and full of family, love, travel, adventure...Not much blogging.

Despite my sparse posts, I have been busy cooking and sewing (mostly before Christmas!).  Now that the gifts have all been exchanged, I can finally reveal the little goodies that I made for everyone this Christmas.









The biggest project was finishing my son's high school T-shirt quilt.  He is only in is 3rd year of college...

It is not perfect, but I am pretty happy with this 1st attempt at quilting.

















Inspired by the quilting success...

I rehabbed my daughters' old American Girl Doll bed with a new scrappy quilt and pillows for my little cousins who I happened to hear were getting dolls from Santa.  Perfect for 2 little dolls to snuggle up on a cold winter's night.  

For a special stocking stuffer for my daughters, I converted some 80's clip earrings that I inherited from my mother-in-law when she passed and made them into push pins.  Now they can add a little sparkle to their bulletin boards and remember Grandma every time they see them.  

The backs came right off with the needle-nosed pliers and then I glued the thumb tacks on with the E-6000.
My great friend and embroidery teacher once informed us that "E-6000 could stick the butt of an elephant to a thumbtack."  

For sure, it can stick an 80's earring to one!

Lastly, I personalized some pillow cases for the nieces and daughters and towels for my oldest daughter's... fiancé.  Yep...To add to the fun of the season, my daughter got engaged on Christmas night! 

Welcome to the family!

It has been so happy, crazy busy that I am almost glad to be back at work.  Almost...until that alarm went off at 5:30 am!  I wasn't too sad to have a "cold day" off of school today, either. 

Wishing you all warm homes, warm food and warm hugs from me!

Pam 

A Glimpse of Christmas

Christmas dinner was at my parents' house this year and, as usual, it was a spectacular dinner.  We had a houseful of friends and family, good food and family stories - new and well-worn.

My mother is a master at setting a beautiful table and this year was no exception.

The Blue Willow dishes were my grandmother's

The Santa Cookies are a family tradition from when my Grandmother made them with my mother and her sister when they were little girls.  

A few years ago we were despairing because the original cookie mold broke.  Then someone with the same cherished tradition bought the rights to the company and Aunt Chick's Cookie Molds was back in business! 

This year I was in charge of appetizers - never a good choice for me because I am ALWAYS running late!  So, since we were rushing, I forgot to take a picture when they were all nice and plated on the serving platters, but here is a sampling...

Goat cheese with Cranberries and Pistachios, Marinated Antipasto kabobs, and
Smoked Salmon Cucumber Canapes (See Recipe Below)

We had a first course of quail with a radicchio and citrus salad (My sister made the salad and Dad did the quail) and then a main course of pesto and panko crusted rack of lamb.  It was so delicious that it was mainly gone by the time I snapped a picture!

Pesto and Panko Crusted Rack of Lamb

The humans weren't the only ones who enjoyed Christmas...Our old pup is famous for sniffing out his gifts and opening them ahead of time.  We thought we had fooled him this year.  We gave him one to get him started and then headed downstairs to open our stockings and...

He Just..

Couldn't...

Help Himself!

It was a very Merry Christmas for all!  :-)

Smoked Salmon Cucumber Canapes

From Taste of Homes Appetizer Special Edition 2013

2 Medium cucumbers, peeled

4 oz smoked salmon, flaked

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp finely chopped onion

1Tbsp capers, drained

1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/8 tsp pepper

1.  Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise; remove and discard seeds.  In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.  Spoon into the cucumber halves.

2.  Wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until filling is firm.  Cut into 1/2 inch slices.  Garnish with dill if desired.

Easy to make, light and delicious!