Christ-centered Christmas

I was supposed to review this last week or the week before but my back went out on me and made everything a great deal more difficult. Melanie graciously gave me more time to get to it. Thank you by the way. :)

Anyways, it's called "Christ-centered Christmas". I'll have to get Mel to tell me where folks can purchase it. ah no need for that.. amazing what a simple search on Google will net a body.. You can purchase it here for $6. :) A good deal by the way, the sheer amount of information packed into this ebook makes the $6 well spent.

now.. What is this "Christ-centered Christmas" e-book all about?

It is a guide to celebrating Christmas from a Christ based perspective. :)

This guide talks about decorating, food, advent, Christmas, and more. It has songs in it that are good for caroling. I have to admit, I thought it was a nice touch to include links to where you can here the carol played...helpful for those who might not know a given carol. Christmas baking WITH an ingredient list (makes it easier to do that shopping). :) She talks about her families' delight in a big dinner on Christmas Eve, complete with menu and recipes. She VERY briefly talks about Santa Claus and her reasons why her family has chosen what they do in regards to Santa. Have to admit, her reasoning resonates with me and is similar to my approach.

This whole ebook is a sharing on one families Christmas experience with others. It is well-written, it talks about more than just this particular family does things, but the focus is on what they do, and how they work hard at making the Christmas season a meaningful one focused on the real reason for the season.

If you want tons of good recipes, like caroling, and want to see how another person has worked through the Christmas season from a godly perspective, get this book. It will indeed be an aid to you.

Open House Preparations

in Preparation for our Annual Open House on Saturday, December 17, the lad and I did some baking.

we had a good time, and the transformers joined us in the baking. Sometimes they needed to be reminded that flour and sugar weren't so good for transformer joints, but for the most part they kept us well entertained with their antics. We frequently had cat supervisors who would rapidly disappear when the transformers noticed those aliens!

I wanted to make these, but well.. that didn't work so I ended up making logs instead.
see our logs?
the lad had a lot of fun making them.
We also made papernouten (not sure on the proper dutch spelling).

Here's how to make them.

Beat three eggs until frothy
add 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup brown sugar (packed) Beat until very light and fluffy about 5-6 minutes. Set aside.

Mix together the following: (if you don't want them as strong tasting, cut the spice ingredient amounts in half)
2 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp pepper
1.5 tsp grated lemon rind ...or add some lemon juice to the eggs and sugar mix
1/2 cup ground almonds

Mix together the wet and dry ingredients. It is a VERY dry mix.

What I find works best is to ball different amounts together until it kinda sticks together. Then take 1/4 of each ball, dip it in a wee bit of water and play with it until it becomes really pliable. Then form it into a thin rope about 1/2 inch in diameter. Cut into bite-sized chunks (about 1/2 inch) and then cook in preheated 325 degree oven for 15 minutes (until lightly browned)
we made chocolate chip cookies...mommy... I like them!
and last but definitely not least we made gingerbread men!
well okay... let me be accurate here... the only gingerbread men we made are the ones I insisted on..the rest was cats, bunnies and hogs.

in progress,

all cooked

christian carnival is posted

over at beyond belief.

it's not a particularly big one.

Christmas Fun

unscramble if you can...


1. srtee
2. okigncts
3. ldiyaoh
4. kioeosc
5. hrstiasmc
6. sghtil
7. tha
8. wnoanms
9. etsnper
10. fitg
11. lalsbnwos
12. sracd
13. eivg
14.osnw
15. oalrp erab