Christmas Memories and a Recipe!

Peeps....here's the thing.  It's about the memories.  It really is.  So if you don't have your shopping finished it's ok.  No one's going to remember the gifts in 20 years, they are going to remember the memories.  Just make sure you make some memories. I hope to be back here before Christmas but in case I am not, I hope all of my Blogger Friends have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

So, I got a text from a friend who needed help. I told her I'd come over and help her wrap her Christmas presents.  We had so much fun that we decided to make this a tradition.

There was serious head bonkage going on with empty paper rolls!

 Can you tell what this is?

Still working on this...not sure it'll be done for Christmas.

 This is the first time I've ever made turtles...Recipe courtesy of Pam Williams.  Thank you Pam.

 Lay out three pecans, pinch off some caramel, (don't bother melting it)

 Melt the chocolate.  I don't use a microwave to melt it because I want more control over it.  I've burnt it before in the microwave.  Nor do I use a double boiler.  I just take it off the burner before the chocolate is completely melted, and I never stop stirring.

  Spoon the chocolate over the caramel and nuts and viola'.  You have turtles, that you have to hide or your Shug will eat them all!

 Trying to finish up this Christmas tree bunting.  I had to pin it and spray it because it was curling up.  We'll see if it works.

 Yesterday I went to the Murat with my Sister, Cousin, Mom, and niece, along with several other people to a gospel brunch.  Yum and Wow!  You shoulda heard this lady sing I Will Always Love You By Whitney Houston. 

  

Check out some of the decor in this place.  Stunning.

 

 Vickie called this man "Chia man!"

 Family photo.  Me, Vickie, Taylor, Mom, Theresa

On the way back to my house, I asked Vickie if she'd ever been to the We Care park.

  

She has now!

 I've been making some cotton dishcloths.  I think next year, I will be making these up to sell.  They seem popular.  The pattern comes out of an old issue of Crochet Today magazine and I changed the yarn to any cotton dishcloth yarn and a bigger crochet hook.

And now for the yellow picture at the top of the page.  It's Slush Punch Freeze.  It's not too late to make it for Christmas.  And it would be perfect for those of you who have warm weather right now, but we're tough, we drink it even in the cold weather. (speaking of weather...we had rain rain rain and more rain, but I don't think we flooded anywhere.  I haven't heard that we have anyway.  And now the temps have plummeted.)

Here is the recipe for Slush Punch Freeze

 7 cups Water
2  cups granulated sugar
1-6 ounce can frozen orange juice
1-12 ounce can frozen lemonade
1 1/2 cups Brandy

Mix all together and put in freezer.  The next day, stir the frozen mixture.  It'll look like the picture above - slushy.  You can stir it every day to make sure it's all mixed up.
To use it you fill a glass half way with Slush Punch Freeze and half way with ginger ale or 7-up. Stir and drink and stir and drink some more.  I don't know of anyone ever getting drunk on this mix.  The brandy is very diluted.  Enjoy.

Cindy Bee

PS - I might start sharing bits and pieces several times rather than long posts. They take too long.  And I'm excited about some games I've made up for this year.  We have game night at our house on Christmas Eve.  I'll tell you about them if they turn out.  But now, I must finish Christmas presents, bunting, and cookie baking!

Christmas Tradition with my nieces 2012

For those of you who follow me regularly, you know I've been computer-less for the last month.  During Christmas....the busiest picture taking season of all. 

 

And for those of you who know me, you know I take a lot of pictures.  

 I always thought laptops were made like desktops...to last until you got tired of them. 

Not so.....my laptop only lasted 2 1/2 years. Bummer. 

 

So anyway, I use my blog as a journal, of sorts...what I do...family stuff...friend stuff...tradition stuff...gardening...baking...beekeeping...crafting...house-building...etc. 

 

And if you know me, and if you look at this post or this post you  know I'm big on traditions.

And since I use this blog as a journal, of sorts, I'm going to start up where I stopped...before Christmas.  So in a couple of weeks we'll be celebrating NYE on my blog again!

 

  Let's start with the weekend I always get my nieces to go to the We Care park. I would have bet money that I took my great niece with us in 2011....but she had spent the night another time...not this one.  So I am JUST NOW realizing that this year, 2012, was the first year for her to experience the We Care park with us.  She went along like she's been going for years.

 

The weekend started with crafting.

I will have an awesome craft room in our house when it's finished.  Right now you can't use it when it's cold outside because the upstairs of our house isn't finished.  We are living in one room in a basement.  The craft room is in the basement and closed off.  There is heat, but it doesn't do any good to heat it when the ceiling is open and the upstairs is still open to the cold air.



 But this weekend was fairly warm so I gave them run of the craft room.  They were creative.

 

They made these angels, and a few other fun things.  But mostly just played in there. 

After I let them craft for awhile, we ate dinner, then headed to the We Care park.

 

 

And THIS is the We Care park.  (for more pics of it, you can go to the posts I mentioned above) It's a local thing.  Two dj's started We Care years ago as a way to raise some money to help a family.  This family had called in to their talk show, I believe it was the father that called in.  He had lost his job at Chrysler and didn't know how he was going to provide Christmas for his children.  From that one call a few hundred dollars was donated to help him. 

And from that one call, this whole WE CARE explosion happens in our town at Christmastime.  There is a huge weekend auction on TV.  There is a store.  And there is the We Care park. And all money is donated to help people in our town.  You can walk through or drive through the park.  If you walk through this park you go into a garage all decked out for Christmas and you get to pick a stuffed animal off of the rotating Christmas Tree. 

 

And I should have known by the look on her face this was her first year to join us.  She won't be left out again.  (She probably had plans last year during this weekend)

 

 

 You also get cookies and hot chocolate inside this room.  (look at all the lights-it's a magical place)

 When these girls are too old and don't want to do this anymore....

we're going to volunteer together...they don't know it yet...I just now came up with the idea! 

 (Sorry about some of the pics.  Some were taken with my phone and some were taken with a camera that I had just purchased right before that weekend.)

You can tell my Shug is just having the time of his life.

 

 

 

Photo op!

 

 

 Another photo op!

When we returned to our house, I had them get ready for bed before crafting some more.

 Now if you look in the above picture, besides seeing my Shug having more fun, you can see where we are living.  This is it.  I'm taking the picture from the bed area.

(and yes Fiona from Teacups and Tiscuits, that is a "baker's rack" in the background and that is what we call them here....baker's racks.)

 And while My Shug was blowing up the 2nd mattress with the air compressor.  The air compressor blew.  Or just quit working. Either way, he and I took turns blowing up that 2nd air mattress.  And Emily was quite content to lay on a sleeping bag and spongy thing on the floor.  Thank goodness because we wouldn't have been able to blow up another mattress!

 

 They were all quite comfy and cozy with their snacks,

 their movies, and each other.

Even Dixie got in on the act.

I wasn't going to see my great-niece at Christmas so I gave her a present early.

It wasn't an accident that I gave it to her about an hour before we left.  It was crayons, markers, books, pencils, drawing paper, etc.   Well, we are living in one room and had enough chaos going on!

 

 

I'm so glad they still enjoy this tradition with their Aunt Cindy and Uncle Dave.  I'll keep doing it for as long as they'll come.

 

Now...about this computer...is the fan supposed to get really loud...off and on...and blow hard enough to move a bag hanging on a chair a couple of feet away.  I have a bad feeling about this peeps.

 

Cindy Bee