Church Christmas Dinner

We usually serve our yearly big church dinner at Thanksgiving, but this year moved it to Christmas. Friday and Saturday were the decorating and food preparation days. There are some wonderful ladies (and gentlemen as well!) who always do such a terrific job of decorating, planning and completing each and every detail for events such as this! I'm always amazed at all the things they do!

Jena, Megan and I served the meat and potatoes for the meal, which is always a fun treat for us! The meal was excellent as always and we had a large crowd of about 120 people! It's always lots of work, but always enjoyable.

When I got home (with plenty of turkey, potato, gravy and dessert leftovers!), I grabbed my computer, sat on the couch and started watching the last bit of the Chiefs football game. The next thing I knew it was after 5:00. I must have been exhausted cause it didn't take long and I was sound asleep.

I gave Dad a crash course on using my new camera to take pictures at church today and he did a pretty good job! Digital cameras and all the little buttons are still quite a mystery to him. :) Here's a few shots from the day....

Btw, Dave, if you are reading this, here's a glimpse of the activity! We missed seeing you there! :)

cutting desserts during church

beautiful, beautiful!

setting up the dessert and drinks tables

Let's eat!

the line goes on and on...

Greg, Susie and Roma - the master decorators and organizers!

Jeannette (master kitchen planner!), Megan, Jena and I...after just about everyone had gone through the line....it was now our turn!

the table where Dad sat

the kitchen staff table! :)

A yummy chocolate and vanilla cake

You know you always have an idea of what kind of cake you are going to bake and then by the time it's finished, it always seems to turn out different than you planned? At least that's they way it usually works for me!

I usually use a cake mix and then add a few extras ingredient, but this time I baked a cake from scratch, but still added a few extras to the original recipe.

Chocolate & Vanilla Swirled Cake

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 2/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups milk
1 box vanilla pudding
4 oz. vanilla yogurt
6 oz. melted semi-sweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray pans with nonstick spray.

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each one. Add vanilla and mix. Combine flour, baking powder and salt and add to batter alternatly with milk, mixing well. Continue beating one minute. Divide batter in half. Stir melted chocolate into half the batter; mix well.

Use a pan set with circle divider and alternate chocolate and vanilla batter into sections, dividing batter evenly into the three pans. Bake 30-35 minutes. Cool and remove from pan. Freeze until ready to frost.

Assemble cake by layering circular cakes in order desired according to swirled colors. Spread icing between layers. Frost top and sides.

Serves 20.

Chocolate Buttercream Icing

1/2 cup shortning
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp. clear vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
3-4 TBSP milk

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter. Add cocoa and vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. Add more powdered sugar or milk until you get desired consistency.

I baked the cake Saturday morning, froze it until after I got home from church and then frosted it. I layered the layers, spread frosting in between the layers, cut off the crusty edge around the cake and straightened it for easier frosting.

And then I realized that when I layered the cake, I put two chocolates together instead of chocolate, vanilla, chocolate. And I stuck those three layers together really well. Being the perfectionist I am, I "unstuck" the layers, layered them correctly and refrosted it. Yeah, you knew that was coming, right? I mean you can't leave a cake with uneven chocolate and vanilla layers, can you????

see the crispy and uneven edges?

I know this looks deadly, but I really am good with a knife - on food anyway!!

See how I cut the edges off?

A slightly unbalanced, but evenly layered cake.

Ahhhh.....finished!

Creamy Potato Soup

Linda requested that I post the potato soup recipe I was cooking in the crockpot in the car a week or so ago and so here it is! It is one where I combined several recipes and I am still improving on it. Many times I will cook this version of potato soup, but if I want something without all the extras, this is the one I use.

Creamy Potato Soup

4 cups cubed potatoes (4-5 medium potatoes)
3 TBSP butter
3 TBSP flour
1 1/2 - 2 cups milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 - 1/2 cup leftover ham juice/drippings
1 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 tsp celery salt
salt & pepper to taste

Boil potatoes in water until half done. To make a white sauce, melt the butter; then cut in the flour with the butter. Add milk, water and ham juice and stir well. Add seasoned salt, celery salt, salt and pepper and cook on low until sauce thickens. Add potatoes and cook until thickened and potatoes are done. More milk may be added if needed.

The above is for cooking on the stove, but if I am doing it in the crockpot, I put everything in (potatoes are already half done) and mix it together. Then I usually cook on high for about 30 minutes and then let it simmer on low for 3-4 hours until potatoes are done.

Also, if I need it to be really quick, I buy the frozen cubed potatoes and use that instead of peeling and boiling potatoes. Quick and easy!

Kids Klub Christmas Party

Our Kids Klub Christmas part was a fun evening and a perfect end to the year! Here's a few glimpses from the evening!

Jena created these little gingerbread nativity scenes that
are completely edible. Aren't they just so cute! :)

festive tables!

red & green jello!

ready to eat!

the girls table

the boys table

pin on the star!

the kids had lots of fun with this!

having fun!

picking prizes for their memory work for the year...

Bits and pieces

Today has been freezing. I mean freezing cold! Dad just came in from checking the cattle this afternoon and said it was 13 degrees without the wind chill. With that cold wind blowing right by you, it's probably around zero. Whatever it is, it's cold!

Jena left for Oklahoma City this morning. She is spending several days with Briann, one of her friends from the hospital, who is going to college there. They plan on doing some shopping and spending some good times together. They should have plenty of time considering that she's not coming home til Friday.

Last week we had our Kid's Club Christmas party. It was such fun and the kids enjoyed the last evening of the year! And it's nice for us to have a Christmas break. I've got some pics and other details to share, but since Jena has the pics on her camera and of course her camera and computer are with her down south, I can't post them. But I will soon!

Speaking of her computer...everyone who has a computer, listen up! (Kinda silly remark considering that you must have computer to be reading this! :)) Be SURE you have antivirus software on your computer! I spent several hours last week trying to get all the virus and hacks off Jena's. Her computer was so bogged down with all of it, that it kept doing weird things as suddenly freezing, shutting down, etc. To make it even more difficult, it locked me out of the Internet, which made it all the harder trying to track down the problems and fix them. There's still a bunch of work left to do on it to get it back in running order, but at least she can get online and do a few things.

So keep your antivirus software up-to-date. Yes, it does cost $40-$100 every year, but it is most certainly worth it! Especially if I'm the one who has to do the repair work. Did I mention that I charge $100 an hour for computer repair? :) Trust me; it's much more cost effective to prevent the viruses as much as possible in the beginning than trying to fix it later!

And for those of you who use Internet Explorer, switch to FireFox. I know it takes a bit of getting used to, but it is well worth it. Most of us, me included, just use IE because that is what is on every computer that we buy. I got so frustrated with IE and finally completely moved over to FF, which is much easier, much more secure and has more fun options to it's browser. Most certainly worth it!

Well, Dad and I went to church this morning, ate at Arby's for lunch and have been home for the rest of the day. I've watched my game of football for the day. Took a nap for the week (Sunday is about the only day I allow myself to take a nap in the afternoon!). Planned my Sunday School lesson for next week. Now I'm ready to finish up a few Christmas cards and by then I'm sure the day will be nearing the end.

What's up for today?

This week it seems I've had very little computer time available. Monday and Tuesday seem like ages ago and I'm not quite sure exactly what I did those days, but I know I was busy. Wednesday was our Kid's Club Christmas party and I spent part of the day getting my lesson material ready for Thursday.

Thursday I taught an extension meeting with Janice Unruh on Wearable Art & Embellishment. It went really well and we had a variety of different garments and wearables to show ways for embellishment. Half of the day I was in Dodge and then the other half I spent at Grandma's.

Friday I had planned to get some things done in the kitchen and finish up with some Christmas decorations in the family room, but instead I spent my time doing computer work, catching up from being offline Wednesday and Thursday, and moved my other stuff to today.

First I made a coconut cream pie for someone at church. Thank goodness for neighbors who had some coconut as I disocvered we were out, right when I was in the middle of baking the filling!

I thought it turned out very well!

We haven't had meatloaf for a while, and since I had thawed several pounds of hamburger to cook, I took some of that and made a loaf for this week and then a couple smaller loaves to put in the freezer for future use.

I tried a new recipe for the meatloaf so we'll see how it turns out. I was never a fan of the way Mom made it, so I hope this is an improvement.

meatloaf

Then I cooked several pounds of hamburger to keep in the freezer. I used the last of my cooked hamb. before Thanksgiving, but haven't had a chance to cook some more until now. Coming up with some quick recipes without hamb. the last couple of weeks have been a challenge! :) But I did manage to use up quite a few things I had in the freezer.

cooked hamb. ready for the freezer

With some of the hamburger I was going to make lasanga to put in the oven during church tomorrow, but Dad decided that he wanted to eat out after church so I didn't do that. But I was trying to find the lasanga recipe I used last time. I was sure I found it on allrecipes.com, but I hunted my recipe box there and didn't find it. I scoured all my cookbooks and Mom's books looking for it and finally found it!

It's a good thing I didn't plan on making it today as by the time I finished looking for the recipe, it was time to move onto something else. And the reason for that was that I got a little distracted while looking online. Never fails. If I ever need to kill time, just get online.

The day I have time to kill will never come, but I sure know how to do it if I would ever need to in the future! :)

searching...searching...searching

I put up most of our Christmas decorations last week, but needed a little something extra to fill in the bookcase shelves. I found a few extra things and combined those with some odds and ins we had and came up with this.

The snowmen on the top and third shelves we've had for quite a while and some of them are my favorites! But I added the little gingerbread collection. Those figures of sugary confection and just so cute and yummy looking! I just love them! Then the candy cane striped candles just added the right touch! Hobby Lobby had such cute things and their weekly half price deals make them even better!

glowing snowing shelves!

Just look at those!

And I love the pom-pom legs!

Perhaps I really need to...

...unbox and stock my inventory shelves? Yes, I think so. Especially since I'm expecting quilt a load from UPS, USPS and FedEx this week.

I love driving curved highways - for the CHALLENGE and the REMINDER!

I love driving on curved highways and interstates! You know how the highways curve and the exits twirl around to merge into another highway? I always challenge myself to navigate those curves as smoothly as I can get it. Whether I am going only 20 mph or 75 mph, as soon as I see one of the challenging curves ahead, I sit up and really concentrate on driving. (That doesn't mean I'm not concentrating on driving at any other time, although you just never know what can be done while driving! :))

I've learned that if you keep your eyes on the road in general, you can't effectively get a smooth curve. The vehicle I'm driving is completing the curve, but in jerky, bulky increments that make riding along that curve not the most pleasant experience. But if I keep my eye on the little white line that curves on the right side of the road, I can navigate that curve smoothly and efficiently no matter what speed I am at. I can't let my eyes drift to the center of the road or to oncoming traffic as it's so tempting to do, but must keep my focus on the white line.

As we were coming home from Alabama last week, I drove for several hours and encountered some of those curved highways. As soon as I could see that next curve coming up, I held onto the steering wheel with both hands and focused my eyes on that white line, never letting my eye drift away until I was again driving in a straight line.

Sometimes the road of my Christian life is full of those curves, more at certain times than others. Those curves God allows in my life seem to go on forever and it seems as though that straight lane in the highway will never come. Those curves seem to come when I'm at my worst, feeling stressed, overwhelmed, have too much planned in my schedule and am so wrapped up in crossing off my list of things to do that I allow myself to just focus on the road, the huge amount of traffic coming my way.

My focus in life shifts to the temporal, the seemingly important things in life that the world throws at me, but really are unessential in my Christian walk. As Pastor Kirk said in church yesterday, "The world gets you caught up in so many things that are just hay and stubble. They hold no eternal value. Matthew 6:19-20"

There are days (seemingly just about everyday the past month!) when my eyes are only on the road. Just on what I can get accomplished today. My challenge is to see how many things can I cram into 16 hours. And when I don't meet those expectations for myself, I grow frustrated and feel like I'm running behind and always trying to catch back up. I'm looking just at the road, at the long line of traffic ahead. My mind is dwelling on the seemingly important things that can't wait to be done - the things in life that in God's eyes are just temporal. Nonessential. Not worth keeping my mind on 24/7.

I'm not keeping my focus on where it should be - the little narrow white line. When my relationship with the Lord is where is should be, my eyes focused on Christ, studying daily in His Word, navigating those curves makes for a much less bumpy road than when I'm trying to do it all myself. When things get busy, I tend to spend less time on the more important spiritual things and more time on those temporal things that pop up everyday.

And there are days that those curved roads are not a very smooth ride. I am so consumed with the things I "have to" that I lose track of the more important things God has given me to do. Often those challenging moments God brings into my life are to make me sit up, concentrate, take notice of what I'm doing and what I need to keep my focus on.

Many times I will go to bed Sunday night after a long week working, thinking to to myself that this week will be different. That this week I won't stay up so late working. That this week I'll confine my work day to only 8-10 hours instead of 12. But if I try to do that in and of myself, nothing changes. Only through the help of Jesus Christ can I keep those nonessential things under control and navigate a smooth, unbroken curved highway.

You know how when you put the things God would have you to do at the top at the list instead of the bottom, how God puts everything into place? Sure, not everything is a easy, smooth ride, but those lists that seemed so long just seem get done. When my priorities are right before God, those curved roads are a much more pleasant journey through life than attempting it on my own.

I need that white line on the side of the road to navigate that curve, just like my mind needs to be centered on Jesus Christ through the journey of life to take out the bumps and wobbles. Trust me; it makes for a much smoother ride!

Every time I maneuver through a curved highway, I love the challenge of it in driving as well as the reminder where my life focus should be! Colossians 3:2, "Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth."

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I think this is the latest date we have ever put up Christmas decorations. Almost every year, we start putting up everything the day after Thanksgiving. Mom always made us wait until after Thanksgiving. But it seems the last few years with Krissa gone, and Jena and I busier than ever, it usually is later than it used to be.

Since Jena's social and working calendar is full just about til Christmas, the task was left to me. I decided yesterday would be the day! So here's a peek at our collection of Nativity scenes above the fireplace and there's more on my online photo album!

In the light, you can see the scenes...

...and at night it just glows!

Snow, bread, cookies, pizza and potato soup

It was the perfect day for cooking and baking. I started early in the morning after my morning routine of checking email and all my online stops. Little snowflakes started to fall and slightly cover the ground and I'm thinking how wonderful it would be to stay home for the evening instead of shopping in Dodge and then my quilt guild Christmas party (although I was looking forward to that!). Who wants to get outside in the snow and wind??? :)

There really ARE snowflakes in the air!

Snow, snow, snow!

Anyway, I had to fix potato soup, bread rolls and cookies to fulfill my part of our guild's Christmas party. I was rather concerned about exactly how I was going to keep the soup hot since I had some shopping to do in town before my meeting.

I love to use the crock pot, so fixing the soup in that was no big deal, and even transporting it for 30 minutes into town would be no big issue. It can easily stay simmering hot for that long. But what about keeping it hot in the car with it blowing snow outside for 3 hours? I wasn't quite sure about that until.....I thought of my power outlet!

I always keep a power outlet in the car. It's just one of those things you have to have when you are driving. Just like my purse, cell phone, Ipod and computer. Now, I know I can use my computer when driving (even though Dad thinks I can't - I did on our Alabama trip and it worked just fine. :)) If I can do that, surely I can plug in a crock pot and keep soup hot or even cook soup!

Guess what?!?! It worked! And not only did it work, but it kept the soup hot! Although while I was shopping I did envision walking back out to the car, seeing it engulfed in flames or climbing into the front seat only to discover that I blew a fuse somewhere and my car wouldn't start (I DID do that one time with two computers plugged in!).

But to my relief every time I checked it as I got back in the car, all was well. Now I have all kinds of ideas for things I can do while in the car. If I have electricity, then there's not much you can't do. Although now there just needs to be some kind of universal wireless Internet available US wide. Then I'll be completely happy!

Oh...the next time you see a silver car on the Interstate, with the driver curling her hair while watching a DVD, that's me! Just wave and if I have a free hand I'll wave back! :) (Ok, I'm just kidding about the curling iron and DVD part.)

bread rolls - yummy!

pizza for lunch

M&M cookies which didn't turn out quite so well...

potato soup

Nobody said you couldn't cook and drive at the same time!!

And now I have proof of that!!! :)

Thanksgiving in Alabama

Wednesday morning we were up bright and early, ready for the 16 hour drive to Birmingham, Alabama to spend Thanksgiving with Krissa. Things were taken of here at home, the van was packed and we were on the road!

Thursday we spent the day looking around Krissa's apartment which is just too cute! She is in a really nice area of Birmingham and the apartment complex she is in is just gorgeous! Plus she even has a beautiful backyard along the lakefront. The leaves and fall colors are just beautiful.

Friday we had our Thanksgiving meal with Clare, her brother and her Dad. Clare is so sweet and it was neat to be able to meet her family. Krissa also took us to Southern Progress where she works and that place is a-m-a-z-i-n-g! We weren't able to go inside, but just looking at the outside grounds with waterfalls and winding trails all around is just unbelievable.

Saturday was our shopping day! We spent the day shopping and then returned back to the apartment for some more of playing games and watching Christmas shows. A perfect end to a wonderful day!

Sunday we were back on the road headed west. Traffic was extremely busy on the Interstate and Highways, but we were ever so glad to be home! And Lady and Skittles were never so glad to see us as well! :)

Here's a few pictures and you can see more here in my photo album.

our family

Krissa's back balcany overlooking the lake

Ok, I know I'm not very often without my computer, but...

Jena is totally addicted to texting...her phone rang about all day!

Dad, being the wonderful Dad that he is, had to check all the
electrical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, etc in the apartment.
He's changing the furnace filter as you can see it was
in desperate need of a new one!

Krissa in the kitchen...she had all the candles lit when we came in!

Perhaps I'm doing one too many things at one time?

Considering that I...

...sent an email to the wrong mailing list while shipping orders, answering email and printing sales sheets.

...burned my finger while cleaning the kitchen, talking on the phone and boiling potatoes.

...let the potatoes boil over on the stove, leaving a burned ring to scrape off while sorting laundry.

...somehow managed to let the potatoes boil over again, the gravy bubble up and overflow (leaving a huge burned mess on the stove!) while starting the third load of laundry.

...spill my pop while opening the can, pouring it into a cup, walking across the basement and turning on the light switch.

I think I'm trying to do one too many things at once. Maybe. Just perhaps.

So I've decided to sit down at my computer and just answer email from over the holiday weekend. Just answer email.

Oh, yeah, while listening to Christmas music, placing a fabric order, scheduling blogging posts, peeking in on facebook, downloading photos and let's see...what other programs do have open on my computer? Oh and last, but not least....the last load of clothes in the dryer!

Whatever happened to the "Just answer email?"