Christmas Cookies

One thing we love doing each year is making Christmas cookies.   We sometimes try out new recipes, but always come back to our tried and true favorites.   We like to make plenty to share with neighbors and friends, but of course we need plenty for seven drooling mouths, too.   :)

I’ll list my recipes for my baker friend Amy, and for anyone else that would like to try them.  No, these are not healthy, and that’s why we only make them once a year.  They are simply for our Christmas feasting pleasure!

First up: Peanut Blossoms

Cream together:
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar

Add:
1 egg
2 T. milk
1 t. vanilla

Sift together:
1 3/4 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

Blend dry ingredients in with creamed batter.  Roll dough into balls and then roll in granulated sugar.  Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.  Remove from oven and place Hershey’s Kiss in center of each cookie.  Bake 2 minutes longer.

This year we tried using the Mint Kisses….Oh, they are SO yummy!

(P.S. The funny looking chocolates are Ami’s dairy free chocolate chips.  We’ve also revised some recipes with dairy free butter and milk.)

Next up: Peanut Butter Ritz Cookies

These are so easy.   Simply spread peanut butter between Ritz crackers, then dip in melted almond bark.  We normally use chocolate, but this year we used white bark.  You can also add mint flavoring, or just dip one cracker in mint flavored bark and they taste a bit like Girl Scout Thin Mints.   :) With the leftovers, we dipped a few pretzels.  The salty/sweet are addictive!

And then: Chocolate Nuggets

I know these don’t particularly look appealing, but they are yummy.

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 c. butter
1/2 c. corn syrup
1 t. vanilla
2 3/4 fine graham cracker crumbs

Combine chips, butter and syrup in saucepan and melt over very low heat.  Add vanilla and blend until smooth.  Cool until lukewarm.   Stir in crumbs.   Form into balls using 1 tablespoon of the mixture and place on wax paper.  Chill until firm.  Watch them disappear.

Last, but certainly not least: Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies

This is my dad’s favorite.

Cream together:
1 c. shortening
2 c. sugar

Add and beat:
2 eggs
1 c. sour cream
1 t. vanilla

Add:
4 1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. baking soda
4 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

Mix well.   Chill in refrigerator for two hours.   Roll out with plenty of flour to a thickness of about 3/8″.  Cut with cookie cutters.  Bake at 350 for 12 minutes until bottom is slightly browned.  When cooled, dip in powdered sugar or frost with icing.

Gingerbread Houses

To kick off our Christmas vacation on Saturday we put together our gingerbread houses.  I found a kit that had five mini-houses, just perfect for our kids!   We also found a large tree that made for a perfect little village.   Well, that village lasted not even a couple of hours because the kids were anxious to dig into their homes before we could enjoy much of them.  Fun times, though!

Band Concert

Michaela is now in her fifth year of playing flute, and third year of piccolo. She plays at a local Christian school that only goes through 8th grade, but they’ve allowed her to continue one year longer (she’s 9th).  It has been a good fit for her and the small group has been almost as if she’s in private lessons.

Last week we attended the Christmas program at the school and enjoyed hearing the talents of the young people.  Michaela also played a couple of duets with another flautist that were just beautiful.

Christmas Program

Our kids all took part in the Christmas program during Sunday School this morning.  Michaela was narrator, Benjamin and Elijah were wise men, and Johanna and Ami were angels.  They all did a super job telling the story of when our Savior left his throne to become like us.

True to Ami fashion, she did not want to be a sheep with the other smaller children.  She wanted to dress-up to be fancy and beautiful. :)

Let the fun begin!

We are so excited about officially being on Christmas vacation now!  We have the next two weeks off school and Chris is off work for the rest of the year, too.  We are looking forward to a very clear calendar, family games and fun, good food, and celebrating our Savior’s birth together.



My twins

 

Our "snuggy pals"

Last week we worked on a fun and quick craft activity.  If you need any last minute gifts for Sunday school teachers or the mailman, try this out.

Wrap a Hershey's bar in white paper.  Let your child make "coal" fingerprints using black ink or paint.  Cut out and glue (or draw) a carrot nose, then wrap a yarn scarf on your snowman.  On the back we wrote "to" and "from" with a thank you or Merry Christmas.

A Heroine

My Grandma Rickard was truly a heroine to me.  This amazing and Godly lady was a pillar of faith, committed to loved ones, and witty to boot.  Today she would have been 105.  She passed away four years ago, but her legacy and the heritage she has passed on to her three children and their descendants will carry on forever.
Five years ago I had the privilege of flying to CA to celebrate her 100th birthday party with all of her extended family and many friends.  My aunt asked me to wear Grandma’s wedding dress and share some memories of Grandma at this special gathering.  Oh, I was so nervous, but yet thankful for the opportunity to stand up and bear witness to the many influences she had on my life.

I love you and miss you, Grandma!

I am attaching the speech that I gave in honor of Grandma.  It’s a bit long, but if you read it, hopefully you will catch a small glimpse of this wonderful lady whom I had the privilege of calling Grandma.

Memories of Grandma

(Speech given in honor of Grandma’s 100th birthday)

Hi, I’m Jocelyn and I am the 7th of Effie’s 9 grandchildren.  I’ll forewarn you that I cry at the drop of a hat, so please bear with me!  I am only about a third of Grandma’s age, so I still have a lot of growing up to do.  With that perspective in mind, I would like to share with you a few of my special memories of Grandma and tell you why I want to be like her when I grow up.

The year I was born was the year that Grandpa and Grandma retired in Santa Cruz.  Their house on Pacheco Avenue is where my memories center.  I was not privileged to live near Grandpa and Grandma growing up, so I often remember pulling in late at night after a long road trip, to the porch light on and Grandma having the guest rooms ready and waiting for us.  She always had wonderful meals prepared, and I always looked for her delicious pear preserves on the table or her persimmon cookies in the cookie jar.  It was great fun to admire her large dinner bell collection and choose which one to ring for each meal.  Grandma never seemed to mind the sand we tracked in from the beach, or the beautiful roses that we “accidentally” picked from her bushes.  She generously supplied us with empty egg cartons to collect snails in from her back yard.  And I never heard her comment on what must have been quite a difference in noise level around the house than what she was used to.  Although good-byes are never fun, I have vivid pictures in my mind of Grandpa and Grandma waving to us as we backed out of the driveway in our packed station wagon.  We would wave and smile for as long as we could see each other.   Grandma, you have always been a wonderful hostess and I want to be like you when I grow up.

More special memories are of how Grandma interacted with me as a child.  I now teach my own children hand games that she taught me.  I remember giggling with delight as she taught me “Tom Tinker, Eye Winker” and “Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, whoops..”.  And there is the all important, “Here is the church….”.  Whether it was receiving handmade doll clothes or snuggling up to have a book read to me, I always felt very loved and welcomed as a child.  Grandma, you love children as Jesus did and I want to be like you when I grow up.

A little known fact is that after 70 years of her own driving experience, Grandma taught me how to drive!  Having lived my teenage years in Japan, I didn’t have the chance to get a driver's license there.  It wasn’t until I was 19 that I finally received my learner’s permit.  I spent a week with Grandma after my sophomore year in college and that was my big chance.  She graciously allowed me to drive to the nursing home on our daily visits to see Grandpa, and also to Safeway, but that was about it.  In retrospect, this was probably very wise!  At the end of the week I took the driver’s test and passed by one point.  Phew!  In the years since I think I’ve only received 3 tickets!  Grandma, thank you for the driving lessons and more importantly for your amazing patience.  I hope that I don’t have to teach my own grandchildren to drive, but I do want to have your wonderful patience and be like you when I grow up.

My most tender memories of Grandma are of watching her utter devotion to Grandpa.  Her selfless commitment to their marriage in sickness and in health has been such an important example to me.  Grandma, I’ve watched you lovingly shave Grandpa’s face and feed him his meals when he couldn’t care for himself.  Your commitment to Grandpa for a lifetime of marriage is to be most highly commended.  I want to be like you when I grow up.

Many memories come to mind when I think of all Grandma’s travels.  I’ve loved reading her letters and journals about her adventures all over the world.  And I’ve loved bragging about my globe-hopping grandmother to my friends.  Grandma, I love your sense of adventure.  In fact, in my college days I made a pact with a dear friend that when we were old and widowed we would travel the world together as you did.  Grandma, when I grow up I want to be like you.

I’ve saved my most important memory of Grandma for last.  Not a single individual could know Effie Rickard without seeing her strong faith and love for God.  I cannot think of Grandma without thinking of her busy involvement in church activities, her involvement in mission work, or her faithful prayers.  I remember several years ago when she told me that every night she prayed for each one of her family members.  I was surprised because I knew this was no small task with all of her descendants.  But, in retrospect I should not have been surprised at all.  This wonderful lady of such strong commitment to God lives out her faith on a daily basis.  Grandma, you are a Proverbs 31 woman and I am so thankful for the Christian heritage that you and Grandpa have passed down to me and all of our family.  I want to be like you when I grow up.

Whether it’s Grandma’s hospitality, kindness, patience, commitment to marriage, or strong faith my memories are so very rich.  Grandma, thank you for the influence you’ve had in my life.  I love you very much and wish you a very happy 100th birthday!