Christmas Morning

one down...

One of my goals last year was to read 20 books. I did. This year I wanted to read at least 30. I have a bunch of books started and I really want to start 2010 off with a "clean slate." hum...lots of reading to go....can I get through the rest of my books before New Years? If I can, I will have read 36 books this year!

"busted the best mom competition"

Mark lovingly wrote the quote above in a sweet letter to Mommy. We had a lovely day helping Mom celebrate her birthday. First off Marissa made granola pancakes:

(they were SO yummy!)

Then the three of us ladies went to town to shop a bit. If you don't already know about Anthropologie, it is a great store!! (mostly just for looking at since the prices...um...don't fit my budget ;)). Next stop was a delightful lunch with Mom's parents at McAlister's Deli, a new favorite--very special!

Lastly, Marissa and I put together a tea to finish off her day.

vanilla sweets (pink) and vanilla Rooibos tea

apricot-cucumber sandwiches

antipasto squares

triple chocolate fudge cake

Happy Birthday, Mother Dear. I love you!

*Philippians 4:11b-13

*1 Peter 5:5-7

*Titus 2:3-5

*Proverbs 15:23

Not so little any more...

I can't believe on Christmas, it will have been a year since I got my gift certificate to get a new puppy. Time has sure flown this year and my 'puppy' is already 10 months old! However, she doesn't look so much like a puppy anymore....

a special lunch

Yesterday we took advantage of some girl time to have a Mother-Daughter tea. Here are a couple photos of us and the food.

Rissie

me

Mother Dear

set and ready

applets and cotlets, cream scones, cucumber sandwiches and tomato and olive brushetta

Chocolate Pot de Créme (a rich moose)

Here's the recipe. It was so easy and SO chocolatety I'm sure many of you all would like it (even you, Mrs. Poff =p)

2 cups whipping cream

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup sugar

4 beaten egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

**

In a medium saucepan combine the whipping cream, chocolate, and sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat about 10 minutes or until mixture comes to a full boil and thickens just a bit. Gradually stir in the egg and vanilla. Divide the mixture into 8 small cups. Cover and chill for 4-24 hours. (I didn't have time, so I just put mine into the freezer for 1.5 or 2 hours and it was just fine. we also had a bit leftover and it was just as good the second day. =D) Embellish with whipped cream, chocolate curls, or berries.

See, amid the winter's snow, Born for us on earth below,

See the tender Lamb appears, Promised from eternal years.

**

Hail, thou ever blessed morn! Hail, redemption's happy dawn!

Sing through all Jerusalem, Christ is born in Bethlehem.

**

Lo, within a manger lies He who built the starry skies:

He who, throned in height sub-lime, Sits a mid the cherubim.

**

Hail, thou ever blessed morn! Hail, redemption's happy dawn!

Sing through all Jerusalem, Christ is born in Bethlehem.

**

Say, ye holy shepherds, say, What your joyful news today?

Wherefore have ye left your sheep On the lonely mountain steep?

**

Hail, thou ever blessed morn! Hail, redemption's happy dawn!

Sing through all Jerusalem, Christ is born in Bethlehem.

**

As we watched at dead of night, Lo! we saw a wondrous light;

Angels singing "Peace on Earth," Told us of the Savior's birth.

**

Hail, thou ever blessed morn! Hail, redemption's happy dawn!

Sing through all Jerusalem, Christ is born in Bethlehem.

**

Sacred Infant all divine, What a tender love was thine,

Thus to come from highest bliss Down to such a world as this!

**

Hail, thou ever blessed morn! Hail, redemption's happy dawn!

Sing through all Jerusalem, Christ is born in Bethlehem.

**

Teach, O teach us, holy Child, By they face so meek and mild,

Teach us to resemble thee, In thy sweet humility.

**

Hail, thou ever blessed morn! Hail, redemption's happy dawn!

Sing through all Jerusalem, Christ is born in Bethlehem.

-Edward Caswall

Yuletide

Advent began on Sunday. I love this season. A time of preparation and repentance. This year I am reading "Christmas Spirit" by George Grant and Gregory Wilbur. I hope to post occasionally something from that book (or one of our other Advent books) that is particularly meaningful to me. So, for today...

"There is something about saying, 'We always do this,' which helps keep the years together. Time is such an elusive thing that if we keep on meaning to do something interesting, but never do it, year would follow year with no special thoughtfulness being expressed in making gifts, surprises, charming table settings, and familiar, favorite food. Tradition is a good gift, intended to guard the best gifts." ~Edith Schaeffer

I hope you are enjoying this Advent season.

Blessings,

Linda

sisters

is this real?

I found this on a site from my writing course...my goodness! Thank you Mom & Dad, for teaching me and supplying for me the curriculum/classes to learn how to write well!

Every year, the Washington Post collects funny analogies submitted by American high school teachers from their students' work. Here are a few - as an example of what NOT to do when you are asked to write an analogy:

• His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like pants in a dryer without Cling Free.
• He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.
• She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli, and he was room temperature Canadian beef.
• She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.
• Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.
• He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.
• The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn’t.
• From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you’re on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30

commonplace

"Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind, which are delivered down from generation to generation as presents to the posterity of those who are yet unborn." Joseph Addison

"I never deliver a theory without all the fact at my disposal." Sherlock Holmes

"I am concerned with a certain way of looking at life, which was created in my by the fairy tale, but has since been meekly ratified by the mere facts." G.K. Chesterton

"The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another; and his humblest hour is when he compares the volume as it is with what he vowed to make it." J.M. Barrie

happiness

cute clothes!

This is one of the funnest clothing sites I have seen!

http://www.littlemissmatched.com/

ENJOY!

FRANKLIN

As most of you all know, Mother Dear, Marissa, and I were able to fly to Nashville TN this past weekend. We went to visit New College Franklin. Our time there was delightful. Both of us girls decided that NCF won't be the place for us, but in spite of that we had 3 full days of "girl time"--and we loved every minute of it. Here is some of my photography:

We flew into the Nashville Airport and directly made our way to a tea shop =)

We each picked out tea cups and our own flavors of tea. Mom picked "Lady Londonderry" (a strawberry-lemon earl grey--this was the best one!!), Marissa picked "Georgia Peach," and I chose "Afternoon in Mansfield Park" (jasmine and earl grey blend).

our room

dessert: the best part (right?)

Apricot Crumb squares, Chocolate-dipped Strawberries, and Red Velvet cake

There were hats everywhere, so we had fun trying them on. Marissa and I actually wore them for most of our time there =)

Mommy

Talking to some of the locals, we found out that the town of Franklin was actually very historic. Among other things, it was the site of one of the most bloody battles of the civil war.

Throughout town there were signs telling of particular facts that were so interesting. Most of them were further off the road than we could see from the car...it would be really neat to go back sometime just to walk the entire town reading the signs (yes! there are THAT many!!).

All three of us found the architecture fascinating (it's not stucco =) and the autumn colors were stunning!!!

the center of Franklin:

Mom's favorite

one of my favorites. you can't really tell, but the house is an olive/sage green with dark plum shutters and gold/buttercup trimming =)

We were enthralled with the beauty surrounding us!

Parish Presbyterian, pastored by Dr. George Grant (where we attended on Sunday)

Isn't the yellow just happy?

The buildings downtown were really pretty too. this is just a business

the spectrum of color:

Driving the back roads from Nashville to Franklin, we were able to see a lot more of the countryside. One of the major distinctives of this area is the number of churches we saw ("natives" say that they are the buckle of the Bible Belt). Also on the side of us there were huge mansions lining the road. The speed limit was fairly fast and it was starting to get dark, but here is one that I was able to get:

The last night Mommy took us out for pizza and then dessert. We chose Naticakes, and it was yummy! It was a small shoppe, but it was was decorated beautifully and had really happy music playing softly in the background.

Vanilla Bean and Carmel Apple

mother & daughter

sisters

some favorites from the weekend:

our hotel

I love the contrast here!