"But in this season it is well to reassert that the hope of mankind rests in faith. As man thinketh, so he is. Nothing much happens unless you believe in it, and believing there is hope for the world is a way to move toward it" Gladys Talser

It was a wonderful Christmas week. The kids and granddogs were all here on Christmas Eve for lasagna and a rousing game of "The Office," followed by late-night Christmas Eve services at church. Jeff and Conni sent us a lovely gift box of coffees, scones, crumpets and muffins, which we enjoyed on Christmas morning with "The Wake-Up Casserole." Then we opened presents.

Lindsey models her new pink coat.

Candace and Rob monitor the dog activity on Christmas Eve


I got Chanel No. 5 and chocolate cherry kiss coffee from Rob and Candace, and a gift card for Talbots and some red leather Ralph Lauren gloves from Bob. From Lindsey and Brent I got some workout clothes, and probably the best gift of all time, the first year of this blog published into book form. Here it is:

Bob is on the back cover in his jammie pants. I guess the lesson for all of us here is that if your picture happens to appear on this blog, look out, because it just might end up in print ENLARGED and everything. I love it!!!

For Christmas dinner, we served our standing rib roast with our new traditional shitake mushroom gratin, apple/walnut/cherry salad with maple dressing, corn from the freezer, rolls, and cherry pie. We also enjoyed shrimp and The Other Cheeseball as appetizers.

The next day, December 26th, Boxing Day, we did nothing. I mean, absolutely nothing. We did bathe, and watch some movies, such as "The Other Boleyn Girl," and "A Christmas Carol." (1951 with Alistair Sim) We also babysat granddog number 2, Bonnie the Barbarian while Brent and Lindsey went out with friends. Here she is under our Christmas tree, on some Navy SEAL covert operation, no doubt. Lindsey was lamenting the fact that Bonnie does not have a really cool AKC medallion around her neck, like Roxanne wears. I told her that her dog should probably wear one of those iron balls with spikes on it, like the Vikings used to carry. This dog needs a project, or maybe a job. We spent a lot of time outside with her, sliding around on the ice, while she rooted around in our bushes and under our deck. "What in the heck are you doing???" I wish we had some rats or weasels to entertain her with. Oh, speaking of sliding around on ice, did I mention that I fell coming out of church on Christmas Eve? It was probably Bob's fault, because he insisted that I take a different route to the car than the one I took entering the church. He THOUGHT it would be a better way to go. I might have internal injuries.

December 26th, the slick-ice day of doing absolutely nothing, - Boxing Day, was also the birthday of Maddie, the Amazing Barking Dog. Maddie is nine years old which is 63 in people years, and this causes me to pause and ponder her progress:

Maddie: You're 63 now, and that's pretty old. You're also a Shetland Sheepdog, number 6 on the dog intelligence according to breed list, and this means you really should be pretty darned smart. But, I've decided that there are some things that you're never going to get! Every Monday morning sometime between 5:30 and 6:00 AM, that truck that comes by - it's the garbage truck. Those guys come by EVERY MONDAY. No need to blow a gasket. And those people who live next door? We've been living next to them for ELEVEN YEARS! You KNOW THEM! They talk nice to you. Why must you charge over there at them every time you see them step outside the house like you think they're coming to get the good silver? (if there was any good silver to get.)

And why is it necessary to run downstairs and bite the back of the treadmill belt every time you hear it start up? A little rotating dog slobber and my job is done here? Is that it? Why do you do the same things over and over again?? And the vacuum cleaner - what has it ever done to you, and why must you be so vicious? It's not like anybody has ever chased you with it - okay, well, maybe just a little. Then, of course, there's always the obvious question - what's up with all the barking? I don't think we'll ever know what's going on inside your head. Perhaps having a brain the size of a walnut limits understanding. Happy Birthday.

This Week in Cakes: Thank-you carrot cakes to the people who allowed the boys to hunt ducks and geese on their land - to be followed by "Happy New Year" carrot cakes for the neighbors

Recipe of the Week: Is Vera Bradley's Glazed Pork Roast. I fixed this Sunday night, and will put the leftovers in the crockpot and serve on buns for Monday night's supper.

Vera's Glazed Pork Roast

1 rolled boneless pork roast or tenderloin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup ketchup 1 cup apple jelly

2 tablespoons vinegar

Rub the pork with a mixture of the chili powder, garlic powder and salt. Place the pork on a rack in a roasting pan. Place in q 450 degree oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees. Roast 40 to 45 minutes per pound or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 185 degrees.

Whisk the ketchup, apple jelly, and vinegar in a saucepan. Baste the pork with the sauce 15 minutes before the pork is cooked through. Bring the remaining sauce to a boil. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve with the pork.

"Sometimes, when I lie in bed at night and look up at the stars, I think to myself, "Man, I really need to fix that roof." Jack Handey

We had Christmas in Effingham this past weekend. Bob, Maddie, the Amazing Barking Dog, and I (Rob did not accompany us) got there on Saturday afternoon and had supper with Bob and Darlene at the Lone Star. Lindsey stopped by on her way in from Indy. Then we went to Maw-Maw's and met up with Lori, Baleigh, Jeff, Conni, Chad, Megan, and Landon, and we tried again, to do some caroling. You may or may not recall, that last year it rained so we couldn't go and had to resort to singing to each other in the living room. First, we ran through our repertoire of three songs (with just a small disagreement about correct lyrics) - The opener - a peppy Here We Come a Caroling - the middle song, something slow and meaningful, Silent Night, and, for the big finale, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, as we waved and exited the premises. We also had jingle bells and we had candles.

Well, we got outside and it was very, very windy, which blew out our candles. And then, you won't believe this, but, it started to rain. Again! Conni turned around and went back in the house. The rest of us trudged up the road to carol our cousin, Lisa, and her family who just happen to live on the same street as Maw Maw. We sang and sang and they finally came to the door, and Lisa had a terrible cold, and truthfully, it looked like they had all been asleep, but they were very gracious and appreciative of our singing (I think) and we got the opportunity to point out to them that the wind had knocked over their Christmas lawn gee-gaws. Then we went to another neighbor's house and I guess they must have been in their basement because they never came to the door. Then we went to Baleigh's old second grade teacher, Mrs. Carpenter's house, and sang there, but they weren't home. It started raining harder then, so we went home. sigh. Maybe next year.

The next day we all went to church. Jeff and Conni both sang in the Christmas Cantata. Landon and Lindsey got a little loud in the pew discussing a monster book. That afternoon we added more family peeps to the crowd and had a fine time together. Here are some pics:Lovely ladies on the couch - Lori with broken finger from quarterbacking the women's faculty team that pummeled the senior girls at Carbondale high school a few weeks ago. Landon entertains us all with a little Christmas ditty.

Snacking

Baleigh and Baby Layla



From the Archives: It is a family tradition each Christmas to take the "couch picture." which means all the grandchildren sit on the couch and get their picture taken. Here's the very first couch picture, taken in 1983. The color has really faded. I don't know why that is. Michael didn't feel well that day, as I recall. Here are six of the grandchildren and one spouse in 2008. Five of them are absent. It's hard to get everybody together.










The Best Christmas Songs - and there certainly are a lot of really good Christmas songs. I guess these are my favorites:

10. Joy to the World
9. Deck the Halls - Puts me in a Christmasy mood, just like that
8. O Come, O Come Emmanel
7. Good King Wenceslas
6. Come Thou Long Expected Jesus - I hope we get a chance to sing this one on Christmas Eve
5. Sleigh Ride - Love it!
4. Silent Night - THE Christmas hymn
3. White Christmas - From one of my favorite movies, Holiday Inn
2. Carol of the Bells - Here come the bells, I hear the bells, you hear the bells, we hear the bells. Great song
1. Oh Holy Night - Beautiful


This Week in Cakes:


Happy Birthday Cindy!











And Happy Birthday to my great-nephew, Landon, who will turn 2 on the 28th. He loves the Muppets, and most especially, the Swedish Chef, so Aunt Lou made him a cake, which will go into the freezer until his birthday celebration in Springfield on Saturday. Bork, Bork, Bork.


Finally, the Recipe of the Week: Revival of the Other Cheeseball Long ago, in another state, I used to make a cheeseball that we liked a lot. But that was twenty years ago, before we moved to Indiana, before the Tri Kappa cheeseball came into our lives, because after that, we would have no other cheeseball. Lindsey asked me for this recipe, so I decided it might be a good time to bring it back. I plan to make one for Christmas. Here's the recipe:



The Other Cheeseball

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
1 small package of cream cheese with chives
1/2 pound shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons dried onion flakes

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 package Buddig pressed beef
1 cup finely chopped pecans

Finely chop or shred the beef and mix all the ingredients. Roll the cheeseball in the pecans.



"If you ever feel like you're on the verge of a nervous breakdown, just follow these simple rules: First, calm down; second, come over and wash my car; third, shine all my shoes. There, isn't that better?" Jack Handey

The squirrel is sporting a new holiday hat this year, mainly because even though it has a chin strap, Maddie, the Amazing Barking Dog, can flick it right off her head in a snap, and somebody's got to wear it. Speaking of squirrels, on Thursday, I was looking out the bedroom window at two of them frolicking in the yard, and I said to myself, "These are some fine looking squirrels." They were quite large. They had big, bushy tails, and their coats were magnificent. I congratulated myself on the high-quality crop of squirrels we are able to sustain, here, in the Hickory Hill Hood. And, as I stood there, all puffed up with squirrel supremacy, this lovely doe walked out of the woods and up to the birdfeeder. She ate a little bit, and then Bob tossed an apple out in her direction and she ran away. Way to go, Bob.














On Saturday evening we went to the 75th annual Purdue Christmas Program and then enjoyed a wonderful supper at Lindsey's in-laws' home in Lafayette. Sunday evening the Book Babes (and their men) shared a holiday dinner at Shorty's Steakhouse in Garrett. They opened up just for us, so that was kind of fun. The food was good, and the mood, festive, as the group, (heavily weighted with teachers) kicked about the possibility of a fog delay in the morning. I forgot to take the camera to either of these events. Bob took this picture with my cell phone. It's the best we could do.

The Most Annoying Christmas Songs: I've been doing some research on this and I was shocked because, almost every list I came across, included, Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer, which is a song that I get a big kick out of. In fact, I've been making the ladies in my aerobics class do push-ups to that song every Christmas season for years. Well, in light of this discovery, I decided to yank it from the playlist and this year, they're doing push-ups to Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow, by Bing Crosby. Here's my list of annoying Christmas songs:

5. A Wonderful Christmas Time - Yes, we love you, Paul, we "simply" just don't love this song

4. All I Want for Christmas is You - It's just played way too much.

3. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas - This song was recorded in 1953, but I had never heard of it until a couple of years ago. Who let it out, and why?

2. Please, Daddy, Don't Get Drunk this Christmas - I don't think I have to explain this one

1. That Song about getting Mama a new pair of shoes so she can meet Jesus on Christmas Eve. It's just plain way too much, period.

Next Week - The Best Christmas Songs - Be thinking.

From the Archives: Our 1989 Christmas Card. Rob was eleven months old and weighed twenty-nine pounds. If Lindsey had let go of him, he would have rolled off that piano bench like a basketball.





Recipe of the Week: This tasty holiday punch can be frozen without the vodka for the kiddies and non-drinkers. If you do choose to add the vodka, make sure you give it ample time in the freezer.


Holiday Punch

1 lg. box strawberry jello
2 C. boiling water
1 - 46 oz. can pineapple juice
1 - 6 oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 - 12 ounce can frozen lemonade
2 & 1/2 cups vodka

Dissolve jello in water. Add remaining ingredients and freeze. Takes a couple of days.

Serve in glasses and fill w/ 7 UP or Sprite.


"We like to praise birds for flying. But, how much of it is actual flying, and how much of it is just sort of coasting from the previous flap? Jack Handey

Good King wants his applesauce,

At the feast this evening.

Hm hm hm hm hm hm hm,

Keep it nice and even

Yes, gentle readers 'tis the season to be jolly, and to jingle all the way and to deck them halls and what-not. We got our tree up this week and Bob put the outside decorations out, but he has yet to put the lights on the hedge. You might remember that he is supposed to be on vacation the entire month of December, but that hasn't happened yet, either. Maybe after a trip to California this week, he'll actually have some time off, but we shall see.

If you were reading the blog about a year ago, you'll remember that Bob coveted the safety, no-skid socks that they gave me at the Heart Center when I had my colonoscopy. Well, here you can see that he now has his very own pair, as we decided to make the colorectal screening a yuletide tradition, and he submitted to the exam. One of the nurses even remembered us from last year. They were amazed at how healthy Bob is. They showed his chart to each other. "This is the healthiest patient we've had in here in a long time," they said to one another. This did not impress Lindsey, because, as she pointed out, Bob was the one giving them this information. Also, the medication they gave him didn't put him out, so he was awake through the whole thing. He told them afterward, that he had paid close attention and thought he could perform the procedure on one of them, if they liked. He had an attractive nurse name Cindy who apologized up and down when she had to yank those heart monitor thingees off his chest. "I'm sorry - I'm so sorry," she said.

"Oh, that's okay," Bob consoled her, "If it was anybody but you."

Then he looked over at me, the woman holding his socks and tennis shoes - the woman who was going to drive his sorry carcass home and said,

"Oh, and you, of course, and you."

Um-hm. I took him to the Culver's off Dupont and bought him a double butter burger with cheese. He hadn't eaten in two days.

Our Sunday Night Candlelight Supper guests were Jim and Kathy. We used the Christmas dishes for the first time this season. I inadvertently turned the back burner on the stove on, where the carrot souffle was sitting, and burned a hot pad and the bottom center part of the souffle. We just ate around the outside. We had a great time.

From the Archives: Christmas 1961. This photo really needs no comment, because I'm sure we all went through that Dale Evans cowgirl phase, right?......Didn't we?

Recipe of the Week: We served pie at our Sunday Night Supper - pecan and caramel apple. I just copied down the recipe for the caramel apple pie, when it occured to me that it was already on the blog, so how about one for Almond Joy Cheesecake. Even people who don't think they like coconut seem to be okay with this one:

Almond Joy Bits Cheesecake

Chocolate Crumb Crust:

In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup Hershey's cocoa, and 1/3 cup melted butter. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare chocolate crust and press into springform pan or 9 X 13 baking dish.

Cheesecake Filling:

3 packages (8 oz) cream cheese

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1 - 8 ounce carton sour cream

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

3 eggs

1 & 2/3 cups (10 ounce package) Almond Joy Coconut & Almond Bits

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until well-blended. Gradually add flour and continue beating. Add sour cream, vanilla, and almond extracts and eggs, one at a time. Stir in bits. Bake for 55-60 minutes. Cool completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Before serving, prepare the chocolate drizzle, pour over the cake and refrigerate a few more minutes until the drizzle is set.

Milk Chocolate Drizzle

2/3 cup milk chocolate chips

1 & 1/2 teaspoon regular Crisco shortening

Microwave on high about one minute, or until melted.

"During the Middle Ages, probably one of the biggest mistakes was not putting on your armor because you were just going down to the corner." Jack Handey