Valentine’s Game: Getting to Know You

Every month we meet with five other couples for supper in one another’s homes.  This Supper Club has been meeting together for years, and we know one another quite well.  Or do we?

My husband and I host the Supper Club every year in February, and we enjoy preparing a Valentine’s quiz for our friends each year.  The laughter—and even tears—around the table have drawn us closer as friends.

Husband and wife each answer the questions on their own, and then we go around the table one question at a time, sharing our answers aloud.  Couples who have the same answer get a point and the couple with the most points “wins.”  The second section (Things I want to say….) doesn’t earn a couple points toward the game, but everyone still feels like a winner as couples are drawn closer to one another through reflecting on happy memories and sharing expressions of love for one another publicly.  You can read our quiz from two years ago here.   Last year, we asked couples to answer the following questions:

If I recall right….

My first date with my spouse was to………?

I was first attracted to my spouse when……?   Extra Credit…Where?

The strangest thing we ever did together was….?

We named our first child (their name) because…….?

Wives: The most romantic thing my husband has ever done is…..?

Husbands: The most romantic thing I’ve ever done for my wife is….?

What is the thing we have most in common?

 

Things I want to say….

If I could relive one thing (experience, time together, vacation…etc.) with my spouse and had to relive it exactly as it happened the first time around I would relive……

I don’t think I have expressed enough appreciation to my spouse for…..

Lately, my spouse has blessed me by…….

Valentine’s Craft: Card Cans

Valentine’s Day is one of those school days that lends itself to many special memories.  Who doesn’t remember decorating that white sack in anticipation for all the valentines our classmates would pour into it.  This year, make Valentine’s Day extra special with an easy to make card holder.   Simply ask your local school lunchroom to save large vegetable cans.  On a day when they serve soup, they will probably have all that you need.  Wash these out and let them dry.  Next, take the cans outside and spray paint them red, pink, or white.  For the handles, drill two holes into each side of the cans.  Slip colorful Valentine’s Day printed ribbon, cut to the desired length, into the holes and knot on the inside.  Be careful as the drill may have left jagged edges at the holes.  If you don’t want to drill holes for the handles, simply hot glue the ribbon to the interior of the can to form the handle.  Now your children are ready to pick which can they would like and continue to decorate it.  Provide Valentine’s Day stickers, paints, and even heart-shaped stamps.  You will be amazed at your children’s creativity, and they will be so proud of their beautiful Valentine holders.  Best of all, you’ve saved a lot of cans from heading to the landfill.

Why not plan a Valentine’s Day party and have everyone in attendance make a bucket?  Invite all of your children’s friends and instruct them to bring cards to exchange.  For a complete party planning guide, visit Currclick to purchase a Valentine’s Day Party eBook which includes printable cards, games, snack ideas and more.

About the author:

Kathy Hutto is a wife, homeschooling mother, entrepreneur and author.  You can visit her online at www.toddlerbitesblog.wordpress.com.

Home for Christmas

The first time I went home for Christmas, I was in my freshman year at college 1500 miles away from the military base in New Hampshire where my parents lived. My flight was to put me in Boston by 6 p.m., but bad weather delayed it. The counter agent promised to get a message to my parents that my plane would be late.

I arrived in Boston three hours after the flight was due and saw no familiar faces. After having my parents paged and getting no response, I called the house 50 miles away. My mother said they had just returned from driving in a blizzard to the airport where they were told that my plane had come in and I wasn’t on it. They returned home. And my father was furious with me.

When I asked how long it would take for them to come back for me, my father got on the phone and made it clear he would not get out on those roads again. From the sound of his voice, I knew that he had been drinking more than usual so it was best he didn’t drive.

“But how can I get home?” I asked.

“You’re in college. You figure it out,” he said and hung up.

I discovered I could take a shuttle to the bus station, wait two hours and get the late bus to the town outside the military base. I had just enough money (no credit cards) to pay each bus fare. The snow had stopped falling and it was a beautiful clear night by the time my cab from town pulled up to my front door at 2 a.m. No place ever looked as good. My mother helped me carry my things up the stairs. In the corner of my room stood a Christmas tree about my height, covered with red lights and white angel hair. It was the first time I ever had a tree in my room.

Even though exhausted from the trip, I stayed awake a long time watching the tree lights casting a soft red glow in the corner. From my bed, I could see through the window the moon glowing on freshly crested snow. I thought about families and how good things—even small evidences of love—can sometimes cover the bad, like snow blanketing the dirt and asphalt. Dad’s alcoholism and cynical nature had been a constant source of distress throughout my childhood. But that night he had unknowingly given me a gift—the realization that I had grown up.

As I looked at the tree, I thought of my mother, an undemonstrative woman, who didn’t often express her love in tangible ways. She had decorated it for me, despite the synthetic strands of angel hair that cut her hands and aggravated her allergies. That tree remains one of my best Christmas memories.

Going home for Christmas. That phrase can either lift or sadden our hearts. For many it is a poignant reminder that there is no childhood home or parents left to visit and, like it or not, we have grown up.

Christmas often brings with it a paradox, a reminder that the best times can be woven tightly together with the worst times. But that is also the way the first Christmas was. Mary and Joseph endured an arduous journey to the village of Bethlehem, Joseph’s ancestral home of record. They arrived late and tired. There were no friendly faces to greet them—just a grudging innkeeper offering a dirty stable as a refuge. But that stable became the home of the most miraculous event the earth had ever known. As author Michael Card said of the nativity in his book Immanuel (Nelson 1991), it was “a paradox and a mystery…the plainness and the greatness of Jesus, the grime and the glory.”

Things were not easy or Christmas-card perfect for Mary and Joseph. But God was with them, reminding them of His love in the form of the Baby they tenderly held, the one who was called “Immanuel” which means “God with us.” The amazing grace of Christmas is that when God came home for Christmas, He made His home with us.
Vicki Huffman’s Christian non-fiction book, The Best of Times, in which she uses many examples from the familiar to make a spiritual point, is now available on Kindle at amazon.com for only $2.99. And the first chapter of her Christian novel, A Secret Hope, which begins and ends in the Christmas season may be read free in the gift shop here.

 

 

Christmas Petit Fours

When I tasted these delicious petit fours at my sister’s baby shower, I knew I had to make them for my family’s Christmas celebration.  Although mine did not look as perfect as the ones I had eaten at the shower, they were every bit as yummy.  These decadent treats are well worth the extra time and effort they take to make.  I owe a debt of gratitude to Kaaren Rue for giving me this fantastic recipe which will now be an annual Christmas tradition for our family!

1)  Bake this cream cheese pound cake in a jelly roll pan, so that the cake is about 1” thick.  Instructions for making the petit fours are below the cake recipe.

Cream cheese poundcake:

2 sticks margarine (softened to room temperature)

1 stick butter (softened to room temperature)

One 8 oz package cream cheese (softened to room temperature)

3 cups sugar

6 eggs (room temperature)

3 cups sifted cake flour (if cake flour is unavailable, sift all purpose flour twice)

2 tsps vanilla

1)   Cream the margarine, butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until very fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add sugar and beat for 5 additional minutes. Add eggs two at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sifted flour and vanilla and mix well.

Bake in a 325F oven for 1+ hour in a greased and floured pan.  Start testing for doneness after 1 hour.

2)   Remove cake from pan and allow to cool.  Cool the pound cake thoroughly, wrap well in saran wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze the cooled cake solid until you are ready to cut it into squares and glaze it.  This can be done weeks in advance if desired.  The frozen cake is much easier to cut and has less crumbs, so this is an important step even if you are not making it far in advance.

3)      Remove frozen sheet cake from freezer.  With a very sharp serrated knife, trim all edges off frozen cake.  Score cake in 1 x 1” squares.  You can use a ruler so the lines are straight.  Cut the cake into squares and set on cooling racks with cookie sheets placed underneath.  If your cake is more than approximately 1” thick, you may need to trim off the bottom of the squares so that the glaze will cover them evenly.

4)      Make Petit Four Glaze:

Petit Four Glaze

9 cups sifted powdered sugar (this will take 2 pounds)

½ cup light corn syrup

½ cup water

2 tsps almond extract

4 oz. melted vanilla almond bark

Melt all ingredients together in a double boiler or large melt-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  Melt and stir until the mixture becomes very smooth.  You can add a tiny bit of water, a little at a time, if the mixture is too thick.  Be careful not to overheat.  The glaze should pour easily from a metal ladle.

5)      When the glaze is the consistency you like, begin pouring it gently and slowly over each square of cake.  The cookie sheet underneath the cooling rack will catch all the drips.

6)      It will take multiple layers of glaze to get good coverage.  You may need to double or triple the above glaze recipe if you don’t want to see any cake through the glaze. Be sure to reserve a small amount of glaze for decorating your petit fours.

7)      Let the glaze dry. Tint some of the glaze and put it into a Ziploc bag.  Cut a very tiny hole in the tip of the bag and decorate the cakes with lines, swirls, hearts, etc.

8)      My friend discovered that you can scrape the icing from the cookie sheet and reheat it one time.  After more than one reheating, however, the icing starts to get gloppy.  Also, if you are reheating the icing, make sure there are no cake crumbs in it.

9)      I kept half the sheet cake frozen for later use, and refrigerated half the glaze for about 3 weeks.  This enabled me to serve the petit fours at two different occasions, since this recipe makes a large quantity of this decadent dessert.  I did not notice any major differences in the look or taste of the cakes or glaze the second time around.

Jesus, Prince of My Peace

“At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:

Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.”

(Luke 2:13-14, The Message)

It was fall 2005. Our son Todd was preparing to move from Germany to Israel. God had led him to visit Israel several times and burdened his heart to share his Messiah with the Israeli people. He would be working with a ministry led by a Messianic Jew named Jacob.

And so it came to pass one night during the Christmas season that I was reading a book written by Jacob. In his book, Jacob described his journey to meet God and how he came to know God’s Son, Jesus, as Messiah. I finished the chapter and turned out my light. Near the end of the book, Jacob had been describing the physical dangers and attacks he had experienced in boldly sharing God’s Good News with his fellow Israelis. It suddenly dawned on me that Todd could suffer these same dangers in Israel, and even face death. My heart ached. I began to weep.

My tears surprised my drowsy husband because he didn’t know what I had just read. Tentatively Gerald asked, “Was it something I said or did?”

It took a minute before I could voice what was breaking my heart. Wisely, he just held me and let me cry and settle down. We both knew words were inadequate; false reassurances would be empty. Gerald prayed for God’s comfort, strength and protection for Todd.

That Christmas, through these circumstances, I came to know our Prince of Peace more intimately. Total surrender of myself and my son led me to trust God for Todd’s safety and well-being. God spoke to my heart that it is an illusion when we think we control our own safety or that of a loved one. God showed me that I have to consciously lay down—acknowledge as not mine—the burden I tried to carry. When I do, God graciously gives His peace and consolation.

Kay Bontrager lives in the Nashville, TN area, where she serves alongside husband Gerald as he pastors a local church.  She enjoys helping people remove barriers and move toward peace with others, within themselves, and with God.  She and her husband have two grown married children and one spoiled dog.

 

Our Merry Little Christmas

I awoke with anticipation. After years of illness, I finally had the
energy to host the Christmas gathering for our kids and grandkids.

Our home sparkled with festive touches, and the dining room table
looked beautiful with our best china and silver. Soon the smell of
fresh yeast rolls and simmering beef stroganoff would greet the
family.

In my mind, I could already hear the grandkids squeal with joy as
they ripped open their packages. And for the adults, I had planned a
fun treasure hunt to find gifts of money. I couldn’t wait to snap a
photo of our family wearing the colorful fleece scarves I had made.
Perhaps we would don them and carol for the neighbors. This would be
a Christmas to remember!

The phone rang. “Merry Christmas!” I said. It was our daughter, but
her “Merry Christmas” sounded flat. “Alex has a fever.”

I sighed. With my compromised immune system and our son’s
two-month-old baby, I knew we couldn’t all get together. So we
rescheduled our family Christmas for New Year’s Eve.

Our son and his family still came for Christmas dinner, but with only
half the family present, I felt let down. We read the Christmas
story, but two little voices weren’t there to join in. The day hadn’t
gone as planned. However, I looked forward to celebrating together on
New Year’s Eve.

As my husband and I crawled into bed, he said, “This year we had a
merry little Christmas–with the emphasis on little.” He yawned. “But
sometimes, little is more.”

As the days of December dwindled, I looked for the more in our little
Christmas. But I couldn’t find it. The little became even less when
our son-in-law got sick and couldn’t join us for our belated
celebration. I half-heartedly cooked another Christmas dinner. But I
couldn’t recapture the memorable Christmas I had hoped for.

Months later, however, God worked in my heart, and the little began
to grow. God reminded me from John 1:16 (NIV) that from him “we have
all received one blessing after another.” Finally, I was ready to
recount some of my “little is more” Christmas blessings.

As I listed them, I realized our entire Christmas season had been
filled with touches of God’s love. God also reminded me of our
pastor’s message on Christmas Eve. The pastor emphasized that Jesus’
birth was only one snapshot in a larger photo album telling the story
of Jesus’ life. Yes, we see Jesus born as a sweet little baby. But
the Bible is the entire album and reveals other pictures of his life,
including his tears, temptation, crucifixion, and resurrection.

Reflecting on our merry little Christmas, I realized that memories of
Christmas shouldn’t hinge on one single day. Christmas is only
one small snapshot in our family’s photo album of life. As I pictured
the years of our lives, I found God’s fingerprints of love and
blessing throughout them. No, we weren’t always smiling in the
pictures. But even when things didn’t go as we planned, they were part
of God’s plan.

Now as I anticipate another Christmas, I know it probably won’t turn
out exactly as expected. But that’s all right. I’ve learned that if I
let Him, God can take even a merry little Christmas and make it more.

The Real Meaning

My grandparents did not have fancy Christmas decorations. In fact, their Christmas tree was so small it sat on top of their TV. After Christmas each year, Grandma wrapped the tree in Saran Wrap ( lights, decorations, and all) and put it on a shelf behind her bedroom door. Tiny twinkling lights and decorations covered the tree and on top sat a gold tinsel and light star that was almost as big as the tree. The little things, like their tree, mean so much now.

Christmas (or any other time) at my grandparent’s home was nice. They were not wealthy by any standard, but their home was filled with generosity. Because of their hospitality, I did not realize until years later that they never owned their own home.  Grandpa had been a pastor raising his family in church parsonages until his retirement. Following his retirement, they rented a home and in later years moved into a duplex. The rented home and duplex were always “Grandma’s house” to me.

My cousins and I looked forward to the time following Christmas Eve dinner when we opened presents at Grandma and Grandpa’s. We would send envoys into the kitchen to ask our mothers, “Is it time yet?” After waiting impatiently for what seemed an eternity, the time would finally arrive.  On this particular Christmas, adults and children gathered in the small living room and gifts were passed out to everyone. As my cousins and I sat ready to start ripping into presents, Grandpa had someone turn off the TV. Pulling out his worn Bible, he  read the Christmas story from the book of Luke.

I fidgeted, complained to myself, and rolled my eyes at my cousins. I knew the story by heart, I wanted to open my presents. I listened begrudgingly.

Afterwards, Grandpa closed his Bible and shared the plan of salvation with his children and grandchildren. The most important part of Christmas for Grandpa was the opportunity each year to share one more time the story of Jesus and the freedom His birth brought to us. Grandpa told us how much he loved us and wanted us to accept Jesus as our personal Savior. He asked if anyone would like to accept Christ as their personal Savior, to not put off the decision. Then he prayed, thanking the Lord for His many blessings, most of all for his family. He asked the Lord to be with each of us, to draw us to Him and to save those in our family who were not Christians.

When Grandpa said amen, we grandchildren lunged into our gifts. Christmas had officially begun! Amongst the flying wrapping paper and squeals of delight, I will not forget Grandpa sitting in his chair quietly wiping away tears.

Caleb, my oldest son was just six years old when Grandma joined Grandpa singing and dancing around the throne of God. Caleb wanted Grandma’s tiny Christmas tree. Each year since, Caleb has put my grandparent’s tree in his room at Christmas. It reminds me of them, their home, and their love. I do not recall the gifts they gave me for Christmas. I do remember a tiny tree and a simple story.

I thank the Lord for the legacy of grandparents who lived and shared the true meaning of Christmas. In the hustle and bustle of Christmas, take time to focus on those traditions and memory-making opportunities that have lasting eternal value in the hearts of your children and grandchildren.

Christmas Sugar Cookies

Good old-fashioned Christmas cookies are simple to make and can be the perfect gift. I used to make these for the children in our church on Christmas Eve. The icing recipe is included below too.

Christmas Sugar Cookies
3 eggs
2 softened sticks of margarine
1 cup of sugar
2 tsps. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsps. vanilla
3 ½ cups of flour

Chill dough one hour.

Take a small amount of dough and roll out to desired thickness on a floured surface.  Cut with floured cookie cutters.  Bake at 350 degrees 7 minutes or until golden brown.

Icing can be made from 1 lb. powdered sugar, 1 stick of melted butter and 3 to 4 tablespoons of evaporated milk.  You can use food coloring to make colored icing.

A Christmas Surprise

Our historic Virginia church on Main Street was packed with parents and visitors ready to watch the annual Christmas Pageant. After weeks of rehearsals, my preschool and elementary cast of shepherds, wisemen, angels, and stable animals were ready to perform. I hoped.

The pageant began with a nervous fourth grader narrating, “And a decree went forth from Sy uh REE uh…” She struggled with the pronunciation. We all felt her hesitation, including a preschooler dressed as a nativity rooster who belted out, “DY-uh-ree uh?” Giggles resounded from the rest of the preschool barnyard of sheep, donkeys, roosters, and cows. The audience nervously joined in the laughter. That was only the beginning.

I didn’t know it could get worse until the angels began fighting in the balcony. Prior to the performance, my assistant director suggested that because the kindergarten and first grade angels were unsure of their song, I should move my daughter Christine to the Angel of the Lord’s mike and have her sing directly into it to bolster the multitude of heavenly host. I told Christine to stand next to Mason (the Angel of the Lord) and take over after he had announced, “Fear not, I bring you glad tidings of great joy…..” But I forgot to tell Mason.

As head angel, first-grader Mason was not going to allow kindergartener Christine any time on his mike. Mason rubbed the feathers off her furry white wings, bumped her away, and projected his haloed head over his mike. Wings flapped and the angel chorus nearly took flight. “Gloria! Gloria!” the other angels sang as two microphoned angels fought hard over their own glory.

I continued conducting the song from below, my flailing arms imitating the angelic ones above. What else could I do? Christine was doing exactly what she was supposed to do, and my Angel of the Lord had been taught that choir members should never sing directly into the mike unless performing a solo. Especially not the Angel of the Lord’s mike. The audience howled with laughter as they watched the battle in the heavenly places. For many, it was the highlight of that year’s Christmas pageant.

Why was it the highlight? Probably because the unscripted innocence of children is what delights our hearts. With children, the unexpected is what we can expect. Their spontaneity takes the spotlight as they share their gifts of anticipation and excitement.

As a child, I always wondered why grownups said, “Let’s not exchange gifts among the adults this year.” How could they give up their presents? Now that I’m grown up, I understand.

When my first daughter Christine was born four days before Christmas, she was a gift that is still giving. In Parenting 101, no one explains the bewildering joy we feel at receiving a color crayon portrait, a spontaneous hug or seeing the way a child plays with the gift box more than the gift inside. No cashmere scarf, DVD, or toaster oven can compare with these serendiptious gifts of the season.

On that first Christmas, I wonder if Mary felt the same way. Surrounded by shepherds, barnyard animals and wisemen, Mary had much to ponder. An expected baby took the spotlight in a rude stable.

Christ’s audience, didn’t get what it expected. The King of Kings found in a manger? God was certainly creative in how he chose to meet us. I’m sure He’s equally creative on a daily basis if we keep our eyes open for the unpredictable. Keep your eyes on Him, and you will not be disappointed.

Arriving in such an unexpected way, without beautiful packaging, God sent a baby to touch our hearts and to become the gift that keeps on giving.

 

 

 

Ann Marie Stewart
Copyright Ann Stewart 2004
Used by permission
No reprint without author’s permission
excerpt from “Preparing My Heart for Advent” published by AMG

French Quarter Cheese

My sweet friend, Terry Hensley, has the most amazing cheese ball recipe. It is right up there in cheese ball hall of fame with the chocolate chip cheese ball. Forgive my phone photography skills–I forgot to take my camera to our Sunday School class ornament exchange party.

If you want a simple, make ahead, to-die-for appetizer for Christmas  get-togethers, give this one a try.

Terry received the recipe from Laura Gibbs.

French Quarter Cheese
10 Servings

8          ounces cream cheese
1          clove garlic, minced
1          tablespoon onion, grated
4          tablespoons butter
¼          cup dark brown sugar
1          teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½         teaspoon prepared mustard
1          cup pecans, finely chopped

Combine cream cheese, garlic and onion. Shape on serving plate and refrigerate.

Melt butter, then combine sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and pecans in a small saucepan with butter. Blend Well.

Cover chilled cream cheese with nut mixture. Wrap and refrigerate.

Serve with favorite crackers. (I like Wheat Thins.)

Works well to make the day ahead and refrigerate overnight.

Next Page »