Office Christmas Party

The table is set with Christmas plates, green & white paper napkins,
and our everyday silverware. When I took this picture, I had not yet
put on glasses!

Hospitality is a gift. You can give it to anyone, anywhere, at any time.

It doesn't require a long & strenuous day of decorating & baking! All you need is to open up your home, and make people feel like family.

Every year, we try to have an Office Christmas party, and all my father's employees are invited, as well as their families & friends. It's just a way to say "Thank-you" to them.

Mom's sweet centerpiece~yes, those are marshmallows!!!
The cake stand is resting on a little silver tray, and the Bible is opened to the Nativity Story in the book of Luke.

This year, we had Spaghetti and Grandma's Special Spaghetti Sauce *recipe in upcoming post*, and everyone brought a salad, bread, or dessert. YUM! There was apple cider & sparkling cranberry punch to drink, as well as coffee to go with the brownies & ice cream Becky brought.

Everything was easy & simple, but the time we enjoyed was very precious. As people walked in the door, I realized that everyone who worked for my Dad felt at home in our house. They knew where everything was, could sit down & relax without feeling hesitant, & encouraged their children to join in the conversations.

This little drink buffet was sitting right beside the dinner table, so people could easily
refill their cups, and choose what they would like to drink! It helps eliminate some time & mess.

I am just beginning to figure out a very simple truth~ your home doesn't belong to you. It belongs to Christ, and through Him, it belongs to every single person who walks in your door. It's a Sacred Trust, a servant's gift to his Master, one never to be withheld.

Merry Christmas!!!

Getting ready for Thanksgiving!

Fun Recipes to try this Thursday:

Gingerbread ( Miss Gracie has a wonderful recipe for gingerbread!)

Pumpkin Pecan Waffles with Cranberry Butter (William Sonoma's Baking Cookbook)

Pecan Butterscotch Cake with Maple Frosting (Martha Stewart Living Magazine)

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

Enjoy this blessed season with your dear ones~ may the Lord fill your hearts with things to be thankful for as you celebrate!

~Gayle & Gracy

Fall-Inspired Centerpiece

The weather is frosty & brilliantly hued...

A smoky fragrance touches the air; you can smell the change of season, as odd as it may sound. It's there- something softly hinting at harvest & hay, happiness and...

Hospitality!

You may not have expected that- but it is the perfect time of year to be hospitable. Company instantly feels at home in a warm, fire-lit house, filled with the perfume of candles & comfort food (like stews, yummy pumpkin & gingerbread desserts, & apple cider).

As you welcome company into your home, here is a fun & easy experiment to try- these will look lovely anywhere in your home- as a centerpiece, a delicate touch for a mantelpiece, kitchen, or table, or a sweet detail on a coffee table!

SPARKLY PUMPKINS!!!

Simply spray mini-pumpkins with adhesive, & roll in fine iridescent glitter.

The result= a delightful, easy project that will complement the festive fever of autumn!!!


Enjoy your fall days!

~Gayle

Apples & Pooh Bear...

Apples of Gold...and Red...and Green!
We have a small apple tree out back that is finally yielding enough fruit to turn into a pie, cake or some other yummy treat. Our tree has three different varieties grafted in: Red Delicious, Granny Smith, and Fuji. The apples, too, are small, but packed with flavor.
The boys have been hungry for an apple dessert (me too!), so I used the Granny Smith apples today to make an Apple Cake with Maple Frosting, a recipe we love from the Williams-Sonoma Baking Cookbook. The flour mixture spiked with the warm scents of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg brings such comfort on this dark and drizzly day. Hmmmm...could it be that fall really is arriving (yesterday the temperature was 85 degrees!), and it is time for our annual viewing of "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day"??? I can hear him singing now:

Rumbly In My Tumbly "Hum dum de dum, hum dum de dum I'm so rumbly in my tumbly Time to munch an early luncheon Time for something sweet Oh I wouldn't climb this tree If a Pooh flew like a bee But I wouldn't be a bear then So I guess I wouldn't care then Bears love honey and I'm a Pooh bear So I do care, so I'll climb there I'm so rumbly in my tumbly Time for something sweet I don't need a pot of honey I'd be greatful for a platefull When I'm rumbly in my tumbly Then it's time to eat It's the tasteful thing to do Be it ten or twelve or two For anytime is food time When you set your clock on Pooh time Bears love honey and I'm a Pooh bear So I do care, so I'll climb there I'm so rumbly in my tumbly Time for something sweet to eat" _____ Well...no honey in this recipe, but I'm sure it is an apple tree Pooh mentions in this tune, and it's definitely time for something sweet!

A Rather Blustery Day

Hum, dum, dum, dee, dee, dum
Hum, dum, dum
Oh the wind is lashing lusterly
And the trees are thrashing thrusterly
And the leaves are rustling gusterly
So it's rather safe to say
That it seems that it may turn out to be
It feels that it will undoubtedly
Looks like a rather blustery day today
It seems that it may turn out to be
Feels that it will undoubtedly
Looks like a rather blustery day today

____

Have A Blessed "Windsday"!!!

~Gayle

Hospitable Slippers & Zucchini Bread

Daughter #1 (my sister) is in North Africa! She writes--

"I'm staying at a tiny apartment with a neat family. They are SO hospitable... it is quite impressive... they have a basket of old slippers at the door for guests to wear around the house... how sweet is that???"

It's neat that such a tiny gesture such as keeping slippers at the door for guests can bless someone in such an enormous way. It just shows that it's not the item, it's the heart of the giver, the mindset of serving others before oneself, that truly shines through.

Sister and Daughter #1 didn't give us a photo of these hospitable slippers, but Mom and I decided we would include a picture of what our equivalent might be:



Also, I'm including a recipe (and a picture) of a lovely recipe for Spiced Zucchini Bread that I made today-- it's very easy, and is delicious!

Spiced Zucchini Bread
15.4-oz. pkg. nut bread mix
1 egg
1 t. Pumpkin pie spice
2/3 c. milk
2 T. oil
1 C. zucchini, shredded

Combine all ingredients except zucchini in a bowl; mix until well blended. Fold in zucchini. Pour into a 9"x5" loaf pan that has been greased on the bottom only. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Makes one loaf.



I am now completely stuffed. After enjoying a delicious dinner and a piece of that bread, I think I'm completely ready to enjoy a peaceful evening at home.
Oh, wait-- not yet!
*Runs to the door and puts on a pair of hospitable slippers*
NOW I'm ready.

-gracy, gayle's daughter #2

Southern Hospitality

We periodically receive a newsletter from the Mount family who lives in Georgia, and who provides hospitality for the missionaries who are coming and going with Operation Mobilization. This dear family is truly gifted in the ministry of hospitality. Please visit their blog, Mount Heaven, and please keep them in your prayers as they serve the Lord and encourage others in their service on the mission field.






Jeni included a couple of recipes with their last newsletter that I want to share with you...

Southern Sweet Tea *****************************************

*In a medium saucepan, boil 10-12 cups of water

*Drop in 10-12 teabags and let steep for 5 minutes

*Remove teabags and stir in 2 cups of sugar until dissolved...(Marty Hynson says you must add at least 2 cups of sugar! When I tried it with only 1 cup, I was told it wasn't "sweet tea" at all!)

*Pour hot tea into a large pitcher full of ice and add water until full

*Drink outside on the porch with a dear one and watch the lightning bugs...if you have them where you live!

******************************************

Sally's Sunburst Lemon Bars

1. Beat the following ingredients only until flaky crumbs form:
2 Cups flour
3/4 Cup powdered sugar
1 - 1/2 Cups butter (3 cubes)

2. Press the crumb mixture into a greased 9 x 13 pan and place in 350 degree oven for 20 - 30 minutes.


3. Mix the following ingredients and pour over the warm crust when it comes out of the oven:
4 eggs
1/4 Cup flour
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1/4 Cup lemon juice

4. Place the pan back in the overn for 25 -30 minutes and cook until light brown.

5. Mix the following ingredients and drizzle over the warm lemon bars when they come out ot the oven:
1 Cup powdered sugar
About 4 Tablespoons lemon juice

6. Serve these chilled, on a hot, sunny afternoon, to your cheery friends!