Alexis Cole

I recently received a copy of Alexis Cole's Christmas CD, The Greatest Gift,  in the mail and I am happy to tell you that it's wonderful!  If you like jazz and Christmas music, I'm sure it will become a favourite
of yours too.

Alexis has teemed with her Dad and a host of other musicians and technicians to produce this album.  It has a mix of familiar carols and some new, original songs as well.  I like the way they've redone
traditional songs and given them a very jazzy feeling.  Some instrumental pieces are also included - the sax, percussion and flutes are outstanding.   At times the music is reflective, at other times it's very upbeat and one piece has a distinct Asian feel (love track 5).  The instrumental work is outstanding - even to my relatively untrained ear :))  My very favourite song, and the one that I keep humming after it's done,  is the last track, "Jesus Is The Best Part of Christmas."

What I absolutely love about this project is that Alexis is donating 100% of the proceeds from
this album to World Bicycle Relief!    Their mission statement is "providing access to independence and livelihood through the power of bicycles".  Established in 2004 after the tsunami in Asia, 24,000 bicycles were shared in Sri Lanka and the project has now expanded to several African countries.    While visiting Kenya and Tanzania this fall, I saw firsthand how having a bicycle impacts lives and provides opportunities to people.  Instead of walking and having to carry everything, people are able to ride to work, to school, to medical care, and can haul food (even milk in cans!), water, building materials, charcoal and another person.  This project is really and truly making a difference in the lives of people!  Check it out and consider giving the fund your support.

And so I am happy to recommend this CD tell you that I will be purchasing some of them to share with music lovers that I know.  Please look for Alexis' album and try it for yourself.  Here's one song for you to enjoy!





Thanks to Adam at Two Sheps That Pass, a marketing and consultation company, who contacted me and sent the CD  to review.  This was a first for me!

Ten on Thursday

1.  The weather has moderated a whole lot and it was above zero today!  Only in Alberta!  And of course now the weather forecast is for freezing rain - it goes from one extreme  to the other around here.

                                 

2.  Have you ever heard of a cookie stamp?  Apparently you press it down into the cookie after it's rolled and it "stamps" a raised design into the cookie top.   The ones shown are flat but some come with a wooden handle too.  I think I might like something like this!

3.  Speaking of cookies!  When we were making perogies the other day, Naomi told me that she's noticed I don't like to roll things out - and she was right!  So I decided to challenge myself, use the rolling pin and make these cookies that I've been talking about for a long time.

They turned out wonderfully and I made friends with my rolling pin.  I doubt if pie crust is on my radar yet though!

4.  One of my favourite Christmas baking projects is to make  fudge puddles.  The recipe was clipped from Country Woman magazine in 1992 so it's an oldie but they still taste great.

A single recipe makes 4 - 5 dozen but I decided to double it so I ended up with 10 dozen of these little guys!

5.  When all was said and done today, I had several cookie tins full of good things.  Some of these are going to be shared as gifts and some will be used when we entertain in the next few weeks.  I still want to make gingersnaps and shortbread.

6.  I also made a few of these Brownie Wreaths, as found on the Better Homes and Gardens website, to give away to friends and family.   This one went with the plate to a silent auction.

       

7.  And at that silent auction, I found this new little piece to add to my holiday decor.   It's got glitter on it and is quite cute ;))

8.  I'm working on my December Daily album, inspired by Ali Edwards, and loving the little snippets of time that I sneak here and there to do pages.  I'll share some of it soon.

9.  I found an online calendar template tonight and started creating a little paper project for a gift.  I love being inspired, dropping everything else and going off to create!  Pictures to follow in a day or two - after I give it away :)

10.  I saw Oprah's show tonight where she interviewed Stephanie and Christian Nielson.  If you aren't aware of their story, go to the Nie Nie Dialogues to read it.  Make sure you take tissues - I was crying (as were many others in the audience) as they were interviewed!   Stephanie is a burn survivor and one special lady.

Recipes

Crystal asked me to share the recipe for the Cranberry Pistachio Bark that I made last weekend.  It's so easy that it's almost not even a recipe!

Melt 1 lb. of good quality chocolate in a double boiler over gently simmering water.  Stir often until mixture is smooth and just melted.  Remove from heat.  Let cool until just warm - maybe 10 minutes.

Stir in 2 cups of dried fruit or nuts.  I used toasted pistachios and cranberries with the white chocolate and I'll use the almonds with dark chocolate.  The possibilities are endless!  Pour mixture out onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet and smooth the surface.  Place in the freezer for 2 - 3 hours until chocolate is set.

Remove from freezer and break into pieces.  Store between sheets of wax paper in tins in the refrigerator.
I had these 3 tins full from 1 large cookie sheet.  Enjoy !!!

See - I told you it was too easy!  I used Bernard Callebaut chocolate that I purchased at Nutter's, a bulk food store.

Gifts

As I work to create a few handmade things for Christmas, this came up via Ann's blog, Holy Experience, today.  My heart is full of emotion as I watch the images and hear the words.  May the gifts I give to others be gifts to Jesus too.

Christmas Past

Christmas Trivia  as seen on the  Memories on Clover Lane blog

1. Best childhood gift from Santa:  books!  I remember getting Nancy Drew books, Black Beauty, Little Women and my all time favourite Heidi!  I was a huge reader (still am) and had my nose in a book all the time :))

2. Best childhood memories:   The Sunday School Christmas Eve service at church.  We had practiced for many Saturdays before hand, learning verses and songs.  Costumes were assembled and the church was packed with people to the top of the balcony.  Often as the children came up from the basement, each one dropped a Kleenli Kit in a box at the front, to be sent to kids in other countries.  (I have no idea how many of those kits my Mom has assembled over the years!)  After the program, all the kids got a brown paper bag with an orange, some nuts and hard candy.  We weren't allowed to open that bag until we got home!

3. Favortie Christmas cookies:  Pinwheel Cookies - I've never made them - they are my Mom's.  And Shortbread would be a close second.

4. Icky Christmas memory:  not going to Christmas Eve service a few times.

5. It's not Christmas without:  family!  It doesn't have to be Christmas Eve or Christmas Day but it's really Christmas at our house when they are home.  We will definitely miss Melinda, Tyler and Samuel this year :((

6. Our Church Service: Christmas Eve candlelight service at 7:30 p.m. led by the youth group.  Near the end of the service they will come down the aisle with lighted candles and soon everyone will be holding a lit candle, the lights go down and we sing Silent Night.  The building is always packed and it's a wonderful holy evening.

7. Christmas Pet Peeve: Spelling Christmas as Xmas!  When this happens, Christ is gone from the whole celebration - and I made sure that the kids I taught at school knew this too.   I really feel strongly about this.

8. Favorite Christmas CD:  This year it's Andre Bocelli's "My Christmas", especially track 6  "What Child Is This".  Definitely Amy Grant, Josh Groban and Rita MacNeil are at the top of the list too.   

9. Real or Fake:  Real!  The first 20 years we were married we had an artificial tree (long story about 2 different family traditions) but these days it's a real spruce tree, dragged home just a week before Christmas and decorated by myself since the kids are all in their own homes now.

10. I spend Christmas Eve :   going to church, coming home to enjoy some appetizers and music.  This night is all about the birth of Christ, the one we've been preparing for the last 4 weeks.  When our family was little we always opened our gifts this evening since chores in the dairy barn took up the next morning (which is the way I grew up too) but now we wait until everyone comes home to open presents. 

Now it's your turn!

"Christmas Priorities"

This amazing piece of art was created by Greg Olson.  I love the message it sends, the warm glow and the richness of the painting.  Stacy Julian posted it on her blog and discussed an interesting activity her family did about Christmas priorities - check it out.

May the Christ Child fill your celebrations and the love He brings fill your heart during this wonderful season!

Christmas Giveaway

Today Randi at I Have to Say directed her readers over to the 12 Days of Christmas giveaways that Portobello Pixie  is sponsoring on her site.  You should race right over there and see the beautiful artists and their work that's being given away.  The ornaments, aprons and scarves featured so far are absolutely gorgeous!!  And it's only day 2 so there's lots more to come :))

5 Things

Over at Melody's Sofa, Melody asks "What were your favourite 5 things about the 2007 holiday season?"


Crystal's Top 5 Things to Love about Christmas 2007

1. Our family came home early and we celebrated over 2 days. I loved having everyone for a longer time! We got to play games, visit, prepare food, chop wood, eat and open presents together - on both days. It was marvelous to have everyone gathered around the fire enjoying this precious time.

2. The fun and busy-ness of 2 little granddaughters. They were right into opening presents and ripping off the paper, playing with toys, reading books and going outside. I could have watched them all day long!

3. Seeing just about everyone on both sides of our family, including all of the nieces and nephews at some point. My sister, Esther and her daughter, Jill spent Christmas in Peru so we haven't seen them yet and Melinda is coming from Nova Scotia tonight - yeah!! So we still have a little more visiting to do.

4. Playing games - just so much fun to gather around a table and try to outsmart/outwit each other!

5. Sharing all the baking and special treats that I had made earlier in December. I tried to do everyone's favourites this year. Only thing is that I ate way too many of each treat!

So when you think back, what 5 memories stand out in your mind this year? Happy Reflecting!!

One More Gathering

We had the last of our Christmas family gatherings yesterday at my parents' home. The group was smaller this year but we had a lovely time together eating, playing Buzzword and visiting.



My brother Del, his wife Marcia, my brother-in-law Larry and nephew Ed trying some of the wine we had with dinner.




For the first time ever we had Christmas crackers. Our niece, Pam, made one for each person and they were lots of fun. We each got a paper crown, a little treat (mine was a tiny palm tree punch), and a personal message that she wrote for each of us thanking us for being important in her life. It was so thoughtful and very touching - what a wonderful thing for her to do.




My Dad (opening the mug and Starbuck's giftcard that we gave him) and my sweet Auntie Ruth, who is the real photographer of the family. She takes even more pictures at family gatherings than I do - if you can imagine that!




Our nephew, Ed, is a mechanical engineering student and he's leaving in early January for an 8 month coop placement at a mine in BC. To send him on his way, we all pitched in and filled these 2 tubs with groceries for his new place. I think he was surprised and quite pleased. His sister mentioned that maybe she should move out so she can get this kind of gift too! (I assured her that we'd gladly do it for her too.)




No - it wasn't one big box of popcorn!



This is one of the things that was in the popcorn box,along with Coke, popcorn and nuts, especially for those days when work has been long and hard - and you're ordering pizza for supper! It was courtesy of one of Ed's uncles - who apparently knows him well :)




This was waiting for us on the dining room table! My niece, Jen, is always up to some trick or other :))

Christmas Day Surprise

So, on Christmas morning we got up and Bob asked me if I wanted to go out to the mountains for the day! I was quite surprised as that idea had never crossed my mind but there was really no reason we couldn't go, especially as the Christmas gathering with our kids had been a couple of days earlier. So for the first time in our lives, we went away on Christmas and Boxing Day - part of the new order of possibilities in our lives!



It took a few phone calls but we did find this lovely restaurant and a room in another hotel.




And for the first time ever, we ate Christmas dinner in a restaurant! The turkey was so tender - much better than the one I cooked this year :(




Even though it was a cloudy day, every once in awhile the sun would stream through.




Every mountain presents a new photo op!




A little herd of caribou were calmly licking salt off the road. They had tracking collars on which almost made them look like reindeer with harnesses!




This frozen waterfall was cascading down the mountain.

It was a lovely outing to a part of Alberta that we both love. I have another photo from a little side trip but I'm saving it for another post.

Christmas Celebration

It's time to share a few pictures of our Christmas family celebration. Of course the majority of the pictures feature the 2 little girls!



Stockings are always the first things to be opened so Helayna and Meadow went first.



Smartie balls filled the toes of the stockings perfectly!




Helayna got a sled and Jonathan gave her several rides while they were here. She just sits back and smiles as he spins her in circles or gallops along like a horse :)




Auntie Kelsey and Uncle Darrin gave the girls both new boots. Meadow's are brown and Helayna's are red. And they look just adorable wearing them. Kelsey continues to encourage the little ones in their accumulation of shoes :))



This is another one of my favourite pictures from our time together. Such a change from last year, when Helayna slept through most of the excitement and Meadow was just sitting up on her own.



New pink princess chairs, pyjamas and books were part of the little ones' stash of gifts. There is seriously alot of good stuff around for kids these days = shopping was very easy for them!



Our daughter, Heather, her husband, Jonathan and their daughter, Helayna - they stayed over for 3 nights and it was great! I really wasn't ready to let them go yet.



Bob captured lots of the antics on videotape - I'm sure the little girls will love watching themselves someday.



I did a lot of this! Many of these photos are courtesy of Heather and Jonathan, who downloaded their camera on my laptop - thanks, guys :))

Tomorrow I'll tell you about our spontaneous surprise on Christmas Day!

Merry, Merry Christmas!

May you enjoy a wonderful day with your loved ones, rejoicing in the light that comes with His birth. May He fill your heart with the gifts of peace and love and your soul with His joy and energy.

Image of the Day

Day 24



The stockings - but they never did get hung up this year. The fire was blazing and it just didn't seem like a good idea.

Images of the Day

Interrupted to celebrate Christmas with our family! What a wonderful time it was but they have all gone on to the next gathering now so I have time to carry on with my images of Christmas.

Day 23

The 4th Sunday in Advent

Today the last of these 4 banners was hung in our church






Day 22

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!!









And everything's ready underneath!!

Image of the Day

Day 21



For many years I've been part of an annual cookie exchange with some of the staff at school. And even though I'm on leave this year, they invited me to participate (I think they just wanted my poppycock!!) and I was happy to be included. So I took 10 bags of poppycock and came home with 10 other treats - good deal!! Now you can find everything from Shortbread to Chocolate Chip Cookies to Carrot Loaf to Chocolate Peanut Clusters in my cookie tins. The best part of course was seeing everyone and catching up on some visiting. Thanks, My Friends!!

Down Memory Lane - I remember the very first cookie exchange I ever participated in probably 25 years ago. It was arranged by my sister-in-law Rose and another friend, Linda (who has since passed away). There were about 15 or 18 people in it and I made Honey Cookies. It was a lot of cookies to bake with 4 little ones in our home that year! I wish I had a picture of that one!

Image of the Day

Day 20



From this (which has been in my stash for 5 or 6 years!!) -




to these which are gracing the windows in our dining room and kitchen!!




I just love how these turned out!! And I'm quite proud of myself for getting something sewed again. I think I'm going to tackle some other projects in the new year. Goodness knows, I have piles of fabric just waiting for some lovin'!!

And it's only 2 sleeps until our kids are all home for our Christmas celebrations! I have decided to leave off baking cookies - much to Bob's delight which quite surprises me because I think you can never have too many cookies! Tomorrow is going to be a day of tidying, floor scrubbing and moving some piles to less obvious corners. The potatoes are mashed and just need to be warmed, the turkey is in the fridge thawing and so our preparations are nearly complete. Grampa's job tomorrow is getting the swings up outside so the little girls can have some fun and fresh air partway through the day. Off to wrap some more presents and stuff some stockings (really I just want to collapse in bed but this really needs to get done). Good thing I'm a night owl :))

Image of the Day

Day 19



This is a Partylite candle holder that I've had for many years and it continues to make me happy. I love how the tree glows when there's a candle lit inside it. I took this picture during the day - I'll try to post another one with it actually showing the candlelight. You can't really tell but the table runner is a beautiful embroidered piece from Europe that Mel and Tyler gave me last year for Christmas. Our home is looking very festive these days! I hope you are enjoying your decorations too.

Christmas Tree Treasures

Morning Glory hosted a Christmas Tree Treasures event earlier this month but I've waited to do it until we had our tree up. Thanks for the questions, MG!

This is also serving as my Image of the Day #18 entry today.

* The tree topper. Why do you use the one you have and what's special about it?



Last year I finally found a star that you could plug in to light up the top of our tree. We had one that I'd bought two years after we got married but one year some of it melted together (luckily it didn't melt anything else!) so it had to be replaced. It took me a few years to find one - most of them didn't have lights in them. My grandmother always had a star at the top of tree, leading us to Him.


* The tree skirt. Do you use one? Is there something unusual about yours? Did you make it or was it a special gift from someone?



My mom made this patchwork tree skirt for me many years ago and it's always under our tree. I like how full and round it is, making a perfect circle.


* What goes on your tree first? Is there one particular ornament that you traditionally hang first? What's the story behind that.






My parents gave me both of these ornaments in 1971, after a trip they took to New York and Philadelphia. They always go on the tree first along with a gold ceramic star that's also very old. These are my oldest ornaments. I don't have any from when I was a child - I need to ask my Mom about that and see if there are some that she still uses on her tree.


* Your favorite ornament that your children made when they were young.



Darrin made this star in 1981 when he was in kindergarten class at Sunday School. The girls have taken all their ornaments now that they have their own homes.


* Which is your favourite Christmas ornament?
I can't answer this question! I simply cannot pick just one - every ornament has so many memories attached to it, which is what makes them each so special. Perhaps I'll share a few with you in the days ahead.