Santa's Wonderland

A few weeks ago, Michael, Gigi, and I headed to our nearby Bass Pro Shop to let Cole explore Santa's Wonderland.  This was our first visit, and we weren't sure what to expect.  What fun we had!  Games, crafts, music, toys, and the jolly man himself made for a fun (FREE) night. 

Decorating a wooden reindeer ornament and fun Christmas coloring pages

Playing with remote controlled cars, trains, and Bebe guns - a boys heaven!

Chatting with Santa - our favorite line was "Santa, where did you get that beautiful shirt?"

Our freebie picture to remember the fun night

Dinner at Cock of the Walk afterwards was a fun treat.

Holiday Goodies

I love holiday baking (for others as well as our family) and treasure my time with Cole in the kitchen.  He loves to help and is a great assistant as we mix, chop, stir, and bake.

(He's quite the taste-tester too. . . we haven't found much that doesn't taste yummy off the sides of a mixing bowl or a few beaters :) )

As promised, here are a few recipes of our favorite goodies this season.

Cranberry Pecan Bread:

1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground cloves

2 eggs

1/2 c. orange juice

3/4 c. packed brown sugar

1/3 c. cooking oil

1 c. dried cranberries (I use Craisins)

1/2 c. pecans; chopped

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Grease bottom and sides of loaf pans - set aside.  Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves in a large mixing bowl.  Beat eggs in medium mixing bowl; stir in o.j., brown sugar, and oil.  Add to the flour mixture and stir - just until combined.  Stir in berries and nuts.  Spoon 3/4  - 1 cup of mixture into each pan (more if using larger).  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

I found these cute loaf pans at Le Gourmet (one of my favorite shops in Pigeon Forge) for $1 each and used them for the bread (2 batches for 8 pans).  Along with a few other goodies, they were the perfect gift for my MOPS ladies and Cole's MDO teachers.

Peppermint Bark:

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 lb. white chocolate chips

1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

1/2 c. crushed peppermint candy 

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Line a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil (allowing it to hang over the sides).  Pour semi-sweet chocolate chips in an even layer over foil.  Place in oven for 5 minutes, remove, and spread with spatula to all sides of pan.  Place in fridge and cool until firm.  Melt white chocolate chips over a double boiler (I do mine in the microwave).  Stir in extract.  Let cool a bit so it doesn't melt the semi-sweet chocolate when you pour it on.  Pour, work quickly and spread to cover.  Sprinkle with crushed candy.  Chill until both layers are firm.  Lift foil out of pan and shake off excess candy.  Peel bark and break.  Chill in covered container.

We enjoy making this for our neighbors - tie up with a cute bag and bow and attach a tract/Christmas card.  Great gift!

Sugar Nuts:

1 lb. pecans

1 c. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 egg white

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.  Place nuts on a cookie sheet in an even layer.  Beat egg white with 1 Tbsp. water until frothy.  Pour egg white over nuts and stir until coated.  Combine sugar, salt, and cinnamon.  Pour mixture over nuts and stir until evenly coated.  Bake for 1 hour; stirring nuts every 15 minutes.

Wassail:

64 oz. apple juice

32 oz. cranberry juice

1 orange; peeled

20-25 whole cloves

3-4 cinnamon sticks

Pour juices in slow cooker.  Stick whole cloves in orange.  Add orange and cinnamon sticks to juice.  Turn on high and simmer 4 hours.  At 4 hours, take out orange and cinnamon sticks; turn to low for serving.  (I like to garnish with orange slices).

Chocolate Peanut Butter Drop Cookies (aka Cow Patties)

1 stick margarine

1/4 c. cocoa

2 c. sugar

1/2 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 c. peanut butter

2 1/2 c. quick cooking oats

Mix sugar, cocoa, milk, and margarine in a large saucepan.  Heat to boil; let boil for 2 minutes (without stirring) and remove from heat.  Cool 10 minutes.  Stir in peanut butter, flavoring, and oats.  Drop by teaspoon onto wax paper.  Chill in fridge and store in an air-tight container.

These aren't necessarily a 'holiday' treat (we enjoy them all year), but we ALWAYS have a batch present at Christmas.  They don't last long!

One of our final treats for the season will be our Happy Birthday Jesus cake which we'll make on Friday or Saturday.  Happy baking!  

Who Needs Presents. . .

when you've got the packing peanuts?

(Maybe a more suitable title for this post would be "While Mommy's away, the boys will play")

Although I must give Michael props. . .all evidence of a snowy mess was hidden/cleaned upon my arrival home - he knew my OCD self would've had a nervous breakdown.  That's why I'm so thankful for a husband that can just go with the flow. . .with boys, messy fun is a MUST every now and again.

Christmas Card 2010

Along with our traditional cards, I love creating a Christmas ecard/slideshow that we can send to extended family and friends.  It's so hard to choose just a few pictures for the card we mail, and this option allows us to share some of our favorite yearly memories with those we love.  We pray you enjoy this glimpse of our 2010 blessings and pray you will seek HIM this season and into the coming year.

Merry Christmas!

Personalize your own free digital slideshow

Cookie Time!

Baking is always fun around the holidays, and there's plenty of it happening at the Johnson home.  Cole is always eager to mix, chop, roll, and measure in the kitchen which makes it all the more enjoyable.  I hope to share some favorite recipes in a future post, but here are a few fun cookie moments. . .

I invited a few MOPS friends over for a potluck lunch and cookie decorating playdate.  So much fun!

Jenny and Walker

Hayden

Cole

Jessie and Luke

As I headed out to a Girls Night/Christmas Swap one evening, Michael surprised Cole (and myself) by making Christmas cookies together - he's the BEST Daddy ever!.  The shapes looked cute before baking, but once in the oven turned to a large mass of sugar dough.  Others may have been disappointed, but not this Daddy.  He gently carved away the excess to create a snowman shape which he and Cole decorated with icing and sprinkles.  They couldn't wait to show me their masterpiece (which we all devoured) when I got home.

Gathering 'Round the Tree

Cole's favorite Christmas symbol thus far has to be the tree. He spots them wherever we go and admires each ornament and light. We've always had a fake tree (love the real tree smell but not the hassle) and getting the boxes down from the attic is always a special treat announcing that Christmas has arrived. Decorating together is cherished as we gently open each ornament and reminisce its origin. Whether they are from our travels (we collect one everywhere we go), handmade, or mark special occasions, each one is unique and sparks chatter of memories and days gone by.

A few favorite ornaments:

Honeymoon in St. John/St. Thomas

First Christmas together

Cole's first Christmas

Gatlinburg where my family has vacationed and spent Thanksgiving for the past 30+ years

Cade Elias is coming soon! :)

We've begun a tradition for Cole where he gets a special ornament each year marking a name of Christ. I keep a journal and record each year, the ornament given, the name of Christ it represents, and a Scripture verse. When he marries, these will be a special gift for his new home - I pray he cherishes them as much as I do.

2007 - Where it all began - King of Kings

2008 - Crystal pear - "Fruit of the Spirit"

2009 - Glass grapes - "I am the Vine, ye are the branches"

2010 - Lit Lantern - Light of the world

My favorite keepsake ornaments are the ones handmade by my grandmother. She's made a set for my mom, myself, and my sis-in-law, Laura. There are 20+ symbols of Christ that she has stitched and written the meaning on the back. Along with the delicate crosses, it makes for a beautiful and meaningful tree. As we trim these branches, we are always reminded of the TRUE meaning of Christmas.

The first three letters for Jesus in Greek

The crown of thorns and three nails representing his suffering on the cross

The cross used by the early Christians to declare their faith when having to be discreet.

Beautiful crosses add that special touch

We pray you are enjoying the beauty that surrounds us this Christmas and rejoice daily in God's perfect, precious gift. . . Jesus Christ.

Lights!

One of our favorite family traditions is hopping in the car on cold evenings and heading out to spot great light displays around the city.  Add pajamas, hot chocolate (or Starbucks for mom and dad) and it's the perfect evening.  

Included among our neighborhood tours is always a visit to Chad's Wonderland on Hwy 109 towards Lebanon.  I highly encourage it. . . fascinating for both young and old alike.  Not only are the lights beautiful, but the kiddos get to chat with Santa and Frosty puts on a show :)

This year, we also ventured towards Opryland to check out the new light display sponsored by Fox and 98 WSIX at Jellystone Campground.  Although the price was steep, we had a BLAST!  All the lights are synchronized to music - four songs which play on a radio station as you drive through.  It's amazing!!  At the end, you can park and enjoy hot chocolate, cider, visit Santa, and cook smores on an open bonfire.  Pack up a carload and venture out. . . you won't be disappointed!

Trying to get a picture of the lights. . . they kept changing so fast.

Cole would rather sit with this Santa :)

Smores!