CHRISTMAS EVE
church then back home for our traditional Christmas Eve meal served in the family roomContinue Reading
Our 2013 Christmas
Patchwork Christmas Stocking
Sharing a How-To for a patchwork Christmas Stocking is kind of scary for me because I am not great at sewing. I have, however, made quite a few of these cheerful sacks through the years and Santa hasn’t left any empty, so I guess they are okay in his book.
Happy Birthday Little Cammie Lou Who!
Look who’s turning 4!
It’s
Cambrie Noelle
or rather, Little Cammie Lou Who
mama decorated with bingle balls and whofoo fluff
Cammie gave a great big puff
pantookas hung on the ceilings high
there was feasting on Roast Beast and who-hash pie
Every sibling-Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small
had lots of fun and the best time of all!
Jamie, her dad and newest family member
pop-pop and the wee one
a stare-down
that turned to
giggles
and a surprise snow storm from the forecast calling for a covering to an inch… we got NINE inches!
After an almost two hour drive (on very slippery roads) that normally takes 35 minutes, this is what it looked like when we got home.
Since I didn’t yet officially introduce out newest grandchild born October 23rd
may I present
Jethro Ross
Jethro joins siblings
Keri, Noah, Silas, Caleb, Cambrie and Chloe
After School with the Grandchildren
I spent the afternoon visiting with Jamie and her children, taking photos and helping with homework. After school with the grandchildren is a time for me to connect with these dear little ones and gives their mom a short reprieve.
1 year old Chloe being shyContinue Reading
Chocolate Tiffin Refrigerator Cake
Besides my friends from across the pond, who knows what tiffin is?
When I first heard of tiffin I knew it would be a fun confection to make with kids.
There are many versions online but I went with one I saw on this video by a very cute little elf and her daddy.
this is what wikipedia says about tiffin:
Tiffin is a form of cake-like confection composed of crushed biscuits (most commonly digestive biscuits), sugar, syrup, raisins and cocoa powder, often covered with a layer of melted chocolate. Unlike regular cakes, Tiffin does not require baking. Instead, following preparation of the mixture, the confection is chilled until set. As a consequence the product may also be known as ‘fridge cake’ or another similar term.
Here is how to make chocolate tiffin yourself
gather ingredients of butter, biscuits (cookies), chocolate, cocoa powder, sugar, raisins and Karo syrup
enlist the help of two sweet grandsons to butter the dish and crush the cookies
to a saucepan, add the butter, sugar
cocoa powder
and Karo syrup
heat over low heat
stirring until melted and smooth
stir in crushed biscuits and dried fruit then press into pan
lick spoon while pan is chilling in fridge
melt chocolate in microwave
spread on top of chilled tiffin ~ place back into fridge for a couple of hours
loosen edges of pan and turn out onto cutting board
cut into squares
eat some and wrap some to share with your siblings and parents
Chocolate Tiffin
Recipe source: My Virgin Kitchen
100g butter (on my kitchen scale 100g = 3.5 oz. or about 7 Tbs.)
2 Tbs. golden syrup (light Karo)
2 Tbs sugar
4 Tbs. cocoa powder
3/4-1 cup raisins and dried cherries
200-250g rich tea biscuits, broken into varying size pieces from medium to very small (I used vanilla wafer cookies)
200g chocolate (your preference of dark to light ratio)
In saucepan, melt the butter, Karo, sugar, cocoa powder over low heat; stirring until smooth.
Stir in the crushed biscuits and fried fruit until blended. Press firmly into a buttered 8×8-inch pan.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Melt chocolate in microwave on 30% power for 30 second intervals (stirring between each heating) until chocolate is melted and smooth.
Remove pan from refrigerator; spread melted chocolate on top. Return to the refrigerator for several hours until completely cooled and firm.
Allow pan to sit on counter for a few minutes. Loosen edges of pan with knife and turn tiffin out onto a cutting board. Cut into squares.
together
An impromptu overnight visit from Jill and family was super special!
They were returning from a week-long vacation in Myrtle Beach and made the 10-hour drive to our home to rest up before continuing another 5.5 hours to their NY home the next day.
See the center photo above… Ryan happily completed his first 5-mile run with his mom!
We made the most of their time here by having all of the cousins together on this hot, humid day.
Since it was another stormy day, the boys laughed and played on their various devices.
And the girls played dress-up and giggled a lot
Chloe tried to sweet-talk PopPop into giving her the cell phone
Abbey had just a few okay hours after her wisdom teeth extractions before a week long time of great discomfort. Her face is puffy in these photos taken at the Gazebo on Main Street of our town.
Ryan’s Birthday
Last night we celebrated Ryan’s 10th birthday at his Aunt Jamie’s
all ten of our grandchildren around the table
then cake and presents
It was a very warm summer-like evening (after snow and chilly weather a couple weeks ago) and the kids were playing out on the front lawn.
Shaela called to me to come outside and see this little one, obviously wanting to be part of the fun, peeking out the window from her crib.
Usually we take just the birthday child on a special outing but wanting to spend time with Jill and her family while they are visiting, we all went to Valley Forge today.
The weather was perfect and the kids had a great time
Brad and Jill
Brad Jill Shaela Brenna and Ryan
a fun shot
one more day of above average temps then it’s back to seasonal weather
Spring Break
Our kids were on spring break last week but our New York kids are on break this week and spending the time here with us. That means lots of get-together’s and lots of photos 🙂
My New Favorite Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe
 I recently saw Lidia Bastianich prepare Fettuccine Alfredo using just a few ingredients. Although I already have a favorite recipe, I know it is high in calories. I made this version lighter and love how quickly it comes together as the pasta is cooking.  Don’t be afraid to use the sage ~ it infuses just a hint of flavor.
Sage-infused Fettuccine Alfredo is an easy recipe for a lighter, healthier version of Fettuccine Alfredo. Serve with a crisp salad or topped with grilled chicken for a lovely Easter dinner, romantic Valentine’s Day or whenever you want a special pasta meal.Continue Reading
Caleb’s Birthday
This handsome young chap just celebrated his 5th birthday!
PopPop and I made him a set of wooden chalkboard city buildings for playing with his cars
Project found on Hellobee
simple angles cut from 2×4’s
a good sanding and several coats of chalkboard paint applied with a roller
windows and doors drawn on with chalk
and ready for imaginative playtime
December Highlights
outside vignettes
inside
Our weekly Bible Study Community Group having a blast at our annual Christmas Dinner
The dearest folks that bring so much encouragement, wisdom, prayers and love to us and each other every week.
John’s Company Holiday Party.
Abbey is an employee here too, since July and someone took a photo of her and the co-founder/Executive Vice President because they are the youngest and the oldest employees.
Christmas Eve at Jamie’s playing “Don’t Eat Cashew!” game.
Enjoying the ambiance and Christmas Eve peacefulness of her warm home.
Christmas morning with Abbey
Watched (over and over) a heartwarming video of NY grandkids singing to us via cell phone video.
Erin, AJ and Jared & Jamie, Josh and family arrived late afternoon. They learned that Cashew was being extra mischievous and hid all of the Christmas presents. After dashing throughout the house, Keri was the first to find them in a large cabinet that recently housed our TV.
such fun
chilling after dinner
Look of fright on Chloe’s face as PopPop takes her photo.
She is a bit uncertain of him as were two other grandkids when they were babies.
Some little ones love guys and some prefer girls but they all come to love him when they get a little older.
Here he is trying to to divert her attention so she realizes he really is a nice PopPop
One of my favorite shots
The adults were still chatting in the dining room after dessert and I walked into the kitchen and noticed the kids playing with the trains and talking about the village houses and which are there favorite. Noah even remembered which ones were his NY cousins’ favorite.
It was so sweet to hear see them having a quiet moment at the end of some busy days.
Notice Caleb looking over the sofa arm 🙂
Crochet Gingerbread Hat
This adorable crochet gingerbread hat pattern was created by the talented Sarah from Repeat Crafter Me. If you like to crochet, you will love visiting her place and scrolling through all of her amazing projects!Continue Reading
Happy 3rd Birthday, Cambrie Noelle
Cambrie LOVES Minnie Mouse!
So for her Birthday I made her a hat.
The pattern is from Repeat Crafter Me
this little 3-year old sweetie melts my heart
peeking in the window
It was a rainy, chilly afternoon when Jared and I met Jamie and the kids at the Pop Shop
to celebrate Cambrie’s birthday in the quaint town of Collingswood, New Jersey.
A few years ago, Bobby Flay arrived at the Pop Shop for a Grilled Cheese Throwdown.
big bowls of ice-cream made everyone happy
and there might have been some noisy children too…
even in the rain the streets were beautiful
~*~
When Ella stopped coming for childcare back in September, I told her I would take her to our church’s Living Nativity. So, that is what we did Saturday night. I told her afterward we could go to Friendly’s for dinner and ice-cream sundaes. Much to my surprise, she wanted to head back to my house where we spent a couple of hours playing together in the nursery, She made me lots of plates of play food, played dress-up and read an American Girl magazine to me.
My Blessings
around the table
and Face Time with Jill and family in NY 🙂 
all is well
a little wet
a little wind blown
We had a couple of shutters blown off the house and a large, heavy bench from the porch end up in a flower bed, but nothing that could have been. We are very thankful. Many are still without power. The number of power outages in New Jersey from hybrid storm Sandy climbed to 2.7 million. As I type, our utility company still has 900,000 customers without power.
Yesterday I drove to Jamie’s for some time with the kids. Lots of traffic lights out and a detour from a downed tree but no problem getting there. Caleb was so excited to see a crew mulching fallen branches.
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Drizzly cold and windy, we got some outside time while jumping in a pile of wet leaves
and a warm hug
a little baking
a 1st hurricane deserves a 1st lollipop ~ it was well received!
and almost shared with a friend 🙂
~*~
The news coverage and photos of the shore points are incredible.
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
With the GrandKids this Week
So much to do during a weekend with grandkids. No more training wheels for Caleb. We found a bike at a yard sale this weekend so this little guy could ride at our house too.