Christmas Past

Reflecting on Christmas Past.

While I bustle around with last minute preparations for the holiday today I am remembering Christmas Past.

I am so thankful, for all of the beautiful Christmas memories I have in my heart.

From the wonder filled white Christmas mornings from my own Childhood to watching my children's twinkling eyes as the big day approaches.

First Christmases spent in new homes....

My husband and I closed on our first home 2 days before Christmas 18 years ago.  We actually moved in before we closed but I wouldn't unpack a single box until it was officially ours.  So I ran around that last day putting what I could out to make it our Christmas home.  

Because we had just committed to a new home our budget was very tight that year, and I made dried orange and apple slices to hang from our freshly cut tree hung with raffia.  Our house smelled so nice that Christmas, it's funny how even smells can be remembered!

Each of our babies First Christmases, 

so grateful for the new addition to our family.

Now I put out

nativities and ornaments handed down from loved ones no longer with us.  Items that bring my heart closer to the fond memories of Christmases spent with them. 

and

Through all of the Christmases...

we may 

add new loved ones to our family, remember those no longer with us, we can also,change our holiday decor, try new recipes, and search for the perfect gifts...

all a part of celebrating.

But, one thing remains constant with each passing year....

Our holiday has always been filled with....

love

hope

joy

peace

enjoying the company of family

making memories with loved ones

Excitement in the preparations

At peace with our continuous blessings one Christmas to the next...

Of all the Christmas gifts I have received over the years,

There is no gift that I treasure more than the memories that I have been blessed with...

I sure hope you don't mind taking a walk down our 

Christmas memory lane 

with us for a little while.... 

A Baby's First Christmas...

Visits with Santa

Decorating the tree....... 

(Years with braces on....braces off.  New glasses....contacts)

and crafting presents and decorations....

Chubby baby fingers swiping Santa's cookies, 

Babies more excited with the wrapping paper and packaging than the gift itself.

Posing for Christmas Card Pictures.....

Making a mess in the kitchen with my boy baking up some Christmas Cookies... 

The joy on Christmas Morning!

After Church, Quietly reading  

The Night Before Christmas....

Waiting Patiently on Christmas eve...

 Those are some of my favorite Christmas memories....

Well, I still have a lot of wrapping to do......
I'm off for now, hopefully I can share Christmas Present with you tomorrow.  I wonder if that is why we call it  
"Christmas Present".  Is it because we spend so much time wrapping it up...Ba-dum-dump...(Oh boy!).....lol.  

Thanks for stopping on by if you haven't signed up for the GBP cookbook giveaway there's still time.....head over to the last post to sign up!  If you have already signed up, I am truly enjoying your Christmas stories....thank you!

Take good care of yourself!

Dee

Compliments of the Season.......A GBP Giveaway!

Hello gals!

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and have moved happily into the Christmas Season. We have had a hectic couple of weeks here (always hectic!) but Christmas is in full-swing now here at the Farmhouse and we are still preparing for the big day!

I been able to gather a few posts from now until Christmas so I hope you have a minute to stop back and visit amidst the Holiday Bustle and Cheer! 

For the past several weeks, I have been doing the usual decorating, shopping, wrapping and baking as many of you have. 

This time of the year I love to pull out my Holiday Cookbooks and see what I can add to our traditional holiday menu.  You may already know that I love my Gooseberry Patch Cookbooks!  I have alot of them and have been collecting them over a long period of time, they sure do accumulate!  Now that I review their  cookbooks, my collection has grown even larger, so thank you GBP!


Here are some of my Christmas Favorites, they make wonderful gifts, wrapped in an apron or festive holiday dishtowel with a wooden spoon tucked inside.   If you have finished your shopping and happen to receive gift cards this Christmas then treat yourself to a new one!  I actually drag mine out sporadically throughout the year to poke around for ideas.

Purchase Here


Maybe you like E-Books instead?

 
Buy Here
 
 
 
 
 
 

Shop Here

for 10th Anniversary Christmas

Those are just a few of My Favorites...I could certainly go on and on....but I want to tell you about a small little holiday Surprise.....

GBP Rush Hour Recipes ..arrived on my porch for a review and it couldn't have come at a better time!  Do you rush around any more throughout the year than during the Holidays?  It is a hectic time of the year on top of our daily responsibilities and making delicious meals can be hard with so little time! 

There are some wonderful recipes in here....easy, quick, and delicious!  As usual! 

With chapters like 5 Indgredient Favorites, One-Dish Dinners, Slow Cookers to the Rescue, Soup's on, Make-A-Meal Sides and Speedy Potluck & Party Foods, you will find great recipes in each section. 

Check it out here....available for purchase soon!

I have to rave about the Golden Parmesan Potato Recipe...

(At risk of sounding like an infomercial, but seriously)

So Easy, So Quick, So Good!

With only 5 Ingredients!

In fact they were so good, I didn't even get a photo

they were gone so fast!

2- 15 oz. cans of whole white potatoes, drained

1/4c. butter, melted

3T. grated Parmesan Cheese

1 T. Fresh parsley, minced

1/2 t. seasoned salt

Place potatoes in an ungreased 8x8" baking pan, drizzle butter over top, sprinkle remaining ingredients over and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until golden. 

Makes 4 servings

(I had everything on hand except fresh parsley..so I used dried and I had to double the recipe...wish I quadrupled it thought!)

They were company worthy too!

And...

Here's another one you can add to your Holiday Baking list now...

These were gone in a Flash!

These were so good, buttery and sweet. 

The perfect accompaniment to a warm cup of tea!

This is a great Cookbook for the whole year through...easy recipes, with few ingredients most of which you probably already have on hand..it will not disappoint.

And Here's The Good News...

Farmhouse Country Style is hosting a Giveaway for

GBP Rush Hour Recipes!

Would you like to own your own copy

before it is available for sale?

Aside from being a follower of FHCS, all have to do is leave a comment about your most

Favorite Christmas Memory!

Who wants to reminisce with me?

Of course if you would like to post about it on your blog and LINK up to the giveaway, you may get an honorable mention during one of my January Posts, just let me know so I can stop by!

This Giveaway closes on December 29th, midnight EST

Winners will be narrowed down by their Stories of Christmas Memories, printed out and then chosen randomly from a drawing.

Winner will be announce on New Years Day and the book will ship out by January 6th.

Wait....More good news:

GBP is offering one of their Christmas E-Cookbooks,

Christmas With Family and Friends E-Book

FREE for a limited time...the WHOLE book!

so head on over there and get it!

Sorry gals.....as of December 20th, 2011 it is no longer available for free download.  But be sure to head on over to GBP's website through the above link to see what else they are offering.  They are so generous and love to share their products with their customers, you may find a new special treat.

I'll be back in a day or two with a new Christmas Post....

I hope you can stop on by!

Take care,

Dee

Wholesome Halloween

We usually do a fun and cute Halloween, every now and then we make it a little scary (for my older children) but for the most part we keep it fun.

We put out the jack-o-lanterns.....

Throw around a few pumpkins....

Add a few bales of hay and a cornstalk or two......

Make the entry festive.....

with a wreath hung upon the front door.......

Colorful mums fresh from the farm

Pumpkins tumble onto the porch from an antique crate....

The beauty that shimmers in the yellow afternoons of October....

who could ever clutch it?

Ralph Waldo Emerson

My family headed to the cornfields to pick a few of those perfect pumpkins...on a beautiful October afternoon. 

It is a fine art...picking out the perfect pumpkin....

Just when you thought you had the perfect pumpkin......another one is spotted...hiding....

The kids can never make up their minds, they select carefully.  They take their time.

 The perfect afternoon to go on a pumpkin hunt turned into the perfect afternoon to snap some photos....

 

 

PUMPKINS anyone?

The inside is all decked out in it's fall finery too...maybe .more to come.?

Have a safe and fun Halloween!

Take care!

Dee