JWalking: The Blog

Merry Christmas, blog friends! I know you're wondering, "Did she finish painting her family room (finally....)??" (Nope!) * * * D oesn't this look like how our days are sometimes? Myriad things scattered about, unfinished. Trying to take a cozy, restful seat by the fire, but still that seat stays empty. We try to make things brighter, but the light strings don't quite have the power to make things clear for us. And we wonder how many coats it will take to cover up what had been there before, without splotches and unevenness. (Three may just be right--sigh....!) * * * We may have things unfinished. We may have "miscalculated" the use of our time. Or perhaps we were called away to other things for which we were needed, even if they weren't part of our plans. Even in our peaceful approach to Christmas, that seat of rest may be vacant. But the opportunity to "Be still...." doesn't always lie in a cozy sea

I had the opportunity to play for the MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) brunch at church a couple weeks ago. I can never say no to MOPS. It's just one of those things. In 2001, I joined the group as a first-time mom of a 2 year old and have been serving or helping support them in some way since then. Last year, I was their Mentor Mom. This year, I'm a soloist at brunch. Not quite the same, is it? But, there is a time and season for everything, and the level of my involvement continues to change. When the leadership--sweet devoted moms with whom I've shared all kinds of moments--approached me about performing, I said, "Yes! Can't say no to MOPS!" But, when it came time to find something to play, that was when things got challenging. I didn't have much time to decide, as I needed time to rehearse, to find an accompanist and to sub for two upcoming bell choir concerts (which is a challenge in itself when you're directing). I had it on my heart to play "

I was telling the truth about the snow a Saturday or two back. But now I'm REALLY telling the truth! It will be 12 to 16 inches by the time the day is through. There is even a 30 percent chance of snow on Christmas Eve. Yes, Virginia...there is snow today!!

B ecause who else has that kind of blinding light, except for Rudolph... (And he was making chili for the guys back at the firehouse! Oh wait--we're in Virginia. Make that Brunswick stew!) The best part for CJ was eating her candy cane before bed. For RJ2, it was running on the driveway in pajamas. And I was just so pleased that since RJ2 had already brushed her teeth that she knew NOT to eat her candy cane. But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight, Whhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....WWWHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhh......... (I wish they didn't give Rudolph kitchen duty on our night!)

L ike cranberries, pumpkin rates really high on my list of favorite Fall/Winter treats. When given the choice of pumpkin pie, mince pie or cherry pie at Grandma's table, pumpkin won hands down! Whipped cream? Yes, please!! After I got married, and decided being domestic meant making more stuff from scratch (whaa??), I started making my own pumpkin pie filling. No canned shortcuts for me! I baked many a whole pumpkin in the oven, reserving the seeds to make my own salted pumpkin seed snacks. Those never worked out well. And, truly, the early pumpkin pies I brought to my sister's Thanksgiving Day table were...well...earthy! Time marches on, and I've discovered a few tips since the earthy days. I cut the pumpkin first and boil it rather than baking a whole pumpkin. Seeds and strings are removed before baking and it's a much easier (and probably more energy-efficient) method. My husband bought me a ricer several Christmases ago. It really makes a difference when you rice yo

W hen I'm pondering recipes for Christmas brunch, I like to make sure that all the major "scentsations" are included. For me, that means some ... Cranberry --which usually includes orange and brown sugar ( see last post ); Ap p l es --and cinnamon; Pumpkin -- and cloves, allspice and ginger; Be rr ies --even though they are off-season, I love the look of mixed berries on the table, and I'll frequently have a batch of frozen summer-picked blueberries around for muffins; Chocolate (a touch of the browniful....); and, Lemon --which leads to today's recipe. [ See how pretty that looks? ] There's something about a lemon-flavored cake or bar that is really yummy and refreshing alongside other foods. It's why we sometimes put lemon in tea or water or unflavored seltzer water, or spritz some on chicken, broccoli or fish when we're making up a hot dish. Lemon gets those taste buds awake! Cleanses the palate, too. This is a recipe from Family Fun magazin

I 'm not sure when I first came to appreciate the cranberry. Maybe it was back at my Grandmother's dinner table when she'd serve up Thanksgiving dinner with cranberry-orange relish. I love the ornamental look of dried cranberries. My Dad strung some on a wire-framed heart to dry with a raffia bow (which looks great in our new red room, which is still not done, friends, but getting closer every day!). I love to wear the color, too. I remember my husband and I touring the Ocean Spray museum in Cape Cod, and we learned everything you'd ever want to learn about cranberry harvesting. We were vacationing there before my sister's beach wedding that weekend, and I was very early pregnant with CJ. Didn't stop me from rollerblading on the riverwalk (though that was my last time for awhile). She loves cranberry juice, by the way. Ah, cranberries.... Just don't spill them anywhere! When I started scoping out recipes for Christmas brunch, this was one of tho

... T o bring you word that It's SNOWING!!! What do you mean you can't see it?

T here are so many wonderful parts of Christmas morning. For us, one of them is Christmas breakfast--special food for a special day! But, who likes to cook on Christmas morning? Some may see that as a family-together venture. But, coming up in a family that didn't make a big deal out of breakfast--ever!--I definitely wasn't up for making something extravagant when I could otherwise be enjoying my husband's company, Christmas music, gifts and coffee under the tree. So, years ago, my husband and I started a tradition of prepping a breakfast casserole on Christmas Eve. We have tried various versions including a stale bread cubes soaked in egg overnight style...even huevos rancheros. We have now found a winning combination in a recipe from Bob Evans! The red and green peppers definitely make this casserole look Christmasy. And, if you serve breakfast for dinner--as we often do at our house--you don't even have to let this set up overnight. In 45 minutes, you can have a yum

I have a lot of friends. (I know....who would have thought?) But, I do! And I'm so thankful for them. AND, I love making small treats for them at Christmastime. My bloggy friend Carmen had these wonderful bookmarks posted on her crafty blog many weeks ago. I knew the moment I saw her pictures that it was the perfect little something for my friends. So, I asked her how to make them. She must have had quite a few questions of a similar vein, as she was led to do her first video training post on this very topic! Carmen, thank you so much--it worked!! And now that I've folded 150 or so, I think I can do this blindfolded! Daughter CJ learned to make the star boxes from one of her origami books. They make just the right opening for a deep, dark, delicious browniful cocoa block! This is the first of several recipe posts this month. Here's how to make COCOA BLOCKS : 1/2 cup (4 oz) heavy cream 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk 3 cups (18 oz) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (c