Our winter getaway, part 1

 

Today I'm going to put up just a few photos from our recent winter getaway.  Yes, last Monday and Tuesday we took an overnight trip to the Maine coast.

This is the first time we have ever gone on a getaway this close to Christmas.  But I dare say that, Lord willing,  it will not be the last.  I think we were both quite surprised at how relaxed it felt.  I brought along some crocheting to work on a small gift, and some Christmas cards to write, but there was no pressure and we just simply enjoyed the time.  All of the Christmas decorating both inside and out was simply enjoyable!

 This was the front door of the York Harbor Inn where we stayed.  We were taking advantage of one of their specials, the Winter Wonderland package. We've stayed here a number of times before, always availing ourselves of special deals.  But we loved seeing it decorated for Christmas and I may show more of that tomorrow.  Isn't the front door decorated so beautifully?  

 

The window boxes were the same and simply lovely.

This was our room.  It had a working fireplace and we so enjoyed using that in the evening and early morning.

 

The special includes a $50 meal voucher for one of their restaurants.  We chose the Ship's Cellar Pub, which we'd visited before and knew to be just beautiful, with lots of brass and shining wood.  It too was decorated for Christmas.  

 

We were shown to a table by a fireplace (there are two in this restaurant, I believe) and that was such a treat.  

 

Here are the sandwiches we ordered.

 

We had such a relaxing evening!

The next morning when Mr. T went to the front desk for another fireplace log, we noticed a beautiful sunrise was beginning!

Hope you have enjoyed this brief look at part of our Christmastime getaway!  I will plan to share more photos tomorrow.

A warming soup for a cold day

 

It's such a cold day here!  It is 24º with winds of 8 mph (the wind is actually dying down a bit) so the "feels like" temperature is 15º.  I just walked to the mailbox and back and the wood fire felt so cozy when I came back inside.  It'll be a good night for the soup I have planned! I've posted about this soup before but have never actually shared the recipe. 

I found this recipe --- Fiesta Sweet Potato Soup -- in a Quick Cooking magazine over a decade ago.   I've posted links to the recipe on Taste of Home whenever I have blogged about it.  So today, I wanted to find the recipe and clicked on one of those links and --- the recipe isn't there any more!  

It may well have been renamed, but after spending some time searching I decided to see if I had saved the recipe elsewhere.  Sure enough, I found a pdf I had saved.  So I took a screenshot, and here are the ingredients and directions for this delicious, very warming soup:

If you double-click you will be able to see a larger version.

Hope you enjoy this if you try it!  I'm so happy that the recipe is not entirely lost to me.

Sunday Scripture

 I've been posting  Sunday Scriptures on both of my blogs this December, taken from an Advent study I did in 2013 with Good Morning Girls.  The study, Keeping Our Hearts Focused on Jesus, is still available as a free download.  Scroll down and click on the book-like image, and the pdf should open right up.  More than just a Bible study, this is an ebook that includes recipes, Advent activities, and more.  I think it will be a blessing to you.

I like to use the SOAP method of Bible study, and the studies from GMG use a very similar one.  I find this method a real blessing whether I am studying shorter passages or longer ones, so I hope you'll give it a try if you haven't ever done so. Just a reminder that the S is for Scripture -- just write it out -- and the O is for Observation, the A is for Application and the P is for prayer -- concerning how you'll apply this verse or passage,  or praise for what it means to you.

This week's verses are focused on Joy.  If you downloaded the study and are following along with it, this is the one from December 20.

S= "Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a crowd of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

"Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."  (Hebrews12:1-2)

O= The writer of Hebrews is not known, though to me the epistle has the definite flavor of Paul's writing.  C.I. Scofield notes, "The occasion of the Epistle was the need of special exhortation for Hebrew readers who had professed faith in Jesus as the Messiah, some of whom were wavering in their attitude.'

Scofield has titled Chapter 12 "The worship and walk of the believer-priest" and has titled verses 1-2 "Jesus is the perfect example."  So, since they were encompassed by a great cloud of witnesses, the believers were encouraged to run their Christian race (laying aside every weight, laying aside sin, running with patience) looking to Jesus.

Jesus, the believer's perfect Example, endured the cross, despising the shame, because of the joy that was set before Him.  He is the Author of our faith and is also the Finisher of it, now set down at the right hand of God's throne.

A= I am to follow Jesus' example.  I'm to run the race of the Christian life with patience, unencumbered by weights and sin.  I can do this as I consider the example of the Author and Finisher of my faith.  He ran a race that included dying a shameful death, but He did it for the joy that was set before Him.  He ran His race triumphantly and is now seated at God's right hand.

P= "Lord, I thank You for these precious verses that make it so clear how believers are to run the race of life.  Help me to lay aside the weights and sin that could cause me to stumble and falter in my race.  I thank You that You are helping me to understand what some of these weights are, and that You want me to lay them aside.

"I praise You for the example of Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith.  He ran His race well, and endured the cross, despising the shame, because of His joy in what He was accomplishing on our behalf.  I have joy awaiting me as well.  Help me to run my race as You would have me to, each and every day.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

And there is this week's simple (but meaningful) Sunday Scripture!

Coffee cake du jour

 

Photo is from Pixabay.

 Last Saturday,  when we had four grandkids over for brunch, the coffee cake of the day (and I wish I had taken pictures) was a favorite basic recipe customized with some leftovers from cookie baking.  I was pretty pleased with myself for coming up with the idea that utilized some components we seldom know what to do with.

When you make as many cookies as we do at Christmas time, you end up with leftover things.  Glazes, toppings, frostings.  In our house these things tend to accumulate in custard cups or plastic dishes in the fridge.  So on the day in question, I was thinking specifically about a crumble topping my hubby had made for these cookies: Gingerbread Coffee Cake Cookies.  He had so much of it left over that he made a second batch of the cookies, but he still had leftover topping.

I decided to make our old favorite which I consider the World's Easiest Coffeecake.  I would top it with this crumble topping instead of the cinnamon sugar the recipe calls for.  So I did and it came out of the oven looking fantastic.  

When the cake cooled, I made an eggnog glaze for it by heating leftover frosting from Eggnog Log Cookies.  I may have thinned it out a little with half and half, but if I remember right,  the frosting thinned to a glaze-like consistency simply by heating.  I then drizzled this glaze over the coffee cake and it set up nicely. 

It looked beautiful and was delicious.  A new favorite which I would try customizing with other cookie-baking leftovers in the future!

Bits and pieces

 

Many, many years ago I read a little idea for making an Advent calendar and I was smitten with it.  The idea was to arrange 25 foil tart tins in the shape of a Christmas tree on a large piece of gift-wrapped cardboard and to fill each one with little bits and pieces of Christmas -- snippets from cards, little poems, a candy or two or other little things like Christmas pins or tiny ornaments.  If I remember right one glued a piece of gift wrap over the circular opening of each little tin and then the child opening the calendar would tear the cover away each morning.

I did make one of these and at the time thought I would refill it every year.

Of course, that didn't happen and eventually it was thrown away.  But fairly recently, while sorting vintage Christmas cards for sale, I came upon a plastic sandwich bag filled with little vintage bits and pieces I had saved for this project.  A couple of them are poems.

I plan to share the poems, at least, here this month.  For today, I thought I would just show a few of the random snippets that this little bag held.    The sleeping mouse under a patchwork quilt is especially sweet!

A Christmas Wish

 

 I just looked back to see if I have ever blogged about this vintage Christmas card before.  It seems that I haven't.  This card just sold in my Etsy shop so I will share about it while it's fresh on my mind.

This is a very pretty card from the 1950s.  I have never seen one just like it.  The sweet red house at the top left, the charming candlelit Christmas tree at lower right, the touches of colorful holly and the silver filigree framing the wish, all against a soft green background -- I love them all.

The charming message is 

"Within your home -- around your tree
May joy and gladness, too
Spend the very happy hours
of Christmastime with you--".

Inside the card, the verse continues: 

"May all your wishes be fulfilled
Throughout the coming year
May only good things come to you
And those you hold most dear."  

Just a lovely little poem.  I especially like the part on the front and think it's just a sweet thing to wish for someone at Christmas.

Cinnamon Apples

 

 This year I made a little tweak to the cinnamon apples I usually prepare for our annual December breakfast tradition with four of our local grandkids.  I have most often used a skillet recipe for cinnamon apples.  

This year I tried a slow cooker version suggested by a friend, and really liked it.  There were also a couple of flavor tweaks that made a huge difference.

FAVORITE CINNAMON APPLES

1 3-pound bag apples (I used Cortland), cored and sliced but not peeled
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all in slow cooker and cook on Low for 3 hours.  

So yummy and they smell so good while cooking!  My other version uses cinnamon only -- I found that the nutmeg and the vanilla made such a difference in the flavor.  This will be my go-to from now on.

It might make a delicious addition to Christmas breakfast or brunch at your house!