Winter getaway part 4 -- outdoor decor and more

 

Last post for this little series!  I lumped all of these outdoor photos together to simplify matters.  

The door at top was the door to our building.

 

This lobster trap tree was in front of another of the Inn buildings; these are two slightly different views of it.  It was so pretty at night, and the porch on the building behind it had white icicle lights.

Above is how the lamps on either side of the Inn front door were decorated.  Pine cones, leaves, greens and little white lights.  So pretty!

The window boxes were similar, minus the lights, but just look at the icicles hanging from them!

After leaving the Inn, we decided to see if a walk on the beach was feasible.  It was chilly, and we had to walk through a bit of snow to get to the beach, but there was no wind and it was quite comfortable walking.

Next we drove up to Kennebunkport.  We had heard it was a real "Christmas town" so we parked there and walked around for a bit.

There were fun Christmasy displays everywhere -- snowmen, reindeer, Santa and more.

And loads of greenery.  I think this archway might have been intended as a place for a photo op.

Above is a closer look at how that arch was decorated.

So many of the shops had wreaths and garlands of greenery.  If you look closely you'll see the starfish and sea shells on some of the wreaths.

 Because we had gone farther east to Kennebunkport, we came home by a different way.  But we still managed to pass by a favorite ice cream place.  We did share the ice cream, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

And that was our getaway!  A truly relaxing couple of days!

Winter getaway, part 3

 

 One of the most wonderful things about any getaway at the York Harbor Inn is that a free, hearty breakfast is always included.   Above, you see the amazing ocean view from one of the dining areas.

We so enjoyed seeing how the public areas of the inn were decorated for Christmas.

In one of the dining areas, these sweet built-in cabinets on either side of a fireplace had a definite gingerbread theme.  

These wall sconces were sweetly trimmed for Christmas.

The main living room-type area features a gorgeous stone fireplace.  So beautifully decorated with greenery!

The tree with buffalo checked ornaments was just to the left of the massive fireplace.

 The fun red truck below was in the lobby.

 It was such a delight to be here at Christmas time.  We will definitely consider a December getaway for next year!

Merry Christmas!

 

Merry Christmas to all of my readers and friends!  

We have had a truly lovely day.  This Christmas season, I have felt so strongly the importance of celebrating the coming of a Savior to a needy world.  It has seemed very important to me to intentionally celebrate.

My daughter has been feeling the same.  She inherited my mother's silverware but had not used it in years.  This year she got it out and polished it up and we used it at dinner this afternoon.

Didn't it come out beautifully?

This morning I decided to make gingerbread cinnamon rolls for my hubby and me.  Another celebratory thing I've not done in some time -- and I had never made rolls with a gingerbread flavor.  They were SO delicious.  

Here's a quick look at our Christmas tree as well.  This was before we packed up all of the gifts and took them across town.

I hope that each of you had a precious and meaningful Christmas Day as well.  We have so much to celebrate!

Winter getaway, part 2 -- Christmas lights

 

 Before supper on the Monday night of our getaway, we took a drive to see the Christmas lights in the area.  At the top of the post you see Nubble Light all dressed up for the holidays.

In front of a restaurant near Nubble Light is this amazing lobster trap Christmas tree, topped off by a lobster!

These are in front of the Anchorage complex.

I think this one above was across the street from The Anchorage.

And these two were at a restaurant that was open even on a Monday night in winter.  It was very colorful.  My favorite was the snowflake.

And those are just a few of the lights we saw that evening.  It was cold and very windy so we were quite selective as to what we took photos of.

Coastal Maine certainly does know how to light up the winter darkness!

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!

The ever-versatile Chocolate Butter Cookies

 

 I've blogged about this recipe before, but it's been over a dozen years and, since no one commented on that post, I feel it's pretty safe to share it again.  Also, last time, I hadn't found this very fun vintage recipe clipping which at some point I had tucked into the front of a Christmas recipe and craft book.

You can see at a glance that one can make a half dozen varieties of chocolate cookies from the basic recipe: pressed cookies; log or square shapes; cherry-filled, and round cookies rolled in powdered sugar.  

In comparing this recipe with the newer one I had printed out, I see that the Land-O-Lakes people have made a change.  The old recipe called for 1 egg yolk; the newer one calls for 1 egg.  The writers of the newer recipe have compensated for the extra liquid by increasing the flour to 1 2/3 cups and the cocoa to 1/3 cup.  It makes it easier not to have to separate an egg, and I appreciate them making that change.  You can find the updated recipe here: Chocolate Butter Cookies.

I've begun using this recipe for my Sacher Torte Cookies (use almond extract); my Chocolate Spritz Cookies (use vanilla extract) and anywhere else a shaped or molded chocolate cookie is called for.  It just seems easier than so many of the recipes out there.  

If you're looking for a good chocolate cookie recipe, give this one a try.  I don't think you'll be disappointed.

National Christmas Card Day

Who knew there was such a thing?  Apparently it was December 9, so I'm a bit late.  But I'm very well acquainted with Christmas cards, having an Etsy shop full of them and boxes of them yet to list.  Joyce, over at From this Side of the Pond, asks:

Do you still send Christmas cards? If so does yours include a photo or is it a more traditional card, or maybe homemade? How do you feel about the tradition of exchanging cards at the holidays? 

I do still send Christmas cards. 

Our cards do not include a photo.   I guess you would say we send cards that are more traditional.  I like all sorts of scenes on Christmas cards, but the one I chose for this year is a real favorite.  I just like all  of the elements -- the birds, the holly and berries, the twig frame, the sheet music and winter scene, the shadowy deer and holly in the background.

 
I have made homemade Christmas cards, but it's been a long time.

I think the tradition of exchanging cards at the holidays is wonderful.  I understand postage has gone up over the years, and it can be a real expense.  But I also think that it's a relatively inexpensive way to stay in touch with people one seldom sees, and it's much more personal than an ecard.  (Although I have nothing against ecards, and often send them for birthdays, praying for you occasions, and more, I just like to send a Christmas card through the mail.)  

Most of the people we send cards to must feel the same, because we receive about as many Christmas cards as we send!

 

 

Sunday Scripture

  

As previously mentioned, I'll be 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've mentioned before that 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 Love.  If you downloaded the study and are following along with it, this  is the one from December 13.

S= "Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you.  Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you; for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not where he goeth.

"While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.  These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide Himself from them. "  (John 12:35-36)

O= Jesus is speaking here.  This incident took place after Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.  There were all sorts of people present -- people who had come to the Passover feast in Jerusalem hoping to see Him; His disciples; people who had been present when He raised Lazarus from the dead; the Pharisees; and "certain Greeks" who requested to meet with Him but did not do so.

Just prior to His speaking these words, Jesus foretold His crucifixion, and a voice from heaven spoke, verifying His words.  When the people questioned, saying, "We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth forever; and how sayest Thou, the Son of Man must be lifted up?  Who is this Son of Man?", Jesus' words in verses 35-36 are His answer to them.  He instructed them to believe in and walk in the light while they had the opportunity, for the Light would be with them only a short time.

As John Blase says in Our Daily Bread, "It was going to get dark and be almost impossible to see. Almost. So what did Jesus tell them to do? Believe, or trust, the Light (v. 36). That was the only way they could keep going forward and stay faithful.'

A= I struggled a bit to find an application for these verses other than the obvious one that sinners should trust Christ as Savior while they still had the opportunity.  But I think it also has to do with believers trusting God through their trials.

 "Believers have His Spirit as our constant guide to light the way. We too will face dark times when it’s almost impossible to see the way ahead. Almost. But by believing, or trusting in the Light, we can press on." -- John Blase, Our Daily Bread

Jesus is the Light in our darkness.  He will give us all  we need to keep going in difficult times.

P= "Lord, I thank and praise You that because of Your free gift of salvation, I  no longer walk in darkness.  I am a child of light.  I praise You that I have Your Word to shed light upon my path and to help me walk as You would have me to.  

"Help me to walk in the light of Your Word every day.  May the people who cross my path who are still walking in darkness be drawn to Your marvelous light!  I pray in the name of Jesus, the Light of the world, Amen."

And there's the very simple Sunday Scripture for today, December 14!