As usual, we will all be piled in watching our favorite Christmas movie, It’s A Wonderful Life.  We hope all of you find yourselves doing a favorite thing with those you love.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Cathy and Ellen.

At Christmastime, we like to replace a set of coffee table books with favorite Christmas stories.  This way, we might just pick one up when we least expect it, like while the pasta water is heating.  Here is a little story about one of our favorite stories:
Once upon a time there was a little girl named Ellen (sound familiar?) who lived in Connecticut.  She was in the second grade.  Her mother, Cathy (that would be me) learned that Chris Van Allsburg would be appearing at a little book store in a nearby town to sign his new book, Polar Express. (It was new at the time.) So off we went to have our book signed, and more importantly to meet the illustrator.  We stood in line, barely able to contain ourselves … well okay … myself.  When we reached the table, the author couldn’t have been nicer.  He signed the book, while Ellen just looked at him with her big brown eyes, not saying a word.  Finally, I said, “Ellen, do you have anything you would like to ask Mr. Van Allsburg?” which really meant, “Gosh, I, the mom/illustrator have a million things I would like to ask,” but, I bit my tongue.  Then, Ellen looked at the author right in the eye and asked, “Is that really what the North Pole looks like?” And his answer was,
“That’s how I remember it.”
We both smiled and walked away with admiration and wonder.
(By the way, I’m happy to report that the bell still rings for me!)

How one cute fourth grader became Grand Marshal of the Rockwall Christmas Parade:
Step 1:  Grace created artwork which her teacher entered into a city-wide art contest.
Step 2:  She won!
Step 3: She was named Grand Marshal of the Rockwall Christmas Parade.
Step 4: Grace was introduced to her senator and the mayor.
Step 5: Grand Marshall Grace rode in a convertible and waved to all of her fans.
Step 6: Grace even made the paper!
Congratulations little Grand Marshal!

In our house o’ girls, it became clear very early on that the dad would be relegated to packmule status for life!  We would like to wish a very happy birthday to our favorite packmule.
Thank you for carrying luggage, carrying backpacks, carrying us, driving us everywhere, changing light bulbs, changing the oil, changing diapers, supplying our techno needs (we know you actually like that), waiting for us in the shoe department, cooking pancakes, grilling burgers, driving carpools, putting the worms on the fishing poles, watching gymnastics on TV even when there is a football game on a different channel, tying skates, tying boots, tying ribbons in our hair, teaching us to ride bicycles, teaching us to drive cars (that’s scary),  watching ballet recitals, filming lacrosse games, throwing us in the air, making studio mockups, shipping tight deadlines, taking samples to the warehouse, retrieving samples from the warehouse,  washing windows, to-doing to-do lists, buttoning dresses, helping with homework, drying our tears and making us laugh. YOU ARE THE BEST.
Happy Birthday from all of your girls.

We used to make Mini Pecan Pies when we lived in New York, so that our friends could have a little taste of Texas. These delicious one-bite pies melt in your mouth because the crust isn’t a traditional pie crust, but rather a cream cheese and butter pastry.  (You just can’t go wrong wtih a cream cheese and butter combo!)  We received this recipe at a wedding shower, and you can see from the “loved” look of our recipe card that we have made these many times … or perhaps we are just  messy cooks, but nevertheless, here are a couple of tricks that we have learned through the years which are not mentioned on our card.  1. Use the dough in small amounts leaving the part you are not using in the refrigerator so that the dough stays cool.  This is because the warmth of your thumb as you make the tiny pie crusts will make them too thin on the bottom.   2. Generously grease the muffin tin, so that it is easy to pop them out.  3. Don’t overfill the pecan filling, as it grows a little bit, and if it overflows and sticks to the pan, it’s a mess to pry them out.  4. Quickly pack them in packages for friends, so that you don’t accidentally eat a couple or ten.

Mini Pecan Pies (24 pies)

Cheese Pastry:
1 3-oz pkg cream cheese
1 cup sifted flour (I actually use a little more flour
for easier shaping of the crusts
1 stick margarine

Pecan Filling:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 t.eaaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter
dash of salt
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1 egg
Cheese Pastry: Let cheese and margarine soften at room temperature.  Blend in flour.  Chill slightly, about one hour.  Shape into two dozen 1” balls. Press dough in bottom and sides of teacake pans. (Fun part for children–wash hands first!)
Pecan Filling:  Beat together egg, sugar, butter, vanilla and salt just until smooth.  Add pecans.  Place in pastry lined cups and bake in slow oven 325 degrees for 25 minutes until filling is set; cool and remove from pans. Pop one in your mouth … just to make sure it is good enough to share with friends.

Our house was built in 1958 and we like to call it “moderne” (we say it with a French accent).  Santa brought this tree to me about ten years ago to match our house … it was just waiting for me in the entry, with the multi-colored rotating light and all!   I heard through the grapevine that Santa found it at a thrift shop and it was in its original box!  Every year, when that box comes into the house at decorating time, we just pull out the pretend trunk and pop on the foil limbs, turn on the turny light and Christmas begins.

This year, we are sending our Christmas card via blog express because we wanted to be able to share it with you in video form. This past summer, we acquired a rescue pup, Neville, whose genealogy is rather vague. One of the interesting things he likes to do is to lie down under the piano while Margaret is practicing, and in doing so, we discovered that he has a favorite song. We would like to share it with you in the video clip below. We hope your holidays are merry and bright!

Merry Christmas from Cathy and Jim, Ellen and Andrius, Julianna and Margaret … and Neville.

We finally had time to find some candles for our advent wreath.  And since we were already well into the second week of Advent, I had to do my annual advent wreath candle catch-up, which is to say that we burn one candle for two dinners, then two candles for two more dinners, so that the candles will all be appropriately staggered for the number of weeks they should have been burning, if I had been thinking ahead.  Does anyone else have this dilemma?
I don’t even know why I feel the need to hustle on the candle burning, because for the last few years, as we languish at the table after our big Christmas dinner, someone has yelled out, “Oh no, the advent wreath is on fire again!”  Three times we have been having so much fun that we haven’t noticed that the Week One candle has burned all the way to the little wooden holder and is smoldering.  And all three years, we have carted our sweet little wooden wreath to the little shop here in Austin, Rootin’ Ridge Toymakers, which makes them, and they have replaced the wooden holder.  If you would like to add this pretty advent wreath to your tradition, the little shop here in Austin still makes them.  But, be sure to blow out the candles before they touch the holders unless you want to add a little excitement to your Christmas night!  Happy Advent.

Well, they look mighty festive and wintry, and I wish I could say that I only indulge around Christmas time, but Walgreens sells these Red Bird Peppermint Puffs year-round, and if it weren’t for the acute sugar-induced tooth-ache that too many of these amazing candies can bring on, I would be able to use the large plastic tubs in which they are packed as a complete set of giant tupperware.  If you are not yet a connoisseur, here’s a little tip to make them taste even better: Unwrap a few peppermints and let them “cure” on a plate for maybe fifteen minutes before eating – they soften a bit in the open air and are de-licious!

This easy, sticky craft project can be immensely satisfying for all ages.  It’s a great way to make personal gifts (putting together custom pet-shaped ornaments can be a sweet idea) and a wonderful excuse to get your hands dirty. I remember loving this as a child, and the semi-nautical scent of the salt dough itself brings back happy memories.

Here’s my mom’s old recipe card for our version of the dough, though I’ve seen it elsewhere with a higher salt-to-flour ratio.  I’ve also seen people recommend adding a bit of vegetable oil to add smoothness, but apparently, this can inhibit the drying of the finished pieces. You might just want to play it by ear.

Candy canes are a great low-stress ornament to pursue. They are quick and easy, and if you color one ball of dough with food coloring beforehand, they do not require painting after they are cooked. Here’s a quick visual how-to demonstration:

I was able to make six candy canes and one small French bulldog from one cup of flour and a half of a cup of salt. The hooks (made from bent and cut paper clips) can be easily inserted into the finished pieces right before they go into the oven.

Happy Baking!