The Christmas bounty

I'm a cheat. A weakling. No self control whatsoever. That can of Dad's peanut brittle was sitting there tempting me all afternoon. Upon my arrival at the folk's house I quickly dispensed with the usual greetings and pleasantries. "Yeah, so where is the peanut brittle?" I asked Mom - interrupting her Merry Christmas greeting. Christmas kindness could wait - I was on a mission.

Well, wouldn't you know it? Before even reaching that most highly sought after of Christmas goodies I encountered along the way some of my sister's delicious little chocolate balls. In the house two minutes and I've already consumed several hundred calories in chocolate balls. Then I found it - neatly tucked away in the middle of the table. Dad's golden brown peanut brittle. A sugary delight without peer on this magical day. Forget the eggnog. And the Christmas cookies. Mom's Christmas fudge can wait. I was in heaven - or as close as I'll probably ever be. I was savoring a piece of Dad's famous annual Christmas candy.

So now its back to reality, Eating Healthy and setting my sights on next year's goals. Time to get with it. Time to exercise and lose weight fast Here is a cool video I found from one of our favorite nutrition experts - Natalie - on eating healthy. Hope your Christmas was Merry and your New Year will be Happy!

The Joy of Christmas

God is so good to us. The sights and sounds of Christmas are so enjoyable. They seem to have their own uniques sense of wonder and joy. An almost indescribable, heartwarming feeling. Last night as I laid my head down an got one last glimpse of our Christmas tree with all the children's gifts tucked neatly around I felt a joy that only comes during this special time of year.

Today I overheard one of the boys saying "This is my best Christmas ever". And I thought how lucky I am to hear those few wonderful words. How lucky I am to have little ones to love.

Last night our little Church had a candlelight service - filled with scripture and some of the most beautiful songs I've heard all year.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:10-14)

A dear loved one shared this video with me today. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did. Merry Christmas.

The Christmas treats

We watched eagerly as Mom carefully placed the fresh greenery on the table and added the four candles. "These candles represent the four weeks before Christmas she explained. Each of the four Sundays before Christmas we'll light a candle" she explained. We were getting excited at the thought of Christmas. Let the anticipation begin!
Mom would always enlist our help with the decorations. That well used old nativity set and my perennial favorite - the green ceramic Christmas tree. That beautiful little tree with its multi-colored lights could always bring a smile to my face and a warm feeling in my heart.
December meant Saturday and Sunday afternoons filled with heart-warming aromas emanating from our tiny little kitchen. Chocolate and peanut butter fudge, all kinds of cookies, and of course, Mom's annual fruit cake. Dad would deploy our best stainless steel cookware and copper cookware on the stove-top filled with his own special blend of corn syrup and peanuts. The resulting mix was then spread out on the table top marble slab to cool.
Dad's peanut brittle was one of my favorite treats of the Christmas season. I don't know how he made that delicious concoction. Christmas in our house just wouldn't have seemed complete without several cookie tins full of Dad's thick, sticky peanut brittle. And another with some of Mom's chocolate fudge. Christmas eve was cookie day. We'd make dozens of sugar cookies and spread green and red colored sugar on top.