Making Baby Blankets and Snickerdoodles --- Homemaking Link-Up Weekend

Thanks for stopping by my Homemaking Link-Up weekend today!  Please link up at the end of the post and take a button so your friends can come back and say Hi!

New baby Brenna is one month old today!  She and big sister Kynthia are getting along great!

Since we had her just three days after I finished up my Christmas sewing, I haven't been able to show off my completed projects yet.  So, I decided to do a little belated Christmas post!  Here are the receiving blankets I made for baby Brenna.

This is one side of Brenna's quilt.  The pinks were given to me by my friend Audra at Brenna's baby shower.

Here's the other side.  Isn't it adorable?!

Here's Kynthia's quilt.  The two pink fabrics were scraps from one I made our cousin Sophie last year.  Sophie is just a few months older than Kynthia.

This is the reverse side of Kynthia's.  I also made her a pillowcase from the bear fabric above.

Kynthia's first baby doll got a matching blanket!

So...since I was thinking Christmas anyway, (and since I'm about ready to finally take down all the Christmas decor) I decided to make a little holiday treat.

I'd never made Snickerdoodles before and my friend Kerry gave me a GREAT recipe!

Cocoa with candy canes is a Christmas tradition at our place!

This is one of my new decorations this year.  Isn't this vintage tree just adorable?  The vendor had a couple more at her booth---wish I would have grabbed them!!

I didn't get to use these pink Christmasy napkins that I picked up early last spring on clearance.  I'll save these for something special next season!

Thanks so much to my professional background team---Ha!

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<a href="http://www.bloggingwhilewaiting.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc418/lostinavalon1/Homemakinglinkup.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a> Also linking with:  Beverly's Pink Saturday
Blue Monday @ Smiling Sally
Tea Time Tuesday @ Rose Chintz Cottage 
Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Through Life

"Mrs. Bradley's" Fruit and Nut Cake from Great Grandma's Kitchen

Last week, I started a series called, Great Grandma's Kitchen, where I share some of the recipes I found in box of my great-grandma's and great-great-grandma's recipes and cookbooks.  I made Banana Date Cookies and have received lots of compliments on them.  My kids LOVE them!

I've made my great-great grandma's Dark Fruit Cake before and everyone loved it, so I thought I'd share that today---with a few changes made.

Mrs. Bradley's Dark Fruit Cake was obviously a hit as you can see from the wear and stains on this card!  I found this in her daughter-in-law Annabelle's recipe box.  Annabelle was my great-grandmother.  I think it's a really neat recipe, but it's also at least 75 years old so there were a few changes I needed to make so it would be more baker-friendly today.  See the little scribbles on the card?  There are a lot more on the back.  Since my grandpa was the only child, I bet those were his scribbles!

The Mrs. Bradley referenced here is Mrs. Cora Jean Lasiter Bradley, my great-great grandmother on my mother's father's side.  I wish I had a photo of her!  I do, however, have a quilt that she made my great-grandpa when he was a little boy.  It's one of my most treasured things!
 

One reason I chose this recipe is because I need to use up this gigantic jar of molasses that my daughter bought at Christmas time!

In fact, it's a great recipe to use up several of the extra ingredients we have lying around from Christmas baking!

"Mrs. Bradley's Fruit and Nut Cake"

1/2 c. butter                             1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. molasses                        3 eggs
1/2 c. coffee (juice or water is fine too)

Mix these ingredients until well blended.  Then add:

2 1/2 c. flour                           1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda                   1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon                      1/4 tsp. cloves
pinch of mace (optional)

Mix well and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine:

4 c. raisins                              8 oz. figs, chopped
8 oz. chopped dates                1/2-1 c. chopped nuts
zest from 1 orange                 
chopped orange sections from zested orange

Pour batter over fruit and nut mixture and stir until well mixed. 

Mmm!  Look at all that fiber! (Ha!)

Pour into greased cake pan, bread pans, muffin cups, whatever.  I used a fluted cake pan.  Bake at 300 for 2-2 1/2 hours or until cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.  (Baking times reduced for smaller pan size...adjust accordingly).  Cool on rack and serve warm or cooled.

The kids are all excited to have some tonight!

Today I'm joining Coloradolady's Vintage Thingie Thursday, as well as Rachel's Heirloom Recipe Blog Hop at Bubbly Nature Creations.  Please visit both ladies and see what other great things are linked up!

Hope In Every Season is on Facebook!  If you like what you've read here, please follow me and keep up with the latest posts.

The Pinocchio Complex

Pinocchio Complex:  Question made to confuse, or befuddle someone.

If Pinocchio says, "My nose will grow now." What happens? A great Cretan once said; "All Cretans are liars." Is he lying or telling the truth?"

Ok, so this article actually has nothing to do with the Pinocchio Complex---but it is about Pinocchio.  I just thought the idea of the Pinocchio paradox was pretty awesome.  You can come back and think about it some more when you're done reading...


"Oh come, let us worship and bow down;  let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.  For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand."  ~Psalm 95:6-7

I've slowly been reading the story of Pinocchio to the kids over the past couple of months.  We're only half way through and it's a wonderful story---but hard to read sometimes as well.  Not only is the language translated in sort of an old-fashiony way, (it was written in 1883 in Italian and translated to English in 1892) but the character of Pinocchio is much less likeable than the cute little puppet boy we know from the Disney cartoon.

Pinocchio finds himself rebelling against his father at every turn.  The real clincher (so far) comes when Gepetto sells his own coat to buy his son a spelling book so he can go to school.  Pinocchio turns around and sells the book so he can attend a puppet show.  After reading this part and sneaking a peek at the astonished looks on my kids' faces, I took the time, of course, to point out the sacrifices that good parents make for their children.  Even horribly selfish children who break their poor parents' hearts!

Every now and then, Pinocchio's "conscience" will pop up and try to steer him the right direction, but he's pretty good at beating it back down again.  I have a feeling that conscience is going to win, though.  We just got past the part where the ghost of the conscience tries to reason with him.  That "spirit" just won't be defeated!  (Maybe it's a Holy Spirit, hmmm???)

Oh, but aren't we all just like that self-centered Pinocchio?  Instead of being grateful to our Maker and obeying Him because of His great love for us, we often toss out His precious blessings in favor of our own pursuits.

Thank God for the Holy Spirit who relentlessly attempts to guide us back home to our Father!

"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak;  and He will tell you things to come."  ~John 16:13  

Hope In Every Season is on Facebook!  If you like what you've read here, please follow me and keep up with the latest posts.

 This article was featured in the 97th edition of The Christian Home Magazine.

Also linking with:
Teach Me Tuesday @ Growing Home  
Titus 2's Days @ Time Warp Wife 
Tuesday Linkup @ Courtship Connection 
Women Helping Women @ Teaching What is Good 
Wisdom Wednesdays @ Simply Helping Him  
Wholehearted Home Wednesday
Encouraging One Another @ Deep Roots at Home 
Homemaking Linkup @ Raising Homemakers 
Wise Woman linkup 
Legacy Leaver Thursday @ Leaving a Legacy 
Essential Friday Link-Up @ Essential Things Devotions 
Desire to Inspire @ A Royal Daughter 
Inspire Me Monday @ Create With Joy