My cousin took this photo with her camera's timer. I think this is everybody who was at this year's reunion.
See if I got this right (spouses included): One left in the elder generation. 13 present in my dad's generation. 13 present in my generation. 19.5 present in my kids' generation.
I just realized that I hadn't mentioned lately that
for many reasons. One of which being that I unwrapped this
on Christmas morning!!! I got to use it for the first time this morning while I was mixing the cream cheese spread for my Veggie Pizza that I took to the reunion. Very cool!
Thanks, Sweetie!!! I'll make you some cookies in it real soon... maybe after all the other food settles!
By the time this posts, my family will have finished (or is probably still be in the middle of!) opening Christmas presents! Now I can show the rest of our creations!
David & Elizabeth got in on the act this year & helped make ornaments for MawMaw & Grandma! These are Elizabeth's drawings:
And these are David's - a blue Christmas tree for Grandma and a purple Christmas tree for MawMaw:
Food gifts were also given this year. You've already seen many of them, but here are the drink mixes I made:
More aprons were created for my family, but with some special meaning, too. My Grandmama had scads of clothing. We gave away tons of stuff after she died, but I kept several items with the intent to make something that might last a bit longer. This year, I came up with an idea. The floral fabric used for this apron I made for my sister was one of Grandmama's house coats. (click photo for a larger picture) The denim and embroidered design on the pocket was from one of Grandmama's many denim shirts.
Getting the fabric from a house coat into an apron was a little more challenging than I expected, so for my sister-in-law's apron, I used one of Grandmama's broomstick skirts for the dark fabric and the pink accents came from one of her shirts.
I think they'll like them. I wish I could have made them full aprons, but the fabric I was using was limiting. This was an emotional project for me. I've washed the clothing numerous times & it still smelled like Grandmama. I hope I was able to create something that she'd have been proud of.
This pattern was so easy! Here's the one for Aunt Jana - same pattern, but completely different look:
And I made a little tag blanket for my new nephew, Mason:
The back is made out of that super soft minkie stuff!
There are a couple of other things that will be given on Christmas Day, but I can't show them yet, because my family will be getting similar items a few days later! (and I know they'll see this before then!) Hopefully I will get pictures of everyone with their gifts, too!
So after all our comments about Lauren & her faces... I have to admit, I tried to take a serious slightly-irritated-professional-chef-looking photo and I couldn't stop laughing. So it's a lot harder than you might think to take a goofy picture of yourself. : ) I also have to add, WOW! On Lauren's last post she had some photos where she was not making faces & what a beautiful young lady she's turned into!
I've been a busy beaver, but I can't show pictures yet! Someone might see! Aunt Sissy couldn't believe I still have the apron Grandmama brought us from one of her trips long ago, so there I am, not looking serious in my chicken apron with my beloved Mix 'N Scraper, that I just realized is now cracked! Since we've moved in, I've gone through almost 15 pounds of flour! (whole wheat & white combined) So here's some food I've been making:
Brownies from a box with M&M's added. Mysteriously they're almost gone. I don't know what happened to them... but Dad says he's been sharing with Elizabeth...
My most exciting new recipe of the year: Christmas Mint Cookies! Oh. My. These little gems are delicious! They taste exactly like Girl Scouts Thin Mints. You must try this recipe! I used the Andes Mints version of the recipe mentioned in the recipe reviews. Wow! I made Dad take them to the fire station today so I wouldn't eat them all... of course I have ingredients to make more, though. : )
I can't tell you what these are. David made them. They have sprinkles. Act surprised if you see them again.
On an impulse, I saw a bag of Key Limes at the store the other day & bought them. Then I had to make a pie. It's very tart, but very tasty! I used the recipe that was on the bag. I didn't find one that was the same online, so I may add it to RecipeZaar later. That way I won't loose it.
Dad specifically requested that I get Grana's recipe for Gingerbread. Turns out she has the recipe written out in her grandmother's own handwriting! That makes it Dad's great-great-grandmother's recipe! I added "Grandmother's Gingerbread" to my cookbook so I wouldn't loose it, too. It's also printed in the first edition of the Sew-N-Sews Cookbook. Dad took the whole pan, minus this piece to the fire station today.
Then he requested I made a Pumpkin Roll! WHAT?!?! I have never done this before & it seemed like one of those fancy, hard-to-do type desserts. Turns out, it was much easier than I thought... so I may have to do it again. Doesn't that look pretty?
No fancy presentation, though. I wrapped it in foil, froze it & when I got up this morning, it was gone. I did taste the ends that I'd cut off (it was uneven, I had to trim it up!) and it was delish! Of course, I found the wonderful recipe for the Pumpkin Roll online and it came from a B&B in New Braunfels!
So if you happen to be in Fort Worth and notice that the firefighters appear a bit heavy, it may be from mint cookies and gingerbread and pumpkin rolls... just to name a few things.
Dad took my camera to work with him Saturday because he knew he was going to Station 14, and that Saturday is clean-up & equipment maintenance day. Which means the 135' aerial ladder (one of the tallest ladders made) gets checked out, too. That's our car you can see in the parking lot.
