Get a cup of coffee… or maybe just bring the pot… there are 34 pictures today!!!
I spent the whole day (I’m talking the WHOLE day… 9am to 9pm) in the kitchen and accomplished everything I was hoping to. I made chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, chocolate mint cookie bark, white chocolate Krispy bark, and candied pecans. I made a platter for Rebecca to take to work tomorrow,
… a platter for the staff at church,
…and a platter to take to Jean and Bithar.
I made (AND delivered 2 bags of goodies to the best postal workers ever!) They get your packages on their way to you each time I mail something! I made 2 more goodie bags for friends, and one for the mailman.
I have been collecting little tin lunch boxes for a few months now for Jean and Bithar’s 6 kids…(did I already tell you this?) I had plans to put little goodies in each one for Christmas. I just found the last 2 last week and finally was able to start putting them together. They are just simple little things for each child, but something for EACH one… AND I found 2 games at the Goodwill still in the packaging, that will be perfect for their kids. I felt like they were there JUST FOR ME! Seriously, they were perfect! I got the games and the lunch tins all finished today… (well, actually I still have to figure out something for David, the newest at their house…) I can find something tomorrow. So my plans are to make them a corn casserole, give them their cookie platter and the kids their goodie tins…
I wanted to share a recipe with you, but first I needed to see if I had already shown it. You can look up anything in the “search” bar (at the right side bar just below my Ebay pictures).It has a little search engine box with the words SEARCH in a green box. You can look up anything and if the words you type in are in any post, it will pop up.. So if you wanted to see all the recipes I’ve shown, you can just type in recipe and they will all come up. If you want to see Civil War dresses, type in Civil War and the posts will come up about Civil War dresses. If you want to know about slips, type in Slip and the posts about slips will come up.
Anyway, I found a post where I showed this recipe, but I’m going to show it again…It’s just TOO easy and maybe someone out there needs EASY right before Christmas. I don’t even have a name at the top of my recipe…It’s just scribbled down but I have been calling it White Chocolate Krispy Bark… Kristoffer calls it Christmas Crack… because it’s kind of addicting.
There are only 4 ingredients needed to make it…
1 pound White chocolate (almond bark or white chocolate chips)
2 heaping Tablespoons Creamy Peanut Butter (like Jif or Skippy) it can’t be the kind that is just only the peanuts
1 cup salted peanuts
2 cups Rice Krispies
Melt the chocolate and peanut butter in the microwave… I do mine 1 minute at a time and take it out and stir it and then microwave it for 30 seconds at a time, stirring it… until it’s melted. You don’t want your white chocolate to burn…
Then stir in the cup of peanuts…and the rice krispies…
Stir it with a spoon… it looks similar to rice krispy bars…
When you have it all mixed together, pour it onto a piece of wax paper on your countertop and flatten it with a spoon.
I usually try to shape mine into a rectangle so I can cut it into squares… keep flattening it with your spoon until it looks like this…
You can just leave it set on your countertop and it will harden into a slab of sweetness and then you can peel it off the wax paper and cut it into squares or break it apart if you like…
Sound easy enough for everyone, right? It is!
Okay, now let’s get on to some dolly sweetness! Let’s see who was next to send me some pictures… Why it’s Linda and she has her girls dressed in their Christmas dresses! She also has some more pictures of her house… so I’ll let her tell you about them…
First, the tree downstairs in our family room. This tree has ornaments from the past 50 plus years on it! I have ones that the children made, ornaments from our trips, ornaments that I made from those kits with pins and sequins, (remember those?), and the candy canes are from way back in 1971! Let me tell you, they don’t make them like that anymore! I keep them in a Tupperware container in the closet with the other Christmas things.
The cuckoo clock is from my maternal great grandmother’s family and was made in Germany. They brought it over when they came here right before she was born. It is now battery operated, since it is too fragile for the chains and those heavy pine cones that you pull. Not sure what they are called. I put some greenery on top, and have been known to stick a red piece of ribbon on the deer’s nose!
Then upstairs in the dining room part of the kitchen is my hutch. It is at the other end of the kitchen picture I sent previously. I try to make it as festive as possible!
My dolls are dressed for Christmas now! Felicity and Cecile in one room, Josefina, in the family room, all wearing their Christmas dresses.Actually Felicity is supposed to wear her blue gown, but I save that one for New Year’s instead. I like red for Christmas!
The 40’s girls are trimming their Christmas tree…
…and the modern girls are attending a Christmas party given by hostess, Miss Betsy McCall, who is dressed in her pretty Christmas finery, still enraptured with her little Elf on the Shelf girl! Notice both Scarlet and Ivy have rings on! Just had to point that out! LOL! Also had to have a picture of Miss Betsy by her little self in her pretty dress!
Last is Josefina in her Christmas dress with her doll. Poor Kaya, is not yet ready for Christmas, but I will get there!
You might not be totally finished dressing your girls, but the ones you have done look very sweet! Thank you Linda! I’m sure everyone will LOVE seeing your girls ready for Christmas… My girls are jealous…
Next is a link from Anne for a Christmas celebration her nephew, Paul, put on. It has animations and carols being sung and a few readings. He said it’s just over an hour long, so maybe you can take your time and watch it… or just parts of it if you’d rather…I watched part of it and loved the animations he used here and there…
Christmas Celebration from Anne’s Nephew
We have something charming to look at from Paula… Linda D. was asking for a picture of Paula’s new Nativity set and she just received it from her sons, so here it is… Paula is actually in CA, away from her home in Ohio, so the trees and decorations and nativity set are new…She wants to add more pieces to her nativity set in the coming years. Isn’t it sweet?
She had to show Holly, her niece’s little poodle…
We have some pictures from Barbara now…I’m not sure if these are Dickens houses or Dept. 56 ones… I’ve never had any so I don’t know one from the other… but I have to say, Barbara has done a nice job setting up her neighborhood… I like your pictures this year, Barbara… you can really see the details… (especially if you click on them and they enlarge!) :o)
…and the pictures just keep coming, don’t they? This is a picture I received from the winner of the blue dress set I had shown on Noel. Look, it fits Fairyland Little Fee Ante Elf…She said it is a tiny bit large on her, but she has 3 Boneka dolls so she wants to leave it so all the girls can share it. This is her ghost girl and was thrilled to find out it fit her doll. Thanks dear winner! :o)
Well, we finally reached the end… and these should keep you quite occupied for quite some time… :o)
I’ll see you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Lots to look at tonight, Jeanne (again)!! I’m exhausted, just reading about all the baking you did!! I keep thinking I’m going to get some done but so far…. I at least have started on Christmas cards. (I figure if I get them all out by New Year’s, I’m good! LOL)
Thanks to all who sent pictures; so much fun to see all the decorations and beautifully dressed dollies!! Paula, your nativity set is just lovely.
Well, I need to get to bed, so will cut this short tonight. I do have Gigi dressed in the outfit I won on your auction, and am hoping to get a couple of pictures taken tomorrow!!
Where to begin?? So many lovely pictures, and I do want to mention them all, well, except mine, but all that baking you did Jeanne, and getting gifts together for Bithar’s family and the extras for Rebecca for work, goodness, you put us all to shame! I baked about 8 dozen cookies and was so tired after all that! I don’t like the mess baking creates, and then I have to clean it all up, flour, powder sugar everywhere and all the rest! Baking is not my thing!!
Anne, I will watch your son’s video when I have more time, later on, I know it will be worthwhile, and I do want to watch it in it’s entireity.
Oh, Paula, your Nativity set is beautiful, and it will be such a meaningful gift through the years. Thank you for showing us. Three Christmas trees? Beautiful! The little poodle is darling!
Oh my, Barbara! What a wonderful display of your Dept. 56 Dickens Village you have set up! Jeanne, Dept. 56 makes several different villages, and the Dicken’s Village is one of them. I have, mostly their Snow Village, which is more of a 50’s vibe. I can’t imagine how busy you must have been setting this all up, Barbara! And then you put it all away?? I understand, it is on the dining room table, but maybe you should consider making another table or something to put it on so you can eat on the dining room table, and still have your village up longer. I see several things in your village I also have! So fun to look at everything and get ideas from you! I love the red swing set and the village gazebo! Ebay has a lot of things you can buy for their retired items, but watch out for the shipping prices!
I am not familiar with Fairlyland dolls, but I think the blue dress outfit looks like it fits perfectly! So nice that your dresses fit a variety of dolls, Jeanne! Way better than too small!
All I can say is wow! Baking, dressing dolls wonderfully, decorating, and a village extraordinaire. Hope to comment more later, but today we’re off soon to pick up last minute things. 🙂
I have 2 presents from Jeanne and one to come. The first is an AG dress from a few years ago — white embroidered blouse, black velvet bodice, and a gathered plaid skirt made with metallic threads so that it shines and glitters. It’s being worn by my latest AG, Stacy (#28), who looks beautiful in it. Yesterday my sister returned a pretty blue box to me — it was full of Jeanne’s AG sized petticoats — at least a half dozen in white, cream. lavender…tulle. lace. And I saved Nellie’s beautiful blue dress (one half of the beige and blue nearly twin dresses) for Christmas.
This was a wonderful post. I always want to move into one of those charming villages. I loved Linda’s reminder that after everyone has enjoyed the experience, the owner gets to pack everything up and clean up after it. The same with the cookie mess — the cookie platters are beautiful but the kitchen isn’t. The happiness of the recipients compensates.
The dolls are lovely. Betsy is so cute and a great stand-in for a Little Darling. I used to love the Betsy paper dolls in McCall’s magazine — It’s good to have them made real.
Peanut butter — I’m starting to see a lot of warnings on cookie recipes that the recipes were developed for traditional peanut butter, not the new, pure stuff, and the old sort is getting tricky to find. Surely someone will come up with a solution. If you have one, let us know.
Hi Marilyn,
I’m curious what you mean by “traditional” peanut butter and new pure stuff.
We always bought Smucker’s when I was a kid in the 1970’s. It was just peanuts and salt as the pure stuff is now. Now I buy Santa Cruz Organic which is also just peanuts and salt.
What is the old stuff?
I don’t know for sure , but I do remember peanut butter in the 40’s and 50’s, and it was very sticky, thick and hard to spread. I never liked peanut butter because of that, but I love the smoother easy to spread peanut butter they have now. It tore up your bread when you tired to spread it.
Maybe Marilyn can tell us more.
I baked blonde brownies yesterday. I may make another pan today for Son to take home. My husband made pfeffernusse. He used my Aunt Lorene’s recipe. She made them for years. When she was no longer able, my mom took over. I guess my husband is the next generation. He killed our stand mixer to make them. It is toast. Meanwhile, my little hand mixer that is avocado green because I bought it in 1978, is still going strong! 😆
Low key Christmas is the norm here. I so enjoy looking at all the pictures. Thank you!
Jeanne, I admire your energy in every thing you accomplish on a daily basis let alone at this very busy holiday. Your generosity to so many people in your part of the world is wonderful. You are loved by many.
Those cookies look awfully good. What a nice thing to be able to treat so many. The recipe looks yummy. Anything with peanut butter is wonderful!! That receipt is a saver.
Linda, your big tree is beautiful. It is also a tree of memories. There’s just something about Christmas traditions that add to the Season that it is. What stories we could tell about our ornaments and decorations. I like how you decorated the old cuckoo clock and your beautiful hutch. Just beautiful.
And your girls are all set for Christmas in their finery. They are eagerly awaiting Santa to come? Betsy looks so sweet in her white gown. Yes, like Scarlet in a way. Is that plaid outfit on Nelly an American Girl outfit? It looks vaguely familiar. Love the plaids in any era.
How very nice of Anne to send her nephew’s video. Merry Christmas to all of them!
Jeanne, thank you for putting my photos up. Those trees are my Christmas forest. The white snow blanket under the tree isn’t the best material. Perhaps next year I’ll find better snow like Barbara’s snow under her village.
I added to the nativity set yesterday thst just came in the mail, an Angel holding a little brown doggie which I painted black like our Honey who died last month.
Anne, your village is absolutely extraordinarily beautiful. That was a lot of work. I’m sure you have a plan when you set it up. The detail is magnificent. I can almost hear the bustle and activity in the street. What a wonderful and fascinating set!! 🎄🎄🎄
Your pretty blue outfit found a happy group of dollies to share your dress. It’s is perfect for winter and Christmas.
Well, up from the sofa I go to finish up more Christmasy things!
Paula, I am not sure what dress you mean, because I don’t have Nellie. I think you might mean the doll on the right in the 40’s picture? If so, that is my Susan, and she is an AG JLY doll, #21, who is now retired. Since I don’t have Kit, she wears all of Kit’s clothes, and yes, that is Kit’s Beforever Christmas dress. I love plaids for Christmas too!
Jeanne what a wonderful lot of baking. I love the little lunch boxes you managed to find. I used to do all that but I find it is too much for me these days. I made mince pies (three trays of 25) the other day and yesterday managed 2 dozen gluten free, egg free, dairy free choc chip cookies for two friends who have allergies, two dozen shortbread and three dozen regular choc chip cookies. That took me all afternoon and I was so tired I fell asleep at 7.pm and probably would have slept in the chair till midnight but the phone rang. By the time I realised and got to answer it they rang off and didn’t ring back. Not many people ring on my landline these days so it was probably a scam, get a lot of those. I used to accomplish a lot more than I can now! I do the baking in my work room where I have a kitchen (for cake decorating mainly) and It is still waiting for me to clean up!
Linda your pictures are lovely your dolly dresses look so festive and Paula I love the Nativity set. Barbara, I can’t imagine how much work you had to do setting up your wonderful display. I think that is what Sam aspires to but I can’t see it happening in my lifetime.
My nephew doesn’t appear in the video I sent, he was the creator. If you can’t get to church this Christmas this is a great alternative. They couldn’t have church either (Paul is in Huddersfield in Yorkshire, UK) so this is their on line Christmas church service.
Today is our second performance of our Christmas play (it is Christmas Eve here). I don’t think I am cut out to be a director! My Inkeeper’s wife told me yesterday that he isn’t up to it (he recently had a fall and is still suffering from concussion) and I don’t have anyone I can ask as an alternative so have to rewrite the part of the reporter who was interviewing him. My friend (who is playing the part of the Inkeeper’s wife as well as being his wife in reality) is the best actor and is able to adlib so she will deal with any changes to her part.
I must try to take the dog for a walk today (he didn’t get one yesterday) and try to clean the house a bit before my grandaughter and her partner come to visit. They live in the N Island so don’t see them very often. They aren’t staying with me but we are going out for lunch. Hopefully Sam will be able to join us, she has an appt at 12 with her oncology doctor so we will pick her up from the hospital when she has finished and then go on for lunch.
At least it has stopped raining for the moment. Tomorrow (Christmas Day) it is supposed to be showers so I am glad I didn’t plan a BBQ for dinner! May not get to check in tomorrow morning so Meri Kirihimete to you all.
Anne, I’m sorry that I mistook your nephew’s video for your son’s. I am going to watch it shortly and will be thinking of you.
You will be having rain, while we will be very cold here, and having a pork roast from the oven! So fun to see what other parts of the world are doing and how they celebrate. There is room for us all! Merry Christmas, and good luck with your play.
You certainly were busy baking, Jeanne. I love to bake in general and Christmas cookies are a favorite. Pfeffernusse, here as well, and then lebkuchen, linzertorchen, spitzbuben, hazelnut crescents with egg yolk wash, and almond crescents are the usuals. Just went with lebkuchen and linzertorchen this year and a small recipe of each.
So nice to see my Christmas decor photos.
Linda, your tree is beautiful. I love your cuckoo clock with the stag head and leaves. What a lovely piece of family history! I also have the one the was my grandparent’s. It has an archway at the top where the couple comes out to dance and the cuckoo above them. It still has the pinecone weights in place, but it’s just for decoration now. I don’t wind it as it would keep me awake at night.
Your hutch is so festive with all the little Christmas touches.
Enjoying seeing your dolls dressed for Christmas. Everyone looks beautiful. Scarlett and Ivy must be thrilled with the sparkly rings that Santa brought the.
I love Ruthie in Addy’s Christmas dress. That’s one dress I still want to get back someday. Wish I kept the one my daughter decided to sell before my collecting time.
Josefina’s display is just gorgeous.
Thank you for the video Anne. I will watch it later when I can sit down for a bit again.\
Paula, your Christmas trees are lovely as is your Nativity. Holly is adorable. I didn’t realize you live in Ohio, we’re neighbors!!
Barbara, your village is just wonderful. I love all the little pieces. My kind of town, move me right in.
I’ve not heard of Fairyland dolls either, but it’s nice for you to know that your outfits fit a wide variety of dolls.
What a great post again today. You wear me out just thinking of all you accomplished yesterday. What great treats for the children to have their own little treasure boxes.
I think Linda had better prepare to move because I think she’s living in Santa and Mrs. Santa ‘s house and they’ll want to move back in after Christmas. The tree is wonderful and looks so traditional and full of treasured ornaments as are the hutch and the cuckoo clock with all it’s memories. All of the dolls look beautiful but I do think Betsy wins as she looks like a Snow Princess in her white lace dress. Josefina’s collection is so complete, especially the chest that’s hiding st the side of the picture. Thanks for sending the pictures.
I forgot to comment yesterday on Marilyn’s beautiful dolls. My favorite, probably of all time, is the burgundy dress. I may finally be inspired to sew again by creating one myself. Thanks for sharing some ofyour wonderful collection.
I’ll save Anne’s video for later too, but thanks for sharing it. Paula’s pictures are lovely, too. I see the little chicks 🐥 on the stairs. George would appreciate the little mufflers they’re wearing.
Barbara is another person who’s wearing me out with all that energy put into the wonderful village display. Yes, it’s not as much fun putting it all away again. Glad the pretty blue dress found a good home.
What wonderful baked goods you have made for your family and as gifts for so many. Everything looks so delicious. I can feel pounds coming on just looking. Thanks for the recipe. I think I might get around to making the Christmas Crack. Easy and not much mess. What a clever idea for the gift tins for Bithar’s children. I know they will be over the moon. When I was little my mother loved to bake at Christmas time. We kids would help her and we got to decorate the cut-out cookies she called “Sand Tarts”. We would make a day of it, but I remember my mother saying that toward the end of the day we were losing interest and all the clean-up was left to her. When my children were small I tried to recreate the tradition but after a few years of realizing they weren’t the least bit interested and not only was the clean-up left to me, but all the rest of it too, I gave up. Then they came out with the pre-made cookies that you break apart and bake and fresh baked cookies were once again on the Christmas menu. They’re actually pretty good. Today I bought some snowmen and Christmas trees, Chocolate Chip Lovers and Oatmeal Raisin. While not truly homemade, they are tasty, and, best of all, no mess. I don’t fuss too much with Christmas because it’s only the two of us but we have family, and anyone else who wants to come, on New Year’s Day for our annual fondue. We started this tradition years ago when Santa brought us a fondue pot for Christmas. Attendees have varied over the years but with few or many, we have managed to keep it going adding and replacing fondue pots as necessary.
Linda, I loved seeing everyone in their Christmas attire. My Betsy saw Betsy’s dress and now she’s in a funk because I won’t have time to make her one like it before Christmas. I promised maybe next year. The dress is absolutely beautiful and I totally understand Betsy wanting one. Pining I think is actually more like it. My tree is also covered with ornaments from over the years. Each year we bought our children an ornament and they were on our tree until the day they started their own homes and then we gave them their ornaments to start their own trees. We were doing that for our grandchildren but our daughter-in-law said the tree was getting too many ornaments. So I stopped – for a couple years. Hard to keep a lover of tradition down. The hutch is magnificent and so festive. Do you decorate the hutch for other seasons too? I’m a lover of cuckoo clocks even though I don’t own one. Yours is really special.
Anne, I will definitely watch your nephew’s link. I will be wrapping today and hope to relax tomorrow since we have to sing at both services tomorrow evening. The link will be exactly what I need to just relax and enjoy.
Paula, your nativity set is so simple and sweet. Wonderful trees! Adorable dog.
A bit about the origins of my village. About 25 years ago, shortly after we moved from Houston to the small town of Sealy we had a lovely little gift shop in town. It has since left for greener pastures as less people are shopping locally. It moved in toward Houston. For my birthday and Christmas that year David and the kids bought me my first village pieces. The Victoria Station train depot, Tutburry Printers, Mansion House home of Ebenezer Scrooge and a couple things like a Hansom cab and a few of the “Christmas Carol” figures. But they were expensive and they became hard to find as places stopped carrying them. So my village was limited in scope for a few years. Then one year we walked into the Christmas section in Wal-Mart and they had a whole aisle of these buildings, figures and other accessories. I think we bought one of each. David then got pieces of styrofoam and created the terrain and a village was born. For awhile it fit on my dining table without the leaves. Then we added a leaf and I expanded. Then two leaves. Then a bigger table with two leaves and I added a fire station and some shops. A couple years ago I bought a brewhouse for David as a gift. His hobby is brewing craft beer. It sits on the table in the living room most of the year but during the holidays it has pride of place on Main Street. He insisted I make room for it. The village has some Dept. 56 pieces as accessories (chestnut vendor, coffee and hot cocoa booths, the Boat Swings, but most of the buildings are the ones we bought at Wal-Mart and they are not Lemax (now Dept. 56). Each year you might find a few of the buildings and some accessories at Wal-Mart, but they don’t handle much these days, which is a good thing because I’ve run out of room.
As for things being there “just for me”, I can relate to that. I usually buy wall calendars for everyone each year based on their interests. My oldest son has a Pit Bull so he gets a calendar of Pit Bulls, my other son likes wolves, for hubby its old tractors, classic vehicles or Cocker Spaniels, you get the picture. Usually I go to the mall to the bookstore, but the past two years I haven’t liked the selection. This year I didn’t think to do it figuring it would be worse this year. I was in Wal-Mart doing some last minute shopping this morning and decided to give their calendars a look-see. I found something for everyone but wasn’t really happy with my choices for my oldest son and my grandson. I was about finishing up when I saw another calendar display so I went to check that one out. I immediately found a Pit Bull calendar for my oldest son but I was still looking for my grandson when I reached back behind some other calendars and pulled out a Sloth calendar. Too perfect! My grandson is into Sloths and two of the things he wanted for Christmas was a couple stuffed Sloths of different sizes to add to his Sloth family – we got him one, his parents got the other. It was the only calendar like it there and it was behind others. I couldn’t help but feeling it was specially put there for me. I’ve had that happen other times too. Seems like answered prayer to me.
Linda: I thought that was Nellie and should have realized that. Nellie has more of a reddish blonde hair color. I glad you filled me in on which doll you have. I love the plaid dress and now know I might be able to find it on EBay.
Laura: all those desserts you mentioned- and you make them all… good for you. I have no idea what they are exactly. If you have time after Christmas, maybe you could fill us in on what they are like?
We live south of Toledo. I thought you were from Michigan and I’m not sure what made me think that.
Susette: the little “peeps” represent being snow birds.
Anne: you wear me out too. No wonder you fell asleep around 7:00.
Dear Jeanne, you have certainly been very busy, thinking about others. Yours is surely the first name on Santa’s Nice List (smile).
I am sure Bithar and her family will love the gifts.
I am thinking about Grace. She must be quite a young lady by now.
Linda’s house is so pretty. I love that her dolls reflect Christmas through the years.
I will have to watch Anne’s video link.
Paula’s Creche scene is precious. It reminds me of Lladro figurines. I can’t remember if she said that.
I definitely want to visit Barbara’s neighborhood!
Tomorrow eve, the “Big Guy” will make his appearance. Ho ho ho!