Queen's Edge Farm: Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! Joyeaux Noel!

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! Joyeaux Noel!

I don't think it matters what language you speak, to a child, Christmas is special. The magic it brings for me is very special too. It doesn't have to do with any gifts that I give my children, but with the gift that God gave the world so long ago, Jesus Christ. I'd like to take this time to thank God for this wonderful gift. I greatly appreciate it.

When I was little I was Mary in a church Christmas play. I remember being very scared. We had a wagon that someone had cut a donkey out of cardboard and painted, and then attached to the wagon. With a box and a sheepskin over the side, and the metal handled wrapped in rope, it looked really cute, as I was pulled across the stage. I also remember having to recite this verse at one time, and it has always stuck with me:

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

A few of the Christmas traditions that I celebrate, due to my love of family, heritage and just plan loving traditions. I have begun saving the tree from the previous year to burn on Christmas Day. My very own Yule log! I also like to make my Grandmother's Cinnamon roll/bread recipe. For some reason no one appreciates and likes it like I did as kid. This year, I just halved the recipe, because no one wants to eat it, they would rather have the cinnamon rolls in a can! The ingrates!

Normally, my family (sisters and brother) get together on Christmas Eve. This year is the first time in 20 years or so that we didn't. We will be getting together tonight, Christmas Night because my youngest sister Ashley is arriving in town early this morning at the airport.

After breakfast, we will open our gifts to each other, the girls are playing with their gifts from Santa. He went kind of crazy this year. It looks like I need to send him an email and ask him to tone it down next year.

Have a Merry Christmas! More news later......

Christmas at Ann's was fast and furious. Everyone seemed tired, and we bugged out around 9 p.m. The food was good, Ann had a really great dish made with those canned croissants, taco meat and cheese, then baked. They were so good! I ate three.

Hannah played the Wii and hit herself in the face while playing the boxing game. It looked like fun.

The gifts I received are listed here (so I won't forget to mail thank you cards):

Beautiful Perfume gift set (Rodney and kids)
Hand weights for arthritis (R and kids)
Candles - 5 (R and Kids)
Three books - (R and Kids)
Stargate DVD - Season one (R and kids)
Sapphire earrings (ditto)
Pressure canner (mom and Randy)
canning supply set (mom and Randy)
2 pictures (mom and Randy)
Shirley Temple DVD, The Little Princess (mom and Randy)
1 gift card (gift card exchange)

I don't know how long we will continue to get together, unless my mom is here, because well, I felt a certain lack of feeling behind this year's "festivities". Only time will tell.

1 comment:

Bob Westbrook said...: Merry Christmas to all of you.
Love, Bob and Cherie; December 25, 2007 at 8:54 PM

Grandma's Yummy Cinnamon Rolls

2 pkgs active dry yeast or 5 tsps if using bulk yeast
1/2 cup warm water (not too hot)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening, butter, margarine
2 tsps salt
2 cups milk, scalded
1 1/2 cups cold water
10 to 12 cups flour (white or whole wheat)

Yield: 4 loaves

Soften yeast in warm water, springkle in a tsp of the sugar
In LARGE mixing bowl blend sugar, shortening, salt and milk until shortening is melted. Add cold water, cool to luke-warm. Stir in yeast. Gradually add flour to form a stiff dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth and satiny, 5 to 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover with foil or damp towel. Let rise in warm place (85 to 90 deg) until light and doubled in volume about two hours. Punch dough down by plunging fist in center. Knead dough for about 5 minutes.

Roll out one fourth of dough to a 16 X 12 inch rectangle. Brush with 2 TBSP of melted butter. Combine 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon (or more to taste). Sprinkle mixture over dough. Starting with 16 inch side, roll jellyroll fashion. Either cut into 16 1 inch slices or leave as a whole loaf. Place on a greased pan, cover and let rise in warm place until light, about 30 to 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees about 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Mix one box 10X sugar with 2 tbsps water. If too stiff, add more water until icing consistency, add a drop of vanilla too. Spread on baked bread while bread is still warm.

2010 Homestead Stats

Laundry Soap

Homemade Laundry Soap:
1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above
½ cup washing soda
½ cup borax powder
~You will also need a small washpan or bowl that holds about 2 gallons.

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the washpan. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Transfer soap (using a funnel if necessary) into empty plastic laundry holders, milk containers (I use my empty glass milk bottles and old Fab containers) Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load.

Wild Mustang Grape Jelly

Wild Mustang Grape Jelly

5 cups grape juice (about 3 1/2 pounds of ripe grapes)1 (1 3/4 ounce) box of sure-jel pectin7 cups sugarBefore getting started it is best to clean the entire kitchen, making sure the sink is empty. Bleach the sink and all utensils used in making jelly (I do this as I sell my grape jelly as part of my homesteading business.)

Wash the canning jars in warm soapy water, and rinse well. Set off to side.

Place a large pan of water on the stove to heat. Once it starts steaming, place lids and rings in the bottom, and 2-3 jars (depending on if you use actual jelly jars or pints) to sterilize.

Next make the grape juice using clean washed grapes (make sure you use rubber gloves when picking or washing wild grapes)To 3 1/2 pounds of clean grapes (6 cups of grapes) add 1 1/2 cups water.Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 10 minutes.Strain and squeeze out all of the juice with cheese cloth (see paragraph below)
I didn't have cheese cloth, so I poured the grape mixture into a large spaghetti strainer with a large pan underneath. I had to stir it around some as the skins and seeds would sink to the bottom, and clog the colander up. Stirring allowed the liquid to drain out. I then used a large metal spoon and squished it some to get more of the juice out.

In a very big pan, put 5 cups of the juice (it’s okay to add no more than ½ cup water to even out amount)Add the fruit pectin to the juice.Mix well.On high heat, bring to a full rolling boil, and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.Stir in sugar all at once, and bring back to a full rolling boil, again boil hard for 1 minute stirring constantly.
Remove jelly from heat, skim off foam
Use a large spoon inserted inside the jar to lift CAREFULLY out of the water. DO NOT TOUCH THE INSIDE OF THE JAR OR THE RIM WITH YOUR HANDS.
Ladle jelly into hot jars, place a lid and ring onto jar (do not tighten yet).
Set jars to the side. After a while you should start hearing “pings” as the jar seals.
When jars are completely cool, tighten rings and store on pantry shelf.**SIDE NOTE: Wild Mustang Grapes are normally ready the end of June, so be prepared. Keep an eye open for vines on the side of the road, or any that friends and family may have growing in their yard. Many people just let them grow and don’t do anything with them, so it shouldn’t be hard to find a good supply. Also, the more you pick off the vine, the more the vine produces new grapes, so you probably won’t EVER run out of grapes to use until the vine dies or you get sick of making jelly. Good luck and feel free to contact me at queensedgefarm@yahoo.com for questions.