Dear Daughters: Decorating at Christmas, Part I

Dear Daughters,


This is one of those occasions and seasons

when

it is very important that you

open up all the stops,

let go of the tight rein of what you think

you should be thinking and doing,

and enjoy it

ALL.

Over the years at Christmas,

you have seen me

decorate

everything in my line of vision,

including you,

if you stood still long enough.



And contrary to the naysayers,

who do not subscribe to the idea that a little

glittered

Christmas decorating and the Divine reason for this  season are

compatible,

I respectfully disagree.



Getting dolled up

is one of the ways

the women in our family

have always shown

their loved ones and their friends,

both the Divine and

the Divinely bestowed,



that it is time to

CELEBRATE.



You are also smart enough to know

that decorating at Christmas is not about the money spent,

the collections stored,

the ladders climbed to hang one more thing,

or

the color schemes changed.



I have done all of the above , and


I have learned at this stage in my life

It is about

knowing and accepting

WHY

I am doing it.



That is the motive that needs examining-

not whether or not I need more mercury glass votives.

If in the balance ,

of your day to day life

decorating at Christmas

is one of the ways

you are called to

illustrate the message in your home

that you are celebrating,

it is
OK. 


If in the balance of that same precious life (yours),

you are too tired,

too worried,

too afraid,

and too overwhelmed

to decorate as if your glue gun is on fire,


I know from past experience

that the season’s

BIRTHDAY HONOREE

will understand.


It really is

OK.


IT IS ALL OK.

Love,

Mom
***

 

Linking to the wonderful Suzanne’s

at Privet and Holly.

A White Tree

Last year I fell in love with my middle daughter’s

white Christmas tree,

so I did what any

self-respecting mother would do…

the day after Christmas when Wal-Mart’s 7 1/2 foot white tree,

that was originally $40 went down to $20,

I copied her.



I then proceeded to forget that I had bought one,

until it was un-earthed several weeks ago,

on

‘moving the Christmas decoration boxes into the house day’

with Chapa’s moving.


Please tell me you periodically forget what you bought half price the year before???

It is perfect in the Nap Room.

In fact, gold and white is made for this space.

I used a big remnant of white organza as the tree skirt.

And my well-loved ornaments from years’ past

fit in perfectly.

 

Have a wonderful Monday!

 

Laura

Ranch Recipe #7 Caldo

On rare cold days in South Texas, everyone I know

looks for the best bowl of caldo (soup) they can find.

Although the ingredients for both caldo de pollo

(chicken soup)

and

caldo de res

(beef soup)

are very humble,

creating either is an art.

Trust me- I have tried and failed.


I wish I could include some sort of scratch and sniff/taste tab

here to demonstrate exactly what I mean.



There is a distinctive flavor to caldo that I imagine

is a result of the cook and years of experience.

Along the way, I have settled

on a derivation that has these important ingredients:

If you are making caldo ,

purchase the green topped Knorr’s caldo de pollo

and the red topped caldo de tomate  bouillion.

Then you must have this.

Note:  to really gain the flavor that peppercorn, comino, and garlic pods

have to offer, you must use a molcajete and grind the spices.

I haven’t done that yet, which may be the problem.


Here is the recipe for the soup I prepared today.



Laura’s Caldo

brown a package of boneless stew meat and a large chopped onion

in about 2 tablespoons of oil


sprinkle the beef with your favorite spices

(I used Nature’s Seasoning and TexJoy)

add

chopped carrots and potatoes (large chunks)

stir for a moment until the denser vegetables have cooked a bit

add a large can of whole tomatoes

and a can of diced tomatoes


add sliced Mexican squash ,

a small package of frozen corn kernels

and enough water to create soup


at this point I stirred in a heaping tablespoon (or two) of Knorr’s

caldo de tomate


I then sprinkled in ground cumin (comino) to taste


about five minutes before serving, I sprinkled in a handful of

chopped cilantro leaves


***

Westheimer Goodwill

I assume most people driving

through the Galleria area of Houston

are headed to stores just a tad bit different

than my destination.


When time permits, on my drive home to the valley from my daughter’s,

I like to stop at the

Goodwill Store on Westheimer.


In fact, my last stop involved persuading my

husband that I would only be a minute,

and wasn’t it lucky he had the newspaper to read while waiting in the truck?



This is what I found.

This gold angel was $4.99


(I found the iron retablo at Harrell’s Drug Store

in Kingsville, and I almost squealed when I spotted it.)

I was really lucky that day at the Goodwill, and I found these.

An iron stand with a large mercury glass globe-

$12.99.

Four iron candle holders-

$5 each.

Two iron stands with clear globes-

$8.99 each.

And a red velvet, quilted bed jacket with pretty buttons-

$4.

I am either going to wear it while propped up in bed ringing a bell,

or more likely,

it will become a tree skirt or centerpiece runner.

***

I am linking to these wonderful ladies’ parties.

Thriftin on a Thursday at Savvy City Farmer

French Country Cottage

Stuff and Nonsense

My Romantic Home

The Charm of Home

Big Hot Mess Baking

On Top Chef recently, one of the contestants

assigned the dessert category said,

“Oh no, that’s sooooo scientific.”


So THAT’S the problem.


I am a big hot mess baker,

who has good intentions

and high hopes,

with a counterpart that is my kindred spirit.


Meet Counterpart.

Counterpart is a 1989 model oven

that has extreme heat tendencies,

or plays possum.

And yes, I am showing you the inside of my oven.

Since the oven light hasn’t worked since who knows when,

I have to use this.

Yes,

I have to shine a flashlight

into the oven at the

oven thermometer

to see

if this is an extreme heat day

or a possum day.



Today was a good day

for

Counterpart.

We mixed up Pioneer Woman’s chocolate sheet cake,

with all of the licking that involves.