Merry Christmas from the Stewarts

I am sharing our Christmas card, 

with all our prayers 

that your Christmas be merry and bright, 

and your new year richly blessed.

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

For unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given. 

And the government will be upon his shoulder. 

And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, 

Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

~Isaiah 9"6 

The original photo, since it's a bit more clear than the card preview.

David & Shylah, Jonathan, Darci & Andrew, Adam, Jennifer & Bryan

Jim & Susan

Ella, Matthew, and Haleigh

 Another one of my favorites from our Thanksgiving photo shoot
(taken by Jennifer, with the tripod and the timer,
with a little help from Aunt Jenny and Alli):

Grandpa and Granny with our precious grandchildren,

Ella, Matthew, and Haleigh.

 God bless us, every one!

Have a Holly Jolly Hodgepodge

'Twas the Hodgepodge before Christmas, 

When friends far and near,

Come together at Joyce's

To share Christmas cheer.

(with apologies to Clement C. Moore)

1. Are you cooking Christmas dinner? How many will be round your table this year? What are we having?

Our Christmas dinner menu will be pretty much the same as our Thanksgiving dinner menu. Beef. Tenderloin that is. They like what they like. Why mess with a good thing? We will also fix biscuits and gravy a time or two while the kids are home. Another favorite.

2. What is one must-have Christmas cookie in your house?
I'm not sure we have a favorite Christmas cookie. The cookies the kids always wanted to leave out for Santa looked like this:

So I guess they would be considered the must-have Christmas cookies at our house! Santa does like them, you know.

3. Santa likes a glass of milk with his cookies. Do you? What kind of milk is on tap at your house-skim? almond? soy? full fat (Gasp!)

Most of the family drinks skim milk, but we still have some 2%ers as well. Granddaughter Haleigh drinks whole milk, so there are times that we have all three in the fridge.

4. Time magazine recently named their 'Person of the Year' for 2011. This is the person the editors believe had the greatest impact, for better or worse, in the past year. This year they chose 'The Protester'. Your thoughts? Who would you name Person of the Year for 2011?

I don't know about impact on the whole world, but for impact on our world, I'm choosing granddaughter Ella Kathryn, born in May 2011.

Photo by Sarah.

5. December 21st is National Flashlight Day... when was the last time you needed a flashlight and did you know right where to find one?

I needed a flashlight a couple weeks ago when the power went out. I always have a flashlight with me now, thanks to this little gadget. Very handy, and I find myself using it a lot.

6. candy canes...yum or yuck?

Most definitely yum....

followed by some of this...

and some of these. Peppermint is my favorite. :)

7. What Christmas carol lyric means the most to you?

One of our former pastors loved this carol, and it has become one of my favorites as well. I love the quiet reverence of the song, and the lyrics, especially the last verse:

What can I give him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

If I were a wise man, I would do my part;

What can I give him: give my heart.

In the Bleak Midwinter was a poem by Christina Rossetti written before 1872, and published posthumously in 1904. It became a Christmas carol in 1906, with music by Gustav Holst. (source)

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Cousins. Our family was blessed to have cousins living just down the road. Jennifer and Caroline grew up together. Laughed together, fussed together, played together, and shared together, almost like siblings.

Here they are celebrating Caroline's fourth birthday...

enjoying a new litter of kittens...

showing a sheep at the County Fair...

competing with Pee Wee in the Groom and Clean contest at the County Fair...

and all dressed up for Elizabeth's wedding.

And yesterday, spending time together while Caroline was here from Texas, sharing the plans for Jennifer's wedding. Where did those little girls go?

Phone Photo Friday - Looking a Lot Like Christmas

A busy week before the week before Christmas! 

Finally getting all the decorations up, 

and enjoying the season, 

the colors, 

the kids, 

and the waiting, 

for the birth of our Savior.

O Christmas Tree ~ The back gate ~ Purdue snowman

Candy canes ~ Journey to Bethlehem ~ You will find the babe

By the chimney with care ~ Santa by Jonathan ~ Snow(man)mobile

Drew meets Elmo ~ Peekaboo Haleigh ~ My new chair

Linking up with Dawn at My Home Sweet Home.

Faith in the Hodgepodge

Time for the Wednesday Hodgepodge. Read my answers, then hop over to see Joyce and the others who are playing along today.

1. Do you put Christmas decorations in every room of your house? If not every room, what rooms do you decorate?

I don't decorate every room, but I do have decorations scattered around the main floor. I do a bit less than I did when the children were little.

2. If you could visit one of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) which one would you choose and why?

The Scandinavian countries make me think of one of my favorite author/illustrators, Jan Brett. I have a bit of an addiction to books for children, and I now I add to our library for our grandchildren. Jan Brett's books are always a treat because of the extraordinary illustrations. Often, there are page borders that add a story within the story, or give clues about what's coming up on the pages ahead. So beautiful. She has a new book, Home for Christmas, inspired by a trip to Sweden. So I'll choose Sweden. Maybe I'll run into Rollo, the wild little troll.

3. What does the word faith mean to you?

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ~Hebrews 11:1

4. You can go back to your childhood for one day...what day and age would you choose?

This is a hard one, because I have so many happy memories of my childhood. Since I came across this (lovely) picture, I'll share this story. We were (obviously) on our way to Florida for spring break. We made this trip for many years, often with another family or two, and it was always so much fun. This was 1973, and we had left Indiana after school on Friday, and driven all night in the station wagon. We took my cousin, Kent, along (in the center of the photo) for a playmate for my youngest brother Michael. Of course, the plan is for the kids to sleep all night while the parents drive straight through. Trouble is, those two youngest boys were, well, boys. We all remember them saying things like "pig yuck" and giggling for hours. Me? I was listening to Donny Osmond sing Puppy Love on my cassette recorder. All. The. Way. My poor mother. It's surprising she was able to stand for this photo.

We are rather lovely, don't you think? Especially after spending the whole night in the car. Pig yuck!

5. When did you last have 'punch'? If it's not too much trouble share your favorite punch recipe.

I love punch. I love my friend Sue's wedding punch, named because they served it at their wedding of course. I also have a favorite tailgating punch, and though it doesn't sound like a traditional margarita, it is soooo tasty, and an easy way to make margaritas for a crowd.

Margarita Punch

1 large can frozen limeade

1 can Sprite

1 bottle Corona beer

1/2 the limeade can of tequila

That's it! So easy. I'm not a beer drinker at all, so I wasn't sure about putting the beer in there, but if you like margaritas, I know you'll like this. I double the recipe for a gallon pitcher.

6. Do you fill stockings at your house? Are stockings opened before or after the bigger gifts?

The stockings at our house have always been a bit more of a decoration than a part of our Christmas morning. Oh, there is usually something in the stockings, but they are more of an afterthought to the larger gifts that Santa brings.

7. What takes your breath away?

Pride in my family, music, the beauty of God's creation, a newborn baby...

8. Insert your own random thought here.
 Jennifer and I had a great day yesterday meeting with the wedding planner to go over details and work on the timeline. April will be here before we know it! It is fun to see the plans coming together.
I picked her up at her house, so I got to see her Christmas tree. She purchased it with a Groupon, which included delivery to her house! And it's such a pretty tree too.

I was greeted by her Corgi, Emma.

After our day of planning, combined with a little shopping, Bryan met us for dinner.

 And by the way, I am enjoying my new iPhone. Especially my new friend Siri. She's great!

Take Me Back Tuesday - Ho Ho Photos

I have always loved taking pictures, especially at Christmas time. 

Of course, there was the Christmas card photo that needed to be taken, 

and believe me when I tell you that it's not easy 

to get five (or four, or three, or two, or even one) 

kids (infants, toddlers, teenagers) to smile for the camera. 

At the same time.

Since I often always had them dressed in matching outfits 

we were ever ready (sometimes willing) for a photo opportunity.

This photo was taken at church, circa 1988.
It was not our Christmas card. :)
I'm sure they were told to fold their hands
so as not to bother the sibling beside them.
Or maybe they were in a prayerful mood that day?

Jonathan 1, Jennifer 3, David 6, and Andrew 4.

This is the same year, David and Andrew singing in the choir. 

I believe this was the last year Andrew wore the robe and red bow. 

We will save the 'bow incident' story for another day.
Don't they look angelic?

And here are two sweet boys playing 'nativity' in the kitchen. 

Even their jammies were matching.

Moving on to 1989, and attempting to take a Christmas card photo. 

Who thought it would be a good idea to include the hyper Dalmatian in the photo?

Inside, and without the dog, we were able to get an acceptable photo.

Jennifer 4, Jonathan 2, David 7, Andrew 5.

My mom taught preschool for years, beginning with me (and others, of course) in her first class, and teaching all of our children as well. She knows Santa, and always had him come to preschool to talk to the children. This photo includes my grandmother, Mamaw, who came to share in the special day.

Newborn Adam is in the picture, but David is missing 

since he was at school in the second grade.

Our 1990 Christmas card.

Jonathan 3, David 8, Andrew 6, Adam 2 months, Jennifer 5.

Santa at preschool again, in 1991. I like how Adam is looking at Santa 

and Jennifer is looking at Adam. At least there were no tears!

Christmas card 1991. Aren't they sweet?

This was 1995, when we went to Grand Cayman for the week before Christmas. 

You can tell that Jonathan has always been the shy one.

Christmas Eve at the beach before heading home to watch for Santa.

One year, I was even creative and organized
and took the Christmas card photo in August

at the Indiana State Fair with their show cattle. 

Since it wasn't hard enough to get 5 kids to pose for a picture, 

I wanted to add 4 heifers. 

Who thought that was a good idea?

Speaking of ideas, this was spring break in Grand Cayman 

when I wanted the caption to read: 

'Here Comes Sandy Claws.'

It didn't make the cut. 

Because we had something more exciting to celebrate that year...

A trip to the Rose Bowl.

A vintage Merry Christmas from the Stewarts. 

May your days be merry and bright.

Hunk of Meat Monday

As most of you know, I am not a cook. I have a few great recipes, and I can feed a crowd, but it's not my best skill. If you find my best skill, please let me know... I'm still looking for it. :)

Sooooo.... although I have read many 'Hunk of Meat Monday' posts, this is the first time I've written one myself. I love reading all the posts by those young, energetic, cool women at The Real Farmwives of America and Friends, and that's where you'll find Leah's 'Hunk of Meat Monday.' She blogs over at Beyer Beware.

Today I'm sharing our traditional special occasion beef tenderloin. As I was preparing it for our Thanksgiving feast, all I could think about was, "wow, now that's a hunk of meat!" Three hunks, actually. That's why I thought I should share the recipe here. Because beef tenderloin is a bit pricey (ok, a lot pricey), we only have it a couple times a year, but I think the recipe would work with any nice, tender beef roast.

The recipe came from Jim's sister, Carol, who is a wonderful cook. I like it because it's easy to do, and almost like magic! To cook the meat, first preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Have the roast at room temperature.

Coat both sides heavily with seasoning mix (recipe below), and bake uncovered.

The instructions give the time as follows:
Rare - 3 minutes per pound
Medium - 4 minutes per pound
Well - 5 minutes per pound
Then comes the tricky part. Turn oven off. DO NOT OPEN for 2 hours. That's right. Turn the oven off, and don't open it. I always put a little note on the door to make sure no one opens the door to see what is cooking. :)

We like ours pink, and I've learned that three 'hunks', around 5 pounds each, baked for 18 minutes, come out just about perfect. I would always error on the side of under cooking rather than over cooking, since once it's over cooked, it's done.

Reheat to 500 degrees just before serving for 5 minutes. Slice thin, and enjoy!
Since it does tie up your oven for 2 hours (and I only have 1 oven - remember, I'm not a cook), I have found that I can take it out an hour or so before meal time, cover it in foil while I cook the other side dishes, and it stays nice and warm.

Seasoning Mix

2- 3 oz. bottles garlic salt

2 - 3 oz. bottles onion salt

1 - 3 oz. bottle celery salt

1 - 3 oz. bottle black pepper

1 - bottle seasoning salt

1/2 bottle meat tenderizer

1/2 bottle hickory smoke salt

Mix well. Store in jar. Good on chicken also.

For the seasoning mix, I have found that you can use what you have/what you like, and adjust according to your taste.

So there you have it! Delicious special occasion beef tenderloin. It also makes great leftovers... if there is any left... and my (big) boys don't often let that happen.



The Boots and the Fir

I am a little behind in getting these pictures posted, but better late than never. Right? Last weekend Jim and I took grandson Matthew to get our Christmas tree. Notice I said 'get' and not 'cut.' We have been going to Bohman's to purchase Christmas trees for years, and, yes, we used to ride the wagon over the hills and traipse up and down in search of the perfect tree.

In fact, I even have proof that we took 4 kids and 2 cousins back in 1989 on a tree cutting adventure. Those were the days. In the photo: Andrew, David, Jessica, Caroline (in front), Jennifer, and Jonathan on Aunt Janet's lap. They were 5, 7, 7, 2, 4, and 2. (Janet's age undisclosed).

We now enjoy taking Matthew and selecting a pre-cut tree that the nice folks at Bohman's cut and display for those of us who no longer find quite so much joy in the hunt.

This is the scene in the parking lot as we arrived, and we passed probably ten vehicles on our way with trees tied to the top or stowed in the bed of the pickup truck. We even saw a tour bus, which was followed by a large truck full of trees. Yes, folks come from miles around to select a tree from Bohman's.

Matthew had his boots on since it was a tad bit muddy at the tree farm.

Purdue boots, of course. They come in handy on days like this, or helping his dad with the cattle at the farm.

Here is the wagon, heading down the hill to pick up some tree hunters.

Matthew picked one out, and Jim carried it to the finishing shed. We like to get a fraser fir because I prefer the shorter, softer needles. And I love the smell in the house.

Here, Steve and his friend cut just a little off the bottom to make it the perfect fit for our living room. Jim and I always have a discussion about what exactly is 'just a little.'

They stand it up, make sure it's straight, and drill the hole for it to fit onto our stand. It really is a great system, and the tree stands securely in the house with nary a wobble. No toppling tree stories for us!

Jim and Matthew finish their hot chocolate and supervise the drilling.

We found a couple wreaths for the back gate, loaded the tree into the truck, and we were ready to go.

At home, Matthew helped Grandpa carry the tree into the house.

On the way home in the truck, we did have a little discussion about how trees, like people, aren't perfect, but that God loves us anyway, flaws and all. Grace. Freely given, for us to share. Because of a baby. Thanks be to God.

We enjoyed the tree bare for a few days (wouldn't want to rush into the decorating), and Matthew helped me put the ornaments on when he came after school on Friday. Now it's looking like Christmas around here.