Sunday, December 29, 2013

Kara and I figured out this year that our Christmas Party has been going on for 6 years.  We have a great time inviting our mutual friends and celebrating together.  I've been making this recipe for each party and it hasn't gone out of style yet.  My mother gave me this recipe 20 years ago.  It's super duper easy and delicious.

Mother's Pecan Tassies (I've made a recipe change for 48 total pecan tassies)

Crust:
1 C. butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 C. flour

Filling:
4 T. butter melted
1 C. brown sugar
1 egg
1 C. chopped pecans
1 t. vanilla

Cream butter and cream cheese and add flour.  Soften dough for at least 1 hour.  Then divide into balls about a large walnut size and press into mini muffin pans sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  (Pressing is best using a Pampered Chef tool that will make them easy to form and somewhat uniform, if you don't have this, you can use a honey tool and dip it into flour so it won't stick)

Mix filing and add to the 48 shells (you will need two mini muffin tins) about 3/4 full, too full and you'll over fill the mini.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes.  Let cool 10 minutes and remove from pans and cool on a rack. (you can store these in the refrigerator for a week in an air tight container, let come to room temperature)

I'm in love with these "mini pecan pies" now for 20 years!

Alexis, Kara and I

The ladies on Kara's stairwell

Alexis put this on Facebook

Deliciousness I tell you...

Merry Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas!

Yes my friends, it has been a busy season.  I'm excited to announce that the three of us got our Christmas things put away today in 1-1/2 hours with only minimal complaining.  And I have to brag that I finished making my annual 6 gallons of tamales today too plus went to church, wrote an article for the local paper the Wynne Progress and made tacos for lunch. Whew, that's only today.  Jackie's cousin Counts Louise was here Friday night and slept for 12 hours straight while Jackie and Chloe and Stephen and Counts Elizabeth went to LB Vaught's Duck Club Friday.  I totally enjoyed having dinner at Kara's Friday, then early Saturday I knocked out yoga, bible study, Killough's Blueberry Muffins and did 100 tamales then a bike ride at 3 pm.  That's called knocking it out and now I'm pooped.  Here are some fun photos from the last few weeks.

The Grinch from the Cross County
Arts Council's Festival of Tree Reception.
I told Chloe I thought her dad needed
to borrow this outfit.

Chloe took Biscuit and Gumball to the Wynne Presbyterian
Church's luminary event...they did great tied up!

The Gumball's tongue cracks me up.

I drove during the Cross County Arts Council's annual
holiday lighting contest...this is Mr. Hare's yard...amazing!

Christmas morning

Chloe was dog sitting Penny Stacy (and still is) and insisted
that she get a stocking...there's Essie Mae checking out her bone

I'm not sure who Santa is, but if I
really knew Santa, he would have known
that Chloe already has an IPAD but
somehow Chloe got an IPAD mini.
Who is Santa?

The youth in front of the Wynne Presbyterian Church after
putting out, I'd say, 300 luminaries

How exciting that Teddy who came up
here 2 years ago, had a great Christmas
in Maine.  My goodness, he's still so
handsome!  Spay/neuter people! :)

December 2013, Birdeye

I love the colors here...Biscuit of course

He's not the stateliest-of-dogs but he is who
he is.  Love or hate.  I pick love/hate as I do
other members of the family

Chloe took this just outside of Weatherford,
Oklahoma when we went to my grandparent's
house at Thanksgiving.  It was a school house
and is named the same as the neighborhood
 where J.Harmon grew up

When we picked up Chloe's Christmas gift in
OKC when we were heading out of town, Chloe
took this in the parking lot

And she squealed when she got this shot

Almost home, we caught this tom cat outside
the Bulldog restaurant as we were on our way
home.  Spay/Neuter people.  It's just that simple.

Chloe's handy work during the ice we had Dec. 5

Chloe had a narrative part in yesterday's church
program.  That's Whit down front with one of Harmon's
miniature donkeys.  The donkey did okay until he
smelled the hay in the manger bed.  Then his tongue
was all over the place, thankfully Whit restrained him.
Because you know, when you eat, you poo and that
wouldn't be good in church.  Just saying.

Chloe and Emily Hirons hosted the Cookie Tea for these 7th
graders at our house.  We were glad to host but also glad it's
over.  She had a good time.  And look, she's the shortest
7th grader dang it.  I was hoping for some long legs.  Anyway...

Monday, December 16, 2013

Well we've had 3 Sunday's of Advent so far.  It's gone fast, hasn't it?  Only one more Sunday till Christmas.  It's been busy of course for us and I'm sure all of you.  Chloe's unending photography still amazes me.  She's such a gift.

If you can, I encourage anyone and everyone to get the Austin Theological Seminary's Advent Devotion Calendar every year.  We've enjoyed it for several years now, but this year, it's been exceptional.

Merry Christmas! :)