Christmas Tour of Homes

Today I am participating in ~

Boomama's Christmas Tour of Homes 2008!

Kimbas Open House Party
and

Hooked on Holiday Houses Tour

Be sure to stop by these fun sites. :-)

Welcome to Heritage Schoolhouse! :-)

I appreciate you stopping by and...

...I hope you enjoy your stay!

I like to decorate with red and gold
here at Heritage Schoolhouse,

and lots of Santas. :-)

Come along with me, and I'll give you a tour. :-)

This is the children's tree in the school room,

aka the dining room. ;-)
All of the ornaments that they have made are hung here.
The ornaments they get each year from their grandmother and grandfather are also displayed.

My daughter gets Santas,

and my son gets snowmen. :-)

Grandmother was also the creator of these heirloom stockings.

They are so beautiful and intricate, that some guests don't realize they are cross stitched until they are up close!

My daughter's stocking...

...and son's.

My treasured Christmas dishes are displayed in the hutch.

There are several Santa's here, too.



The Christmas decorations at Heritage Schoolhouse
are not complete until the antelope,

the whitetail,

and all the antlers have been decked out for the season. ;-)

My favorite room to make "Christmasy" is the kitchen!


I like to do a lot of holiday baking!




Please help yourself to a cookie!

Some favorite Heritage Schoolhouse recipes this time of year are...

Double Drizzle Pecan Cookies

Italian Biscotti

Chocolate Billionaires

Sugar Cookies

Thank you so much for coming to visit!
I am looking forward to visiting lots of homes on the tour. :-)

Merry Christmas from Heritage Schoolhouse! :-)

"...behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people." Luke 2:10

"He who has not Christmas in his heart

will never find it under a tree."

~Roy L. Smith

A Family Christmas Party Menu

~appetizers~

cream cheese with raspberry chipotle sauce

texas caviar

pico di gallo

guacamole

tortillas chips

~main course~

tortilla soup

cheese enchiladas

green chili enchiladas

~on the side~

spanish rice

refried beans

~for dessert~

double drizzle pecan cookies

Christmas sprinkle sugar cookies
peppermint candy cane cookies

pecan pie

~and to drink~

sangria punch

coca cola
iced tea
coffee

Double Drizzle Pecan Cookies

Double Drizzle Pecan Cookies
3 dozen

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans, toasted
for caramel drizzle
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
for chocolate drizzle
1 square (1 ounce) semisweet chocolate
1 tablespoon butter

In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Shape dough into 1-in. balls; roll in pecans. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets; flatten slightly. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. In a small saucepan, bring brown sugar and cream to a boil. Remove from the heat; whisk in confectioners' sugar. Immediately drizzle over cookies. In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Drizzle over cookies. Let stand until set. Store in an airtight container.

Gifts from the Kitchen ~ Chocolate Spoons

For a fun treat - dip plastic spoons in melted chocolate

and then in candy, nuts, etc.

Serve with your favorite hot beverage!

Gifts from the Kitchen ~ Italian Biscotti

Italian Biscotti
2 dozen

½ cup oil
3 eggs

1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ cup (choose one - sliced almonds, mini chocolate chips, mini cinnamon chips)

Beat together oil, eggs, sugar and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour and baking powder, stir into the egg mixture; add almonds and stir to form a heavy dough. Divide dough into two pieces. Form each piece into a roll as long as your cookie sheet. Place roll onto greased cookie sheet, and press down to 1/2 inch thickness. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 375. Remove from the baking sheet to cool on a wire rack. When the cookies are cool enough to handle, slice each one crosswise into 1/2 inch slices. Place the slices cut side up back onto the baking sheet. Bake for an additional 6 to 10 minutes on each side. Slices should be lightly toasted. Serve with coffee or tea and enjoy!

Gifts from the Kitchen ~ Cowboy Cookie Mix

Cowboy Cookie Mix

1 jar

1 1/3 cups quick cooking oats
1 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar

additional ingredients to prepare cookies
½ cup butter, softened
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pour oats into a wide-mouth 1-qt. glass container with a tight-fitting lid. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; place on top of oats. Layer with pecans, chocolate chips, brown sugar and sugar, packing each tightly. Cover and store in a cool dry place for up to 6 months.

Attach note to gift ~

"To prepare cookies, pour cookie mix into a large mixing bowl; stir to combine ingredients. Beat in butter, egg and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll into 1 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: about 3½ dozen cookies."

Snow Ice Cream

fresh, clean snow

a little sugar

a bit of vanilla

some milk

yummy!

If you are stopping by from The Inspired Room,

thanks for visiting! :-)

More Snow! :-)

Coming down hard from around 3:00 this afternoon

until almost 8:00 this evening!

About two inches on the ground!

It was so beautiful...

Playin' in the Snow! In Texas! ;-)

Simple Paper Christmas Garland

cardstock, festive transfers, curling ribbon and cookie cutters

Please visit The Inspired Room for more holiday decorating ideas. 

Winter Wonderland!

Down here in Texas...

we don't wake up to

this

very often! :-)

It's like my little winterland secret right now,

until the rest of the family wakes up.

I can't wait to see

the children's faces. :-)

Wow!

Keeping Christmas

It is a good thing to observe Christmas Day.

The mere marking of times and season, when men agree to stop work

and make merry together, is a wise and wholesome custom.

It helps one to feel the supremacy of the common life over the individual life.

It reminds a man to set his own little watch, now and then,

by the great clock of humanity which runs on sun time.

But there is a better thing than the observance of Christmas Day,

and that is keeping Christmas.

Are you willing to forget what you have done for other people,

and to remember what other people have done or you;

to ignore what the world owes you, and to think what you owe the world;

to put your rights in the back ground, and your duties in the middle distance,

and your chances to do a little more than your duty in the foreground;

to see that your fellowmen are just as real as you are,

and try to look behind their faces to their hearts hungry for joy;

to own that probably the only good reason for your existence

is not what you are going to get out of life, but what you are going to give to life;

to close your book of complaints against the management of the universe,

and look around you for a place where you can sow a few seeds of happiness -

are you willing to do these things even for a day?

Than you can keep Christmas.

Are you willing to stoop down and consider the needs and the desires of little children;

to remember the weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old;

to stop asking how much your friends love you,

and ask yourself whether you love them enough;

to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear in their hearts;

to try to understand what those who live in the same house with you really want,

without waiting for them to tell you;

to trim your lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke;

and to carry it in front so that your shadow will fall behind you;

to make a grave for your ugly thoughts and a garden for your kindly feelings,

with the gate open -

are you willing to do these things even for a day?

Than you can keep Christmas.

Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world -

stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death -

and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago

is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love?

Then you can keep Christmas,

And if you can keep it for a day, why not always?

But you can never keep it alone.

~Henry Van Dyke