The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 4,400 times in 2014. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people.
If you asked any of our children what special Christmas food is their favorite, most would say, “Christmas bread.” I bake it each Christmas Eve and on Christmas morning we eat it while unwrapping the packages.
I was a little late getting going on it this year and about 3 o’clock on Christmas Eve I was ready to start. But I realized that if I started at three, it would be risen and ready to bake just as we were to leave for church. So, I decided to wait, start it a little later and let the dough rise while we were at church and bake it after church.
All went according to plan, when we got home from church the dough was perfectly risen and ready to roll out. I rolled the dough, filled it with cinnamon, raisins, walnuts and sugar and formed the bread rings. Then I put them on pans to rise again before baking, which takes about a half hour.
I got busy doing the things a parent does on Christmas Eve and was ready to go to bed when I next thought of them, they had risen and risen until the little cell walls had burst and then fallen, almost flat. There was nothing to do but go ahead and bake them though they came out rather flat. I figured frosting and cherries would help hide the problem.
The Christmas bread was a hit as usual. I am probably the only one who knew that it was less the perfect this year. This morning our little foster boy had the last bite. That little guy loves my cooking!!
And if you would like a copy of the Christmas bread recipe, send me an email!
Last to be added are the cherries.
Advent is the season of waiting, longing and preparation. We are waiting and preparing—
We made a space on the porch for a swag of greens which we bought from an organization working to reduce teenage drinking.
We cleaned the guest closet and took out unused coats to give to the church clothing closet and to leave space for coats of visitors during the season.
We cleaned and emptied a corner of the house in preparation for the Christmas tree.
We noticed that Seneca has posted a rather lengthy list of things she would like to receive this year, in preparation and anticipation.
And the kids created two different ginger bread houses for us to enjoy.
Soon we will begin making candy which is to be our Christmas gift to friends and relatives this year.
There is much busyness but we attempt to quiet ourselves to prepare our hearts for Christmas.
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