Winding Down

And so another year is coming to a close. This year seemed to go so quickly. Time has certainly sped up as I’ve gotten older. The unpacking and packing away of the Christmas decorations comes and goes in record time. My little granddaughters are becoming my grown up granddaughters. My daughters are now mothers; and when I look in the mirror I’m not sure who that woman looking back at me is, the woman with all those wrinkles and laugh lines. There’s no stopping it, time marches on, and every moment matters.

This Saturday night I will wait up for the New Year. I’ll spend the evening with family, as I have always done, eating and drinking and playing games. Close to midnight we’ll pop the corks on several bottles of champagne and ready the glasses for toasting. Gathered around the television we’ll watch the ball descend on Time Square and shout out the countdown along with Dick Clark and the crazy sea of humanity packed into the heart of New York City. Finally, we’ll raise our glasses, kiss our loved ones, and head for home—2011 just a memory, 2012 still a promise.

What will the New Year hold? If history is any clue, then I will say goodbye to some wonderful people, welcome new life into the world, watch happy couples walk to the altar, smile while babies are baptized, walk on sandy beaches and delight in the ocean’s song, wipe away some tears, laugh till I cry, and maybe accomplish a small part of my well-intended resolutions. However, history has also taught me that mostly it’s a good thing that I don’t know what the future holds. It’s that not knowing that makes every moment so special, so important, and so valuable.

I remember the New Year’s cartoons from when I was a little girl, the old man holding the hour glass and turning it as he hands it over to the New baby Year. Time, that’s what New Year’s means to me. A New Year of moments, memory making, challenges, opportunities, loving and living, seconds, minutes, hours, and days to live God’s plan for my life. I’m praying the coming year will be a great one for our family and all of our friends. I’m looking forward to getting to know that woman in the mirror a little bit better and hoping she adds more laugh lines than wrinkles in 2012.

Igniting the Christmas Spirit

One of my favorite things to do this time of year is to sit evenings, with nothing but the Christmas tree lights on, and listen to the beautiful music of the season. Right now, the tree is presiding over a host of presents. The packages are green, red, and gold and shimmer in the Christmas tree lights. I buy and wrap lots of presents each year for our family. Mostly they are for the grandchildren. I love the look on their faces when they see the bounty under the tree—it’s that “bit of Christmas magic” look that fades a bit as we get older. I’ve been told by their mothers that this overabundance must not continue, so I’m thinking the area beneath the tree might not look so full next year. But for now, I’m enjoying the beautiful tree and presents under it. The amazing thing is the one gift I enjoyed wrapping the most this Christmas isn’t under MY tree. I don’t even know who will be receiving it, except that she is a ten year old who asked only for one pair of jeans from Santa.
This year our church decorated a lovely Christmas tree with gold lights, big red bows, and paper ornaments. Each paper ornament had the name, age, and gift request of a child in our area whose family is struggling financially. These ornaments have been plucked from the tree and members of Church of the Atonement have been busy buying and wrapping gifts to fulfill these children’s hopes for special presents. Many of the requests are typical childhood wishes: “girl, age 6, wishes for a Christmas Barbie”, “boy, age 9, wishes for a skateboard”, and so on. But some of these wishes, like the one I chose to buy for, speak to a more basic need: “girl, age 10, wishes for jeans, size 14, not slim”. Somehow, that strikes a very deep chord in me; knowing that the child whose ornament I picked asked for clothing rather than a toy, sobered me.

Despite all the Christmas decorations, special music, and holiday hustle and bustle, it was purchasing and wrapping this one particular gift that ignited the Christmas Spirit in my heart this year. Because she asked for so little I loaded the gift with a few extras—a second pair of jeans, some sweaters and shirts and a few fun items—and really tried to make the wrapping and bow look especially special. I prayed, while I wrapped, for this ten year old girl that I would never meet and for her family. As usual, I realized that it was me who was blessed, not the one receiving the gift, as it lifted me up to do this small act of service. I was reminded of that first Christmas when God sent the most perfect gift, His Son, to meet OUR basic need, the need to fill the God-shaped hole in our hearts, the need for salvation. I was also reminded how lavish that gift was. He loaded the package with some extra’s, wonderful things like grace, peace that passes understanding, mercy, and love—lots of love.
If you haven’t yet found the spark to light your Holiday season this year, may I recommend finding someone who could use a little extra help and meeting part of their needs. You will be amazed how it will warm your heart and light up your spirit. I’m looking forward to all the fun with my family, especially my little granddaughters who will enjoy opening a pile of gifts from under our tree. The laughing and oohing and ahhing will be one of the best parts of our celebration. However, I know that Christmas morning I’ll be thinking about a little ten year girl (who wears a size 14 jean, not slim), and praying that she’ll feel God’s love poured out in a box from a stranger. And isn’t that what Christmas is about, God’s great love? Joy to the World, the Lord has come!

Making a Jiffy Buche de Noel

Tomorrow is my daughter Ellie's 30th Birthday. Every year she has a Buche de Noel for her birthday cake and tonight I made it for the party tomorrow night. This is a recipe I found many many years ago in an old Southern Living magazine and I have modified a bit. As you can see from my recipe, this is a much loved Christmas/birthday tradition. This is a great, easy recipe and presentation to wow your friends and make it look like you went to tons of trouble. Not that she's not worth tons of trouble, but really this is one of the easiest and prettiest cakes I make. So enjoy, and let me know if you try it!!!!

First we are going to grease and flour a jelly roll pan (heavy cookie sheet with sides).







Here are the ingredients that you will need to make the cake part of the Buche de Noel.

What you have here is, 4 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 3/4 cup of granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and 3/4 cup of pancake mix (I use Bisquick).

You will use a blender and first put all four eggs and the 1/2 teaspoon of salt in the blender and cover and blend until frothy, usually a minute or two. It should have bubbles and froth when done.

Next add the granulated sugar and the vanilla, cover and blend about 30 to 60 seconds or until smooth.




Now add the pancake mix (I use Bisquick) and cover and blend for another few seconds until it's mixed in and blended. Then spread the batter on the pan, tilt the pan around until the batter is completely covering the bottom (the jelly roll pan should measure 15 x 10 x 1 inch).




Then pop it into a 400 degree oven for 9 minutes (8-10 minutes, I do 9 and it always comes out fine.)


While the cake is baking it is time to prepare the area for rolling the hot cake when it comes fresh out of the oven. Lay clean paper towels down on the counter (big enough to hold the finished rectangle cake), and completely cover the paper towel with powdered sugar.

Now it's time to make the icing for the Buche de Noel. Since my daughter prefers vanilla icing to chocolate I'm using that for her birthday, but usually I use instant chocolate pudding, you will need two of the large boxes of either instant chocolate pudding,( or instant vanilla pudding), two boxes of dream whip (4 packets, there are 2 per box), 2 tablespoons of instant coffee and 3 cups of milk.






By now the timer is probably going off and it's time to remove the cake from the oven and loosen it from the pan (while it is still hot). You really have to loosen the sides with a spatula, get under it and make sure it is loosened completely from the pan, then you will flip it over onto the prepared, powdered sugared paper towel.

Now you need to roll the cake up into the paper towel and let it cool for a few minutes. Simply

roll (the long side) all the way up into the paper towel.

While the cake is cooling, I finish up the icing using a mixer I beat the icing until it is nice and thick, like thick pudding. I like to put a paper towel around the front of the mixer, like a splatter shield, until the pudding thickens. I also use this cooling time to clean up the work space a bit.

The fun begins now as it's time to ice the Buche de Noel, almost done. Simply, unroll the cooled cake and slather it with about 1/3 to 1/2 of the icing you have made. Be generous. Completely cover the cake.

Now roll the completely iced cake up all the way. The powder sugared paper towel can now be thrown away.




Now get a pretty dish, I use one with low sides, and using a serrated knife, make a diagonal cut 1/4 of the way down the roll. Place the long piece of cake on the plate first and then place the diagonal cut against the long roll.






Now it is time to completely ice the Buche de Noel. Slather the entire cake with the remaining icing, cover every part of the Yule log. Extend the icing over the front of the log, but don't cover the ends. Don't worry, we are not quite done yet.

Use a fork to make the "wood grain" marks in the Buche de Noel. Swirl the fork through the icing, making knot holes and wood grain lines. Do the top and all sides. Use a paper towel to clean up the excess icing that might have gotten on the top of the plate.

Finally, use powdered sugar around the sides of the Buche de Noel to make "snow" and garnish with some beautiful silk holly or tiny poinsettias. and voila, a lovely Buche de Noel to share with your friends. Often people decorate the top of the log with cherries which I have done and is very pretty too. If you use the chocolate pudding instead of the vanilla the Buche de Noel will be a nice dark brown chocolate color. Refrigerate once made, before and after serving. Enjoy!