Lemony Christmas Cake

Good Tuesday morning!

The Gallery Pic this morning is another photo from Saturday night with my extended family. It's our biggest party of the season, so naturally, I would take 1,023 pictures of the event!

CHRISTMAS CARD COUNT - I'm at 66. I am so close to my goal, I can actually imagine setting a new goal. Do you want to know what the new goal would be? Do you? I will let you know Friday... after I reach my goal of 75!

Christmas Card Story - I have a little Christmas Card Story to share this holiday season. Forgive me if you've already heard this... I tend to repeat myself. Forgive me if you've already heard this... I tend to repeat myself. (See?)

A few years ago, I met a friend at Cracker Barrel for Christmas breakfast. I must have been excited because I parked the big gold van a little crooked. Actually, I don't have to be nervous or excited to park the big gold van a little crooked. It comes very naturally. That is why I park at the end of any and all parking lots. I tell people I do it to get more exercise, but Mikie and I know (and now you know, too) it's all about the parking.

But on with the story. I came out of Cracker Barrel a couple of hours later and noticed a fairly large brown paper bag square under my windshield wiper. Intrigued, I pulled the square out from under the wiper and read a handwritten note... left by a person who obviously did NOT know of my penchant for collecting Christmas cards.

In actuality, it was a angrily written note about how to park properly, and how some people should NOT be allowed to drive a vehicle, must less a behemoth like the big gold van. There were even two expletives (Code for BAD, BAD WORDS) in the note.

But, being the "half-glass full" type person I am, I saw the good in the note. Not the "advice" part, but the way the person signed off. "Merry Christmas, you idiot."

Ahh. A Christmas card!

As soon as I arrived home, I took my Fiskars cutter and made the torn square neat and pretty. I then took my black Sharpie, and removed some of the more offensive words from the Christmas greeting. Lastly, I took a piece of tape, and proudly displayed my new handmade Christmas card along with the rest of my collection.

To quote a famous Christmas character, "A card is a card, no matter how harsh." (I know the Grinch would have made it rhyme, but you get the idea.)

I didn't meet my goal that year, but I'm so close now, I may be parking crooked all over town to see if I can get my "friend" to leave another little note.

CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY IN DECEMBER

DAY 16

22. On Christmas Eve morning, leave a small gift on the bed of each of your children. It could be a wrapped candy bar, Christmas socks, a "No Chores Today" coupon, etc. Just make sure it is wrapped! Everyone in the family (even adults) will love getting a gift the day BEFORE Christmas (no matter how inexpensive). It will be a REAL surprise.

Carpooling Article - Part Two - Today I'll share the second half of this article. This is the part which will stay with you and make you think, think, think. Read yesterday's post for Part One.

Years before, I'd prayed that God would give me a grand purpose in life. He answered by giving me two daughters and a set of car keys.

"Drive," He said.

So drive I did... and became known among the other moms as Transportation Central. And I loved every minute of it.

It actually proved to be quite educational. I learned I could be invisible. The girls would all pile into my car and start talking about stuff girls talk about, which meant boys and other girls. As if I wasn't even in the car (hence the invisibility factor) they would start dishing the dirt.

You can learn a lot by being invisible, and as I listened to their conversations, you can bet I prayed as I drove!

During my years of driving girls, my car was used as a cafeteria, a beauty parlor, a dressing room, a last-minute study hall, a laundry hamper and a place to take a nap.

It was also at times a confessional and a sanctuary. Something amazing happened when my little red Tempo filled with girls.

God entered.

Sometimes I wondered if those girls in the backseat realized His presence. I think maybe they did, because every once in a while (when they would acknowledge my presence) they would ask me questions about Buddhism, paganism and Marilyn Manson. Sometimes I was able to pray out loud for them.

It was all so very natural. It was mundane and ordinary, yet incredibly holy. Now that my daughters are grown, I actually miss those days.

At one time I'd wanted to be somebody important, to do great and grand things. I ended up driving girls. It wasn't what I'd envisioned, but for a good portion of my life it was what I'd been created and called to do.

As I talked to Kelly's mom, I remembered that Kelly was one of the girls I not only drove places, but listened to, prayed for and loved. God used me to share Christ with her... and she died loving Jesus. I realized that for all those years behind the wheel of my car, I had no greater purpose.

I had asked God to give me a grand purpose, and He did.

While driving girls all over central Florida wasn't lofty, it was heavenly. And although it wasn't what I would have chosen, it turned out to be what I will always cherish.

Isn't that an amazing article? Food for much thought. As I said yesterday, this article was taken from Today's Christian Woman and was written by Nancy Kennedy... a very wise mom.

Lemony Christmas Cake

This recipe was borrowed from the Fall 2006 edition of the Taste of the South magazine. (An excellent magazine, by the way!) It is an easy, moist, less expensive and better version of the original Christmas Fruit Cake, I think.

You will need:

2 cups butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 cups self-rising flour (divided)
6 eggs, separated
5 tablespoons lemon extract
4 cups chopped pecans
1 (8-ounce) container candied red cherries
1 (8-ounce) container candied pineapple

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 10" tube pan and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine butter and sugar. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add lemon extract, beating until combined.

3. Gradually add 3 cups flour, beating well.

4. In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup flour, pecans, cherries and pineapple. Stir into butter mixture with a wooden spoon until well combined. (Batter will be very thick.)

5. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Stir into batter with a wooden spoon until well combined.

6. Spoon batter into prepared pan.

7. Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake for 1 hour and 20 to 30 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

I'm baking this cake for our Christmas get-togethers this weekend. Anything with that much butter has to be good. (That is just my humble opinion!)

Have a totally terrific Tuesday. Tomorrow I'll have another December Seasonal Tradition, Wednesday Wisdom, another idea for Christmas Every Day in December and maybe, just maybe, a little Christmas poem! (Copied... not an original.)

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda