CHRISTMAS REVIEWS AND FRANNIE'S APPLE CAKE

 Oh Kindred Spirits....it's just hard to believe..
the year is now 2026!
We must try to keep kindness in our hearts
and spread good cheer toward others.....
I think the word PEACE is my word for the year.....

I so hope you all enjoyed your Christmas season and enjoyed
getting together with loved ones, eating delicious foods
and dressing up in your holiday finest!
We had a wonderful time and the grandchildren were busy celebrating
with both sides of their family!

Our game theme was Christmas Eve at the Theater....

Our Atlanta family Christmas 2025

Our granddaughter's husband's Houston family

The season is not over and so I plan on designing a vibrant

tablescape for New Year's and baking a few things
 I did not get to last week. 

The most important is Daddy's Fruit Cake Cookies,



along with my Peanut Butter Clusters.

Christmas dinner was delicious with Fried Turkey.
scalloped potatoes, cheese grits, green bean casserole
and sweet potato casserole!

I wanted to begin setting the farmhouse table
with a fresh citrus centerpiece that would 
welcome in the brand new year...






FRANNIE'S APPLE CAKE
1 cake mix, yellow or spice
1 can apple pie filling
1 can sliced apples
3 eggs

Mix all ingredients with a hand mixer in large mixing bowl.
Pour into a prepared 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
Bake at 350 for 35 minutes...
Dust top of cooled cake with powdered sugar!

This is a very easy and delicious cake for afternoon
tea or coffee..I dusted the top with nutmeg..
smells heavenly!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

ALWAYS REASONS TO CELEBRATE

 

Let's fall in love.....

with a brand new year...

I decided that my "word for 2024" is

CELEBRATE.....

Planning for a celebration means bringing those you love together.....

we have so much to be excited about and look forward to...

We celebrated the birthday of "gotcha day" with Otis

and Greg..two years to the day of adopting one another
in San Jose on New Year's Eve....

There was a New Year's Eve celebration down in
Horseshoe Bay, which has become a tradition for Nick and Catherine....
 

These beautiful girls celebrated being bridesmaids at their

friends wedding over in Arkansas.....

our sweet granddaughter is on the left....

We celebrated our adoption of Little Lucy back in July.....

We find ourselves at the beginning of a brand new year...

the chill of winter leaves us longing to curl up by the fire,

while a hearty meal is roasting in the oven.

I am thinking of a Chicken and Bacon Corn Chowder or perhaps,

Mother's Sunday Roast, followed by Chocolate Cake with

Raspberry Buttercream......

I want to celebrate on Sunday mornings and serve hot biscuits with jam...

Luke the Duke and the Divine Miss M will be visiting in February...
I plan on having a family Chilighetti night...
sipping a Spicy Margarita and enjoying an evening out
in the Stockyards.....

In October, our big event will be celebrating the wedding
of our only granddaughter to the love of her life, Brennan.....

In the months in between, just think of all the possibilities....
Easter and the Spring Season...
lunches on the patio..
followed by Summer and the afternoons
of swimming and naps......
The summer BBQ for the Fourth of July..
I can taste the homemade Cherry Limeades now.....
how refreshing to feel joy and anticipation of the newness of it all.....

NEW YEARS EVE FESTIVITES ON A WINTER WOODS TABLESCAPE

Hello Loves....
We made it....
welcome 2024...may it be a blessed year for us all....
Winter is the ultimate season to make our homes cozy.....
some will enjoy the hush of newly fallen snow, while others
will simply enjoy the quietness that cold winter days bring to us....
I was ahead of the game this year storing away all the 
Christmas decor and managed to create a winter tablescape
in the formal dining room...let's take a peek......

An all white or creamy ivory look sets the stage for a wintery look....
a bit of mercury glass and sparkle, along with a birch bark tree
were focal points I wanted to incorporate.....

There is certainly a chill in the air and frosted pine branches
accent the lovely glass candle holders......

I love using a bit of glam in this look and white candles
complete the look....

I can find peace and comfort in this little vignette....
you can imagine yourself walking in the winter woods,
hearing the crunch of snow beneath your boots,
yet take in all the quietness of the woodlands....

I love this set of ivory trees...
even though I did not use them during the holidays this year,
I thought they would be perfect for the winter season.....

It's very satisfying to use items you have from the past
and incorporate them into a brand new look.....

I SIMPLY ADORE BIRCH TREES......

Have you thought about a Winter Bucket List for this year.....???

Perhaps it included baking your favorite cookies....
take an evening walk and search for the North Star....
curl up on the sofa with a soft throw and read a new favorite book.....

As winter can be dreary some days,
it's a good idea to incorporate twinkle lights in certain
areas of our homes....

There is no better way than to celebrate the coming
of the New Year, by creating something wonderful at home....
we all prepared some fabulous appetizers and watched
a terrific movie together.....



Greg created this marvelous stuffed shrimp...with
crab and artichokes...a masterpiece...

A delicious and creamy crab dip.....

Fresh Mozzarella, to go along with the Italian meats...

Green olives with pimento

And my homemade red velvet cake....

what a delightful ending

Our movie for the night was THE HOLDOVERS....
it was five star....so loved this movie.....

I have plans for this year....goals I want to achieve....
I want to embrace each season with happy anticipation...
try new recipes......read through cookbooks....
read good books...enjoy old movies....
take walks....trying to never lose my love for creating......

I want to have romantic cocktail hours with the love of  my life.....
I hope to bring quality content to Estelle's
and hope you will continue to visit....
I hope to make this year....a very good one.....
to plan for the Summer and fill the pots with beautiful florals...
to plan for the Autumn season and decorate for Halloween...
and then to create a beautiful holiday home.....
Let's celebrate the time we are given with love in our hearts.....

THE FIRST DAY OF 2023...IT'S ABOUT BEING PRODUCTIVE AND ORGANIZED

Good Morning Loves...
Can you believe how fortunate we are....
The good Lord has blessed us with a New Year.....
we have more sunrises and more sunsets....
we have moments of family celebrations to look forward to....
we can plan our summer gardens..
we can prepare a delicious heartwarming soup
on a cold Winter's day......
we can hug the grandbabies over and over again.....
we can sit down with a friend and sip on
a cup of coffee and share a piece of cake.....

I love days where I am productive.
Our tree is still up and I am enjoying it
a little longer this year.....
I tackled my closet with purpose....
I no longer need a lot of clothes so why not
donate them to someone who does need them!
And, I love the neatly organized closet I now have!
I carefully folded all the throws and pillows
I have according to colors and seasons....
it's marvelous...such a good feeling!

Our son in Austin is moving to a new townhome
and he graciously said I could help with his décor!
HIP, HIP, HOORAY......
so we discussed his interests and decided on a theme...
then I would send him suggestions on colors and
items I thought he would enjoy....
so in the end, he was decorating his living space
with a tiny touch of help from Mom......
He will now have two bedrooms so we can visit
more often and not have the expense of a hotel room....
I'm so excited for him...I'll take pictures to share with
y'all soon......new beginnings!!!

This was the  menu for New Year's Day.....

Monkey Bread....haven't made this in ages......

A morning cup of coffee in my new Emma Bridgewater mug....

A beautiful New Year's napkin.....

Fresh strawberries and bananas

The aroma of cinnamon and sugar is the best ever.....

What a beautiful way to begin the morning of a brand NEW YEAR!!!

Just delightful.....

Of course...Blackeye PEAS for good fortune...
a southern tradition!



These were delicious...
and truth be told, I am not a huge fan of blackeye peas,
but these were simply marvelous after simmering most of the day!

A herb and garlic pork roast smothered in Sauerkraut.....
my family's tradition since I was a child.....
it always makes me miss Mother and Daddy.....

And we ended the day with champagne.....
talking into the evening....
about life...past, present and the future....
Be blessed and be kind....
love y'all to bits, to bits, to bits.......