2008 Christmas Tour of Homes

Hi! Welcome to my home. I'm so glad you could drop by! We don't get drop-ins as often as we would like.

This is my favorite Nativity set. It's almost always in the foyer; I like to have this one where the children can move the figures around. It's beautiful, too.


The other one, in the living room is up higher because it's hand-carved olive wood, made in Bethlehem.


Oh, the tree? It still isn't decorated. We just put it up Saturday night and the decorating has to wait until KT comes home from college this week!


I have this little Nativity that stays on my window sill year round to remind me of the Holy Family.



But there's another nativity in the family room your children can play with while we have a cup of coffee and some cookies! I think I inherited my father's passion for collecting nativities, but I have a long way to go to catch up to him.


This is our Jesse Tree which we've been decorating little by little as we hear the story of salvation history from Creation to Zechariah!


Won't you join me in a snack? Today we have two of my favorites: Cranberry-nut cookies and Orange Coconut Balls which I always loved as a child. My mom made them every year and I only re-discovered the recipe last year.

Orange-Coconut Balls

1 12oz. box vanilla wafers
2-4 cups sifted confectioners sugar*
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 6oz. can orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. flaked coconut

Crush vanilla wafers to make fine crumbs. Add sugar, butter, and orange juice concentrate. Mix well. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll balls in pecans or coconut. You can put the pecans in the dough if you don't want to roll them in it. Chill until firm. I freeze them on cookie sheets and then put them until ziploc bags to save for Christmas.

*The original recipe called for 4 c. sugar, but I cut it in half with no problem!

The cranberry-nut cookies started with just a chocolate chip cookie base and I added chopped cranberries and pecans instead of chocolate chips. They're festive and tangy!

I'm so glad you could stop by to visit! Please come again soon.

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Seriously, if you're in the neighborhood, just drop by! I love visitors! My house won't be perfect if you don't call first (in fact, it might be downright disastrous), but I'll be happy to see you anyway!