Taking down the Christmas Tree

Taking down the Christmas Tree can be a leisurely walk down memory lane.  No Grandchildren excited for Christmas, no discussions about where decorations should be hung or the right way to hang the Christmas lights - just us enjoying cups of coffee and tea with an entire day to complete the task.

We make a day of taking down our small tree taking time to remember where each decoration came from and which were gifted to us.  Through these memories specific Christmas'  flood back and we smile, laugh and cry together.

Once the tree and decorations are all down the house feels both empty and refreshed all at the same time and if truth-be-told we enjoy taking it all down more than the chaos of putting it all up.

It that too Grinchish?

Somehow Boxing Day has always felt more like the beginning of a new year with all the large family meals are over, the rich dessert given away, the house cleaned up and our thoughts turning to seed catalogs and the anticipation of spring.

Our friends have often lovingly admonished us for putting Christmas away so soon when others leave it all up until after New Years Eve, I have even heard of some who leave the tree up until February!

When do you take your Christmas Tree down?

Grandma Almeda made this special Christmas decoration.  She went through a bead and pin crafting period where every Christmas her grandchildren were gifted a handmade decoration.  This is my favourite and I can still remember the feeling of her arms around me and the smell of her hair as I thanked her for this gift.

One year she sat me down at her kitchen table and tried to teach me how to make these decorations and tried is the operative word.  I am a patient person and beading onto the head of steal pins was too much for me and my antics reduced my Grandmother to tears of laughter.

I should confess that for a few years after her passing I had this decoration hanging in my kitchen window just to keep her memory ever present.  I no longer need this daily reminder as I can see her in the mirror each morning and I find great comfort in knowing that I look like the woman who taught me to be a Grandmother.

Merry Christmas my friends.

Grandma Snyder

©2014-2018 twosnydergirls

Christmas Peanut Butter Crisps

One of the many memory treasures we have come across in the distribution of Great Grandma’s earthly belongs has been a plastic bag stuffed full of handwritten recipes.  The recipes are not written on new sheets of paper, they were written on scraps of paper recycled into recipe cards and these windows into Great Grandma’s life are a treasure equal to the recipes themselves.

Christmas is almost here so we decided to start with an easy none bake recipe, one with ingredients we had on hand.  This recipe did not have a title and taking some literary licence Emily has titled them Peanut Butter Crisp.

This recipe has been written on a Dear Reader advertisement for Maclean’s magazine.  As a child I can remember this magazine sitting on the side table beside my mother’s chair in the living.  The large photographs on the covers capturing my imagination.  As I hold this yellowed piece of paper a memory floods over me and I share it with our granddaughters.  I am sitting on the hardwood floor captivated by the Maclean’s cover picture a skydiver which resulted in an afternoon of imaginative play.  I am that skydiver and for the rest of that afternoon I jumped from airplanes, tumbling in the air until I am caught by the wind and soar high above the earth in search of wonderful things.  With a smile I can remember my father calling upstairs “what is all the jumping about?  Nothing Dad I reply” and continue my play.  I was jumping from my bed onto a soft landing of blankets and pillows.

I have googled Maclean’s magazines and found the issue that resulted in that wonderful day it is the December 2, 1964 cover and was 8 years old.

 Christmas Peanut Butter Crisps

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Rice Krispies
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons margarine or butter
• Candy sprinkles

Directions:

1. Mix everything together except for the sprinkles in a large bowl. 
2. If you are working with children butter their hands and let them have some fun mixing.
3. Form into small balls (again children love doing this)
4. Roll the balls in the candy sprinkles
5. Refrigerate for one hour and eat. 
6. Store in a container in the refrigerator or a cool area of your home.

From Our Table to Yours 

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2016 twosnydergirls

Merry Christmas 2015

Merry Christmas and all the Best of New Year to You and Those You Love

We want to take this opportunity to thank you for following us over the past two years. 

Christmas Day marks the beginning of our third year of blogging.  Grandparents & Grandchildren has evolved over the past three years from it’s beginnings as a platform for our granddaughters to share with you the adventures with their Maplelea Dolls, to a grandparent life style blog with six main features:

1. Mindful Monday - short quotes and insights to consider 
2. Wordless Wednesday - a series of original photograph on a specific topic
3. Foodie Friday - a recipe from our table to yours
4. Spiritual Sunday - this follows the Mennonite lectionary series and are words meant to bring joy and spiritual contemplation
5. 5 Minutes of My Day - a daily photo journal and
6. Weekly Photo Project - a google+ photographic group that we belong to 

In addition, we post crafts, gardening, and (grand)parenting insight posts that feature our adventures with our grandchildren and children.

In the coming year our two granddaughter Emily and Ruth want to have a more active role in the blog and to accommodate this we will be hosting blogs that feature their photograph, a monthly blog challenge where we will re-purpose an article of  old clothing into clothing for their Maplelea’s or themselves and original stories that the girls write.

We will also be bringing back the monthly post Women of History as many of you have requested this and I will continue to a monthly post this year entitled Crocheting the weather.

We will taking from December 24, 2015 to January 1, 2016 off from our regular posting to take time to write, research, photograph and relax with family.  

We will continue to post 5 minutes of my day through out this time.

Merry Christmas from James, Emily, Ruth Grandpa Snyder and me Grandma Snyder.

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

In Memory of Aunt Elaine

The 2015 Christmas Centre Pieces

It was been a full year since a wonderful lady went to be with her Lord.  Aunt Elaine became a very special Aunt when every year she would ask her great great nieces to help set up the Family Christmas tables.

Emily and Ruth upon hearing of her death wanted to know who would to do the tables at the Christmas dinner and with the approval of Aunt Elaine's family they were chosen to keep up this tradition.

This evening we complete the 2015 table centre pieces and tomorrow we will set the tables in think of Great Great Aunt Elaine.

If you would like to see the first centre pieces click here.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2015 twosnydergirls

A Different Christmas

Step away from the noisy distractions of a consumer’s Christmas.

Create space for your children, grandchildren away from the avalanche of empty promises that the consumer’s Christmas unleashes upon us. 

Build into your Christmas preparation moments of quiet reflection and play in God’s creation.  Walk in the snow, spend time with your children, grandchildren in a local park, make snow angels or roast marshmallows outside.

Act upon the spirit of creation that God has placed in each of us.  Make cookies with your children, grandchildren or create decorations to dress the Christmas tree, make something together.

Gather together in family activities away from the TV, computers, and electronics of all types – play together, outside or inside, tell stories, sing – be together laugh and build memories.

Share of your families’ skills, talents and resources in the service of others.  As a family purchase food stuff together and then take what you bought to your local food bank – do something for a neighbour.

Create traditions that protect your children, grandchildren against a consumer’s Christmas – traditions that create space for God’s love to shine through your Christmas.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2014 twosnydergirls

A Christmas Tradition

Keeping the Tradition Going

The girls Christmas Centre Piece

Great Great Aunt Elaine transitioned from this world to the next late in November 2014.  G.G. Aunt Elaine always brought the table decorations for our extended family Christmas Dinner and for the past 4 years Ruth and Emily have helped her decorate the tables ~ she called them her Christmas helpers.

This is the only event of the year that Elaine and my granddaughters visit with each other and as I explained to them about her passing, Emily asked who would decorate the tables this Christmas “we always helped her (G.G. Aunt Elaine) we need to do it for her!” And so it was that the girls and I sat down and planned the decorations.

Ruth, “She always brought the decoration is the same box do we have a box to keep everything in?” our table cloths, napkins, and decorations now have their own box.

Family traditions do not always have to be about the big things sometimes the important traditions have more to do with being “her Christmas helpers” and the willingness of an extended family to make room for Great Great Nieces to find their place in the family.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2014 twosnydergirls

Christmas Cookies Gluten Free

No Bake Frying Pan Dainties

Frying Pan Dainties

Grandma is anyone born in 1959 still alive?  This question was asked with such seriousness that Grandpa and I broke out laughing.  Emily also laughed when she realized that both of us were born before 1959 and so our cookie making adventure started with laughter.

The girls wanted to go to Great Aunt Marjorie’s recipe box and find a new Christmas cookie to make.  It was there that we found “No Bake Recipes” a handmade cook book but together by the Friendship Group Pioneer Memorial United Church Ipswich Road Hamilton, Ontario 1959.

Frying Pan Dainties was picked because we had all of the ingredients on hand.  This is a very sweet cookie and so make your balls small or cut back on the sugar used.  Here is the recipe from  “No Bake Recipes”

Frying Pan Dainties

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups chopped dates
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1 cup gluten free Rice Krispies
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups shredded coconut

1 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Cut dates in half
2. In a heavy frying pan add dates, eggs, sugar and cook stirring constantly for 15 minutes on medium heat. The mixture will thicken.
3. Then add the Rice Krispies and vanilla and stir
4. Set aside until cool enough to handle
5. Place shredded coconut in a shallow dish and spoon small portions of the cooled mixture on the coconut.  With a spoon roll the batter in the coconut until covered enough that you can roll into a ball.
6. Store in a covered container.

A rich sugary inside

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2014 twosnydergirls

Nativity Figurines

Wordless Wednesday

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2014 twosnydergirls

Mother Teresa Quote - Hungry For Love

Even the rich are hungry for love, for being cared for, for being wanted, for having someone to call their own.

Mother Teresa

This Christmas season when the urge to spend like the rich comes upon you remember the words of Mother Teresa.  If you haves someone to call your own you have what no amount of money can buy ~ love, a family.

Gifts cannot buy love, gifts cannot provide you with a place in a family.  Don’t let the Christmas gifts you buy this season mean that in 2015 you have less time to spend with family, your children as you pay back Christmas debt. 

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2014 twosnydergirls

10 Things To Tell Your Children and Grandchildren this Christmas

Source The Graphic Fairy

As grandparents and parents now is your opportunity to share your memories and to help your children and grandchildren get to know you as more than their parent, as a person, as part of their history. Give the gift of your memories.

A gift I gave to an Aunt when I was child which
was gifted back to me as an adult and all the
memories associated.

10 Memories of Christmas to share:

1. Your strongest memory of spending time with your Grandparents at Christmas.
2. A memorable Christmas gift you received as a child.
3. As a child a gift or ornament that you remember making at school and giving to your parents.
4. A school Christmas Pageant that you remember being in.
5. A Christmas Eve tradition from your childhood.
6. A Christmas morning tradition in your childhood.
7. A Christmas ornament that you remember or now have from your Grandparents Christmas Tree.
8. Favourite Christmas Carol.
9. Favourite Christmas Cookie.
10. Favourite Christmas Food. 

In this age of limitless information and social networking that allows our children to connect to strangers all over the world it is imperative that they know us that they know their story and feel a strong connection to family.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2014 twosnydergirls

Epiphany

January 6^th, 2013

Today the three wise men following the star are presented to the Christ child and God is revealed to the world.

The day of Epiphany is significant because the Christ child is not revealed to the Elders of the Jewish Church.  He is revealed to three wandering clerics who would have represent differing races, religions and geography.

God’s love for his creation was revealed to a diverse group and through this revelation they became united in their plan to protect the Christ child from King Herod.

Source

In understanding Epiphany this way I am reminded of the World War I story.  A story where diverse  and hated enemies put down their weapons and joined for one night, the night of Christ’s birth to sing Christmas Carols and WWI was not in that moment.

Source

Epiphany does not mean that diverse groups of people will unite under the religious rules of ….. here you can pick any one of the many diverse Christian religions.  

Verse 3 of the song ‘There’s a wideness in God’s mercy” captures well my belief on religious rules

“But we make God’s love too narrow by false limits of our own, and we magnify its strictness with a zeal God will not own”

Source

 God is revealed to be a loving inclusive Creator, Father, and Shepard, who desires that all creation enter heaven. 

 

Epiphany is about love, acceptance, forgiveness and hope being made manifest: many paths leading to one outcome of love.

Juanita Laverty show the You Tube Video “Trip the Light” as a way of helping visualize Epiphany through diversity.  Please take the time to watch this powerful video.

I was sitting at the back of church and once again was blessed by our smallest members, the children.  They stopped their play when the music started and as one they stood up and looked for the source of the music.  They started to clap and soon where dancing.

 

I believe that children will lead us in understanding the Epiphany of Diversity that God wants us to learn.

Let’s Dance.

Grandma Snyder

©2013-2014 twosnydergirls