Christmas! The Nutcracker, Candlelight HouseTour

Adorable outfits

This weekend we went on the Christmas Candlelight House Tour in Cape May with our daughter's in laws. We had a lot of fun and we had lunch at the Lobster House and dinner at the Washington Inn.

Shopping in Cape May

The Bandstand

Carriage Rides

Houses on the tour
The Mission Inn

Carolers at the Mainstay Bed and Breakfast
Fancy Mantle

The Lobster House- Gerry, Jen, Gordon, Bonnie

Below
Christmas in the City- Philadelphia

The Ritz

Phila City Hall - Amy and her dad, Gerry

RJ & Amy

The Nutcracker Suite

My grand daughter was a mouse in the The Nutcracker Ballet by the Radomile Academy of Dance at The Haverford School outside of Philly. The performance was magnificent and of course you've never seen a cuter mouse!

We went into Philly to see C S Lewis's The Great Divorce, a one-man-show with Anthony Lawton in a little theater. The actor did such a great job on all the parts.

I got a hold of a book “The Home Has a Heart”

I read as a young mother. In the book Thyra Bjorn, the daughter of a Swedish Pastor, goes thru the year with stories, holiday traditions and recipes. She says,

“How much God has entrusted to us. What will we leave behind of strength and value? To start the New Year is to be given a second chance to build stronger ties and deeper understanding. God is the greatest gift at Christmas. He gave us his baby son, to shine in this dark world to give us hope.” What encouraging words still today!

2010 was a wonderful year spending time with our family and fun times at the beach and boardwalk. It is so rewarding to see our kids and their spouses doing so well in their fields and being stay at home moms. They all inspire us.

I had fun making Peanut Brittle this year. The recipe is so easy and it tastes great!

Dion’s Peanut Brittle (Paula Deen’s cousin)

1 ¾ c. unsalted skinless peanuts

1 ½ c. sugar

½ c. light corn syrup

Pinch of salt

2 T. butter

1 ½ t. baking soda

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine peanuts, sugar, corn syrup, 2 T. water and salt. Cook stirring constantly for 10 – 15 min, until golden tan.

Stir in butter. When melted, add baking soda. Pour onto baking sheet and spread. Cool for 30 min. Break into pieces (I used a small hammer) Store in airtight container.

We had our first snow fall and everything looked so festive in the cold winter's night. I hope you have a wonderful time this year with your family and friends. I pray especially for those who are not well that God will send you his healing power and for those of you who are mourning the loss of a loved one, remember we will see them again and go on, making the most of each day. We have so much to be thankful for.

We hope that 2011 is filled with many blessings and we would hold on to important time honored traditions and remember that relationships are what is most important. Cheers to all my blog friends around the world- You make my life richer!

and to all a good night! xoxo Jennifer aka Gigi