Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Christmas Cookies, but please no peanut butter!

Sunday was Christmas cookie day at our house. I was so exhausted from being in the kitchen all day I'm just now able to get the photos uploaded and posted.

Here are two of my daughter-in-laws, Chasta and Olga (in the apron), with one of my grandsons, Will. What a mess we made. There was flour everywhere. But thankfully my kitchen bar is big enough to completely cover the surface in flour and use as a baking center. I would give anything to have made a picture of Will's eyes when I scattered the flour all over the bar. I guess he was a little surprised I was making a "legal" mess.

I thought the grandchildren would have wanted to help a little more, but it proved to be too much work for them. Here’s sweet Baby Devin who I know couldn't help at all but he was wondering what we were doing. Isn't he the cutest? This is his first Christmas and honestly I think his hat was a little too small for his head -- but it made a really cute photo.

For this year the cookies are made and I will package them to take to the nursing home where my mother-in-law lives. She was one of the unfortunate ones who got very sick from the Peter Pan peanut butter outbreak a couple of years ago. She never fully recovered and is confined to her bed now.

I had the opportunity to testify before a Congressional Committee on Food Safety telling how the peanut butter changed our lives forever. If you google my name, Terri Marshall, it should come up and you can read her story. I also went back to D.C. this past year to lobby for food safety and am happy to say new legislation was passed to protect us all from foodborne illness. At least there is the satisfaction that maybe fewer people will suffer because of our efforts.

Here are few more pictures -- hope everyone enjoys the rest of the holiday week. I have decided I'm much better at decorating trees than I am at decorating cookies.











Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Terri's Trees

This is my first blog and my friend Teresa has finally convinced me to get into the blogging scene. I have decorated trees with Teresa for several years. At one time she would come to my house and decorate for Christmas. Amazingly, she wanted me to put out some of her decorations this year for a different look. But when it comes to trees, Teresa rocks. And I feel like I've learned from the best.

I'm not sure I'm doing any of this right. I may have to get a little help from my friend. But I wanted to post some of the trees I decorated this year.
This is my main tree in the den with reds and golds. I love my red room so it fits in perfectly. Lots of texture with berries, sticks, tassles, and hundreds of ornaments.


The next tree is in my office/guest room. I love, love, love the Santas. Inspiration colors are green, copper, brown and white with touches of gold. I think it worked great together.

Here's a tree I did for my back porch. It has lots of outside touches with birdhouses, glass ornaments filled with birdseed. I even used some crazy looking mushrooms that grew in our yard to add some interest.
Now a collection of various trees I decorated for my family this year. Santa trees, kid trees and my personal favorite the ladybug tree. Enjoy!
This was for my niece's ladybug birthday party. And a closeup of the handpainted ladybug.
More family trees. . . .no wonder I'm exhausted! And there are several I don't have photos of yet.