It is the most wonderful time of the year!

 Anyway it definitely is at our home. 

 I want to thank all  who have sent emails and messages, especially for your prayers and loving thoughts these past few months. 2010 has been the most stressful year!  We look forward to a brand new bright shining one:) Thank you for helping me keep the 'light on' and encouraging me to return to blogging again.

For years I have longed for my precious mom to live close enough to our family,

to be able enjoy all her grandchildren who live in Utah.  Well, we got our wish when we moved her here, several months ago.:D
Now after 2 of these trucks shucked full,

plus lots of other vehicles, a storage unit which is now thankfully empty, ( a few of our garages which still are full;) a couple estate sales, we are finally able to celebrate the holidays!


 It has taken us a while to sort through legal matters and empty (long distance) 65 years of family life out of her 3000 sq foot home and settle her comfortably into her new 600 sq foot apartment.

On the top floor she has these most magnificent views of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains out of her front windows and deck.

which she has enjoyed the watching the many changes of her view daily.  My daughter captured these pictures as the beautiful colors turned to autumn and now are beautiful white caped giants.

Mom had to give up her home, beloved poodle, car and leave friends to make a new life in a different state. She has had some major setbacks including 5 falls with the first one giving her a concussion, then physical therapy.  She also had to have major surgery in October.   Too many things too fast for her to handle or any of us! My time has been well spent with my darling mom. :)

Now her tree up and ours is too,

Wonderful smells are coming from both of our kitchens, she made caramel corn for her great grands this morning:)
She also is taking delight in decorating her space around the entrance to her her apartment.
(I remember this, Mom's grandmother's table which sat right next to Grandma Sarah's bed when I was 3 years old. She always kept mints in the drawer and would treat each of us when we went to visit. Just a wonderful memory of my childhood.)

Mom is making sure she mixes things up a bit at her senior citizen apartments where she took it upon herself to decorate the public greeting area on their floor and exercise area. She even hung a wreathe on the tread mills!!! LOL!

 She has always been the perfect hostess with her home DECKED out for each holiday and felt the halls and gathering places of her new home were much too barren!

So down came the exercise and heart rate charts you would see in  many of these exercise spaces and up came some of the decorations of my childhood!!!

I hope she can keep her spunk up she has developed in her 84 years of life as she continues to make new friends.

I made these delectable morsels last week and they are a perfect treat for the Christmas season. I hope you enjoy them too!  I found the recipe on the bag of Reese's miniature Peanut Butter cups.

Peanut Butter Chocolate 'Cups'
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed firm
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbs. milk

40 mini peanut butter cups
Sift together first three dry ingredients. Set aside. Cream together both butters and both sugars til fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla and milk.
Add flour mixture and mix well.
Shape into 40 small balls (about the size of a very large grape) and place each into ungreased mini muffin pan.

Bake at 375º for 7 minutes (do not over bake!)

Remove from oven and immediately press an unwrapped peanut butter cup into each.  The cookies will crack around the candy.
 (optional: after peanut butter cups have melted, place one white chocolate or butterscotch chip, pointy-side down, in the center of each cookie. )

Let cool then... and carefully take a knife around the edges to lift out

Then remember to share!
Miss P Mc Call and a couple of her friends came in from school this week and devoured some (a lot) of these these wonderful morsels:)


 I hope you are cherishing this most wonderful time of the year with those you love the very most!
Love, Beth