December 20

"Christmas is not a time nor

A season, but a state of

Mind.  To cherish peace and

Goodwill, to be plenteous in

Mercy, is to have the real

Spirit of Christmas."

~ Calvin Coolidge

I can't believe today is December 20th...and it is almost over, at that!

December has flown by for me.

I have been crafting and cooking around my house pretty busily this past week.  Today, I made a coconut pound cake.  It is a great recipe.  I got it years and years ago.  About 25 years ago or so, I believe.   I wish I could remember who the recipe originated from....but, I do not. 

Delicious Coconut Pound Cake

The cake is incredibly moist and delicious!  I love coconut, and this is very coconut-y and fabulous.

Coconut Pound Cake

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

4 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

½ tsp. baking soda

3 cups flour

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

1 Tbs. coconut flavoring

1 cup pecans

1 cup coconut

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs (one at a time).  Mix soda in buttermilk.  Mix all other dry ingredients together and mix alternately with buttermilk mixture to butter mixture.  Mix well.  Add flavoring, nuts and coconut.  Bake in greased and floured tube pan for 1 hour and 20 minutes at 350°.  About 10 minutes before cake is done, mix 2 cups sugar, 1 cup water, 4 Tbs. butter and 1 tsp. vanilla.  Cook for 5 minutes.  When cake is done, punch full of holes (I use a wire skewer).  Slowly pour sauce over cake (this takes a while).  Continue until all sauce is used (this may seem like a lot, but the cake is well worth it).  Let cake set in pan over night.  Next morning, run a knife around the sides of cake and around tube in middle and remove from pan.

 

Crafting

I need 10 little gifts for a party that I am attending tomorrow.  It is my card making club.  We are playing a dice game that involves the rules similar to dirty Santa, were you can steal from each other :)  Well, we have a $2 limit on each gift, so I decided to be creative and make most of mine.  I decided to make these little picture frame pin cushions.  I think they are very cute.  I am keeping the purple one, and taking the orange for one of my gifts.

 

I also made this little nativity from some supplies that I already had.  I think it is precious!!  I have enough materials to make myself one.  So, I will be adding to my nativity collection this year after all :)

 

I also made this coaster from wool scraps and an IKEA cork coaster.  I love how it turned out.  I am planning on making myself one :)

 

I hope that your Christmas plans are coming along well.  I have made several other things and plan to share some more recipes tomorrow if I have a chance.

I hope that the Spirit of Christmas is filling you with Peace and Goodwill towards yourself and others.

~ Joeby