Though the sky outside was bleak and the air chill, a sense of excitement filled our home as we prepared for a gathering. We were diligent to keep the fire crackling in the fireplace as we scurried around the house, scrubbing floors and cleaning away gathered dust from various nooks and crannies. The winter cleaning was actually enjoyable since we were anticipating company.

The date and time of the event had been selected, and we were ready to make our invitations. Homemade invitations never go out of style, though they do take time to prepare. Desiring to have a theme for our special gathering, we chose pinecones, jingle bells, woolen mittens, snowflakes, and apples. We thought the colors of red delicious and Granny Smith apples would go along with the season best. This theme was included in drawing up the plans for the invitations. Here’s how we made them:

Homemade Invitations

Supplies need:
Cardstock (½ sheet per invitation)
Glue
Sewing thread and large needle
Tiny silver jingle bells
Raffia
Fine-line black marker
Decorative-edged scissors
Paper cutter or sharp paper scissors
2 colors of felted wool (10" × 10" square)—we chose deep red & tan

Use one full sheet of cardstock for two invitations. (Silver Sparkles Cardstock by Fox River is perfect and can be purchased in small quantities at www.yellowroseartstamps.com.) Cut each sheet in half. Fold the half sheet in half again, making a nice crease along the folded edge by pressing firmly across the fold with your thumb against a hard surface. Cut a small mitten from the pattern provided here.

Dab glue around the edges of the mitten, leaving off glue where a hand would be inserted. Attach to card front.

Glue on mitten cuff border in contrasting felted wool color. Thread a large-eyed needle with a double strand of sewing thread. Add a few stitch marks around the mitten to create a homespun effect. Don’t worry about the stitches showing on the inside of the card since you will be gluing an inserted paper over them. Letter with a fine-tip marker the words “BE WARM” on the front of your card.

Cut a 3½" × 4½" rectangle out of plain paper using pinking shears or other patterned scissors to give the edges a fancy border. Letter with a black fine-tip marker “Where Friends Gather … Hearts Warm.” Lightly glue that on the inside left side of your card, covering up the stitching from the front. On the right side glue in another 3½" × 4½" piece with the date, time, place, and a brief description of the gathering, plus any other details you might want your guests to know. (It’s fun to have one or more guests learn a poem to recite; or ask a guest to play some beloved tunes on the piano or other instrument.) Run a few strands of raffia up the spine of the card and tie off at the top of the outside of the card, leaving some length to it. Tie small silver jingle bells on the ends of the raffia strings so they hang down on the card front. (Silver jingle bells can be purchased at www.craftsetc.com.) The invitations are ready to deliver!

Every proper invitation should include the date, time, place, host or hostess, and brief description and/or details.

Here is an inside inscription you could modify for your gathering:

Knowing that clutter is a deterrent to wanting guests, and that having an orderly home makes us relaxed and ready to open our home to anyone, we did a quick test that you can do too! Pop outside your front door (don’t forget your mittens and scarf!), close the door behind you, and then come in your front door as if you were a guest. Take a good look around. Are things organized and neat, welcoming and warm? If not, take a few days and work on each room that will be viewed by expected guests. Pay special attention to the kitchen and sitting room or living room, as those rooms will likely have the most activity. Don’t clean alone—get those little helpers a cleaning rag and some cleaner. They can be scrubbing right along with you. Nothing has to be new! Clean and tidy are more important.

The house went through a rigorous cleaning and was ready to be decorated. Continuing with our theme, garlands were made from pine boughs for the tops of the windows. These are made by clipping 18" sprigs from pine trees and wiring them onto a rope, making homemade “boughs.” Lightweight florist wire is found in most variety or craft stores. Artificial boughs are also available, and they look almost real! Window tops are then decked with the pine boughs. At each window’s end, 3" wide flat white lace is gathered into large bows and wired onto the bough, leaving some bough to hang down the length of the window. We found tiny, red, papier-mâché apples strung as a garland in a craft store in the artificial flower section. These were draped in and around the pine boughs, bringing in our theme of apples!

In each windowsill we set a small, solar-powered candle. When nighttime falls, the candles give an unmatched glow to the home, saying, “You are welcome here.”

Next, we needed snow! It was cold outside, but not cold enough for snow in our part of the woods, so we made our own! Using small scissors and lots of white paper, the children spent quite a happy time, giggling and snipping, until we had hundreds of tiny snowflakes. Carefully slipping a length of nylon fishing line through a hole in the snowflake and looping it around, we used a small piece of clear tape to attach them to the ceiling. Snowflakes were hung randomly on the ceiling of the entryway and gathering room. The more you hang, the more it snows!

We found some large pillar candles, scented in pine, vanilla, and apple, wrapped a 1" band of white flat lace around the middle of each candle, and placed them where candles would be safe while burning. Surfaces included a high shelf, the mantle, and tabletops. All the candles were lit before the guests arrived. The house looked so inviting and lovely in the candlelight that we could hardly wait for the guests to arrive.

Having a centerpiece on the dining table is the crowning touch in decorating. We found a willow basket and lined it with white netted tulle. It is very inexpensive, makes a lovely touch, and is reminiscent of snow banked up on windowsills. We filled the basket with shiny red and green apples. Among the apples, we sprinkled small pinecones. A few sticks of red berries poking up here and there finished it off.

We worked ahead on our meal preparations as much as possible. It makes the special day easier for the hostess to enjoy, too!

Our menu for the feast included

• Roasted Wild Turkey
• Oven Brown and Wild Rice
• Granny’s Stuffin’
• Seasoned Gravy
• Asparagus Bundles
• Corn Pudding
• Dinner Rolls
• Butter
• Baked Apple Butter
• Really Cherry Pie
• Mulled Spiced Cider
• Ice Water with Lime Wedges

Wild turkey roam our wild acres at will. Much to their delight, our boys bagged three Mr. Tom Turkeys during this game season. A good resource for information regarding plucking and preparing your wild bird for roasting is The Joy of Cooking by Rombauer & Becker, 1964 (revised edition), pp. 460-64.

Roasted Wild Turkey

Combine in a bowl and rub or brush all over the inside and outside of the plucked, clean turkey:

½ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
4 Tbsp. olive oil
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper

Cover and refrigerate for 2-5 hours. Place the turkey in a large roaster pan equipped with a rack. Place inside the turkey cavity (these will be discarded after baking):

1 large peeled onion, halved
3 ribs of celery with leaves
3 sprigs of fresh parsley

Spread 1/2 cup soft butter around legs and over entire outside of turkey. Take 5 strips of bacon and lay over turkey breast. Pour 3 cups of chicken broth into the roaster pan. Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 2-4 hours, basting every 30 minutes with juices in pan. Turkey is ready when a meat thermometer reads 185 degrees inside the turkey or the legs pull away tenderly from the body of the turkey. Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes. Discard bacon and vegetables inside the cavity. Strain all pan juices and set aside to use for gravy. Place the turkey on a large platter and encircle with bunches of parsley sprigs, small apples, and bunches of red and green grapes. This makes your turkey look picture perfect. Wait until you take your first bite! Serves 8-10.

Seasoned Gravy

Place ¼ cup butter in a heavy skillet. Stir until melted and lightly browned. Add in ¾ cup of pan juices. Quickly stir in 1 cup of flour, whisking around until it is bubbling and smooth. Let simmer until lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes, stirring to prevent burning. Slowly add in 2 more cups of the strained pan juices. Stir constantly with a wire whisk until thickened. Add in up to 2 more cups of pan juices until desired thickness is achieved. Taste. Season with salt and pepper only if needed. If gravy seems too thick, it may be thinned by stirring in a bit of light cream to desired consistency. Makes 4 cups of gravy.

Place in a 2-quart oven-safe dish with a tight-fitting lid:

2 cups long grain brown rice
5 cups water
1/8 cup wild rice
1 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. butter

Cover tightly. Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. All liquid should be absorbed. Fluff with a fork and serve hot with gravy. Makes 10-12 servings.

Granny’s Stuffin’

Bake one 9" pan of cornbread. Cool and crumble into mixing bowl. Cube 8 slices of bread and add to cornbread. Add:

3 /4 cup finely diced celery
3 /4 cup finely chopped onion
3 beaten eggs
2 (28 oz.) cans chicken broth
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. ground thyme
2 tsp. rubbed sage
1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
2 tsp. poultry seasoning
2 Tbsp. parsley flakes

Mix until combined and place in a greased baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Can be frozen up to 3 months. Cool before wrapping for freezer storage. Serves 12. Optional additions to the stuffin’: Add 1 cup dried cranberries or raisins and ½ cup chopped walnut pieces to mixture before baking.

Cut the tender stalks away from the woody base. Drop into a bowl of cool water. Swish around and let sand or grit drop to the bottom of the bowl. Carefully lift asparagus stalks from the water and drain on a paper towel. Cook for 15 minutes or until tender in a small amount of boiling water. Water should barely cover the stalks. Drain carefully. Gather 4 stalks and wrap with raffia around the middles and secure in a small knot or bow. Line asparagus bundles on a rectangular platter and dot with butter. Sprinkle lightly with salt and garnish with slivered almonds. Allow 1 bundle per serving.

Saute ½ cup finely chopped onion in 4 Tbsp. butter. Add in:

2 tsp. salt
½ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. dry mustard
4 Tbsp. flour

Stir around until blended. Add in:

2 cups milk

Pour into a bowl and add:

4 cups whole kernel corn
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup dry bread cubes, drizzled
with 2 Tbsp. melted butter

Turn into a buttered baking dish and top with 1 cup crushed, butter- flavored cracker crumbs. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Serves 12.

Homestyle No-Knead Dinner Rolls

Combine in a large mixing bowl:

2 cups very warm water (120 degrees)
2 beaten eggs
3 /4 cup vegetable oil

Combine in another mixing bowl:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 pkts. yeast (or 2 Tbsp.)

Dump the egg mixture into the flour mixture and beat with an electric beater on low speed for 30 seconds and then at high speed for 3 minutes. Using a large, sturdy spoon, stir in:

2 cups whole wheat flour
1½ cups all-purpose flour

Pour 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a very large mixing bowl and rub to coat the bowl with oil. Transfer the dough to the oiled mixing bowl. Turn over once and then cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough for 2 hours.

Set oven dial to 375 degrees and remove dough from refrigerator. Punch down and let rest for 10 minutes. Spray a large baking sheet with pan spray or grease very lightly with vegetable shortening. On a well-floured countertop, roll out dough to one-inch thickness. Cut out rolls with the rim of a small round glass (about 2-3" in diameter). Flour the rim of the glass if it sticks to the dough. Transfer rolls to baking pans and let them rise until puffy and nearly double in size (about 1 hour). Bake in a heated oven for 25 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and brush tops with soft butter. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm. Makes 18-20 rolls.

Prepare a crust for a double-crust pie. Line your 9" pie plate with a layer of crust. Begin preparing cherry filling. In a medium-size mixing bowl, add in:

3 cups pitted and drained cherries (reserving any cherry juice)
3 Tbsp. minute tapioca (available in the pudding and gelatin section of the grocer’s shelves)

Mix in a small bowl:

1½ cups sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
scant pinch of salt

Sprinkle sugar mixture over cherries.

Add in to mixture:

½ cup cherry juice

Stir lightly to combine all ingredients and let stand for 15 minutes. Place in the crust-lined pie plate. Dot the top of the cherry mixture with a total of 2 Tbsp. butter. Carefully lift your second piecrust and place it over the top of the filling. Seal, pinch, and flute edges. Place a large “X” with a sharp knife through the middle of the top crust. Using 2 Tbsp. milk, dampen top crust. Sprinkle lightly with sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Serves 8.

Tip: Place a baking sheet under your pie while baking to catch any drips and keep your oven floor clean.

Long before our special day, the family enjoyed making gifts and favors for the dear ones.

For the children: tiny mittens from felted wool, stuffed with peppermint sticks and chocolate coins!

For the adults: the “fruit” of handmade labors—homemade mulled cider spice packets and baked apple butter.

They will get a taste of these at the feast and will be pleased to take these goodies home with them to enjoy later.

1 tsp. whole allspice
1 tsp. whole cloves
1 tsp. dried rose hips
3 2" cinnamon sticks
5 juniper berries

Place these in a tiny muslin bag or square of thin muslin. Tie off with a piece of jute and make a pretty tag with the mulled cider recipe.

[Note: The rose hips and juniper berries have medicinal properties that help with colds and coughs and make a nice addition to the cider by making it healthful. These are optional and can be omitted, if desired, without changing the flavor.]

(Rose hips, cloves, spices, assorted lengths of cinnamon sticks, juniper berries, and tiny muslin bags are all available by mail order from the San Francisco Herb Co., 1-800-227-4530.)

Mulled Spiced Cider

Bring 4 cups of apple juice to a boil. Add in:

1 cup of brown sugar or honey
1 mulled cider spice packet

Simmer for 20 minutes in a covered pot. Strain out spices. Add in:

2 cups lemon juice
4 cups orange juice
4 cups pineapple juice

Serve piping hot in glass mugs with a twist of orange slice floating on top. Have a mug of 6" cinnamon sticks available to swirl in the cider. I call them “muddlers”—“ muddle” means to mix or stir, so when you use a cinnamon stick to stir up your cider you use a “muddler”! Perfect for warming up a chilly evening!

Baked Apple Butter

The rich smell of baking apples and cinnamon wafts through your home as you make this old-fashioned spread—delicious on hot biscuits or toast. There is nothing like a gift of love from your own kitchen. Even if you aren’t experienced at preserving or canning, this recipe is simple enough for you.

Soak 12 pounds of tart apples in a sink full of cool water and 1 cup white vinegar. This helps to remove any residue from sprays or pesticides used on the apples. Soak for 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly in cool water. Quarter the apples with a small, sharp paring knife. Remove stem, center core fiber, and seeds. As you cut and core, drop the apple pieces into a large pot containing 3 quarts of apple juice or cider. When you have added all 12 pounds of apples to the juice, simmer on medium-high heat until apples become soft and mushy, stirring occasionally. This takes about 45 minutes to an hour. In a large, deep, rectangular roasting pan, place 6-7 cups of sugar (use 7 cups for tart apples, 6 for sweet). Stir into the sugar 2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon, 1 tsp. ground cloves, and only a scant pinch of ground nutmeg. Now carefully ladle the hot apple juice and cooked apple pieces into the sugar mixture. Do not cover. Place in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 2½ to 3 hours. Stir the mixture every 45 minutes. If the mixture overbakes (over 3 hours), it will become gooey and sticky and not the proper consistency.

Now you have a large pan of dark, rich, chunky apple butter. It is time to preserve your homemade butter for another day. It will make a welcome gift or treat for a special meal.

Using very hot water and dish soap, wash 8 pint or 16 half-pint glass canning jars. Rinse well. It is not necessary to sterilize your jars before ladling in your homemade apple butter. The heat from the processing time after the jar has been sealed will be sufficient to keep this butter sealed and fresh until opened.

To achieve smooth apple butter (no chunks of apple pieces), ladle the hot mixture into a food processor or blender. Whirl only momentarily and ladle directly from there into the clean glass jars. Wipe rims clean with a clean, damp cotton cloth or paper towel. Place a canning lid with a new rubber seal on the rim on the jar and screw on a canning band to hold the lid in place. Do not wrench, but screw on securely. When you have your jars all filled, place them in a large pot of boiling water. Make sure the jars are covered with one inch of water. Let jars boil in the water bath 20 minutes for pints, 15 minutes for half-pints. When time has elapsed, remove jars from the water with a jar lifter (available from www.MarmeeDear.com).

Set on a sturdy surface away from cold drafts and let cool. After 24 hours, check your seals. If your jar has a secure seal, the lid will not “pop” when pressed in the middle with your thumb. Rinse your jars in a sink of warm, soapy water with ½ cup white vinegar added. Rinse and dry. Your jars of delicious, homemade goodness are ready for storing in the pantry or giving away. As long as the seal is not disturbed, the butter should be good for up to 1 year or longer.

Snowball Game

Divide into two teams. For a playing field, we use a long, wide hallway. Mark a starting and finishing line with a long piece of masking tape. At the starting line, set down two 3-inch white Styrofoam balls (found in the floral section of crafting stores). (These were our faux snowballs—hey! They didn’t melt!) The object of the game is to roll the snowballs to the finish line, following certain rules! No hands—nothing can touch the snowball all the way to the finish line but your nose. Once you cross the finish line, pick it up with your hands, run back to the starting line and set it down, and the next team member begins to roll it down to the finish line with his or her nose. Repeat until all the team members have had a chance, and whichever team finishes first wins!

We had peppermint sticks ready to pass out to everyone who played the game. That was enough raucousness in the house for one night for the old folks, so we all moved near the fire and gathered in a large circle. We had a calmer game in mind this time!

Each participant is given a paper towel to hold in his lap (to dry soon-to-be-wet hands). Set a bowl of ice cubes in the middle. One ice cube is picked up and passed around the circle. The object is to hold the ice cube as long as you can, trying to get it to melt. When your hands are frozen so cold that you can’t hold it any longer, you quickly pass it to the person next to you. The person who holds the ice cube long enough for it to be completely melted is the winner. Then you pick up another ice cube and begin with the person to the right of the winner, beginning the next round. (We kept playing until our hands were so cold we were ready to give it up and warm them over the glowing fire!)

The evening had been fun and memorable for all. Folks began to gather their scarves and coats and make their way toward home. As the last one waved goodbye in the crisp, cold night air, we knew that no matter how cold the days might be, where friends gather hearts warm! I hope this warm memory of a midwinter gathering inspires you to gather with your friends and family this season. You’ll be making a memory long cherished by all.

Felted Wool Mitten Favors

Warm, soft, fuzzy— wool. What is felted wool? Very simply, felt is matted wool. Wool becomes felt when it is subjected to heat, moisture, and pressure. How was felted wool discovered? No one knows for sure, but maybe matted wool was noticed on sheep? A legend has it that a weary traveler had feet bruised and cut from his long journey. He stopped to rest and saw some sheep’s wool clumped on the brambles next to the rock where he sat resting. He plucked it off the brambles and stuffed it in his shoes to pad his aching feet. After miles more walking, he reached his destination and found a stiff, flat fabric lining his shoes. Today felt is more sophisticated than that. Varieties of wool in large volumes are used with modern techniques to apply the heat, pressure, and moisture. It is versatile and widely used. It can be very thin or thick and fluffy, soft as a lamb or hard and firm to the touch. Felt boots are still produced and used in Russia and Scandinavia. In parts of the world, shepherds use felt hats and cloaks to protect themselves from harsh climates. If you would like to try to make felted wool at home, you can read about it in How to Make Felt by Anne Belgrave. We purchased squares of pure felted wool from www.vintagevogue.com. It is available in small pieces in a variety of vibrant, rich hues.

Here is how to make some felted wool mittens as favors for the children. [See the article "Make Your Own Hand-Sewn Mittens for Newborns" for a similar project with more detailed instructions.] These are fun to make! They require only simple hand sewing skills. Cut two mittens and two cuffs from a piece of felted wool using a larger version of the pattern for the invitation.

Using a running stitch, tack the cuffs to each mitten. Slightly pull the stitch up to lightly gather the cuff onto the mitten. The mittens can be ornamented with embroidery, beads, bells, or anything your imagination desires. We used a freehand stitch and embroidered snowflakes on the mittens, keeping the theme of the midwinter gathering. Ornament the front of the mitten before stitching them together so you can work easily on the single piece. Now place the two mitten pieces with cuffs together. Work a blanket stitch around the mitten to hold them together. Leave the top edge open where a hand would be inserted. This will form a little pocket to place candy sticks and tiny prizes inside the mitten when it is complete. Attach a handle by which to hang or carry the mittens. All of the stitching can be done with chenille thread or embroidery floss (use all 6 strands) and a needle with a large eye.

We also needed snow! It was cold outside, but not cold enough for snow in our part of the woods, so we made our own! Using small scissors and lots of white paper, the children spent quite a happy time, giggling and snipping, until we had hundreds of tiny snowflakes. Carefully slipping a length of nylon fishing line through a hole in the snowflake and looping it around, we used a small piece of clear tape to attach them to the ceiling. Snowflakes were hung randomly on the ceiling of the entryway and gathering room. The more you hang, the more it snows! Never made paper snowflakes? Here’s how:

Sharp small scissors
White paper
Nylon fishing line
Scotch tape

1. Fold a large square of paper in half.
2. Fold in half again.
3. Fold the top corner of the folded piece down to the opposite corner. Now you have a triangular folded piece.
4. Fold the triangle-shaped folded piece in half again.
5. Cut off the end opposite the triangle’s top tip point in deep, pointed cuts.
6. Next, snip the tip of the triangle point to make a center hole in your snowflake—this will be the center “eye” of your snowflake.
7. Next cut out small snips in assorted shapes on either long side of the triangle. The more you snip, the more “lacy” your snowflake will be.
8. Carefully unfold the snowflake and lay it out flat. Press it with a hot, dry iron or lay it between pages of a heavy book to make it lay flat.
9. We sprayed our flakes with starch for ironing and then ironed them flat with a hot, dry iron. That adds a bit of stiffness to them. Hang your flakes from the ceiling as instructed and—YAY! It is snowing! Just in time for the festivities.

Martha has been married to the husband of her youth for 28 years. They have been blessed with 11 children and 2 GRANDS. They reside on Sweet Pines Homestead, 130 wild acres in rural South Carolina. Being able to homeschool their children is a freedom dear to them. It has been their way of life since the mid-’80s. Martha was also homeschooled by her parents back in the early ’60s! Please come visit Martha at www.MarmeeDear.com, where she offers “All Things Precious & Pleasant for the Home Circle.”