TODAY IS: 18 December 2023
AROUND ME: The rain started last evening while we were at church for our Christmas fellowship dinner and has continued during the night. We have 6-10 inches of snow forecast for our area from some point this morning until tomorrow morning. I'm so thankful that it has been held off so that we could attend our church services yesterday.
I AM PONDERING: this quote by John Stott, "We should not ask, "What is wrong with the world?" for that diagnosis has already been given. Rather, we should ask, "What has happened to the salt and light?"
AMONG MY FAVORITE THINGS: Last week I shared about the German Lebkuchen tins that I put out every year and mentioned that I had two large ones and a middle sized one that I would share at another time. Today I will share the one that started the entire collection.
Our daughter and son-in-law were missionaries in Mexico City for a number of years. There was a shop at the end of their street that was owned by a German who was married to a Mexican lady. Our grandson loved going to this shop because as he once told me, "Gramma, he makes the best hamburgers in the whole world." :) Lutz kept this large tin high up on a shelf and kept it filled with German goodies to give out to the children who came into his shop. One day, he took it down while our daughter and her family was there and held up a cookie and said to our daughter, "I bet you don't know what this is." She replied that yes she did know...it was Lebkuchen. He asked her how she knew that and she told him about our heritage and that her mother made them every year for Christmas.
At one point when our family was going to the border, Lutz presented this tin to our daughter and asked her to please take it to her mother from him. Our dear daughter rode all the way to the border with that tin on her lap. If I remember correctly, this is the tin that I posted about originally with the back story that I presented to you last week, along with how I became the owner of it. It was that post that my German friend who lived in Alabama saw, shared it with her husband and before I knew it was sending me the small Lebkuchen tins that I shared last week.
The unique thing about these tins (including the small ones that I featured last week) is that you will notice that all along the sides of the tin are different scenes from the town where they were made. The top depicts something special about the town...perhaps an outstanding feature of the town, but definitely gives a bit of history about it. Also, on the bottom of the tin is stamped the name of the company and town where the Lebkuchen was produced. You may notice on the front of this particular one that it says Schmidt...it was the bakery.
Thanks to Lutz, this particular tin went from Germany to Mexico City, to the U.S. It was a world traveler!
At the time that I started pricing Lebkuchen tins shortly after receiving this one, (and this was almost 20 years ago now) the small ones like I featured last week were $25-$30. It's the reason I looked at thrift stores for them.
BOOKS I'M CURRENTLY ENJOYING: Heaven and Nature Sing (an Advent Devotional) by Hannah Anderson, and Seasons of Sorrow by Tim Challies, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs, and Babette's Feast by Karen Blixen.
I AM THANKFUL FOR: friends who share the ways in which God is working in their lives. It's always an encouragment!
NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN: a new recipe. I have trouble getting my banana bread to not be too dry. I tried a new recipe and did them in six little mini loaf pans so I can share them with some folks. I'm pleased with how they turned out.
Also just a side note from "never too old to learn" post from last week about how to load cattle onto a trailer more easily. On our way to church yesterday morning, the farmer was in his field with his stock trailer and was preparing to load up his cows. When we came home the field was empty so we know it worked well for him...especially with him being the only one in the field with the cattle, which meant he needed no help getting them in the trailer.
FROM THE KITCHEN: grilled chicken tenders, brussell sprouts, and sweet potatoes "baked" in the Instant Pot.
SOMETHING I REALLY ENJOY: sweet art work of young children enjoying life.
A QUOTE TO REMEMBER: "Having a grateful heart isn't the same as saying thank you." Dustin Crowe
what a lovely post of what you are thinking about. This week I am writing all the lists so as to be ready for the following weekend.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words, Karen. I'm praying that you and your hubby will soon be well and will be able to enjoy your Christmas with family.
DeleteI loved hearing about how the first Lebkuchen tin came to you via Germany and Mexico. I'm glad the snow held off for your Christmas fellowship dinner.
ReplyDeleteI've seen the film version of Babette's Feast (it was in another language--I forget which--and we had to read subtitles, but it wasn't a problem). It was a lovely story.
Thank you, Barbara. I have not seen the movie of Babette's Feast. I learned about it from another book that I read earlier this year and when I saw it on Thrift books at a fairly reasonable price, I ordered it. I'm not quite half way through with the book and am enjoying it a lot. After reading your comment, I did look on YouTube and I plan to watch the movie once I finish reading the book.
DeleteMy Alan always loved doing jigsaw puzzles. I just never had the patience! I hope you share yours when it's done.
ReplyDeleteThe boxes are lovely, and I really enjoyed your story of that one particular one. It reminds me of a teapot that Alan bought me on a family visit to England just before we married. He held it in its box on his lap on the plane, all the way over the Atlantic!
I'm glad you got to church before the snow starts there.
Have a blessed day.
We spent yesterday afternoon and parts of the evening off and on putting the puzzle together. I did take a picture and I will share it next week. :)
DeleteYour teapot has to be so very precious to you, Melanie. What a treasure...not only the teapot itself, but the memories associated with it.
That's a good quote to ponder. Those German tins are a unique and fun thing to collect especially since it is part of your heritage, too. Such a wonderful story of how the collecting began. Challie's book is on my Christmas list. Have you ever seen the movie of Babette's Feast? We enjoyed it so much. A little slow moving but so good. Hooray for your 'weather' holding off till after Sunday services and events! Have a beautiful week!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the quote, Ellen. You will enjoy Seasons of Sorrow...just make sure you have some tissues ready. Tim Challies definitely has a way with words and his writing style is something that I definitely enjoy. I've not seen the movie of Babette's Feast...yet. :) I'm not quite half way through the book yet, but once I finish it I will definitely want to watch the movie. We've had our snow now and unless it continues to snow today, we only got maybe three inches at the most.
DeleteI didn’t know you had an instant pot. I just bought a Ninja Foodi last month. It is so nice making a whole meal in one pot!
ReplyDeleteHi Lauren! Yes, I've had an Instant Pot for about five years or so now. It's one of my most used small appliances in the kitchen. And I agree...it is nice to be able to make a whole meal in one pot and it definitely makes for an easier clean up.
DeleteSo nice to read about the tins.
ReplyDeleteFunny that your banana bread usually turns out dry, mine turns out too moist. I've resorted to banana muffins which are just right. :)
Thank you, Karen, for your kind words. I normally make banana muffins too, but since I was giving these as gifts, I decided to do the bread in the little mini bread tins. They did turn out good.
DeleteI woke up to snow on the ground this morning and we've had lots of wind! But it's supposed to warm up again and melt.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your quote by John Stott - it is a thought to ponder.
The story of the tin is wonderful! What a trip it had, to end up at your home.
PS - I'm reading the Dustin Crowe book right now. I ordered it after you posted about it.
That's kind of the way it is supposed to be here this week, too. We had essentially no snow until last night. We woke up to about three or four inches. We had a lot of wind yesterday and through the night.
DeleteI agree...the Stott quote is a lot to ponder.
I hope you are enjoying the Dustin Crowe book, Mari. God has used it to make such a difference for me and I know it is due to all of the Scripture that he uses in the book. I looked up every. one. :)
That's an interesting story of how you came to own the beautiful Lebkuchen tin (s). Amazing how it all worked out.
ReplyDeleteRain then snow on top will make roads very dangerous.
Stay safe and enjoy the last week before Christmas!!
Granny M
Thank you for your kind words about the Lebkuchen tin, my friend. It is definitely a treasure.
DeleteWe ended up with about 3-4 inches of snow so not nearly the amount that was predicted. But we will still be sticking close to home this week. It's supposed to warm up at some point this week and by Sunday it's to be in the 50s.
I like the story about the German lebkuchen tins ; it's both interesting and enjoyable!
ReplyDelete"Never too old to learn" - such a true quote! We can learn quite a few things, at any age, overcoming various degrees of difficulty.
Thank you, Duta. Eventually that tin in particular will go to my daughter, as well as the rest of them, if she wants them.
DeleteThe "never too old to learn" is a phrase that my mother used all the time. And she was a wonderful example of it. She lived to be 88 and up until the last couple years of her life, she was always eager to learn something new.
It is so wonderful for me to read your enthusiastic post since I am writing to you from Germany.
ReplyDeleteThis beautiful gingerbread tin comes from Nuremberg and the Holy Spirit Hospital can be seen in the middle of the picture. It was founded in 1339, it was a hospital and retirement home and the largest social institution in medieval Germany. It burned to the ground in 1944 and was reconstructed in 1951-53. Today there is a senior citizens' home and a restaurant there. Nuremberg is still the stronghold of gingerbread.
But there is also another smaller town - called Pulsnitz - in Germany, where gingerbread is also baked and sent all over the world. These bakeries (there are eight of them) only bake gingerbread all year round... and I live in this city... sometimes it smells delicious...
Never too old to learn :-))) YES.
Kind regards from Viola
Viola, thank you so much for sharing this history with me. I shall write that down and tape it inside this particular tin. Again, just now, I have learned something new! thank you so much!
DeleteSuch a lovely post Dianna and what a beautiful tin. We are getting rain here in Phoenix, it’s been lovely.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tina, for your kind words. I'm so glad to hear that you are getting rain
DeleteThis is so interesting! Do you still search thrift stores for the german tins?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Melba. Yes, I do but they are getting harder to find, at least in my area.
Delete