Christmas Dolls

If you have a daughter, Christmas means dolls!

In 1978, for our daughter Sarah's second Christmas

"Santa" gave her a new doll

From Fisher Price

It was "Beth's" birth year.    For 1978 was the year they introduced Beth.    She was made through 1980 -- a rather short run.

She was a sweet baby doll with a plastic head, arms and legs and a soft stuffed body.

She has  blonde brushable hair and big brilliant blue eyes

She came with a pink knitted sweater, bottles and cap.

Sarah loved her Beth

She was a very serious "mommy" to Beth!

Her second doll was another Fisher-Price -- My Friend Mandy.

Mandy was not a baby, she is a little girl, the perfect age to be a best friend.

I'm not sure what year Mandy came to live at our house -- but it was after 1978 but before 1982.

I'm thinking perhaps 1980.

Mandy (and her other friends) was the biggest and most successful doll line ever made by Fisher-Price.     She was in production until 1985 and the My Friend dolls are currently the most collectible Fisher-Price doll line.

In looking at Mandy and her friends, she was a "pre" American Girl doll.    

A similar style except she, like Beth, had a soft body.

And I'm not sure why, but I have no pictures of Sarah and Mandy!

But this isn't a story about Christmases past

It's about Christmas present

And a Christmas present

for the Grands!

What mothers save of their children's childhood

often does not make sense.

It did at the time . . . 

But not after 40 years!

But I did save Beth

and

the clothes I made for Beth

(as well as the other clothes I bought for Beth)

And I decided Christmas 2018 would be a good year for Beth to have a new home! I washed Beth I washed her clothes I had also saved Mandy But alas, all I had for Mandy was the outfit she came in! (including the hat!) So I spent many hours in December using mostly fabric scraps to make her some clothes! For we decided that Christmas 2018 would be a good time to pass these dolls on To the grands . . .  Piper (the three year old) got Beth and Lucy (her older sister) got Mandy And the trunks that I had for my dolls  and Sarah had for hers have been replaced by telescoping handled rolling suitcases! They were thrilled! Sarah was thrilled!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas

from

Linderhof

Lunch Bunch Christmas Lunch

We've been entertaining all December --

from the adult group at Church

to the

DAR

to

friends children

We've had parties galore!

But the best party is always

The Lunch Bunch Lunch!

It was this week

and we were ready --

The Magical City of Scott sparkled,

the tree held center stage between living room and dining room!

The table all set for lunch!

A "new" Quaker Lace cloth

(I've worn out the old one!)

The Christmas china

(Royal Doulton Tartan)

Jim's grandmother's cutlery

wee poinsettias in Waterford cache pots

damask napkins in the Christmas silver rings

And just before the ladies got here . .  .

14 salad/dessert plates came

In the Royal Doulton Tartan pattern

(an always wanted but couldn't afford)

But prices have come down drastically, so . . . 

They replaced the Lennox Holiday

(I do mix and match but I really like to match)!

The luncheon:

Indian-Chutney Spinach Salad

(loved that it had the red and green of the season and it looked so festive on the Tartan)

Apricot chicken

Served with garlic sour cream "noodles"

A peppermint cheesecake pie

Served with coffee

After dessert we opened presents

And the girls were more than generous --

A wonderful winter table runner from friend Joyce as well as a jar of

her homemade jelly

Sally's mustard (Christmas just wouldn't be the same without it)

And some wee paper dolls and a mixing bowl set

(to help me be a better Nana!)

It's always a fun day when The Lunch Bunch comes

but the Christmas luncheon is always THE BEST!

Mrs. Boland, Winston Churchill and Dundee Cake

Dundee Cakes are a tradition at Linderhof

Because for five years we lived across the hall

from Mrs. Boland

She was our landlady and friend

and since she was an older lady,

even Mother called her "Mrs. Boland"

rather than by her first name.

She was English

and always had a "cuppa" in the afternoon

With a nosh

Mother was a new bride when she moved into the apartment

owned by Mrs. Boland and her husband Charlie

When Mother had a cooking question,

she asked Mrs. Boland

And sometimes we would go across the hall

for tea.

We have several of Mrs. Boland's recipes

And one of them is Dundee Cake

Every year in early November,

I make them

Mrs. Boland's recipe makes one loaf

But I prefer to use my mini pans and make 4 small ones

A small one is a perfect size for tea

for one or two or even four!

 Slices showing the raisins and currants and the cherries

It is a fruitcake of sorts

But Mrs. Boland just had currants, raisins and cherries

Decorated with more cherries -- glace cherries

Not maraschino ones.

Everyone has a birthday saint

and mine is

Saint Nicholas

(for I was born on St. Nicholas  Eve)

I've always been partial to St. Nicholas

And so to celebrate his day, we have our first Dundee cake for tea that afternoon

And our St. Nicholas Teas Throughout the Year:

In the breakfast room, Christmas china and silver tea service --

it is a special tea, after all!

Tea for two in the living room

Christmas china, a silver bread tray holding the Dundee cake, and the Christmas china

Poinsettias make a great centerpiece for a St. Nicholas Tea

with the silver teapot and the Christmas china.

BG*, we used our breakfast room for casual meals during December

AG* it holds the Magical City of Scott

(BG - before grandchildren/AG - after grandchildren)

Another St. Nichols Tea in the breakfast room

with the Christmas China and the Dundee Cake on a favorite Christmas serving plate

How does Winston Churchill fit into all of this?

Well, we got to meet Sir Winston in March

(really Randy Otto who is a Churchill reenacter -- but meeting him

you feel as if you had met Churchill himself!)

He even came to lunch!

And he mentioned that one of Sir Winston's favorite tea treats was Dundee Cake

And I told him that I made them every year for St. Nicholas Day

He was amazed that someone in a little town in Kansas not only knew what a 

Dundee cake was but actually made them!

I said that I would send him one when I made them this fall!

And I did --

make them

And sent him one

This week I got this note from Randy:

I am sharing the precious Dundee morsels with Jonathan Sandys (Churchill’s great-grandson) his mother, sister & nieces.
...and it has created a terrible problem for me personally...they tell me that I MUST bring your Dundee cake whenever I visit.
What do you say to a Churchill?

Imagine -- a Churchill ate my Dundee Cake!

And they approved!!!!

And it appears that the Churchill family will be on my Christmas list from now on

with a Christmas gift of a Dundee cake!

How thrilled am I!

And I thank Mrs. Boland for giving Mother the recipe all those years ago.

I did make some changes -- mostly because of difficulty in buying ingredients here.

It's a wonderful cake and it is our first fruitcake of the Christmas season

And it's a perfect tea cake!

Mrs. Boland's Dundee Cake

2 sticks of unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 c. sugar

4 eggs

2 T. fresh orange juice (I also add the zested peel)

1 t. vanilla

1/2 c. blanched chopped almonds

2 1/2 c. cake flour

1/2 t. salt

1 t. baking powder

1 c. raisins (I use a mixture of dark and golden)

1 1/2 c. currants (if I can't find them I just use 2 c. raisins -- one dark/one golden)

1/2 c. ctiron, chopped (I rarely use this because it is hard to get here)

1/2 c. candied cherries

Preheat oven to 275.    Grease and flour 2 41/2 x 9 inch loaf pans.   (I always use 4 small loaf pans)

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar, mixing well.   Add the eggs, one at a time, beating 5 mintues after each egg.    Stir in orange juice, vanilla and almonds (this is when I stir in the zest).

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl.    Add the fruit and mix by hand until well floured.   Add the fruit to the butter/sugar mixture and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pans.    Decorate with cherries and almonds in festive designs.

Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven.    Check with doneness with a toothpick or cake tester.

The little cakes take a lot less time -- I just watch and pull them when the toothpick comes out clean.

DO NOT OVERBAKE!    When the cakes are done, cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.    When cool, wrap in aluminum foil and freeze.

✌🏻