Got Mildew?

We had three towels that must have gotten left in the washer too long one time and though they'd smell fresh before you used them, the moment you went to dry yourself off after the shower the stank like mildew so bad.

I don't remember where I read this handy hint, but I recalled you can use vinegar to remove the smell of mildew from towels. Figuring it was worth a try here's what I did:

1. Using the hottest water possible, add 1-2 cups white vinegar to washer.

2. Add towels and run a wash cycle.

3. Leaving the towels in the washer, run the washer again using the hottest water possible, this time with detergent. (I prefer to use this kind.)

4. Transfer towels to dryer and dry on the hottest setting possible until completely dry.

It worked fantastic! I'm sure there are many other great uses for vinegar. I might have to check this book out to learn what some of them are:

(click the above image for a sneak peek inside the book)

Mexi-Chicken Soup

My mother-in-law’s birthday was this past Sunday but we were busy at parties celebrating my husbands new mayor position so we didn’t celebrate until last night. She’s been sick with a cold and all she wanted was soup.

I did a take on the regular old chicken soup and made one of my mom’s recipes. Hubby is not a big fan of this soup because he doesn’t like brothy soups. I’m normally not a fan of brothy soups myself, but I like this one. To try to accommodate him, I add extra corn and beans to the mix to make it a little more hearty.

If you’re short on time or money, this is a healthy, flavorful and affordable soup.

MEXI-CHICKEN SOUP

3 cans (13-3/4 oz. each) chicken broth
1 can (15-1/4 oz.) whole kernel corn, undrained (2 cans for heartier soup)
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 can (15 oz.) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (2 cans for heartier soup)
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins cut into pieces
dash crushed red pepper
tortilla chips
cheese and sour cream to garnish

Cook chicken in skillet over medium to medium-high heat until lightly browned. In large saucepan, combine chicken broth, corn, diced tomatoes, beans, and red pepper. Add chicken and bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for about 15 minutes. Put chips in soup bowls and top with soup garnished with sour cream and grated cheese. Serves 8.

So proud of my hubby

Well, the Lord answered our prayers! Yesterday hubby was sworn in as Mayor. I'm so proud of him and know he'll do a fantastic job.

The county surrogate delivered the oath. She and hubby ran together a few years ago when he ran for a seat on the county governing body.

She had the nicest things to say about hubs. She even said she wishes she was his mother!

Taking the oath. I'm so proud of him!

Our newly sworn in mayor.

A very happy day. Now it's time for the real work to begin. I've already been asked what my platform will be as First Lady! Ha! I don't think it really makes a difference in a town with 35,000 residents.

How To Remove Wax

While attending Christmas Eve service, the candle I held while singing Silent Night managed to drip wax beneath the paper holder and onto my black pants.

My mother-in-law had a great tip on how to remove the wax.

Place your pants (or whatever item you get wax on) on the ironing board. Cover the area that has the wax on it with a dry paper towel. Using an iron on the low setting, iron over the paper towel until the towel has absorbed the wax from the fabric.

It took less than 30 seconds and worked like a charm!

Count Me Out

I’ve been thinking of a few different crafts I’d like to try this year and came across a picture for one that I know I will definitely not try.

I don’t know about you, but these:

just don’t scream fashionable to me. Or classy. Or flattering. They scream a lot of things, but fashionable, classy and flattering definitely do not make the list.

Here is one New Year’s resolution I am definitely keeping: “I will not under any circumstances make and/or wear tie-dyed leggings.”

(My apologies to those of you who may find these stylish. Perhaps I can arrange for you to go on a shopping spree courtesy of What Not To Wear.)

My “Bucket List” for 2010

Happy New Year’s Eve! Any big plans for tonight? It’s snowing outside and I have two movies waiting for me to pick up at the Red box on my way home from work. Tonight I’m going to watch movies while snuggled in front of the fire with my hubby. Hopefully we’ll be able to stay awake until midnight, but our track record the past couple years hasn’t been too good. Ha!

I’m not one to make resolutions normally, but I do want to list a few things I am looking forward to or hoping to accomplish in 2010.

Here is my “bucket list” for this year in no particular order:

1. Watch the Vancouver Olympics (we saw the bobsled course here and here)
2. Go skiing in Aspen with my hubby
3. Watch hubby enjoy serving another year as mayor
4. Celebrate my “baby” bro’s graduation from college
5. Spend Christmas in Tennessee with my family
6. Finally move out of my in-laws house after two years and into our own place for the first time ever in our married life
7. Expand our family, Lord willing
8. Purchase the 95 acre ranch my hubby has wanted for years
9. Build the guest house/garage on the ranch to live in while we build the main house (this will help accomplish #6)
10. Pay cash for everything we purchase
11. Pay off our last student loans and all our credit card debt
12. Visit with my nephews
13. Travel to Turkey with my parents (as long as #7 hasn’t happened yet)
14. Finish renovating the kitchen in our “flip” house
15. Look into renting or selling the “flip” house
16. Faithfully complete the P90X workout routine
17. Transfer my shop location to Etsy to hopefully increase traffic and sales
18. Let my husband know every day how much he is cherished and appreciated
19. Get back into a consistent size 4 pant (only have to drop 5 pounds)
20. Take a cake decorating class
21. Giveaway or sell a lot of things I no longer use
22. Organize our mounds of paperwork
23. Celebrate the birth of a “nephew” on hubby’s side of the family
24. Get even more connected with the start-up church we’re attending
25. Grow my hair out and get a new hairstyle
26. Faithfully write our new Compassion sponsor child each month
27. Craft more
28. Read more
29. Watch less TV
30. And for my mom, travel to NYC with my mother

What are your resolutions or bucket list items for 2010?

P.S. We find out this Sunday if my hubby gets elected to serve as mayor again, so please be praying his wish comes true.

Some Changes Have Been Made

As long as you’re not reading this blog via a reader, I’m sure you noticed some changes I made to the layout in the past couple days.

In an effort to bring in a little extra income each month, I decided to give ad sense and other similar things a test drive.

I tried to put the buttons in places where they’re not annoying yet still visible. However, I care more about this blog being user-friendly than I do the few dollars it may bring in each month so if the ads are bothersome, please let me know.

It really is the best. Ever.

Last night I finally gave in to the rave reviews this lasagna has received and decided to try it for myself.

And let me tell you.

It really is the best lasagna. EVER.

And thank goodness because I didn’t get home until after 6pm and it took over 3 hours 30 minutes for my water to boil for the stinkin’ noodles and the whole time I was telling my hubby that it was really going to be worth the wait.

Boy was I glad it turned out delicious or he might still be upset that I feed him at 7:30pm two nights in a row!

Do yourself a favor. If you have never made Pioneer Woman’s lasagna go buy all the ingredients and make it tonight.

My mouth is already preparing itself for another serving of it tonight.

Christmas Dinner

I volunteered to make Christmas dinner this year. After all, I figured it was only fair seeing how we invited one of hubby’s friends and my boss and his son and daughter over. Unfortunately, only our friend is able to make it (my boss says he’s too much of a bah humbug this year to be good company!) so it’s not going to be as big of a group as originally thought, but I’m still having fun with the menu and table setting.

For the menu, I’m mainly making the items my mom used to make when we were growing up with one or two additions and a couple twists on others.

Here is my menu:

• Pineapple Glazed Ham (using one of my mother-in-law’s recipes)
• Corn Casserole
• Raspberry Jello Salad
• Rosemary Butter Rolls (my addition)
• Green Bean Casserole (my family never has this, but my hubby likes it so I make it for him the holidays we’re with his side of the family)
• Oven Roasted Asparagus (my addition)
• Spinach Dip
• Pineapple Casserole (the version from my hubby’s side of the family)
• Spicy Sweet Potatoes
• Cranberry Cocktails (cranberry juice and sprite) 
• Brownie & Peppermint Pie (my addition)

Here are the recipes if you’re interested:

PINEAPPLE GLAZED HAM

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
½ cup maple-flavored syrup
¼ cup Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard
1 (5 lb) whole fully cooked boneless ham
Whole cloves
1 T cornstarch
1 (20-oz) can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix sugar, syrup and mustard until well blended; set aside. Score ham with sharp knife; insert cloves into ham as desired. Place ham on rack in shallow baking pan. Bake 2 hours or until ham reaches an internal temperature of 140° when tested in center with meat thermometer, brushing occasionally with ½ cup of the syrup mixture after 1½ hours. Mix remaining syrup mixture with cornstarch and pineapple with its liquid in saucepan; cook on medium-high heat until mixture comes to boil and thickens, stirring constantly. Serve with sliced ham.

RASPBERRY JELLO SALAD

16 oz. can crushed pineapple
20 oz. frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed
2 3 oz. pkg. raspberry jello
2 c. applesauce
½ c. chopped pecans

Drain pineapple and raspberries, reserving juices. Place in large bowl and set aside. Add enough water to juice to measure one cup. Pour into saucepan; bring to boil. Remove from heat and stir in jello until dissolved. Pour over fruit mixture. Add applesauce and pecans. Pour into serving dish. Chill until set. Makes 12 servings.

OVEN ROASTED ASPARAGUS

Asparagus (how ever much you need for your group)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Wash and trim asparagus (how ever much you need to feed your group). Lay in a single layer on foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until asparagus shrivel to about half their size and are super delicious. If you have to, you can roast them at a lower temp for a longer period of time.

PINEAPPLE CASSEROLE

½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
2 medium cans of pineapple chunks or tidbits
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 stick melted margarine
1 stack of Ritz crackers, crushed

Drain pineapple but save 3 tablespoons of juice.  Mix the sugar, flour, juice and pineapple together.  Place in a greased casserole dish.  Sprinkle cheese on top. Melt butter and mix with crushed crackers.  Sprinkle on top. Bake on 350 for 30 minutes.  Or if you want to make it ahead of time, bake if to 25 minutes and keep in fridge.  Take it out about 30 minutes ahead of time to thaw out then bake for 10-15 minutes to heat.

 

SPICY SWEET POTATOES

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 6 cups)
2 T. olive or canola oil
2 T. brown sugar
1 t. chili powder
½ t. salt
¼ t. cayenne pepper

In large resealable plastic bag, toss potatoes and oil. Add remaining ingredients; toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 11 x 7 inch baking dish. Bake uncovered at 400 for 40-45 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring every 15 minutes. Serves 8.

 

BROWNIE & PEPPERMINT PIE

*I haven’t ever made this and am not using a recipe, so I don’t know how it will turn out*

Brownie mix (and items to make it according to pkg)
Peppermint ice cream
Hot fudge

Mix brownie mix according to pkg directions. Spread in the bottom of a greased springform pan. Bake brownies until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool completely. Spread softened ice cream on top. Freeze until ice cream hardens. Spread hot fudge on top and freeze. Thaw at room temp about 20-30 minutes before serving.

Bling baby, bling

*12/29/09* Linking up to Kimba's DIY Party. See more projects here.*

If you’ve opened a magazine this year that has even a page dedicated to fashion, you have no doubt seen the jewelry craze that is all the rage…the bib necklace.

I was watching Martha the other day and she had a guest on giving a tutorial on how to make your own bib necklace. Of course I was all over this and had to get the supplies to make one of my own. All you need is some satin ribbon, felt, acrylic jewels and fabric glue.

A cute top to wear with your bib necklace is nice too. Thankfully I had a coupon for $10 worth of free stuff from JC Penny so I found a cute purple top with a ruffle neckline. Purple is very in this season too so it works out great.

Last night I arranged all my gems and glued them on and today I’m sporting my “WWE Wrestling Belt” as my husband dubbed it. Men! They just don’t get fashion! At least he said it was for the lightweight division. :)

What do you think?

This necklace cost me less than $10 to make and they are easily retailing anywhere between $50 to over $500 depending on what magazine you’re reading.

Christmas Gift Idea – Sewing Projects

Here are the last two homemade gifts I made this year. I just recently relearned how to sew and am trying to broaden my sewing skills. I made a half retro apron for my sister and a fun sock monkey for my nephew. They opened them a week ago when they celebrated Christmas with our parents and both gifts were quite a hit!

For the apron, I followed a pattern from a book I picked up at the library called A is for Apron. There are lots of cute patterns in the book, but it didn’t get great reviews because the instructions are kind of haphazard and the patterns aren’t always correct.

My sister likes retro things so I thought this half apron would be cute. I picked up the fabric at Wal-Mart for less than $4 total, so it was a very reasonable project. My mother-in-law (who used to sew wedding dresses for a living) showed me how to use interfacing to make the waistband stiffer and how to line it to give it a more finished look because the book ignored both of these things. I think for my first piece of “clothing” it came out pretty good! And, it only took me a couple of hours.

I had ironed it, but then it got folded up in my luggage and I pulled it out quick to model it, so please ignore the wrinkles in these photos. Also, the waist band is made to be tied in the back, but it could also tie in the front like I show it here.

The other project I made was a sock monkey for my nephew. I found the tube socks at Target for $3.50 and had all the batting. This took longer to make than the apron because the ears, mouth, arms and tail were all sewed on by hand extra well to make sure no little toddler hands could yank them off easily. I posted more about this here. This is what the monkey looked like when I was finished:

Here is the cutie opening the gift and checking out his new friend.

Here he is in his little chair carrying on a conversation with him.

Looks like the sock monkey was quite the hit!

I’m linking up to Kimba’s DIY day with this post. Hop on over to check out more projects.

Thank a Troop

Many people in my family and many friends currently serve or have served in all branches of the military. At this time of year especially, it's important to remember our troops serving overseas. Please click here to send them a free card.

Snowman Comics

Someone sent me these while I was posting about the predicted snowstorm. How fitting!

Enjoy! Click on each one to enlarge it in a new window.

I love you snow, but please wait a little longer

First off, I wanted to clarify that in my post from yesterday I was in no way implying that there is never the proper time or place to wish someone "Happy Hanukkah" or that one shouldn't celebrate Hanukkah. I was more just commenting that people shouldn't be offended by the greeting of "Merry Christmas" because it's a holiday that is inclusive of all people.

Now, back to the snow.

Tomorrow hubby and I are supposed to be meeting up with our friend Katie and her new man in NYC. Today hubby is in Georgia for business and his flight is supposed to get back in to Philadelphia tomorrow at 8:30am -just in time for me to pick him up and make the trek into the city before our friends bus arrives from DC. We have grand plans for lunch at our favorite mexican restaurant, ice skating in central park, viewing the Rockefeller center tree, window shopping the Macy's christmas windows, and enjoying a delicious cupcake from one of our favorite little bakeries.

Well, there's one tiny little problem.

We're supposed to get snow starting tonight. Lots and lots of snow. 3-10 inches worth of snow.

While I'm normally all up for a snowstorm, I really need this one to hold off until hubby's plane makes it in tomorrow. I'd be so disappointed if our friends make the journey all the way from DC to NYC and then we don't get to see them because hubs flight is delayed.

If we didn't have this day in NYC planned, and if hubby wasn't travelling home tomorrow, I'd be estatic about possibly being snowed in this weekend. As it is, I'm praying the storm holds off until at least 9am tomorrow. Please join me in this prayer?

And, if we're able to have our day in the city as planned, I'll make sure to post photos next week! Enjoy your last weekend before Christmas!

What's so bad about "Merry Christmas"?

Last night was the last city council meeting for the year. I try to make it to every meeting (which is twice a month) to support my hubby who serves on the council. The first and last meetings of the year are sometimes the most entertaining.

The thing that was mind boggling to me last night was how many people in the public had to come up to wish everyone a joyous holiday by saying, "Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa and to all you Seinfeld fans, Happy Festivus."

What is wrong with us?

Why can't we just say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hanukkah" depending on which background we're from? Why is it that people are so offended if they receive a holiday greeting that is of a different faith? Personally, I'd rather hear "Happy Hanukkah" than "Happy Holidays".

But really, what is wrong with all of us wishing one another "Merry Christmas"?

After all, it's historical fact that this country was founded on Christian religious beliefs. Christmas is the only one of the three holidays that has major religious undertones. Hanukkah is not a major religious holiday for Judaism. According to Wikipedia, "Hanukkah is not mentioned in the Bible and was never considered a major holiday in Judaism, but it has become much more visible and widely celebrated in modern times, mainly because it falls around the same time as Christmas and has national Jewish overtones that have been emphasized since the establishment of the State of Israel" and according to the Official Kwanzaa website, Kwanzaa is "a cultural message which speaks to the best of what it means to be African and human in the fullest sense."

A few things I glean from these quotes: 1. Hanukkah is really only for those of a Jewish background and 2. Kwanzaa is only for those of African decent.

Here's the thing about Christmas, though... IT'S FOR EVERYONE!

Christ didn't come to earth as a baby, die on the cross, and rise again just for the Jews. He didn't do it just for the Africans. He did it for EVERYONE!

I've had enough of political correctness, and that my dear readers, is why I strongly believe in wishing everyone a "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" After all, it is the only one of the three holidays that really does include all of us.

P.S. I'm not saying don't celebrate other religions holidays. Personally, I enjoy celebrating a Seder feast around Easter because as a believer there is so much more meaning in that Jewish feast when you understand that the Messiah has already come.

The Newest Addition to our Family

This sweet baby was born last night. Hopefully today hubs will be able to learn whether it's a bull or a heifer.

Nothing like a cute new born calf.

Holiday Baking

In continuation with the handcrafted Christmas gift kick I’m on this year, I decided to spend Saturday in a baking frenzy so I’d have lots of treats to give away. Here was my list for the day:

1. Cake Balls (about 5 dozen)
2. Chocolate Truffles with Sea Salt (about 4 dozen)
3. Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix (made enough for 4 pint size jars)
4. Homemade Marshmallows (I halved the recipe)
5. Savannah Bow Ties (about 4 dozen)
6. White Chocolate Chunk & Dried Cherry Cookies (a little over 9 dozen)
7. Corn Chowder (for dinner)
8. 3 loaves of French bread (for dinner)

I’m proud to say I accomplished all of it on Saturday besides the marshmallows and bow ties because I decided to go see a local remake of Scrooge with my in-laws, but I finished those items after church on Sunday.

Here are my reviews for numbers 1 to 6 (and I’m sure the first two will be sacrilegious to some readers!):

1. Cake Balls – Everybody it seems raves about these little treats Bakerella has made so popular. Personally, after tasting them, they were so not worth the time and mess. I have a major sweet tooth and these were too sweet for me. Maybe if I used only half the frosting they’d be better, but honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever make them again.

2. Chocolate Truffles with Sea Salt – I’ve tried a few different recipes from the Pioneer Woman lately and they’ve all been hit or miss. These looked delicious, though, and I stowed them away in my brain until now. They were rather easy to make and pretty tasty, but I’m not a big fan of the sea salt. Plus, it made my chocolate look weird the next day. I might make these again, but more likely I’ll keep searching for a raspberry truffle recipe.

3. Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix – This had received mix reviews, but unfortunately the most helpful ones weren’t posted until after I made it. Seems these newer reviewers had the same thoughts I did. This mix has a good beginning, but it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of chocolaty taste. Tonight I’m going to dump all my jars out and add more cocoa powder and powder sugar as these reviewers suggest and see if it helps.

4. Homemade Marshmallows – Not being a big marshmallow fan (unless it’s in hot cocoa or on a s’more) I’m not going to review these based on taste (although they did have a nice marshmallow flavor). I don’t know if it’s because I halved the recipe or what, but my marshmallows were not pourable at all. I used a candy thermometer and followed the directions exactly, but half of my mixture got left in the mixing bowl and the part that made it into the pan never spread into a smooth layer. I may try these again, but most likely not.

5. Savannah Bow Ties – Hubby and I saw Paula Deen make these a couple years ago and have made them every Christmas since then. They are pretty yummy. Expensive and tedious to make, but yummy.

6. White Chocolate Chunk & Dried Cherry Cookies – This is one of the Christmas cookies my mom makes every year and hubby’s favorite of hers. It’s based on the Mrs. Field’s chocolate chip cookie recipe and is very good. Here is the recipe:

White Chocolate Chunk & Dried Cherry Cookies

5 c. old fashioned oats
4 sticks butter
2 c. each brown and white sugar
4 eggs
2 t. vanilla
4 c. flour
1 t. salt
2 t. each baking powder and soda
24 oz. white chocolate chips
3 c. dried cherries (can substitute cherry flavored craisins)

Blend oats to fine powder. Mix butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In separate bowl combine oatmeal, flour, baking powder, and soda. Add to butter mixture. Blend well. Stir in chips and nuts. Roll into balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 –12 minutes.

Makes: Approx. 9 dozen

Here are my treats all finished and ready to be packaged. I picked up 6 Martha Stewart craft boxes from Michael’s because they were 50% off. Each one has four different compartments so I included four of each of the following: cake balls, white chocolate-dried cherry cookies, savannah bow ties and chocolate truffles with sea salt. Hubby is going to give these away to people he works with. The hot cocoa and marshmallows will be packaged nicely and given away to some of hubby’s clients or friends and the rest will be enjoyed by our family or taken to my office.

What are some of your favorite holiday baking recipes?

“Worst Procedure of the Day” Award

I posted here and here a little bit about how I’ve been having some stomach issues we’re trying to figure out. On the 2nd I had the fun experience of going for a colonoscopy.

When I walked in to the office, I was by far the youngest patient there that day if not ever. Once I changed into my lovely little gown again (maybe I should think about designing some more stylish ones if I’m going to have to be wearing them this frequently) it was on to the oh so comfortable hospital bed to await my turn to be knocked out and examined. As I’m waiting, I notice all the patients two to three times my age being wheeled out from the exam room are awake and conversing with the nurses and enjoying a nice little snack.

Boy a snack sure sounded good. I hadn’t had anything to eat since before midnight on the 31st and it was now 2:30pm on the 2nd. This hypoglycemic girl was starting to get a little “hangry”. Ha! Don’t remember where I heard that word, but it sums up the mad moods that accompany extreme hunger perfectly.

Then it was my turn to get wheeled back in. I remembered them asking me to lie on my left side and I remember thinking how it hurt a little when the doctor placed the anesthesia into my iv, but that’s all I remembered until they were waking me up 40 minutes AFTER they had already wheeled me in to recovery. And, they were only waking me up so they could all go home!

In fact, the doctor actually told me I was their worst procedure of the day because it was the most difficult. Who would have thought the 28 year old would cause more problems than the 80 year old grandpa?

Turns out the reason why I was sleeping so soundly was because they had to give me a double dose of anesthesia to compensate for getting around my newly discovered twisted colon and removing a polyp.

They called me this past Monday to tell me the results of the biopsy (it’s benign) and to tell me that the doctor would like to see me in his office again in 6 months and that I’m supposed to go for another colonoscopy in 3 years. When I asked her what I’m supposed to do about my symptoms in the next six months her response was “oh, if they still bother you, come in sooner.” Well, HELLO! of course they still bother me.

So basically, I’ve gone through countless blood tests, drank tons of barium for x-rays, went for a CT scan and suffered through the “worst procedure of the day” colonoscopy only to be told “come back in six months.” Are you kidding me?! I thought after three doctors I’d finally have some answers, but I guess not.

Man, I really should have gone on to medical school like originally planned so I could at least treat myself.

At least I got a free pair of warm socks out of the deal.

Christmas Gift Idea – Magazine Subscription

I always have a hard time thinking of what handcrafted items I could make for the men in the family. I know they all love food, but at the same time, that just doesn’t seem like a substantial enough gift for a relative.

One thing that I received last year was a few different magazine subscriptions and I have loved looking through each issue when it arrives in the mail monthly. That gave me the idea to give them each a subscription of their own.

My brother-in-law is originally from Montana and loves all things associated with hunting and fishing. I thought there would be no better thing than a subscription to Field & Stream. A simple Google search provided me a place to get the subscription for 80% off the cover price.

My dad enjoys remodeling homes and lending us a hand renovating our 1906 house. He also loves watching This Old House. Hubby receives the magazine and it is full of great ideas and info on how to tackle certain remodeling projects. I thought this would be perfect for my dad and turns out I was right. I found a very affordable subscription on Amazon.com. They have tons of different magazine subscriptions available for $5 right now.

Christmas Gift Idea - Jewelry

This year I have really developed a love for crafting jewelry. Every year I try to make as many handcrafted gifts as I can for Christmas, and this year was no exception. I made three different jewelry items to give as gifts this year.

The first is for my brother’s girlfriend, Leah. The variety of colors reminds me of her bright personality. I love this cuff bracelet so much I almost kept it for myself because it goes with absolutely everything. It would look fabulous with jeans and a simple bright colored top.

     

Cuff bracelets are really in vogue right now so I’m excited to see what different combos I can make. This bracelet uses black wood spacers and chips of Italian Milfori glass.

 

The next thing I made was a bracelet for my friend Sonja. I posted recently that she just learned she has stage 4 cancer. We were hoping to be able to get in touch while I was visiting family for Thanksgiving, but were unable to because I had a cold and she couldn’t afford to be exposed to germs. This bracelet uses pink glass beads, pink Swarovski crystals, and cream Czech glass pearls. I chose pink because her cancer started as breast cancer.

I also made two pairs of earrings for my mom. One was gold chandelier earrings and the other was sterling silver with a clear Swarovski crystal and black pearls I got on our honeymoon trip to the Cook Islands. Unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures of those before I gave them to her, but I liked them so much I’ll probably be making myself a pair of each shortly and will post a photo then.

Making your own jewelry is a fun and easy craft to learn. There are tons of beads available at your local craft store. If you want better pricing and plan on making lots of jewelry, I suggest purchasing from Fire Mountain Gems. Their selection and pricing is awesome and they have great customer service.

Gift Ideas: Packaging

I was reading Money Saving Mom this morning to see if there were any coupon deals and she had a link to this awesome tutorial on How to Make a Gift Bow from Recycled Materials.

If you're anything like me, you have TONS of magazines lying around (thanks to the free subscriptions M.S.M. tells us about) that you could use to make bows. I definitely think I'll have to make some to use.

Endless Holiday Music

I love listening to Christmas music all December long, but I’ve always had a difficult time finding a station that played a good mix of the traditional Christian Christmas carols and the whimsical holiday songs.

I remembered reading about Pandora not too long ago so I figured I’d check it out and all I can say is it is FABULOUS!

It was so easy to plug in artists, songs, and types of music that I was looking for and it came up with a great playlist for me. I’ve been listening to it all day at work for over a week and I rarely hear the same song by the same artist. Plus, there are hardly any commercial breaks (maybe one 10 second one an hour if that).

I know I will definitely be tuning to Pandora for my annual Christmas music fix and most likely for my daily work playlists after the holiday.

Have you ever used Pandora? I just wish there was a way I could download some of the songs onto my iTunes so I can load them on my iPod shuffle.

Christmas Gift Ideas: Donations

I’m happy to say that I have been all done with my Christmas “shopping” since before Thanksgiving. “Shopping” is in quotes because I didn’t actually visit a single store to purchase any gift. Every year I try to make as many gifts as I can and this year is no exception. The only store I visited was the craft store for a few supplies that I didn’t already have on hand.

Plus, this year I only had to “shop” for my side of the family because my hubby’s family decided to not exchange gifts this year due to the economy. Instead, we’re going to celebrate by having our traditional Christmas Eve dinner at hubby’s grandma’s house and then I’m  hosting a dinner on Christmas Day.

We did still want to get something for our grandparents, though. I was trying to think of something that they’d all really enjoy besides the basic coffee or bath and body products. Personally, I know I have way too many of those kinds of gifts just sitting around in drawers taking up space.

After a little thought, we decided to donate things such as mosquito nets, seeds, half of an alpaca, or a Bible in their name via World Vision.

Over Thanksgiving, we celebrated Christmas with two sets of my grandparents and they both loved their gifts. They said it was great because they really didn’t need more stuff, and they’d much rather have us spend our money for a good cause. I was so delighted that their response was the exact response I thought they’d have.

If you’re looking for a great gift idea for someone who doesn’t need anything, then seriously consider making a donation in their name. The World Vision Gift Catalog is perfect because there is a wide variety of gifts in many different price ranges.

Over the next few days I’ll post other Christmas gift ideas I’m using this year in case you’re interested.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I finally had the opportunity to put the tree up and decorate this past Saturday. I really wanted a live tree this year, but because we ended up received the first snow of the year on Saturday (yippee!!) and because my checkbook is running a little low, I decided to stick with the artificial tree.

In an attempt to save myself a little effort this year, I only decorated the half of the tree that you can actually see. It was so much easier to just string the lights from left to right and back again instead of having to squeeze in the corner to wrap them all the way around the tree.

When I came down Sunday morning to a beautiful fire roaring in the fireplace thanks to may wonderful husband, I just had to snap a picture.

Here are a few more of different spots around the room:

 

 

P.S. Thanks for your patience during my absence from blogging. I have a lot of pictures of things to post soon and I’m hoping to start on my holiday baking this coming weekend, so I’ll post recipes as I go along as well.

So Long, Farewell

until the 30th anyways. I'm about to be internetless again. I was going to try to get some posts set up today so that there'd still be something to read while I was gone, but seeing how I'm just now leaving work (an hour after I'm supposed to), that obviously didn't happen.

But, when I return I hope to have some new crafts to post and look forward to catching up on everyone out there in blog world.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Christmas Gift Idea: Bird’s Nest Planter

Earlier this year I saw Martha make these rustic “bird’s nest” planters that held paper whites. I thought they’d make a great gift idea for some of hubby’s clients, but I didn’t know where I’d find paper whites at an affordable price.

Well, last night I stopped by the Christmas Tree Shop on my way home from work because someone sent me a coupon for 20% off your entire purchase. Lo and behold, when I walked in the door, right there were packages of paper white bulbs with a pot and simple instructions on how to plant for $3.99!

At that price, I should be able to make each bird’s nest planter with flowers for less than $10 each which is definitely a reasonable price to spend on gifts. If I decide not to go with the bird’s nest planters, I could easily wrap some nice burlap fabric around the pot and tie a ribbon with some embellishments around it too. That’d be even cheaper than $10.

Want to make your own bird’s nest planter? Click here to get the instructions.

And, if you live near a Christmas Tree Shop, here is your own 20% off coupon to use:

Homemade Granola

I finally remembered to grab the recipe from home so I could post this. My hubby loves having a snack of granola and yogurt. I’ve been meaning to make him some more homemade granola for a long time but kept putting it off because I had remembered it as a long process. Well my memory didn’t serve me correctly because making homemade granola couldn’t be easier. And, when my mom-in-law tells me she bought all the ingredients for it because I make the best, it’s hard to say no.

So, a couple weekends ago I whipped up a batch and we’ve been enjoying it ever since. Thought you might enjoy the recipe too. I have to thank hubby’s aunt for passing it on to me.

First, place whatever nuts you desire in a pan and toast them to develop their full flavor. As Rachael Ray says, “your nose knows” when they’re done. Just keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.

This time I used sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, ground flax seed, and slivered almonds.

Meanwhile, in microwave safe bowl, combine these ingredients:

Microwave until the sugar starts to dissolve and it’s easy to stir.

In a LARGE bowl, measure out 10 cups of oats.

Add your toasted nuts and stir to combine.

Pour on the liquid ingredients and stir until all the oats and nuts are moistened.

Next, add in whatever dried fruit you like.

I used golden raisins and craisins. I’ve used dried cherries and blueberries before which is also very yummy. Stir until the fruit is evenly distributed.

In a parchment lined jelly roll pan, spread the granola in a layer that is about 1/2” thick.

Bake in a preheated oven until the edges are browned and the middle starts to feel firm to the touch.

NOTE: You’ll think you need to bake it longer than you actually do. When you pull it out of the oven, it will still be kind of sticky and soft. As it cools it will harden. Once the edges are browned, take it out otherwise you’ll end up with burned granola.

I tried to show you the difference between the baked (in the pan) and the unbaked (in the bowl) above, but they look too similar on my camera. You can see that the edges of the pan are browned, though.

I immediately transfer the baked granola to another storage container to cool. As it cools, I use my hands to break it up into chunks.

One batch filled 1/2 of one of those giant animal cracker containers. This will last us for quite awhile and it is so delicious when served on top of yogurt.

AUNT NANCY’S GRANOLA

10 cups oats
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup honey
3/4 cup canola oil
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups worth of dried fruit

Place nuts/seeds in skillet and toast over medium to medium-high heat until they reach desired toastiness. Place oats in a large bowl. In a microwave safe container, heat the brown sugar, honey and oil for 1.5 minutes to make it easier to stir and combine them. Add the toasted nuts to the oats and stir to combine. Pour the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until everything is coated. Add the dried fruit. Stir to combine. In parchment lined jelly roll sheets, flatten granola into 1/2” thick layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, checking often. It’s done when the edges start to brown and the middle is firmer to the touch. Remember, it will harden more as it cools. Store in an airtight container and enjoy for many days/weeks on top of yogurt.

Personally, this version is much tastier and much healthier than any version you could buy in the store. It is also much more budget friendly.