Greetings

During this very busy time of the year

I wanted to take a moment and wish you, my blog family,

a blessed holiday season.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for visiting my blog

and welcoming me into the blogging world.

 

My parents are up visiting for the holiday

and I am taking some time off.

We will be enjoying loads of laughter, loads of hugging,

 and times of remembrance, all filled with a ton of love.

Have a wonderful holiday!

See you in 2015!

Pretzel Turtles

Hi Everyone!  The holiday season is well underway. Do you still feel like there is still so much to do or and I the only one? House is decorated, cookies are baked (see what I made here), gifts bought, so now let the wrapping begin.

My parents are coming up from Florida to celebrate the holidays with me, the Hubby, and Otis. Our home is all a buzz with anticipation. I see a lot of spoiling in Otis's future... lol.

Today I have a real quick and easy recipe for a candy treat. I am not kidding you, I mean this is really, really easy, the perfect recipe for a busy time of year.

It only requires 3 ingredients, there are no bowls to mess, no special kitchen gadget needed, and practically no clean-up. Are you ready?

Here is what you will need:

• Salted Pretzels (I used the waffle kind, but the traditional shape works just as well)
• Bag of Rolos Candy
• Bag of Pecan Halves

 

Here is what you do:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Line a cookie sheet with tin foil (that way there is no clean up). Line your pretzels on the cookie sheet. Unwrap the Rolos (this is probably the hardest part (not really), but if you have little one this is a perfect job for them). Place 1 Rolo in the center of the pretzel. 
• Pop them into the oven for 3-4 minutes.

• Remove from oven and smush (yes I said smush) a pecan half into the melted Rolo candy.

• Then let cool. If you like you can pop them into the fridge for about 10-20 minutes. If you do after removing from the fridge let them warm up a bit before eating so the caramel is not too hard.

Did I not tell you this was an easy peasy recipe and they taste amazing!
Mom & Dad can't wait until you are here to taste them.... YUM!

Are there any short cut recipes you like to make?

Many Blessing,

Cookies, Cookies, and More Cookies

Hi All! Hope you had a fantastic weekend!!! We were busy, busy, busy in our house hold. It was a Christmas Cookie Baking kind of weekend. The kitchen and dining room were all a buzz.  Since I have a galley kitchen, there were cookies everywhere (and flour dust)...

I baked 7 different kinds of cookies, bring the grand total to about 700+ cookies.... WOW.

It is a lot of work and each year when I start I think this might be my last year. But then the cookies start coming out of the oven. Their nostalgia smell fills the air and I am brought back to my childhood, helping my Mom with the baking. Without a doubt next year I will be baking cookies yet again.

There are ones I bake every year (without fail) that are traditional Italian cookies like Anginette, Morsetti, and Biscotti. In addition to those I like to shake things up each year selecting a different variety of cookies. This year I selected a Hungarian Cheese-Filled Thumbprint, Mint Chocolate Chip (they taste like GS Thin Mints), Raspberry Oat Bars, and the 7 Layer Bar.

The chocolate frosted are Morsettis (spice cookie).  The white frosted are Anginettes (lemon and ricotta cookie).

I also made a candy this year which I will share later this week. So easy.

Tell me, do you do a lot of baking for the holiday? Do you have a traditional recipe you make every year? I would love to hear all about it.

Love from my kitchen to yours,

Cookie Cutter Wreath

Welcome! It is almost Friday! This weekend I will be busy baking holiday cookies. So today I have a quick and simple craft idea for you... a cookie cutter wreath. This is a great 20 minute craft.

I started with a package of cookie cutters, I used small ones, since this was going to be hung above our kitchen sink. My Hubby does the dishes and since our sink faces a wall, I figured I would give him a little holiday cheer to gaze upon.

I created a circle on the computer and printed it out.

Using my circle printout as a guide I placed the cookie cutters around it create the wreath. I hot glued them all together.

Next just add a bow and hang.

See I told you this was an easy craft.

Have a great weekend!

Christmas Home Tour

Hi All! Are the holidays sneaking up on you faster and faster. I certainly feel that way. We decorated our entire downstairs Thanksgiving weekend and I have spent the past week tweaking everything.

We will start here with our tree. It is an artificial prelit tree. I used a burlap sack to cover the stand. The wooden wagon we bought at a Christmas craft fair. The reindeer was a recent purchase at Walmart. My refinished stool is behind the wagon (read about it here) and Santa sits on top.

Wooden ornaments and ones we have collected during our travels decorate the tree

Wall above the couch

Mantle with the stockings hung with care

This is the opening between the kitchen and living room

The opening between the living room and dining room we hung garland and large ornaments and snowflakes

This is the side of the opening by our staircase, we added a lantern here

My display of crates and Decor Steal finds

The ceramic tree and another hand-me-down favorite

Table centerpiece filling my dough tough with ornaments, pinecones, and a flameless candle

Last but not least, on my buffet table, the Nativity Scene, read about its meaning to me here

Well I hope you enjoyed the tour. How have you decorated your home for the season?

Friday's Fancy

TGIF

Today I am giving you a hit of what is to come on my holiday home tour.

Check back next week...

See how I made these felt pinecones here

Have a great weekend!

A Treasured Holiday Decoration

Hi, thanks for stopping by today. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and you didn't consume too much turkey. We had a nice quiet Thanksgiving and we did some visiting with relatives on Friday... no Black Friday shopping for us! 

The Hubby and I started our Christmas decorating around the house. Amongst all the decorations you acquire, there are always some that hold a special meaning to you. It could be something that has been handed down through the generations or it may have been handcrafted by a loved one. 

I have one such item that I treasure dearly. It is the nativity scene handcrafted by my Mom. (Hi Mom!)

When my mom was first married she attended a ceramics classes, where she worked tirelessly for months on each piece. Taking great care in selecting the paint colors for each piece.

 
I remember, as a little girl, setting up the nativity with my mom. Unwrapping each piece from its foam covering, it was like discovering it again for the first time. Together we would decide on how each piece was so be displayed.

Mom always let me place the blanket over the baby Jesus, covering him until Christmas morning. It is one of many fond memories of me and my Mom that I hold closed to my heart. 

At the start of the Christmas season, after I purchased my first home, Mom handed down the nativity scene to me. I was honored and so excited, I could not wait to set it up.

It holds a prominent spot on my buffet table every year.

As I set up the nativity scene each year, it takes me back to those days when I was a little girl spending time with my Mom and dreaming about one day being just like her. 

What decoration do you hold dear and what is its meaning to you?

Happy Decorating!

 

Giving Thanks

Wishing you and yours a blessed holiday!

The Hubby and I will be busy visiting family and decorating for Christmas!

I will be back with new posts on Monday.

XOXO

A Subtle Change with Paint

Hi All! I hope you had a great weekend. Are you ready for Thanksgiving? I can't believe it's this week, seems like time passes faster and faster as you get older. Please make it stop!

This weekend was a busy one for us, we painted our entire downstairs which consist of an entryway, living room and dining room combination. It is about 500 square feet. Wow, painting is REALLY exhausting, especially when you have to move around furniture. It was like a chess match move this here so we can paint there. Now move it back to get to the next section.

Saturday night the Hubby and I had backaches from all the bending and stretching. Since I wasn't about to cooking we ordered pizza for dinner. And had Advil for dessert...lol. We did managed to get about 80% done on Saturday and finished up the remaining two walls on Sunday. Oh my word, do I love the difference. The rooms feel so much more cozier!

Here is our before picture of the living room with our cream walls. 

And now here's the after... 

Did you notice the subtle difference? The wall color on either side of the fireplace was changed to tan. It is called Tiramisu Cream by Behr. Who would've guessed a little paint color can make such a difference. I feel like I am sitting in a new room. The actual color is a tad darker than it appears in the picture, I was battling with the light streaming through our sliders.

So tell me, what projects have you transformed with paint?

Friday's Fancy

Oh Fall, why are you such a short season. 

Your brilliant colors only stay for a fleeting moment. 

Until next year!

Have a wonderful weekend!

a Visit to the Elephant's Trunk Country Flea Market

A few weeks ago the Hubby and I went to the Elephant's Trunk Country Flea Market. I have heard great things about this flea market and this was the first time we had a chance to visit. As we passed through the gates my heart starting to sing. Oh my word, what a flea market, so many vendors, so much to see at first it was a little overwhelming.

Let's start with a little history. The Elephant's Trunk Country Flea Market began in 1976. The first markets found aisles named after New York City streets or alley-ways. The market was held on Sundays, and in 1976, the presence of fifteen vendors was a "big" day! Now up to 400 vendors can be found on any given Sunday. 

The Hubby and I decided to start at the back and work our way to the entrance. There was so much to see, such a wide variety of items. We wander up and down a few rows before our tummies told us it was time for some breakfast. There were about 6 different food trucks. One made mini donuts... Oh the smell, it was so tantalizing. We got egg sandwiches and of course a bag of mini donuts. 

My first score of the day was a wooden sign that said "outhouse". I just fell in love with it and it was a steal at $10.00. It now hangs on the door to my downstairs bathroom. Cute...

So, I have been on the hunt for an old milk can, I have found some at other flea/antique markets but they were either too expensive or rusted out. Well as luck would have it I spotted one with a vendor that sold dog treats (of all places). It was painted red, it was chippy, and absolutely perfect. I thought to myself this must cost a pretty penny. Before I had a chance to ask the vendor the cost he said, "you like the milk can, $15.00 and its yours". I could not get the words "I'll take it" out of my mouth fast enough. This is displayed on my front yard with my fall display. What a score!

Then I found this great artist that made figures out of scrape metal and beautiful flower/evergreen arrangements. I saw this lovely arrangement with a log as a base. It was perfect for Grandpa's grave. It is about 20"w x 14"h and only $15.00. Isn't it just beautiful. The artificial flowers alone would have cost that much in a craft store.

It was a fantastic day, even the Hubby had a great time. There was such a mixture of old, unique, and creative artisans that there is something for everyone.

The market closes for the winter so I will have to wait until spring to visit again. I hope I can last till then...

What are some of your favorite flea market finds?

Have a great day!