Easy Christmas Decor

I am not really crafty, some might say since I sew Lollibags I am.

But I am not.

And I really cannot do crafty things with a lot of steps.

Soooooo..............

I love old kitchen things, such as:

dishes, molds, bakeware, vintage tupperware, vintage pink kitchen stuff.

So when I saw this vintage metal mold, I had to have it.  But then I got it home and wondered what I would do with it?

So I got a red ribbon and made a "wreath" out of it.

Every Christmas I hang it up in my kitchen window.

I also did this with a huge pinecone I had.  I hang this one in my dining room window.

Don't you love light up houses?  There is something about them.   I want to shrink myself up and live in them.

I imagine there is a Christmas party going on inside.

A huge turkey in the oven.

And mugs of hot cocoa with peppermint sticks and giant square marshmallows.

I bought these cute glitter roof houses at Pottery Barn two years ago on clearance.

I keep checking every year for  Pottery Barn to bring them back.  Not yet.

Unless I haven't seen them this year yet.

I put one house in each of the girls rooms the day after Thanksgiving and they use them for night lights till Christmas.

They look so pretty even in the dark, lit up. 

I'm sure the girls lie awake at night imagining their own little world in the glitter roof house.



black friday is all mental

I'm sure of it.

I've never gone out on black friday.

But this year my boys talked me into it. 

I thought... well sure lets grab a deal.

We went to Target at 7am and it was still packed.

NOTHING I wanted to get was on sale or discounted in the least!

So off we went to the mall.  Well gift cards are not on sale.

NOTHING at the mall I intended to buy was on sale!

I think it's a psycological ploy. 

You think, well, these must be good deals if everyone is getting up at the crack of dawn!

Never again.

I am going to check out cyber monday.

Our family tradition is...

I buy the kids a hallmark ornament and wrap it up on Thanksgiving.

After Thanksgiving dinner we put the tree up and they open their ornament.

Then when they are ready to leave home,  they take their ornaments with them and have a lifetime of memories for their first Christmas tree on their own.

We have so much fun every year getting all the ornaments out and saying...

"OH, remember this one!!?"

I love it.

We listen to Christmas carols, decorate the tree, and set up the train around the tree.

I cannot believe another Christmas is here already!

Every year that flies by, I am that much closer to my boys leaving home.

I am not ready.

I am thankful they are still home.

Saturday starts the Christmas Tree Farm sale!

Every Saturday and Sunday up to Christmas Eve you can come and cut a tree from our farm.

When do you gals put your tree's up?

Happy Thanksgiving!



image marthstewart.com 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I'm sure you all have a place to travel to and family to see tomorrow.

So happy Thanksgiving to all of you today!

I love Thanksgiving and my favorite part is putting up our Christmas tree that night.

Photos of that event to come on Friday instead of food friday.

Safe travels and I'm thankful for my family, friends, health and all of you!

Made in the USA!

Here's a link if you want to buy American!!

go here

Happy shopping!

just dreaming

images are from bing  

You have probably read a few of my tropical posts. 

I long to run away and live on a tropical island in a cottage on the beach.

Bora Bora has always been my go to place.

But the Maldives has always been another.

Or Fiji.

Or some unknown South Pacific island.

Heck I'll take the Florida Keys!

The weather is turning cold and I wanted to take a mini blogcation.

Of course dreaming about these places and going to them are two very different things.

Do you have any idea how long it would take to get to the Maldives?

The  Maldives are just off of India.

Tahiti is another 5 hours south of Hawaii.

Do you know what else is fun?

I have discovered bing maps, birds eye view.

Since the house has been on the market, we have been looking, just for fun, at homes for sale.

If you type in the address into bing maps and click birds eye view, it is amazing!

You can really get a good look at the home and the yard and surrounding areas and zoom in pretty close!

And you can click the arrows to turn the image and get a look at all sides of the house.

It's fun to check out your own house too!

Happy tropical dreams and house searching!

Letter to Santa....

I have two children left that still sit on Santa's lap.

This is Portia's letter to Santa this year.

Dear Santa

  So I am haveing a problem.  I don't now what to get from you.  You deside.  OK here they are.

1. The "Sun Set" Malibu barbie 'n friend's,

2. The barbie camper or

3. Juliette Hair Styling Salon.

you You chouse chouce  chose choes chore choues

love Portia

So my dilema is......

Portia loves looking at my vintage 1971 Sears toy catalog.  WELL... she decided to write her Christmas list from that!!

I said honey, they don't make those toys anymore, so Santa won't be able to get them.

She said...

Mom!

Santa can make anything!

At least she gave Santa a choice!

I adore date night, it actually makes my whole week.

Lauren who is 14 does the babysitting.  I also adore having children old enough to babysit!

I found these picture on my camera after date night last week.

This is what my girls do when we are gone...

So they dance around to the music station on TV...

Use the baby rattle for a microphone...

At least Sophie had her bath already.

Nothin' like some air guitar with your umbrella.

Nice one Lolli!

So this is why the dishes are never done when we get home!!



Have you started Christmas shopping?

Here are a few good places to find your gifts!

Tinkered Treasures











Elyse from Tinkered Treasures, makes the cutest little things. 
She makes ordinary objects all bright and pretty.




Another gal I know makes signs, ornaments, tiles, home decor....
Her shop is Said in Stone.









Deborah from Art and Soul  now has jewelry pendants in addition to her watercolors.








Of course the Farm Chicks



Isn't that sweet?  I love the fun little things there.  I only wish I could
go to the actual store and shop!



















Do you know of a sweet little girl that needs a new dress?

Tammy from She Wears Flowers makes these dresses.



This pink dress is so sweet with it's ruffly flower across the top.




This little white dress is precious, I want one for my little girl.  You could put a little apron over it or a cardigan or she could wear it over jeans.


One of my favorite etsy shops is Pixel Impress



She has calling cards, greeting cards, note cards, calendars....and so much more!
I get all my business cards (calling cards) from her.



My friend Lisa has a home show business with
My Thirty One


They have bags, totes, lunch totes, aprons, blankets and so  much more!




There are beautiful pictures at http://www.nejellaphotoart.etsy.com/

I also love http://www.pamg.etsy.com/

If you have a cook in your family, a great gift would be a subscription to the new
Where Women Cook magazine.  While your there check out the Where Women Create magazine too!
It's my favorite!

Of course a Lollibag makes a great gift too!

Where is your favorite place to shop for Christmas gifts?

Food Friday~An Old Favorite



Remember this recipe?

A veggie pizza made with Pillsbury Crescent Rolls!

Now I know crescent rolls are NOT good for you, BUT who doesn't love them?

My grandma always made a ton at the holidays and my best friends dad worked for Pillsbury in Minneapolis his whole life.  Rach and I used to take the bus downtown with him and hang out at his office all day on a Saturday.  It was so much fun!  We would take the skyways to the IDS building and EVERYWHERE! We had to have been only 13 or 14, that is one of my favorite memories in my whole life.

Oh I would love to do that again Rach! Lets do!

OH and I made this way back in middle school in Home Ec.

Veggie Pizza

1 8oz. pkg crescent rolls

1 8 oz. container of desired flavored vegetable dip (1 cup)

1 1/2 C chopped raw veggies (red peppers, broccoli, carrots, etc.)

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375.  Line a 13x9x2 baking pan with foil, allowing ends of foil to hang over edge of pan.  For crust, unroll dough (do not seperate).  Press dough into the bottom of the prepared pan, pressing perforations to seal.

Bake about 12 minutes or until golden.  Cool crust in the pan on a wire rack.  Using the foil to lift, remove crust from pan; remove and discard foil.  Transfer crust to a serving tray.

Spread vegetable dip over the cooled crust to within 1/2 in. of the edges.  Arrange assorted veggies and cheese on top of the dip.  Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 1 hour.  Cut into squares to serve.  Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Makes 8 servings.

Do you remember this recipe?

Trust?



The other night my 8 year old brought a book to me, she wanted me to read it for devotions.

It was a story about Elijah and the prophets of baal.  Taken from 1 Kings 17-18.

As I read the story, I realized I needed to read it.  The story of Elijah is amazing!

Then I remembered, hey!  Wasn't Elijah taken to heaven without dying?  YES! 

So I looked up that verse...

2 Kings 2:11

As they (elijah and elisha) were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.

Isn't that amazing??  Then I remembered I had a book about Elijah by Charles Swindoll.

I am reading it right now.  At one point God tells Elijah to go to Cherith and live by a brook and he will send ravens to bring him food.

How is that for having to trust in God?

Can you imagine God telling you to go somewhere and live by a brook and trust that birds will bring you food??  I would grow impatient, I'm sure...

Like I am now, with our home for sale.... not knowing, when it will sell, where we will live..looking at the economy, thinking HOW??  The thing is, I cannot do anything about it,  BUT trust in God!

I do not like not knowing, I like having a plan, being prepared, in control.

I am none of these things at the moment and for who knows how long?

And I suppose that is THE POINT!

Trust.

All I want for Christmas is....

My house sold and a Lehman's gift card!

I know...Lehman's... you ask?

Yes, there is something about being able to make do and live off your land, that appeals to me.

Odd, I know.

Since I also cannot live without a trip to the cosmetics counter once a month.

Or a beauty salon.

And every garden I've ever planted has failed.

Where did these two sides of me come from?

They are so different!

I mean how odd is it that if you gave me $400, I would really be waivering between a Kate Spade dress or kitchen supplies from Lehman's???

Practicality will win out every time.

One thing I have ALWAYS wanted to do, is to bake my own bread.

I just have never been good at baking with yeast.

I want to get my own 25 lb. bin of Prairie Gold Wheat Berries

and grind my own flour with this mill.

and then bake it in my oven heated by a wood fire.

And I'll tell ya somethin' else...

I WILL have a farmhouse sink in my next kitchen!

When we moved to this farm 7 years ago, hubby promised me I could do whatever my heart desired on the inside.  He said if you just will move here for me, you can decorate and remodel as you wish.

Well when I showed him the picture of the farmhouse sink I wanted, that promise went straight out those 1972 windows!

Hubby didn't like it.

Did you gals know you can get a farmhouse sink at Ikea for only $299?

YES!

I'm not saying I wouildn't love Kohler's vintage look sinks, Oh yes that would be my dream sink.

But if it comes down to the bare bones of either I get my farmhouse sink from Ikea or none at all, you bet I'm having that Ikea sink.

So yes I am assuming there will be some remodeling going on at the new home we will live in, wherever that may be.  Even if the only thing I do is to install a farmhouse sink.

I have really gotten off track here. 

I am going to try and bake my own bread. I am going to the health food store to buy a small portion of wheat berries and grind them up in  my vitamix.  And then I am going to try my  hand at homemade bread.

I would love to not buy bread at the store anymore.

Do you guys have any advice for me? 

Or good bread recipes?

Food Friday~Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

This was my favorite cake growing up.  Still is.

Every birthday I requested Lemon Poppy Seed Cake.

I don't know why my  mom called it lemon because there is no lemon in it.

But every year for my birthday, I had her

"Lemon" poppy seed cake with Breyers Vanilla Bean ice cream.

Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

 1pkg. white or yellow cake mix

1 pkg. vanilla instant pudding (small pkg.)

5 eggs

1/2 C salad oil

1/2 t. almond extract

1 C liquid (juice or juice and water or half and half!)

1/4 C poppy seeds

Beat all ingredients in bowl for 5 minutes.

Grease bundt pan well and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Bake at 350 for 45 min.

When I make this cake, my poor kids always have to hear how I had this when I was little.

And when I taste it again, it brings back such good memories!

What is the recipe that most reminds you of your mom?



Straight from the horses mouth

And that horse would be 3 year old Sophie.

Everyday she says:

Gonna get blessed

Mom, gonna get blessed

Bunny gonna get blessed too.

Well what she is really saying is:

Gonna get dressed

Mom, gonna get dressed

Bunny gonna get dressed too.

It's so sweet though.

And every once in a while she will shout with joy,

Mom!  Dee us love me!

I say yes honey Jesus loves you!

She loves to sing Jesus loves me in the bath.  I always have replaced:

Yes Jesus loves me

with

Yes, Jesus loves Sophie!

So she thinks that song is just for her.

Here's our pumpkin carving picture from last night.

Nic helped Sophie carve her pumpkin.

We also made caramel apples!

Lauren played with matches the whole time.  It was fun though!

And today is November 1!!

Where does the time go?