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Merry Christmas . Please enjoy your visit and spread the Christmas spirit.

October 31 ~ A Santa Suit

Well, it's Halloween and the streets will be full of children dressed as their favorite characters.  It made me think about Christmas' favorite character, Santa Clause. 

If you're in need of a new Santa Suit this year, check out those available at Amazon...

October 30 ~ More Cookies

Because Christmas always brings to my mind the idea of a cookie exchange I want you to be armed with plenty of cookie recipes to try...



These Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread cookies by Stephanie Jaworski just screamed Christmas to me.  I can't wait to try this recipe at the Joy of Baking website.  This is one of the best sites I've seen for baking recipes.  It is definitely one of my favorite sites.

October 29 ~ Christmas Kitty

Today is actually National Cat Day so I thought I would share with you some Christmas Kitty merchandise available at Zazzle...  Hope you have a PURRRR-fect day!


Make a personalized gift at Zazzle.

A Christmas Carol ~ October 28

One of the most recognized Christmas stories is that of Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and the Christmas ghosts...A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  Over the years there have been many film versions of this story, from cartoons to musicals to some that are even a little bit scary.  Which ever version you prefer, this is a must have for the Christmas season.  If you don't have at least one version of the story, it's time to buy one now.

 

October 27 ~ More Pine Cone Ideas

Visit HGTV Start at Home for instructions on making these cute pine cone place cards holders.


While you have the cans of gold and silver spray paint out you might also want to turn some of those pine cones into Christmas tree ornaments.  While the paint is still wet sprinkle the cone with some clear iridescent glitter.  When dry hot glue a hanger, a Christmas ribbon bow and even a small holiday pick available from your local craft store to the base end of the pine cone.  Makes a natural item dressy enough for even the most elaborate tree.

October 26 ~ Christmas Light Safety

Some tips on Christmas Light Safety from Home Depot

Featured Christmas Cards of the Day ~ 10/25/10

Christmas is a universal holiday, and you may know someone (or it could be you) who's first language is something other than English.  Why not send out greetings in their native tongue.  Greeting Card Universe has a wide assortment of non-English cards for you to choose from.

10/24/10 ~ Gift Ideas

Back to some ideas for those special people on your gift list.  Knowing what a person likes and presenting them with a thoughtful gift is a sure way to let them know how special they are to you.

For your Harry Potter lover:

Make personalized gifts at Zazzle.

For the comic book crew:

Make personalized gifts at Zazzle.

For the younger set:

Make personalized gifts at Zazzle.

Another Pinecone Craft ~ October 23

Here's another simple Pinecone craft you can do with the kids. Pour white glue onto a disposable plate, shallow bowl, or other low sided container. In another similar contain pour glitter, in whatever color you like. Roll the pine cone in the white glue and then in the glitter. When I did this craft with my children I used some start shaped beads to put onto the top of our pinecone tree, and we glue them to a plastic coffee can lid with some fiber fill to look like snow.

The Christmas Cook ~ October 22

It might not seem like a big deal, but having a nice apron to keep your holiday clothes neat and clean while you cook is certainly a worthwhile investment.  Here is a variety of aprons available at Zazzle.


Make personalized gifts at Zazzle.

October 22 ~ Simple act of Courtesy

Sometimes we need to be reminded that it's the little things in life that can make the difference.  One simple act of courtesy can lead to another.  It costs nothing, it's not hard to do, and it will not only make you happy it will also make someone else happy.  

My suggestion for today is this...When you see someone with their hands full, hold the door for them.  It doesn't matter if you're male or female, if you are more able to hold the door, then do so.  Be mindful of the people around you, and try to always extend this courtesy to others.  If you keep it in your thoughts to do this, after awhile it will become a habit.  Isn't that a nice habit to have.

October 21 ~ Christmas Humor

It's amazing what used to pass for humor....

October 20 ~ Friendship Cake

One one of my other blogs about unusual holidays you'll learn that today is National Brandied Fruit day.  That reminded me of something I had learned about many years ago from my brothers girlfriend.  She made something called a Friendship Cake that started out with "brandied" fruit.  I never really saved the recipe she gave me so I had to do a search for it.  I found several sites with the recipe and all of them are very similar. The basic idea here is that you make a "starter" using fruits that you ferment.  Once you have the starter done, you can share it with a friend so they can make their own and then share their starter with another friend and so on and so on.
I particularly liked the recipe by Kitchen Koala as she also supplied pictures of the starter.

Featured Christmas Card of the Day ~ 10/19/10

Still searching for the perfect holiday card?  I found this one on Greeting Card Universe and it made me laugh... for those of you that need or want to be politically correct...


Click on the card for a larger view.

October 18 ~ Catalog Shopping

Before the internet there were catalogs.  I love internet shopping now, but my first love was catalog shopping.  I loved to find my mailbox full of those slick paged wish books, and the pre-Christmas season was the best.  Curled up on the couch with a cup of tea and a stack of catalogs getting all of my gift ideas and of course making a wish list for myself too.
You can still find companies that send out paper catalogs, here are a few that might interest you...


Miles Kimball

Pinecones at Christmas ~ October 17








Visit Coloring Pages.us for a printable version of this image.










If you're out for a stroll in this beautiful fall weather you might want to be on the look out for pinecones.  There are tons of great craft ideas using this natural material.  Here is just one of the many to come....

Feed the Birds -  Attach a string to the top of the pinecone.   Spread peanut butter on pinecone, covering as much surface area as possible.  Roll the covered cone in bird seed.  Hang on the branch of a tree outside to feed the birds.
For this and other wonderful "green" crafting ideas visit Fun in the Making  a great blog by Hester Jane

October 16 ~ Music, music, music

I have given up trying to buy the perfect Christmas CD...  it seems that every year I find one of those "various artists" recordings that reads well..  The songs and artist seem to be good, and I expect it will be the perfect assortment.  However, once I get it home and listen to it I'm totally disappointed.  The stylized versions of my favorite songs just don't work and everything sounds just a little silly.  My kids think it's the funniest thing to play some of my "musical mistakes" just because they really are that bad....  I hope you have better luck picking out Christmas music to set the mood at your house.

Books and stories October 15

Today I'd like to draw your attention to some Christmas books and stories.  Start a tradition this year of reading as a family from one of these wonderful booksYou still have plenty of time to shop around for your favorites and order online if you find a good deal.





























While you're on the search for the perfect Christmas story, remember that books make wonderful Christmas gifts for both young and old alike.

October 14 ~ How to wrap a Cat

This is funny...I wish my cats were this mellow

Oct 13 ~ What's a Wassail?

"Here we come a-wassailing among the leaves so green, here we come a-wandering so fair to be seen...."  While we associate this song with Christmas, it is actually a New Year's song, with the word wassail referring to the English toast for good health as opposed to the hot spiced drink know as wassail.  If you've ever wanted to make this holiday favorite, you can find all kinds of recipes at cdkitchen.com (which is also the source of the image in this post)

October 12 ~ Keeping track of the days

It's that time of the year when we start seeing the new calendars for next year.  Calendars come in all shapes and sizes and can even make great holiday gifts. 

Create personalized gifts at Zazzle.


If you can't find the perfect calendar for you, consider creating you own design.  One year as a special holiday gift I created calendars for all of my family members.  I scanned so very old photos which I used as the monthly artwork and then added family birthdays to the appropriate day of the year.  They were a big hit and came in very handy for family members who have a hard time remembering everyone's birthday...like me.

Angel Food Ministries

In my in-box yesterday I found a reminder from Angel Food Ministries that I can order my holiday boxes early.  In case you have never heard of this organization I figured it's a good time to share this one with you.  From their website here is how they answer "what is Angel Food Ministries?"  Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing food relief and financial support to communities throughout the United States. The program began in 1994 with 34 families in Monroe, Georgia (between Atlanta and Athens), and has grown to serve hundreds of thousands of families every month across 45 states. Angel Food Ministries crosses denominational lines and has spread the good news of the gospel of Christ through salvation tracts that are placed in each food order.

You do not have to be a member of a distribution church in order to participate. There are no economic or financial qualifications. This is top quality food, no out of date items or dented cans.  The best way to describe it would be to call it a not for profit co-op.  Angel Food has made arrangements to purchase large quantities of various food items and passes that saving on to you.  The only catch is that you need to order in advance.  However, you will be told exactly what to expect in your food box before you order.  You can use a credit or debit card to order securely online.  They even accept food stamps.  
To find out if there is a program in your area use the link above to go to their home page.  Scroll down and enter your zip code where indicated.
Not interested in purchasing a box for yourself?  You might consider purchasing a box for a needy family in your area.  Wouldn't that make a special gift for someone?

Down Time ~ 10/10/10

You might have noticed my absence yesterday...Yes, I took a little break and enjoyed some down time. Actually I used the time to help a friend with a yard sale, but since all I did was keep her company it really was a day off for me. Which brings me to an important piece of advice for dealing with the holiday stress. Make sure to allow yourself some "down time" from it all.  Don't just say you're going to do though, actually plan for it and enjoy it, you deserve it!!!

October 8 ~ Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Take some time off from thinking about Christmas and get your yearly or semi-yearly mammogram. 

Make personalized gifts at Zazzle.

October 7 ~ Give it Up

Give up one purchased soda, coffee, or other beverage today.  Take that 50 cents or dollar and drop it in the next charity container you come across.  Now, allow yourself to feel good about being the sharing and caring person you are!

Light the Way October 6

In colder parts of the country putting up outdoor lighting has to be done very early if you want to save yourself some headaches, and possibly some frostbite.  Yes, I know it's still way too early even in those cold areas but since I'm seeing the Halloween decorations going up in my neighborhood I realized a few Christmas lights on the shrubs and bushes might just set them off very nicely...and give you a big jump on your Christmas decorating.  Here's a great video to help you light the way...

October 5 ~ Why Holly?

    Did you ever wonder why holly is so strongly connected to the Christmas Holiday.  No, it's not the name of the plant that makes it special.  Holly was considered a magical plant by the Druids, who believed it symbolized fertility and eternal life.  Hanging holly branches in the home was thought to bring good luck and protection.  As with many other pagan symbols and rituals, the holly was adopted by the Christians and given new Christian symbolism.  
     In any event, the fact that Holly is an everygreen and sports its bright red berries against the white winter background make it a beautiful plant and a great decorating option.

October 4 ~ Fill the candy bowl


While everyone else is buying Halloween candy, pick up a couple bags of Starlight Mints.  They're available year round in both red (peppermint) and green (spearmint).  Fill up a big bowl of them an leave it on your desk to share with co-workers.  This simple little candy can remind you to keep the Christmas spirit in your heart.

A little Comedy Oct 3

Thought I send a smile to everyone today...  Dumb but funny, so let yourself laugh...

The old fashioned Christmas Club October 2

I remember when almost everyone had a "Christmas Club" account at the bank.  You don't hear much about them anymore.  I suppose it might have to do with the economy, or the increase in credit card use.  I've actually begun to contribute to a medical flex spending plan at work.  I save up my medical expense receipts and turn them in when it gets close to the holiday and I want to start my shopping.  It's a good idea, but I admit it doesn't always work because some emergency will come up before that and I need a little extra cash.  But, if you don't spread your Christmas shopping out throughout the year, some kind of a Christmas club is a good idea.  You might also want to encourage your children to become savers, and the idea that they will be saving for an event might make it a little easier to get them started.  Find a fun piggy bank that represents what they are saving for as a reminder to them.

Fall is in the Air ~ October 1

     Well, it's really starting to feel like fall here, and all of the grocery stores are putting up the Halloween decor.  One thing you'll see this time of year are pumpkins...big ones, small ones, ready picked or pick your own.  If you have children of the right age, picking your own can be a real family treat.  Making a full day of pumpkin picking activities.  If you don't have kids of that age you might want to recruit some for a day so you can enjoy this event, maybe Grandkids, or nieces and nephews, or maybe you could just tag along with a some friends and their kids.  
     My point in all of this is a simple (and frugal yet again) suggestion.  If you are so inclined to purchase a pumpkin or two for Halloween decoration, you might want to consider painting on your scary faces rather then carving them.  First of all it's a lot safer for little kids, a lot less messy for mom to clean up, and if your timing is good you can then use the meat of the pumpkin for your holiday baking.
     Yes, that canned stuff you buy to make pumpkin pie really did start out as one of those big orange things, and it really isn't difficult to prepare a fresh pumpkin for yourself.  We did this last year and found the instructions on the Pick Your Own website very helpful.  As a side note, once you have your pumpkin cooked, you can freeze it for later use...like for some homemade pies for Christmas....
     Follow this delicious looking pie (and yes ours looked just as good) for the instructions.





You might also want to go to this sites home page and bookmark it....it's a great source for information about U-Pick farms all over the country.