Tag: Holidays
We Wish You A Happy Holiday Season
Sweet Saffron Chicken With Rice
Watch me decorate for the holiday season🎄
When we picked up our Christmas tree, I also picked up an arm full of clippings. I wanted to use them in decorating my mail box, the living room and the dining room. Also Adding trimmings ( Faux red berries, and pinecones) that I had saved from last year’s Christmas wreaths. I thought they would add texture, color, and dimension to the all green clippings.
I put on my garden gloves, since I was getting sap all over my hands, and started layering the branches. Included smaller branches to cover some empty spots, and added pinecones and the berries in between the greens. Later I add another layer of Christmas ball ornaments and a string of lights.
Just to see different looks, later I added poinsettia plants, my small decorative Christmas trees, and just making it colorful, bright, and sparkly I also added mercury candle holders in silver, gold, and green.
All together 5 looks for a very warm, colorful, holiday season decor. you can watch my video on how I put together everything on the fireplace mantle and my dining buffet table. I hope you enjoy watching it, and please support me by subscribing. Have a safe Holiday Season. https://youtu.be/nYq5ohkaOjA
Hot cocoa Party🥳🎄
Christmas Tree Clippings from Fraser Firs & More🎄
I started this ritual four years ago. We pick up our Christmas tree, and I collect an arm full of clippings, using them later to make our mail box festive like everyone else’s in our neighborhood.
After we choose our tree, we get back to the car, and wait for our tree to get wrapped to the top of our car. Here I stand next to a mountain of clippings, and I always ask for permission to dip into the mountain, and I am always encouraged by the sales people to pick up the entire load 😂 Beautiful, green branches, with the fresh scent of Fraser Fir, that fills my car, as I drive home with our Christmas tree (which we can’t smell) on top of the car, looking like a Christmas card.
After a few days, weather permitting, I take some branches, and the trimmings that I will be using, to the mail box, and start working. It usually takes a few minutes to arrange the branches, trim a few, add berries and pine cones to make our mail box looking festive, colorful and beautiful. 🎄
I kept these berries and pinecones from last years wreath, I add them for color and more texture🎄
I still have plenty of clippings left, I am planning on using them around the house for center pieces, and the fireplace mantle. I will Take photos for another blog, stay tuned 😉Have a wonderful holiday season🎁
A Gift Idea
No matter how early I start shopping for family and friends, there is always the last minute shopping, when the on line deadline makes it impossible to get that last gift on time. I create two lists for gift ideas. One is for family members that have giving me hints on what they like Santa to bring, since Halloween , and the 2nd list is names of friends, and people that I don’t know well, but I like to acknowledge their kindness, toward my family during the year. Our teachers, our mailman, three trash collectors, and three recycling collectors, and new friends, are on my 2nd list.
There are two facts I always keep in mine, when shopping on behalf of Santa. Everyone’s hobbies, and interests. It can be something new, like starting yoga, swimming, or traveling, or a life long interest like, writing, reading, gardening, and cooking. And when it comes to shopping for teens and younger adults in my family, I am always hoping to introduce them to a hobby, that I think they might enjoy to try, and experiment with. Since I prefer Online shopping. choices are limitless, and the fear of ending with dorky, absolutely uncool gift is close to impossible. The window to the world of young consumers is wide open through all the social media platforms, and with one search word it is easy to find the write gift, and read hundreds of reviews related to it. I know for me going off the Christmas wish list and purchasing that one gift that might start a life long interest is not going to be too risky!!
As I always have, every Christmas, I purchase writing instruments, journals, coloring books, and pencils, for many of my young family members. Helping them to discover their interest in the joy of writing with a beautiful fountain pen, and drawing and sketching with great quality pencils. Hoping they see the joy of writing in a notebook, or sketching their thoughts in color. Using other tools to express themselves, in peace and quiet, with the sound of their pencil against their notebook, without the distraction of popping texts, and emails.
I wish you and your family a joyful holiday season. 🎄 and I hope you watch and enjoy “ Looking For Gift Ideas” video on our YouTube channel, and please support us by subscribing. 🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁
Halloween Dining Table Centerpiece🎃
Natural Fall Centerpiece
Breakfast, Snack Jam bars 🍑🍒 Easy & Delicious👍
To bake healthy and delicious goodies sometimes can be time consuming, expensive, and frustrating. I am not shy to say I don’t enjoy spending hours baking, and waiting for anything to rise for 8hours. But I love trying new recipes, and sharing them with my family, and watching them enjoy my experiments.
Every now and then when I come across a recipe that is delicious and practical, I am beyond happy. In this case fruit bars, that are delicious to pair with tea or coffee, even top them with ice cream, and just perfect to wrap in wax paper as a thoughtful gift for a friend, teacher or the next door neighbor.
This recipe is super easy to prepare, bake, and by changing the fruit layer, you can drastically change the flavor for the next batch. I made these bars to use up my leftover cranberry sauce, and it came out absolutely delicious.
You will need👩🏻🍳.
1 cup butter room temperature 1 cup sugar 1 egg 1 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt. Zest of an orange ( 1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract ) 3 cups all purpose flour 2 1/2 cup cranberry sauce, apricot or cherry jam 1/2 cup almonds, or walnuts
Preheat the oven 375° bake for 40-45 using a 9×13 baking dish. Dough will be soft and buttery, using a rolling pin or your hands lay enough dough to cover the bottom of the pan about 1/4 inch thickness, a layer of jam, and a layer of nuts. Cover with the rest of the dough. Bake until slightly golden.
I am planning to bake some with raspberry jam and a layer of shaved semisweet Ghirardelli chocolate. Yummy 👍can’t wait😋
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