Christmas Lights & Hot Cocoa

One week from today is Christmas day!  After a long week of down-to-the-wire Christmas preparations, it is time to have a holiday evening off with the family. The Countdown to Christmas Challenge for today is to tell your family to get in their warm and cozy jammies. While they are doing that, fill a thermos [...]

Continue reading...

Weekly Workshop 12/17

It is our final Saturday Weekly Workshop. Christmas is just a week away! Today’s Weekly Workshop will be all about tying up loose ends. Here is a list that you should check twice to make sure you are where you need to be today:  Christmas menu planned and grocery list made  Gifts, including [...]

Continue reading...

Old-Fashioned with a Modern Twist

Popcorn strings are a traditional decoration that links your family’s Christmas tree to a simpler time. Today’s Countdown to Christmas Challenge is to pop a giant bowl of popcorn. This can be cheap and easy by adding a quarter cup of popcorn kernels to a brown paper lunch bag. Fold the top of the bag [...]

Continue reading...

Wrappin’ Around the Christmas Tree

In my house, presents are not placed under the tree until Christmas Eve. I fill the empty space with a new stuffed Christmas creature each year and some empty decorative storage boxes. When I used to place presents under the tree throughout December, I grew tired of my children picking up the wrapped packages and [...]

Continue reading...

Ode to Gingerbread

11 days

Gingerbread has long been associated as a winter treat, especially at Christmas-time. European bakers have produced scores of varieties including everything from a hard gingery cookie to a soft gingerbread or ginger cake. People have been using gingerbread to create sweet, elaborate, miniature dwellings since it first arrived in Europe in the 11th century. The [...]

Continue reading...