Whether you are making sugar cookies or gingerbread men in the coming days, you are going to need one of these. A plate of these just makes the house feel like Christmas. I just love how many variations of Gingerbread Men you can make with the same cookie cutter. If not Gingerbread Men, then what is your all-time favorite Christmas cookie?? Photo Credit: Crate and Barrel And a little more bits to keep you busy.   Gingerbread Recipes and Crafts from Canadian Living Gingerbread People from Kraft… (there’s pudding in the recipe!) Plantain Gingerbread… yes, your regular kind of recipe but with a little plantain thrown in for good measure. [Read more]

It seems that there a lot of people out there who simply can’t get into the Christmas Spirit this year. It could be the fact that we are the ones who are doing all the work, not like it was when we were the kids and did nothing but dream about what we were going to get for Christmas. Now I must tell you about my Mom.  She had everyone’s Christmas spirit… which makes me wonder if that’s why there is so little to go around. For Mom, Christmas officially began the minute we went back to school. Yes, I’m talking September and continued until we went back to school in January. It’s not that we had a lot of money or anything… she simply enjoyed all the simple things that Christmas should be about. What that... [Read more]

When you have kids in school, you will find yourself with oodles and oodles of decorations for the tree, but what if this is your first tree and the tree is looking a little sparce? Well, I went looking this morning to see what I could find. Most are simple directions. The only thing that I suggest that you do, is to learn to crochet. You could easily outfit an entire tree with a hook and a ball or two of wool. But, while I didn’t include ONLY crocheted ornaments, you will find one or two patterns that caught my eye. The rest are just plain easy to make. So, have fun!! Yes, there is still time! Beaded Popcorn Garland (crochet) Simply Homemade (includes stuff you can just glue together) Apple Cinnamon Ornament… these smell gorgeous... [Read more]

You have just treated yourself to a brand new cast iron frying pan… You know that you are supposed to season it but aren’t really sure what it means or what you should do. *Thoroughly wash out new frying pan and dry thoroughly. * Seasoning means that you are applying a coating (vegetable oil) that will fill in all those tiny holes in the iron. Some sources even suggest using lard. * Bake in a moderate (350 degrees) oven for about an hour. *To clean, use salt and a brush to remove baked on bits. Useful Info… *Old cast iron pans can be used if there are no cracks or nicks. *choose the right size of frying pan for your family… huge isn’t necessarily better. *store with lids off especially during humid weather. Iron... [Read more]

It’s rather a miserable day. We have a Christmas Party to attend and it could have been quite impressive. It’s being held at Blackcreek Pioneer Village. We get the entire day to tramp around and sample Christmas as it might have been a hundred or so years ago and then we all gather for a Christmas Feast! Unfortunately, it is freezing rain. But, it is supposed to improve and just rain… if that is an improvement. Just maybe it will simply turn to great big snowflakes… which sound quite impressive if you want to get into the Christmas spirit. Anyway as I am waiting, I thought that I would look around and see what some of my friends are doing today. Christmas is approaching so quickly this year! Festive Green Cocktails …... [Read more]