Keeping the Castle » SP Bragg

You are Going to Need this Little Guy

SP Bragg — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:21:54 +0000

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.

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Do You Have Any Christmas Spirit??

SP Bragg — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:21:07 +0000

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 woman could do with crepe paper was amazing.

So, do you have any Christmas Spirit?? I found you an on-line form to let you know just how well you are doing. It should take you a couple of minutes tops… and it might give you a few things to add to your to-do list which just might put you in the Christmas Spirit!!

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Making Your Own Decorations

SP Bragg — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 11:20:13 +0000

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 and all you need is apple sauce and cinnamon!

Four Homemade Ornaments… my favorite is the tiny little sled made from popsicle sticks.

Mini Wreaths… made from silk eucalyptus bud branches and silver pipecleaners, but you could use any greenery depending on the color of your tree!

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Seasoning a New Cast Iron Frying Pan

SP Bragg — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 11:20:00 +0000

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 rusts!

*One source suggests that pans can be occasionally re-seasoned, but I usually rub in a little more oil after I have cleaned it. Sort of topping it up.

Sources:

Learning About Cast Iron Pans

Photo Credit: Williams-Sonoma

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Christmas Parties and Freezing Rain

SP Bragg — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 16:35:50 +0000

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 … Rachel has come up with a cocktail that is a gorgeous shade of green which is in keeping with the holiday season. The only thing I need is to grab a bottle of Midori. I am pretty sure that I drained it this summer.

20 Snow books for Christmas… Marcie has come with a list of 20 must-have books to read to the little ones and I might as well get started on my collection. Someday I am going to be one of those grandmothers than snuggle up with a grandchild or two and read a Christmas favorite to them! Someday

Chocolate is Good for Your Soul and Your Bones… as if I needed convincing! But, I didn’t know that research is now saying that it can increase your bone density! I’m soooo there! Thank you Marcie!

Black Tea and Pearly Whites… again, I’m going to learn to like this is it kills me. At the moment I’m going through Root Canal and if a cup or two of black tea could have prevented it, well, I would have gulped it down, no questions asked. Marye to the rescue.

We Got Wii Fit… well not me, but Linette at Play Library and it kind of just fell into her lap. I’ve been thinking about it lately and now I know where to look. But by telling all of you lol… I might have to wait until a new shipment comes in!

But that’s okay.

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The Stocking Stuffer Game

SP Bragg — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 11:29:29 +0000

If you have a Scrabble board handy, place all of the tiles in a bag and then let everyone who is doing the whole stocking stuffer thing, to reach in and take out five or whatever number of stocking stuffers needed. Each stocking stuffer needs to start with the letter on the tile that has been drawn. For example, if you have drawn an S for example, your stocking stuffer must begin with that letter. Socks comes to mind as I sit here typing this, but as long as your stocking stuffer matches the letter on the tile, you are good to go. It could get quite interesting lol… to see what kind of items find their way into your stocking!

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Your Very First Tree

SP Bragg — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 12:31:37 +0000

I was chatting with a few friends about this dilemma… it’s the couple’s very first Christmas, and there is very little money available for a Christmas tree. She wanted to know how one could decorate on a very limited budget. I remember how Mom and Dad decorated our tree when we were kids, but I want to hear from you guys. How would you decorate?? And don’t stop at the tree… if you have ideas for decorating anywhere in the house, leave a comment. We can all use a few new ideas.

And does anyone do the ceiling decorations anymore?? My Mom always decorated our living room with tinsel and crepe paper… and then people seemed to stop doing it??

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Some Great Crafts for a Cold Snowy Afternoon

SP Bragg — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 06:33:55 +0000

This week, I went looking for quick and easy, not to mention gorgeous decorating ideas that I can use at The Castle. I lucked out big time!

Quick and Easy Christmas Wreath

50 Cute and Tasty Christmas Cookie Ideas

Yoyo Christmas Tree Ornaments

Cereal Boxes Into Gift Boxes

Cherry Dot Cookies

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In Need of New Coffee Mugs

SP Bragg — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 01:05:26 +0000

Did you notice the rims on these cups?? NO CHIPS! I don’t know when it happened, but just about every single one of my mugs have a chip of some sort in them. I swear that it must be the way my dh stacks the dishwasher. He can get stack about twice as much as I can, but it looks as if it has back-fired. They must be rattling up against each other and as a result they are chipping. But, come to think of it, they have been with us for quite a while so maybe I can blame them on simply being old.

So, do you have enough coffee cups to serve lets say… 6 people? And they all have to match. Hey, it’s the holidays. Even if they aren’t as cute as the cups that are featured, you are going to want them to be just a little bit Christmasy.

Here at The Castle, we just can’t get enough of Christmas!

Photo Credit: Williams-Sonoma

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Making Your Bedroom Dust Free

SP Bragg — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:41:00 +0000

To be honest, I had no idea that so much would be involved with getting rid of most of the dust in a bedroom, especially if you suffer from asthma. Luckily for me I don’t, but just reading about what makes up dust, just gave me the willies. As I’m typing this, I’m feeling just a wee bit queazie, but the thought of breathing in mold, fibers, and tiny dust mites, is just plain horrible. Have you seen what a dust mite looks like when magnified. It’s almost enough to send me out in the yard to sleep… which isn’t an easy things to do when there’s an inch or so of snow on the ground. But, this morning, I think that I will definitely be doing a few of the things on the list.

1. Remove all traces of dust that you can see

2. Clean out the closet

3. Wipe down all of the baseboards

4. Clean the window blinds

5. Take down the light fixture and give it a good washing

6. Vacuum the mattress

Obviously, there are more things that could be done, but they will all go on my list of things to do. The list above is a good start and one that I can do on a weekly/monthly basis.

Source

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