My Christmas present from Hubby...

He bought the electric insert that looks so realistic when lit, and it has a built in thermostat and blows the hot air out really warms up the room.. But anyway he
built the surround around the insert... I love it soooooo much

How to make an Ice Wreath

How to Make Ice Wreaths
I had so many lovely comments on the ice wreath hung on the garden gate yesterday that I decided to let anyone who doesn't already know in on how to make them. It is so easy and although I realize they don't last forever if you live in a sub zero climate in the winter and don't place it directly in the sunshine they can last for weeks or even months. Materials: round pans or bowls from the kitchen cupboard. A bundt pan works really well if you have one, bowls, cranberries or other bright cheerful berries, ferns or other greens, ribbon or fabric strips for tying and water. Fill your chosen containers with water. If you chose one without a inner circle then just place a bowl in the center weighing it down with a stone if you need to. Place some greens and berries around the circle. Most of them will float but it works best if you try to place the greens under the berries. Place the water filled containers in a cold place to freeze. I left mine outside the kitchen door overnight and luckily the squirrels or raccoons didn't eat all the berries. Bring them inside and place them for less than a minute in sink filled with warm water to loosen the ice. Remove them from the containers and then loosen and remove the inner bowls if you used them. Place them outside quickly before they melt . Tie a ribbon or cloth strip on if you want to hang it on the garden gate or door. Remember to not place in direct sunlight. If you don't want to use right away you can store in the freezer but I would first place it in a freezer bag . Wasn't that easy and look how beautiful and festive they look and all for the price of a bag of cranberries. The greens were free.

Candy Cane Cookies

This is another great recipe from megansmomma
CANDY CANE COOKIES

1 c. butter
1 c. confectioners' sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt

Mix butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together. Sift and stir in the flour and salt. Divide the dough in half. Color one half red with food coloring. Roll dough into strips. Twist 2 strips (one of each color - red and plain) together like a candy cane. Hook over one edge and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 9 minutes at 375 degrees.

Peanut Butter Fudge

The final countdown is here.... it is time to prepare goodies to share with family and friends. Since I can't send them out to all of you, I thought I would do the next best thing and include my favorite recipes right here. Each one is easy to prepare and guaranteed to be absolutely delicious!
A big "thank you" goes out to my friend megansmomma who posted this recipe! WOW! what could be easier than a two-ingredient peanut butter fudge????


PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE

One 16 oz can of vanilla frosting

One 18 oz jar of JIFFY peanut butter

Warm each container of the ingredient for 1 minute in the
microwave.Mix together in a bowl, pour in lined 9 x 13 pan and place in the refrigerator for 4 hours.

Grinch Pills Gag gifts...

I know a few of my family members will be receiving this gift...for sure....

GRINCH PILLS

Place green tic-tacs in a small baggie and add a poem:

Feeling kinda grouchy?
Holiday spirit can't be found?
Just try these little "Grinch Pills".
They're the best medicine around.
Whether eating a whole handful,
Or munching one or two,
These tasty little "pills"
Take the "Grinch" right out of you!

````````````````````````````````

So the Grinch stole your Christmas,
Well this should gelp you out.
Little green Grinch pills
Will take out the pout.
You can eat a handful
or just one or two,
And before you know it,
you'll be a smiling fool.

Santas red Underwear

I love these I've already made 4 ornies from this just today...


Santa's Red Underwear
What does Santa wear under his red coat and pants? Why, red underwear, of course! Make these adorable ornaments from felt and glue and stuff with goodies for Christmas morning!

You will need

red felt
patterns
white buttons or small pom poms
craft glue or hot glue (hot glue is recommended)
small white bow
white chenille stick or ribbon



If you make this project we'd love to see it! Just send your photos and comments to the editor and it may get published on this page!

What you do

Cut the patterns out and trace the underwear and back flap onto the red felt. Cut two of the underwear and one flap for each ornament you are making.

Cut a 2" slit in the back of ONE of the underwear. This is where you will be filling the underwear with candy or money.



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Apply glue on the "outline" of one side of the underwear felt and then place the other side on top and press firmly. Let dry.

Apply the "back flap" to the back of the underwear. Apply glue to the top straight part of the flap and place it 1/2" above the slit that you already cut out. Let dry.

Glue three buttons down the front of Santa's Underwear and 2 buttons on the left and right side of the back flap. (See photo)
Use pinking shears to cut out a small piece of material and glue the letter from the elves onto it. Glue diagonally on the front left or right side of the underwear.

Create a small coat hanger by bending a white chenille stick into shape. Insert in Santa's Undies and secure with glue. Another option is to simply glue a loop of ribbon or gold cord to the inside back of the undies for the hanger.

Fill back flap with candy or money.

Variation - Finish edges with a blanket stitch or by hand stitching for an added touch.

Santa's Underwear Tag

Dear Santa,

We looked for a stocking,
but couldn't find a spare,
so we ended up stuffing
your red underwear.

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

This was made on Oprah today and I'm including it in our Christmas Dinner Menu..

When topping off a holiday meal, making pumpkin chiffon rather than regular pumpkin pie. It's a lighter dessert option for those who are already stuffed!
Ingredients:Serves 8

Pie:


1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs , separated, yolks beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup heavy cream , whipped
1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust
Topping:


2 pints heavy cream , whipped
Shaved dark chocolate
Combine gelatin, 1/2 cup of sugar, salt, cinnamon, allspice, ginger and nutmeg in a saucepan. Stir in milk, egg yolks and pumpkin. Cook over medium heat until thick. Chill saucepan in refrigerator until partially set—about 1 hour.

In a bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/4 cup of sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Fold in 1/2 cup of whipped cream. Fold egg white mixture into filling. Pour filling into pie crust and chill for 1 hour.

Just before serving, top with remaining whipped cream and sprinkle some shaved dark chocolate on top.

19th Century Ornaments

I found this awesome tutorial in BHG and thought how neat so I'm going to try them this weekend and thought you might like to make some too.

Make a 19th-Century-Inspired Ornament
Modeled after decorations in turn-of-the-19th-century style, these papier-mache ornaments spread good cheer whether they're hung from your tree or positioned around the house.

What You Need
Cookie sheet
Parchment paper
Celluclay instant papier-mache
White glue
3-inch-diameter green plastic-foam ball (body)
Resealable plastic bag
Thin palette knife
Thin wire
Acrylic paints: antique white, brown, black, pink, and silver
Brush-on water-base clear finish
Mica flakes
Crafts glue
Silver glass glitter
Pink tinsel garland


How to Make It
Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Mix a few handfuls of instant papier-mache with warm water, following the manufacturer's instructions. It's best to mix small batches of dry papier-mache and keep the mixture in a resealable plastic bag while you work. Knead the mixture with your hands until it's a smooth, workable consistency. Keep a small bowl of water handy to dip your fingers in as you form the snowman on the cookie sheet.
Apply a thin coat of white glue around the foam ball before coating it with the wet mixture. Note: The mixture adheres better if you use the glue.
Apply a generous layer of the mixture over the entire ball for the body, smoothing out bumps and ridges with your hands. The finished ball should be about 3 1/2 inches in diameter.
Place the wet ball on the parchment-lined cookie sheet. Gently press down on the body, creating a flat bottom so the snowman will sit upright.
Complete the paper-mache sculpting as follows: Roll a 1-3/4-inch ball of mixture for the head. Set the ball on the top of the body, gently smoothing the ball into the body at the neck area. Insert a toothpick through the center of the head to secure it to the body.
Roll tiny balls of the mixture for the nose and cheeks. Press the balls onto the face. Use a palette knife to smooth the features and a toothpick to shape the eyebrows, eyes, and mouth.
Shape a small column of the mixture for the hat and attach it to the top of the head. Smooth the edges into the ball. Cut a 3-inch length of wire and fold it in half to create a loop. Twist the ends together. Insert the twisted end into the top of the hat. Smooth the mixture around the base of the loop.
Place the cookie sheet with the snowman bauble in an oven set at a low temperature and bake for at least 2 hours or until hardened. Remove the snowman from the oven and let sit on the sheet until cool. Lightly sand the figure until the surface is smooth.
Paint the head antique white. Paint the cheeks and nose pink. Use antique white and pink to paint stripes around the body and to add words, dotted borders, and stars. Paint the hat and wire loop silver. Use black for the eyebrows, eyes, and mouth. When the paint is dry, create an aged patina by mixing a small amount of brown paint with water; apply this mixture to the figure.
When the paint is completely dry, brush clear finish on the areas that you want to sparkle. Immediately sprinkle mica flakes over the wet finish. Allow to dry and then brush off the excess mica flakes. Apply bands of glue around the snowman's body; immediately sprinkle glass glitter over the glue. Add glass glitter to the hat in the same way. Apply a band of glue around the neck and press a length of tinsel garland into the glue.


**I hope I gave you a little inspiration with this project until next time..

My personal Mission

I am on a personal mission this Holiday Season and I would like for everyone that reads my blog to watch this video through to the end, and then post the link and email the video link to all your family and friends. Cause I think its time for a change and what a better time to do it then now. Merry Christmas!