Craft: Easy Christmas Decorations

Christmas season is here!

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year to celebrate with friends and family. If you are anything like myself, you want your home to look warm and inviting. This means - Christmas decorations! Christmas decorating doesn't have to break the bank. Here are a few of my tried and true, easy to make Christmas décor ideas.

Ornaments can be made from old pieces of broken jewelry, ribbon, and beads.

I made these ornaments from a few pre-made quilting stars, beads, and jewelry pieces.



Ornaments made from salt dough are easy to make, inexpensive, and extremely versatile.
Salt Dough Recipe:

-Combine 2 cups of flour with 2 cups of salt. Add 1 cup of water. Mix all ingredients together until they form a nice ball. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes. Roll out just like cookie dough. Using cookie cutters or a sharp knife, cut out your desired shapes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

Old Christmas balls can be made new again just by giving them a coat of paint and sprinkling of fine glitter (while paint is still wet).

These little cuties are simply made from cardstock. After cutting them out, punch a hold to hang them from on the top. Then paint them and while paint is still wet, sprinkle them with fine glitter. Place a ribbon with a bead through the top.
The golden walnuts were made from walnut shells that were glued back together (with a hanging ribbon inside) and painted gold.

This little stocking is made from an old linen tablecloth and lace scraps.

Holidays: Hanukkah

Celebrating Hanukkah?

Yes. My family celebrates Hanukkah...and we are Christians. I'm sure some of you are asking yourselves, "Isn't Hanukkah a Jewish holiday?" The answer is yes and no. Hanukkah is a celebration of GOD's miraculous provision (HIS power enabled the Israelites to defeat the mighty Greek army and HE caused the temple oil to last until more was made - it lasted eight days despite being only a one day supply!). It is a time to remember GOD's faithfulness and it is a time to rededicate yourself to GOD. I believe such a holiday is too full of teachings and significance to pass up. What would be a better way to teach such powerful biblical values than an eight day celebration? So, my husband and I have celebrated Hanukkah with our little family for years and it has always been such a blessing to us. It has also helped keep our faith connected with its Jewish roots.

I guess you could say that celebrating Hanukkah is our family tradition. Perhaps your family has a few traditions that seem puzzling to others. I would encourage you to resist the temptation to conform to what everyone else seems to be doing. Continue to pass on to your children your own beliefs, values, and tradition. Maybe you know of traditions your family once held and are no longer keeping. Who says you can't bring them back to life? Of all the things we can give to our children, our faith, values, and customs are the ones that keep us connected as a family.

This is our Hanukkah table, complete with gelt for an after dinner game with the dreidel.

Yum! Fried donuts are a Hanukkah favorite - along with latkes.

Craft: Pillow with Crochet 'Findings'

Cute Throw Pillow

I love to shop at flea markets, antique stores, and junk shops! You can always find a great bargain and fun accents for your home. While intact items are nice, I'm often drawn to pieces that are, well, in pieces. Take for instance old crochet throws and doilies, I always seem to find them in abundance. Most are never in very good condition. More often than not, they are torn or stained or torn and stained.

 At first thought, you would think they would not be a good purchase to make but they really are. I am not talented enough to know how to crochet (maybe one day) but I can still find uses for these little treasures. In the past, I have used pieces to cover lamp shades, placed cute sections in a frame, or sewn them onto purses, bags, you-name-it. However, these were usually larger pieces. That would leave small leftovers that I found hard to use but even harder to discard (How do you find it within yourself to throw away something that took time, heart, and skill to create?).

One day I found an easy, simple solution for these mini works of craft-art. I snipped out a couple of pattern pieces (I had to sew the edges together to keep them from unraveling) and sewed them onto a small throw pillow. To complete my little project, I embellished the pillow with a few glass beads. All together, the project cost literally pennies on the dollar and was completed in under an hour.

I used a throw pillow purchased at a flea market and my crochet pieces came from an old faded table runner (notice how both pieces aren't the same shade).

Food: Cornbread Stuffing

When I was in high school, my home economics teacher gave me (and everyone else) a recipe for stuffing. Over the years, I have made a few substitutions and added/removed a few things to make it my own. Now, my cornbread stuffing is a family holiday staple. Please feel free to try and make it your own!

Ginger's Cornbread Stuffing

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

1 tablespoon celery seed (my hubby hates celery) or 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon butter - to sauté vegetables
1 cup butter, melted
9 cups cornbread crumbs (made ahead of time, cooled, and crumbled)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon rosemary (you can use less but I love rosemary)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cans chicken broth (or feel free to make your own)
1 ( 12 oz.) can evaporated milk


- Saute your raw vegetables in frying pan over medium heat. Remove, and allow to cool. Starting with your dry ingredients first, combine all other ingredients in a large bowl. Add sautéed vegetables to mixture.

- Pour mixture into a large rectangular baking dish or into 2 square baking dishes.

- Bake for 45 - 55 minutes (time will vary according to your oven). Stuffing should look golden brown on top and be set in the middle.

Truth: The Meaning of Thanksgiving

What exactly is Thanksgiving?

That is the question that has been burning in my heart and mind all month.  Previously, I had always thought of Thanksgiving as the day when all of my loved ones were gathered together around my dining room table to share a celebration meal. 

This year my idea of Thanksgiving has been challenged. For the first time since our marriage (19 years ago), my husband will not be home for Thanksgiving. He will be at work. At first, I thought I would just prepare our usual Thanksgiving feast at home, enjoy it with our girls, and then take hubby some leftovers. Yet, somehow that just didn't feel right. After all, isn't the true core of Thanksgiving day a celebration of genuine thanks for all of your blessings? Would a plate of leftovers driven over to the ambulance station convey this heartfelt sentiment to the man I love dearly? I wasn't so sure. But, on the other hand, having our meal at home was the way we had 'always done it'. Letting go of tradition is a hard thing for me but I am learning that keeping tradition isn't always what is best.

So, what would be best? Best would be to celebrate with those I loved and to share our blessings. It was then I realized that whether gathered around my table or somewhere else, Thanksgiving (for me) meant being with my loved ones - regardless of our location. With my question answered, my decision was made.  The girls and I would prepare our meal and take it (all of it) to the ambulance station. It wouldn't be like it has always been but life IS about change.

It's a sad thing to confess but I have kept my blessings to myself (and my own) for far too long. Thanksgiving didn't start out that way. It started with grateful individuals joining together to share their abundance and to celebrate their blessings. This year, for the first time, my family will have a celebration the keeps the original tradition of gratitude, sharing, and rejoicing alive once more. Finally, a more accurate reflection of Thanksgiving.

Holidays: Thanksgiving

   It is so very hard to believe it is already November. Not surprising since everywhere I go I see Christmas decorations/gifts! Does this annoy anyone else? I try my very best to focus on every day's 'here and now' moments and, yes, that does include holidays. November is the month for thankfulness. Something I whole-heartedly embrace.
   Thankfulness is not just a holiday posting on FaceBook, it is a choice. Whether good times or bad times, I choose to be thankful; thankful for my family, my home, myself.
    I feel there is no better way to decorate for this season than by using natural elements, treasured family heirlooms, and the bounty of this season.

Pumpkins at every place at the table.

Even our old piano gets into the harvest spirit!

 

A simple centerpiece put together for our annual Fall Ball.

Truth: Me, again!

Here we go, once again...

Well, I had to laugh when I saw my post entitle, "Welcome back" from 2011. I may have thought I was ready to return to my blog but life, it seems, had other plans for me :-) Yet, I can say with all honesty that I wouldn't have had it any other way.

 I've been very busy since my last post.  I am now a college graduate -Yay! After putting off higher education for so long, I graduated with an Associate of Science in Business this past May. I return to school next January to earn a Bachelor's.

My family has went through many changes, too. My husband is now a Paramedic and is currently working on his Bachelor's. My eldest daughter is now 18 and a freshman in college. So crazy! My youngest daughter is in the 9th grade and doing very well.

As I have perused my old blog, I couldn't help but notice that even my home no longer looks the same. Still, some things never change. I continue to pursue the simple life. I still enjoy homemade edibles, handmade crafts, and easy-to-create home ideas. Once again, I invite you to join me on journey to enjoying a simple life.