HAPPY NEW YEARS!

Today is the day to do ALL the bad stuff you did you did in 2009 so you can start FRESH in 2010 RIGHT?!?! Blah! Man, if that truly was a tradition, could you imagine?  People would have to lock their doors and hide! That is of course, if they didn't follow the tradition!  You following me here? I'm glad someone is. Well, our family goals for 2010 are pretty normal and boring, but they work for us!

-Become debt free
-Build our Business
-Become more Homemade
-Become more Simple!

We want to keep our family strong, and our worries weak!  Heres to hoping! What are some of your goals for 2010?

New Years Eve Ideas!

Check out these super Sassy ideas from Cathie Filan!  Oh my goodness, SO CUTE!

 New Years Eve Party Sign

 

 New Years Party Hats

HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!

-Mary

Story Stones

Oh! I forgot to mention another craft I am working on in my sit down time. I got the idea for these story stones and I am so excited to make some for my girls at home!  I think these will really help them create stories and explore their imagination. She did such a great job getting my ideas-a-rolin'! I am working on the 3 little pigs right now! Check out her etsy shop if you would like to purchase some of hers!

Creative week!

I saw this color mobile and I just LOVE the simplicity of it!  It is a great way to talk about colors with your kids and make your front or back porch look sophistcated at the same time!  She mentions and I agree that this would look awesome with different shades of the same color, like blue or red. So simple!

I still need to go grocery shopping this week and get some things done for our business, but my head is just spinning!  I might have to end up just getting creative with my meals.  I have a book, 5 ingredients or less that really helps me to make simple meals.  Plus I like to play my own version of chopped in my kitchen, which usually ends up with something edible.  My husband is such a good sport about it!  Anyone have any good recipes? Comment below!

Marshmallow Guns

 Making a Marshmallow Gun

Merry Christmas all!  I hope all is well! We had a great time here, and we have more fun times coming this week!

My nephew is having his 12th birthday party today, and with all the costs of Christmas and my daughter's birthday (she is a Christmas Eve baby), the thought of spending a ton is daunting!  So I came across this blog, that led to this blog that had info about making a marshmallow gun!  How cool is that?  It only requires a quick trip to the hardware store for pvc piping and accessories and a hand saw or pvc pipe cutter. Oh, and a bag of mini marshmallows.  I made him 2 of them, so he can play with someone else or his brother, and they were VERY easy to make. Chris and I had a blast playing with them when we made them! (Sorry Joe).  They do not come out too fast, so no injuries, and we made a rule that you must aim below the belt. The awesome news? Making 2 guns and 1 bag of mini marshmallows cost only...drum roll please...(cover your eyes Jen and Joey)...$4.38!!.  I am so proud of myself! It is so hard to find a craft for boys, and this one was so cool! I will defiantly keep it on my list of quick and easy gifts!

Ideas to make Holiday cooking easier

So Christmas is at my house this year, which is actually easier for us. This way, we don't have to track 3 young kids and their new "favorite" toys (all of them) to someones house, then do it again later that evening. But with that comes the dinner, which I am in charge of. Both my Chris and I come from big families, so we are quite used to entertaining the masses. So I came up with some ways to make it a bit easier on yourself and well, the loved ones around you too. Cause lets face it, no one likes a frazzled, stressed out maniac on the holidays.

1. Ask your loved ones to bring a dish to the event. This will take a ton off of your list. Even if it is someone who is not known as the "cook" (not calling anyone out here) can bring chips and dip or soda for the party.

2. Do as much done ahead of time as possible. This also includeds prep such as chopped onions and celery, and measurments of things in containers. So when you make the dish the day of, it is super easy. You also feel like a t.v. cook who has everything perfectly measured for the camera! Also, you can do the turkey or ham the day before and warm it in the crockpot the day of. This keeps your oven free!

3. Don't over do it. I am NOT Martha Stewart, and I do not want to be. I would rather cuddle with my hubby and kids or play a game with my family than slave over the stove or stress about a new recipe coming out. I really recommend you not do a ton (like, MAYBE one) brand new recipes for the day of. You can do more if you can get a "practice run" before then. Also, try to stick to about a max of 5 ingredients per dish. This will keep it simple.

4. Write down a plan of what needs done. The days before, and the day of. Write down temps and minutes of cooking, and make sure you have enough stove tops and oven space to get it done. Also make sure that you know where all of your recipes are.

6. Accept and even request help. This include set up and clean up.

These tips really help me to enjoy the holidays, and the people around me! Do you have some helpful tips? Comment below!

Hot drinks for a cold day

So anyone who really knows me knows I really am not the biggest fan of snow. Is it beautiful? Oh yes, spectacular...but see, I can't enjoy it because I know that it is cold, sludgy, dirty, has the ability to be wet and dry at the same time, and did I mention COLD??? I live here in Michigan for 2 reasons only, Chris loves it, and my family lives here. So I have to suffer through the season and try to keep a positive attitude. But one thing that I really do love is all the soups and hot drinks we can consume! I absolutely LOVE to hold my coffee cup full of either coffee, cider, or hot chocolate. So I was thinking while drinking my coffee and watching the snow fall (YUCK!) how I should post some of my favorite hot drink recipes. Enjoy!

Caramel Apple Cider

I use this recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups apple cider
• 1 1/2 tablespoons caramel sauce or caramels, dip
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Combine apple cider, caramel and vanilla into a sauce pan.
2. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until apple cider is hot and caramel has melted.
3. Pour into a mug and enjoy.

Ginger and Lemon Tea

Ingredients:

• 1 medium piece fresh Ginger, peeled (a spoon is great for this) and chopped
  
• 2-3 fresh lemons
• 3 quarts water

Directions:

1. Fill pot with water.

2. Put in ginger and lemons zest from 2 lemons, squeeze in one of those lemons juice (more if you like flavor).

3. Bring to boil then simmer about 45 minutes.

4. Put through a colander to get out the pieces.

5. Pour tea into cup, then but lemon slice on top to float, enjoy!

Russian Friendship Tea

This is also great as a gift, just put the mixture in an air tight container

Ingredients:

2 cups instant orange drink (like Tang)
1/2 cup sweetened iced tea mix powder
1 envelope sweetened lemonade mix
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions:

Fill a mug with boiling water and stir in 2-3 teaspoons of mix, to taste.

Homemade Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tbsp of chocolate (about a square of Hersheys) (totally optional, I like the chocolate taste)
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. water
1 c. milk
a bit of vanilla, if desired

Directions:

1. Combine cocoa, sugar, and water in a small saucepan.

2. Heat it on low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the paste from sticking to the pan.

3. After about 1 to 2 minutes, add milk vanilla and Hersheys if you want.

4. Mix it all together until it reaches your preferred temperature. I add Cinnamon at the end, yum!

These are so yummy to make, give them a try! And as a side note to you moms with little ones, please be careful when cooling the drinks on the counter or table. I have a close friend who set her hot chocolate on the counter to cool, turned around to get a glass, and her two year old somehow grabbed it off of the counter. She ended up getting 2nd degree burns! Poor baby!

Christmas Spirit

So this week has been SUPER crazy! Between my work meetings, concerts, family get together's and activities, I haven't had a chance to breath!

While at my meeting on Monday, a good friend of mine, Amanda, spoke and touched my heart. She talked about the magic of Christmas, the fun of gifts, and focused on the best gift of all, Jesus. See, I always "knew" that, I always remember to keep Christ in Christmas, talk about the birth to my kids, and sing the religious songs. But she really made it "click".

She talked about Jesus being the beginning of our everything. All of our lives go back to that day, the day He was born. For that day started His life, and we all know how awesome his life was, but His death is really the most significant. That is the day our sins were forgiven, and without Him, we would be lost souls. So as I sat there listening, I swelled up with tears and felt comforted by the information I received, and excitement that I will get to teach my kids this.

So I want to remind you of how special Christmas really is, between the lights, cookies, ham, and gifts, please take a moment to reflect, just how magical and blessed the day really is!