Favorite Christmas Traditions Series: Christmas Lights

Christmas gives many of us the excuse to decorate our houses in pure Griswold-style both inside and out.  Our streets begin to twinkle and many neighborhoods become winter wonderlands.  It doesn’t take much effort or money to enjoy these glittering displays and start a fun Christmas tradition.

Favorite Christmas Traditions Series: Must-Watch Christmas Movies



Photo Credit

We are big movie fans in my family.  We enjoy snuggling up and immersing ourselves in a good movie.  So naturally, Christmas movies are always included in our activities and many have become tradition.  We usually watch the shorter ones on a weeknight and the longer ones on a weekend evening, and always with hot cocoa. 

Amazing Chocolate Cake With Peanut Butter Frosting

I made this amazing recipe for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.  I like to try at least one new recipe each year.  I'm so glad I stumbled upon this incredible, perfect chocolate cake.  Paired with peanut butter frosting, this cake can't be beat.  There is absolutely nothing healthy about this cake, but that's OK, I'll make an exception, it's that good!!

The Two P’s of Keeping It Simple During the Holidays

Have I told you that the time from Thanksgiving to Christmas is my FAVORITE time of year?  There is something so magical about the traditions, extra focus on family, and all the sparkle.  But there’s a dark side to the holidays for me: fitting it all in and making everyone happy.  Oh, and don’t forget not eating too many of the amazing treats, finding the perfect gifts while not breaking the bank, and displaying the patience and generosity of a saint while being stretched in a million different directions.  As magical as the season is, it can be downright maddening.  It has been out of necessity to simplify that I’ve developed my “P” strategy.  It’s not rocket science and it’s certainly not original, but it works for me.

Favorite Christmas Traditions Series: Santa Exploded

Every year, Santa explodes in my house.  Ok, Santa Clause didn't actually explode in my house, but it sure looks like he did!  I do Christmas decor in a major way.  If it can be decorated, draped, hung from, or otherwise decorate-able, it is.  Every square inch of my home is decorated for Christmas, which has led to my family (and friends) describing it as looking like "Santa walked in and exploded all over everything...twice."  It may sound obnoxious, but I feel that there's only once a year when I can get outrageous with my decor, so I may as well go big!

My Favorite Christmas Traditions Series: Hot Cocoa Movie Nights

I. LOVE. CHRISTMAS.  It is by far my favorite holiday of the year, and thus, my favorite celebration.  I just realized that we are only 47 days away from Christmas!  So what better time to begin a Christmas Traditions Series?  In my family, Christmas traditions are sacred to me.  They create lasting memories and a wonderful feeling of excitement in our home from the day after Thanksgiving to Christmas Day.  I look at it as a legacy of mine, hoping that my children will pass on the traditions, or at least the spirit of them, to my future grand-babies; you're welcome, future grand-babies.  So I'm happy to share some of my family's favorite traditions and recipes with you over the course of this 10-part series (yeah, I have a lot of traditions...). 

A Little Break

Things have been really hectic lately.  I'd love to be able to post all the great projects I've been working on, but they're Christmas presents and their recipients follow my blog. *thanks* :)  I've been experimenting a lot in the kitchen but haven't brought the camera out.  So, realizing that I don't have a post for this week and don't know what to post, I thought I'd take a quick break (about a week or two) to catch my breath and work on some content for LAA.  So be sure to check back in a week or two and I promise I'll have something cool.  Until then, enjoy the many adventures this life has for you in even the smallest of things.  :)

A Weekend in Flagstaff, Arizona

For my birthday, my Handsome Hubby organized a trip to Flagstaff, near the Grand Canyon in Northern Arizona.  We go there sometimes in the summer to escape the heat of the desert and sometimes we visit in the winter to play in the snow.  Yes, it snows in Arizona.  Northern Arizona actually has four seasons and is at a higher elevation than the rest of the state.  So, we rented a tiny cabin for the weekend and went to enjoy the changing colors of the leaves and some great fall weather.

Seared Pork Chops with Wilted Spinach

We recently picked up a half pig from Date Creek Ranch, a local ranch here near Phoenix.  They are a local, family-run ranch that takes a holistic grazing approach; and they're just super-nice people.  We've ordered grass-fed beef from them in the past and LOVED not only the beef, but the prices as well.  Their prices are very comparable to conventional meats in the store.  So when we re-ordered our beef for this year, we ordered a half-pig as well.  It is delicious!  I've not been a big fan of pork because I've always thought it smelled and tasted funny, but I am now a fan of the pastured pork from the ranch.  No funny smell and the taste is nothing short of wonderful.  If you have access to pastured meats, I HIGHLY recommend you give it a try and taste the difference. 

Dino Hoodie Rex

I’ve seen a bunch of cute tutorials on making these adorable dino-hoodies.  I wasn’t able to find one that didn’t use felt or that didn’t cover the raw edges of the fabric.  So I sort of made this up as I went along.  Luckily, it turned out great.

Roasted Okra

It's okra time in the desert and boy am I ready!  I must admit that okra used to be on my list of veggies I tolerated but never really enjoyed.  I just couldn't get over the "slime" factor.  Fried okra is good, but I really try not to eat deep-fried vegetables.  Last year about this time, I was getting tons and tons of okra in my CSA basket and didn't know what to do with it.  Then I found this method.  Hallelujah! **light rays from the sky, angels singing, doves flying**

It's a Journey, Not a Sprint... Right?

I feel that this post is long overdue.  I guess I've been putting it off in hopes of the potential content changing, but alas, my procrastination has not yielded the results I had hoped.  Since my last Weight Loss Journey Post, I've fallen off the Harcombe Diet Wagon, rode the No-Diet Diet Wagon, and took a detour in Too-Much-Dessertville and Pastrytown. 

Athena Creation: Groovy Sausage Veggie Rice Casserole

My most recent Athena Creation was a success!  From time to time, I throw together the ingredients I have and cross my fingers.  I lovingly present these to my family as "Athena Creations" with either a silly name or a random number like 3,296.  Anyhow, sometimes they are great, sometimes they aren't so great.  This dish was great and made fantastic leftovers for lunch the next day.  Boy do I love dinners that turn into an enjoyable lunch the next day!

Adventures in Sewing: Picnic Placemats

Some time sewing recently produced this gem of a project.  Picnic placemats with a cutlery and napkin-holding pouch. They are placemats that you can roll up and put in your picnic basket, sure to add a touch of awesome to your picnic.  I know picnic season is winding down in most of the country, but here in the desert, it's about to start next month and last until next summer.  I made this set for my daughter in Michigan, but I think I'm going to have to make another just for me. 

I can't express how easy this is!  It's a few straight stitches and some top-stitching.  It was also a super-cheap project because I got the fabric on clearance.  You could also recycle old sheets, napkins or tablecloths and skip the fabric store all together.   These took so little time that I forgot to take how-to pictures... sorry.  But here's the gist of it.  Cut 4 rectangles (the size of placemat you want + seam allowance, I did 22"x 16") out of a double-thickness of fabric (making 8 total). Cut 4 smaller rectangles (about 7"x 4") and 4 (about 2"x 4") strips.

Placemats:
 Pin two rectangles (right sides together) and stitch all sides, leaving a 6" gap. Trim corners, turn right-side-out and top-stitch all the way around the edge. Repeat for remaing placemats.

Pockets:
On top edge of 7x4 pieces, make a 1/4" double-fold hem, topstitch.  Press 2x4 strips in half (wrong sides together) lengthwise, open and press edges to the center, fold in half and stitch open edge closed.  Place strip 2"-3" from top hem of pocket, baste.  Press the sides and bottom (and attached strip) 1/2" to the wrong side.  Position onto placemat about an inch from the side and bottom.  Topstitch around bottom and side edges of pocket, leaving the top hemmed edge open.  Repeat for remaining placemats.

And VOILA!  Picnic placemats!  :)    

Featured At!!





Shared At: Make it Pretty Mondays, I Gotta Try That, The Weekly Creative, Creative Mondays, Anti Procrastination Tuesdays, Teach Me Tuesdays, Tiny Tip Tuesday, Show Me What Ya Got, Works for Me Wednesday, Earning My Cape, Penny Pinching Party, Frugal Days Sustainable Ways, DIY Accomplished, Thriving on Thursday, Homemaker by Choice, Little house in the Suburbs, Friday Favorites, Miss Information, Creative Thursday, Seven Alive, The Bulletin Board, Tiny Tip Tuesday

Adventures in Crochet: Angry Birds Hat

I don't know about your kids, but my Not-So-Little-Man LOVES the game Angry Birds.  I've been spending a lot of time in my craft room lately (see This Fabulous Project ), but haven't really made him a whole lot.  But what does a mom sew or crochet for her 12-year-old boy?...