Joy Wreath

 Here's a last minute Christmas wreath that I put together today. It's been one of those days where I have a ton of errands to run but don't feel like going anywhere so I stayed home and made a mess in my craft room instead.

 I used a white foam wreath form and wrapped it with 3 different colors of burlap. Added some rolled felt flowers and made a JOY banner out of Christmas paper with the help of the Silhouette. The O in joy is made from a couple of limbs that I cut from a fake tree garland and just twisted them into a circle and added some ribbon.

Pretty simple and looks great. What last minute projects are you working on? 

 

DIY Fishing Activity

Every day I'm on the hunt for some kind of activity to keep my little guy entertained. He's so busy moving from one thing to the next, especially if it involves climbing. With the other kids in school all day, I'm lucky to have a lot of playing time with him.

I made a go fishing activity that he could do now as well as when he gets older. Each fish contains a small super strong magnet in the head to make it easier to catch with the larger magnet hook that's on the pole.

I was going to wait and give this to him for Christmas but I couldn't wait. As soon as he woke from his nap, we went fishing!! (Opps, I didn't even take the time to comb his hair for the picture). 

Materials needed:

Variety of fabrics
Fish template-found HERE 
Sewing machine
Poly Fil- I used one bag for 10 fish
Magnets-(I used Super Magnets for inside the fish and larger regular magnets for the hook on the pole).
Wooden dowel-What ever length you want
Paint- for painting wooden dowel, optional
String- I used bakers twine but any kind of string would work
Glue Gun

Instructions
*After choosing your fabrics, trace the fish template onto the wrong side of the fabric. You'll need 2 pieces for each fish. Then cut each fish out and place right sides together for sewing.  

Magnetic Hook

To make the magnetic hook, you'll need a piece of scrap fabric, a large magnet, string, hot glue and ribbon. Tie one end of the string to the magnet. You could always glue the string to the magnet as well. Wrap the fabric around the magnet and hot glue fabric together. This is so the little ones can't get the magnet out. Then tie a ribbon around the bunched fabric and tie the other end of the string to the pole.

Happy Fishing!

 

Soft Gingersnap Cookies

It's that time of year when kitchens begin to fill with the aroma of sweet goodies being baked. Gingersnap cookies have always reminded me of my great-grandmother. She kept cookies in a bread box that sat on her kitchen counter and gingersnap cookies were one of her favorites, so this is where my love of these cookies began. Something about the smell of molasses brings those childhood memories back. 
This soft gingersnap cookie is perfect for those holiday parties or maybe to leave for Santa on Christmas Eve. Pretty sure he'll love them!

Soft Gingersnap Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 Tablespoon water

1/4 cup molasses

2 Tablespoon white sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves. and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the wet mixture. Shape dough into balls and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the dough balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet and flatten slightly. 

3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.         

Recipe adapted from all recipes 

Chocolate Orange M&M Cookies

 If you know me, you know that I LOVE cookies! I also love the flavor combination of chocolate and orange. Have you seen the new chocolate orange M&M's? They taste like those chocolate sticks with the orange jelly inside or those chocolate oranges with the wedge pieces, YUM YUM!! 

I discovered them through a friend and went right out to Wal Mart and picked up a few bags. I knew immediately that I wanted to bake them into a scrumptious cookie.

The end result was some good chocolate cookies devoured by my daughters group of friends. (okay, I ate a few also)

Chocolate Orange M&M Cookies

3/4 cup butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 bag chocolate orange M&M's- or any kind of M&M would be great!! (save some to add to tops of cookies)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease them, set aside. 

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer until will blended.

Beat in egg and vanilla. Scrape down sides of bowl to make sure everything is blended well.

In medium bowl, stir flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.

Add flour mixture to butter/sugar mixture. Stir in most of the M&M's. 

Place heaping tablespoons of cookie dough about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. 

Press a few M&M's into the tops of each cookie. 

Bake 12-14 minutes. 

Remove from oven and transfer cookies to a cooling rack. Store in air tight container.

 

Christmas Countdown Clipboard

 

Nothing like a spur of the moment project. With today being the first day of December, and the little ones now asking, how many days until Christmas, I thought it would be fun to have a countdown of some sorts and this is what I came up with thanks to Eighteen 25. 

I just happened to have a small clipboard and used my Silhouette to make the number cards. For instructions on this fun Christmas countdown go here.

 

Balsamic Tomato and Basil Salad

 

I know it's not summer anymore, but I have to share one of my favorite tomato dishes that I think is yummy any time of the year. 

It's been 2 months now that we've been doing a food challenge where we stay away from sugar and processed foods. A couple weeks into the challenge my friend shared this tomato recipe and I'm loving it! Seriously, I eat it all the time!!

 It's a great side dish to any meal or just to snack on during the day. It only takes minutes to put together and has a wonderful fresh flavor.

Balsamic Tomato and Basil Salad

1 large package of cherry or grape tomatoes
Handful of fresh basil
Olive oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Sea Salt

Slice the tomatoes in half and put in a bowl. Finely chop the basil and add to bowl. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Add sea salt to taste.

 


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Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

One of my favorite things about the weather getting cooler is that I can start making yummy soups for dinner. This makes me so happy!! 

Every Halloween, some of our neighbors gather together outside at a home for dinner and everyone brings a soup to share. It's heaven to sample each of the soups. This year I found a recipe for a turkey and wild rice soup but changed it up a bit and used chicken instead. It's a winner in my book and we'll be making it often this winter.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
(adapted from Lindsey's Luscious)

9 cups chicken stock + a possible 1 cup chicken stock for later
8 oz. uncooked wild rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, diced
2 carrots, diced
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons chicken soup base-(I used Better Than Bouillon brand. Instead of a bouillon cube it's a paste)
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Add nine cups of stock and the uncooked wild rice to a crock pot set to high. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and saute onion, celery and carrots until onion is transparent. Season with the black pepper, and add the sauteed veggies to the crock pot. Stir in the chicken soup base. Cook on high for 3-4 hours (or on low for 6-8 hours) until the wild rice and veggies are tender.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt 1/2 stick of butter. Whisk in the flour, and cook for a minute or two. Gradually add the half-and-half, whisking constantly.  Once thickened and completely smooth, add the white sauce to the crock pot and stir to combine. Add the chicken and the parsley (and another cup of stock if you prefer a thinner soup), and cook on high for another 20 minutes or until heated through.