Hot Cocoa Bar

Happy cozy holiday season Friends!  

I'm a Gal that loves my iced beverages in the summer and I LOVE hot beverages in the winter.  It's been such a mild winter here so far, but I'm still loving my hot drinks. I have my coffee in the morning and then I like to have some chai tea, or other hot tea later in the day. Sometimes I'll change it up and have a cocoa or hot cider instead. My kiddos also love hot cocoa or cider as soon as Fall rolls around, and they continue to love them all through our "cold" season. 

So last year I started putting out a hot cocoa bar and it was hit! Not only with the grown-ups, but especially with my kiddos and their friends. However, I'm still conscious of their sugar and they need to ask about having some - I don't leave it as a free-for-all. I just love the convenience factor - that if they ask and I'm okay with it, I don't have to go get all the items out for them. Plus, it looks pretty cute out in my kitchen. ;) 

Just the looks of it makes me feel festive and cozy. For the moment I have out apple cider and swiss miss cocoa cups for my keurig. The keurig is so nice because it's so easy for the kids to operate as well.

Come and help yourself - I'll give you a nice big holiday red mug. Then chose some cider or cocoa and grab a vanilla or peppermint candy stirrer or a caramel spoon (great for the apple cider!). 

The candy stick stirrers are from kits I found at Michael's that included these snowflake or snowman marshmallow candies. Please grab some of those as well!

I gave my snowman cookie jar a festive update with some battery powered wire lights. 

He looks so sweet smiling over all of the fun!

I've got my mug all set - please enjoy yours and happy cozy holiday season to you!! 

I'm joining with Brenda of Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday. 

And with Andrea of Scrapality for Scraptastic Saturday.

Happy Homemaker Monday

Good morning & Happy Monday Friends! 

I hope all is going great in your neck of the woods! It was another busy hockey weekend here. However, we were able to get a few things accomplished before being gone for the weekend, and got some more holiday shopping completed and quite a bit of gift wrapping! Feeling holidays here all the way - other than the green grass outside! Where did my white Christmas go???

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

In the 30's and pretty mild. No wind at all. All of that snow we were supposed to get last week was mostly rain! So it is green outside now. The end of last week the weather was so mild (almost 50) that it almost felt like our Spring around here! Seems so weird. I'm hoping that we'll get at least a little snow before Christmas!

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

Toast and sliced apple with my Annie and my MIL. My MIL and I also had gingerbread coffee. Annie opted for egg nog - she's feeling that holiday spirit too. Lol. I needed to take my MIL early today - so she got to go with to help get Annie to school too.

  AS I LOOK OUTSIDE MY WINDOW:

Looking out at gray skies, calm bay, green grass. Still been seeing lots of squirrel activity. I'm sure they're enjoying these mild temps and finding a few more goodies for the winter.

RIGHT NOW I AM:

Sitting in the chair - watching news with my MIL as she sits on the couch and snuggles with Ruby. Once in a while we chat back and forth. She's having a harder time finding her words today - so she was trying to tease me and tell me she's "keeping me in check" but instead said she's "keeping me in trike". But I get the idea and no matter what she says I play along and we have some very interesting lengthy conversations at time. It makes her so happy, though, to feel like we're having "coffee conversation" like days of old.

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE:

Still pretty tidy from when I cleaned up before we left for hockey. All of my Christmas decorations are out and it all looks festive and cozy.

ON TODAY'S TO DO LIST:

Going to run errands and get groceries with my MIL. I'll make something quick and easy for their dinner to send home with her. Then I'll head to grab my daughter from school and go to a PTA meeting there tonight. 

CURRENTLY READING:

Still catching up on holiday magazines.

 

ON THE TV TODAY:

I haven't even looked at what we have taped. I'm kind of bummed that Dancing with the Stars is done already. And several other favorite shows are on break until next year. I think I have some cooking shows taped and some Hallmark movies. 

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

MONDAY: chicken salad sandwiches (winter version with apple, craisins, pecans & dill in the mix), maybe soup or salad to go with it.

TUESDAY: BBQ meatballs, cheesy potatoes & green beans.

WEDNESDAY: leftovers or something easy as it's a busy kiddo's activities night

THURSDAY: breakfast pizza, fruit

FRIDAY: not sure - leaving open in case we go out to look at Christmas lights and go out to dinner

WHAT I AM CREATING AT THE MOMENT:

Still working on Christmas projects

NEW RECIPE I WANT TO TRY THIS WEEK:

breakfast pizza will be a new recipe

TIP OF THE WEEK:

Sometimes a quick and easy way to have some yummy meals at the ready is to make in smaller sizes - like a muffin tin. Make mini meatloaves, or egg bake muffins that take less cooking time. Then place the cooked goodies on a cookie sheet to freeze for about an hour - take them back out and place in zip lock labeled freezer bags. Easy breakfast or dinner at the ready!

FROM THE CAMERA:

My hockey Girl lined up with her teammates at the outdoor rink yesterday.

Hot cocoa bar I set up next to my keurig - more on this later in the week.

A peek at my tree from the outside looking in from my deck.

PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:

Remembering what's really important this time of the year.

I'm linking with Sandra from Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.

Five on Friday: Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Happy Friday my Friends!! 

The weekend is here! And it sure feels like the holidays are in the air everywhere. From the stores, Christmas music on the radio, the commercials on t.v., and even in my own home. That's what I want to share with you today - some Christmas moments around my home.  I've been busy getting all the Christmas goodies out around here and decorated my trees...and even wrapped a few presents!! I'm ahead of the game this year (for me) and have done a lot of shopping already. I have a few things yet to get, I need to finish decorating outside, and get my Christmas cards made out - but otherwise it's looking good around here. Bring on the Christmas spirit full force! Time for snuggling in with Christmas movies, drinking cocoa and eggnog, baking up a storm and just soaking it all in. Here are some Christmas moments around my northwoods home: 

ONE

I put up the big star on my mantle again this year with lots of candles. I LOVE the glow at night. But other then that it's all woodland touches with cedar garland, my deer, woodland angel with forest animals and trees, and this pretty berry wreath. I love using lots of nature touches in my decorating as it fits my home so well.

TWO

And of course many touches of the real reason for the season to me, the birth of Jesus. I love my new little church in the snow with such sweet little details - even a mini creche scene. And my nativity that my Mom made for me - LOVE!!! 

THREE

And I've been having fun wrapping some gifts already. I love to play with the bows and ribbons and I often buy really pretty unique tags on etsy.com. I love to doctor the packages up all pretty and I often add little things to the top - like an ornament or a sprig of berries. I'm also often drawn to wrap that fit the colors of my home or have nature scenes on them. So fun - and it's those little details that show the love, right? ;) 

FOUR

And it's not just me - even others have been getting in the spirit around here! When Ruby went to get cleaned up and trimmed at the groomers she came home with pretty bows, a jingle bell collar and a new squeaky toy. She was a happy Girl! And my sweet MIL got in on the act when she helped draw the name for my giveaway. Love the smiles the Christmas season brings. 

FIVE

And of course it's all about the trees! Lol  This is our "downstairs" tree (it's very Downton Abbey over here - Ha!), which is in our media room where we like to relax and watch t.v. on the big screen. It's also more of the kiddo hang out. This is the tree my kiddos decorate and holds all of our family memories ornaments. 

And this is the "upstairs" tree in the more formal living room, that I get to decorate how I like. The past several years I've kept it decked out in the colors of my home. It's got gold bead garland (like jewelry for my tree - I'm such a girl sometimes - haha), ribbon garland in golds and browns, gold, cream, brown and tan ornaments. Lots of the decorations have nature on them like dragon flies, berries, leaves and I even have a few owl ornaments. I also like to put picks of flowers in the tree - like cream hydrangea and lily looking flowers. The day I started decorating it was snowing so pretty outside. I love that this tree even looks really pretty in the daytime too. But the best is when everything is glowing at night. 

Wishing you all a happy cozy weekend! I'm linking with Amy from Love Made My Home for Five on Friday.

Fairy Bread Roll-ups

More prayers going out into this world. I don't understand why there's such craziness and it isn't stopping. What is it going to take to make some significant changes in our laws, or mental health programs - or any other areas where we're dropping the ball?? Action needs to happen!! In the meantime I hope we can all continue praying and working to be peaceful warriors in some way to help contribute to the change that needs to happen in our world. 

Anyway, I don't chose to get too political on my blog and that's all I'll say about that. But thinking about things like that today I wanted to share something fun and magical...as I think our world could use more of that too. I think I may have mentioned my daughter's fairy friend "Rose" who visits her once in a while. Rose is a fairy from Annie's garden outside her bedroom window...and she has corresponded with Annie several times in the past - sharing notes back and forth. She has also left Annie tiny trinkets and gifts before. It's a pretty big deal over here, and quite special. Not to mention magical of course! 

Well about 2 weeks ago Annie and I had seen something about fairy bread. A treat often made for birthday parties and such in some parts of the world. Not as traditional here in the U.S. (at least that I've never been aware of). Annie decided she really wanted to make some fairy bread- for her fairy friend Rose. So we set to work and made some. It's a fun treat to make as well as yummy and as magical as you'd like it to be.

All that is required to make this treat is some kind of soft slices of bread. Frosting of some kind and any sprinkles you'd like.

Remove the crusts and roll the bread flat.

Frost the bread with frosting of choice and decorate with sprinkles. We had fall sprinkles still around (as this was a few weeks ago).

Then roll into a little log shape. You can keep it in a roll or cut into slices as we chose to do.

Then if you want leave write a note to a fairy of your choice and leave her a sweet note. Or just eat as a yummy treat for yourself. Annie wrote to Rose and explained what the roll-up was and thanked her for visiting Annie in the past and leaving Annie gifts. Goes straight to this Mom's heart.

Annie then left it on her dresser for Rose - right beside several of her other fairy treasures.  I know that Annie is getting to an age where our magical time may be very limited, so I hold these moments together as so precious and appreciate every second. And Rose did write back to Annie and thanked her for the delicious treat and told her that the garden fairies were leaving for the winter (to go some where warmer). But that she'd be leaving some goodies with Santa to get to Annie from Rose. 

Let's hear it for more magic, innocence, love and peace being put out into the world! Blessings. xoxo

Wednesday Wonder & Giveaway Winner!

Hello my Dear Friends!!  

I'm sitting here visiting with my MIL as we listen to some Christmas music and talk about our plans for lunch. She's coloring quite beautifully in her coloring book (one of her favorite things to do these days).  Alzheimer's caregiving is pretty easy on fun days like these. She's in a very jolly mood and it's fun to sing along with her - as she still remembers the words to a lot of the songs.

 I'm sure you're ready to see the winner for the cozy giveaway, but first a little peek at Wednesday Wonder from the tiny bit of snow we got the other day. The pretty patch of woods on the non-bay side of our house:

WINTER WONDERLAND

There's still a thin layer of white out there, but it's getting pretty melty now with our warmer temps today.  

Before I share the winner I just wanted to once again thank you all for entering, and especially for making my first year of blogging such a joy!! I enjoy it so much because of wonderful friends like you that make this time such a treasure for me. I love you all and hope we will be bloggie BFF's forever!!! Lol  O.K. - you've waited long enough. On to business!

First of all, I have my sweet elf helper to assist me and keep it fair. I asked if she'd like to wear a hat to make things feel more officially festive and she happily obliged.

This photo turned out dark for some reason - but all the names were written down and folded up nicely.

Then they were assembled in the fancy candy dish (just for special occasions).

Then the helpful elf reached in and grabbed the lucky winner. She was quick but I caught the photo just in time!  And the winner is:

My dear Friend Laura from the blog A Spoonful of Joy! Yay Laura!! I'll be contacting you soon to let you know. And you can email me so I can get your address if you see this first. 

Thanks again to All - and I can't say enough what a blessing you all are to me!! Until the next giveaway - this is Carrie and her Elf side kick signing off for today! 

Holiday Spirit

Hello and Happy Tuesday Friends!  

It's been a busy day around here - finally getting my other tree decorated and getting the house decorations out, cleaning, and working on other holiday things.  

The several inches of snow we were supposed to get (at one point they said maybe even 6-10 inches) never really hit us.  Our big lake buffered our city and kept our weather more temperate so it didn't get cold enough to snow and instead just rained.  Outside our city, though, several areas around us received many inches of snow and some almost a foot!! However, this morning it did snow big pretty flakes for a while and we accumulated maybe 1/2 an inch. I was working on my tree at the time and got a few pretty shots. They're saying maybe over night we'll get a couple of inches. We'll see I guess. Enjoying the cozy for now:

Pretty flakes outside my window.

Winter wonderland!

The glow a few nights ago, when we put up the tree but hadn't decorated yet. 

My tree is all done now and I'll share photos probably for 5 on Friday later this week. I just wanted to also give one last reminder for my cozy giveaway that ends by midnight tonight my central time zone here in the States. So if you'd like to enter please do so soon!!! I'm so excited to give some goodies to a lucky winner tomorrow, and again just want to thank all of my lovely blogland family for being such a blessing to me! I love being part of this wonderful community. Remember though, you don't need to have a blog to win. Just leave me a comment on the giveaway post. 

Here are some adorable cooking/baking stickers I picked up to go with the binder album part of the giveaway that will be perfect to make it a keepsake cookbook. I also have gel scrapbook pens and adhesive. So fun! I'm late getting around today, but I'll be coming to visit later and say hello.  

Good luck to All and check back to see if you're a winner tomorrow!