Black eyed peas - a New Year tradition

photo courtesy of Family Fun

Just in case you haven' heard, Hoppin' John is a southern tradition that brings on "good luck" in the new year.   Here's a recipe I found in cute parfait glasses, care of Family Fun magazine.

Ingredients:

• 2 bacon strips, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups chopped red or green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

• 2 cups fresh or frozen black-eyed peas
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
• Sour cream and cherry tomatoes (for garnish)

Instructions:

 

1. In a medium saucepan, saute the bacon for 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of the bell pepper, the onion, the chopped tomato, the chili powder, the salt and pepper, and the black-eyed peas. Pour in the broth and bring the mixture to a low boil, then simmer it uncovered for 1 hour or more, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed.
   
2. Layer the peas, rice, cheese, and remaining bell pepper in parfait glasses. Top with sour cream and a cherry tomato. Serves 6 to 8.
   

Wishes can come true

Have you looked back over the past year and wished you had saved money to do something special together?  Start a vacation, camping or movie fund for this coming year.  Get everyone to pitch in and make it a family affair.  Working on it together it will make it all the more memorable.  Even if you can afford it without the little ones helping to pitch in, they will be so proud that they got to contribute too!

A new, New Year's tradition

How about for this New Years day, you spend the entire day trying new things?  Try a new food, go somewhere new, wear your hair a different way, really anything goes!  How fun it will be to not know what the day will hold?

Waiting

Peppermint bark recipe - my hubby's favorite

Ingredients:  candy canes, chocolate and peppermint flavoring (optional).

Place candy canes in a plastic bag and hammer into 1/4-inch chunks or smaller. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Combine candy cane chunks with chocolate (add peppermint flavoring at this point if desired.) Pour mixture onto a cookie sheet layered with parchment or waxed paper and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes or until firm. Remove from cookie sheet and break into pieces (like peanut brittle.)

Christmas pillowcases

I apologize for such a dark picture.  I finished these pillow cases at night, while the children were sleeping.  Without proper lighting I had to photograph them before I tucked them away for Christmas Eve.  I didn't want my children to see them, because I want them to be a surprise.  I may or may not have sewn in secret pockets to tuck in Christmas wishes.  These pillow cases are going to get brought out as a new tradition each year.

Is that Marge Simpson?  Yup.  And, her hair is all decked out in garland and shiny Christmas balls.  Bart and the whole clan is there.  Don't ask.

Felt play food

Inspired by, my friend, Angie's felted cookies at Many Little Blessings, I tried my hand at felted ravioli's for my darling two year old's play kitchen.  I decoupaged a brie cheese box to house the little tasties with some scrapbooking paper.  I'm so proud of these little things.  I can't explain it.  I keep peeking on them just to make sure they are still there. Angie, can you explain the madness?

 

Frugal Christmas Gifts - snow globes

 

We made these "snow globes" this week.  The children liked this fun craft and are trying to decide whether to keep their globe or give them as gifts.  We have several.  And, as cute as they are, I don't want a globe village.

The material for this are:

1. an unused or unwanted glass (we went to a thrift store to get some)
2. miniature ornaments from the craft store (snow men, trees, baby Jesus, etc...)
3. cotton balls
4. little round mirrors for the lake
5. hot glue gun and glue
6. cardboard

Directions for making these:

1. Turn your glass upside down and trace it onto cardboard.  This will be the bottom.
2.  Unroll the cotton ball and spread it out on the cardboard circle.  Then glue it down.
3. Cut the hanging threads from the mini-ornaments and glue these into place.  Give it a little shake to make sure they are secure.  If they are not, add more glue.
   
4. Glue the little mirrors down.
5. Place the glass on top of the whole scene and glue this in place.  Be careful to not leave "spider webs" inside the glass caused by the hot glue gun.
   

Grandparents Survival Kit

Photo courtesy of simplyvintagegirl.com

Want to make something special for the grandparents?  How about a survival kit.

Here's some things you may want to include in a Grandparents Survival Kit.  Get creative and think of a few yourself too.  And grandma, stop reading this post right now or it will spoil the fun!



Safety pin - To remind you to keep safe.
Lifesavers - Because grandparents can be "lifesavers".
Marble - For the ones your about to loose.
Pencil - To write down your memories to share with the grandkids
Tissue - For cleaning up little messes
Candle - To remind you that you're the light in your grandkids eyes.
Mint - Always remember you are worth a mint.
Sugar Cube - For that extra burst of energy.
Sandpaper - For when the grandkids get a little rough.
Extra money - Spoiling kids can be expensive.
Sunglasses- For discreet granny naps.
Extra eyes - You will need eyes in the back of your head.

Make a Mini Tinsel Tree

photo courtesy of Crafty Crow

Oh my.  Aren't these darling?  Go here, for the tutorial in pictures.  I want one in every room.  If you want to get really fancy, make some miniature garlands:

miniature tree garland

seed bead garland

Frugal Christmas Gifts - body scrub

This body scrub is too die for!  It is a brown sugar and spice concoction that you rub into your skin, let sit for a few minutes and rinse.  Your skin will be left feeling so smooth and smelling so good.  To see how to make this perfect gift for your mother or a dear friend visit Bake at 350 by clicking here.

The Legend of the Christmas Tree

We read The Legend of the Christmas Tree written by Rick Osborne today.  It is a story about a family that goes to cut down their own tree for Christmas.  They come across a tree farm that has 3 beautiful trees and a special box that sat beneath one of them.  This family learns about the legend of the Christmas tree through the retelling of the farmer.  They also start a new tradition of their own.

I highly recommend reading this book, because doesn't everyone wonder why we put trees inside our house at Christmas?  After reading this book we made these trees.

The supplies that you need for making these trees are:

1. hot glue gun
2. styrofoam cones
3. pipe cleaners (red and white)
4. ribbon in different colors
5. sequins of different sizes
6. small beads
7. straight pins with balls on the end
8. green felt
9. gold plastic stars
   

1. Cut the felt in a triangle shape, large enough to cover the styrofoam cone.  
2. Hot glue the felt to the cone, folding the bottom and top edge over.
3. Hot glue or pin ribbons or twisted red and white pipe cleaners for garland.
4. Make ornaments by sticking a straight pin through a bead, then a sequin, then a slighly larger sequin.
5. Glue a star to the top.  (or in our case we had to pin ours through a hole in the bottom of the star)
   

Isn't our forest pretty?  And look, it snowed.

11 Days of Give-aways! (day 11)

Hello crafty moms!  Here you have the chance to win 8 lovely organza flowers that you can add as an embellishment to anything you are making for the holidays.  These are made with love by Supplier.  She also has a jewelry store on etsy called Ayse Tugrul, which is equally unique.

The Rules:
To enter the contest you can do one or any of the following.  Just be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing that you do.  I will pick a winner using random.org at 11pm est.  
1.  Leave a comment. 2.  Leave a link to this give-away on facebook. 3.  Blog about today's give-away. 4.  Place a button in the side bar of your blog.

5.  Twitter about today's give-away.

6.  Follow this blog.
7.  Leave a comment with what colors you would like if you should win.

Frugal Christmas Gifts - mini wool wreaths

Grab some wool sweaters that your children have outgrown, or head over to your local thrift store and pick a few colorful ones up.  Remember, they must be wool.  Next, you need to wash them in hot water and dry them so that you "ruin" them or felt them. 

After that you cut 1" squares or use a rotary cutter and mat to cut 1" squares out of the sweaters.  I used jewelry wire that I had laying around, but you could use floral wire to bend into the shape of a circle.  The easy part is stringing the squares on the wire.  You do NOT need to get these straight.  They look better when they are crooked.  I simply twisted the wire together at the end and strung the wreath up by a pretty ribbon.   I found this craft at Bella Dia, here, and she gives you a couple of finishing options and a list of the items that you need.

11 Days of Give-aways! (day 10)

Aren't these gift tags adorable?

So you wanna win these, don't 'cha?  Made by Jackie has some fabulous tags, cards and gift boxes for giving to all those special people in your life.

The Rules:
To enter the contest you can do one or any of the following.  Just be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing that you do.  I will pick a winner using random.org at 11pm est.  
1.  Leave a comment. 2.  Leave a link to this give-away on facebook. 3.  Blog about today's give-away. 4.  Place a button in the side bar of your blog.

5.  Twitter about today's give-away.

6.  Follow this blog.

7.  Note which items in Made by Jackie's store that you just can't live without.

11 Days of Give-aways! (day 9)

Guy's Art Gal is offering this hand-made paper ornament with holly leaves.  They also have other papers available in their etsy store and origami garland.  These are made by an elementary art teacher.  How fun!  Check them out.

1.  Leave a comment. 2.  Leave a link to this give-away on facebook. 3.  Blog about today's give-away. 4.  Place a button in the side bar of your blog.

5.  Twitter about today's give-away.

6.  Follow this blog.

7.  Go to Guy's Art Gal and tell me what you like.

 

Ornament traditions

Five years ago we started a tradition of giving each child (and hubby cause I can't resist) an ornament that is special to them for one reason or another.  Maybe it was a year that they got a new pet, or tried a new hobby, or maybe they took an interest in something that was unique to them.  I scour the stores and find something that says "Aha!" that makes me think of that individual.  On Christmas eve they open their new ornament and hang it on the tree.

 

Last year's ornament for hubby

Each year when we get the tree decorations out, everyone reminisces over their ornaments and talks about them.  They smile as they hang their ornament and I get to share in the memories and joy of each child (and hubby too).

Yes, I have ornaments to hang too.  The kids make me ornaments and friends occasionally give me a vintage or an Elvis ornament. 

We put up our tree tonight and it is glistening with memories.  What a celebration of life on earth.  It's a celebration of the birth of a baby Jesus; he died so that we can live.  I'm so thankful of the opportunities that we have had, and the time spent together.

To see more of our ornaments, visit this post on my homeschool blog.

Easy Icicle Decorating

First of all, I had to spell check the word icicle.  It just doesn't look right to me.  That's probably because I live in Florida and I just don't see that word a lot.

Secondly, since we don't get that chilly outside or inside, and my little cowgirl wanted a winter wonderland in her bedroom, we had to find something to make this happen.

The craft stores carry sheets of white felt with glitter during the holidays.  I simply made a template of a row of icicles and we cut them out.  Lotsa' them.  I then hot glued them to construction paper and affixed the paper to the underside of the shelf.  I used double sided tape to do this part.

Just in case you are curious, we added snowflakes hanging from the ceiling and icicle lights too. 

11 Days of Give-aways! (day 8)

I discovered Vintage Lucy's when I was giving my little girl's room a cowgirl rockabilly theme.  I bought several things from this lovely Etsy store to add to the decor and we get compliments on these items all the time!

One of the buckets that we fill with polly pocket accessories.

I was so excited when Vintage Lucy's decided to participate in my give-away.  She is giving away 2 vintage print holiday tea towels of your choice.  You can choose 2 designs!  Click here to see your choices.
 The Rules:
To enter the contest you can do one or any of the following.  Just be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing that you do.  I will pick a winner using random.org at 11pm est.  
1.  Leave a comment. 2.  Leave a link to this give-away on facebook. 3.  Blog about today's give-away. 4.  Place a button in the side bar of your blog.

5.  Twitter about today's give-away.

6.  Follow this blog.

7.  Go to Vintage Lucy's and tell me what you like.

11 Days of Give-aways! (day 7)

Today's give-away is for an unlimited run of Christmas cards sent through Mistle Mail.  You choose a  design, customize the card and add the recipients.  It takes just a few minutes.  The retail value is 39.95, compared to traditional personalized cards that run in the hundreds!   This is a fabulous give-away and I am so jealous that I cannot enter.

Like many other tasks once relegated to the mailman, Christmas cards are heading online. Not only is it easy to send Christmas cards by e-mail (you can do it in five minutes) it saves money and is good for the environment as well.

Who is Mistle Mail?
Mistle Mail is run by a start-up family of three — the birth of their first child was inspiration to start BabyTattle.com, an e-mail birth announcement service and the project that led to Mistle Mail. They saw a need for creative, beautiful Christmas cards that are easy to send in minutes.



The Rules:
To enter the contest you can do one or any of the following.  Just be sure to leave a separate comment for each thing that you do.  I will pick a winner using random.org at 11pm est.  
1.  Leave a comment. 2.  Leave a link to this give-away on facebook. 3.  Blog about today's give-away. 4.  Place a button in the side bar of your blog. 5.  Twitter about today's give-away.

Frugal Christmas Gifts - bookplates

I just love bookplates.  Something about pasting my name in a book makes me smile.  That's why today's frugal hand-made idea had to be about making these pretty bookplates.  You are not going to believe how simple this will be for you.  All you need is nice cardstock, double sided tape, and a color printer.  Download this pdf from Dahlia and print away.  Put these in a cute little hand made envelope like this one and voila!