Freebies for Christmas

Check out this free 2011 downloadable calendar giveaway. You can chose a different owl image for each month of the year.

Get free paper tags and recipe card downloads for a cookie exchange here.

Before you run out and purchase gift tags for your presents this year check out these sweet freebies from Eat Drink Chic.

Just follow the directions to download to your own computer. Print out on cardstock. Punch a hole and add ribbon. You're good to go.

ps....be patient. The download time on this one is a little slow. (the Noel one is really stubborn...try the other two first)

Here are some more gift tags from A Fanciful Twist; a whimsical set and a set just for those of you who are busily making handmade presents.

And finally, please pop over to Inspire Co. and check out the December issue of Inspired Ideas. This is an online magazine that is packed full of crafty ideas and beautiful images that will be sure to get you into the holiday spirit if you aren't already.

Land of the Free, Home of the Brave

1. MACY'S FOURTH OF JULY FIREWORKS, 2. WATERMELON EATER, 3. First Class, 4. Happy Birthday America!, 5. 4th of July in Washington, DC, 6. wearing the colors on the 4th (les pensées texanes #9), 7. VET DAY PARADE KIDS, 8. Happy 4th of July, 9. The Shining City on the Hill, 10. HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY ..... LET'S CELEBRATE!, 11. Happy Fourth of July, 12. Sailor's Salute 2, 13. even uncle sam needs a little help sometimes..., 14. Red White & Blue, 15. I'd hate to be the guy who has to clean this up, 16. American Pride, 17. ready for the parade (4th of july tour 02), 18. Independence Day Celebration in Iraq, 19. Statue of Liberty 2009, 20. Americana puppy

I was wondering what everyone has planned for the 4th? I'm going over to my brother's for a cookout.

Anyone have a parade planned? How about a concert in the park? Attending the Boston Pops 4th celebration in on my bucket list. Have you got plans to camp out this weekend. How about going to the lake?

Whatever you do, have fun, be safe and remember to give thanks for the freedom we enjoy in this nation.

Snow on the Roof?

For those of you of a certain age (as I am)....how do you manage your gray hair?

I have never dyed my hair and I'm reluctant to start now...okay, I'm too lazy to start now. The upkeep is what I'm trying to avoid. But lately, I've been seeing more and more silver glinting back at me when I stand in front of the mirror. And now that I'm looking for another job, I don't want to give any perspective employers the idea that I'm old (heaven forbid that!).

So what is a lazy unemployed girl to do? Break out the Sun-In. If your hair is
dirty blonde to brown like mine, try my trick. So far, applying Sun-In 2 or 3 times a year lightens my hair enough to fool the eye. You're not sure if you see super blonde hairs or gray.

At least that's what I tell myself!

For the record, my 56th birthday is tomorrow. Happy Flag Day!

Valentine Retro Redo

Will you be....
















my Valentine?

Remember elementary school? Remember decorating paper sacks or boxes early in morning on Valentine's Day so that your classmates could drop your Valentine inside during the party that afternoon?

Well, this is the virtual box of Valentines that I am sending each of you!

Bee Sweet Valentine!

Sending a Christmas Blessing Your Way

God grant you the light in Christmas, which is faith; the warmth of Christmas, which is love; the radiance of Christmas, which is purity; the righteousness of Christmas, which is justice; the belief in Christmas, which is truth; the all of Christmas, which is Christ.
-Wilda English

If we could condense all the truths of Christmas into only three words, these would be the words: "God with us." We tend to focus our attention at Christmas on the infancy of Christ. The greater truth of the holiday is His deity. More astonishing than a baby in the manger is the truth that this promised baby is the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth!
-John F. MacArthur, Jr.

Twas the Night Before Christmas....

He gave Santa his list.

He helped wrap the gifts.

He's ready for his first Christmas.

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

10 Christmas Gifts I'll Never Forget

1. the Popsicle wagon (a much used and beloved riding toy)
2. the Barbie canopy bed that my parents made (which featured my outgrown pink satin dance recital costume for the canopy and bedding)
3. the overnight case filled with Trixie Belden books
4. my sister's life size Shirley Temple paper doll
5. our Chatty Cathy dolls
6. the small silver jewelry box I bought my mother with saved lunch money (I bought my daddy a present that year too but I don't remember what it was)
7. the paper cutouts my sister made me (which I didn't appreciate at the time)
8. the used car my ex-husband gave me (which I guessed from the clue that it was small enough to fit into his pocket....I had been telling him not to give me clues because I always guessed what it was...after that he took me for my word and never gave me another clue)
9. the happy smiles on my children's faces every Christmas morning

10. Of course, the real gift of Christmas is not like the ones we give others. The gifts we give to our loved ones are only a dim reflection of the one our heavenly Father sent to us through his Son. God's gift to humanity was the gift of eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Let us never forget the real meaning of the season.

What to Do When the Weather is Frightful

Let It Snow!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no place to go,
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

It doesn't show signs of stopping,
And I brought some corn for popping;
The lights are turned way down low,
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

When we finally say good night,
How I'll hate going out in the storm;
But if you really hold me tight,
All the way home I'll be warm.

The fire is slowly dying,
And, my dear, we're still good-bye-ing,
But as long as you love me so.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

This song was written, on a hot California day in July of 1945, by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne. It' s thought of as a Christmas song even though the holiday is never mentioned.

I'm Determined to Have a White Christmas

Last night while watching this movie
for the millionth time, Rachel and I decided to make decorations Elf style.

I grabbed some scissors and printer paper and we started cutting paper snowflakes. I've got to admit...it is a lot harder than I thought it was.

Once finished we were stumped on how to hang them to advantage. Finally, I grabbed the tape and stuck them to my front windows.

tiny snippets of paper everywhere

Bye Rachel, it was fun!

lacy designs frame the tree

This morning I ran out in my pjs to see what it looked like in the daylight

Best of all....magic shadows on the floor. I think these snowflakes are keepers.

He's In Town

As I drove up to the stop light, I noticed Santa sitting beside the soda fountain shop looking a little bored.

But not for long.

Someone else had the same thought as me. Santa needed some children to have his picture made with. This mom provided hers.

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town

He's making a list,
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice.
Santa Claus is coming to town

He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!

O! You better watch out!
You better not cry.
Better not pout, I'm telling you why.
Santa Claus is coming to town.
Santa Claus is coming to town.

"Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" was written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie. It was first sung on Eddie Cantor's radio show in November 1934, becoming an instant hit with orders for 100,000 copies of sheet music the next day and over 400,000 copies sold by Christmas.

A Christmas classic was born.

Yuletide Greetings PPF Style

The notation on this faded postcard front is Christmas Eve 1930 ______ Conn.
(for the life of me, I cannot decipher the name of the town) Look closely and you'll see a two story home and the faint outline of a street and sidewalk.


The back of the card is addressed to Mrs. Evelyn Fee who lived in sunny Phoenix, Arizona.



As a bonus, I'm tossing in another of my vintage Christmas cards.

This one has a note inside to my mother's mother and her youngest brother. (I have no idea how I wound up with a card of theirs in my collection) This one is probably from the late 60s or very early 70s as my uncle moved away from home and married in the mid 70s.

"Dear Vera & Don hope you are well I'm doing better lately which I'm so thankful my children will all be here sunday week I'm really looking forward to it sure is good day for me I always have a tree & put the presents under it I know you are busy getting ready for yours best wishes to you and yours Write me sometime Love Mellie Irvin"

(no punctuation was used)

Do you try to write a personal note inside each Christmas card you send? Or do you type up a newsy letter detailing the past year? Or are you doing good to remember to sign each card and put stamps on them before dropping them in the mailbox?

Drop by The French Factrice to see more Postcard Friendship Friday posts.

Pencil in Time to Enjoy the Season

Are you one of those super organized people? You know the type. They start planning in August or September and are completely finished with all holiday preparations by early November. Or are you like me, in a count down with the clock to get it all done?

Cherry Tassies

Last weekend, I tried this recipe and it was a hit with everyone who had one. If you are looking for a last minute holiday treat to bake, here's the recipe for your consideration.

1 1/4 cups softened butter
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. peppermint extract
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup finely crushed striped round peppermint candies (about 18)
48 red maraschino cherries with stems, drained
Coarse sugar

1. preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly coat 1 3/4" muffin cups with cooking spray

2. In large mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed 30 seconds. Gradually beat in 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat in peppermint extract, vanilla and egg. Beat in as much of the flour as you can. Using a spoon, stir in any remaining flour and candies.

3. Place remaining 3/4 cup powdered sugar in a shallow dish. Shape dough in 1-inch balls; roll in powdered sugar. Press each ball into bottom and up sides of prepared muffin cups.

4. Place cherry, stem side up, in each cup. Bake about 12 minutes or until pastry is browned. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Cool 10 minutes in pan.

5. Using sharp knife, loosen tassies from cups. Makes about 48.

This is what they are supposed to look like. Festive don't you think?

This is what mine looked like....strange muffin thingys with sticks poking out of them. Learn from me...don't use too much pastry dough...it will just eat the cherry.

I took the left overs to work on Monday. They didn't last long.

Gingerbread Time

...maybe I should say faux gingerbread instead. Last weekend it was time to break out the graham crackers and whip up 4 or 5 mixers of Royal Icing.

The weekend action began when my parents dropped the girls off Saturday afternoon. The night before they had taken Aubrey, Avery and their cousin Morgan to see the Nutcracker Ballet...something that has been a family tradition since 1977 when they began taken the girl's daddy, my oldest son.

Saturday night the girl's painted their own Nutcrackers with only a little help from me.

They dubbed me the crafty gramma a couple of years ago, so I have a reputation to keep up.

Sunday, after a hearty lunch of Lasagna (put together by my sweet Rachel - thankfully they arrived early because I needed the help) it was time to paper over the kitchen table and dump out the candy. TJ was recruited to make the icing. I volunteered to hold the baby and just watch....there was no more room at the table.

It's a big ole candy free for all.

Looks like the boys prefer cars and trucks.

Avery with her Nutcracker and gingerbread house. Notice her red tree and the fire hydrant out front. See the doghouse on the left? It's all in the details folks.

Here's Aubrey with her 3 story house. Believe you me, it's not easy constructing a multiple story house out of graham crackers. She started the second floor over a couple of times. The big bad wolf of The Three Little Pigs fame would have loved graham cracker houses. You don't even have to huff and puff to blow them down if you haven't constructed them oh-so-carefully.

It's been a long day. This little one is ready for bed. He will fall asleep on the way home.

Once again, a good time was had by all. Hope you enjoyed your window into our messy, loud, happy family tradition.