What Are You Thankful For?

Hello Friday! I am so happy to see you. This week has actually gone by faster than I thought it would. Usually the week before a trip or holiday drags out. This week I have been busy baking and doing all our laundry for packing-amongst playing with my sweet lil boy.  I am really looking forward to relaxing and reconnecting with family and friends over the holidays. Throughout the year I try to be thankful for my life and everything in it. Days go by and time passes so fast that sometimes it takes a holiday, to bring everything into focus and to see a different perspective on life. With every year that passess my life gets better and I am so thankful for that.  Sometimes when we get used to having things so good we forget to stop and take it all in and think WOW this life I have is beautiful and all the little petty things really dont matter in the big picture. Its not to say we cant have bad days or bad moods these things are just part of life. I just think its so easy to dwell on things or let one bad moment take over. I want to try not to dwell on things and to always realize the positives in my life. Todays DIY is not a recipe or a craft it is realizing your wishes and being thankful for the ones that have come true.

Grab a pen, paper and a jar of somesort and start writing down what your thankful for and some of your hopes and dreams for 2014. I guarantee you when you look at them throughout the year, you will find that a lot of them have come true and the ones that havent will be a reminder of your aspirations. When I was about 19 I wrote down some of my hopes and dreams for my life like travel, become a nurse, wife, mother- when I found the box of papers I read these and felt so proud and happy that these ones had come true. Others in my box have not come true yet but they reminded me of where I wanted to be and now I can figure out how to get there. 

Some of my aspirations for 2014 are to challenge myself more with health and fitness. to be the best mother and wife I can be. to remember to take care of myself. to put in more effort with my family and friends as they are so important to me. to remember to breath in life everyday for what it is-there will be bad days but I want to deal with those moments in time and move on. to give as many hugs & kisses as possible to my sweet boy and to love him uncondiitonally. 

Some of the things I am thankful for are my family & friends. my health and home. my job. the love and joy I have felt these last 7 months being a new mom.My husband and the love and companionship we share.

I hope this inspires you to think about what you are thankful for and what your wishes are for 2014. This time of year can be so focused on material goods that we forget about all of the things we cant see but can only feel. I strive to take each day in to its fullest and make tommorrow better than today. There will always be grey days  but the sun will always come back out to shine. Happy holidays! xx

Cinnamon Ornaments

Monday again..the bright side is that Christmas is only 8 days away! We got to celebrate early christmas with family on the weekend which was so nice.  Christmas always goes by so fast, so its nice to have a few different get togethers so that we get a chance to visit with everyone. My sweet baby boy was abit of a night owl on the weekend. Not sure if it was his teeth, trying to learn how to crawl or just being in his pack n play but he was definitley not himself at night. We are headed away next week so I am working on making his pack n play comfier in hopes that will solve some of the problem. Even with lack of sleep we still want to have fun things going on during our days, which brings me to the recipe I want to share today. Last week I made cinnamon ornaments which can be hung on the tree or used around the house. They are very easy to make and the recipe only requires two ingredients. They smell so yummy and could easily be given as gifts.

Homemade Cinnamon Ornaments 

Ingredients

• 1 cup applesauce
• 1-1 1/4 cup (130 grams) ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground cloves (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the applesauce, cinnamon, and cloves (if using). It may take a few minutes for the mixture to come together. You want the dough to be able to form a ball without being too sticky. Add additional applesauce or cinnamon if needed. You can mix the dough by hand, it may just take longer.
3. Sprinkle a clean surface with cinnamon (like you would with flour while rolling out pie dough). Place the dough on the surface and sprinkle with more cinnamon. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to 1/4 inch thick, sprinkling with more cinnamon to keep from sticking.
4. Cut out into desired shapes and place on the prepared sheet pan so that they aren't touching. Use a skewer to poke a hole into each ornament (to attach string). Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until rock hard.
5. Loop a decorative string through the ornament and hang on your tree.

Notes: Ornaments may also be dried at room temperature over several days.

Ornaments are not extremely fragile, but they can break. Handle with care.

Do not eat.

Recipe source:Completely Delicious

I hope you all have a wonderful day! 

Holiday Hosting Recipes

Christmas is upon us!  I am so looking forward to all of the festive fun and food coming our way. We are very lucky because we get to have two christmases,one with each of our families. Last year we hosted christmas and I really enjoyed all of it. This year even though we are not hosting,I offered to plan the meals & snacks for everyone. Its so nice having meals planned ahead of time, so that all the focus can be on food, fun & family. For our holiday meal plan I have included some old favourites and some new recipes. I wanted to share some of the yummy things we will be indulging in over our holidays.

1)Easy cinnamon buns - so I may have missed the boat on these but I'm so happy I discovered them last year! They made the perfect early breakfast to eat while we opened gifts. Best part is,they are prepared the night before so all you have to do is pop them in the oven when you wake up...mmmmmm cinnamon.

2)Christmas Punch-I love how easy this punch is and that it can be made ahead and kept out for a quick refreshing drink. I'm excited to try it!

3)Chocolate Pretzel Bites-I made these addictive treats last year using smarties and rolos. You will not regret making these, they are easy and very yummy. 

4)Scotty's Nest Eggs-this recipe is a christmas morning tradition at our house. They are the perfect compliment to a yummy brunch after opening gifts. 

5)Christmas Tree Pull Apart- this recipe looks so cute for our appetizer night we are going to have. Best part is,you can use pre-made buns and  shape it like a christmas tree or any other festive 

shape you want. 

7) festive fruit-just because it's so adorable and one healthy thing amongst the indulgences 

6) Eggnog Hot Chocolate- I love eggnog and chocolate so this recipe sounds amazing to me. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend with the ones you love. 

Clothespins, Chocolate & Christmas

Monday again already! At least it's warmer today. It's snowing here which I have to say I have always loved to watch, especially when I have no where to be :). Today I wanted to share a recipe & an easy DIY project. Both can be completed quickly and used as holiday decor, a gift or yours just to admire.

A few weeks ago when I was gathering supplies for my DIY card holder, I bought a 60 pack of clothespins that I never ended up needing. We don't hang our clothes in the summer or anything so I wanted to find another way to use them. I found some great ideas. Who new you could make almost anything from planters to picture frames out of these simple wooden pins. I was very excited by all of the great projects I found. Here are some of my personal favourites:

I am in love with this memo board from Nikki's Nacs, I think this project is in my future.

These Christmas clothespins by Creatively Southern are so cute and could be used for gift tags, hanging activities on an advent calendar  and of course for a card holder-the possibilities are endless. 

Last is one of my ultimate favourites-clothespin magnets from Vixenmade 

I love having photos on my fridge so I made these right away. I made it super simple for myself and just kept the clothespins plain and glued an embellishment on them. You could use anything really- buttons, little gems or just attach a magnet and leave the clothespin as is. 

I also glued a thumb tack to a few of them :)

 Now for the very simple but oh so pretty recipe:

 Candy Cane Hearts

What you will need:

 Mini candy canes

 Chocolate melts or plain chocolate of your choice (I used white)

 Lollipop sticks

 Sprinkles 

I had seen these on Pinterest and really wanted to try making them. They are super easy and cute. I could totally see them used year round too. The sprinkles and the chocolate colour can be changed to make them good for christmas, valentines day or even as a party favour.

  

  My supplies ( all from the dollar store) 

  

  

Melt your chocolate- I did mine in a bowl over boiling water removed from the burner. Position your candy canes and your sticks on parchment paper. Once the chocolate is melted use a teaspoon to drizzle it inside the hearts. It settles pretty easily next add sprinkles and let harden. That's it! 

So adorable and actually very yummy. I am so happy I finally made these. I hope you all have a wonderful Monday~

Clever Holiday Tips

Hope everyone is staying warm on this cold weekend! We have been at home keeping cozy but going a little nutty. I think we will venture out today to get some groceries and to have some contact with the outside world!  We are all getting a bit of cabin fever :). 

I wanted to quickly share a link to a very helpful list of christmas food ideas. Small ways to make things more festive and all of them are so simple.  The ideas seem so logical but I never would have thought of them until I saw this list. I think we will for sure be trying the crock pot hot chocolate and French toast. The cookie cutter pancakes would be perfect for Christmas Day brunch and easy! Hope you can use some or many of these ideas.

The list can be found here

Have a great afternoon! 

Christmas Crafting

Woo hoo It's Friday! Being at home during the week is the best but I look forward to Friday- when hubby is home for the weekend:D. We are getting very much into the christmas spirit at our house. We decorated our tree last night & seeing Connors face this morning when I turned the lights on was so precious. I am so looking forward to more moments like these. Friday also means I am going to share another DIY project, this one involves your little ones tiny hands &/ or feet. This week I made baking soda clay ornaments. I haven't made an ornament since elementary but I knew I wanted to at least try to make Connors first christmas ornament. I thought I would start with a handprint ornament so that every christmas I can remember / cry at how tiny Connors little hands were.  

There are a lot of recipes for homemade clay, the one I chose Is from the blog mama.papa.bubba . The blog gives great ideas on how to easiest work with your clay and what household items can be used if you want to turn up the creativity. The recipe made enough clay for quite a few ornaments, so I just kept creating. The clay was really easy to work with and if your not happy with your creation you can squish it and start again,which definitely happened to me a few times. Also, if you have to stop mid project to change a diaper or put your little one for a nap the clay will keep. I just added a touch of water if I felt it was dry. If you have a toddler they can get involved with the fun & messiness <3.

Recipe:

2 cups baking soda

1 cup cornstarch

1 1/4 cup water

Heat on high, stirring constantly until it starts to thicken and stick together. It took about 5 minutes for my dough to come together. Take it off the stove before you think you should- I made two batches and the second one I over cooked. Next, take the dough out of the pot and put it in a container covered partially with a lid or with a damp towel. Let the dough fully cool before you try to work with it or it will be too sticky. 

   

Once the dough is cool you can begin creating,I used cornstarch on the counter to decrease the stickiness. When I was done making my ornaments I put them in the oven on the lowest temp (170) and left them for about 5 hours. Make sure to flip them periodically or the bottom side will not dry out. After about 5 hours I turned the oven off and just left them in there overnight. Don't forget to poke little holes to string ribbon through before your ornaments go Into the oven. I used a straw to poke my holes which worked really well.

  My Little Helper

   

    Our creations 

I used some of the stamps I had leftover from our wedding, I really like how they came out. Cookie cutters are a great easy tool and usually readily available at this time of year. The sky's the limit, you can use anything or nothing at all and just free hand your ornaments.  Next I'm going to paint some of them and add some modgepodge for shine. Last I will attach ribbon or twine to hang them on our tree to enjoy. I think this will definitely become a tradition in our house. Our tree will be full and our hearts happy. 

Have a great weekend! 

Little Mans Christmas Photos

I can't believe its Wednesday already! We have been having fun doing some christmas projects at our house this week.  One project we did was a mini christmas photo shoot. I decided Monday was the day. It was kind of comical because Monday had other plans,it was one of the gloomiest days outside and Connor was not exactly his happy self. I forged ahead anyways and got some great pictures amongst the ones of Connor getting upset but he was in costume, so they are pretty adorable too!

Here's how our mini photo shoot went

Wardrobe :)

I wanted the photos to have a christmas theme,so I went to the dollar store and bought a few props. It was hard to choose because I knew he would look cute in everything- it was cuteness overload! I also looked In our christmas boxes and really we had lots of things I could use. It's amazing how some garland, christmas balls and a tree skirt or stocking paired with a lil cutie can make the best photo. We also have this wooden bike planter that we used in Connors newborn photos which I thought would work too. I bought a mini white canvas at the dollar store which I used to make a sign. My original intention was to prop it up in front of Connor. He would have none of that, so he held it which turned out to be way cuter. I love that you can keep it simple or go as elaborate as you want, it's all up to you! 

SETTING THE SCENE

Connor isn't quite sitting on his own yet, so I used his bumbo chair which happens to be red so it worked perfectly.  A christmas box could be used just as easily or you could just lay your little one down and take the photos that way.  The bumbo was great because it kept him somewhat stationary while I took the pictures. I set everything up In front of our big living room windows, so that I could get as much light as possible. I used our coffee table as a backdrop and draped a white duvet over it. My goal was to minimize our living room in the background of the photos. You could easily use a bed for the photos and place your little one In front of a decorated headboard. It's all about the light so if you have big enough windows in the bedrooms, they are a great option.

TAKING THE PICTURES

My camera is a canon rebel t1i which I love using in automatic mode.  For these photos I wanted to set my own settings and see what I could accomplish.  Taking good indoor photos can be difficult, especially when it's gloomy outside.  I had researched taking indoor photographs and came across a blog called doe a deery. It's a great resource for anyone wanting a simplified version on how to best use all the settings on your fancy camera or using any camera to take great pictures. The particular post I used when taking my photos can be found here.  It was hard to get Connor to look at the camera but using A toy like Sophie the giraffe got his attention. I really ended up liking some of the pictures where he's looking up but not straight at the camera. I just kept clicking and knew/ hoped I would get some good pictures. Even if your little one is exploring the props or moving, the pictures will still be great- maybe even better than the still shots.:)

  Our little set 

 

I probably took 30-40 photos and I love them all.  It was definitely hard to choose my favourites for our christmas cards.  Here are some of the photos that I took of my sweetie pie aren't his cheeks the best-I'm biased though :). Enjoy~

    

  This is at the end...he looks so defeated but so adorable

I had a lot of fun taking these photos, I may have underestimated how hard it would be to get the actual pictures but that's okay.  My goal was to keep it simple and fun. I look forward to many more photo shoots with my family & hope this helps with your mini photo shoots. 

Have a great Wednesday!

Festive.Fun.Food

I hope you all had a great weekend with the ones you love. We took it easy on Saturday and than Sunday I took my little man to the mall. It was perfect because it wasn't too busy and it was warm,making it easier to transport him from the vehicle. We sat at Starbucks and people watched, while I enjoyed my eggnog latte and he his puréed mangos :). All in all a great weekend.  As I mentioned last week I am going to share a recipe or DIY holiday craft every Monday & Friday until Christmas.  Today I will share two recipes- both are desserts and are very easy to make.

The first recipe comes from a family cook book I was given as a wedding shower gift. I have seen similar recipes online but this is the one I have made and it is usually gone very quickly! It is very yummy and highly addictive so BEWARE! 

Pop Fly Popcorn

10 cups popped popcorn

1 cup pecan halves 

1 cup slivered almonds

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 cup butter ( no substitutes)

1/2cup light corn syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp baking soda

In a large bowl combine the popcorn and nuts, set aside.  In a large saucepan, bring sugar, butter and corn syrup to a boil.  Boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat; add the vanilla and cream of tartar & baking soda. Drizzle over popcorn mixture, stir to coat. Spread it out on two greased cookie sheets and let dry for 1 hr.  Break apart into bite sized pieces and enjoy!

This is a perfect recipe for christmas snacking or gifting. Package it up In a christmas tin or bag and voila!

The next recipe is for reindeer cookies. How cute are these !? Love them. They are super easy because they really are just a few extra steps added to the good old peanut butter cookies we know and love.

The peanut butter cookie recipe used is from the Jif PB container. I'm sure any peanut butter cookie recipe will work.

Reindeer Cookies

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup shortening

3 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 egg

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

Chocolate-covered mini pretzels

Mini brown M&Ms

Regular-sized red M&Ms

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine brown sugar, peanut butter, shortening, milk, and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Add egg; beat until just blended.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended.

Form dough into 1-inch balls. To make reindeer-shaped cookies, pinch the bottom of the ball slightly to form a point, then gently flatten with your hand. Space cookies about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 7 to 8 minutes, until set or just beginning to brown. 

Remove from oven and immediately (and gently) press two mini pretzels into the tops of the cookies for the reindeer's antlers. Press two mini brown M&Ms in for the eyes and one red M&M for the nose (or any other colour). 

Allow to cool 2 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack or paper towel to cool completely. 

Recipe is from the blog Baker Girl

On Wednesday I will share some of what I learned last week, on how to accomplish a mini christmas photo shoot In your home. Have a wonderful day!

Little Ones Gift Guide

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! We are relaxing and enjoying daddy being home today. 

I wanted to share some gift ideas for all the little ones in your lives.  There are so many stores and options that it can be overwhelming.  I'm no expert but I do know what Connor is really liking now at 7 months and I have a a niece and nephew who are older.  At the very least the ideas are so cute and fun to look at. 


Connors Wish-List

Connor is getting so much more active and curious so a lot of the things he (mama) wants, are things that have more than one use or move.  I love the little moroccas & drumb- ask me after he gets them if I still feel the same.  Baths are one of his favourite things to do now, so some toys and an organizer would be the perfect thing at this age.

I am in LOVE with everything baby/ toddler at The Gap. They make it easy to shop at home, by offering free shipping and returns online of orders over 50.00. The few items we do have from the Gap have held up really well so I'm pretty sold on there stuff. Here is a sneak peak at some of my favourites, a lot of which would be great gifts or festive for holiday outings.

  

For the lil gal in the house 

For the little fella 

This was not even half of the cutest stuff they had online, I held back! 

Here are some ideas for older little ones, a lot of the gifts would be good for a few years which is great.

How cool is this sled/ wagon combo- such a neat idea. One of my personal favourites is the little personalized chair and a plastic tea- set, both things that your little one(s) could grow into a use multiple years.  The shopping cart is just cute and could help with the little one learning to walk.

My nephew who is 3 is really into puzzles right now. The one below is great because it not only stores the puzzles, it provides a place to build them. How about an apron and cooking supplies for your little helper in the kitchen- too cute! And who doesn't love a good hooded towel or hooded animal anything for that matter. Connors now outgrown his baby hooded

towels so I think it's time for an upgrade.

Kids love having there own personal cup so why not get them a plastic chritmas cup of there very own. The tent/ tunnel play set is a great gift for indoor playtime and each piece can be used on its own. A good christmas book or any book as a gift is always welcomed.  Last but not least Fisher Price's -The Little People are a great toddler toy and they have a nativity set out. 

I hope this helps to stir up some ideas of gifts for the cuties patooties in your life. 

Enjoy your weekend:)

Enjoying Your Holiday Cards

Happy Friday!  With the weekend on its way, what a great time to tackle an easy DIY project-or at least admire some. 

Mail that I'm actually excited about receiving, is few and far between. When the holidays arrive I get VERY excited! I love getting any kind of personal mail from friends and family, if pictures are included even better. I usually display cards we receive in our living room, to be admired for a few weeks and then I pack them away in my card boxes.  This year I really wanted to come up with a better way to enjoy the cards.  Another factor is next year our little man will be walking and at the perfect height to discover the cards. So this began my search for card display ideas :).

I found so many great ideas! I love that holiday cards are so pretty, they can really become part of your holiday decor. Below are just a handful of the simple & beautiful ways I found to display holiday cards. Enjoy!

I love this creative use of an old bed spring from Sugar Bee Crafts, best part is most of us either have a lil one whose spring is done being used,or they can easily be found second hand.

How about creating a wreath card display like this from delicious ambiguity

The simplicity of a ribbon card holder like this one from Groovinheads, makes it one of my favourites.

Reuse an old frame,add twine and mini clothes pins, to re-create this beautiful holder from Sweet Pea Events

For a really easy idea use ribbon or twine on a railing, mantle or wall to display cards.

I love love love all of these ideas and hope this will help you beautifully display your cards this year. 

If your not into the DIY options you could buy a picture holder like the one below or repurpose something already in your house which is what I ended up doing. 

I attached two ribbons to a mirror we have in our kitchen.  Cute little Santa clothes pins from the dollar store will keep our cards on the ribbon.  I love that we will be able to enjoy our cards while cooking or eating and it was super easy. Ribbon can easily be added to accommodate more cards which I hope is the case because that means more FUN mail!

Every Monday & Friday from now until Christmas I will post an easy DIY holiday craft or recipe. I hope you can enjoy or use them to help you with holiday planning and festive fun. 

Have a great weekend!