Green Tidings

Posted by Amy on Dec 21, 2009 | 17 comments

For the past two years I’ve failed to send out Christmas cards. I’d like to be able to tell ya that it’s ’cause I’m trying to be green or frugal. But no. It’s just plain slackness on my part.

But it is nice to know…

that Santa is setting a good example for us all…

by driving a cute little fuel efficient car while we barrel down the road in our American-made-with-no-bail-out-money truck.

You rock Santa.

So friends and family, old and new, please accept this glad tiding post in lieu of a traditional Christmas card.

I’ll try harder next year.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!!

Before you go, since we’re talking green and everything, what do you do with old Christmas cards? Do you make cute ornaments out of them? Do you frame ‘em up all purty and nice? Do you build a fire, have s’mores and call it a year? Do tell.

Carrie’s Christmas Cookies

Posted by Amy on Dec 10, 2009 | 15 comments

When it comes to Christmas traditions in the kitchen, they don’t have to be complicated or fussy. It’s more about spending time with family and friends while creating memories and making some tasty treats.

This Christmas cookie decorating idea is a tradition that my good friend, Denise, shared with me last weekend. She and her daughter, Carrie, came over to show me how they decorate sugar cookies every year with special paint. This simple and fun cookie decorating technique has become a family tradition that Denise’s mother started many years ago. This tradition is truly simple and sweet.

You’ll need a basic sugar cookie dough (we used the Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix and it worked just great, just don’t tell anyone and they’ll never know), egg yolks, food coloring, sugar sprinkles (optional), cookie cutters and small paint brushes.

Begin by preparing the paints. The paints are just an egg yolk and a few drops of food coloring. So easy. In a small bowl (one for each color) place one egg yolk and a few drops of food coloring of choice. Mix well. Repeat for each color. Set aside.

Next roll out the sugar cookie dough and begin cutting out shapes. Carrie was all ready to go.

Here we go!

Carrie was all business cuttin’ out cookies.

All about the cookie cutting. She was a cookie cutting machine. Cookie cuttin’ Carrie.

Hey Carrie! All work and no play make for a dull cookie. Let’s chat.

So…Carrie…what d’ya think about those reindeer kissing on your shirt?

Don’t wanna talk about kissing and yucky stuff like that?

K…then what’s your favorite cookie cutter shape?

A stocking. Good choice. Wonder what you’ll get in your stocking?

Yeah, I see your wheels turning Carrie.

Now back to work!

Wow, Carrie. That’s a lot of cookies. You could work for the big man himself.

Now for the fun part. The painting.

Be sure to use a separate brush for each color or you may end up with a lot of brown cookies. I like brown. Brown is good. But if you’re wanting your angel to be majestic, I think yellow or red would be a better choice. But that’s just my opinion. If you want a brown angel, go for it. Let the Picasso inside flow. Want a blue Christmas tree? That’s fine too. Rebel.

You can also add sprinkles for a little sparkle. You like sparkle, don’t ya Carrie? I can just tell. You sparkly girl you.

Whoa! You rock Carrie. Anyone out there needing a cookie cutter outer and a cookie decorator I’ll hook ya up.

When finished painting all of your cookies, bake according to recipe directions.

Aren’t they cute. And tasty too!

And don’t forget easy. Easy peasy. Try it yourself. It’s good sweet fun.

~

So what traditions in the kitchen can you share with us this Christmas?

~

Vintage Ornaments (and a winner!)

Posted by Amy on Dec 8, 2009 | 9 comments

While many of our boxes of Christmas decorations headed back to the attic unopened this year, these vintage ornaments were one of the first things I snagged.

Old glass ornaments are a favorite of mine. Over the years we’ve been privileged to inherit many from family members. Last year I was excited to receive a box of ornaments from my husbands grandmother that had recently passed away. Each ornament shows a different mini scene.

I just adore them. Lovely patina. So whimsical.

A little glitter and old pipe cleaners add that special touch.

I can just imagine my mother-in-law and her brother sitting around their family tree as little ones watching the glimmer from these ornaments. So I decided to display them in a special way. A branch from a tree, spray painted ever so slightly with white paint is now the perfect home to showcase these family treasures. (For those interested in trying this at home, the branch is stuck in styrofoam that is secured in a planter. The styrofoam is concealed with other small Christmas ornaments, but moss or fabric would work great too.)

It’s always fun to add something new to the regular Christmas decor.

So what have you done differently this year with your decorations? Any fun new ideas you can share with the rest of us?

***

Congratulations!!! Winner of the demi-style apron from The Hip Hostess (chosen by a random number generator) is…

Amy L. ~ “It is hard to choose. I love the avocado a la mode, pink sorbet, and the chocolate mint. The chocolate mint would probably be the one if I had to choose. Very cute Christmas gift.”

Happy cooking to whoever ends up with this cool hip apron. Don’t forget to stop by to check out gift ideas for that hip hostess in your life at The Hip Hostess.

The Christmas Lizard

Posted by Amy on Nov 29, 2009 | 8 comments

Meet Sticky. Sticky’s a lizard that my son, Hank, found a few weeks back. He’s been staying with us for a while until today when he was returned to his woodland home out back.

Before going, Sticky posed shortly for a photo shoot on my son’s sweatshirt. (Like the dog hair?) Now we’ll always have these portraits to remember his green scaly self by.

Sticky’s brilliant green against the vibrant red reminded me of a book our friends, The Lanford’s, gave us for Christmas in 2000 called The Christmas Lizard.

The book has since become a favorite that we read aloud this time every year – even though my kids are now 11 and 14. It’s about a little lizard, called Oscar who escapes from his cage one night only to discover the family Christmas tree. Isn’t he cute?

As he climbs the tree he meets many new friends; elves, a nutcracker, a bird and an angel to name a few. The lizard is curious as to what Christmas is all about.

Each new friend has his own point of view but in the end he finds the real reason for all of the celebration. A baby.

It’s a sweet book with great illustrations full of color and ample opportunity to exercise those Russian nutcracker voices you’ve all been practicing. You can include The Christmas Lizard in your yearly traditions. And it would make a great Christmas gift for a young family of lizard lovers. You’ll find more information on how to purchase the book here.

Do you have any favorite Christmas books? Or is there a favorite Christmas tradition you can share?