Holiday

Mother’s Day took on a whole new meaning this year.  So, for myself and the Grandmothers I had a photographer over to the house to take some pictures of Ian.  I cashed in a special groupon deal and I was pleasantly surprised by how well Jr. did.  If he wasn’t smiling at the photographer, he had his fist in his mouth and he captured our little guy perfectly.  It was pretty clear that he has photographed many babies!

Given the outfit he’s in, it does look like a school portrait but he looks cute all the same.  The best Mother’s Day gift anyone could ask for!  

What did you do for your Mom this Mother’s Day?

“Hey Mom, check it out…I can put my whole fist in my mouth!”

Wow, have the days since Thanksgiving just flown by!  Jr should be here any time and until then I’ve been craftin-it-up with some easy projects that can be completed in just a few hours for obvious reasons.

First up are these adorable crocheted loafers.  The pattern is by Hook Candy.  They work up really fast and make a great holiday gift for any new mom or mom-to-be.  The yarn I used is Red Heart’s new Eco-ways and the little buttons are genunie leather for an added dapper look!

For my niece, I whipped up this cute little reversible apron to go with some Easy Bake Oven accessories I purchased for her this Christmas. The fabric is part of the Wild Thyme fabric line by Carolyn Gavin.  Since my niece is only 8 I’m pretty sure she’s not reading this (I hope) so I thought I would share a pic before it gets wrapped.  The classic apron pattern is free and can be found here.  I made the child’s size but there’s also measurements for an adult size.  It was another quick and easy project.  The “B” monogram was made with felt and hand-stitched to the front before sewing.

My current and probably final craft project for a while is this knitted basketweave blanket.  Also a free pattern found on Lionbrand.com its being made with Vanna’s Choice in Silver Blue and Linen.  I chose to alternate the colors to make it a little more interesting. It’s only 18 by 24 and will make for a nice small car seat blanket.  Which given the impending winter will come in handy.

What are some of your favorite quick and easy craft projects this holiday season?

It’s hard to believe that Turkey Day is upon us once again!  I hope you will be enjoying time off with family and friends.  Here are a few great recipes that will be part of our family dinner this year. A couple I’ve made before with great results & a new appetizer. 

1. Roasted Turkey recipe. We’ve been using this recipe for the last 3 years and it never disappoints! Forget the whole turkey and just use fresh turkey breast. This option is quick, easy and very juicy. Carving a whole turkey is so over-rated!

2. Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bourbon Pecan Caramel Sauce. I made this dessert for a dinner party back in February and it was a big hit.  It’s so easy and the best part is, it can be made a day ahead of time.  I’m always up for a time saver!

3. Sausage stuffed mushrooms. A new recipe for this year. I saw it being made on an episode of The Barefoot Contessa and it looks really good.  I haven’t made a turkey day app so this will be a nice change.

What are some of your favorite Thanksgiving recipes?

Leave it to the hilarious folks at The Onion to come up with a new twist on the traditional Sweethearts candy.  They’re called BitterSweets and come in three varieties Dejected, Dumped and Dysfunctional.  There’s even a price break if you buy all three!

With sayings like “Dork Magnet,”  “Rather Drink,” and “Do My Dishes” they would make for an interesting reaction at the work place but I may have to rethink that one!

The humor doesn’t stop at the sayings either.  The flavor names range from Nappy Citric to Fossilized Antacid and those are just two of the six mouth-watering combinations!

So, if you’re looking for something that’s sour versus sweet, this maybe the ideal gift for that special (smart ass) someone!

Last week I was reading Not Quite Vintage and there was a great post displaying holiday cards using clothespin magnets. It got me thinking about the stack of cards we had received so far this year and what to do with them all.

I thought of things I had around the house and here’s what I found.

All it took were these circular paper clips and some red ribbon and within a few minutes I had my own simple card display.  No crafty skills required.

Thanks for the inspiration Colleen!

Last Saturday my good friend Elizabeth arranged “Tea Service for Two” at the London Tea Room. It was an ideal place to relax and exchange gifts after a stroll down Washington Ave. We had our choice of tea, traditional cucumber sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam with a cupcake to finish it all off. It was a real treat! Thanks E!

There were a few cute stores but for the most part Washington Ave. has become a ghost town.  It was fun to see some of the old buildings that still remain having been turned into lofts. One building that caught my attention was the old Bee Hat Company.  It dates back to 1899. Back in the day this was a busy factory in the garment district and one very cool feature are these terra cotta lion heads that, according to Architectural Ruminations, “originally connected to the building’s rooftop drainage gutter system”  but have since been hooked up to the steam lines.  It’s an interesting sight to see on a cold December day.

So, the holiday season is here and I have to admit that the usual Scrooge in me is slowly fading.  I’m not to the point that I enjoy caroling or plan on wearing a Christmas sweater anytime soon but its great to see all the fun holiday craft projects in blogland and do a little holiday shopping.

So a couple of weeks ago I found myself in a dilemma.  Now, I know its the time of year to be buying gifts for others and I have almost everyone taken care of that’s on my list this year but let’s be honest haven’t you bought something that you know would make a great gift but you just can’t part with it?  Haven’t we all been there?

While out in the CWE (Central West End-St. Louis), I came across this adorable boutique named Ivy Hill.  They had a little bit of everything.  Clothing, accessories, and bath products. That’s where I found this adorable little wallet.  The concept is genius!  A safety pin flower on crushed velvet which, even as I type, sounds completely punk rock but is ready to be the star of any holiday party.  Can’t you blame me for keeping it?

So, who can’t use a new fun set of coasters?  And, with the holiday season now in full swing I thought it would be fun to whip up some Christmas themed coasters.  I love them both! I have 2 sets of 4 but depending on how many enter maybe I will split them up into 4 sets of 2.  Along with the coasters there will be a special surprise gift that will be announced once the names are drawn.

Escape to Witch Mountain movie

So, this time of year always brings the return of the Gingerbread Latte at Starbucks.  One of my favorite beverages of the season. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment letting me know what your favorite holiday beverage is and also which set of coasters is your favorite (linen set or red set).

Since I’ll be on vacation this week the comments section will stay open through Midnight on Monday, Dec. 8th.  The winners will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 9th. Best of luck and enter away!

This year’s Thanksgiving was a blast!  This is the 3rd year in a row that the hubby and I have had family over to our house and its been the best year yet!  We’ve always cooked turkey breast rather than a whole turkey.  Noone seems to miss the brown meat or the 3 hour time period it takes to cook a whole one.  We seared the turkey meat on the grill then threw it in the oven for 40 minutes and it was delicious! Everyone brought side dishes and as with any holiday we ate way too much!

It was really great to see everyone! We kept our niece (Brooke) and nephews (Devin & Josh) entertained with the old school video games like Galaga, Miss Pacman, and Donkey Kong Jr. All in arcade set-up (booster box for the little ones sold separately)!  Jason got out the guitar and gave Brooke a music lesson.  The RC cars and helicopter also made it out of hiding while Brooke and I made felt holiday ornaments.

Josh seems a little attached to the eliptical machine.  After a full meal he was happy tell me, “..what, I gotta get my exercise!”  At age 3 he already understand the value of working out after holiday eating.  I think it brought a tear to my eye!Titanic video