Fun Idea 2014

Looking for a fun family night as you ring in the new year, before school starts back up?  Check out this list that my niece used for her kids and their fun time together!

Pecan Pie Popcorn

Made this yummy snack tonite - it was easy and delicious - a great game food! Pecan Pie Popcorn!

Decorating Time!

These caught my eye in Target - what cool new pieces to spruce up your home now that the holidays are coming to a close!

Neckware

Some of our family received some beautiful jewelry from Anthropologie this Christmas, and right now you can get 25% off of sales items.  Check out this beauty!

Black n Whites n Snowflakes

World Market has their Christmas items on sale 50% off and the cookie mixes are included!  Why not buy a few and host a party in January?

Beautiful Colors

What a great deal at Anthropologie - and what pretty colors!  On sale - beautiful throws!

Kids Clothes Cute!

Kids clothes were given today from this store, Naartje Kids, and they were a hit!  60% off clearance going on now!

Baked Potato Bar

A Baked Potato Bar - a great idea for large families - and it's our Christmas evening dinner for our group of 27...Here's how to do one!

Flash-Fried

A delicious healthy side dish for your Christmas spread!  Flash-fried brussel sprouts. Had these today at a restaurant and enjoyed every bite!

For Your Hair

Looking for cute stocking gifts? Walgreens has a lot of cute hair accessories - including these awesome bobby pins!

S'Mores in a Box

Found this in a magazine and I'm going to make them!  Found the boxes at The Container Store...

Give Back

Looking for a gift that gives back, or a place to spend some money you've already received for Christmas? How about World Vision?  Check out their gift catalog, and purchase/donate to help out the orphans in the world!

50% off already!

Kirklands already has their Christmas stuff half off! Look what's so cute!

Organize Those Bags!

I bought this organizer today and I love it!  It allowed me to clean out  my big box of bags and paper that I had thrown inside, to a place where they now hang nicely in pockets!  It's from the Container Store!

No bake treat

Another no-bake treat that's tasty and a great addition to your holiday fare!  Chocolate Vanilla Wafers!

Melt 4 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate and spread on vanilla wafers; top with toasted pepitas, sliced almonds and dried cranberries.

Mini dogs

Another great little food item for your Christmas party table - delicious.

Mini chorizo corn dogs!

No Bake Treat!

Preparing snacks for our family Christmas, I ran across this one in the Food Network Magazine, so easy and tasty!  Just takes a little time to peel and section the Clementines - a good activity for the kids!

Cooke Tavern

Looking for some good, easy, tasty soups for your crowd this holiday season?  Cooke Tavern Soups are a fit!  Check them out and order several!  We're making three different ones for our Sunday family gathering...

Muffins for a Crowd

We made three tins of these for an office party - they were pretty easy and came out cute!  Bacon Egg Muffins.

Sugared Cranberries

On the television show The Chew, Carla Hall made some cute hostess gifts - and one of them was sugared cranberries - presented in Christmas tins!

Let it Burn!

We heard this lady tonight in concert - awesome!  Consider her CD for the music lover on your list!
Ruthie Foster....

Retro Toys!

World Market has the coolest retro toys for kids!  Check them out for your holiday giving.  We got the cute telephone and camera!

Custom Boots!

These are super pricey but awesome....Check out these boots...ones you can customize to fit your own style.  Go to the site Teysha and built your own boot!

Fried Cabbage

We had this dish tonight at a restaurant called Ruby K's and it was really tasty. I found a recipe on line, and the picture looks just like what we ate - Fried Cabbage!

Soup and Sandwich

This tomato soup was yummy, and we had it with grilled cheese, which  made it even better!  Here's the recipe from Rachael Ray.  I used smoky cheddar cheese on multigrain bread, and I left out the cream from the soup.

Brushes

This little makeup brush set in its own bag is perfect for a stocking gift!  Check out these and more at Target! There's a whole line of these eco tools! 

Gift a Book

What books are on your Christmas list?  This is one that's on mine:

Rice Sack

Consider buying a purse from a site that helps stop human trafficking - look at this cute rice bag - they come in small and large! All from Rahab's Rope.

Little Black Skirt

H&M is a great source for affordable classics, including this pretty black skirt for the holiday season! It's a perfect length, can be paired with all sorts of tops, and it's under 30 bucks!

Finger Sporks

Saw these yesterday and bought them for our Christmas appetizers - for fun - one finger spork for each of us!  So cute!

Scrumptious Biscuits

We had these today and they were delicious!  Great biscuits for the holidays, for all your dinner gatherings!  Pumpkin Parmesan Biscuits....

Cardboard Art

I saw this in a furniture store on a wall, except of course it was perfectly done with precision.  My "artwork" is not perfect by far, but it was fun framing our wall opening from our den to our kitchen with painted pieces of cardboard, and fabric covered ones, too, to match our decor, adhered with upholstery tacks!

Spaghetti Squash Dinner

Tonight we had spaghetti squash, topped with a mixture of grilled onions, black beans, fresh salsa and cubed avacado.  It was very tasty, and healthy!

Just cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise (scoop out the seeds and goop) and place cut side down on a microwave - safe plate, cook for 18 minutes.  Meanwhile, cook 1 medium onion until tender, add the beans and salsa to heat through.  Top with the fresh avacado, and place the whole mixture atop the spaghetti you've scooped out of the squash.  Enjoy...

Christmas Scene (edible!)

Another fun thing to make for the holidays uses Ranch dressing (in a jar), pretzel sticks, cucumbers and zucchini.

This looks pretty on a small rectangular tray.

Spread the Ranch dressing and pile it up like "snow." Slice the cucumbers and zucchini so that they look like trees, and cut the bottom so that it will stand up straight. Pile up the "logs" on the sides, and you've got your edible Christmas scene!

Appetizer Wreath

This was so fun to make and came out so pretty. I saw it in a magazine and tweaked it a bit to use what I could find.

Line a round dish with fresh rosemary sprigs, and cut out circles from a red pepper to use as berries on your "wreath."  Inside the wreath, roll up thin deli ham, lay out a pile of little turkey sausages, cubes of two kinds of cheese, olives, and a small bowl of almonds in the center.  What a festive dish!

Finger Puppets

These little finger puppets sold like hotcakes at a market today where we helped raise funds to stop sex trafficking.  And you can order them online!  They are so cute! 5 bucks each!

Hot Dog!

Have you seen these retro hotdog toasters?  You can order online, or find them at your nearest Big Lots.  What a fun surprise gift to place under the tree for pretty much anyone!

Savory Bread

Found this recipe today in the Food Network Magazine and I'm making it for our tree trimming party - looks delish!  It's a savory monkey bread!

52 Series

These card packs would make great stocking stuffers!  There are decks for all sorts of occasions - check out all of them!

                    

Olive Oil

Did you know Trader Joe's has cool information on their website?  Check out this Olive Oil Guide - you can print it out, too!  Then purchase one of their kits - a great gift idea!

Yummy Apples

On our TIPS (www.thymemag.com) page is a recipe link for caramel apples. Here's another option, if you're pressed for time.  They taste great!

1 package of round caramel wraps (found in produce by apples)
5 granny smith apples (wash and dried thoroughly)
chopped peanuts
1 cup dark chocolate bits

Follow the instructions on the caramel wrap package to place the caramel on the apples (apples MUST be dry).  Press the chopped peanuts into the caramel. Melt the dark chocolate carefully (read package) and place in a baggie.  Cut a very small tip in the corner of the baggie and drizzle the chocolate back and forth across the apples.

You've got yourself a treat!

Lantern

A great deal of a bargain - this will be so pretty on your table, your patio, or just in your house for a decoration for the holidays!  Just bought this lantern today....

Chinese Cabbage

We bought some Chinese cabbage today at the Farmers Market, as well as some other veggies - squash and carrots.  I was told to stir fry the cabbage. I came home, cut up all the veggies, washed the cabbage, and it's all in a bag ready for stir frying next week. We also snapped green beans, and sliced some jalapenos for salsa.  Cherry tomatoes and other carrots, as well as lettuce, were washed and put away - ready for salad!

If you have a Farmers Market in your area, load up on fresh ingredients and prepare them for the week.

Chinese Cabbage

Cookie Butter

We just got a Trader Joe's store in our area, and were told we must try the Cookie Butter. So we bought some, and it is definitely sweet and good.  Have you tried it?

Spicy Gifts

These spice sets make great gifts!  You can even customize your own. Or you can pick one that is made for your own taste - pasta lovers, seafood, salads, steaks - and more!  And the spices are so tasty!