My Favorite Christmas Cookies

A few years ago I was watching some cooking shows around the holidays

and every show had a version of these cookies.  They are my favorite!!

sugar cookie dough

cranberries

pistachios

white chocolate

Add 1 cup each of cranberries and chopped pistachios to the cookie dough.  

Cook cookies to directions, I cook mine the least amount of time so they stay soft and chewy.

Once they cook and cool, heat the white chocolate until melted and put in an icing bag.

Decorate cookies with white chocolate.

Enjoy!

Kim

Mr. Jingles... our Elf on the Shelf

This was our first year having an elf visit.  We named him Mr. Jingles and at first he was really good.

He just hung out on the tree.

But it didn't take long for him to start being naughty.

He toilet papered the tree, then my daughter's door.

Then he left a stern message, scared the kids enough to set them straight!

Some days he was just hanging out with the gingerbread people.

One day he was hanging from the ceiling fan.

But some days he was really naughty.

Like when he dumped a huge bag of bows all over my son's room while he slept.

Of course, the kids thought this was hilarious!

My daughter also thought it was great when he used Mommy's red lipstick to write on 

the mirror.  Guess who had to clean that up?!!

He even found time to catch a movie with Barbie!

...and get into the sprinkles and cheerios!

But I think my favorite was when Mr. Jingles mustached the kids, 

with PERMANENT marker!!!  They still had 'staches for Christmas Eve.

We were sad to see him go but we know we'll see him again next year! ;-)

Kim

Inspiration Friday No.33~ Starfish & Christmas Trees

I really love the idea of incorporating starfish in decorating for the holidays.  

They are so simply and pretty.  I keep meaning to buy some since mine have 

been used elsewhere through out the house.

 Cottage Living

This is what our home looks like (currently...it could always change!)

This table I purchased at a garage sale for $10, I meant to paint it white-ish but never 

got around to it.  Thought it kind of fit in with my Christmas decor just the way it is!

The kids decorate a real Christmas tree with tinsel, colored lights, and colorful ornaments.

This is my tree.  I like white. 

Top pictures can be found on my Pinterest page.

How are you decorating your tree this year?

~  Kim

Christmas Jar: 25 days in December & an elf named Mr. Jingles

  I really should have posted this 6 days ago!  I saw this idea on Pinterest (I think) and I wanted to try it out this year.  I don't know why I take all of my "overachieving mommy" issues and put them all on myself in one month.  There is something about the holidays that I want to be perfect, fun, and most of all magical for my children (see Elf pics below).  I call this the Christmas Jar and to do it, you first type and print out 25 fun or thoughtful things to do with your family, cut each thing out on, and place them in a jar.  Next decorate your jar, I just cut out a picture from a Christmas card and stuck it on the front.  Everyday a child grabs a piece of paper and you do on that day what they picked out.

Here is a list of things to do that are in our jar.  Feel free to print them out to use for your Christmas Jar.


Open one gift early.

Bake cookies and take them to a friend.

Pop popcorn and play a board game while listening to holiday music.

Go to the library and pick out books about Christmas. Read them together.

Buy or make stocking stuffers for your sibling(s).

Write a note to each member in the family to tell them how special they are and what you love about them. Leave the note in their stockings.

Draw a holiday picture and send it to someone.

Take a tour of lights in your neighborhood in your pajamas. Eat popcorn and listen to Christmas music in the car.

Make an ornament together for the tree.

Bake cookies for yourselves.

Start a holiday memory book. Quote your child and ask them what their favorite thing is about Christmas and what they want from Santa Clause.  Take a picture Christmas morning and put it in the memory book.

Print out a Holiday Coloring Page and color it.

Put together a box of items to donate to the less fortunate.

Make Reindeer Food
(Find recipe here:  http://thatscountryliving.com/2011/12/how-to-make-reindeer-food-free-printable-reindeer-food-poem-tag/).

Make and decorate a gingerbread house.

Make popcorn and cranberry garland for the tree.

Make paper chains for the Christmas tree.

Write a letter to Santa to leave on Christmas Eve.

Have a holiday movie marathon.

Eat candy canes and drink hot cocoa.

Make cards and gifts for teachers.

Go to the Dollar Store and pick out gifts for your family.

Make special cards to send to your cousins.

Do something nice for someone else, just because.

Make and send Christmas cards to the grandparents.

Purchase non-perishable food to donate to a food bank.

Make a present for Santa.

Drink peppermint tea and eat Christmas sugar cookies.

Make and put out food for birds and squirrels (toilet paper roll, peanut butter, and bird feed).

Make snow globes.

Research holiday traditions around the world on the computer.


Some ideas came from these two websites:

http://www.momadvice.com/parenting/christmas_jar.aspx

http://domesticsimplicity.com/2011/11/14/merry-making-50-things-to-do-with-kids-in-december/



  Of course some days they pick things that are inconvenient or I don't have the supplies.  My children know to pick another one if that happens.  Like if they picked the "Go to the library" and we have an already packed day, they pick another one.  Yesterday my daughter picked, "Make holiday cookies," so we baked cookies and decorated them last night.

I hope you will use the rest of this month to do fun and memorable things with your family!

Now onto the elf:

So this is the first year that an elf has visited our home.  My children named him Mr. Jingles and they absolutely love when he does naughty things.  

Like toilet papering our Christmas tree or my daughter's door!

...or writing a little warning on the chalkboard.

Gotta keep them in check!

...and this morning we woke up to my son's bed and floor covered with bows.  

That silly elf had gotten into the bag and had them everywhere!! hehehe :)

I will need a serious break come January!!

Do you have an elf that is creating raucous in your house?

Do you think the Christmas Jar is something that you will do with your children?

~  Kim

Pretty & Sparkly Holiday Decor

This picture popped up on my Facebook newsfeed the other morning and 

all I could do was ooh and ahh over how pretty and sparkly everything was.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery... I was all over it!!!

I grabbed a large wooden tray that was currently holding magazines.  

Then gathered up all of my blue and silver ornaments and mercury glass

candle holders.  This is what I came up with!

I like sparkly things!!!

So pretty!

Now I just have to keep the kids from playing ball ~ornaments~ in the house!!

The top inspiration picture can be found at Style Events Facebook page.

~  Kim

Inspiration Friday No.32~ Decorating the Christmas Tree

Decorating the Christmas tree use to be one of my most favorite things to do.  

I would spend hours putting the tree together, always with a glass of 

white wine in hand!  I loved finding the perfect spot for each ornament, 

always stepping back to get a full view before putting on the next ornament.  

Fast forward 2 children later and I still love having a pretty tree but I am 

less excited about doing the work!  Over the years I have decorated the tree in 

purple, light blue, dark blue, and mulit-colored ornaments...now I crave an all white tree 

with a simple burlap tree skirt.  But it is hard to have an all white tree because so many 

of our personal ornaments that I love are colored.  

We have solved this issue by having two trees!

I have my large fake tree in the front window, decorated in white, 

wrapped in ribbon and all, and my husband and children get a real tree 

and decorate with all the color and tinsel they desire!  Everyone is happy!!

Some of my favorite tree inspirations...

Pretty mantle!

www.beachcomber26.blogspot.com

I went to visit one of my favorite local stores, Shore Gallery & Design.

This is the first time that I have been during the holiday season 

and I was amazed that every inch of the store is beautifully decorated

for the holidays!

An amazing peacock decorated tree.

So much fun!

The front window is so beautiful.

Not Christmas tree decorations but I thought cool enough not to share.  

I found these unique knobs at TJ Maxx last week.

I was walking to the cash registers and stopped short when I saw these beauties.

I know I should have bought them, just to have them.

But I didn't.

They were only $7.99 for a pack of 4, which is a great price!

Ahhh, I should of bought them!!!

So is everyone all decorated for the holidays?

I feel like I am just about done decorating but there are 

still so many boxes everywhere!  

I need to wrap it up so I can literally start wrapping stuff up!!!

I hope you have a great weekend!

~  Kim

(most pictures can be found on my Pinterest  "Holiday Decorating" page)

Inspiration Friday No.30~ Christmas...yep already!

Posting this a day early because Fridays are always busy and my day to run errands.  

I keep forgetting to post and by the time I remember, it's late and I'm ready for bed!

I can't even believe that I am thinking about decorating for the holidays but Pinterest is really getting me excited.  I feel bad that Thanksgiving just doesn't get the credit that it deserves, but when they are playing holiday music the day after Halloween at the convenience store, 

you just can't help but to get in the mood!

So to start us off a little early, this week I am showing you my favorite holiday pins 

from my Pinterest boards.

The sexiest holiday dress.  Love this!!

Some nail sparkle to go with the dress.

...and to decorating the mantle.  

We removed the mantle from our floor to ceiling brick fireplace 

and the only time I miss it is during the holidays.

I love a pretty mantle, the lights...ahhh it's so romantic!

Centsational Girl

Did you have one of these Christmas trees?

My Grandmother had one and I loved it!  

So I know it's a little early but I'm sure I'll do another holiday decorating post after Thanksgiving.

I mean I just took down the Halloween decorations yesterday and I'm already thinking about when is the earliest I can put up our Christmas decorations!  You can see all of these pins and more at
my Pinterest page.

When do you start decorating for the holidays?

~  Kim