Too Much Of A Good Thing??

Pictured here: Grand Traveler, Back Pack, Squared Away,
Wristlet, Gallery Wallet, Tablet Case, Checkbook Cover,
Euro Wallet, Large Cosmetic Case, Hanging Toiletry

I think I may have a problem.  The first step is admitting it, right?  I think I may have to blame my friend Amy.  I talk about her a lot on her.  She is a very good friend, but sometimes can be a very bad influence ;)

My problem started about a year ago.  It's called "verabradleyitis". 

I have always heard about Vera Bradley.  I had admired the bags and purses, but always thought it wasn't for me.  I mean all those bold prints and colors...nope I could never pull that off.  So, I was over at Amy's and she showed me her new bag.  I really liked the quality and the styling.  She encouraged me to get myself a piece.  I think my comment back to her was something like, "I don't think I could carry a bag like that, being so colorful."  She looked at me and responded, "Why not?". 

So I started thinking, why not?  I started browsing the website and took the plunge.  The first piece I ordered was a wristlet.  The print was Java Blue, a nice chocolate brown and blue, pretty neutral.  Then I ordered a check book cover.  The rest is history.

I started gifting coin purses, lunch boxes, totes, and handbags.  I even turned my mom onto a really nice purse.  For her birthday this year we gave her the matching wallet and eye glass case.  Every person who receives something as a gift is always so appreciative.

So why do I like this company so much.  Well, the prints and colors have really grown on me.  I'm no longer afraid of the "boldness".  I also like that fact I can wash most of the items.  I am really hard on bags, so the fact I can throw them in the washing machine is quite fabulous.  Finally, I like the wide range of product line.  Everything from bags and accessories to luggage and party ware.  Love, love, love it!

The picture above, is the small collection I have started over the past year.  My mother-in-law put a halt on anymore Vera purchases for myself from now until Christmas. I wonder what I'm getting??  Funny enough, I received an email from my sister-in-law, Tracy, today showing me which Vera bag she would like for Christmas this year.

My last piece of advice when shopping Vera Bradley: NEVER PAY FULL PRICE!  Shop online during sales, and check out the selection on QVC for special items.  If you are lucky enough to have a Vera Bradley dealer in your town, shop the discounted items, which are normally older colors.

Fashion In Bloom

I love fashion.  I don't always have the confidence to pull off the latest trends, but I watch all the fashion programs on T.V.  I really like "girlie" fashion, meaning pretty delicate silhouettes, floral prints, and pearls.  Oh I love pearls!

This season floral is trending big.  I was able to pick up two really pretty floral Toile cardigans for the season.  I also freshened up my wardrobe with two new jersey tiered skirts.  However, my biggest splurge was some new scarves.  It wasn't that much of a splurge because I got them on sale (there goes my girl math).  I was able to get three scarves for under $40, and they are from one of my most favorite designers, Isaac Mizrahi.

I believe you can freshen up an outfit just by adding a scarf.  I wear them all winter, and I change up the fabric for spring and summer.  Here are the new scarves I purchased:

Aren't they pretty?  I have worn two of them already and received compliments.  So look through your wardrobe, and instead of breaking the bank for the new season, purchase a few accessories :)



Happy Spring!

It is the first day of spring!!!  I love the changing of the seasons.  By the time I am tired of one season, the next one is normally right around the corner.  Now, I have to say we were really lucky this winter (I'm still waiting for the blizzard to hit, and in New York State, it's still possible;). 

I thought I would re-post two links.  The first is for a strategy to clean your house.  I know a lot of people are ready to tear into the house for "spring cleaning".  Sometimes over ambition, tends to lead to burn out.  So here's how I clean my house on a regular basis, and it holds true for spring cleaning as well.
House Cleaning Schedule

The second item is my tip for ridding your house of spiders.  Tis the season where they are waking up, making a nice new home in the corners of your house.  This is an all natural spider spray that you have the ingredients for right in your kitchen.
Spider Spray

Happy Spring and Happy Spring Cleaning!!

Make Your Own Uncrustables!

I'm in the mood for a silly mindless post.  Our community has been turned upside the last few days.  On Friday, the school superintendant announced the merging of the elementaries.  Which in laymans terms means closing of my son's school.

This wasn't a surprise, but is still uspetting.  It's kind of like mourning the loss of a loved one who had a terminal illness.  While you know what the final outcome is going to be, the reality is still devastating.  What makes it more upsetting is, we have many many unanswered questions.  There is no set plan in place for splitting the children into the remaining schools.  The staff are unaware of what grade and which school they will be teaching in next year. 

I guess if we knew how to prepare for the next step, it could be easier to cope.  So, onto something completely silly.  When I was at the grocery store about a week ago, I was standing in line to check out browsing at the P.O.P. (point of purchase) items.  For those who never worked in retail, these are items strategically placed at the checkouts to make additional sales.  Typically they are low cost items, but everytime they get you to buy one, the store's sales just increased. 

Being a retail veteran, and being married to a retail manager of a $30 million store, I feel I am above these gimmicks.  Who am I kidding, I fell for it!!  I love a new kitchen gadget and this one was only $1.99.  See, low cost + kitchen gadget junkie=$$$$.

So what item did I fall for.  Here it is:

This fun little gadget cuts the crust off the sandwich and seals it, making it your version of an uncrustable.  You can fill it with, peanut butter and jelly, peanut butter and honey (Adam's new favorite), make it into grilled cheese, or fill it with pizza sauce and cheese and make mini calzones.

Here's how it works.  You make a typical peanut butter and jelly sandwich, filling only the middle of the bread. (All the instructions are on the back of the card.)

Put the top slice of bread on.  Fit the sandwich cutter over the slice, and press down on the outer white portion.  Remove the crust, and then press on the inner blue portion to seal the seams. 

TA DA!!!!

How about for another time saver, make a bunch of these, put them in baggies, and throw them in the freezer.  You can use your favorite jam or jelly, you're not stuck with just grape or strawberry like the ones in the freezer department. 

So the next time you are at the checkout, look at the P.O.P. items, and you may just find a fun little treasure :)

Happy 200th Post!!!!

Today is my 200th post on My Little Blogspot.  I have enjoyed the last year and a half sharing recipes, tips, and ideas. 

Seeing I never put the Cupcake Spotlight recipes in the index, I decided to post one of them.  I will let my followers vote and decide which one will be featured.  What better way to celebrate than with cupcakes??

cinnamon cupcake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting and caramel drizzle

flowers in bloom

applesauce cupcakes

pumpkin cupcakes with orange cream cheese frosting and candied orange peel



black forest cupcakes

vanilla snowball cupcakes with vanilla mascarpone frosting

chocolate oreo cupcakes

rainbow cupcakes with marshmallow frosting

banana cake with caramel buttercream

carrot cake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting



chocolate chip cookie cups with buttercream

Blast From The Past

Last March I posted rainbow cupcakes in Cupcake Spotlight.  Then in June I showed how to make a rainbow birthday cake for my son's magic party.

Seeing all the rainbow ideas out there right now for St. Patrick's Day, I figured a little blast from the past was in order.  The link below with show how to do the birthday cake and it can be scaled down to cupcake size too!


Rainbow Birthday Cake

Pot O' Gold Blondies (March Cookie Corner)

Is it a cookie, a brownie, a bar?  Well it's a blondie.  I decided to post a blondie for cookie corner because it's a bar cookie, kinda.  Oh well, it's delicious, so easy to make, and a bit festive with rainbow candies.

My original plan for this month's cookie was a chocolate chip cookie with mini M&M's.  Here's what happened:

In my gorgeous Raspberry Ice Kitchen Aid mixer, that is 2 sticks of butter, sugar, 1 egg, and 1 EGG SHELL!  Not to mention I dropped the shell in the mixer while it was running, so the other half of the shell is already crunched up :)

OK, that went into the trash.  However, some accidents are happy accidents because I changed my game plan, and came up with an even easier recipe.  When I say easy, I mean super duper easy!  One bowl to mix it in, bake it for 25 minutes, and slice your way to these chewy moist bars.

Linking to these parties.

recipe (yields 16 bars)

1 stick of butter, melted

1 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

1 c. flour

1/2 c. mini M&M's

1/4 c. milk chocolate chips

In a large bowl, blend sugar and butter until smooth.  Add the egg, vanilla, salt, and flour.  Mix until smooth.  With a large spatula or wooden spoon, fold in chips and candies.  Pour into a greased 8 x 8 pan.

So festive with all those colors

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 23 to 25 minutes.  The top will be a light golden, but don't over bake these.   Who wants a crumbly blondie? 

Let cool completely, and cut into 16 squares.  These little bites are rich and decadent, and a huge hit with the kids :)

Cake Pops

So what's been happening the last week or so???  Well, we (meaning the boys and myself) went to visit my family in Buffalo.  We had a great time, and it always seems too short.

We are back in Oneonta. The car has been unpacked, pizza dough is made for dinner, Adam will be going to guitar lessons shortly, and then it's off to the YMCA tonight for open swim.

In between visiting family, friends, and a dentist appointment, I did manage time for creative play.  I finished a few craft show items for next fall.  I also played around with cake pops.

Now cake pops have been around for a while.  I never experimented with them before, but my mom bought a pan and wanted me to try them.  So I did.  I didn't have my camera so I don't have pictures for a tutorial, but I will do them again soon and post it.

The cake pops that I tried uses a special pan and then the pops are dipped in chocolate.  These are not the ones where you crumble the cake, add the frosting, and then form them.  If you want to see how to make them, click here.  The Gourmand Mom gives an excellent tutorial on them. 

The pan that I used is available at Bed Bath &Beyond.  The only downside is it does not come with super detailed instructions on decorating.  However, while visiting Buffalo, I went to my friend's house and low and behold she had a cake pop cook book.  While thumbing through it, I got a bunch of great ideas.  I will be making chickies for Easter....super adorable.

For now here are a few photos.  I will be posting a tutorial soon.  Oh, did I mention how affordable they are to make.  I got 40 pops out of a 99 cent cake mix.   Even after figuring in the sticks and bags to wrap them up, it only cost about $3.00 to make 40.  (While I was at Target, the Starbucks inside the store was selling them for $1.50 each.)

Fitness Update

It has been a month since Jay and I have been going to the YMCA.  I go five to six times a week, and Jay does about the same.  I go in the morning when I drop Brandon off at pre-school, and Jay goes after work, even sometimes on his lunch.

The point is, we are going!!!  I have noticed a few changes in my own body.  They aren't really noticeable to others, yet.  I  notice how my clothes are fitting.  While I have been in between sizes for a bit, I am finally down to the smaller size.  I have a big bag a clothes for the donation pile :)

I am getting closer to my goal day by day.  I also have to work harder to get my heart rate up, so I know I am doing well.  I have found myself having more patience throughout the rest of my day.  It is also helping in fighting the winter blues.

Both Jay and I are happier with ourselves and each other.  We keep encouraging each other too!  So go and encourage someone today.  Whether it be towards a fitness goal, education goal, or a personal goal, go and encourage someone!!!!

Entertaining With Kids

I think entertaining is fun.  I do get a bit nervous, wanting everything to go smoothly, but overall I really like it.  When I was younger and had my apartment, I would have some friends over with a few appetizers and some beverages.  Then when I got my first house, I started to theme my parties and menus.  Now that I am a mom of two vivacious boys, I keep kids in mind.

When we have friends over with children, I like to have a kid friendly menu and activities.  First the menu.  My boys are the pickiest eaters.  When we have holidays at a relative's house, I come along with their own meals.  It's not uncommon for me to whip out a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or two from my purse. So when we have other kids over, I really try and accommodate their needs.  I always check with the parents for allergies or restrictions.  With that information, I plan the menu.

That being said, we are having over two families tonight.  No allergies, but we will have vegetarians.  Tonight's menu is as follows:

turkey chili with cornbread
vegetable noodle soup
home made Italian bread
salad
cheese platter with fruit
peanut butter sandwiches (kids)
cheese sandwiches (kids)
candy bar cake and ice cream

It is a balance that meets everyones preferences and simple enough to prepare ahead of time.  The children are welcome to have anything on the menu, but I did make the sandwiches knowing that's what my boys will eat.  To make the sandwiches festive, I cut them into different shapes.  Here's how they went together.

First start with really thin bread (this makes it easier to cut).  I used a 100% whole wheat bread.

Spread them with peanut butter, jelly, honey, etc.  I also made some into cheese sandwiches.  Then using cookie cutters, cut the crust off.

Arrange on a platter.  I cut each different kind of sandwich with a different shaped cutter.



After dinner, I planned some craft activities.  When a larger group of kids are at a gathering, it's a really good idea to have some organized activities.  Tonight, I have fun foam door hangers and bookmarks, and sand art.

I purchased the foam door hangers and I already have different shape pieces to adhere.  Then from simple fun foam sheets, using decorative scissors, I just cut out bookmarks.

The sand art kit came with everything the kids need to make their own bottles.  The only thing I did was put the sand in squeeze bottles.  You can find them in the candy aisle of the craft store.  They have a tip that fits right into the bottles and will keep the mess to a minimum.

Finally coloring sheets and my marbled crayons are always a fun activity :)



So the next time you entertain with kids, have a few activities and a friendly menu planned.

Pay It Forward

I participated in a FB thread called Pay It Forward 2012.  Basically you agree to make a  handcrafted item for the first five people who respond to your post.  Then those five people agree to do the same.  You have the whole year to get it done.  Good idea, right??

I signed up for my dear friend, Amy's.  I know it will be good, she is super crafty :)  I then re-posted it, and have five takers very quickly.  Among the five people who signed up for mine, three of them do not live locally.  Now I had to think of something I could hand craft, and yet still be easy enough to mail.

After a bit a thinking, I came up with beaded book marks.  I was already making some for my upcoming craft shows, so I had the supplies.  Last weekend I took the time to sit down and make them.  My oldest helped in picking out the beads.  They really are quite simple to make, and each of them is unique. (If I get enough requests, I will do a tutorial on them.)

I have handed out and mailed all of them.  The three out-of-towners, should have theirs very soon.  It felt so good to participate in this. 

How can you "pay it forward" ???  Think about it.

Valentine Wreath (revisited)

Walking into my home this afternoon, I glanced at my rose wreath.  I have it hanging right above my mailbox and thought, "I really do like that wreath."  I may have just been tired, coming home from the gym, or I really do like that wreath :)

Anyhow, I decided to re-post the link for it.  I made it last year and it cost about $5.00.  I was thinking perhaps, I will do an Easter version, who knows.  Stay tuned!

Valentine Rose Wreath

Just Checking In

We had a wonderful weekend.  The boys went to a bowling party and had a fabulous time.  Then on Sunday, my oldest participated in a sports camp, while my youngest and I enjoyed time alone.  Woke up this morning to a 2 hour snow delay.  This allowed me a few extra moments this morning to get ready.

So what's on the agenda this week???  This afternoon I am going into Adam's school to do our January craft project, snow measuring sticks.  Wednesday I have a super exciting afternoon of an oil change and annual car inspection, insert sarcasm here.  Ooohh, but Wednesday is February 1st, which means a new cookie of the month.

Sometime this week I need to make Jell-O jigglers for a community project.  To end the week, I am going to a Bunco Party, never played but I am excited for adult socialization ;)

To keep me going this week, I intend to exercise at the YMCA and ingest copious amounts of iced coffee.  I made the Pioneer Woman's, perfect iced coffee brew, and it really is perfect.  I added a few teaspoons of sugar, a shot of chocolate syrup, some creamer, and it's a dead ringer for DD Iced Mocha.

Happy Monday!!!

Pick The Recipe

I take a lot of pictures of food items that I make.  I keep the camera very handy in the kitchen.  The only thing is I forget sometimes what I have taken pictures of.  All the items don't make it to the blog.

So I want my followers to pick the recipe you would like to see.  Here are the choices:

Chicken Caprese Panini

Broiled Fish with Fresh Herbs



Vote here or on Facebook....but vote and I will share the recipe!!

This & That

What have I been up to lately??? Well, a bit of this and that.  I have been completing a few chores off of my to do list. 

First, I started organizing my closet.  My closet isn't really messy, but has a jumble of sizes, clothes that are stained, and things that I just don't wear anymore.  I am really trying to simplify my life this year.  So I decided to tackle the clothes.  I purchased the velvet space saving hangers at our local TJ Maxx, and want to know what???  They actually do save on space, but now I have a whole bunch of plastic hangers.  So anybody who lives locally who wants hangers let me know :)

I was also looking for new sauce pots.  I had a 1 quart and 3 quart sauce pot that was losing the non-stick coating.  I have had these pots for over 10 years and have served their purpose.  I was doing some online browsing and was stunned at the price of single sauce pot.  I put that one my list for something to get later on.  Well, while I was buying my hangers, I ventured over to the kitchen supply section of TJ Maxx.  Presto!!! I found a 3 quart Rachael Ray sauce pot.  Guess how much???  Done guessing?? 

Fifteen dollars!!!!  SCORE :)  I didn't care that it was yellow.  Who is really going to see it, but me?

We also got a family membership for our local YMCA.  Adam already had a membership for his swimming lessons.  Jay and I have kicked around the idea of a family membership for awhile.  This year we finally decided to take the plunge.  We received a credit for the remaining time left on Adam's membership, so our first month was practically free. 

Today I enjoyed my first workout there.  I say enjoyed, not because of the actual exercise but because of the company I was with.  A big thank you to Leigh and Michelle for being my workout buddies on my first day.

So that's about it. I filled you in on my latest activities.  I am working on some new recipes (I ordered a special pan for a special bread).  Be happy and healthy, and I'll be back soon!

Breakfast Saving Tips

Okay, first I have to vent.  Today I went to the grocery store for a few things.  I didn't need much, but had coupons that were about to expire.  So I really wanted to get those items. 

I chose my items, carefully checking each one so I got the correct sizes or amounts.  When I reached the register, I organized my groceries so all the coupon items were together.  (I like to do this, so if they have to check the receipt for a price, it's all in a row.)  The cashier scanned and bagged my groceries.  Then I handed him my coupons.  Now mind you, I had five coupons, not 50 or 500. 

The first one that through him for a loop was a free bag of rice.  He didn't understand he had to enter the amount.  He just kept telling me, "this coupon doesn't work".  Deep breath!!!  Next he gets a $3.00 coupon, and tried telling me it was too high.  I smiled and explained, he just had to verify the face value of the coupon.  Finally the last one was for $1.00 of two Keebler or Sunshine snack mixes. I purchased two Sunshine Cheezit mixes.  The register said, "items not purchased".  I checked my bags, found the items, he checked the receipt to verify he scanned them.  Everything should be OK, right??  Nope, he said he had to follow the computer.  I sighed very heavily, and asked for a manager. 

The guy behind me in line is getting real upset, but not as frustrated as I was. The flustered cashier said, "OK OK I'll just over ride it".  Now I am not picking on cashiers, I was one for very long time.  At some point, people have to use their judgement, and not rely solely on a computer.

My rant is done, and I will get to the point of my post.  While I was at the grocery store, cruising down the frozen food aisle, Brandon asked for pancakes.  I said no, then he asked for waffles, I said no.  Then it was toaster pastries, again I said no.  After three No's, the why's started.  I tried explaining to my 4 year old, I can make all that stuff at home, and it will cost much less.  That pacified him, at least until we got home.

So for dinner, I made French toast.  While I had the griddle out, I did the whole loaf of bread for French toast.  I also made a double batch of pancakes. Then I froze everything.  Now in the morning for breakfasts, all I have to do is put a pancake in the microwave or the French toast in the toaster oven.

I do this about once a month.  I make batches of breakfast items ahead of time.  I like to do it all at once.  This way I only have to clean the mess up one time.  It costs pennies on the dollar, compared to buying them at the store.

So the next time you are cooking pancakes or French toast, make extra.  Start a little stock pile in the freezer.  Over time you will notice the savings in your grocery budget :)

Need a pancake recipe, click here.
Need a waffle recipe, click here.
Need a French toast recipe, click here.

Blogs That I Read

I don't blog a lot about what I read.  So I figured I would share a few of my favorites.

First I love The Pioneer Woman.  You may have recently seen her on the Food Network with her own show.  She also has a few cookbooks, but well before all that success she was and still is a blogger.  I enjoy watching her on the Food Network.  She's very down to earth.  I love reading her blog because she has such a variety of things.  Also she writes in a natural voice, it's like having a conversation with a girlfriend.

I also follow my neighbors blog, Project Anthologies.  She gives great ideas for sewing projects, D.I.Y. furniture items, and also shares her wonderful stories of life.

Two of the first blogs I followed with regularity were introduced to me by a dear friend.  There are Whimsical Creations and The Gourmand Mom.

For my comic relief, I enjoy the sassy tales from two great ladies.  The first is Dude, WTF???  The other one is Musings on the Precipice of Sanity.  (These haven't been updated in a bit, but when they do post it's worth it!)

Which blogs do you follow??? I would love to hear :)

The Nowak's Take Manhattan

You heard of the Muppet's Take Manhattan, well here's the Nowak's version.  We had a very nice trip to the "Big Apple".  This is how it played out:

We are close enough to NYC to drive, but honestly I am not comfortable with the thought of Jay navigating NYC traffic.  So we decided to drive to Poughkeepsie and take the train from there.  Originally we looked into taking the train from Albany, but the price difference in tickets was significant.  We took the trade off of driving an extra hour to Poughkeepsie, for the lesser fare and shorter train ride. 

Everything was going great until we actually got to the train station.  My husband suffers from GPS brain.  In case you don't know what this is, basically if there is a GPS or another driver is in the car his mind goes blank.  He literally will ignore the GPS directions, and turn which ever way he wants, and then starts asking, "Which way do I go???"  How about, the way the GPS told you to!  So after finding the station, it took us about 30 minutes to find the parking garage.  Needless to say, some shouting occurred and there were two very grumpy adults.  Deep breath!

We are settled again, we bought our tickets, and yippee the fares were even cheaper than the computer said.  Apparently traveling "off peak" hours, made our tickets less, Brandon was free for being under 5 years old, and Adam was $1.75 family fare round trip.  This brightened our moods a bit. 

We arrive in Grand Central Station about 8:30 p.m.  The kids are in awe as am I, it's been 7 years since I was there.  Every time it takes my breath away, it's one of my favorite places in NYC.  Ok, my moment of astonishment is soon over and now we need to find the passageway to our hotel.  We were staying at the Grand Hyatt, which is connected to Grand Central Station.  Let me preface this, Jay was in charge of our hotel accommodations, and he did a fabulous job.  He sprung for a fancy hotel, and the location was unbeatable, however, he didn't research how to find it from the train station.  He had left over GPS brain when looking at the big map at Grand Central.  Another few words muttered to each other, but we finally found it.

Grand Hyatt Lobby

After a good nights rest, we ventured out into the wonderful streets of New York.  Our first stop was Rockefeller Center to look at the tree.

 Then we hit some toy stores and found the much wanted, Evil Emperor Zurg, for Brandon and Adam found a new PS3 game.  After a few hours of walking, we opted for subway passes to save the little legs.  The boys were thrilled.  We could've just taken them on the subway and the trip would have been complete.

7 Train to Grand Central

More sight seeing, a carriage ride through Central Park ( I won't go into the scuffle I got into over that), and a few more subway rides and Brandon was done for the night.  He was tired, his asthma was acting up, so we settled into the hotel for the night while Adam and Jay went to the Empire State Building.  Adam managed to call me and my mom from the top and had great "Adam and Daddy" time.  While Brandon and I lounged in the room, watching cartoons, and playing with Zurg.

Carriage Ride

Adam at Empire State Building

Brandon relaxing at the hotel

The next day was my personal highlight, ROCKETTES!!!!!  Jay surprised us with floor seats to the Christmas Spectacular, and I have to say it was spectacular.  I now understand why people go every year.  Adam loved the show, Brandon remarked about their legs, but his highlight was the hot chocolate.  Oh and by the way, you can get any kind of alcohol served at 8:30 am on a Sunday morning at Radio City Music Hall. I guess the liquor laws don't apply there ;)

After the show, we ventured back on the train to Poughkeepsie.  It was a very quiet drive home, as ALL my boys napped in the car.  So, did we have low moments?? Of course.  Did we have a blast?? Absolutely.  Are we going back??? Most definitely!!!

Happy Holidays!!!!

St. Nicholas Day Is Approaching!!

My house is decorated for the holidays.  I was a bit lazy this year.  The kids helped me put up the tree, a few outside decorations, and of course our stockings.  However, upon pulling out the stockings this year, I decided to buy new ones that all matched.   Up until now we had four mismatched stockings.  While there are certainly adequate and serve their purpose, it really bothered me from a decor standpoint. 

So off to the Christmas decor aisle at our local department store we headed.  I was a bit disappointed in the lack of stocking variety.  (I would really love to have the embroidered ones from the catalogs, but I can't reason spending $80 plus dollars on them.)  We searched and came up with a velvet stocking with a simple detail at the top.  Now the color choices??? Adam wanted red, Brandon wanted purple, I figured Jay for green, and that left me with silver.  Well, Brandon's purple was throwing off my color scheme.  After several minutes of negotiation, Adam and I talked Brandon into green.  So we picked up two red and two green.  Now, Adam posed the question to me, "How will St. Nick know who has which stocking, having two of the same color??"  Good question.  Then a few rows over we found stocking charms.  Simple initials trimmed in glitter, perfect!!!

We are all set for St. Nicholas Day!!  In our home we open our stockings on St. Nick's Day, December 6th.  There are many stories and legends that tell how Christmas stockings came about.  Every culture celebrates it a bit differently, but for us this works out great.  We are reminded about St. Nicholas and how giving and protective of innocents he was.  It also serves as a great introduction to the holiday season for the kids.  It starts a discussion about giving to others, as St. Nicholas did.

For the full history of St. Nicholas, click here.

So what do we fill our stockings with??? Small trinkets, some candy, or even fruit.  However, this year St. Nicholas will put sample packs of K-Cups in the adult stockings ;)

Tune in Thursday for Cookie Corner!!

How do you celebrate the holidays???

Thanksgiving has come and gone.  Now the mad push for Christmas is among us.  In our family we are Christians, however, I am trying to teach my boys that everyone has different beliefs and it's ok.  I think sometimes the wrong message is put upon us during the holidays.  Many people don't even know why they are celebrating, except for shopping and gift exchanging.

Growing up, I lived in a community that was primarily Christian.  I had a few friends who celebrated Hanukkah, and a few friends who didn't celebrate anything.  For the most part, Santa Claus was prevalent at school and possibly a menorah.  We moved to a small town several years ago.  In this town there is a wide variety of religious beliefs.  All the different views are celebrated and my children are educated in different cultures.  I am happy that we are part of a community that shows tolerance for all beliefs.

There are also many interfaith families in our community.  We have friends who celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah.  We have been invited to various family activities during this holiday season.  So how do we respect everyone, but still share our gifts? 

Something small that you can do, is be conscience of how you present your gifts.  The retailers are on this trend too.  You can find so many gifts bags, wrapping paper, etc. in blue, silver, white.  I like to wrap my gifts in designs that can cross many traditions.  For example, I have snowflake paper that is backed in light blue.  This to me simply says winter.  I also baked cut-out cookies in mittens and snowflakes, decorated simply in blue and white.

Also if you know a certain family has particular restrictions regarding their diet, be aware of any food gifts you may give.  I learned this when I had my gift basket business.  I received many requests for baskets where all the items must be Kosher. 

This time of year is about caring and understanding others.  Of course, we want to celebrate, attend parties, and give gifts.  All I ask of myself and others is to be considerate.  It's also a great lesson to teach the children.  So, how do you celebrate the holidays??? I would love to hear your family traditions.