A Christmas Wedding

I was honored to design some decor for my friend Jen's Christmasy wedding this past Friday evening. The day was busy-busy-busy, but I made myself take a few minutes to photograph the auditorium and reception table decor...or I knew I'd be kicking myself afterward. =)

Everything we did was pretty simple but very festive - and it suited the couple perfectly. Both Jen and her new husband Jonathan love to read, so we brought some books in as part of the design.

We borrowed these hardback books and created dust jackets from tone-on-tone metallic wrapping paper.

I also used the wrapped books in the centerpieces for the reception tables. Instead of a poinsettia atop the stack of books, though, I filled glass bowls with coordinating Christmas balls and silver tinsel. Could it get any easier??

The auditorium pew markers also contained an element of the reading love theme. 

Using plain white (previously ugly) shatterproof ornaments, I modpodged strips of text from an old book (The Amy Vanderbilt Book of Etiquette, if you must know - and I totally enjoyed reading snippets of it while I was working on this project! Pretty hilarious.) onto them and then sprinkled clear and silver glitter to finish it off. It only took a bit of time - it wasn't difficult at all - but it was a great little touch, I think. Plus, they can be used for Christmas ornaments afterwards. I love that whole two birds/one stone thing. =)

Here's what the stage looked like. We taped icicle lights to the glass in front of the baptistry and covered them with white sheer curtains. I arranged a little semi-circle of poinsettias for Jen and Jonathan to stand in front of. I cannot wait to see the wedding photographer's pictures of the ceremony! The wedding was at 5:00pm, so the lighting was completely different than when I was snapping these pics. 

And here's one sneak peek shot from Starla Photography (she's fantastic - she shot our wedding, too!) I seriously cannot wait to see the rest of the pictures!

(Yes, I made that bouquet and boutonniere. Yay!)

Oh, and hey, here's another shot from Starla - I loved how the wedding colors turned out!

My friend Ashley made the wedding cake and it was both beautiful and so delicious. Yum! (Plus, she took this lovely picture of it.)

Happy Wedding, Jen and Jonathan! May God bless you guys with a long and very, very happy marriage! =)

Cranberry Pecan Pie

I haven't blogged in sooo long, but I just had to put this very excellent recipe out into the universe on this day before Thanksgiving. Those of you who are last-minute internet recipe gatherers need look no further. ;) But truly, it's a great Christmas recipe, too. Great for gifts, great for freezing! Honestly, it's super easy, just like a traditional pecan pie...except there's something better here. It's prettied up by the addition of fresh cranberries, becoming ever-so-festive - and the tartness is perfect. Because isn't regular pecan pie a little too sweet anyway? This adaptation just *works.*

I've made this pie many, many times over the last few years (I've even sold some) - and given out the recipe many, many times, too. Make it. You're gonna love it.

P.S. I always make a homemade pie crust, except for this one time last week when I was a little under the weather and decided to buy a pre-made one, as evidenced by the pictures in this post. But, seriously, my pie crust recipe is super easy and totally worth about 15 extra minutes of time to make it. I'm sharing it below, too.

Cranberry Pecan Pie
Slightly adapted from Taste of Home magazine
Print-friendly version

3 eggs
1 c. corn syrup
2/3 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. fresh (or frozen) cranberries
1 c. halved (or chopped) pecans
pinch of salt
deep-dish unbaked pie crust (recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Melt the butter and set aside to cool. Wash the cranberries and pat them dry. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, corn syrup, sugar, and vanilla - add the melted butter. Stir in the cranberries and pecans and pour into an unbaked pie crust. Bake at 425 F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees; bake 30-40 minutes longer or until filling is *almost* set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight before slicing.



Easy Oil Pastry
Adapted from Betty Crocker's Cookbook
Makes one deep-dish pie crust
Print-friendly version

2 2/3 c. all-purpose flour*
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. canola oil
4-5 Tbsp. cold water

Measure flour and salt into a medium bowl. Add oil and mix until particles are the size of small peas. Sprinkle in the cold water one tablespoon at a time, mixing until flour is moistened and dough almost cleans the side of the bowl. Press dough into a ball.

I don't roll out this dough - I just press it into the pie plate. (If you're using this dough for a different recipe that calls for a baked pie crust, just prick the crust all over with a fork and bake it at 475 degrees F for 12-15 minutes.) For this cranberry pecan pie, though, just press (or roll out, if you prefer) the dough, then pour the filling into it, and continue following the baking instructions above.

*From years of testing, I have decided that I prefer to use a mixture of White Lily flour and King Arthur flour (about half and half). I adore the lightness and taste of White Lily (it's my favorite flour) but the crust will be extremely crumbly. King Arthur gives it some needed togetherness. If this conversation seems somewhat fussy to you, I give you full permission to use whatever all-purpose flour you desire. ;)

Autumnal Cheer: Merry Thanksgiving!

Each year, I can't help but notice that the Christmas season starts earlier and earlier. And while it's a little strange, yes, to see snow-laden trees in the aisles of Hobby Lobby while the August sun is still blazing outside, I can't help but notice that people get genuinely *angry* about this sort of thing.

"I absolutely cannot allow myself to put up my Christmas tree until the day *after* Thanksgiving," they say. "I like to celebrate *one* holiday at a time," they explain.

That's their valid opinion. But I feel just as strongly the opposite way that I want to say to them, "Bah Humbug. What's so wrong about blending holidays??"

There's a whole army of people out there who looove Christmas music and holiday movies...but only in their place, which is squarely between December 1st and before the stroke of midnight on December 25th.

I am not one of those people. I will tell you why.

1. I once had a (very nice, mind you) boyfriend who thought Christmas music was ridiculous. One of his arguments was, "If it's so great, why don't people listen to it year-round??" Um. Well. Ahem. The thing is, I might very well go bonkers if I had to listen to only "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" for a solid month. (Or "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" for even 10 seconds.) But I get great pleasure out of my well-chosen Christmas music and it would make me very sad indeed if I only got to listen to it for 25 days out of the 365.

A few years back, my most-played song sets were Mindy Smith's "My Holiday" (Precious!) and Lee Ann Womack's "The Season for Romance." Last year my new find was Dave Barnes' "Very Merry Christmas," which has some great original songs that I just love. I cannot lie...I started listening to it in August of this year and I'm not tired of it yet. My latest find of 2011 is Michael Buble's (very cleverly entitled!) "Christmas," which is full of the standards but somehow they still feel all brand new. It's lovely. (Except for "Santa Baby" - it's bad enough when girls sing it. It's even creepier when a guy does.)

I have long loved Dolly Parton's "Hard Candy Christmas" (and Leigh Ann Nash's version, too). Coldplay's "Christmas Lights" and anybody's version of "River" - I love those in kind of the same way. They're not your traditional Christmas songs, but they make me feel something...and not in a sappy "Christmas Shoes"-kinda-way.

Most of the Christmas music is magical. I am all for more magic, all throughout the year.

2. I see the magic in autumn. You KNOW I do. ;) But I've been celebrating autumn since before the first wisp of cool air. And as much as I love fall, the leaves are no longer pretty. The pumpkin topiary is looking kinda questionable. I've been making spiced things and drinking hot tea for months! So, I have some questions...

3. I want to know if Christmas shopping is "allowed" to happen before Thanksgiving. What's the status on this? Because if you've shopped any Saturday in Decembers before, you know that it's not a jolly time. I would much rather browse at my leisure throughout the year - and if I want to buy someone a Christmas teapot in September, I want to have choices.

Hobby Lobby, bring out the wrapping papers! Display the red and green tableware! Stock the shatterproof ornaments so I can start making the wreaths!

4. What about planning? Is one allowed to peruse blogs and magazines for holiday food or crafts before Thanksgiving is over? No? Well, you are going to have one cramped December. If you're on Pinterest (follow me!) you probably have a board (or boards) for Christmas/holiday crafts/parties/food. If you're actually going to *do* any of these things, it's best to get started in November. At least. Well, not the food - unless you're just making a list and checking it twice.

If you have these bright ideas to embroider some tea towels, hand paint some ornaments, and completely revamp your holiday color scheme, you might was well not start it until this coming January. It'll finally be done for Christmas 2012. Here's why:

5. Work parties, church parties, fondue "White Christmas" parties, volunteer work, holiday book club meetings, Christmas parades, family get-togethers...it's all fun, but it's so much stuff to do in less than a month! Yikes!

6. So much to do that you don't have much time to sit in front of your tree, fireplace blazing, drinking peppermint hot cocoa, and watching "Elf" for the 30th time with your beloved.

7. Seventhly, let's think about how we celebrate Thanksgiving. Yes, it takes a little planning and preparation for the feast on the actual day. But it's not like it's reinvented every year - we know our recipes and we can prepare them with our eyes closed. My other favorite Thanksgiving tradition has become expressing thankfulness during the month of November. I keep my little list, full of big things and little things, and funny things and serious things, published on Facebook. (I'll share my whole list here on Thanksgiving Day.) I also really enjoy reading other people's lists. It's a wonderful time to be thankful, but is being thankful (and expressing it) only to be confined to the month of November?? And December is just to be full of food and toys and fun and no thankfulness for our bounty of blessings? ("I like to celebrate one holiday at a time." Hmmm...)

8. Speaking of food, aren't there a lot of overlapping foods between Thanksgiving and Christmas? Turkey and/or ham? Dressing? Cranberry things? Mashed potatoes? Even pumpkin sometimes. The food is much the same. Overlapping holidays...see, you've been doing it for years!

9. Which brings me to a proposition for the United States government. Can we please move Thanksgiving up to, say, the second week in November? Two weeks after Halloween should be plenty of time to get ready for Turkey Day. I mean, I'm not asking for the 2nd Monday in October, which is the Canadian Thanksgiving. Why is theirs so early, by the way? I need to know. (Also, while I'm asking, can we please do away with Daylight Saving Time? The fact that it starts getting dark so early is extremely sad, every single year.)

10. And finally, the Spirit of Christmas...I want to feel it year-round! Not just smashed into a little box labeled "December." Amen.

Where Are You, Christmas?

Bless my heart, I'm always sad when Christmas is over and my family scatters to their respective homes. The actual day sneaks up on me too quickly and then the last week is SO busy with traveling and merriment and last-minute additions to my To-Do List that I just want more time to revel quietly in it. Sitting by the tree in the evenings, drinking coffee from my new Keurig coffee maker (Yea for Jeremy! He did so well picking out my presents!), finishing up my Christmas book that I barely started while Jeremy watches MythBusters right beside me on the couch. =) Plus, I've had a terrible cold for the past week, so I'm in need of some downtime.

As you may have guessed, I'm not ever one of those who can pack it all up on December 26th. I like to say goodbye to Christmas gradually. Maybe wash and put away the Christmas dish towels...but keep out the pretty teapot and teacup a little longer. Today I'm cleaning up the chaos - folding up boxes and gift bags, recycling tissue paper (great for wrapping ornaments in), putting away presents, washing Jeremy's new clothes, deciding what to do with my rosemary tree because I think it may be a goner...but the stockings are still hung by the chimney with care and I'm not touching that tree for another week.

If I'm lucky and can get the DVD player to work right, I may pop in a movie to listen to in the background. I'm thinking Little Women because it's one of those that partly takes place at Christmas but is not touted as a Christmas movie. I'll just make sure that I'm in another room when (SPOILER ALERT) Amy dies. =( Other favorites in that class would be Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, Serendipity, and While You Were Sleeping. They're all just perfect to watch this time of year. Love 'em all. I think I harbor a secret desire to write a screenplay such as these one day...

What about you? Are you one of those who wants everything back like it was, pre-Christmas, ASAP? Ready to move on to the New Year? If you are, we can still be friends...I guess. ;) Eventually I'll get over the Christmas bug and be ready for new things, like birthdays and Valentine's. After all, I'm a sucker for both of those, too!

Poppyseed Bread

Moist poppyseed bread, along with a side of sausage balls, will always remind me of Christmas morning breakfast. For years my mother has made this recipe given to us by our friend Rosemary and we think it is exceptional. If you need a Christmas breakfast idea that you can prepare ahead of time - or a last-minute gift for some friends, this is the way to go!

This time I didn't have quite enough poppyseeds, but since they don't provide a taste of their own, really, it all turned just fine. =)

Poppyseed Bread
Printer-friendly version

3 eggs
2 ½ c. sugar
1 ½ c. milk (I did half skim milk; half heavy cream)
1 ¼ c. canola oil
1 Tbsp. poppyseeds
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. vanilla (or vanilla bean paste)
1 ½ tsp. almond flavoring
3 c. all-purpose flour

Glaze:
¾ c. sugar
¼ c. orange juice
½ tsp. vanilla (or vanilla bean paste)
½ tsp. almond flavoring
2 Tbsp. butter

Cream eggs and sugar. Add milk and remaining ingredients for bread. The batter will be somewhat thin. Grease and flour loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour 10 minutes for 2 large loaves; 50 minutes for 4 medium loaves; or 35 minutes for 6 small loaves. Watch closely, though – don’t let the outside edges get too brown. Administer the toothpick test to check doneness. Better to err on the side of "almost done."

Glaze:

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Make LOTS of holes with toothpick while bread is still warm. You want to give the glaze plenty of places to seep in. Pour warm glaze over warm bread. Cool completely before storing.

P.S. Before I go, I have a few more songs to make your Christmas merry! I just love Mindy Smith's Christmas album, but these are probably my three favorites. I'm pretty sure that all three are original to her - and I'm crossing my fingers that she releases another Christmas album sometime. She's just GOOD at it.

Ornament Wreath Tutorial

You know all that extra time you have on your hands this time of year? That's right...the week of Christmas? Hours and hours of downtime? Because, obviously, you have all your shopping done, each present beautifully wrapped, cards sent, menus settled, groceries purchased, house cleaned. Oh, wait, that's not just me who doesn't have everything ready to go? Hmmm...

WELL. If you DO happen to have any extra time on your hands and you DO happen to find some shatterproof ornaments still in the stores (and hopefully on sale!) here's what you should do. Make a great Christmas wreath for your mantel or your door or your wall. If not, it's still totally allowable to make a wreath AFTER the Christmas holiday is over. You know, for next year and all.

This project is totally fun and would be great for a wreath-making party sometime. I had a little trouble getting started because somehow I thought I could make this work without using a hot glue gun. I know, I know...what was I thinking??! Wiring stuff together just didn't cut it. You are definitely going to want a hot glue gun unless you want to spend approximately 2 zillion (frustrating) hours making this thing. Also, you are going to want to use a LOW-TEMP glue gun on this project...unless you want third-degree burns resulting from your fun little project. I cannot stress this enough. I always use my low-temp glue gun...one time in high school I was using my mom's high temp one to make a pinata for Spanish class...there were definitely several moments where I thought about giving up craftiness altogether in favor of a less hurtful hobby. A low temp glue gun may make you say, "Well, hmmm, ouch" a few times, but it won't leave you screaming "OW! OOOOOOUUUUUUCCCCCCHHHHHHHH!" I can deal with a tiny ouch here and there, but oh, dear. Why put up with the other? I know, childbirth would not be kind to me.

The Recipe for an Ornament Wreath:

*a small or large wire wreath form (Hobby Lobby's got them)
*LOTS of shatterproof ornaments (more than you'll think you'll ever need - you can return unused ones)
*low-temp hot glue gun
*plenty of glue sticks
*scissors
*one package of tinsel, in a coordinating color (you'll use about 1/2 pkg. for a small; whole pkg. for a large)
*a wreath-easel (at least that's what I call it)
*about one hour for a small-medium wreath OR 2+ hours for a large one
*an area in your house that you don't mind completely destroying with glitter and tinsel-remnants =)

Let's begin!

Spread out some newpaper on your kitchen counter - or wherever you're choosing to do this...heat up your hot glue gun...and spend a little time designing your wreath. Play a little before you start with the glue. A good assortment of various shapes and coordinating colors is awesome for creating visual interest. I used a lot a glittery ones, too. I like a lot of sparkle.

This wreath is a small one - it can be hung OR it can be used as a centerpiece for a small table. It would be pretty to encircle a candle.

I find this easier to start on a flat surface. Keep adding layers. You may to have plan out each step ahead before glueing them. It takes a little time, but you can get it fairly symmetrical. Once you start adding the second layer, you need to glue both (or three) sides of the ornaments together - whatever will be touching.

This will provide stability, which is very important.

After your ornaments are in place, hold the wreath up - preferably in the space where you will be hanging it.

Look for any holes that need to be filled in. Then, fill 'em in. Now hang it on your "wreath easel" to finish it up.

Start cutting lengths of tinsel and placing them in their desired locations. I would do about a third of the wreath and then go back and glue all of it, so I wouldn't have to cut and then lay down the scissors - then pick up the glue gun, put down the glue gun, etc.

You don't want any of the wreaths mechanics to show through. No wire wreath form should be seen at the end of this project. You also don't want to see the glue between the ornaments, so put small pieces of tinsel to cover them up.

Keep turning the wreath, so that it looks good from every angle.

Keep adding tinsel where needed.

To finish up, gently turn the wreath over onto the counter. This last step has a two-fold purpose. You are going to reinforce the first layer (which is touching the wreath form) with extra glue - and then you'll be adding the tinsel in one long piece to cover the backing. It won't completely cover the backing but it'll be good enough. It's the BACK.

Then you'll be free to admire your handiwork.

That part is pretty stinkin' fun!

Here's a second wreath. All green and red.

 It's a large one, for a front door.

But it wasn't for my front door.

I totally loved the red and green, though!

You can see some more designs on this previous post.

If you do find yourself with some spare time and you do end up making a wreath, I'd love to see it! Email me a picture at Kristen4815@gmail.com. =)

Merry Christmas Week!!

White Christmas Memories

At Aunt Becky and Uncle Larry's house last year

I would be extremely remiss if I never mentioned anything here about the song "White Christmas" during this festive holiday season. The reason is that it was always my grandmother's favorite song...and although I think of her often throughout the year, I think of her even more during this time of year, when this song is sung and played and hummed, in all of its varieties.

My mother's mother was an excellent Christian woman, a warm, soft-spoken, and very kind lady...a true First Lady of Freed-Hardeman University for many years. One could not dare to dream up a better grandmother - she, along with my Grandaddy, always took great care of our family, buying gifts we would each truly enjoy, cooking things specifically for a certain set of tastebuds. She always made sure to have macaroni and cheese on hand for Bennett, our picky eater. She always baked apricot turnovers (a recipe that's certainly an act of love) for my cousin Nick when he was here - and she always sent the requisite pigs-in-a-blanket back home with these Arkansas grandkids. I'm pretty sure they never lasted even halfway back to Hot Springs.

My grandmother was an incredible hostess - so organized, so busy. She was forever ready for visitors and excited for a party. Especially at Christmas. I remember the embroidered red Christmas placemats and the tabletop ceramic Christmas trees. I remember the bustle of her kitchen, now our kitchen, because we now live in my grandparents' house. Last year when Jeremy wrapped our white porch columns with red ribbon, it made me feel so at home to remember my grandparents' house looking just so this time every year.

Just a dusting of snow...

A new wreath on the side door!

With a definite fondness, I can stand in any room in our home and "see" memories playing out. Our kitchen doorway, which now houses a newly made wreath, reminds me of a Santa face that my grandparents used to hang there when the youngest grandchildren still "believed" in him. It had a big red nose that Madi, who is now close to graduating high school, joyfully pressed over and over again to hear "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."

Downstairs we often cuddled up together on couches, snacking on Aunt Claudia's Chex mix and my mother's fudge, and watched our favorite Christmas movies - "White Christmas" and "Christmas in Connecticut" and "Ernest Saves Christmas" being at the top of the list. I know, we're nothing if not eclectic. There were the usual arguments over who got what blanket and "please-sit-up-so-more-people-can-fit-on-the-couch" pleas. My grandmother always fell asleep before the end of the movie, though. We all teased her then and now many of us are just like her. =)

Our little Tennessee town didn't see much snow during my growing up years. In fact, I got a sled for my 12th birthday and then never got to use it. During the last few years, though, our area has had more snow than I've ever seen in person! It's been so beautiful...and my grandmother would have LOVED it. Her love of Bing's version of "White Christmas" was always a grand wish for a white blanket of snow to magically appear over our hometown.

Nowadays things are different - but still the same - for our family during Christmas. Our beloved mother and grandmother has been gone for nine years now, but we still carry on the traditions that she held dear. We are always together at Grandaddy's new house at Christmastime, eating and playing cards and watching Christmas movies, and we have at least one meal at our house, their old house, while everyone is in town.

Grandaddy "getting the dread off his mind." =)

My mom and Aunt Pat getting ready for Christmas lunch 

at Larry and Becky's

My cousin Adam, last year's present-giver-outer

Aunt Claudia, the bringer of the hats, and Grandaddy

The grandkids with Grandaddy: Nick, me, Beth, 

Adam, Madi, and Bennett

You have no idea what an funny ordeal this picture was!

We think of my grandmother often...and remember her hospitality and her meals and her laugh and her general joyous demeanor. We miss her, but in our own ways, I think we each strive to be like her. I'm definitely lacking in her superb organizational skills, but I am proud to say that I was able to inherit her love of entertaining and cooking. I want to be just like her when I grow up. =) As do we all.

Merry Christmas to each of you! And here's hoping for a White One!

Chocolate Fudge Pomegranate Cookies

When I first happened upon this recipe, I was alternately afraid of the bizarre-sounding coupling and also very intrigued. Curiosity won out, though, as I really couldn't get the recipe out of my mind. And, as luck would have it, I had recently popped a pomegranate into my grocery basket in hopes of finding just the right way to use it.

Jeremy was very, very concerned about the inclusion of pomegranate seeds (called "arils" - and I like that so much better, don't you?) INTO a COOKIE. He knew for a fact that I was about to ruin that chocolately cookie dough by adding in something so...strange. But I knew for a fact (or O.K., I very, very strongly suspected) that this would be one of those recipes that would make a believer out of him.

And it DID. Our friends Jen, Sasha, and Jared all loved them, too. The little pop of tartness every so often kept us entertained. It will make a believer out of you, too. But you've gotta get past your fear of the unknown...

First of all, don't be scared of pomegranates. Yes, they can be messy and yes, it might take a while to release the arils from their pithy prison...BUT. Here's an easy (and less messy!) way to do it. After washing the fruit, slice off the pomegranate's "crown." (I'm not going to lie - I got some satisfaction out of noting that it does, indeed, resemble a crown.) Next you realize that you might need to put an apron on and move some things out of the way that might get splashed with the ruby red spurts of juice. Gently cut the fruit into quarters and then drop them into a bowl of water. I would recommend lukewarm water so that your fingers won't get too cold during the next step. Again, gently (which is the key word here) start separating the arils from the inside casing. This will take a few minutes, but really, is quite relaxing if you're not in a hurry. This is also a good time to ponder God's creativity in designing such an interesting fruit. =)

Now it's time for the actual cookie recipe. I found it on How Sweet It Is, another favorite food blog that I completely enjoy. She absolutely cracks me up. Hilarious! And I've tried quite a few of her recipes, all ending up being filed under "Would Definitely Make Again."

Chocolate Fudge Pomegranate Cookies
Makes about 30 cookies
Print-friendly version

1 c. butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. pomegranate juice (or pomegranate/blueberry juice, which was all I could find. Delicious, but EXPENSIVE)
1 c. milk chocolate chips
1/2 c. pomegranate arils

Cream butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until fluffy. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt - combine dry mixture and wet mixture. Add pomegranate juice and mix once more. Fold in chocolate chips; fold in pomegranate arils last. Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours - but the longer, the better.

When dough is ready to be baked, gently scoop dough out and onto a greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Some arils will burst in the process, but it all ends up O.K. =) Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool a bit before eating.

These cookies are best eaten right after baking. After about a day, the pomegranate arils start to shrink and aren't juicy anymore.

Christmas Cheer: More Than I Asked For

Of course I love the traditional Christmas songs, but I also totally enjoy hunting down some newer, completely original stuff to add to my stash. There's a lot of junk out there, it seems, and I am pretty picky. I mean, it has to actually be GOOD. This song is one I found on iTunes a few days ago. So cute and upbeat and fresh and still incredibly Christmasy.

Enjoy!

P.S. If you're good (and, you know, Santa IS watching) I might just tell you about the recipe for Pomegranate Fudge cookies, pictured above. They were pretty marvelous.

Pretty and Sweet

This afternoon I'll be a vendor at something called Holiday House. No, I don't usually sell things throughout the year, but I've always toyed with the idea of different projects here and there, so here's what I came up with for today's event. After much trial and error (and changing the whole way I did the first one) I finally loved how they turned out!

A mini wreath, which would be great for a small centerpiece also.

I had to fuss with the coloring on this one - this is as close
as I could get it to the true color. 

It's very, very PINK. Completely girly and so cute! 

I got the notion to make these from Melissa Lester's blog A Little Loveliness. She spoke at our Henderson Ladies' Day a year or so ago and I've followed her blog ever since. It's so beautiful, it's like reading a magazine. Gorgeous stuff! She has the cutest children and she throws the best birthday parties for them. This adorable slumber party one is my favorite, but every one of them is SO creative. I'm glad she has four children so that we don't have to wait so long for her new birthday ideas. ;) Melissa also loves tea parties, which are near and dear to my heart. I've also tried a few of her recipes and they've been sub-par. No, just kidding! Wanted to see if you were paying attention. Her recipes have been great - I make her chicken salad found in this post quite often. =)

Back to the wreaths...I have extra materials if anyone wants to order a silver wreath or a green one or another gold/brown/aqua one. I'm also planning to make a larger red and green wreath. If no one buys them, which would be kinda sad, I might secretly be happy that they might make their home right here, in my house. ;)

So, that's the "pretty" portion of the merchandise. "Sweet" will be there, too, in the forms of cranberry pecan pies (with homemade crust, mind you!) and cream scones. Maybe some other stuff if I can get it made! I had great reviews on these from last year, so I thought I'd include them again. And if people want to order a pie later, I'm going to give them an option to do so. Both the pies and the scones are great fresh, but also perfect to have on standby in the freezer during this holiday season.

Better go and get busy! Wish me luck!