XoXo
Simple Pleasures
Saturday
Merry Christmas ...
Luke 2:8-14 “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year! I will be back on January 3, 2012.
XoXo
Simple Pleasures
Monday
Primcat Snowballs
I wanted to share this awesome tutorial that Carmen from Primcats had on her blog. These are so cute, easy and cheap to make. I would sprinkle them with glitter and make them sparkle. lol. Take a moment to check out her blog, she has a lot of great posts! Click here for the tutorial.
Thanks Carmen for the great idea!
XoXo
Simple Pleasures
Friday
Homemade Christmas Gifts #1
I have an easy and inexpensive gift idea for you that would be great for a teacher, day care worker, new mom etc. I have seen so many cute pictures online but this one really caught my eye. Go to your local dollar store get a couple of bottles, take off the labels get creative!
XoXo
Simple Pleasures
Wednesday
Homemade Christmas Gifts #2
I purchased these at a local craft fair and thought they were so cute and easy I wanted to share them with you. Cut out 2 long johns and sew them together, leave a slit were the pants flap would be to insert the cards in there. Decorate with scrap ribbon and buttons. They sell felt glue so if you don't want to sew you can use that.
XoXo
Simple Pleasures
Tuesday
Homemade Christmas Gifts #3
I was visiting Kendra from The Stone House Primitives and she showed how to make the cutest prim ornaments. Its basically simple and super frugal. All you do is take stale bread or cheap bread. (I used white) cut out shapes with cookie cutters and let air dry overnight on a wire rack. They will be dry and crusty when ready. Melt wax in double boiler, (I use a pie tin over a fry pan) and add 1/2 crayon for color. Dip in wax and place on parchment paper to set. I dipped mine 2 or 3 times and right after the last time I decorated them with pepper corns. I added a hole with a toothpick after they were dried. Sooo cute!
Give it a try, they're lots of fun to make.
XoXo
Simple Pleasures
Monday
Homemade Christmas Gifts #4
This week I'm going to show you some quick and easy gift ideas just in the Nick of time! (get it...ha ha).
Aldis has a big bin of honey pretzels for under $4 and I already had Christmas sprinkles on hand. I usually buy a bunch of bags of Wilton chocolate melts on sale after holidays, although Aldis also has their own chocolate bark but I haven't tried it. So it couldn't be easier, melt chocolate in microwave, (careful not to over cook or it will get grainy and clumpy). Dip the pretzels in chocolate and then in sprinkles and cool on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. I bagged 8 of them to give at a Christmas party I'm having next weekend. Easy peasy and soooo good.
P.S. Don't add water if the chocolate gets to thick add a few drops of oil until it gets smooth and creamy again.
Aldis has a big bin of honey pretzels for under $4 and I already had Christmas sprinkles on hand. I usually buy a bunch of bags of Wilton chocolate melts on sale after holidays, although Aldis also has their own chocolate bark but I haven't tried it. So it couldn't be easier, melt chocolate in microwave, (careful not to over cook or it will get grainy and clumpy). Dip the pretzels in chocolate and then in sprinkles and cool on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. I bagged 8 of them to give at a Christmas party I'm having next weekend. Easy peasy and soooo good.
P.S. Don't add water if the chocolate gets to thick add a few drops of oil until it gets smooth and creamy again.
XoXo
Simple Pleasures
Wednesday
Thursday
Nico the Red Nose Reindeer
Wanted to share a picture of my baby Nico dressed up for the holidays. Isn't he the cutest little reindeer ever! I adopted Nico from Jan over at Dire Straits Companion Animal Rescue here in Illinois. She rescued him from Kentucky, he was mistreated and has turned out to be the most wonderful pet and friend to me, ever! Here are a few pictures of my little long hair Chihuahua!
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| My nose is cuter than Rudolph's! |
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| Winter coat with matching boots! |
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| Nico and his friend Cooper. |
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| Nico snuggling with Gram! |
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| He has a lot of clothes! |
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| Halloween pajamas! |
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| Booo! |
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| Nico in his antique bed. |
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| Just had a bath. |
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| With "his" friend Evie. |
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| Ditto! |
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| lounging in the sun. |
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| He loves the warm clothes. |
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| 4th of July! |
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| Scarecrow Festival. |
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| So cute! |
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| Halloween with Evie! |
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| Halloween |
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| His first Halloween with me! |
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| Nico's best friend June |
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| My 2 boys: Nico & Anthony |
Join the fun over at Bunny Jeans, she's having a holiday pet parade!
xoxo
Simple Pleasures
The First Thanksgiving ...
Though it was not called Thanksgiving at the time, what we recognize as the first Thanksgiving feast was celebrated in 1621 by the pilgrims of the Plymouth colony along with about 90 Wampanoag Indians. The Pilgrims had suffered through a devastating winter in which nearly half their number died. Without the help of the Indians, all would have perished.
After the first harvest, Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and prayer to God. The food, which was eaten outdoors, included corn, geese, turkeys, ducks, eel, clams, leeks, plums, cod, bass, barley, venison and corn bread. The feast lasted 3 days. Though the exact date is unknown, the feast clearly took place in late autumn.
In 1623, a period of drought was answered by colonists with a proclamation of prayer and fasting. This prayer and fasting was changed to another thanksgiving celebration when rains came during the prayers. Later that year, Governor Bradford proclaimed November 29 as a time for pilgrims to gather and "listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings."
God Bless you on this special day!
XoXo
XoXo
Simple Pleasures
Friday
Crafting Wednesdays
Here' a great idea for Thanksgiving that the kids and adults will love!
Tools and Materials
2. To make the drumsticks, put your fist in each of the corners of a small paper bag and use your other flat hand to mold and round the edges. Fill bag 2/3 of the way to the top with popcorn. Gather the opening of the bag and twist tightly. Hot-glue the beginning of the length of frill and wrap it around the twisted part of the lunch bag; hot-glue the end of the frill to hold in place. Repeat to make a second drumstick.
3. For the turkey body, round the corners of a large paper shopping bag. Fill the bag with popcorn. Fold the sides of the bag in, and tuck the bottom edge under, using hot glue to secure the edge closed.
Tip: If you can't find a large plain brown bag, carefully turn a printed bag inside out.
4. Use hot glue to attach drumsticks to sides of turkey body. Place on platter and garnish with parsley, fruit.
Tools and Materials
- Sheet of standard printer paper
- Scissors
- Fringe scissors (optional)
- Two small brown paper lunch bags
- Popcorn
- Hot-glue gun and hot-glue sticks
- Large brown paper shopping bag
- Plastic bags or wax paper for lining (optional)
- Parsley (optional)
- Fruit (optional)
2. To make the drumsticks, put your fist in each of the corners of a small paper bag and use your other flat hand to mold and round the edges. Fill bag 2/3 of the way to the top with popcorn. Gather the opening of the bag and twist tightly. Hot-glue the beginning of the length of frill and wrap it around the twisted part of the lunch bag; hot-glue the end of the frill to hold in place. Repeat to make a second drumstick.
3. For the turkey body, round the corners of a large paper shopping bag. Fill the bag with popcorn. Fold the sides of the bag in, and tuck the bottom edge under, using hot glue to secure the edge closed.
Tip: If you can't find a large plain brown bag, carefully turn a printed bag inside out.
4. Use hot glue to attach drumsticks to sides of turkey body. Place on platter and garnish with parsley, fruit.
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| From Martha Stewart living.com |
XoXo
Simple Pleasures
Thursday
Christmas Craft Pomander Balls
Here's a great craft idea for the holidays! I'm making some this weekend so they will be ready for thanksgiving.
Making a Pomander Ball is easy, inexpensive and fun! Simply stick a clove directly into an orange (or any of the other fruits listed above). You may want to use a toothpick or pin to make the first punctures so that the cloves are easier to insert. It seems that everyone has his or her own method when it comes to filling a ball! You don't have to fill the entire ball though—try a pattern or design if you feel inspired.
Once the ball is completely studded with cloves, roll it in the spice mixture and set it aside for a couple of weeks in a cool dry spot so that it will dry. Once dried, tie a ribbon around the ball for hanging. Multiple pomander balls also look beautiful displayed together in a large decorative bowl. (If you want to retain the scent, roll the ball in orris root powder before letting dry).
Making a Pomander Ball is easy, inexpensive and fun! Simply stick a clove directly into an orange (or any of the other fruits listed above). You may want to use a toothpick or pin to make the first punctures so that the cloves are easier to insert. It seems that everyone has his or her own method when it comes to filling a ball! You don't have to fill the entire ball though—try a pattern or design if you feel inspired.
Once the ball is completely studded with cloves, roll it in the spice mixture and set it aside for a couple of weeks in a cool dry spot so that it will dry. Once dried, tie a ribbon around the ball for hanging. Multiple pomander balls also look beautiful displayed together in a large decorative bowl. (If you want to retain the scent, roll the ball in orris root powder before letting dry).
XoXo
Simple Pleasures
Monday
The Confession An Amish Musical
While on vacation I went to see a musical called "The Confession". Beverly Lewis is my favorite author and I have read all of her Amish books so I was very excited to go to the Blue Gate theater and see the show. Here's the promo about the musical..
The Confession is a captivating story of a young Amish woman who is caught in the middle of secrets and scandal, love lost and love found, and personal heartache and healing.
With the laughter that ensues when a New York actress tries to play a “Plain” woman and the emotion that is inevitable when lies are uncovered and truth is revealed, audiences will enjoy a roller coaster of highs and lows. Mix that with soaring melodies, inspiring lyrics, and glorious orchestrations and the time will fly by.
“It’s a brilliant love story and a keep-you-at-the-edge-of-your-seat mystery all wrapped into one. Men and women alike will be anxious to find out what happens,” says premiere director, Wally Nason. And show producer Dan Posthuma adds, “Beverly Lewis is a remarkable storyteller. She has given us a rich plot, with compelling characters that courageously confront their past, their future, and their faith. And the music! You’ll have a hard time deciding which tune to hum on the way home.”
Beverly Lewis, who USA Today hails as the ‘queen of the genre’ when it comes to Amish love stories, is the one who wrote the book that the musical is based on (actually, the story comes from the trilogy of The Shunning, The Confession, and The Reckoning).
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XoXo
Simple Pleasures
Wednesday
Das Dutchman Essenhaus Middlebury Indiana
One of my favorite places to visit is the small town of Middlebury Indiana. There is a wonderful place called Das Dutchman Esssenhaus that I visit when in town. Here are some pictures.
XoXo
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XoXo
Simple Pleasures
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