Late As Usual

Ok, ok, I know that Christmas is over and done with and believe me I'm pretty relieved all of the craziness is over and life can settle back into its normal routine.

BUT, I just had to share this cute little idea I got off of Pinterest.  I immediately (ding, ding, ding in my head!) thought this would work for gifts.

 

(http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/peppermint-stick-cocoa-10000001011199/)

Of course, I made a few changes for reasons of cost effectiveness.  The container used above is in a cute little quart jar which is great if you are only giving 1 or 2 of these (I did find them at Walmart if you want to use them).  However, I think I made up about 10 of them.  Soooo, I went with the less expensive pint canning jar.  One of these little jars still makes 6 servings of peppermint hot chocolate.

Now here is the reason why I decided to go ahead and share this little project.  (Beside not having the time to write the post 2 weeks ago.)  Wouldn't these be adorable for V-Day too?  Just swap out the bow with something pink or red and voila, a cute little treat. I mean Valentine's Day IS still in the middle of  stinkin' winter.  At least it is in my neck of the woods.

Here's the recipe I used for the pint jars, just double it if you are going with the quart size.

-1/2 c. powdered milk

-1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

-1/2 c. granulated sugar

-1/4 tsp. salt

-1/4 c. miniature chocolate chips

-1/4 c. crushed peppermint candy

Layer the powdered milk, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, chocolate chips, and  peppermint candy.  Instructions:  Mix all ingredients together.  Combine 1/3 cup of hot chocolate mix with 1 c. boiling water.  Store unused portions in air tight container.

Linking to:

At the Picket Fence
French Country Cottage 
Stuff and Nonsense 
2805 
Addicted 2 Decorating 
Delightful Order 
The Shabby Nest 
Tidy Mom 
Tatertots and Jello 
A Southern Fairytale

New Year's Resolution...Breaker

I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year's season.  It was a wild and crazy time around here what with a newborn, surgical recovery, and the hustle and bustle of the season.

I'm relieved that we're easing back into our regular schedule, the decorations can come down (notice I didn't say they were down yet, hmmm), and I can get back to the blogging business that I love.

Moving on, I just thought I'd share some of the goodness we enjoyed on New Year's Eve.  We've made our own low-key tradition of staying in, gorging on appetizers, and watching a movie or t.v.  This year we watched the Big Bang Theory marathon.  Are my husband and I the only ones who laugh our rears off at this show?  Yeah, I know we're a couple of nerds so it may resonate with us more than others. :)

One of the appetizers I decided to do this year (or last now) were some sausage stuffed mushrooms.  These are so good that my hubs who usually hates mushrooms, shoots these down the hatch one after the other.  Not only are they great tasting but they are easy to make too.  We also enjoyed some spinach artichoke dip which you can check out here.

For all of the above reasons, I thought I'd share the recipe with ya'll. Your welcome. 

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms:

1 package (16 oz) of sausage

8 oz. cream cheese

40 large button mushrooms

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 c. of onions

Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped for garnish

Crumble and brown the sausage.  Finely chop the garlic and onions and throw them in with the sausage.  Drain onto paper towels if you are afraid of the fat...I'm not so I skip this step.  Cut the cream cheese into pieces and stir it in over low heat until melted.

Wash, and dry mushrooms.  Remove the stem to create a spot for the filling.  Place the sausage mixture in the mushroom and bake on 425 degrees.  Then turn the oven to broil until the tops of the mushrooms turn golden brown.  I then chop up some of the parsley and sprinkle over the top of my mushroom plate to make things pretty.  Now enjoy!  (Try not to think how many minutes on the treadmill these will buy you.)

Linking to:

Home Stories A2Z
A Bowl Full of Lemons
Sassy Sites 
Tip Junkie 
I'm Topsy Turvy 
Today's Creative Blog 
Blessed With Grace 
Sugar Bee Crafts 
Savvy Southern Style 
Blue Cricket Design 
Lady Behind the Curtain 
The Thrifty Home 
Someday Crafts 
At the Picket Fence
The Shabby Creek Cottage
The 36th Avenue
Somewhat Simple 
House of Hepworths 
French Country Cottage 
Stuff and Nonsense 
2805 
Addicted 2 Decorating 
Delightful Order 
The Shabby Nest 
Tidy Mom 
Tatertots and Jello 
Positively Splendid 
The DIY Showoff 
DIY Home Sweet Home 
Between Naps on the Porch 
A Southern Fairytale 
Boogieboard Cottage

Holiday Comforts

 
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I've mentioned before on this blog that there are certain holidays that I love and others that just aren't my favorite.  I have no problem with Christmas, or at least the true meaning of Christmas.  I'm all about remembering Christ's birth.  However, the commercialism, decorating, and need to buy gifts that often surround this holiday just really becomes overwhelming.  Especially when I have a 3 week old baby to take care of.

For this reason, I've decided  to make my living room decor simple and more natural.  This is a look that makes me feel cozy and warm and really happy with my life.  There are a lot of pictures in this post just because I love how the room turned out so enjoy, hehehe!

Here's my front door with a wreath that I bought a couple of years ago and still love.  Add a little ribbon and I'm done!

 

I made a trip to Costco and found cedar garland for trimming out my Christmas decorations.  Even better, a huge amount of it was only $15.

I started with a centerpiece made from a white poinsettia and pine cones that I spray painted last year.  Simple white candles and clear glass finished the look.  Also, I didn't replace the green foil on the poinsettia because, again, I'm keeping things simple and it didn't really bother me enough to change it.

Next came the stairs.  I have a short banister that was helped out by more cedar garland, pinecones, and gold ribbon that I got some year previous to this one.  I love how elegant it looks.

I used the same cedar and a few red berries to lay in among my nativity.  I like this whole vignette and the reminder of Christ's birth.

Of course, the top of the piano had to get some dressing up.

More garland, poinsettias and various other things I had hanging around the house.  I also added some sheet music for Silent Night which is my favorite Christmas song.  Plus, my husband can play this one.

The whole room is now finished and warm feeling.

There are just a few more things that make this time of the year special...Hershey's Kisses Mint Truffles (These are actually a substitute for Mint M&M's which can't be found any.where.  Grrrr!)

Homemade hot chocolate.  Mmmmmm.

And finally, nice cushy pillows, a fuzzy, warm blanket to snuggle under, and my Kindle with a good downloaded book to enjoy.

Oh and if you wonder how I keep my boys out of the room, it's pretty much impossible.

My two year old has already been caught pulling branches out of the garland to smack things with.  The dog has been caught doing the same thing, only she chews the cedar boughs.  That's just life around the Black house though which is why these pictures were taken immediately after the decorating was done!:)

However, the boys do have more kid appropriate decorations in the family room which I hope will keep them distracted from this more adult, serene space done just to my taste.

What things bring comfort and joy to your holiday season?

Linking to:

Just a Girl 

The Shabby Nest 
Thirty Handmade Days 
Tatertots and Jello

Comfort is the perfect gift for everyone on your holiday gift list, so be sure to take advantage of Tempur-Pedic's Buy 2, get 1 free pillow offer! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective

My Morning

This is just a brief run through of the typical morning around my house lately (this is a step by step account for this morning):


Put boys clothes away downstairs.

Find Tommy's reading book from over a week ago under the clothes that were on his bed.

No wonder he wasn't bringing home reading books, since he had never taken this one back!

Get Jack dressed.  

Jack pees more than a grown man all down the wall and all over the changing pad. 

Wipe down wall.

Give Jack a bath instead of just a clothing change.  

Put Jack in a new outfit.

Jack spits up on the clean changing pad cover I just changed.

Go dig a cough drop out of Max's mouth.

Jack spits up again all over his cute outfit. 

Change Jack's clothes again.

Change Max's diaper and get him dressed.

Clean up kitchen.

Finally, eat some breakfast.

Whew!

I'm sure all of the moms out there have had the same experience and I get ya.  It's all worth it when I look at the cute little faces like this one though. :)