I have been busy making, baking, frosting and decorating cookies today. This fussing in the kitchen is so soothing to my soul, and as I have been working on these cookie making duties, I was taken back in my mind to the wonderful anticipation of Santa Claus as a youngster. Such a lovely whimsical thought and even found myself wondering which of these cookies  might be Santa's favorite? Then, that led to sharing with you this recipe that seems to have been pinned on a good many cookie boards on Pinterest. Using a basic sugar cookie dough and adding Andes Chocolate Mints to the batter...yum.... I am normally a rather plain sort of cookie gal, you know, the usual chocolate chip, peanut butter, and yes sugar cookie. But yesterday while finishing up my Christmas shopping I overheard two woman talking about how great the combination of sugar dough infused with these little chocolate mints can truly be. A true confirmation, that I needed, or Santa needed to give these a try. So, I gave

Knowing that it is just a few days away from Christmas, Thinking of all the last minute preparations,  Wondering how you are all doing. Then I found this Irish Blessing. Just wanting you to know... This is one of my Christmas wishes for You... xoxoxoxoxo

We were blessed to have most of our family together for Thanksgiving this year, it was sort of a mixed celebration of Thanksgiving and Christmas. As well as a send off for our middle daughter and her family, as they relocate to California. In anticipation of this send off  I decorated our formal areas and the guest room for Christmas before Thanksgiving using traditional red and green. As much as I have fallen in love with incorporating white  into Christmas decorating. There is something so timeless, warm and welcoming about adding red and green to our home during the Holidays. Poinsettias are such a glorious plant and I enjoy the shape of their "blossoms," many people also refer to them as the Christmas flower or Christmas star. I have used them as a theme throughout our home. You will see them in various spots of my formal areas- my dough bowl, Christmas Tree, mantle, chandelier and front door wreath. A few gold stars and ornaments combined with red deco mesh, red ornament

You know, I so loved making snowflakes growing up. I do believe, that I may have looked a bit like a version of Edward Scissor Hands. Busily fashioning snowflake after snowflake and then taping them on doors, walls, windows or wherever Mom would let me. (She was a bit of a stickler about tape on the walls-back then when the tape was pulled off the walls, some of the paint seemed to come off with it-not good.) As the children came along I made snowflakes with them too. But, children grow up-childhood crafts are no long made and sadly enough some of these wonderful childhood crafting skills are forgotten. But I was rescued, resuscitated, saved by these unfortunate lapses of memory by a very gracious and talented granddaughter, and her little sister. Little granddaughter opted out of snowflake making and went straight to the Nativity scene to play with baby Jesus. Fortunate for me, our oldest granddaughter graciously shared with me her artistic technique on how to create the perfectly won

Each Christmas I try to make one or two projects from scratch. Most of the time they are very simple to make. Sometimes they involve various family members and sometimes they do not. This Christmas I was all on my own, and I really didn't want to spend too much time or money. So, I began the search of finding out exactly what I had in my craft cubbies. Well I found out that Mother Hubbard had pretty bare cupboards. I found these leftover styrofoam balls from last years project  Styrofoam Christmas Ornaments , which I made using hot glue and thumbtacks. So I used them again this year, but switched up the materials and used bias tape, rick-rack and hot glue. I hung a few on a Christmas Tree. And then incorporated the rest of them in to my Vintage Christmas Vignette. My middle daughter mentioned to me that this vignette reminds her of a scene out of the book  Little Women . And so, this vignette has a new name... Little Women Christmas Vignette. Little Women was a favorite book of my

Such a precious time of the year. So sweet, so inspiring, so tender. It is as though there is an effervescent glow and pure calmness in the heavens. So, I am striving to create Christmas calmness in our home. through various vignettes and centerpieces. Embracing the joy, beauty and gratitude of the season in our hearts and home. I have put together a peaceful White Christmas vignette in our kitchen. Using a few baskets, fresh white tulips from the market, some paper whites and white Christmas trees I created a little vignette on our chippy kitchen table. This table was my parent's dining room table growing up, I have since sanded it and made my own  concoction of paint and glaze to create a well loved appearance. Along with white tulips I have combined a petite porcelain white cake stand, an oval mirror, a few white mini ornaments and one lone reindeer to make my White Christmas vignette dimensional and interesting. These sweet and simple goodies came from one of my Christmas boxes

This is the first year that I have decorated my Kitchen window for the Christmas season. I was hesitant at first, but when I found these twine, and pine cone swags at Michael's I felt I had the inspiration I needed to get started. I knew I wanted white and simple as my focus. So lucky for me I have this gorgeous white coffee filter, which my youngest daughter made for me. Just a simple window with some sweet and simple Christmas decorations. I added this precious Angel from my Mother's Christmas collection. An aged, cracked and interesting terracotta pot. With a pine cone tucked among the moss. I am using candles all about my home this year, and enjoying all types, shapes and sizes. I even found these two flame less battery operated luminaries in a box from ages ago, put some batteries in them and presto they still work! I enjoy the warm afternoon sunlight that filters through these billowy white curtains on sunny days. I am so glad I took the plunge and decorated my Kitchen wi