Pretty and Pink Champagne Salad

Today I am sharing this recipe for a delicious fruit salad. We call it Champagne Salad. For our family no Holiday celebration is complete without a dollop or two of this pretty and pink salad served in a special glass bowl. The interesting news is that it doesn't have one ounce of champagne in it, in fact it does not have one drop of alcohol in it! I suspect the recipe name comes from this salad's appearance. So luscious and fluffy with a light blush tint, our entire family are believers in the magic and taste of this easy and pretty dessert salad and hopefully you will too if you choose to give it a try. Champagne Salad With Cranberries I first discovered this recipe way back when we lived in Spring Texas. At that time we just had the two oldest children and lived in a brand new community with towering pine trees. It was a darling neighborhood filled with lovely and sometimes interesting neighbors! I believe I was only in my twenties at the time when an "older,&

DIY Wooden Train & Reindeer Hands

Monday morning greetings from Texas! Thank you for joining me today as I share with you a little overview on how to make two adorable, decorative, easy and crafty Holiday projects. These two DIY Holiday projects are a great activity for all ages and the materials are few. I think we can all do a happy dance for easy crafting this busy time of the year Snowy Train I have been known to get a bit too eager and begin my projects without proper preparation, so from the voice of experience it is always a good idea to cover your work space before beginning. Also assemble all of your supplies and tools. I find that by doing this the project goes much more smoothly and is so much more enjoyable too! MATERIALS FOR DIY WOODEN TRAIN Wooden Train from Hobby Lobby Blue acrylic paint White acrylic paint Copper paint White Glitter Modge Podge Paint Brushes Paper towels & Paper Plates Paper cups Step One : Keep it easy and peasy and just paint your train blue

Happy Harvest Plus A Craft Project

Happy Harvest friends! I couldn't let Thanksgiving go by without checking in on you all and wishing you a Blessed bounty of tender hearts, thoughtful companions, hearty laughter, genuine smiles pumpkin pie and an adorable and easy craft! As most of us in the kitchen know it requires hours and hours to prepare the Thanksgiving meal however eating the meal takes minutes. "Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. This is not coincidence." -Erma Bombeck Happy Harvest When restless hands tire of watching the parades, football, and playing games during the afternoon lull, how about making an adorable craft a PomPom Turkey . I tend to believe that busy hands make happy people and that crafting can solve many problems in our world! Supplies For Pom Pom Turkey There are so many ways to have fun with this craft and one of them is the choice of yarn you decide on. In our home we are going to make a non-trad

Christmas Dining Room Tour & Positivity

Good Morning friends, I am thrilled to be sharing this post, it is jam packed with positive thoughts and a little Christmas inspiration too. Today is the kick off for our PERK focus word which is POSITIVITY. Goodness knows when I am decorating I need some extra "can do," attitude. Sometimes decorating sends me into a panic. Seriously, I am crafter who loves decorating our home, I am not an interior designer. Christmas Glow In Our Dining Room Stacey and I will be sharing some thoughts on how we strive to incorporate PERK into our lives and maintain a positive outlook throughout the seasons of life. I invite you to spend a little time with us this morning as we share Christmas décor, a warm hug and our Home Depot gift card and Pompom wreath giveaway! All Is Well With My Soul Let Go of Perfection and Stay Positive! Staying positive during the pressure of the Holidays can sometimes be a challenge, so I am sharing some tools that work for me. Rather than

Positive Encouraging Real Kind

Good Morning dear friends and welcome to another Jemma tale, a giveaway and PERK! An exciting project which involves you for the next four weeks. Do you ever pull yourself out of bed only to discover the coffee didn't come on and you just feel a little off, your spirits aren't quite as high as you'd like them to be and your positive vibes are running low? You'd much rather pull the covers over your head than pull them off and the notion of being perky is low on your list? To make matters worse, our world seems all out of whack and you just wonder what on earth you can do. Don't fret, you are not alone, we now have PERK! Hmmm... you may ask what is PERK? Well let me tell you! PERK is an uplifting community of positive, encouraging, real people who share kindness and helpful tips on managing their lives and passing that goodness on to others. PERK is a project similar to the mindset of "Pay It Forward" Perk is one of these movements which

PomPom Wreath Reveal

Pompom mania has taken over our home and I am enjoying every fiber of colorful yarn. Well, except those tiny pieces of yarn fiber that attach themselves to everything. Those of you who work with yarn know how those fibers end up everywhere, even in your hair! Today I am super excited to be sharing two pom pom wreaths! (mine and my youngest daughter's) Blush Pom Pom Wreath I have always been intrigued by the color, texture and multiple uses of the pompom and if you are too you might enjoy reading the history of the pompom. I dabbled in Pom Pom wreath making a few years back when I made this DIY-Pom Pom Winter Wreath . It was the prototype for what I have made now. Live and Learn is my motto these days! Blush Wreath On Bookcase This Winter Pompom wreath has most of the kinks worked out of it so I am happily able to share the method of making it right here with you! Choose Joy Supplies for this Pom Pom Wreath~ 4 Skeins of Yarn White Black Rosy Cheeks

Prelude To A Pom Pom Wreath

As a maker and crafter there are many, many steps from beginning to end of any project. Today I am happy to share with you how to make a a pom pom wreath using the pom pom maker, it is so simple and fun! Along the way we will discover the fabulous shades, texture and joys of beautiful yarns and the joy they bring to a Winter project. Winter Pompoms Not all Yarns are the same. There are a vast variety of choices, however for this project a synthetic yarn is perfectly acceptable. All yarns are made from either natural or synthetic fibers. Many times manufactures blend fibers together. If you are knitting or crocheting wool yarn seems to be a popular choice. Many of my crafting projects begin with some crafting magazines, a little Pinterest perusing and sketches. I always Sketch my projects using colored pencils. This is where decisions are made on colors, placement and dimension. I usually add a little music to the mix and oh a cup of coffee too! This is my happy place.

Donut Grow Up Birthday Party

Good Morning Friends and welcome to a "Donut" Grown Up Birthday Party. A super fun birthday party perfect for celebrating the sweet youngsters in your life. This party can easily be customized into a Donut Grow Old Birthday Party too. Don't you think that would be a fun gathering to celebrate girlfriends. Who could resist coffee and donuts. Donut Grow Old Birthday Party It is hard to believe that we are celebrating Kennedy's first birthday. It really was just a little over a year ago that we celebrated the soon to be arrival of Kennedy with a Woodland Baby Shower. How time flies. You can see Baby shower post by clicking on the link.   Sweet Woodland Baby Shower Woodland Baby Shower Seven Fabulous Reasons To Host A Donut Birthday Party Minimal set up time and clean up time. Variety of themes for Donut party. (Donut move, Donut grow old, Donut be unhappy) I am sure you can think even think of more.  Donuts can be purchased the day before to

Roasted Butternut Squash

With it being Fall and all I have been looking forward to sharing this post with you, because let's face it I am a squash lover! Sounds strange I know, but when you grow up on a Farm eating those massive Hubbard squash you discover various ways to prepare all varieties of this colorful family of vegetables. Have you noticed how squash is in every produce aisle this time of year and did you know they can even be used for glorious centerpieces too! Home cooked butternut squash for Fall Seems as though we have always had an assortment of squash in our garden, I tend to think of squash as a nutritionally packed go-to-vegetable that is relatively mild in flavor. Using a vegetable that is not overpowering in flavor is a pretty nifty bonus because you have the option of adding a range of spices. Choose from sweet to savory or anything in between and you'll have a winner of a side dish. Today I am exploring the colorful butternut squash and I invite you stay and experience the

The Traveling Cake

Welcome to a Jemma Tale. Some days I just elect to step away from the news, call me a candy cane universe loving woman or a head in the sand escapist. Either way more often than not there are woven stories of crime on too many neighborhood corners and tales of discontent. So in this fragile world that teeters in a precarious balance from minute to minute I am delighted to share with you that this week I have been witness to the power of a traveling Birthday cake. Traveling 1,200 miles with a Birthday bundt cake is an interesting journey. I really didn't think much of it at all when I picked the cake up on Saturday, took it home and put it in the freezer for my flight on Monday morning. Traditionally I deliver a Birthday bundt cake to my youngest daughter. However it was typically just a four hour drive. Now it was 1,200 mile by plane ride not including the hour drive to and from the airport on both ends. I mean how could I ever turn down a request like that.... although