I found myself singing-  A few of my favorite things-  from the Sound of Music. I love that movie so much. So, then I started thinking of some of my favorite things and I wanted to share them with you. Mercury glass and red carnations. Pine cones dusted in silver glitter in a white ceramic bread basket. Vintage wooden soda pop crates with Christmas ornaments and bottle brush Christmas Trees. Boxwood, greens, mercury, birds and ornaments in a  Georgia Christmas Homemade Sugar Cookies And  Holiday Bundt Cake , yummy! What are some of your favorite things.... Stay warm and cozy this weekend! xoxoxo

Would you like to add a little extra joy to your Christmas? Well, you can and you don't even have to leave home...smiles. You just need to get your apron on and make this glorious bread, studded with cranberries and a hint of orange zest. Totally perfect for breakfast or brunch with tea or coffee and Christmas gift giving. So forget the French pastries and go ahead and make Cranberry Christmas bread using either one of these recipes,  basic sweet dough  recipe or   Grammy's Parker House Rolls . Both of these recipes come straight from my own Mother's favorite cook books and I will share this with you- My Mom was a bit of a celebrity in her farming community when it came to her cakes and her bread! So know this,  these recipes are tried and true and will not fail you. Honestly, don't you agree that braided bread is a terrific way to add a festive flair to all of your Holiday meals? Oh and the aroma, is there anything quite as welcoming as fresh bread baking in the oven.

About a year ago I did a little post on  adding shine with metallics , I enjoyed the glow of mixing white, gold and silver so much in January, that I decided to use this theme in my family room and Kitchen for Christmas 2014! I keep tweaking the look, adding and taking away. Along the way of decorating for Christmas, I received an e-mail from Liz from Hometalk, asking me if I would like to curate a board on  DIY Metallic decorations for the holidays. Well, of course I said yes! I had the best time, and Liz was a dream to work with, so pop on over and get even more DIY inspiration for all of your holiday decorating.                                                                     Hometalk Since it isn't likely that I will have a white Christmas in Texas, I am creating my own. I just adore the look of a White flocked Christmas Tree and I found these 24 inch trees at Hobby Lobby for 50% off, seems they are a perfect fit on the family room mantle. I am using these White Christmas tr

I am writing this today straight from my heart, I am THANKFUL. Thankful for the beauty of family and the complexities of it too. I grew up in a small cluster, My Mom, Dad, Sister and myself. Even as I write this I find that my sentences are short and small. A symbol of the tight and tiny unity that we shared. Growing up on a farm in Idaho, far removed from the rest of the world, I was sheltered, protected, and nurtured. My sister grew up. I grew up. We left the safety of our parents and our home. I went on to marry and have a family. My sister moved away and married. My sister went on a boating trip, she never returned from that trip. Only one of the four people who went boating in Puget Sound that day did. He was not alive. That was 38 years ago. Naturally, there is not a day that goes by that Sandra is not in my heart and thoughts. I always wonder how different all of our lives would have been. I wonder who and what her children may have been like. I miss her. This tragic experience

I have been seriously thinking of giving some creative Christmas Jar's to some of my friends and family members this year. If you are finding that you are looking for an amazing way to use jars, all types of jars, mason, pickle, jelly or salsa. You might just discover that you are going to love these creative ways to incorporate jars into your Christmas decorating and gift giving agenda.  I know I did, I became smitten !                                                                         Source By adding a little greenery, cranberries, water and a candle to a mason jar an illuminating holiday jar is created.                                                                               Snowy Pinecone Candle Jars by  crafts by Amanda Such a cute, cute idea using a jar as a manicure set and then topping it off with a fabric bow. Lets not stop here, let's personalize it by adding the recipients name with a paint pen!                                    Peppermint Brownies in a

This Thanksgiving means so much to me because I am going to be preparing the traditional meal at our home for my children and their families. We might even have an outdoor Thanksgiving! This is the year we will all be together under one roof or star lit sky and my heart is singing. My theme for my outdoor Thanksgiving table is a combination of rustic and traditional. I have incorporated pine cones, burlap pumpkins and natural pumpkins into a rustic iron basket along with some ribbon and Fall leaves. I am  mixing some china and fall patterned dishes together along with some new porcelain dinnerware I just purchased, linen napkins and  yarn napkin rings . Reflecting on my childhood Thanksgiving I remember how my Mother prepared well in advance for Thanksgiving by using the bounty from many of the crops that were grown by my parents. We had the best, best,  russet potatoes ever,  which came from our farm, apple pie made from McIntosh apples from our apple tree. (yes McIntosh apples are be