Some Gift Ideas

Here in Northern Idaho we have officially received our first snowfall. It was met with great excitement in our house. We do enjoy winter, and I think it is such a beautiful season (of course I know my dear mom will disagree). In my opinion though, it just adds to all of the blessedness of this time of year when we are celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior.

With everyone's attention turning to gift buying, I thought that maybe I would rattle off a few more gift ideas that might be of help to someone.

For someone living in a cold climate:
A hat, gloves, scarf, hot chocolate mix, and a cute mug all packed in a hat box.

For someone that likes to bake:
A cookbook, new dishtowels, an apron, and some new wooden spoons.

For someone on the go:
A Starbucks gift card, travel mug, and a warm pair of gloves.

For anyone:
A new address book, note cards, fun pens, and a book of stamps.

The Day After

In my opinion, the day after Thanksgiving is a wonderful day. The big feast is over, but there is an abundance of leftovers to enjoy throughout the day. But besides the food, there is something just "warm" about today. After spending so much time with preparations, there is not much to do but to just sit back and take it easy. I don't take in any of the big sales at the stores. I would much rather spend my day visiting with my family, watching a movie, getting out my sewing, listening to Christmas music (the day after Thanksgiving is always my first official day of enjoying this pleasure), and maybe even taking a nap. So all-in-all, another day of giving thanks for my many, many blessings.

"Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."

1 Chronicles 16:34

Thanksgiving

A very Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

"And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:17

Pillowcases

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. That means that many of us will be very busy today with our various preparations. But when Friday rolls around, and you are taking it easy and enjoying the leftovers, your attention just might turn back to thinking of possible gift ideas for family and friends. If you like to sew, you might even find some free time to sit down in front of the sewing machine. Here is a quick and easy project that makes for a great gift. Pillowcases don't take too much fabric, they are quick to make, and with so many fabric choices out there, they turn out pretty cute. Team them up with a new pillow, and someone will be in for a great surprise.

Fabric needed for a pillowcase to fit a standard size pillow:

2/3 yd. of main fabric
1/3 yd. of secondary fabric
1/8 yd. of trim fabric

Cut the main fabric 24" x 42"
Cut the secondary fabric 12" x 42"
Cut the trim fabric 2-1/2" x 42"

Fold the trim fabric in half the length and press.
Fold the secondary fabric in half the length and press.

Stitch the unfinished edge of the trim piece to the unfinished edge of the secondary fabric. And then stitch to the main fabric. Stitch the bottom and side of the pillowcase, and that's all there is to it.

Making Plans

I think I would be safe to say that most of us are busy making plans for the upcoming holiday. Whether they be menu planning, travel plans, or planning which guests will be invited over, plans are being made none-the-less. Most of the time our plans are carried out pretty close to how we had hoped that they would be. But occasionally, God intervenes and shows us that He has other plans for us at a particular time. I think it is important that while we are making our plans, we keep in mind that just in case God diverts our plans onto another course, that we keep in step trusting Him entirely for where He is leading us, and being ever thankful that He is at the helm.

"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9

Thanksgiving Reminders

Thanksgiving Day is getting closer by the minute. Dividing up your preparations amongst the next few days will cut down on last minute tasks and frustrations. My big task for today is to remember to take the turkey out of the freezer, and place it in the refrigerator so that it will be thawed and ready to go on Thursday. Today I will also decide which table linens to use, and iron them if necessary. And don't forget to make sure you have plenty of dish soap, laundry soap, toilet paper, paper napkins, paper towels, etc. on hand. You don't want to come to the realization on Thanksgiving morning that you do not have enough dish soap to get you through the day, and running to the store is the last thing you want to do. And yes, I speak from experience. I even had to ask one of my guests once if they would mind bringing dish soap with them when they came to my house for dinner. Fortunately, the request was made of my wonderful father and mother-in-law, and of course they were more than happy to help me out.

Banana Apple Bread

A few days ago, I mentioned the banana apple bread recipe that I really wanted to bake from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book. I just happened to have all of the ingredients, and so I gave it a try.


This bread baked up so beautifully, and was delicious!! The apples really made it moist, and the spices used gave it a most wonderful flavor. I am now definitely sold on the idea of buying this cookbook. Try this recipe out, and see what you think.

A great gift idea would be to give someone who likes to bake, a copy of this cookbook. If you wanted to go another step, you could also include some of this homemade bread on a pretty plate, or in a loaf pan, so that they could make some of their own bread; because after they have eaten the loaf you have baked for them, they will definitely want more.

Mom's Banana Apple Bread

For the apples:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 Granny Smith (I actually used winesap) apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the banana bread:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups very ripe mashed bananas (2 to 3)

Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 deg. F. Lightly butter and flour a 1-1/2 quart loaf pan.

To make the apples:
Preheat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and brown sugar and heat until bubbling. Add the apples and cinnamon and saute until golden and tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

To make the banana bread:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

3. In a small bowl, combine the orange juice and vanilla.

4. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three batches, alternating with the orange juice mixture, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each flour addition. Stir in the mashed bananas until combined. Then stir in the reserved apples.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool further.

Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. The banana bread keeps well wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze well wrapped in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil for up to 3 weeks. Defrost still wrapped at room temperature.

Vintage Potholders

I came across a red and white vintage crocheted potholder one time while looking through some linens in a vendor's booth at a quilt show. I liked it so much that I decided I needed to collect some more. Whenever I am at a thrift shop or a yard sale, I always look to see if there are others that I would like to add to my small, but growing collection. Once again I am drawn to the cheerful color of red. One of my daughters actually made the one in the middle on the bottom row. It is in the shape of a little dress. She made it simply by looking at another vintage potholder that she has, and whipped this out for me. She is very talented that way. I typically need a pattern to walk me step by step through the entire process.




Here is a close-up of a cute flower on one of them.


I grew up in a home where my mother, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers all spent a great deal of time crocheting. I learned to appreciate all of the hard work that goes into making such wonderful treasures.

Hot Chocolate and Brownies

It seems like there are a large number of recipes for hot chocolate mixes around; but I will go ahead and post mine just to add yet one more to the many choices. If you are going to give this as a gift, there are many creative ways you can package it to make it fun. You can put the mix in a large jar with cute fabric tied around the lid with ribbon or string. There are a great deal of tins to choose from this time of year that you could also use. A baggie full of the mix placed into a fabric bag that you have made also makes a nice presentation. You can present the mix on its own, or combine it with a mug or a set of mugs. Throw in a bag of marshmallows and some chocolate covered spoons just to make it even more complete. Another possibility is to purchase a cute set of mugs and matching snack plates. Add a hot chocolate mix and a brownie mix with a suggestion that the recipient throw a little chocolate party on some cold, wintry afternoon. I can just picture it now .... it is snowing outside, the wind is blowing, the kids are bored, and you call them to the kitchen with a table set with fun dishes each with their own brownie and a cup of steaming hot chocolate with marshmallows on top and a chocolate spoon for stirring. I would think that would bring some smiles to some faces around the table.

Hot Chocolate Mix
1 (25.6-oz.) pkg. instant nonfat dry milk (10-2/3 cups)
1 (6-oz.) jar powdered non-dairy creamer
2 cups powdered sugar
1 (16-oz.) can instant chocolate drink mix

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well. Put in a large airtight container. Label. Store in a cool, dry place. Use within 6 months. Makes about 17 cups of mix.

To use the mix when making hot chocolate, add 3 tablespoons of the hot chocolate mix to 1 cup of hot water. Stir to dissolve.


(Please note: This recipe makes for a very light chocolate drink. For a stronger chocolate flavor, try this recipe).

My Notebook

As Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, it is important to stay organized in order to keep things running smoothly, and to keep from becoming exhausted with all of the preparations that are needed. There are many Christmas organizing ideas out there, but for me they tend to be time consuming in themselves. I have put together a notebook of my own keeping in line with what I need to do to stay on top of things. My notebook basically revolves around all of the food that needs preparing. I don't include topics like decorating and gift buying because that just seems to happen on its own. For the past couple of years I have begun buying my Christmas cards in October and addressing the envelopes before Thanksgiving at a gradual pace, so that doesn't need to be included in my notebook. It just basically comes down to making up menus, creating grocery shopping lists, and scheduling out what to make when. I am a creature of habit, and make the same foods each year. After a few years of recreating everything, I decided to keep a record of the things we ate and things that I needed to buy. So my notebook is divided up into sections for different holidays throughout the year. I have the menu printed up on one page, followed by a page with my complete grocery list. I have absolutely everything I need on the grocery list just to make sure I don't inadvertently forget something like pepper. Before I go shopping I make a copy of the grocery list, cross off all of the things that I already have, and am ready to head to the store. This in itself saves so much time. After the grocery list page in the notebook, I have a page for each recipe that I will be preparing. Having the recipes all together in one place also saves time by not having to go search for specific recipes that you have no idea where you put them last year. Lastly, I have a page with the seven days prior to the specific holiday listed, and next to each of those days I have scheduled some sort of food preparation activity. Dividing up all of the tasks between the days prior to the holiday cuts down tremendously on last minute preparations. And that's my notebook. This saves me countless hours each year of trying to think what we should have, making up new shopping lists, and deciding what to make when. Just to make it fun, I have also typed up my recipes on cute paper and keep them in plastic sleeves so that the recipes don't get spilled on and torn. There are some spills though that just can't be avoided. I am actually in the process of putting my recipes in a new notebook, because a while back my daughter accidentally dropped an entire bottle of pancake syrup of which a good portion landed right on my notebook. The pages were so sticky, it was impossible to clean up. Thankfully though everything was stored on my computer so it is just a matter of printing them all out once again.