Need a coffee table but don't have one? This DIY modern farmhouse tray is a cheap and easy solution with style.   In my home, I'm the beneficiary of a nightly ritual that will make most wives jealous...     My husband prepares a cup of cocoa or chai for me every evening before bedtime. He's been doing this for most of our married life and I love it.  It's a very special way to end the evening. Since we've been living in this postage stamp of an apartment my choice is to sit at the table or on my little loveseat.  Usually, I choose the loveseat.  But, it's risky for … [Read more...]

  Just when you think you can't add one more think to your holiday to-do list, you realize you have forgotten about dessert.  Sure there are plenty of Christmas cookies, but really, you want to have a dessert to finish off your meal.  I have a wonderful and easy holiday cake recipe for you that's absolutely delicious and is filled with the flavors of the season. It's a cake mix recipe that's been tweaked so you can say it's homemade. [wink]       I LOVE egg nog for Christmas and New Years celebrations.  There is something about that flavor mix that is so very festive. What I … [Read more...]

  What is there about peppermint and Christmas?  If you're like me and love peppermint you are in luck!   This week at Project Inspire{d} we were blessed with some amazingly tasty and delicious peppermint treats you'll want to make for your family and friends. Usually, we have a small dish of peppermint ice cream with an extra fancy cookie at the conclusion of our Christmas dinner.  Just the perfect bit of sweetness to finish the meal.  This year, I'll make one of these delectable peppermint treats instead.  There are so many yummy ones to choose from... Deb from Cooking on the Front Burner … [Read more...]

  Hello, friends!  Thanks for coming by! Have you started thawing your turkey?  This is the first time I've ever had a frozen turkey.  Until now, I have only roasted fresh turkeys for Thanksgiving. My mom was a good cook, but she never roasted a turkey... we went to my aunt's for Thanksgiving on the rare years that my nurse mom didn't work.  So, if you have any tips for using a frozen turkey... please spill. Besides turkey, I look forward to a piece of pumpkin pie.  What's your favorite? After the pie is eaten, the guests have left, and the dishes are washed and put away... It's time to decorate for … [Read more...]

  I LOVE to entertain and host dinners and parties. I also LOVE to give nice gifts hostess gifts when visiting. With those two thoughts in mind, I put together a... Holiday Hostess Gift Guide *this post contains affiliate links* Entertaining during the Christmas season is one of my favorite things. As I put together this Holiday Hostess Gift Guide, I did it from the perspective of  how I entertain. Picture  me, opening my front door to you.  There are candles burning brightly in the entryway, and I'm wearing a pretty hostess apron.   Red Metal and Glass Lantern, Set of … [Read more...]

  If you put out a tray of Christmas cookies... the very first cookie I will look for is a chocolate one.  No exceptions.  I love chocolate and cookies are my favorite dessert.  So when I discovered a recipe for amazingly delicious chocolate Christmas cookies... I flipped. And I'm no gymnast!  These cookies are soooo good I'm also sharing them at a virtual Cookie Exchange with some of my fellow blogging friends.  Links to all their Christmas cookie recipes will be found at the end of this post. The Christmas season is filled with so many memories in the making.  I don't tend to dwell much in the past, … [Read more...]

When I lived in NY I hosted a few Christmas cookie exchanges.   It was so much fun.  And I loved having a huge variety of cookies for entertaining without having to bake 20 varieties.   Whether you have a cookie exchange looming and want to bake up something different, or you simply love to bake Christmas cookies to give away, you're going to love this week's Project Inspire{d} round-up of 25 festive holiday cookie recipes. Get your "pinning finger" ready for these great recipes... 30 Festive Holiday Cookie Recipes to Make   Chocolate Chip Coffee Toffee Cookies by A Dish of Daily Life Pumpkin … [Read more...]

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15   Praying you have a JOYous and Blessed Christmas! Love, Diane … [Read more...]

In busyness of the season, you may have missed my popular series, Creating Christmas Memories with Vignettes. Each week we were blessed by one of my blogging friends as they shared their Christmas Memories with a special vignette or maybe several.  More than anything, I loved the stories they shared.  Our heart strings seem to be more sensitive this time of year.   Maybe now that everything is decorated, you'll enjoy their posts in a new and fresh way.  It's a good time to take a look at your decor and make plans now to create Christmas memories to be treasured with vignettes. If you missed the … [Read more...]

How would you like to have an extra $250 to spend over the holidays? Of course you would! Hurry on over here... and enter my GIVEAWAY for a $250 Visa Gift Card!   Speaking of the holidays... You all brought a ton of Christmas creativity to Project Inspire{d} this week. Here are just a few sweet ideas that caught my eye...  7 Peppermint Treats   DIY Peppermint Sugar Scrub by Tabler Party of Two Make Peppermint Sugar Scrub by Living on the Cheap Chocolate Chunk Peppermint Cream Cookies by Up State Ramblings Vanilla Peppermint Body Butter by Robynsview Skinny … [Read more...]

Christmas Baking Vignette   What a treat to be here visiting my friend Diane at An Extraordinary Day! I was so excited when Diane told me that she was hosting a series on Christmas vignettes.   I love the idea of creating small vignettes in my home. It's an easy way to break decorating into small manageable bites. And that is especially welcome at the holidays when decorating the whole house can feel quite overwhelming.     Today I'm sharing a simple little vignette that sits on my kitchen counter and it's all about family traditions and baking Christmas cookies.     I … [Read more...]

Have you noticed them?   Christmas trees on cars?  Or maybe campers even? I can't tell you how many Christmas trees on cars we saw on our drive home at Thanksgiving. We live near several Christmas tree farms, so really it should be no surprise.     There's something wonderful about seeing a car (or truck) with a tree tied on. There's something special about bringing home a fresh-cut tree. I like to think that each car I see is filled with joy and anticipation. And I imagine the plans being made to decorate that perfect evergreen treasure for … [Read more...]

I'm so excited you can join us for the follow-up to our Christmas Sweets & Treats Blog Hop. Yesterday, I joined with 33 super talented bloggers to bring you my Snowman Sundae and a fabulous round-up of Sweets and Treats from each of them. If you missed it... click here for a plethora of delectable delights. Christmas Sweets and Treats Linky Party   Brought to you by... My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia :: Domestically Speaking Cupcakes and Crinoline :: Yellow Bliss Road :: Setting for Four Stone Gable :: A Pumpkin & A Princess  :: ‎An Extraordinary Day Twelve O Eight :: A Night Owl :: At … [Read more...]

Do you clean your house for Christmas? I usually do a whole house cleaning in early November.  Generally I will have already done some cleaning in early fall, but in November I whip through the whole house, dusting the walls and ceilings, washing the windows, making my house sparkle in anticipation of Christmas.  One thing I always did in my old house was to put candles in my windows... and my windows had to be perfectly shined for the lights of Christmas.     This week I had a little bit of an "ah ha" moment. You know that I'm all about observing Advent... doing Advent readings, … [Read more...]

Are you looking for a family friendly sweet treat for the grand finale to the big dinner? How about  dessert that you can pretty much make ahead, quickly assemble, and then serve with great aplomb? I've got just the thing for you... Snowman Sundaes     A snowman sundae is sure to be a hit.  I love that there's no baking involved.  It's really more like  craft project dessert. If there's a children's Christmas party on your calendar, you can even let the kids do everything except scoop the ice cream.  They'll have a ton of fun creating their own snowman sundaes, for … [Read more...]

Are you always on the look out for great graphics? Especially at Christmas time? Today I have some Free Printable Graphics for you... and a terrific tutorial! It's been a long time since I've shared any printable graphics with you, so I decided to take some time and create a few graphics in PicMonkey. And then, I thought I'd show you... How to Create Your Own Christmas Graphics in PicMonkey This isn't going to be a full-blown tutorial with screen shots and such.   But it will be a very detailed tutorial for the novice or newbie. It was easy for me to create this graphic and the others that follow. … [Read more...]

Coffee Table Vignette   I was honored and delighted when Diane asked me to share a Christmas vignette here at An Extraordinary Day. I love her heart and her penchant for creating beautiful vignettes from nature.  I must admit, I haven't decorated for Christmas yet as I am getting ready for a craft show next weekend. Once that is over, then I will be decking the halls! However, I did put together a coffee table vignette that holds some very special memories for myself and my family.     When the children were little, I purchased a special Christmas story book each year, early … [Read more...]