janice's mash-up

holiday traditions: the cutting down of the tree

For the last few years (4 or 5?...I've lost count), we've gone to a local tree farm to cut down our Christmas tree. The first year we went, it started to snow lightly when we were there and it was just magical and now it's a holiday tradition.

We wander around and choose just the right tree for us, the boys take turns sawing it down, sometimes with Neil's help and then they carry it away. After it's loaded onto the top of the van, we gather around the fire and roast hot dogs and drink apple cider.

I love simple, family traditions.

This is this week's The Simple Things photo.

Check out other "simple things" photographs on Rebecca's blog. I believe she's taking a break from her link-up today as she is moving back to Canada from the Caribbean...just in time for Christmas!

last day of school for 2011

Neil and Adam left home in the dark early this morning to attend their Breakfast with Santa Claus events at their high schools. 

Colin had a little band concert and Christmas sing-a-long this morning. It's the first time I've seen him play the trumpet in his band.

Last year he played the electric guitar so this is quite the change!

 

We're all ready for a break from the structure of school weeks...no homework, no getting up in the dark to get ready for school, no lunches to be made, no sports for over two weeks! Yipee.

washer pendant necklaces

We made another lot of washer necklaces on the weekend. Someone out there asked for a little how-to, so here goes...

Supplies:

Metal washers from hardware store (they come in different sizes, choose what you like-mine were 1.5 inches across)

Fine sandpaper

Mod Podge

Foam brush

Scrapbooking paper

Circle punches

Glossy Accents (what I used) or Diamond Glaze)

Black cording or ribbon

Instructions:

1. Lightly sand top side of washer. This helps the paper adhere better.

 

 

2. Using a circle punch, punch out a circle of paper to fit on the top of the washer. You can either punch a circle that will fit right to the edge of the washer or one that leaves a metal border. 

 

3. Turn the washer over with the paper and on the backside of the paper, use a pencil to trace the inside circle. This really helps to line up the circle punch in the next step.

 

4. Using a small circle punch, punch a circle in the middle of the big paper circle.

 

 

5. Lightly coat the top of the washer and the backside of the paper with a coat of Mod Podge and press firmly together. Let dry.

 

6. When the Mod Podge is dry, you can lightly sand the edges of the paper to smooth the transition from paper to metal.

 

7. *Do this step in a location where you can leave your washers to set for at least a couple of hours without being disturbed. Using the Glossy Accents, lightly squeeze the bottle and release the liquid along the edge of the paper circle. Then, fill in the rest, making sure all the paper is covered. If there are any bubbles, pop them gently with the tip on the bottle. Be careful not to over-apply or the Glossy Accents will run off the washer and make a big mess. 

How long your washer takes to set will depend on the heat and humidity in your home along with the thickness of your application of Glossy Accents.

8. The Glossy Accents will appear milky when wet but will become clear and hard as it dries.

9. When your washer is hard and dry to the touch, the pendants are done. At this point, you can add beads, charms etc to the cording before you loop it through the pendant. You could add clasps to the ends of the cording if you want, but we kept it simple so that the wearer of the pendant can tie it to the length she likes.

These ones are for my sisters. Lovely little gift I think!

holiday popcorn

This week has been a bit busy and today was my last day of  "work" before the holidays so I wanted to bring in something for the staff. No time to bake (gasp) so I created an old stand-by - holiday popcorn, changed up depending on the holiday!

I popped two bags of microwave popcorn and then sifted them with my hands to take out the unpopped kernels. I added a big box of red and green Smarties and a bag of red and green Swedish Berries.

 

I melted two bags of Wilton's white candy melts and then stirred this into the popcorn and candy mix and then spread it out on the counter on a big piece of parchment paper.

 

Once the white chocolate was set, I melted some green and red candy melts and drizzled them over the top of the popcorn mix.

 

Once the red and green drizzles are firm and set, crumble up the big pieces of popcorn mix. I put some into gift bags for Colin's soccer coaches and the rest is in two big bowls for my colleagues.

 

I've made this popcorn with all sorts of candy and colour combinations for different holidays and it's always a hit!

hot cocoa day

So just like Smores Day going international, I applied the same logic to Hot Cocoa Day, except around here, we call it hot chocolate instead of hot cocoa. 

This evening we enjoyed yummy mugs of hot chocolate, topped with marshmallows and stirred with chocolate covered spoons.

Quite yum!

weekend wrap-up

By the numbers...

125 photos taken at a staff party (a murder mystery)

6 dozen cookies made and packaged up for our cookie exchange party

2 hockey games (one win, one loss)

1 soccer game missed (pulled muscle)

15 candles lit on a cold dark evening

4 good friends that listened and crafted on Saturday night

5 holiday projects accomplished

8 deck chairs, 2 tables and 1 stool put undercover for the winter

2 long distance calls from family in the USA

far too many magazines to count - recycled or passed on to friends

4 Glo's Luscious Lemon Pudding Cakes enjoyed 

and 1 big deadline looming!

the lights are on

Our series of decorating events leading up to the holidays usually goes like this...the wreath goes up on the front door, the boxes of decorations are pulled out, the lights go on the house, the mantles are decorated and we go and cut down a tree and then decorate it. Once the tree is done, it all feels complete. 

On Monday, Adam got the timer set up and turned on the Christmas lights. Colin thinks they are looking kind of old and tired and we need to liven things up a bit ;)

There's just something very lovely though about driving into the driveway in the evening to the glow of the twinkling lights. 

This is this week's The Simple Things photo.

Check out other "simple things" photographs on Rebecca's blog.

holiday treat week: santa party mix

This idea was a Pinterest find from here. I thought it was just so happy looking and the Santa hats are definitely unique! Apparently, Bugles aren't sold in this part of Canada any more so I made a little trip down to Point Roberts to pick up a couple of bags while I was out that way.

For my Santa Party Mix, I used:

mini pretzels

Corn Chex

red and green Smarties

cashews

Santa Hats (peanut butter chocolate Bugles, red candy melts, mini marshmallows, white candy melts, white sparking sugar)

I didn't coat the pretzels and Corn Chex with white candy coating, as suggested in the original. I figured it was all sweet enough.

To make the Santa Hats, I held the tip of the Bugle and dipped them in the melted red candy coating. 

After they were dry, I dipped the tips in the melted red candy coating and then pushed a mini marshmallow on top.

Finally, I dipped the bottom rim in melted white candy coating and then in white sparking sugar.

So darn cute!

I'll be serving this mix at my cookie exchange party tomorrow night but I saved some little bags for the boys and for a colleague who shared childhood bugle memories with me!

And this fun Santa party mix is the final installment of my holiday treat week posts!

a little fencing action

Another holiday treat week interruption...

Last night, Colin had his last fencing session of 2011 so I took a few photos and some video. It was kind of low key last night and for those of you who have seen his competition videos, the intensity here is a little different.

Although soccer has been his focus sport this fall, Colin still loves fencing and hopes to fit in some more training sessions next year.

En garde.

 

 

holiday treat week: candy cane marshmallows and spoons

In preparation for (inter) national Hot Cocoa Day on December 13th, I thought I would make some yummy treats to add to our hot chocolate. Last year I made the fun marshmallows in the photo banner above. This year, I thought I would go with a candy cane theme.

Candy Cane Marshmallows

Dip marshmallows in melted chocolate, sit upright on wax paper and sprinkle tops with crushed candy canes. So sweet and simple.

And because I love the taste of cinnamon and chocolate together, I also made these cinnamon-sugar marshmallows.

Chocolate Spoons

Melt milk or semi-sweet chocolate, and dip plastic spoons into chocolate and then lay down on parchment paper or aluminum foil (so they peel up easily afterwards). Sprinkle chocolate with crushed candy canes, or other christmas candy, and then you could drizzle with white chocolate.

These are a great little gift to package up with a mug and some hot chocolate packages. Yum.

 
I found the sweet tags here to add to my little gifts. The baker's twine and the little jingle bell make it all merry merry, I think!