Category: Holidays
Celebrate, Create, Holidays

New Year’s Eve Celebrations…Charcuterie Style!

December 27
8 Comments

New Year’s Eve celebrations are just days away…but you can still party in grand style with an easy charcuterie that will be certain to impress!  Charcuterie boards are one of my favorite appetizers because they’re super simple to put together even for a last-minute party!  While a “true” charcuterie would mean a platter full of meats…the definition to many has gradually changed to a “grazing board”.  This means you can now add just about ANYTHING you want to your edible display!  New Year’s Eve is a perfect opportunity to create this beautiful array of goodies to serve to friends and family.  Pull together all the leftover treats from Christmas and serve them right on the tabletop…no special trays or platters needed!  I’m really excited to partner with Fun to Eat Fruit to bring you some inspiration for sipping and nibbling the night away!  I promise it’s easy and simple but will look every bit as festive as the holiday itself!  The year is coming to an end and I’ll wrap it up with my favorite phrase…celebrate simple and celebrate often!

ring in 2020 with a New Year’s Eve Charcuterie!

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Create, Holidays

Christmas Gift Wrapping Ideas!

December 20
8 Comments

Christmas gift wrapping can be fun for some…and for others a dreaded, last-minute event!  I happen to love it but it’s most fun when you have a little time carved out to do it…which is hard to come by!  Over the years I’ve realized that you can embellish any gift with simple little things to make it look grand.  You don’t need to be a paper artist, a gift wrap champ or spend a lot of money either!  Today I’m sharing some really sweet and simple ways to dress up your packages just in time for Christmas!  Get ready…to wrap up the holidays!

Christmas gift wrapping made simple!

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Holidays

Christmas Cookie Decorating Party!

December 17
10 Comments

Christmas cookie decorating is such an anticipated tradition for so many holiday lovers! I always look forward to baking days and often have several cookie decorating dates with family AND friends!  It’s easy to make cookies ahead, freeze them, and have them ready when you want to make Christmas memories!  I know my boys have enjoyed this tradition over the years so I was so excited to partner with Party Mazing and Grand Rapids Popcorn to bring you some inspiration for hosting a cookie decorating party designed for the kiddos!  Even luckier for me…having friends who’s littler tots could partake in the fun!  So let’s get right to it today and share in the sweet festivities!

Christmas cookie decorating…delicious holiday joy!

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Holidays

Christmas Gift Favorites!

December 11
10 Comments

Christmas gift ideas can be hard to come by!  Fortunately, most kiddos have plenty on their wish lists…toys, games, electronics! But sometimes finding the perfect gift for friends and adult family members can seem difficult! Even coming up with hostess gift ideas can be overwhelming especially when we need several to take to holiday celebrations.  So today I’d like to share some of my favorite goodies that might make great gifts for those on your list.  With so many people trying to de-clutter and simplify their homes and lives, thoughtful gifts that are on the useful side are always a nice choice.  But I promise, just because they’re sort of practical, they’re no less fun & festive!  And while there’s so many more goodies out there that I’d love to feature…these are some of my top favorites and I’ll share where you can get them!  Get ready to check some Christmas gifts off your list!

de-stress with these Christmas gift ideas!

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Celebrate, Holidays

Christmas Eggnog Bar!

December 4
12 Comments

December is upon us…why not celebrate with a Christmas eggnog bar?  A little twist on the cocoa bar, eggnog is another traditional sip that’s perfect for the holiday!  My family loves eggnog…and you can serve up family-friendly or spiked version to suit everyone’s tastes!  The wonderful thing about eggnog is that you can easily find both varieties in the stores now so there’s no stovetop cooking unless you want to! (and the easier the better in my book!)  I recently took the opportunity to share some holiday sips in the back of our old truck before we store it away for the winter.  But you don’t have to have a tailgate to serve up this cheerful drink…any table will do!  And if you have an outdoor space, try bundling up and toasting the season outside…it’s a fun way to ring in December!  Let me share some ideas & inspiration with you!

serve up Christmas…eggnog style!

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Holidays, Savor

Last-Minute Thanksgiving Treats!

November 22
12 Comments

Last-minute Thanksgiving treats are the most perfect…especially when it’s actually last-minute!  But all kidding aside, even though there’s still time to bake up some holiday goodies, you don’t need to.  The treats I’m sharing today are SO easy you could literally make them on Thanksgiving Day with time leftover!  And not only are they delicious as is, they could also double duty as cupcake toppers or embellish a pie!  They’re easy enough for kiddos to create and are definitely fun for the whole family to eat!  I’m even sharing a grownup surprise…treats aren’t just for the kids right?  So let’s get in the kitchen for some holiday fun!

last-minute treats…Thanksgiving joy!

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Holidays

Thanksgiving Table with a touch of Christmas!

November 19
8 Comments

We’ll be setting the Thanksgiving table next week…can you believe it?  Since the holiday is so late this year, I think it’s fair to say everyone is feeling the push to get going on Christmas.  But I just can’t go all out before our Thanksgiving feast is over…so this year, I’m blending the two!  It’s not my turn to host our extended family feast, but since we celebrate that meal on Saturday, I still have Thanksgiving Day to serve something festive to my family.  I’m definitely a wait-til-after-Thanksgiving Christmas decorator, but I think I found my new tradition!  By adding greens to my pumpkins and gourds, I found a blend that’s as easy as it is beautiful.  Let me share how I’m decorating this year and making it easier to transition to Christmas!

Set a Merry Thanksgiving Table!

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Decorate, Holidays

Colorful Thanksgiving Table!

November 7
8 Comments

Setting a colorful Thanksgiving table can be a fun and extra cheerful way to celebrate the holiday!  I LOVE to decorate with bright hues throughout this season.  After all, the autumn landscape is often speckled with plenty of vibrant color!  And in many areas you can still find a few flowers or greens in the garden to compliment a simple tablescape in rustic style!  Today I’d like to share some simple ideas for mixing and matching different styles and tableware to create a beautiful, custom table that will let your personality shine!  Shopping my house before I entertain always turns up favorite goodies I’ve forgotten about or haven’t used in a long time.  And if you’re lucky enough to have family or close friends who love to entertain…try shopping their house too!  You might find you can share decor for special occasions and help each other stretch a budget AND set a pretty tabletop!  This is exactly what I was able to do with my fall display.  So let’s set the Thanksgiving table…

serve up a colorful holiday!

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Holidays, Savor

Sausage Plait Tutorial

October 25
14 Comments

Have you heard of a sausage plait? I had never heard of one prior to a friend introducing me to this beautiful AND easy meal!  Honestly I didn’t even make the connection that “plait” means braid (I guess being a boy mom limited my braid-related vocabulary).  But that’s exactly what this meal is, a braided pastry filled with a delicious sausage and apple mixture!  It’s so simple to create yet I promise the results will make you look like an expert in the kitchen.  When you pull this baby from the oven it will appear like you slaved away baking this showstopper!  This lovely meal resembles a mummy of pastry dough which also makes it a perfect entree to serve at a haunted dinner party.  I promised I’d share the main event from my spooky soiree…and here is the simple tutorial for creating it!

braided beauty~sausage plait!

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Holidays, Savor

Haunted Dinner Party!

October 22
10 Comments

Hosting a haunted dinner party is such a fun way to celebrate the holiday!  You don’t have to go over-the-top with scary decorations unless you want to…a Halloween party is one of those situations where ANY decor is fair game!  But if you’re more on the side of not-so-spooky, you can still create a moody vibe that will be a holiday delight to your guests!  Today I’m so excited to share with you some really simple decorations that are hauntingly beautiful and still easy to create!  And as an extra bonus, I’ve teamed up with some blogger friends who are also sharing recipes fit for any haunted house!  You can find all their links at the end of the post, including my recipe for a dark & decadent dessert that’s perfect for a sinister soiree!  Let’s set the table, light the candles and serve up a spooky good time!

haunted dinner party…happy ghouls!

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