Winter Survival Kit & gifts from friends

Winter is in full force here in Idaho.  We had an unusually warm November and December but  Old Man Winter made his way and it is cold!  Today's high is 18...if you ask me, if the temperature is  under freezing, it doesn't matter what the actual number is!  I decided to make some Winter Survival Kits for some special friends.  A quick trip to the Dollar Store and a few other stores and I was set.

I picked up this fun blue box that goes with my theme.  To it, I added warm socks, gloves, lotion, antibacterial gel and lip balm.  All things that will help you stay warm and keep your skin hydrated in this freezing cold weather.  This is such a fun gift to give someone in the month of January when there isn't too much exciting stuff going on. 

My sweet friend Jenny of Jenny's Heart and I had a little Christmas swap of our own.  We decided to do homemade treats and ornaments.  Here is what Jenny sent me.  I love the little snowmen and all the fun things she included.  What's missing is the delicious treats and the holiday velvet cake mix.  Cody always likes to see what I get and then take whatever he likes!  Thanks Jenny...I always love what you send and can't wait to swap with you again! 

My French loving friend Donna of My Shabby Chateau  sent me these sweet little Angel tags.  I just love these!  They have so many of my favorite things--angels, sheet music, French and glitter!  Thank you so much Donna, it was such a sweet surprise to receive these from you! 

I also wanted to share my simple winter mantle.  I love silver, white and aqua and my mantle looks gorgeous in these colors.  I will leave this up until the end of the month.   

I can't believe that 2015 is already here...time definitely flies when you are having fun.  Happy New Year everyone!

DIY Showcase

A Chinese Feast for your New Year's Party

My family has always been big fans of homemade Chinese food.  If we invite you over for a homemade Chinese feast, it means we really like you!  Christmas Eve was made even more special with this delicious dinner that Cody and I prepared together.  I think you should make this for New Year's Eve, I promise you won't regret it even if it is all fried and fattening...you can work on that the next day!

First up--Mafa Chicken.  Have you ever heard of this before?  We have been making it for years and I don't know anyone who doesn't like it.  If you are making this meal for New Year's Eve, I suggest you start the chicken the day before because the longer it marinates, the better.  Here is what you need: 

*4 chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces

*1/2 cup sugar

*1/2 cup soy sauce

*1 egg 

*5 cubes funyu or bean curd

 (found in the refrigerated section but 

you can omit this if you can't find it.)

*1 tsp ginger

*1 tsp garlic powder

In a bowl with a lid, combine sugar, soy sauce, egg, funyu, ginger and garlic powder.  Add cubes of chicken and shake to coat.  Place in refrigerator and shake it every once in awhile.  Marinate at least 4 hours or overnight.  When ready to cook, drain marinade off of chicken and dredge in seasoned flour.  Heat oil and fry chicken in batches until golden brown.  This is amazing the next day eaten straight from the fridge!

Fried Rice

*3 cups cooked and cooled white rice

*Soy sauce

*4 pieces of bacon chopped and cooked

*6 sliced green onions

*2 eggs, scrambled

After frying the bacon, remove to paper towel but leave grease in the skillet.  Place cooled rice in skillet and warm through.  Add soy sauce until rice takes on brown color.  Add bacon back in.  Scamble the eggs and add to rice mixture.  Right before serving add green onions. 

Fried Shrimp:

*1/2 pound cooked, de-veined shrimp

*Package of Shrimp Fry

Follow package directions on Shrimp Fry to coat the shrimp.  Fry these last so that your other food doesn't take on the taste of shrimp. 

Sweet & Sour Sauce:

*1 TBS oil

*1 cup pineapple juice

*3 TBS cornstarch

*1/2 cup water

*2 TBS soy sauce

*2TBS vinegar

*1/2 cup sugar

*1 TBS ketchup

1. Heat and bring to a boil oil and pineapple juice.

2.Mix together cornstarch and water until dissolved.  Add to pineapple/oil mixture.

3.Mix soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and ketchup.  Add to other mixture.  Cook until sauce thickens making sure to stir constantly.  

 Won-tons:

*1/2 pound ground sausage

*6 sliced green onions

*Won-ton wrappers

Fry the sausage and drain grease.  Add in sliced green onions.  Place a teaspoon of sausage mixture into middle on won-ton wrapper and seal edges with water.  Fill as many won-ton wrappers as you have filling.  These can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator covered with a damp towel until ready to fry.  Fry these first in the oil and keep warm in the oven while you fry the rest of the food.

 I am telling you, make this meal and all of your friends will be super impressed!  It is the perfect meal for any special occasion or just when you feel like making an amazing meal.  Happy New Year!

Our Christmas

How was everyone's Christmas?  I didn't ever really get into the Christmas spirit this year for some reason.  But I still can't believe that it has come and gone already!  I have been off of work since the 19th and I am enjoying every last minute.  The Monday before Christmas I got to watch my handsome little nephew.  I love him soooooo much!

Here he is on Christmas day, posing in his new wagon.  When I watched him, we made ornaments for my brother and his wife as well as for my mom and dad.  Fischer wasn't too sure about having his hand pressed into the salt dough, but we got two good ornaments!  They all loved this special gift from this adorable little man. 

Speaking of ornaments, my mom made us all these tie angels.  My grandpa was a produce man and wore ties to work everyday.  My grandma gave all the ties to my dad but since my dad doesn't wear ties they didn't know what to do with them.  My mom wanted to find a way to use them and found this idea to make angel ornaments out of them.  She had enough ties to make one for grandpa's 3 kids, 8 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren and 1 great great grandchild.  Now we can all have a piece of our grandpa on our Christmas trees every year! 

I was also commissioned to alter some playing cards for a Premier Design Jewelry consultant.  She had custom made cards that she wanted blinged up.  I did my best with the small budget I had and came up with these.  Hopefully all the consultants liked them! 

Cody and I decided to spend Christmas Eve by ourselves this year.  We made a delicious homemade Chinese food dinner, watched Christmas Vacation and opened presents.  I will be sharing the recipes for this amazing meal on my next post.

Cody got me a Kitchen Aid Mixer because he knows how much I have wanted one and that I would use it all the time!  The next day we went to my parent's house for Christmas and what do you think my parent's got me?  A Kitchen Aid mixer!  I go from not having one to having 2.  The one Cody got me is brand new.  The one my mom got me is used-she found it at an estate sale this summer for $10 and just had to buy the bowl and attachments.  I obviously can't return the one she got me but returning the one Cody got me means we will have all that money back.  I can't decide what I am going to do...maybe I will just have 2 now?!  

Christmas in the Kitchen Swap Goodies

I love participating in swaps.  It's fun to create things for others and then get something in return.  I joined Erica's Christmas in the Kitchen Exchange over at Golden Egg Vintage and was partnered up with Betty Jean at Shabby Tea Party.  We were to create 2 kitchen themed ornaments, a tag or card, a recipe and throw in some goodies.  Here is what I made for Betty Jean.

 I went to World Market knowing that they had these tiny little graters.  It is the perfect size for an ornament.  I blinged it up and added a sweet little gingerbread man to it.  

 I also picked up a mini whisk.  I wrapped the handle, added a Santa ornament to the top and finished it up with some red ribbon and beads.

 Even though this card isn't kitchen themed, it is perfect for Christmas.  Aqua bingo card all dressed up in red, French and vintage touches.

 I also sent along a pack of red paper straws, a gingerbread man with bakers twine, socks, peppermint bark and cupcake papers.  I hope you liked your goodies Betty Jean!

 Betty Jean made this amazing smelling gingerbread man that is covered in pretty glitter.  I wish you could smell him!

 And isn't this gingerbread house the cutest?  It is covered in glitter and has a sweet bottle brush tree.  It sits on an electric candle and is so adorably cute.

Here is the tag she made me...I love how she did everything in a gingerbread theme.  The tag has a vintage teaspoon and the tiniest gingerbread man cookie cutter tied to it.  The recipe is for Frosty Date Ball Cookies...I think I will have to make these for Cody since he loves date cake.  She also sent along some candy but Cody stole the Almond Roca as soon as he saw it, I enjoyed the peppermint bark chocolates and I used the mini chocolate Santa's to decorate cupcakes this week.  Thank you so much Betty Jean...I love all of my goodies!

Holiday Party Recap

My work holiday party was last night and it was a big success!  I wanted to share with you the centerpieces that I finally decided on.  There were 18 all together and I made 3 different kinds.

We also had blue uplights that really made a dramatic effect.  These colors are my favorite! 

 The theme was Winter Wonderland/Two Turtle Doves.  I bought these two turtle doves from the dollar store, glittered their wings, stuck them in a large glass vase with Epsom salt, a candle and snowflakes and they sat on the beverage table.  Everyone loved it!

 I also painted some tree branches white and then added silver glitter to them.  I stuck them in a vase with clear glass beads.  This sat on the check in table.  The aqua garland went around the base of all the vases and the caterers even used some to decorate the food tables.

And here is a picture of the set up before people arrived.  We had about 160 people in attendance and we got rave reviews over the food and the decorations.  I think everyone enjoyed themselves! 

My first big event is now under my belt...I think I am going to LOVE my job, in fact I already do!

Yarn Crafts for Christmas

I wanted a different wreath for my front door this year.  I wanted it to be bright and whimsical and different from what I usually have.  While wandering around Michael's trying to figure out what I was going to do, the yarn seemed to reach out and touch me.  I don't usually do anything with yarn and always overlook it.  So glad I didn't overlook it this time because I just love my new yarn wreath!

I bought a chip board wreath frame and red, white and green yarn.  I spent the next few nights wrapping the yarn in sections around the form.  Felt roses were next followed by a vintage Santa figurine, a mica flake bottle brush tree and some tiny little presents.  It was exactly what I was going for and it looks great on my front door!

I had a lot of yarn left over so I decided to make some yarn pom poms.  They are really easy to make and turned out very cute.  This pom pom garland looks so festive on my mantle! 

 I am keeping all of my Christmas decorations pretty simple this year and I am not bringing all of it out.  I did add some new things however.  I found these vintage Santa mugs at a yard sale this summer.  They fit perfectly on my candle sticks and the bottle brush trees are such a fun touch.  Not sure if I will leave them plain or decorate them...

 I still have a lot of yarn left so I am not sure what I will be making with it.  I just know that it is very fun to use in my crafts and I am glad that I didn't over look it like I have in the past! Can you see the cute stocking holders?  The fabulous Miss BJ from Sweet Nothing's sent those to me last year.  I love them and can't wait for the new stockings I ordered to get here so I can hang them.

My mom bought each of us girls one of these holiday signs at a craft fair recently.  I love how it looks sitting up against my mantle.  Thanks momma!

Linking up with:

DIY Showcase

Amaze Me Monday

Show & Share

Masterpiece Monday

Monday Link Party

Brag About It

Inspire Me Tuesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Vintage Inspiration

Centerpiece Wednesday

What's It Wednesday

Worthwhile Wednesday

Simple & Sweet Friday

Creative Christmas

Feathered Nest Friday

Home Sweet Home

Christmas Decorating at Work

Even though I am no where near done decorating for Christmas at home, I am done at work!  I took the last two days to make our home away from home extra festive!

We don't have a Christmas tree but our bookshelf down stairs is the perfect shape for a tree.  We strung some purple lights on it and hung a few ornaments.  We even put a star on top! 

 The mantle has some garland and ornaments.  We may just have to get some stockings to hang.

 The staircase is probably my favorite.  It is the perfect place to put garland and ornaments in our school colors of course!  I walk up and down these stairs multiple times everyday and it is nice to have them looking so lovely!

 This old house really is just made for decorating for Christmas!

 One more look at our make-shift tree...so pretty!  This bookshelf has first edition books on it from as far back as the 1800's.  So many treasures can be found in this old house!

And last but not least, I wanted to share this photo with you.  I was asked by my veterinary clinic to take their office picture for their holiday card.  We went out to a horse farm and got to take pictures with these lovely draft horses.  They are sisters named Dove and Dawn.  Dove is 24 and Dawn is 22.  They were beautiful and thanks to the snow that fell that day, we got some perfect wintry photos!

On December 13th, I will be taking pictures at the veterinary clinic of animals with Santa Paws.  I hope Cody will bring my dogs in so they can have their picture taken too!