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Ten of my Faves

That make great stocking stuffers.

Odd that I would have favorites out there, considering that I am doing the whole handmade Christmas thing. The truth is though, that the handmade part is the part with all my family, which totals fourteen before adding Myself, Hubby and the kids.   For our home Christmas we are buying a few little things for each other.  Just a little something that we wouldn’t normally buy for ourselves.  So here are my ten favorites, hopefully you may be inspired for that person you were stuck buying for.

1. Cake Beauty   specifically the “You Deserve This” pack.  A wonderful hand cream that smells like dessert and leaves your hands feeling soft and their triplemint foot creme that keeps your feet beach fresh all year round.  Cake beauty is a Canadian company and their products are available online as well as in stores (such as Chapters and Bed Bath and Beyond) in both Canada and the US.

2. Journals.  I can never have enough journals.  Funny though I don’t actually Journal anymore, but I use them for notes.  I have one for knitting, one for all the library books I get, one for working out, one for food and my list could go on and one.  I have never met a Journal I didn’t use.  I really love these ones by Ecojot.  The covers are fabulous and I love the big spirals to flip over the pages.

3. Starbucks Cards or a Reload.  I know I should be keeping with Canadian, even for my treats, but truth be told, when I do go for a treat, I go to Starbucks.  I want the whole experience.  I want the multiple selections, I want my hair to smell like coffee, I want the jazz music in the background, I just want to go to Starbucks.  I love receiving a Card in my stocking, it makes treats after Christmas easier. I do enjoy a reload of my card too, my Sister and I do this for each other every now and then.  Even J asked for a Starbucks card in his stocking this year! (train them young I say)

4. OPI Nail Polish.  A girl can never have too much nail polish.  I think I have received one in my stocking for several years now, I love them all.  Now, if only I can find the time to polish my toes every now and then.  My favorite colour is Bubble Bath, but I also enjoy Back to the Beach Peach, among others.

5.  Laura Secord Chocolate Covered Marachino Cherries.  Truthfully, any good chocolate will do, but I mean good chocolate.  Not the boxes you buy at the grocery store, but the ones you have to go to the Chocolate Shop for.  I love Laura Secord and only get it once or twice a year these days, but I wouldn’t say no to some nice truffles from any other Chocolatiere that was would there.

6. Scarves.  And here, I don’t even think I have a website to offer, but I love getting scarves.  This comes from living in Canada with Fall and Winter that seem to last forever.  If you can change it up with a different scarf every day, it makes Winter a little more interesting.  I have funky ones, chunky ones, handmade ones, pashmina type ones.  A scarf a day keeps the winter blues away. {American Apparel has a good list right here}

7.  Chick Flicks.  Every year I give Hubby a list of Chick Flicks that I love and as the year goes on, I receive them when he sees them on sale somewhere.  I love getting a few good Chick Flicks in my Stocking, gives you something to laugh, relax and enjoy a cozy Winter evening.  Some of my Faves are: Sweet Home Alabama, 27 Dresses, How to Lose a Guy in 10 days, Pride and Prejudice… just to name a few.

8. Dessert.  My Sister Received this as a gift one year, and I have always wished to receive the same thing.  She received all the toppings you would need to make sundaes.  All you had to do was buy the ice cream.  In the basket was a jar of chocolate sauce, a jar of caramel sauce, coloured sprinkles, M&M’s, marshmallows, and waffle cones.  You could make this a big basket or a little basket, either way it is just so yummy to recieve.  It is one of my favorites though because I got to share in hers :).
9. Magazines.  I don’t buy as many magazines as I used to, so I always love to receive a good magazine or two in my Stocking. In fact for my Birthday, Hubby picked up three of my favorites for me (Real Simple, Canadian Living, Photo Life) and I enjoyed them so much, just because they were a treat for me.

10. Photos in a frame.  Nothing is more thoughtful than receiving a photo already in a frame of my neices and nephews.  After a while you may not need frames anymore, but when the though is there and the photos arrive all ready to go, I just love it.  You can tailor the photos depending on the receiver.

And there is ten of my Favorite things to receive for Christmas.  I mean, I could add that I would love to receive a 1 million dollar cheque, but I am being realistic here. I was also trying to keep this to stocking stuffer type things.  If I were to have an unlimited budget there would definitely be some fancy camera equipment and software on this list. For now, I keep track of those on my Amazon wish list, just in case Santa asks.

Categories: Christmas, Holidays, Lists, Santa Clause, Wish List
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Sneak Peek

Here is a sneak peak of something I have been working on for a couple of weeks.  The final product is being cut right now as I type.  These are my test ones, which turned out to be a little short for the Calendar Jewel cases.

 I really wanted to make some last year for Christmas gifts but, they just fell by the wayside.  This year, not only will they end up in stockings, but they will also be in my Etsy shop, hopefully by tomorrow night.  And I say hopefully, because we are due for a snow storm tonight and as always, I only drive on snow storm days once the roads are clear of morning rush hour traffic and people who don’t really remember how to drive in the snow.

The calendars are made up of my photos.  The first is some of my favorite tulips and the second, more masculine one, is made up of a wide variety of photos I have taken around town and on trips.

One handmade gift down, a few more to go…

Categories: Etsy, Photography
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Menu Planning 101

For a long time, I planned out our meals, made a grocery list and stuck to it.  I never had to sit and think and think and think about what to make.  Then one day I stopped.  I don’t know why, I just stopped.  We started eating out more, I made the same boring thing every week.  And our grocery bill was skyrocketing.  This is what got me the most.  How on earth did we buy more groceries with nothing planned and use them all?

Well this had to stop.  With a little inspiration from Kim over at Beanish and other Languages I’m Learning, I started to plan out menus again.  It was working well, I would stick to five out of the seven days.  So, I decided to try something funky.  I made a plan for two weeks.  Yes, two whole weeks.  I got the groceries for two weeks then, sat back and relaxed.  We didn’t stick to the plan for every single day, but I didn’t have to worry about what to make, I just looked up at the list and away I went.

Wee are on the second week of two week planning and our grocery bill was lower, again.  Yes, I forgot to mention buying planned groceries for two weeks actually worked out cheaper than the weekly purchases.  And in the second week we only had to make a milk and bread run.  Amazing.

For the fun of it all, I want to share our two week menu with you for the next two weeks.  Just in case it inspires you to try a new recipe or just plan it out.

Thursday – Spaghetti Bolognese

Friday – Dinner out, Mom is cooking (that is Grandma, actually)

Saturday – Calzones – recipe from Kraft.ca

Sunday – Bruchetta Chicken – recipe from Kraft.ca

Monday – Beef Stroganoff – a recipe I adapted from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook

Tuesday – Peppery Maple Chicken – recipe from Chatelaine Magazine

Wednesday  – Soy and Orange Pork – Chatelaine again

Thursday – Creamy Chicken Skillet – hey it’s another Kraft.ca recipe

Friday – Crock Pot Roast – just a good ole roast in the Crock Pot

Saturday – Lazy Man’s Lasagna – From The Big Cook

Sunday  – Peirogies and Sausages

Monday – Beef Stew

Tuesday – Curry Chicken  – adapted from my Mom’s recipe

Wednesday – Marla Maple Pork Tenderloin – Looney Spoons 

Happy Cooking!

Categories: Recipes
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