If you haven’t already, today would be a good day to put up the Christmas tree! Once the tree is up, the Christmas spirit spreads like crazy. Let the festivities begin! Oh, and don’t forget the Christmas music! And don’t forget the outside! String lights around windows, eaves, doorways, bushes, trees…the more the merrier! … Read more
If you haven’t already put together an advent calendar, do this today with your family. A simple idea to get you started is to wrap up 25 Christmas books and put them under the tree. Unwrap and read one each night until Christmas. This is a simple, inexpensive, and nearly plan-free way to do your … Read more
For the month of December, I want to give you some ways to celebrate the Christmas season. Too many times Christmas comes and goes and I don’t feel like I’ve even had time to enjoy and celebrate it. Filling December with fun festive holiday traditions will make Christmastime a season to remember for your family. … Read more
This is a family favorite, particularly at Thanksgiving and Christmas. In fact, I don’t think we ever had it any other time. Without further ado, here is the best cheese pie (not exactly cheesecake) recipe ever. Cream Cheese Pie Crust: 13-14 crushed graham crackers (in the blender works best) 1/4 c. melted butter Filling: 12 … Read more
This is one of the pies I’ll be making for Thanksgiving on Thursday – a Double Chocolate Mousse Pie (recipe from my friend Erica Miller and who knows where else it might be found…I don’t know where it’s originally from.) This pie is super easy and delicious – I’ve tasted it. Yum. I don’t think … Read more
The key to a great pie this Thanksgiving is a great pie crust, of course. I went to a little class recently (taught by Erica Miller) about making pie crusts, and I learned some pretty great tricks. Here they are, just for you. (Click here for just the basic pie crust recipe) Part I: The … Read more
I found some great ideas for Halloween games on this About.com page and thought I’d share them with you! Halloween is not until Friday, so you still have plenty of nights to play these games with your family. We haven’t had a chance to do them yet, but they’re on the agenda for this week. … Read more
We have a monthly family party to celebrate all the birthdays that month. They’re always great fun with lots of good food and games. For our October/Halloween party, we played some old fashioned games that were really fun. The first gave was bobbing for apples, which is an old standard. If you haven’t done that … Read more
Happy 4th, everyone. I think Independence Day is one of my favorite holidays – it’s in the summer, there are fireworks and candy and parades, pancake breakfasts, BBQ dinners – aren’t these some of the great things about America? Hmm-mmm. I’ve been thinking about our 4th of July traditions, getting ready to celebrate, and I … Read more
According to an NPR broadcast this morning, if mothers were paid a salary, it would be $117,000 per year. Most of that pay would be from overtime since mothers work an average of 100 hours per week. You might not be able to give your mother a monetary thank you this Mother’s Day, but she … Read more