Happy New Years!

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?

CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear, (for old times sake, my dear)
for auld lang syne, (for old times sake)
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne. (for old times sake)
And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne. (for old times sake)

CHORUS
We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS
We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine† ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS
And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give me a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.

Wishing you the best in the new year!!

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Peppermint Chocolate Gingerbread Men {Christmas Cookie Recipe}

Full of flavor, these designer looking cookies are actually quite simple to make! 

Gingerbread cookies are a tradition in my household. A tradition that began when my husband and I were so very young, just starting out in life. I was a new mom still in my 20's. We lived in a little apartment and I had just quit work to stay at home full time with my kiddos.

At that time my husband worked on commission and had a very bad month. We knew his check was never the same from month to month, and was usually not forgiving at Christmas, so we were prepared.

 But, that first December was even more difficult that we expected. And we knew there would be no money for gifts outside of our little family. Being one who liked to bake, I always had an ample supply of flour, brown sugar, and such on hand. So I rifled through my cabinets and found that I had enough to make several dozen gingerbread men!

My oldest son, who was all of 2, and I set about making gingerbread men. We had the best time. He giggled as he saw them take shape. He waited as for them to come out of the oven and cool. He ate ALL of the broken ones. We made faces, smiles, frowns, and crooked little mouths.

We had so much fun! It became a tradition. And after 11 years of tweaking, the recipe below is the recipe we now make each year at Christmas. And that little 2 year old, who is now nearly 14, still smiles as he cuts out gingerbread men!

These cookies are really simple, there are no special tools required. The snowflake was an added touch this year, I bought a shaker full of them, but we usually make these without snowflakes. Once you have made your gingerbread men you just dip them in Chocolate that has been heated with a little vegetable oil and then when they are completely cool use a tablespoon to drizzle a mix of powdered sugar water and peppermint extract. Peppermint extract is found right next to the vanilla extract in most stores.

And the recipe above is printable!
To print: click on the recipe, click again to make sure it if fully expanded. Select 'file' and 'print' from your browsers window. (If you are using google chrome you may need to right click and open the recipe in a new window, click again to expand it, and then select the wrench from the top of the page to find the print button). If you have any trouble try saving the recipe to your desktop by right clicking on it and saving it and then printing from there.


I shared this recipe before, but as I am making these today though I would post them for anyone else looking for a fun holiday treat. :)

Christmas Quote Quiz!

Can you name the author for each quote about Christmas? (Answers follow, below.)

There's nothing sadder in this world than to wake Christmas morning and not be a child.

This is the message of Christmas: we are never alone.

I will honour Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.

At Christmas, all roads lead to home.

The perfect Christmas tree? All Christmas trees are perfect!

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.

One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas Day. Don't clean it up too quickly.

At Christmas play and make good cheer, For Christmas comes but once a year.

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.

Answers

Erma Bombeck

Taylor Caldwell

Charles Dickens (from A Christmas Carol)

Marjorie Holmes

Charles N. Barnard

Hamilton Wright Mabie

Norman Vincent Peale

Andy Rooney

Thomas Tusser

Larry Wilde

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

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Free Printable "Dear Santa" Letter

Each year the second week of November is Santa letter writing week!
This year I have made up a fun free printable Santa letter printable.

This is a great opportunity to teach children about letter writing, to ask Santa questions, to share about life, and of course (as Santa is always interested) to ask for gifts!

To print this letter: click on it to expand it (click again to make sure it is fully expanded) and then select file and print or right click on it and select printing options from the menu. If you have any trouble right click save the letter to your paint on your computer and printing from there.

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Roasted Pumpkin Seeds {recipe}

Every year from our jack-o-lanterns we make roasted pumpkin seeds. 

Here is my favorite recipe:

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2c. raw pumpkin seeds with shells

 about 2tsp. butter, melted

and about 3tsp. salt

Directions: Heat oven to 300 degrees

Toss seeds in bowl with melted butter and salt.

Spread seeds in a single layer on cookie sheet.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until browned.

Stirring occasionally.

When cooled shells should be dried and easy to eat, 

if they are not, reheat and cool.

Elegant White Pumpkin Tablescape

White pumpkins are so beautiful.

So for the first day of Autumn I set this tablescape for two.

Water goblets, wine glasses, salad and dinner plates, candles and napkins.

Black and white plates.

I made these napkin rings.

Candles and ivy.

The pumpkins steal the show.

Happy Autumn!

20 Winter Fun Facts

Winter Fun Facts:

1.We have all heard that no two snowflakes are alike. Did you know a scientist took 400,000 to prove it?

2.Icicles form most often on the south side of buildings.

3.The record for the most snow angels at one time was set in Ontario Canada in 2004 when a couple of schools joined to create 15,851 snow angels.

4.The wind chill factor measures heat loss from exposed skin.

5.If it gets cold enough, single digits or below, ice crystals can form and snow can fall from clear skies.

6.All snowflakes have 6 sides.

7.Antarctica set the record for the worlds coldest temperature at -129(degrees Fahrenheit)

8.It does not have to be 32(degrees Fahrenheit) outside to snow.

9.Average snowflakes fall at 3.1mph

10.Ice is a mineral.

11.Billions of snowflakes fall during a storm, even a small storm.

12.A whiteout is also called a snow squall. This is when the cloud touches the ground and everything looks white.

13.  60% of the Earth's fresh water is stored in the polar ice caps.

14.Hot water freezes faster than cold water.

15.The "winter blues" were first diagnosed in 1984. And have recently been named seasonal affective disorder or S.A.D. (seriously)

16.The tallest snowman was 113 feet 7 inches tall. Named Angus and made in Bethel Maine in 1999.

17. Nine years later in 2008 this same town created the world's tallest snowwoman. The snowwoman stood 122 feet 1 inch tall.

18. The largest snowflake recorded in the Guinness World Book of Records fell in Montana and  was 15 wide.

19. Ten inches of snow melts down to one inch of water.

20. Winter ends and spring begins with the March equinox. This is when the day and night are approximately ths same length. Currently the equinox occurs on either March 20 or 21st.