Thursday, December 17, 2020

Blogmas 2020- Day #9- Favorite Christmas Movies Part Deux

Hello Friends and welcome to day #9 of Blogmas!

Christmas is in full swing at our house! Decor is up (Christmas and tree and stockings), Christmas music playing (when the husband and kids will let me), my favorite candle is burning (who doesn't love vanilla?), and thanks to my hot chocolate corner in the kitchen, we are knocking it out of the park in the calorie category of the season as well! Another thing that goes hand in hand at our house is movie nights filled with our favorite Christmas movies. And sometimes movie afternoons and even some movie mornings.

Let's dive into the list!!!

What Christmas without the classics? I love these movies and I watch them every year!  Some cartoons just never get old. I am not ashamed to admit that I watch these movies with or with out my kids.




My daughters love these two movies! I think we watch both of them two or three time a week starting on Thanksgiving until New Years.

The Hubby and I love these three movies! Our Christmas isn't complete until we have watched these cuddled on the couch under a nice warm blanket and drinking hot chocolate. It's the ultimate winter date night in my opinion.

There's nothing like a fun Christmas movie to put you in the mood for the holidays!

Do you and your family have a favorite Christmas movie that did not make onto m

Blogmas 2020- Day #8- Christmas Playlist

Hello Friends and welcome to Day #8 of Blogmas! Today's post is all about the two Christmas songs that are always on repeat in our house all day long.

Now, we don't listen to Christmas music every day, we do listen to one Christmas song over and over and over throughout the month of December. It also happens to be my 10 year old's  and 5 year old's favorite song:

Feliz Navidad 



 

Rudpolph the Red Nosed Reindeer


Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer



The Twelve Pains of Christmas


What's on your Chrristmas playlist?

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Blogmas 2020- Day#7- Pot Simmer Recipes

Hello Friends and welcome to Day #7 of Blogmas!

Today's catch up post is all about pot simmer recipes. Let's be honest, this is a foreign concept to me because I had never heard of them before until now. From what I understand, you begin by bringing water to a boil  and then adding your favorite ingredients and letting is simmer all day. As the water simmers away, you add more water. This not only leaves a pleasant fragrence throughout your house and also puts some moisture in the air.

 Pot Simmer Recipes

 So here is a recipe that I have found and that I would like to try:


Recipe #1
Cinnamon sticks
Apple peels
Orange rinds
Whole cloves


Recipe #2
Apple juice
Cinnamon sticks
Whole cloves

Recipe #3
Vanilla (a few drops)
Orange peels

Recipe #4 – Christmas Potpourri Simmering Pot
3 sprigs evergreen or handful pine needles
2 cinnamon sticks
2 TBS whole cloves
2 bay leaves
2 pieces orange rind
2 pieces lemon rind

What is your favorite recipe? 

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Blogmas 2020-Day #6- Christmas Crunch Popcorn

 Hi and welcome to Day #6 of Blogmas!!! Today's post is all about Christmas popcorn. I love popcorn, any kind of popcorn! This one is such an easy recipe, it's fun to make with the girls, and it oh so yummy!!







 Christmas Crunch Popcorn 

Ingredients

1/2 cup popping popcorn kernels, or 2 bags tender white popcorn
1 (12 oz) bag Vanilla Candy Melts (such as Wilton Candy Melts)
1 1/3 cups broken pretzel pieces
1 (12 oz) bag green and red Milk Chocolate or Mint M&Ms Red, green and white Sprinkles.

Directions

Pop popcorn in a popcorn popper into a large bowl (or alternately in the microwave if using microwave bags of popcorn) according to manufactures directions. Remove any unpopped popcorn kernels. Toss in broken pretzel pieces and M&Ms.

Melt Vanilla Candy Melts in a microwave safe bowl on 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. Drizzle half of melted chips over popcorn mixture, then stir, tossing gently a few times with a rubber spatula. Then drizzle remaining half of melted chips over popcorn, and gently stir mixture until evenly coated (don't over stir though or your sprinkles wont stick if the white chips begin to set and harden).
Pour mixture into a single layer onto wax paper. Sprinkle entire mixture evenly with sprinkles (as many as you'd like) before vanilla chips set. Allow to cool and harden, then gently break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

Note: I was able to fill 8 - 9 1/2"x 4" party treat bags about 2/3 full with this recipe, just to let you know so you have an idea for gift giving.

P.S. I will explain later why I was MIA for so long during Blogmas. I'm going to try and stick to a schedule until the end of the year and finish Blogmas this year!



Blogmas 2020- Day #5- Holiday Traditions

 Hello again Friends!


Welcome to Day #5 of Blogmas! Today's post is all about memories from past Christmases. The only happy memories that I have from my childhood center around Christmas. Growing up, we had two Christmas celebrations, one on Christmas eve and then on Christmas day. The Christmas eve celebration was always my favorite because we celebrated with German traditions. I loved the food (bratwurst and spetzula, and strawberry cake) , the presents, and just being with my Grandparents. We always went to midnight mass afterwards. It has always been my favorite way to celebrate Christmas.


Spetzula


Strawberry Cake


What are some of your memories from past Christmases?

Blogmas 2020- Day#4- Holiday Baking

 Hello Friends!


Welcome to day #4 of Blogmas! Today's post is all about Holiday baking, the tried and true recipes that you make every year and the ones you want to try. I always make the same cookies every year, chocolate chip, sugar, and peanut butter. This year I want to make something different, something that I have never made before... this is where the internet comes in real handy.

I did a quick search and found a few recipes that I would like to try.

Chocolate Cherry Snowballs



Snickers Chocolate Cookie Cups


Russian Tea Cakes


What are some of your favorite Christmas cookie recipes?

Thursday, December 3, 2020

Blogmas 2020- Day #3- My Favorite Christmas Movies

Hi and welcome to Day #3 of Blogmas! Today's post is all about some of my favorite Christmas movies.You know those movies that you have to watch every year, without fail, or those that best represent the season for you.

Here's my list!

1. Christmas Vacation:

As the holidays approach, Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) wants to have a perfect family Christmas, so he pesters his wife, Ellen (Beverly D'Angelo), and children, as he tries to make sure everything is in line, including the tree and house decorations. However, things go awry quickly. His hick cousin, Eddie (Randy Quaid), and his family show up unplanned and start living in their camper on the Griswold property. Even worse, Clark's employers renege on the holiday bonus he needs.



2. Home Alone: 

When bratty 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) acts out the night before a family trip to Paris, his mother (Catherine O'Hara) makes him sleep in the attic. After the McCallisters mistakenly leave for the airport without Kevin, he awakens to an empty house and assumes his wish to have no family has come true. But his excitement sours when he realizes that two con men (Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern) plan to rob the McCallister residence, and that he alone must protect the family home.


3. Elf:

Buddy (Will Ferrell) was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa's elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn't fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York, in full elf uniform, in search of his real father. As it happens, this is Walter Hobbs (James Caan), a cynical businessman. After a DNA test proves this, Walter reluctantly attempts to start a relationship with the childlike Buddy with increasingly chaotic results.


4. The Holiday:

 Dumped and depressed, English rose Iris agrees to swap homes with similarly unlucky in love Californian Amanda for a much-needed break. Iris finds herself in a palatial Hollywood mansion while Amanda navigates the lanes of a picture-perfect English village. Soon enough, both lovelorn ladies bump into local lads perfect for a romantic pick-me-up.



5. The Family Stone:

Everett Stone (Dermot Mulroney) wants to bring his girlfriend, Meredith Morton (Sarah Jessica Parker), to meet his bohemian Connecticut family at Christmas. Straitlaced Meredith, feeling she needs backup, asks her sister Julie (Claire Danes) to come along. Hoping to win the approval of her boyfriend's parents Sybil (Diane Keaton) and Kelly (Craig T. Nelson) and the rest of the family, instead Meredith succeeds only in highlighting her uptight personality and making Everett doubt his intentions.




6. The Santa Clause

Divorced dad Scott (Tim Allen) has custody of his son (Eric Lloyd) on Christmas Eve. After he accidentally kills a man in a Santa suit, they are magically transported to the North Pole, where an elf explains that Scott must take Santa's place before the next Christmas arrives. Scott thinks he's dreaming, but over the next several months he gains weight and grows an inexplicably white beard. Maybe that night at the North Pole wasn't a dream after all -- and maybe Scott has a lot of work to do.



Now, this doesn't make up my entire list, but these are the movies that I have watch every single year.

What's on your must watch movie list?

 

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Blogmas 2020- Day #2- December 2020 Goals

It's finally the end of the year, which has been the longest year ever. I am looking forward to spending Christmas with my family and starting some new traditions with the girls. I plan on making the Christmas extra special for them since they have missed so much this year.

Anyway, here are the goals that I have set up for December.



December 2020 Goals

 1. Read two books

2. Clean and organize the playroom

3. Finish setting up C's bedroom

4. Walk daily even if it's in the house

5. Organize the pantry

6. Clean and organize the freezer

7. Cross things off of our quarantine style Winter Bucket List

8. Finish editorail calendar and content for January

9. Post more onto Instagram and learn how to use stories and reels

What are goals for December? Please share in the comments below, I would love to read them!


Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Blogmas 2020- Day#1- Welcome to Blogmas 2020

 Hello Friends!

Welcome to Blogmas 2020! What can I say.... it's been quite the year hasn't it? It's been a year where we have been forced to slow down and appreciate what we have. Anyway, it's December and it's time for some fun holiday themed post! For those who don't know anything about Blogmas, I will attempt to explain it in the next couple of paragraphs. 




Blogmas is kind of self explanatory. However, I will explain it for those who do not know it is and what it involves. Blogmas is an event that happens from December 1st until December 25th, although it may last until the new year. It invloves bloggers posting everyday unitl Christmas. You can post whatver you like, it can be Christmas related or it can be things you are interested in. I like to think of Blogmas as a present for all those readers out there who get something to read everyday....kind of like an advent calendar. 

I have decided that a new blog post will go live everyday at 7am. I'm going to try hard to ensure that I successfully complete Blogmas this year (I usually quit about half way through). I did successfully complete Blogtober this year so that make me think that this will be a success too. So, we will see how Blogmas goes. Please let me know if you get the chance to read some of the posts. This year my Blogmas posts with include some Christmas content as well as Mommy and Lifestyle content and some recipes thrown in here and there. 

Again, welcome to Blogmas 2020! I hope you have fun!!!!