SNOW DAYS ..................

The kids usually pray for snow and do all kinds of funny things to "get snow" when school is in, like wearing their pj's backwards, flushing ice cubes and even doing dances in funny socks. This year we got snow early, after school was out , but not quite late enough to make it a "white Christmas." it didn't just snow a little bit it snowed ALOT..............









like an inch an hour..............for several hours!~ We ended up with 11-13 inches ............










We grabbed a bottle of wine and watched as our plans to go to Busch Gardens and/or the Christmas parade diminished we decided to drink a glass of wine and take pictures and "embrace" the idea, as was suggested by my GF........... okey dokey then............... lets do it!










Because of our plans to go out of town we decided to have our grown kids and grandkids over to celebrate a week early.................and it SNOWED! It didn't stop our kids and grandkids from coming but I did miss seeing my sister and a BFF that day :(...........








Kelly and Faith having some "quality time"








The Best Sno-Man Eva, built by Uncle Mo .......on our back porch












A bit of Sledding Action.........









Al knows his stuff and stealthily guided that sled!








Gavin helped make the Snow Ice Cream (tastes like home-made ice cream)
Recipe:
lots of clean snow
Real Vanilla (to taste) - couple of tblespoons
Milk: I used about 1/2 cup - 1cup
Condensed Milk : I used two cans
Mix all ingredients together until you get the "right" consistency and taste for you!

SOAR ! with ME RA KOH photography (free photo tips/ideas)

Most of you know my passion is photography............ I would love to have the opportunity to go back to school to be "schooled" in the digital photography world. I am an "old school" girl of film. I loved playing in the dark room years ago and had a full time job with Olan Mills and Richmond Camera. I also did some freelance, Sports Photography, for a local newspaper, The Powhatan Today for 15 years (mostly for the fun of it, it didn't pay much). Since that time, the times have changed and I have had to reteach myself and save for some newer equipment. I have been lucky and won a couple of photography contests and that has also helped me to acquire some equipment as well. I have been sharing some of my "stuff" on facebook and on this blog and there is an interest in what I do (for sale) but so far I have given and gifted my prints and only asked printing fees for my prints. I aspire to do more................... and ME RA KOH is such an inspiration!




PHOTO TIPS go HERE I love her "photo recipes" which give you the exact settings for particular photo ops. check it out!

FROM THE WEBSITE:

"I read once that to be an artist is one thing, but to live an artistic life is another. Brian and I took this statement as a call to create an artistic life with our marriage, kids and business. This last February, we put our dreaming to the test. We packed two backpacks, our camera gear, the kids' homeschool books, and rented a house in the jungles of southern Thailand for two months. There were no cars, no roads, but there was WiFi to keep our business running. And there were monkeys - sometimes forty monkeys ransacking our kitchen at once. We documented our family adventures through photography and writing. We watched the kids grow in confidence as they found their way in a foreign land. We walked miles each day with them by our side, and shared stories that only come up when you have miles to walk together. We created dances in the waves. We fell asleep to the cicada beetles at night. And somewhere in the challenges and rewards of living in the jungle, we created an artistic life that turned our dreaming into reality."

They would like to share this reality with others and created SOAR scholarships SOAR! is a new scholarship that is not only going to change the lives of three women, but breathe hope and encouragement into people across the nation. The deadline for entry is 12/21 but hopefully there will be a "like" contest next year. Winners will be announced in January.

Mom Central Shares the process............Each SOAR! Scholarship applicant must complete a brief online application, which requires personal & family information, a summary of what makes photography your passion and your time and travel commitments. Applicants must also submit a two-minute video explaining why they are worthy of receiving the SOAR Scholarship. The entire application process proves fast and easy, and all information can be found within the SOAR! Scholarship website http://www.soarwithmera.com/

Gift ideas for your favorite photographer! GO HERE These are meant to be "stocking stuffers" ( the price range is a bit higher than my under $10 range for Stocking Stuffers) think MOTHERS DAY, FATHERS DAY and BIRTHDAYS!






“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of the SOAR! Scholarship and Me Ra Koh Photography. In addition, I received an Amazon gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.”
****on the site, sign up for the newsletter and be entered to win a Sony DSL camera! (a great chance to win some NICE photography equipment)

APPLESAUCE / CINNAMON ornaments, tags, decor

if you click on the picture and look closely you will notice the applesauce cinnamon angel ornament in the tree........it is scently beautifully.

This year is the first year ever I have had an artificial tree indoors. We opted to do this due to our trip to Florida that we have planned. Easy.....
easy clean up etc......... We decorated with many "edible" ornaments as well as practical, we can just throw whats "not perishable" in a box without too much regard to breakage or loss. To compensate for the beautiful smell that would be lacking I decided to make cinnamon ornaments.

These spices do not have to be "quality" as you are not eating, so buying the "cheapy" stuff at the dollar store, salvage stores etc is totally acceptable and in my house expected! :) I stock up on these type of craft spices whenever I am there. The ribbon is also the cheap $1 a roll ribbon that you find at dollar general or like store that I buy whenever I see it clearanced or cheap to keep on hand. This will keep my house smelling great along with the pine wreath we made for the front door and the scented candle jars (also featured on this blog below).

These could also be used as decorations/adornment for stockings or packages........or hanging from an "ornament tree", you are only limited by your imagination as "budget" shouldn't be an issue at all with this great holiday craft.
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Making the Ornaments:
ingredients:
1 cup chunky thick applesauce
1 cup of ground cinnamon
additional 3/4 cup of ground cinnamon ***yes 2 cin. not a type-o
1 tsp. all spice
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
2 tbls. elmers school glue

mix all ingredients reserving the additional 3/4 cup of ground cinnamon when you have a "ball" of "dry" dough..........you are "ready to roll" if your dough is sticky, use cinnamon to rub on your roller and also to add to your ball as you go, you don't want "sticky" rather you want a play dough consistency. Roll out the dough to about 1/8-1/4 thickness, I think rolling to the thicker side is better as they hold the hanger, just make sure they are not "too" heavy for your purposes.




I used "cheapy" and free plastic cookie cutters, you could even use the kind that comes with playdough sets or even a "lid" would make a ball ornament.







Preheat over to 170 degrees and plan on "warming dry" for about 2-2.5 hours (you can air dry on cookie racks for 5 days if you prefer or use a dehydrator) Paper clips were cut and inserted before putting in the oven to form a metal / sturdy hanger to tie the ribbon through.



WA-LA! awesome and easy Frugal Craft for many uses during the holidays!
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Family Snowball Fight! great stuff

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Easy, Inexpensive, LUXURIOUS, Gift Item! :)

A Christmas or two ago, I was given a candle as a gift (along with lunch) from a very good friend and fellow freelancer, Carol. I recreated this gift to give to some people on my list this year as a simple "thinking of you gift" during the holidays. My DH and I put these together last night, we made 12 and they are so very beautiful we kept 2 of them for our kitchen!


Fresh Cranberries (we used 4 bags to make 12) Rinsed and sorted to remove any "mushy" ones.







12 Mason Jars, 12 tealight candles (we used vanilla and cranberry scented , off white and red)

Basket of short needle pine springs (some have tiny pinecones on them)





Put a "sprig" in each jar, fill with water , leaving about 2-3 inches of room on top. Make sure sprig is completely covered. Place a handful of cranberries in the jar (they float) and then gently place a tealight in each one. Put on top and tie a bow with Twine or ribbon to complete the gift. When you light these candles and turn down the house lighting you will say "AHHHHHH" they are quite festive and beautiful.


click on the above (to your left to see these large , to see how pretty they are!) This gift is VERY FRUGAL, quite beautiful and fun to make and use. When the tealight is finished, replace.

Trick em into Eating Healthy!

Do you have issues getting your kids to eat healthy? if so you will LOVE LOVE LOVE this video






I didn't have "too much" of a problem with my kids, as a matter of fact Kelly was on TV when she was little because she said her favorite foods were chicken and green beans! LOL Now my step-daughter and grandkids are a different story......... PICKY PICKY PICKY! It appears there are lots of parents who are trying EVERYTHING to get their kids to eat healthy!

I was lucky enough to be selected to review SMART TASTE PASTA........ SPAGHETTI .....
I was shocked that my family did NOT notice a difference between the reg. "white" pasta and SMART TASTE..........I always thought they would turn up their nose because my step daughter doesn't even like it when I change from reg. spaghetti noodles and other "like" pasta , just a different shape.........ie: ziti etc......... cuz "it tastes funny" so when I made this I was totally prepared to offer up some other less healthy option but .............I hid the box
and EVERYONE came back for 2nds, WOWWWWWWWWWWWWW ...........
after everyone was done munching and was kicking back, I told them about the ole switch-a-roo that I pulled........and had to prove it by retrieving the box! :)
I am a believer in RONZONI and you can be too!
try it out soon!

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Ronzoni Pasta and received a sample of Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta to facilitate my review and a $20 thank-you gift certificate."

Hickory Farms : A taste of home for deployed FREE S&H

My Son-in-law went to IRAQ last January. He is a Gunny in the Marines and went over there for a year (11 months) tour of duty. Fortunately, he is now safe and sound and back home with his family. There are many service members still in Iraq and Afghanistan and many troops continue to be readying for deployment. (son in law pictured to left ,before going to Iraq)

Shortly after (a month or so) my son-in-law deployed, I learned that Hickory Farms online gift store shipped for FREE to those that are deployed with an APO or FPO address. I was thrilled! Hickory Farms' products are TOP RATE , stay fresh and I knew deployed troops would appreciate a "taste from home." The items are good, the prices are good and you cannot beat FREE S&H over to the middle east! :) There was no minimum purchase and still isn't to qualify for the FREE S&H. Just click the TAB that says MILITARY GIFTS on the site to find out which items qualify.

GO HERE

I received a "basket" of goodies from Hickory Farms to review and write about on my blog. It isn't an actual basket but rather a box filled with many fine items including : sausages, cheeses, candies etc. As I taste tested the products, images from the past arose in my mind. Isn't it funny how certain "tastes" and "smells" can transport you to a different place and time? Anyway, as I tasted each item I savored each bite. I thought about how the deployed soldiers would have fond memories of home and the holidays with them as they opened their boxes of goodies!

I sent out a box of goodies to my son-in-law last January and then got the idea to spread the word to others, letting them know about the great offer to ship without paying shipping and participating in RAOK, by sending to my Son-in-law to distribute! The boxes started to roll in and the excitement began! My son-in-law was quickly becoming a popular guy in the middle east as people were sharing a "bite of home" and sending to them! My son-in-law wrote a letter of thanks that I shared with my online friends that participated. It wasn't me, or my friends that were responsible for such a chain reaction of kindness, it was HICKORY FARMS! They made us an offer we could not refuse!

If you have a friend or relative with an APO/FPO address you may want to do the same this holiday season........... Hook up with Hickory Farms to share with those that could use some cheer , and would appreciate a bite of home!

"I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Hickory Farms and received a Hickory Farms gift basket to facilitate my review."