A Simple Friday

Hello and Happy Friday!  Nothing big for today.  I just wanted to share some 'prettiness' and thought you'd enjoy it.  I was with a friend this afternoon while her son was teaching one of my sweet girls a guitar lesson.  She was trying to figure out what to put together next to her cooktop.  She has lots of
beautiful things and it was fun looking at some of them.  This is the result.  I hope you have a good
weekend.  Visit with you next week.  Hopefully, I will have a tutorial on a no sew way to make a shade.

Best Dressing Ever!!

Best dressing recipe ever--I promise!  This was my grandmother's, my mom's and aunt's, and now mine.  My mom was known for her dressing :).  Try it and you'll see I'm right. 

4 boxes of Jiffy cornbread mix
32 oz chicken broth
1/2 pkg of Pepperidge Farms Cornbread Dressing
celery
yellow onion
stick of butter
6 boiled eggs
6 raw eggs, beaten
1-2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 or 2 cups of broth from your turkey

Two days before I make dressing I cut up my celery and onions and cook just until tender
in the butter.  After it is cooled, I freeze the celery/onion mixture. 

The day prior to making the dressing I cook my cornbread.  After it is cooked, I break it up and
add the PF dressing mix.  No more than half a package.  I go ahead and add the salt, pepper, garlic
powder, and poultry seasoning.  Stir all that together and let it blend overnight.  I cover it with a
dishtowel.  Needless to say, you'll need a big pan for all of this.  I also boil the 6 eggs I'll be using and refrigerate them.

On the big day, I add the celery/onion mixture (partially thawed), chop up the boiled eggs and add,
add the beaten eggs, the broth (32 oz canned) along with the broth from your turkey.  After that, you will want to add water.  This is where you add your own touch.  Not too much  but not too little or it will be dry.  Sometimes it takes a couple of times of dressing making to get it where you like it.  My mom use to add enough water until it was almost 'floating'.  I add a little less (near floating)  :).  Add the water a little at a time and stir thoroughly so you don't overadd.

Dressing doesn't have to be a scary thing to make.  By doing things ahead of time, it makes it quick and easy to put together just before baking it.  I really think the key to flavor is letting the cornbread and spices blend overnight.  After it's all assembled, bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.  Again, you'll add your own touch by deciding when it's cooked.  Watch it carefully.  And then, you'll be
the cook who is known for her dressing.  Enjoy!  Oh, and let me know how your's comes out!

Something New

Happy Hump Day!   Our week is half over.  Christmas will be here soon.  For the 5th day here in NW Arkansas, schools are out.  But not at our house because we homeschool :).  I had a set of stack boxes and I wanted to see what I could do with them to "customize" them to our color scheme.  I hope this
post gives you some ideas about using what you might already have to add to your home.  These
were from our store a couple of Christmases ago, but I have seen less expensive ones at dollar stores and Hobby Lobby.  It really was an easy project and if I can do it, then probably your toddler can, too!

I spray painted the top and middle ones, the middle and bottom lids, and used fabric to cover the top lid and bottom box.
Each week Hobby Lobby has a 40% off coupon and that's how I purchased the spray paint.  The fabric is duckcloth.  I thought I needed a thicker fabric with more body.  I really believe that helped give it a finished look.  A couple of times a month Hobby Lobby has their fabric 30% off.  I used a glue gun to glue the fabric.  I measured around the box and cut and glued it, tucking it inside.  For the trim on top, I measured the circumference, cut it wider, folded it and ironed it to make it
finished and crisp, then used the glue gun.

These are usually in the living room but since the Christmas décor in there is green and white, they are occupying a corner of the bedroom through the holidays.  Thanks for looking and enjoy your day.  Tomorrow I may put the recipe for our holiday dressing on here.  It was my grandmother's and my mom's.  And it's wonderful!!!

Christmas Cranberry Salad

Time to start planning our Christmas dinners.  Mine isn't too hard to plan since my family
likes the same thing year after year because ROUTINE.  But I love routine also so that's
okay with me--probably where they got it. :) 

Here is a tried and true recipe that has been a favorite for many years.  It's just the right
combination of sweet and slightly tart. 

Christmas Cranberry Salad
1 Large box cherry jello
2 cups of boiling water (no more water than this)
1 small can of crushed pineapple
1 small container of frozen strawberries (slightly thawed)
1 can jellied cranberry sauce
pecans or walnuts (optional)

Stir boiling water into jello, mix thoroughly, add the strawberries, pineapple, and cranberry sauce. 
After that is all mixed well add your pecans and place in refrigerator until firm--several hours or
overnight.  Put mixture (before you refrigerate it)  into your prettiest glass bowl because this salad
will be gorgeous--just the right shade of Christmas red.  A bowl something like this.  And enjoy!

More From the Simple Side (Of Decorating)

Merry Monday to you!!  Almost done with decorating on the simple.  Hopefully
the photos have given you good ideas of simple things to do. 

Tomorrow, I'll share a recipe for a family favorite for your Christmas meal.

Lanterns can be used for all seasons.  This one was black and I spray painted white.  I still have a small black one,
The taper in it is an LED timed taper.  It lights up 5 hours a day.  It adds a cozy touch and mine comes on at 4:30 so
it is a nice accent in the evenings.  We have these at the store.  They are $5.50.  I have a taper holder and a small 1"berry ring with this taper. 

Here is the glittered bird and nest I told you about a couple of days ago.  I just added a sprig of cedar garland from the mantle for a nice little touch.  I hope you have a great Monday!! 

 

More Simple Decorating

Happy Weekend!  Last post we talked about using Christmas décor with our
everyday things and keeping it simple but beautiful and festive.  Here are some
other pictures to give you ideas.
I hope you have a great Sunday.  We are snowbound here and tomorrow will be the
first time in years that our entire family will miss church.  We have been in our house since
Wednesday evening before the freezing rain and then 10" of snow fell.  Some sun and melting
will surely come soon.  I'm glad we don't get cabin fever.  We have enjoyed lots of games, fun, soup and chili, Christmas movies, and football.
Have a great Sunday and we'll visit again on Monday with some more pictures.  I think we'll take
a look at farmhouse decorating next week. 

Usually on the mantle I add garland and lights but this year I used some weeping cedar garland with a white finial,
a church and trees, and the boxwood topiaries that are there all year.

The TV armoire with two sets of trees (featured on this blog), a set of winter stack boxes, a pineapple finial (everyday décor), and a lighted tree.  You could make this with some branches spray painted white, secured in a container and some
lights.

Just some simple wreaths hung on cabinets with ribbon.  Easy but adds a festive feeling to your kitchen.

Way Too Long....

I have been a blogger slacker and I apologize.  I was using this blog as a substitute website
for our store since I didn't like the way our website had been set up.  But I think I'd like to
take the blog in a different direction.  I'd like it to be more about homemaking and decorating.
There will still be links on the sidebar for products.  Soooo...let's get started.

Most of my blog visitors will probably be directed here from Country Sampler so we
will have lots of décor for country but also many other decorating types:  farmhouse,
primitive, traditional, French country, and others.  Let me hear from you as to what you
like and any suggestions you have.  Let's help each other with our homes.

I find myself becoming more simplistic and this year I decided to simplify my
decorating and use seasonal and mix it with my everyday things.  I have been
surprised at how many ladies have shopped in our store and said the same thing:
this year, for them, less is more.  I really have been glad at my decision.




This jelly cupboard is in the kitchen.  The wreath and toile lamp are
everyday items.  We'll have another post about making fabric flowers
like the ones on the wreath.




I scored this secretary desk from a friend who was downsizing.  It
is currently in the kitchen because it will soon be painted and
moved to the living room.  It is empty and awaiting it's
transformation but I thought it needed some berry picks.




This metal star votive holder came from our store years ago.  I hope
our supplier will bring them back because they were a popular item
for us in Country Sampler.  If they do, I'll let you know.  :).
I simply hung a small wreath on the hanger behind the star.
 




The tree is one of three in a set.  You can check the products link on
this blog for the set.  I put white ornaments in a crackled glass bowl.
My table was my grandmother's.  She painted and antiqued it when
I was about 10.  That was 47 years ago.  I'd like to paint it again
but I can't seem to bring myself to change it. 





The hydrangeas are everyday for the coffee table.  I set them on a
tray with a Christmas book, a wood wick Yankee candle, and a white
bird with a nest (that I didn't get in the picture).  Sorry!

I think I won't overwhelm you with pictures tonight.  But I'll be back and we'll look at some more ways I
thought would help keep the decorations simple.  Happy weekend!  See you soon!