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Tag: holidays

7 Mothers Day Gifts She’ll Love!

I love to celebrate my own mother on Mothers Day, but now that I am a mother myself I also like to take this day to reflect on how I can be better. I won’t lie, though – I enjoy being shown just a little extra love, even if it’s just homemade cards – a little something to show that what I do does matter. This post contains affiliate links and I will receive compensation if you make a purchase after clicking on the links.

Breakfast in Bed

Let her sleep in – even if she’s not actually sleeping. Allowing mom to relax in bed for just this one day will rejuvenate her mind and body. She’ll be happier, and so will everyone else. Make it extra special with a homemade chocolate butterfly <-tutorial! Top it on a yogurt parfait, her favorite breakfast smoothie, or just decorate the side of her plate with it. Just remember, Mom’s don’t want to come out and clean up the breakfast mess after they’ve eaten.

Family Photo’s

Mom’s want pictures of their family – nice pictures. There are so many different ways to go about this. You can send her a photo book with her favorite photos, or purchase a beautiful canvas from your last photo session. On hard days Mom will love looking at those photos to remind her how much love she is surrounded by. Don’t have a recent professional photo? Schedule one and surprise Mom with it. Trust me, she’ll be happy to have one less thing to schedule herself.

Homemade Cards

Moms don’t need expensive gifts to feel loved. A hand drawn card made with love will always mean more to mom than anything else. Help the kids decorate some cardstock, pull out the stickers, markers, paints! Just be sure to clean up when you’re done.

Jewelry

Depending on the Mom, jewelry can be a wonderfully tangible gift. Not every mom will appreciate this type of gift, though. If she wears jewelery frequently then it’s the gift for her. If you think she would enjoy a new piece, even if she doesn’t wear a lot of jewelry, make sure it has some meaning. A piece with her children’s birthstones, or something like these state necklaces to remind her of home.

Flowers

Mom’s love flowers. Pick them from your own backyard, or personalize a bouquet from a local shop. Every time she sees these flowers she’ll be reminded of the love she has from her family and it will bring a smile to her face. If you have a garden loving Mom, get her some flowers to plant that will last even longer!

Fashion

Every Mom would love a new outfit. Chances are she rarely buys something for herself that she truly loves. Unless you know her style, though, I don’t recommend purchasing the outfit yourself. Rather pick out a gift card from a place like eShakti that will allow her to customize her choice of outfit just the way she likes it.

Clean House

The number one thing I want every single year on Mothers Day is a clean house. One that I didn’t have to clean. Preferably one that was cleaned by a happy smiling family. It’s not a gift if you do it grudgingly and with a bad attitude. With that in mind, if you don’t want to clean the house either, you can always hire it out to a cleaning service. Mom won’t care who does it, as long as it’s not her.

Now you know what to get Mom! Don’t be like me, and wait too long to order. I have the bad habit of wanting to buy something online, but forget it takes a few days for shipping. Order early to have it in time for your mom!

What will You be Sending Mom this Mothers Day?

May 1, 2017
Cranberry Wassail Recipe
The snow hasn’t fallen yet, but the temperature has. When the weather starts dipping, that’s when I pull out this Cranberry Wassail. Full of flavor and soothing to the soul, you’ll make this for all your holiday gatherings.

Almost 5 years ago I wrote this post after it had been featured in Old Orchard’s newsletter. I had submitted it to a contest they were running, and it won! Back then I had no idea how to style my photos, and let’s just say, no one was interested in a pot of liquid and fruit. So I finally decided it was time to update with some nicer photos of one of my favorite wintertime beverages.

The first time I made wassail I followed a recipe that had me juicing 10+ Oranges, some lemons, and then boiling it forever. It was delicious, but oh so much work. Cranberry Wassail was created with both ease and flavor in mind.

It must have been a few years since I last made this particular wassail because when Mark came home his reaction was one of delight. He’s not a big fan of hot beverages like myself, but he does love cranberries. His eyes totally lit up as he walked in the house, breathed in the scent of simmering fruit and spices, and then drank a healthy mug of it.
Cranberry Wassail

2016-11-23 16:18:53

Spiced Cranberry Juice warmed will warm your soul

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Ingredients

64 oz Old Orchard Cranberry Naturals Original

6 oz Old Orchard Frozen Apple Concentrate

1 Gala Apple, peeled, cored and sliced

1 Orange, juiced

1 Orange, sliced

2 Cinnamon sticks

1/2 tsp Allspice

Instructions

In a large pot, mix all ingredients together. Bring to a boil.

Once boiling, let simmer about 20 minutes.

Serve warm.

Slow Cooker

Mix all ingredients in a slow cooker. Turn on high for at least 1 hour. Then keep warm to serve.

By Home Maid Simple

Home Maid Simple https://www.homemaidsimple.com/
Now if you want, you can strain the cooked fruit and spices out, but in our house we kind of find it fun to have these pieces of fruit floating in our wassail. The allspice berries not so much, but they are easy to spoon out, as well as the cinnamon sticks. We then garnish the Cranberry Wassail with a few frozen cranberries – it helps cool the drink down for little kids – and an orange slice on the side of the cup.

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November 23, 2016
Orange Sorbet Pots of Gold
Originally posted March 16, 2012

Recipe and photos updated

Celebrate St Patricks with delicious Pots of Gold made from Orange Sorbet and orange peel cups. Top with a rainbow for a real treat the kids love.

Tomorrow is St Patricks Day! Growing up it was never a huge holiday around our house. My mom would make green eggs and ham, and if we felt like it, we would wear green. Having the last name Greene, though, we usually got away with telling people we always wore the color. Since having kids, though, I’ve really gotten into celebrating even the smallest of holidays – my college roommate also absolutely adores St Pat’s day, so it grew on me.

When I originally made these 4 years ago for my baby shower I used little green cups and didn’t take any photos. While recently going through old posts and trying to clean up the site for a better reader experience I came across it. Perfect timing! The kids were thrilled to come home from school yesterday to these little pots of gold. Scatter the snack tray with Chocolate Gold Coins, and the kids really had a blast!
Orange Sorbet

2016-03-16 07:31:35

Follow the rainbow to these pots of gold. Orange Sorbet served in orange cups make a delicious spring treat

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Ingredients

1 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups fresh orange juice

Instructions

Mix the water and sugar in a pot on the stove. Simmer for 15 minutes to make a sugar water. Remove from heat and let it cool.

Add the orange juice, and mix well.

Chill for about 1 hour in the fridge.

Now, if you have an ice cream maker you can use that per the instructions for your machine.

If you don’t have an ice cream maker, just pop your mixture in the freezer. Every 30 minutes or so, give it a good stir. After about 2-3 hours it should be a pretty good frozen state for serving.

By Home Maid Simple

Adapted from The Idea Room

Adapted from The Idea Room

Home Maid Simple https://www.homemaidsimple.com/
To turn this Orange Sorbet into little pots of gold for the Leprechauns, serve it up in half an orange peel. Top it off with some Rainbow Candy.

Need more St Patricks decor? Make this easy Coffee Filter Wreath!
March 16, 2016
Decorate for Christmas while enjoying a Peeps® Hot Cocoa Bar + WIN a Package of Holiday PEEPS®

This is a sponsored post. The PEEPS® and PEEPS & COMPANY® products, information, and additional gift pack have been provided by PEEPS® and PEEPS & COMPANY®. All opinions are 100% my own.

Decorate for the holidays, or go caroling and invite everyone back to your place for a hot cocoa bar, made all the more merry with Holiday Peeps®. It’s an easy no stress party, you just have to set out!

I was looking outside last week and realized we’d kind of neglected our outdoor space. We’ve been so busy, there just hasn’t been time to care for it like I’d like. Knowing we had a fairly nice day coming up on Saturday I started making plans. I had my package of Holiday PEEPS® on hand, and Mark the day off. Friday night I made sure the inside of the house was clean, so Saturday we could spend the whole day outside!

I sent the kids out with rakes and trash bags to work on the leaves, gave Mark the job of hanging some Christmas lights up, and I took to preparing the Hot Cocoa bar. The kids kept running over to check out each package of PEEPS® I pulled out, and therefore got very little yard work actually done.

Christmas trees, Reindeer, Snowmen, Gingerbread Men that smell amazing, and Peppermint covered PEEPS®! The kids could NOT wait to get started on this party. “I want that one! Can I have 2? How about one of each!?” I worked as fast as I could, but I also wanted them to get yard work done, so I definitely made this a party worth waiting for. Adding a touch of red ribbon around the styrofoam cups added a perfect holiday feel without being over board or too complicated. I matched them with green straws for a well rounded Christmas look.

The Hot Cocoa was finally warm – but not too hot – the cups were ready, and our PEEPS® were looking fabulous. All the kids had to do was pick their favorite creamer flavor, and which PEEPS® they wanted on top. Then the fun really began.

Later this week, or possibly next I plan on doing some caroling. It’s a great way to get the kids learning some Christmas songs, and the perfect opportunity to meet our neighbors and take them some little gifts I made. Who knows maybe some of them will come caroling with us creating a snowball effect, and then we’ll all come back here for more hot cocoa and PEEPS®! This could also be fun to do for an early morning teachers meeting, or work party.

Want to win a package of PEEPS® for your own Hot Cocoa Party? 1 Winner will receive a package of 5 Holiday PEEPS®.

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Liked this? Try Creamy Pumpkin Spice Hot Cocoa

December 7, 2015
Sweet Potato Pie: a Family Tradition
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and it’s advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SplendaHoliday #CollectiveBias

Ah the holidays! A time for family gatherings, traditions, and of course good food! All my family memories seem to revolve around food this time of year, but unlike as a child, I’m actually now a bit more concerned about how much sweet things I consume this time of year. I’ve decided I need to cut back on my sugar intake again, but without giving up the things I like most – like pie! I tested out Splenda® in a Sweet Potato this weekend, and loved it! I think you will too.

What exactly makes this a family tradition? I don’t actually make Sweet Potato Pie everywhere, but I may very well start after this one. No this tradition stems from the recipes themselves. It all started with my Grandma. She made the absolute BEST pies I’ve ever had. She taught herself how while living on a Ranch and cooking for all the ranch hands. Every year for the holidays, Grandma’s main job in the kitchen were the pies. I’m still trying to perfect her recipe, because she had no recipe. Her two keys to me for a perfect crust were
- Always use Lard. Crisco is no lard – buy LARD!
- Mix with your hands. You have to feel the dough to know when it’s ready.
I’ve got the lard figured out, but getting the right feel is still a work in progress for me, and not something I can ever really share, because you just have to know what it feels like. I completely understand now why she didn’t have a recipe.
Grandma’s Lard Pie Crust

2015-11-24 07:30:39

Yields 1

The best pie crusts are made with Lard.

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Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Flour

1/2 cup Lard

Cold Water

Instructions

Using your hands, mix the flour and lard until coarse crumbles form.

Slowly add a TBS of cold water at a time until the dough holds together in ball form.

Form a ball, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll out, and place in pie plate.

Bake at 375F for 15-20 minutes.

By Home Maid Simple

Home Maid Simple https://www.homemaidsimple.com/
Part 2 of this family tradition was inspired from Mark. He loves sweet potatoes and over the years has gotten me to enjoy them as well. I don’t know why I didn’t as a child, because they are so full of flavor and have a beautiful color. Combining Mark’s love of Sweet Potatoes with my Grandma’s pie just makes sense to me. Now Sweet Potatoes are naturally sweet, but when making a pie, you always need a little sugar. That’s where the Splenda® Sweet Swaps™ came to life for me. I can still eat my pie, while making a more balanced decision for my health.

When trading our sugar for Splenda® you only use half the amount the recipe calls for. That makes me feel pretty awesome! Did you know that the average Amercian consumes 22 teaspoons of added sugar a day? That’s a LOT! In fact it’s triple the recommended amount for women and double for men. I’ve done a limited sugar diet before, and I can tell you it makes a difference! I had more energy, and overall personally felt better with the less sugar.

Check out the Splenda® Sweet Swaps™ Initiative for creative ways to swap out full sugar for Splenda® Sweetener products. Splenda® sweeteners can be found at Walmart.com

Lastly, our Sweet Potato Pie is topped with an oatmeal crumble. This recipe came from my sister in law. She makes a fabulous Sweet Potato Casserole, that she puts this on top of. Her son is allergic to nuts, so she made the exchange to oats and it is fabulous! When we combine the pie crust, sweet potato filling, and oatmeal crumble the family tradition is created.
Sweet Potato Pie with Oatmeal Crumble

2015-11-24 08:20:29

Start a family tradition and bake this Sweet Potato Pie. With a Sweet Swap™ from Splenda®

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Ingredients

1 prebaked Pie Crust

4 medium sized Sweet Potatoes

1/2 cup Splenda® Sugar Blend

2 eggs

1 tsp Vanilla

1/4 cup Half and Half

1/2 cup Butter

For Oatmeal Crumble

1/4 cup Flour

1/2 cup Oats

1/4 cup Butter, melted

1/4 cup Splenda® Brown Sugar

Instructions

Peel Sweet Potatoes, and boil in a large pot of water. When a fork can penetrate easily through the potato, they’re done.

Drain water from the potatoes and mash with a fork.

Add butter, Splenda®, eggs, vanilla, and Half and half.

Mix well.

Pour into prepared Pie Crust.

Oatmeal Crumble

Mix flour, oats, butter, and Splenda® brown sugar. Crumble across the top of the Sweet Potato Pie.

Bake pie at 375F for 25-30 minutes

By Home Maid Simple

Home Maid Simple https://www.homemaidsimple.com/
You can find Splenda® Sweeteners at Walmart in the baking aisle next to the sugar.

What Holiday recipes will you swap with Splenda®? Check out these Sweet Swaps™ recipes for inspiration, and enter the sweepstakes below!

J&J Holiday Baking with Splenda
November 24, 2015
St Patricks Day Coffee Filter Wreath

I had so much fun putting this St Patrick’s Day Coffee Filter Wreath together while sitting on the floor with the kids. I had made a pink one in February with some friends that I just loved. While we sat there poking holes in cardboard, we surmised how cute a St Patty’s day one would be. This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you click on and make a purchase.

Coffee Filter Wreath

This is such an easy craft that anyone can do it. You need a total of 4 items, that you most likely have on hand.
– green tempera paint
– Round cardboard – I used the cardboard from frozen pizza.
– coffee filters
– skewer

You start by dyeing your coffee filters in the tempera paint. I poured a few tablespoons of the tempera paint in a glass bowl, then added some water. The water helps the coffee filters soak it up better. Dip the edges of the filters in the paint, and then flip over to dry. I let mine dry overnight and well into the morning the next day.

Once the coffee filters are dry, it’s time to do some poking! Using the skewer, poke holes through your cardboard. They don’t need to be very close, about a 1/2″ to 1″ apart. and then just kind of scattered around the cardboard. Most likely you’ll skip filling some of the holes even.

Now that you have the holes made, you can start filling them with the dyed coffee filters. To do this, gently wrap the filters around the skewer again, and push it through the hole. Grab the skewer on the back side to help glide the filter through. This was the most time-consuming part, but it was something I could do while the kids played next to me. Princess R colored me some pictures, while little Prince built towers with the LEGO’s. It was a kodak moment I tell you!

To finish off the look, and to avoid it being just a green blob, I added some festive “Happy St Patrick’s Day” ribbon – that I bought eons ago, knowing one day I would use – and some little shamrocks. Confession, I did take apart the kids Shamrock necklace so I could add them to the wreath. They only curiously asked what I was doing though, so I believe we’re safe.

May the Luck of the Irish be with you!

March 15, 2015
Immune Support for your Holiday Guests

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias and its Advertiser. All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone and should not be construed as medical advice. #24HourEsterC #CollectiveBias

I have this hope that family will want to come visit us for the holidays. Of course since we’re the ones that moved, we will probably do more of the traveling and visiting, but I’m pretty sure my family loves us enough to come visit. I had a hard time when we first moved to North Dakota, with the climate change. Vitamin C has since become my best friend.

No one wants to take chances with their immune system, especially on vacation. With holiday travel approaching, I want to make sure you’re prepped to make your guests feel at home while supporting their health.

A Place To Sleep

First off, you do not need to have an extra room just for guests. If you do have a spare room in your house, awesome! I have a feeling more of you are like me though, and your house is the right size for your family. When I stayed with my brother this summer, I slept in my nephews room, and he had a campout in his siblings room. For young kids, this makes for great memories! When we have company visit, we’ll do the same, and let our son sleep in his sisters room (or our bed, since he tends to prefer that most nights anyway).

Clean Bedding

Have a set of sheets specifically used for guests. It’s a lot cheaper to put fresh sheets on a bed, then to keep an extra bed in a room that rarely gets used. If you have some extra blankets as well (and I have tons, thanks to my Grandma’s lifetime of quilt making) put on a fresh blanket to make the room look like it’s just for them.

Furniture Arrangement

Look at the furniture arrangement. What may be ideal for your child, might not be the best arrangement for your guest. I moved Little Prince’s dresser over next to the bed for a more “hotel” look. This also opened up a space to bring in an extra chair, giving guests a place to relax separate from our crazy days.

Gift Basket for Guests

Finally put together a little guest basket to let them know you appreciate them visiting you. I like to think of this basket as the “hotel” basket. The basics you would get in a hotel, I want my guest to have. In my basket I’ve included fresh towels, as well as a laundry bag. The laundry bag allows my guest to put the used towels when they’re done, and letting me know they’re ready to get washed. Also included is soap, shampoo, tissues, a water bottle and Ester-C. When family visits I want them on top of their game so we can have lots of fun together!

Like I said, Vitamin C has been my game changer for living in North Dakota. The weather is pretty drastically different from Utah. I found Ester-C over at Walmart. It has helped me keep up with my busy lifestyle by giving me around the clock immune system support. Since most visitors I get will probably also be coming from Utah I want them to have the same support I get.

As a little extra, to show my guests that I’m better than a hotel stay, I added a little treat plate with homemade caramels and hot chocolate as well. You know you want to come stay with me now right? I’ll keep you both happy and healthy so you can just relax and enjoy time away from your home.

Stay Connected

Follow Ester-C for more tips on supporting your immune system

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December 23, 2014
4 Ideas to Share the Christmas Experience

This shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser, Hallmark’s #NorthPoleFun. All opinions are mine alone.

I love this time of year! I know I’ve talked about how Fall is my favorite season, but the transition from fall to winter is right up there. Snow falling, Christmas carols playing, and lots of family time spent together. I really don’t think anything beats spending time with family. This Christmas I want to spend more time sharing experiences.

Here are simple ways you can share the Christmas experience with your family and friends with gifts from a Hallmark Northpole!

Traditions

A couple years ago I decided I wanted to start collecting Christmas stories. One’s that we would pull out each winter and cuddle up as a family to read. It’s the ideal holiday scene isn’t it? Families in warm pajamas, a fire lit, the tree glowing, and a good story being read. Instead of just buying a bunch all at once, I wanted to make it a tradition where each year we pick one new book to add.

This year we bought Once Upon A Northpole Christmas with the Find Me Santa Snowflake. We couldn’t have picked a better book to start out this season with the idea of experiences. Once Upon a Northpole tells the story of how one Christmas there almost wasn’t enough magic – but one little elf with the help of his friends wrote notes to all the kids to help bring it back.

Time with Family

While picking up our book I came across this fun Bake like an Elf set. Princess V and I have started cooking together, and even started her own cooking show, so I knew this was going to be the perfect gift to get her. Originally I was going to wait until Christmas to give it to her, but she was invited to a talent show, so what better way to share her new talent then with some Christmas cookies?

Oh she and I had so much fun using the stocking and mitten measuring cups to make cookies for her friends.

Share Traditions and Treats with friends

We’ve done a lot of moving, but this summer was easily our furthest move from all our friends and family. When we met another family at church with kids all the same ages, going to the same school, with our oldest in the same class – we became fast friends. Making friends so quickly really helped us with this move. I wanted to let them know just how much their friendship meant to us, so we decided to share our Christmas experience with them.

We found Snowby the Polar Bear: Snowby’s New Friend with a plush Snowby to pass on the tradition of a new Christmas book to our new friends. Then we baked up some cookies, because really – is it Christmas without cookies?

Games

We picked up all these fun items at Walmart down what I’m dubbing the “Northpole” aisle. There was so much goodness down here, it was hard not to leave with a little of everything. Princess R and Little Prince were having a blast turning on every single Dance Like and Elf music player, and throwing the Magic Snowballs around.

I may head back and grab one of the family games like Rooftop Drop or Peppermint Ring Fling without kids so we can surprise them one night.

How will you share the Christmas Experience this year?

November 10, 2014
I have a Dream..

Famous words that began to change a nation. A nation, that regardless your political affiliation, now has a black President. A dream fulfilled for many that only ever believed it to be a dream.

These 4 simple words are now in the popular – and one of my favorite – movies Disney’s Tangled. As Rapunzel turns a crowd of ruffians and thugs into a singing and dancing group that only ever had a dream.

Often I believe we look at the past and think, gosh they really did something wonderful, but then we look at our future and don’t believe we have the same capabilities. That our dreams can not be realized.

I disagree.

I believe we can have dreams, big dreams! As long as we always strive toward them, and try our best, our dreams can become reality. And as Flynn says, then we can find a new dream to pursue. Let me share some of my dreams with you.

I have a dream, that my children will see the good in everyone around them. That they will look past faults and mistakes, to see the inner child of God.

I have a dream, that one day the media will stop pushing unhealthy body images – and that our young women will respect their bodies no matter the size and shape.

I have a dream, that one day we will own the perfect home for our family. Where our children will have room to grow, but not too much that it overwhelms us all.

I have a dream, that one day our political differences will unite us instead of separate us. It’s our different points of view and abilities to see both sides that will make us a strong nation.

I have a dream, to travel the world with my husband.

What’s your Dream?

January 20, 2014
2 Day Flash Sale at Flirty Aprons

*this post contains an affiliate link. Thanks for supporting Home Maid Simple*

After Holiday Flash Apron Sale!!

Save 70% off Holiday Aprons at Flirty Aprons today through January 9th at Midnight MST.

Use code Snow70

Cannot be combined with other offers

The Elf Apron actually reminds me of a Leprechaun as well, so if you’re planning a St Patty’s day party, this is a great deal right now!! Or stock up for next year with the girls Snowman, Mistletoe, and Deck the Halls Aprons.

January 8, 2014