Craft Fair

“On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me: two Turtle Doves, and a Partridge in a Pear Tree.” – Frederic Austin

Christmastime usually means crafts and craft shows and this year we are going to participate in our very first craft show! 

We've been working on a bunch of new Christmas cards as well as revamping and recreating a few of our favourites from last year. We recently purchased a bunch of new Christmas stamps from a stamp company in Vancouver called The Old Island Stamp Company. Some of the stamps are super cute and some are very simple and classic; we just love them and have been trying to make sure that we use every single one of them at least once on our cards this year. 

 

In addition to making cards we've also created lots and lots of Christmas tags to sell at the craft show. 

We have also been getting everything prepared for or table including getting little decorative touches like baskets for our products and a festive tablecloth.

It’s very exciting to be participating in our very first craft show and I look so forward to it! There are lots of things to think about, but once we’ve done it once we’ll be pros, right? 

Wish us luck!

Samantha

The 12 Weeks of Christmas

“On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me: A Partridge in a Pear Tree.” – Frederic Austin

Today marks only two months until Christmas! 

We’ve decided to do something called the 12 weeks of Christmas on our blog. We are going to count down the weeks until Christmas (plus a few weeks afterwards) and blog about some of our favorite traditions and some of the things that we are up to as Christmas approaches. 

I can’t believe that Christmas is almost here again! I’m looking forward to it, but there are already decorations in the stores and Halloween hasn’t even come and gone yet. I think that I’ll start getting in the Christmas mood when November comes around. Some people I know are really eager and have already gotten all of their shopping done! Some years I’m on the ball and get my shopping done in the summertime, but that isn’t the case for me this year. 

Some of the holiday things that we are going to look at on the blog for the 12 weeks of Christmas are: favorite music and movies, baking, crafts, potential gifts, and decorating; those are just a few, so stay tuned for more!

Samantha

Cold and Flu Remedies

“I like to call in sick to work at places where I’ve never held a job. Then when the manager tells me I don’t work there, I tell them I’d like to. But not today, as I’m sick.” - Jarod Kintz

Cold and flu season is here! I have been sick for over a week now; it keeps dragging on and on! I have been super tired and not able to do much. I have been thinking about Christmas card ideas though while laying here on the couch watching old movies. 

I’m definitely one for home remedies for when I’m sick. I’ve decided to share a few of them with everyone this week, so if you’re sick...try some of these!

Samantha

Lemon Drink:

Squeeze half of a lemon into a mug that’s approximately one cup and then add 1 tsp. of honey, boiling water, and stir. If it’s too sour add more honey.

Don Qua Soup:

Don Qua is a Chinese melon that we boil and make soup out of when we are sick. This soup definitely makes you feel better and it only has two ingredients. You just chop up the melon and take out the seeds, add it to a about 16 cups of water in a large pot, and then boil for 3 hours. Drink the liquid and the melon meat and you’ll feel a lot better.

Gargling:

Add a couple of teaspoons of salt or baking soda in a glass of warm water and then gargle. It really does help a sore throat. 

Sleepy Time Milk:

I know that dairy is not the best thing for mucus but sometimes when you’re sick and tired you just need something to warm you up and help you sleep. I mix one cup of skim milk with one teaspoon of honey, a teaspoon of vanilla, and a sprinkle of cinnamon to make my bedtime milk. Just warm the milk until bubbling then stir in the honey and vanilla and then sprinkle the cinnamon on top.

Thanksgiving

“An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day.” – Irv Kupcinet

Here in Canada we are celebrating Thanksgiving this upcoming Monday. 

Food is one of the first things that come to mind when I think about Thanksgiving. Sitting around the table eating yummy food with family and good friends is what it is it all about. There are so many delicious smells that come from my kitchen around this time. I am a huge cinnamon fan so it’s safe to say that I love pumpkin pie. I have never attempted to make pumpkin pie from scratch...yet. This year I am going to give it a go; I’ve found a recipe that I will try out and I will let you know how it goes. 

In my house both my parents participate in creating a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. We usually have a feast that consists of Chinese rice stuffing, turkey, ham, yams, my famous Brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and of course a dessert created by me. 

Brussel sprouts are not on the top of everybody’s list of favourite foods to eat, but I love them. I make caramelized Brussel sprouts for all occasions and they are always a hit even with my younger brother who really dislikes them. So for this Thanksgiving edition of our blog, I am going to share with you my Brussel spouts recipe. 

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

Samantha 

Samantha’s Brussel Sprouts

I usually make quite a lot of sprouts. It doesn’t matter how much you make, you can adjust the recipe easily. I make roughly a produce bag full of sprouts which is probably close to eight cups of uncooked and not cleaned Brussel sprouts. 

In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the Brussel sprout for 2-3 minutes; don’t clean them beforehand. After the 2-3 minutes put them directly into ice water; then remove the outer leaves and cut them in half. I usually let the sprouts dry afterwards so all of the excess moisture disappears.

In a large frying pan, add 2 tbsp. of butter and caramelize the sprouts. They will still have a bit of moisture, so cook them until they look dry. Add 2 more tablespoons of butter along with salt and pepper to taste and cook until they look “golden green;” yes I made that phrase up, haha, but it’s the best way to describe the finished product.

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Thanksgiving is a time that makes us remember all the wonderful things in our life that we so often take for granted, and realize how much we have to be thankful for. That includes family, friends and good food! I love turkey dinner and at our house we usually have turkey, harvest stuffing, potatoes, beans, carrots, gravy and chiffon pumpkin pie for dessert.
I have to admit that the pumpkin pie is probably my favourite part of the meal...so I've decided to share the recipe!

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

1 cup cold milk

1 package (6 serving size) Jell-O Instant Butterscotch Pudding

1 ½ cups canned pumpkin (or fresh pumpkin cooked and puréed)

 A generous ¼ tsp. each cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger (or 1 ¼ tsp. pumpkin pie spice)

1 ½ cups Cool Whip topping

1 baked 8" pie shell

Have all ingredients ready as pudding may set quickly.

Pour cold milk into bowl. Add pudding mix. With electric mixer at low speed, beat just until blended, about 30 seconds. Blend in pumpkin, spices and Cool Whip. Spoon into pie shell. Chill about 2 hours. Serve topped with whip cream or Cool Whip.

*For a 9" pie use 1 1/3 cups milk, 2 pkgs. - 4 serving size pudding, 1 16-oz. can pumpkin, ½ tsp. of each of the spices and 2 cups Cool Whip. 

Happy cooking!
Have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Nicole