EZ Smeazy Decorating on a Budget

I love decorating for the holidays - all of them - but I don't have a lot of money to blow in my budget. So, I look for simple ways to decorate without spending much (or any) money.

This is one way to make centerpieces without spending any money at all.

I walk around the neighborhood picking up pinecones and interesting pods and pieces that I can spraypaint.

Then I arrange them in a clear bowl with some beads and ornaments I have laying around the house.

It's so pretty, simple and (best of all) it doesn't cost a penny.

Sew-EZ Stockings to Hang by the Chimney With Care

I love stockings filled with candy and fruit. Nowadays we add little nick-knacks and goodies galore. I've made lots of them over the years. This is the one I made for Lars our first year together - because in the Danish tradition - he never had one.


Then when we had our first child, I wanted something for him. I always loved Mary Engelbriet's patterns, "sew" I made a stocking for Jacob.

side two:

I took each of the kids to the fabric store and let them pick out fabric to make pillow cases for each other. And, Luke always loved animals 'sew' this is the fabric Jake picked for his brother and I decided to make a stocking too - since there was left over material.


Kara wanted a store-bought stocking (not pictured here because it would put my handiwork to shame) - but I made a couple more just in case she ever changed her mind:




It was my Mom who taught me to make stockings (and she never used a pattern-sew way should I?). It was a year (and there were probably lots of them) when she didn't have much money to buy presents (9 kids-no surprise they didn't have much money to spend on gifts) 'sew' she decided to make them. She pulled out the felt, and sequins and started sewing. She was up until three in the morning putting little handcrafted cutouts on the socks. If you look close you'll see the blue jingle bell hanging on the toe.

I still have that stocking she made for me, more than forty years ago. And I hang it up every year (using a little more of that care than with these newby socks that I've made).

I didn't always find much inside that stocking, sometimes only a piece of fruit and hard candy (but there was always a candy cane). By today's standards, our Christmas presents were meager but I've always loved that stocking and especially the memories it brings back every year.


(If you want to make a stocking, just sketch out the look of what you want on newspaper, cut it out and use it as your "pattern" - it's sew EZ.)

Lowfat Yogurt and Granola - Yummy..licious

Just layer granola and lowfat yogurt like a parfait into a clear bowl - set it on a cake stand and Whoo-Hoo fancy food and low calorie too! It tastes so much better when it's pretty.

I served peach yogurt. My husband likes his yogurt plain, but not me--I'm a fancy food fiend.

Plus, I could have pulled out my pastry bags to pipe the yogurt into the bowl but I just used a ziploc baggy and cut off the tip - EZ, cheap, and food fast.

This is a fun way to serve food on a weekend when you have guests - like during the holidays. I had this on Thanksgiving weekend.

Christmas Tabletoppers and Show Stoppers

It's "sew" EZ to go to a fabric store, pick out some pretty fabric and make your own green-velvet or red cotton tablecloth. Then take a few ornaments put them in a clear-glass bowl and string some garland around the table: WAH-LAH a Happily Homemade Christmas

Plus, I'm lucky to have a couple holly trees in my yard and a cedar too. So all it takes is a walk around the house, to gather the goods for my centerpiece. But you could gather other items and probably come up with something more creative than me. Just take a walk around your house and see what you come up with.

And for another angle:

Edible Snowmen-EAT Without the Fear of Yellow Snow

Yumilicious Little Men Made from Meringue

Okay maybe they look more like ghosts than snowmen but it was my first attempt - so at least I have a fancy food idea for next Halloween.

All it takes is three egg whites and 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar. You heat the sugar and egg whites over low heat until the sugar dissolves.

And then you whip it until it forms little peaks (about 3-5 minutes).

Then you plop dollops onto a parchment paper covered cookie sheet.

And bake at 175 for one hour and thirty minutes. WAH-LAH! Little snowmen you can stack together and decorate with cranraisins - if you want red little ghosty eyes, or chocolate chips if you want snowmen. I also added a little almond extract to my mixture - for some added flavoring, but you could add lemon, orange or peppermint-whatever suits you.

If you want to find more fun reading, hop over here.

A Very Danish Christmas - Advent and All

Just starting to load up the calendars with the 24 days of Christmas...presents!





You can find some more crafty ideas here

IT HAS BEGUN

Just getting started

Turkey Trot - I DID IT - That Turkey is Cooked, Over, Fineto

I guess I was hoping that running in that 32 degree chill would create some sort of thrill.

NOT at this Turkey Trot. Well, I did get a few chills and I saw a few spills.

They call it a “trot” but I think they got the lettering a little mixed up. It should have been called a tort…ure. Some of those hills were sooooo steep I felt like I should have been rappelling off of them.

This little 4 mile run was more like a masochistic maneuver mile(s) or at least not what I was expecting.

I can run 7.5 miles, so 4 miles should have been a “piece of cake” but it was more like a piece of humble pie that I was eating one agonizing footfall after another, on that icy path. Perfect for Thanksgiving…right? Maybe not for the two guys I saw slip and sliding next to me. One of them even went down. Some of us footfesting freaks even slowed our pace to make sure he was okay. He said he was so we ran on. Call us crazy—‘cuz me and my aching feet sure do.

Well, it did help me burn about 600 calories and help keep from packing more pounds on those already overburdened thighs of mine, as I ate another piece of pie—this time it was peach :) Plus, we (my husband, sister and I) helped raise some money for a few good causes...the Oregon Food Bank and the Oregon Zoo.



For any runners out there, check out this elevation map of the "trot"- just in case you want to run with me next year.

Movie Review Monday - Harry Potter - No Spoilers

I love going to see holiday films with the fam. Every year on Thanksgiving we've gone to see a "family" show. This year we had to go a little early because Kara had surgery and wouldn't be able to go with us on Thanksgiving.

Anyway, we went to see HP. There were lots of good "moments" with superior graphics and even a few thrills and chills but...

Overall, I'd say it was slow and disappointing. It appeared that the producers were stretching the book out just in order to make two movies out of the story. It went on-and-on, when I turned to my husband and said, "these 'kids' are wizards and witches with amazing abilities, so why don't they simply transport themselves to another place when they need to get out of a jam now?"

The question goes unanswered except to say that without conflict there is NO story.

But, my biggest disappointment was the ending. There was no resolution to anything in this portion of the story. It was apparently meant to be a prequeal to the real story, or the second part of the book-which I hope will be so amazing it will make up for the money I feel I wasted on this show.

Anyway, that's just my opinion. If you see or have seen the show, let me know what you think.

Kay Snow Writing Contest - Open to Submissions

Willamette Writer's founder, Kay Snow, is honored by this contest which was designed to help writers reach professional goals.

This annual writing contest awards one first prize of $300, one second place prize of $150, and a third place prize of $50 per winning entry in each of the six categories; fiction, nonfiction, juvenile, poetry, student writer and screenwriting. Student writers are awarded $50 for first place in three grade divisions, $20 for second place, and $10 for third place.

Find out more by reading the Kay Snow Contest Guidelines. A printer-friendly registration form link is available at the end of the guidelines. The deadline for the next contest is April 23rd, 2011.

Good Luck to all who enter!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Wishing you all a Happy Holiday Weekend!

This is a cute story to start the holiday with a forgiving heart. The turkey pardon has been a tradition since the Kennedy era.

Scan Fest

SCANFAIR
Mark your Calendar! December 4 & 5 2010
Celebrate the sights, sounds, tastes and traditions of a Scandinavian Christmas

26th Annual ScanFair
Saturday, December 4, 2010 ~ 10 am to 5 pm
ScanFair Dance, December 4 ~ 7:00 pm to 10 pm
This is the fifth year of the ScanFair Dance, sponsored by SHF and The Nordly's dance group.The dance begins at 7:00 with lessons for beginning dancers and ends at 11 p.m. Admission is free with proof of admission to ScanFair, or by donation.

Sunday, December 5 ~ 10 am to 4 pm

$6 adults, $5 seniors and students, children under 12 are free

Portland State University
Smith Memorial Center Ballroom, 3rd Floor
1825 SW Broadway
Portland, Oregon

Tuesday Decorating Tip

If you're going to be decorating for the holidays and hanging lights around your house, you might want to consider buying some new low-energy lights. These led lights will stand up to more wind, weather and water--which are all abundant here in Portland, Oregon. Plus, they use less energy to light. It's an "energy-smart" decorating idea.

If you have any more ideas that will help save energy, post them in the "comments" section.

OLD SCHOOL GIVING THANKS CARDS

Sometimes we, adults, forget how much fun it is to cut, color and construct little paper pieces of art.

Well, I had an idea when I wanted to send a few thank-you cards this past weekend. I decided to make some old school cards to "Give Thanks". Here's how I did it--a little construction paper, wiggly eyes, feathers and glue. It was like being a kid again and a lot of feathery-fun.

Do you remember making hand-print turkeys?

Grocery List for Your Thanksgiving Dinner

If you're going shopping this weekend for your Thanksgiving dinner, and who isn't, you can adapt this list for your grocery list.



Simply print it out, add or delete, and WAH-LAH EZ-Smeazy shopping.

Hope you all have a Happy Weekend!

Embellishing for the Holidays-On a Budget

Who doesn't love a little glitz and glam at the holidays? The only problem is: I don't want to pay for it. But that doesn't mean I can't decorate my home with all the fancy frills and thrills I want. I just add my own dazzle to my duds simply by sewing or hot gluing some left over ribbon, glitter or beads to things.

I can't afford to run out and buy new furniture or expensive accessories so, when the holidays roll around, I buy a few new towels, bath mats, etc. to help liven up the homefront. But instead of blowing the budget on a few decorator items, I buy the simple, less expensive brands then I bring them home and embellish them with my own baubles and beads.

Take a peek at these towels to see how you can do it too.

First I measure out some ribbon:


Then I sew it where I want it.

And Wah-Lah! Decorator accessories at bargain prices.
You can use your imagination and be as bold or simple as you want. Add your own touches to reflect your own personality.

This is a simple way to stretch your decorating budget and go beyond beautiful without breaking the bank.

Check out some more craftilicious ideas here.

Mother Goose or Mary Goose

Lars and I were staying in Boston and wanted to go for an early morning run. So we ran down along the the Charles River and when we came back to our hotel, we stopped at the Granary Cemetery across the street. Paul Revere is buried here and a lot of Benjamin Franklin's family. There is also a monument to Franklin. But, I wanted to see Mother's Goose's grave.

Mother Goose is best known for her children's nursery rhymes, like Bye Baby Bunting, Baa Baa Blacksheep, Little Bo Peep, Little Boy Blue, and the list goes on and on.
Mother Goose or Mary Goose and three of her children are buried here. Some say this isn't the original Mother Goose as her nursery rhymes were known in France before this time period. But at least this is the Mother Goose who brought all these beautiful and funtastic rhymes to America.

Around the World--um--country in 8X days

Wouldn't you love to go around the world in 80 days? I never made it that far.

Well, at least I got to go across the country for 8 days. Just yesterday morning I was sitting on the balcony at my hotel in 85 degree weather...but nothing lasts forever.

Today it's time to start heading back to reality...and the rainy weather of Portland, Oregon--I keep reminding myself, "at least we get the four seasons."

I thought I'd share a few of my photos from my time in Boston, New England and Florida.


I'm not one to sit around for long, even if it is beside a pool, in a beautiful hotel like the Lago Mar or even on the beach. So, while my husband was busy at a business conference, I went on a ride on a water taxi. It was a lot of fun. The tour guides pointed out where Sonny and Cher used to live and Lucy Arnez and Ricky Ricardo. Also, the owner of the Miami Dolphins and the major Nascar owner. So, I got to see how the rich and famous (and some not-so-famous) people live, in their extravagant mansions and super-sized yachts.

The driver pointed out this particular point on the river - it's a little slice of paradise and where Jimmy Buffet used to hang out and sing Cheese Burgers in Paradise

Then I went back to my room where I sat and waited for my husband to get back. Don't feel too sorry for me because here's the view I got to enjoy while I waited, from my hotel room balcony...

When the hard-working hubby got back from the conference, we wandered down by the pool and started a game--a rather large game--of chess
Then we walked a few feet further to the ocean. Lars went for a swim in the warm water off the Florida coast. The water here, in Oregon, is not so warm. Our ocean water is the runoff from Alaska--bone chilling.


But, before we ever made it to Florida, we stopped in Boston to visit some friends. And we all drove up the New England coastline to the Hamptons. Not quite as warm as Fort Lauderdale, but we still enjoyed it.

This was the beautiful view of Boston we got to enjoy for the few nights we were in Good 'Ole Bean Town.

Plus, the Nine-Zero was so nice to us, they even had sparkling water and chocolate dipped strawberries waiting for us in our room.

And what trip to New England would be complete without some great seafood? You can't leave without trying a bowl of clam chowder or a Maine Lobster
Or...a little history?



I hope you enjoyed the pictorial memory-journal of my vacation. If you did, you might want to pop back by tomorrow for more about Mother Goose and her history in Boston.

Answer

Shegetz literally means little rascal. If you want to read more, check it out here.

shegetz

Usually I do a word for Wednesday but today is Tuesday and my word is Shegetz.

Hint: A friend told me this is what he was in class. And that he got in trouble for it more than once.

Guess what it means. Put your answer in the comments section then come back around 3:00 to see if you were right or wrong.

Miami Book Fair

The Miami Book Fair is happening now. And, I was thinking how much fun it would be to travel the world and visit all the different book fairs.

Anyway, lately, whenever I turn on the t.v., which admittedly isn't very often, I see George Bush talking about his new book or see Sarah Palin's Alaska advertisements for her new reality show. It seems like a Republican mediafest. And, I'm not complaining but I think we need to have "fair and balanced" news coverage. Maybe we need a few Democrats to write some tell-all books or have Arnold and Maria have a reality show... I'm just saying.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share a few of my ideas. How 'bout you? Any ideas for new reality shows featuring political people?

Boston Book Fair

This weekend, November 12th through the 14th, is the 34th annual Boston Book Fair at the Hynes Convention Center. So, if you're looking for a rare old book, you might want to check this out.

This could be just the place to pick up a few presents for the book lover(s) in your life.

Earth-Friendly Friday - THE WHEELS ON THE BUS

One way we can all cut down on cars on the road, gas emissions, pollution, and noise is to take mass transit. The Maryland Department of Transportation says that a full bus eliminates 60 cars on the road. Plus, you can read, knit or listen to music on the journey.

I haven't always taken the bus but I'm trying to make more of a commitment to living sustainable and this is one easy way to do it.

Orycon is Coming up

Don't forget Friday, Saturday and Sunday is Orycon. If you like Sci-Fi and/or Fantasy, you might want to check out this link.

There will be plenty of guest speakers to inspire all of us wannabe writers.

Answer to Word for Wednesday

Word: Nosh

It means to snack or eat between meals.

If you want to read more about it, check it out here.

Word for Wednesday - a game for Writers

Word: Nosh

Take a guess, what do you think it means?

Put your guess in the comments section and then come around 3:00 p.m. to see if you were "write" or wrong. ;)

Tune for Tuesday - I Keep Dancing On My Own

Thanks to Gossip Girl and Mackenzie :)

Movie Review Monday - Let the Right One In and Date Night

My son gave me the book to read. I read about 30-50 pages and got bored with it. I still haven't finished it. But then my son brought home the movie and said his friends said it was "Great!" So, I thought, I'll give it another chance. My husband and I popped some popcorn and sat down to watch it on Saturday night. He liked the idea of watching a Scandinavian film and I am a die-hard fanpire, so what the heck.

But "Great" is giving it way too much credit-at least in my opinion. It was slow and uneventful for a horror film. It was labeled a thriller - but I was less than thrilled. The acting may have been okay but definitely not stellar. All-in-all this would not be one I'd recommend.

However, my husband and I then popped in Date Night with Steve Carell and Tina Fey. It was super cute and made me laugh out loud.

I have so been there with this couple, when the kids were growing up. Only my husband and I never did "Date Night(s)". I wish we would have known about these special occasions for parents. But back then we were just struggling to make ends meet and after seeing this film, maybe that was a good thing. I'm sure we would have taken the Triplehorns' reservation too, if we'd had the chance and then where would we be today? Not driving a lamborghini - I'm sure, we would never have been so lucky.

But this is one funtastic film that I would recommend to any young couple with kids - no, wait, I'd recommend this one to anyone :)