Mad for Plaid at Home for Christmas

Mad for Plaid at Home for Christmas

Posted on by Mama

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Welcome to the 2015 Home for Christmas blog hop hosted by Hometalk.com and Country Living.com. I’m so excited to be a part of this fun and can’t wait to share a little Christmas decorating tip with you. You also might want to grab a cup of cocoa (with loads of mini marshmallows), find a comfy chair and follow all the other bloggers along the way. You can also follow the hop at #homeforchristmas.

Plaid is absolutely the bomb right now. . . wait a minute, I don’t think “the bomb” is the bomb right now, but eh, I’m going with it anyway. If you are as mad for plaid as I am, I have an easy and affordable way to add this colorful tartan to your holiday décor.

You could venture out to find just the right kind o’ plaid ribbon spools to fit the bill, but these seem rather difficult to come by and often don’t successfully mimic the original. Instead, shorten your quest for perfection by just buying the real thing. That’s right, purchase a few yards of actual plaid fabric (which comes in a huge variety of colors and patterns) at your local craft or sewing store and cut it into strips to use wherever you normally would ribbon.

Simply decide how wide a strip you need, make a small cut in the fabric and tear it to full length going with the grain. This tearing technique gives your tartan pieces a more rustic look and let’s you decide exactly how wide your fabric “ribbon” will be for each specific use. Here are just a few uses for tartan tidbits around my holiday house, but the sky’s the limit when it comes to plaidifying your place.

Iantern

This little lantern vignette sits in the front porch wicker chair that has been stripped of its cushions. The little touch of tartan adds a whimsical and rustic flare to the my Christmas decorations.

 sledwreath2

My son and I took a nice stroll into the woods this week to cut the evergreen boughs that adorn my childhood sled. The skates were a garage sale find from many years ago.

These homemade plaid bows are perfect for the store-bought faux pine wreaths that hang in my two front windows. It’s almost as if I cut up one of my husband’s cozy shirts to give our home a warm hug for the holidays.

window

 These petite grapevine wreaths hang in the decorative windows in my living room. I used to hang them with ribbon, but in my search for the perfect plaid I found that cutting strips of material just the right width was a better solution.

Saturday Sparks — December Daily Ideas

Saturday Sparks — December Daily Ideas

Posted on by Mama

Have you ever thought of doing one of these fun little “December Daily” scrapbooks that are all over Pinterest these days? I have. . . and thinking is about as far as I’ve gone at this point. Seeing as it’s already the fifth of the month, I would say I’m pretty far behind already (surprise!!), but I really would like to do a simple version of this great project for 2015. It’s just a cool way to kind of bring the advent of the season to life and make each moment special as we near Christmas day.

So as I went hunting for my own inspiration, I decided to pass along a few found ideas from some really gifted paper crafters and photographers. If it’s a little late to start your own daily journal this year, hopefully this will spark some interest for the next holiday season. Hey, maybe you can do the forty days of Lent or fourteen days of Valentines, or even the hallowed days of Halloween. . . and yes, I’m sure they have all been done. Happy Crafting!

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Super Yummy Quick and Easy Chili

Super Yummy Quick and Easy Chili

Posted on by Mama

chiliWe haven’t seen the sun much during the last week and cooler temps have finally come along, so in my kitchen that means chili is on the menu. I love to make a large batch of chili that will feed the family several times over because it’s easy, makes great leftovers and is super yummy. . . especially when you add a few Fritos at the bottom and grated cheese on the top.

Now when I make my chili there are a few things you must know. First, I don’t use a recipe and it never tastes quite the same way twice. I throw in a bit of this and a dash of that and measuring spoons are usually not part of the process. Second, if my husband was lucky (or eh, “skilled”) enough to have put a deer in the freezer that particular year, I usually make chili with ground venison. It’s a great lean, natural and healthy alternative to beef and it makes fabulous chili. Lastly, we like a bit of kick with our chili, but having a five-year-old in the house mandates a more mild recipe and I’m okay with that. You can always add some chopped jalapenos or more Tabasco to your recipe if you need more spice.

So if you’re not completely afraid of trying this recipe now that I’ve divulged all my little chili-cooking quirks, here goes the basic, delicious way to make chili every time. Although I don’t normally measure out quantities, I did make a tasty batch using the following recipe just so I could share it with my readers. . . and maybe my son and his family one day.

Chili
Serves 6
Quick and easy go-to recipe for super yummy chili every time.
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Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
2 hr
Total Time
2 hr 30 min
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
2 hr
Total Time
2 hr 30 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 lb browned ground beef (or venison)
  2. 1/4 cup chopped onion
  3. 1/4 tsp garlic salt
  4. 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
  5. 1 tbsp chili powder
  6. 1 can (16 oz) dark red kidney beans - drained and rinsed
  7. 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
  8. 1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
  9. 1 can Ro-Tel Chili Fixins
  10. 1 dash of Tabasco sauce
Instructions
  1. Add all the ingredients to a large pot and if the chili is not "soupy" enough, add a bit of water.
  2. Bring chili to a boil, stirring periodically.
  3. Reduce heat and let simmer for 1 - 2 hours with lid on pot.
  4. Serve hot.
Notes
  1. You can add some chopped jalapenos or more Tabasco to give your chili some kick.
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