DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

  On Thanksgiving, more than any other day of the year, Americans sit down and eat the same meal as their neighbors and countrymen. It’s tradition, after all! But we know our  history: most of the Thanksgiving dishes we enjoy today weren’t at the original Pilgrims’ feast in 1621, or at least not in the way we enjoy them. How did we come up with the modern menu on so many tables? 1. Candied Sweet Potatoes    Sweet potatoes are native to the Americas and their consumption goes back about 5,000 years, so it is no wonder they are associated with the American holiday, even though the Pilgrims didn’t have them in Massachusetts. But when did we start adding sugar to make them even sweeter than they are? T he earliest recipe found is from 1889, in which sweet potatoes are made into candy. “ The candied sweet potato is a Philadelphia confectionery. It is nothing but sweet potatoes carefully boiled and quartered, then candied in boiling syrup, but it is sa...

  We've probably all either read the Charles Dickens story or saw one adaptation / version of "A Christmas Carol".     It has been done dozens upon dozens of times in some form with titles ranging from "A Christmas Carol", "Scrooge", and "Ebenezer" to more unique names such as "Scrooged" or "Mr. Scrooge". There are also versions with drastically different stories and titles like "Ms. Scrooge" or "An American Christmas Carol". I do enjoy most versions but since this is a top 10 I need to narrow it down to ten. Most of you have probably seen one of my top 10 because a few have played every year for decades.    There have been female versions such as Ms. Scrooge (1997) (TV) with Cicely Tyson as Ms. Ebenita Scrooge and I believe there are a few others with titles I don't remember. Not to sound sexist but I don't care for these females versions at all. I'm not sure if any woman can...

   This recipe comes from  www.fatgirltrappedinaskinnybody.com  .  Another great cake recipe coming your way! On Monday we celebrated 7 years of marriage. That’s something to celebrate. We’ve grown A LOT in these 7 years! See, when we went through pre-marriage counseling our counselors told us something we will NEVER forget: “You two are the 2 most opposite people we have EVER seen in our 25 years of marriage counseling experience. Good luck” I was a whopping 20 years old at the time and thought ‘whatever, I laugh in the face of a challenge.’ Stupid, stupid stupid. Those first couple years were rough. Rough in the sense that we learned very quickly that marriage takes work. Give me a topic, ANY topic, I can promise, with about 99% certainty we are different. He’s a night owl, I like to get up at 4 am. I’m a runner, he’s a biker. I like vegetables, he likes steak. He uses discernment when he speaks, I well, I don’t. I fart, A LOT. He farts about...

 This comes form  www.celebrationsathomeblog.com  .  A cool idea to add a little decor to that holiday buffet and to add some color to your holiday table. This  icey bottle cooler  as seen on my  Holiday Bar Design , is a stylish way to present vodka or white wine on the bar while keeping it cold at the same time. It’s a simple project but you need to give yourself a couple of days to freeze the layers. This works well for vodka because it can go in the freezer without turning solid, and is best served very cold anyway. Here’s how it works… What you’ll need: A 3-liter empty soda container that you will cut the top off of distilled water for more clarity in your end result fruit such as lemons, limes, star fruit, or cranberries duct tape – only in case your bottle floats up in the water Place the bottle of vodka inside the 3-liter container and fill with an inch or two of the distilled water – freeze until ...

   This is a listing of actual holidays, believe it or not. Several web sites even offer electronic cards for you to send to friends and relatives to help celebrate ! November 1 - Bra Day Whatever you do, don't burn your bra today! This holiday commemorates the date that Mary Jacob invented the first modern  brassiere  circa 1913 in New York. November 2 - Practice Being Psychic Day Today is "Practice Being Psychic" Day, and I am reading your mind right now. You are thinking "Why would anyone think up such a silly celebration?" I'm pretty good, don't you think? November 3 - Sandwich Day Happy Sandwich Day! This holiday celebrates the emergence of the sandwich, popularized in 1762 by the 4th Earl of Sandwich, John Montague, an 18 th  century English aristocrat. November 4 - Bad Mood Day On this day, I suppose it is permissible to be in a bad mood for a 24 hour period. Celebrate this holiday at your own risk! ...

   Wouldn't it be nice to celebrate a different holiday everyday? Well, you can celebrate a national holiday everyday. There is a national food holiday for everyday of the year. That means that you can do something unique and serve a fun food that goes along with that day's holiday. November is one of the best times to celebrate national food holidays. Not only do we get to celebrate Thanksgiving, but there are 29 more days of great food holidays. National Vinegar Day November 1 :  This can easily be one of the best food holidays, if you know some fabulous recipes. For example, make coleslaw or make pickled sausages. There are so many great ways to use this tangy ingredient. National Deviled Egg Day November 2 :  Now this food holiday was definitely made for Southerners. To make delicious deviled eggs simply boil your eggs and then combine the yolks with some mayonnaise and crumbled bacon. National Sandwich Day November 3 : Skip the compl...

 Need some great handmade Christmas gifts that won’t break the bank?  Today’s project is an adorable, virtually free Christmas ornament made from an aluminum can.  I was recently gifted a cute coke can angel, and of course had to hack it.  I came up with a template, which you can download and cut out to trace onto a can.  The smaller winged angel takes only one can, no glue, and is easy to make!  The version with the larger wings takes 2 cans, this  Sizzix Angel Wings die , and super glue. SUPPLIES: 12 oz Soda Can Large Beads for head Seed Beads for Halo Craft Wire 20 Gauge Wire Cutter Jewelry Pliers Scissors for cutting Aluminum Angel template Sharpie Craft knife Needle Tool or Bead Reamer Masking Tape (optional) Tutorial: For the larger wings, Cut out the template without the wings, fold can into cone shape then super glue larger wings onto back of angel. To string your ornament for hanging on your tree, l...