Away In a Manger

A few weeks ago, before the snow and cold Jim did this:

Since the trimmed twigs were red in color, I decided to keep them.  I thought I could use them somehow in my Christmas decorating.

Then I got this bright idea (picture light bulb here)...I could build a building/barn for our nativity set!  We have the "jewels" nativity set from Lenox.  It's a beautiful set, done all in white with colored jewels adorning each piece.  We've collected pieces for this set over several years, growing it to many pieces but never bought the barn piece. Truth be told, I never liked the one made for it.

We started with this:

Jim put on his general contractor hat and began picking my brain about how I wanted it to look.  A snip here, a snip there, some hot glue and it began taking shape.

The roof

Hubby hard at work.

The back 'fence'.

A couple of twigs for bracing and viola a background for our nativity is complete.

It turned out even better than I imagined.  Definitely gives a background to the manger scene.  I know it's rustic for a porcelain nativity set, but I think it gives it depth.

At night.

We also finished our interior decorating.

My Santa collection.

I'm still playing/learning about lighting and my camera, so bear with me.

Til next time ~ find your joy!

Kelly

Winter Wonderland

Over the last two days we've received about a foot of snow, with 2-4 more inches forecast for tonight.  Since our human babies have flown the coop, I have to take photos of our fur babies--and my hubby.

We were out playing in the snow and I snapped a few shots of the dogs playing in the powdery white stuff.  They had a blast...well, Luna and Libby did.  Bleu is not overly fond of the cold on her feet.  Nor does she like to pose for me and my camera.  Libby and Luna are hams.

Oh, and I'm LOVING my new camera!

Warning!  This post is photo heavy!

 Libby

 Luna

Bleu (see, look at the stern look she's giving me!)

Libby and Luna love to chase/catch snowballs.  The next few are a series of them chasing after one.

 Waiting for Jim to throw a snowball.

Luna watches it fly overhead.  Libby's on it!

 "Where'd it go?"

 "There it is!"

 "I got it!"

"I love the snow!"

 Posing for mom and her camera.

 Regal.

 Beauty.

Queen.

Hubby cleaning off the car.

I also took a couple of the snow in the trees.

Beautiful.  Peaceful.  Perfect.

Til next time ~ find your joy!

Kelly

Peppermint Brownies

Most of the baking I do is from scratch.  However, there is one item that I make from a box (I know, shudders from you bakers out there).  It's a very specific box.  And I'm talking about brownies.

I've tried many brownie recipes but none of them are as yummy as these Ghirardelli brownies.  They are moist and chewy with a crusty layer on the outside.  I buy the big box from Costco.  I prettied them up with some peppermint flavored frosting and crushed candy canes. They turned out very festive!

See what I mean?  Crusty outside, moist and chewy inside.  And, can you say triple chocolate?  You chocolate lovers out there know what I'm talking about.

Cool brownies completely before adding this:

PEPPERMINT FROSTING

2 cups confectioner's sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 Tbps milk

3/4 tsp peppermint extract

green food coloring

Crushed peppermint candy canes 

Note:  I doubled the frosting recipe for a 9x13 pan of brownies.

 

I used 4 candy canes.  Place in a baggie and using a rolling pin, gently crush into small chunks.

When you put it all together you get a very festive, rich and sweet treat for those holiday parties or to enjoy just because.

Hubby gave them a double thumbs up!  Works for me!

I cut them into 1 inch squares and placed in cupcake liners to serve on my red tile tray.  I only had white ones on hand, but I think they look good.  Colored or holiday themed ones would work too.

Enjoy!

Til next time ~ find your joy!
Kelly

JOY

Happy December 1st!

It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season and miss out on the joy we are supposed to be celebrating. This year, I'm striving to find joy every day, whether it's in a greeting to or from a neighbor, baking holiday treats, satisfying a client, or taking our dogs for a walk.

bokeh!

Hubby and I are trying to keep the stress at bay (or at least under control) by getting a jump start on things so we can enjoy the season. We are also traveling for daughter #1's college graduation this month and wanted to ensure we weren't running around last minute to finish before Christmas Eve. Been there, done that, not this year.

Our 10 ft. tree is up and decorated. We are almost done shopping, and there are several wrapped presents already under the tree. It's so pretty and we get to enjoy it for the whole month!

The outside lights are up and have been lighting up our street in the evenings since the day after Thanksgiving. And, every night there seems to be another house in our development that has decked the halls.  So far our street has the most lights--love it!

If all this wasn't enough to find joy on this first day of December, we woke up to a beautiful blanket of snow!

I hope you're doing what you can to minimize the stress and find joy this Christmas season.

Cheers!

Til next time ~ find your joy!
Kelly