holidays – Page 31 – Jennifer Michie

November 22, 2009 / 0 Comments

Crazy Holiday Ideas

I have these crazy Martha Stewart ideas at times, I see something and I think, “Oh, wouldn’t that be the cutest idea, all made, decorated, beautifully wrapped and lined up in neat rows to hand out…”, the idea I am thinking of, are Thanksgiving goody bags, or boxes in this case.

Whether we had Thanksgiving at our house or someone else’s, everyone always left with a bag of goodies, especially (my mom being an original New Yorker before she moved below the Mason Dixon) if cookies had been sent down from New York, you can’t beat a good bakery! Divine cookies with sprinkles or nuts or a little cherry stuck in them; shaped like leaves and hearts and circles, they were a box of pure happiness!I was looking for something this morning and went to the Bake it Pretty website and saw their turkey cupcake picks and that started off my whole wave of crazy thinking. I thought wouldn’t it be cute, if you made little pumpkin bread cupcakes, iced with mountains of cream cheese frosting (in these retro Sound of Music looking liners), stuck in a little turkey pick, whipped up some acorn shaped sugar cookies while you were at it and had everything all beautifully packaged in a box with some bakers twine or raffia tied through the handle, with something cute stamped on the box.

These are my Martha Stewart moments, the ideas that I would be insane enough to do, but will not. I just love the idea of it!

(Images from the Bake it Pretty website)

P.S. I heard my 1st Christmas song of the season on the radio this morning, I did a Charlie Brown Peanut’s dance of happiness!

November 15, 2009 / 0 Comments

Gobble Gobble

I was looking over the Gooseberry Patch Blog this weekend and this post was at the top of their list. It made me think of being little. We made little apple turkeys just like this in elementary school, sans the cereal feathers, they were all marshmallows going up our little feather toothpicks.

I loved celebrating holidays in school. At Thanksgiving we paraded around with our construction paper pilgrim hats or Indian headdresses upon our heads. We brought canned goods in for the needy and made turkey pictures out of our hand prints.

There are times when I think we forget how simple our world’s were when we were little, that there is something to just taking in life, having fun in the moment and just breathing. Looking at the Tom Turkey apple made me think of just that. I think I am going to hunt up some apples and mini marshmallows and have a little fun of my own!

Click on the picture above for a How-To, to make your own little turkey apples.

(Images copyright to Gooseberry Patch)

October 19, 2009 / 0 Comments

Pumpkin Patch Love

I love the festive look of these Pumpkin Patch cupcakes from Martha Stewart. We went pumpkin hunting this weekend and I came back with another pumpkin to add to my collection. He is small with a cute curl of a stem, and has lots of personality!

I haven’t seen any teeny pumpkins yet this year, I love the little munchkin pumpkins! I thought these cupcakes would be perfect with a glass of cold apple cider to wash away those hungry pumpkin hunting appetites. They also would taste just as yummy if you cheated and used a gingerbread cake recipe instead of a pumpkin one, you decide.

Happy Hunting!

Get the Recipe

(Image used copyright Martha Stewart Living)

October 1, 2009 / 0 Comments

Halloween Countdown

October is here and All Hallows Eve is on its way. This was a time of important decision making in my childhood – what to dress up as was a daily dilemma? One of my favorite costumes was the year I dressed up like my American Girl Doll, Kirsten, we each went as Santa Lucia. My mom pulled out her advent wreath and we put battery powered candles in it. She braided my hair up in rings and with a white tunic and a red satin ribbon, I looked just like my doll. We were costume inventors in our house.

My mom always made the best Halloween packets so everyone always came to our house to be sure to get their treats. You always knew who’s house to avoid, like the lady down the street who always spent Halloween eating candy on her couch, but when you trick-or-treated at her door she gave you a penny and a pencil, I was holding out for the real goods. Pennies and pencils were not handed out at our front door, my mom is the Candy Queen and so her Halloween bags were filled with an assortment of goodies.

Now, is the season where I want to make candy apples, I usually cheat and just melt caramel and then dip in apple slices, just as yummy, but not the same teeth almost breaking experience you get at the fair trying to bite into your first candy apple of the season. That first bite is one to be savored and cherished anew each autumn. So here’s to October and blustery days, cold apple cider, candy corn and Indian corn, leaves crunching underfoot, pumpkins and witches and Halloween.

(Click HERE to go to a candy apple recipe from Martha Stewart)

September 12, 2009 / 0 Comments

Holly Jolly Days

I know it is probably to early to think of Christmas, but, I seem to think about Christmas all year through. When I am blue, I just put on some Christmas tunes and sit on the couch. What could be better? It is my favorite time of year!

I love the seasons; each have their own time & place, not to be rushed, but as we are in Autumn I find it hard not to think of the Winter ahead that is so very close. I received my Emma Bridgewater mailer today and these festive Holly mugs were listed in the NEW pattern section.

I am going to be patient, but the next time I am near the Emma Bridgewater store in Marylebone, I think 2 of these mugs might just jump into my basket, they would be perfect for a wintry cup of tea on a frosty starry night!

Discover them for yourselves on her website: Emma Bridgewater

July 14, 2009 / 0 Comments

Yes, Virginia, There is Christmas in July!

I LOVE Christmas! I always said that when I had my own house I would have a Christmas room. A little place that would always be eternally Christmassy. When you opened the door there could be a crackling fire, a cozy Christmas tree decorated with glowing twinkle lights, Christmas music playing and a warm chair to curl up in with a book and a cup of hot chocolate. A girl can dream, can’t she?

I have yet to find the true Dicken’s Christmas experience in England, but I suppose a lot of it has to do with where we live and since working schedules somehow get crazier around the Holidays you never seem to have enough time to do everything you want. I have yet to go ice-skating at Somserset House, but I plan to!

Every year we always arrange for one day that we go into Centeral London to just window-shop and look at all the Christmas lights. We watch the entertainers in Covent Garden and take a stroll down Carnaby Street where there are always interesting street displays. This past year there were giant puffy air-filled snowmen floating above your head, while the year before shiny metallic “paper” chains, draped the street. Fortnum & Masons does the most extraordinary windows and most recently in conjunction with the Royal Ballet. This past year, “The Snow Queen” came to life in all her icy glory.

I love our house at Christmas, its cozy tininess works all the more in its favour during the season. Our cottage is so small that the Christmas tree can only fit in our bedroom, so we have a romantic sparkle of lights as we slip off to the land of nod. The downstairs mantle and banister are swathed in pine garlands with fairy lights threaded through and Danish ornaments hung in amongst the boughs. When we can’t sleep we usually come downstairs at some ungodly hour to make a cup of tea, turn on the Christmas lights and a little music and just chat till we are tired again.

Being in England this time of year I always miss the stores at home that do fabulous “Christmas in July” sales, if I had my own store here, I would! Even the Family channel would do Christmas in July TV specials, showing “Frosty” and “Rudolph”. It just makes for a little fun in the summertime haze.