My Mother-in-law

Early this morning, we received a telephone call we knew would come eventually.  My mother-in-law, Helen, who has been battling lung cancer, passed away this morning.  My husband, daughter and I had visited her last evening at the Life Care Center, where she had been admitted into long-term care a few weeks ago.  She had been receiving Hospice care for less than a week before she passed away.

Helen just turned 87 on Monday. We celebrated her birthday with a party at the Life Care Center this past Sunday, which is when the above photo was taken.  Her daughters arrived from as far away as Maine, Texas, and California to attend the party and what turned out to be to say their goodbyes.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. I'm going to be taking a break from blogging for a bit, as we gather with family to support one another and to make  arrangements.  

Old Fashioned Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients:

• 2 egg whites
• dash salt
• ½ t. vanilla
• 2/3 C. sugar
• 3 ½ - oz. can (1 1/3 C.) flaked coconut

Directions:

Beat egg whites with dash salt and the vanilla till soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating till stiff. Fold in coconut.

Preheat Drop by rounded teaspoon onto greased cookie sheet. Bake in slow oven (325°F degrees) for about 20 minutes. Makes about 1 ½ dozen cookies.

Enjoy!
Sherry

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Themed Gift Baskets

I enjoy giving themed gift baskets as presents for the holidays!  They can be inexpensive to make, if you know where to shop. They are also fun to put together.  

Here are a few I ideas for some themed gift baskets:

Italian Gift Basket - Items that go well in this basket included pasta, marinara sauce, olive oil, grated parmesan cheese, a bottle of red wine, and Italian bread mix.

Soup Lover's Gift Basket -  I fill this basket with a couple of large soup crocks, several packages of differnt types of soup mixes , pasta, grated parmesan cheese and bread mix.

Hot Chocolate Lover's Gift Basket - In this basket, I add several boxes of gourmet hot chocolate, some pretty holiday cocoa mugs, peppermint sticks, candy canes, and cinnamon sticks.

Movie Lover's Gift Basket - For a movie basket, you could add a few favorite DVD's, packages of microwave popcorn, video store gift certificates and an inexpensive throw.

Sweet Bread Basket - This gift basket is a family favorite.  Along with a loaf of fresh, homemade sweet bread, I include jars of assorted jams, gourmet hot chocolate mixes and individual  packages of flavored coffee.

You can also personalize your gift baskets by adding items that you know the recipient enjoys.   For example, I have a friend who collects nutcrackers.  I added a large wooden nutcracker to the center of her gift basket, along with some other goodies I know she'll enjoy.

To make my gift baskets, first I purchase inexpensive baskets in a size that will accommodated the items I plan to include the basket.  I like to line the basket with a decorative holiday dish towel or cloth napkins.  I also purchase shredded paper gift basket filler, cellophane gift basket bags, gift tags and curling ribbon at the dollar store,   After lining the basket with the decorative towel, I add the shredded paper filler.  I then arrange the goodies on top of the paper filler, so that it looks pleasing to the eye.  I then carefully place the basket in a gift bag, which can be purchased at any dollar store.  I close the top with a piece of curling ribbon and add several more pieces of curling ribbon to the top of the basket, curling each piece to make a curly bow. I finish the basket with a gift tag.


Happy Holidays!

Snowman Tablescape & Breakfast Nook Holiday Décor

 

I love snowmen, which is why they are the theme for the holiday décor in our breakfast nook and today's tablescape.

 

  

I love these cute snowmen plates I bought on eBay a few years ago.  They were originally from Pottery Barn. I layered ivory and green stoneware plates underneath them.  

 

 The red placemats and green napkins are from the Christmas Tree Shop.  The napkin rings are actually holiday glass charms given to me as a gift from a friend.

For a centerpiece, I added a pillar candle to a hurricane and surrounded it with fresh cranberries. 

 

This snowman basket was a gift from my SIL.  It came filled with Christmas goodies.  It's perfect for filling with freshly baked muffins or dinner rolls.  

I've had Mr. & Mrs. Snowman for a number of years.  They were actually the start of my snowmen collection.  

These gingerbread spoons make me smile; they were a gift from my MIL. 

While you're here, I thought I'd show you the rest of the holiday décor in the breakfast nook.  

 

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...  

 

As you can probably tell by now, I love to hang wreaths in windows.  I especially like the combination of these rustic berry twig wreaths and the cheerful red gingham bows. 

A few more snowmen sit on top of the cabinet in the corner of the room.  

The rustic tree includes many snow-themed decorations. I used the same red gingham ribbon on the wreaths as a tree garland.

A red gingham bow adds a touch of holiday cheer to a wreath made from bay leaves. 

Well, that concludes the holiday tour of the breakfast nook.  Check back soon for more Christmas crafts, holiday décor and recipes.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Feather Wreath

It was time to add some holiday cheer to my mom cave! A window wreath and mini tree would definitely be just enough to make this tiny room look festive.  I decided  to add a touch of glam by making a simple feather wreath.  It was an easy and inexpensive project.  As with the decorations on mini tree, I chose materials that coordinated with the color palette in the room. 

Here's how to make one:

 Supplies:

• 72" feather boa
• 12" styrofoam wreath
• straight pins
• ornament picks
• a piece of ribbon for hanging
• scissors

Directions:

Lay the styrofoam wreath form down and begin attaching the feather boa to the outer edge of the form using straight pins.  Fluff the feathers around the head of each pin to cover it.  Continue around the outside edge of the wreath until it is covered.

 When you come to the end, start a second row on the interior of the wreath.  Continue around in the same manner until the wreath form is covered with feather.  

 When you come to the end of the row, pull the end of the feather boa through the back and attach.

I found these pretty, copper ornament picks at Michael's for 50% off.  

Decide where you would like the ornaments on the wreath, then snip off the end of the wires with scissors and push the wire end into the wreath between the two rows of feather boa.

I used a piece of sparkly, copper ribbon to hang it on the window.  I didn't put a bow on it or add lights, because I like the elegant simplicity of it as it is. 

Thanks for stopping by!