Lend a Helping Hand this Christmas

  Christmas is all about giving. Or at least it should be. Sadly, with all the commercialism that often surrounds the Christmas season, the real reason for Christmas can get lost in the shuffle.

  That's why I'm encouraging you today to take a break your own preparations to help someone else with theirs. Pick up the phone or send an email & see who could use a hand. Whether it be shopping, baking, wrapping, or decorating, pick something you like doing & offer to help someone else with that task.

  If you don't have a lot of free time, just give a couple of hours. I'm sure the recipient of your kind deed with be forever grateful. 

  If you don't have a friend who needs help, purpose to spread some joy in another way. Buy a Starbucks or another hot drink for your child's teacher. Offer to help in a soup kitchen or at your local food bank. Plug a parking meter that has expired if you're out shopping. Pay for the order of the person behind you in the drive thru.  

  These are just a few ideas of how you can give this Christmas away. So go ahead, spread some extra cheer & do something a little out of the ordinary. Because Christmas isn't Christmas until you give it away.

“For God loved the world so much that He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."  ~John 3:16

Enjoy your day!

Linkin' Up:

One Artsy Mama

Turkey & Black Bean Chili

  These colder days call out for cozy recipes. Chillis, soups, & stews are all regulars on our meal plans for the next several months. Imagine coming home from a day out Christmas shopping & preparing a warm, comforting meal for your family. This is just such a meal.

  Today I have a chili recipe that uses ground turkey or perhaps you could even use shredded leftover Christmas turkey! It's something a bit different from the common beef chili. And this is chock full of veggies too! Very healthy but amazingly good!

Turkey & Black Bean Chili

makes 6 servings

1 pound skinless ground turkey

1 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup chopped green pepper

1 cup diced carrots

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups salsa

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed 

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

Dried pasta of your choice

Optional toppings:

Sour cream

Cheddar cheese, shredded

Chopped green onion

1) Spray a large skillet with non-stick spray. Add ground turkey & cook over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Break up any large chunks. 

2) Add onions, garlic, green pepper, & carrots. Cook & stir for 4-5 minutes, until veggies have softened.

3) Stir in tomato sauce, salsa, beans, chili powder, cumin, & oregano. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat & simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4) Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well. 

5) Serve chili over pasta & serve with optional toppings.

~~~

The perfect meal for a cold, winter night. 

I hope you're keeping warm & enjoying your Christmas season.

Enjoy your day!

Linkin' Up:

Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Made By You Monday

Chef In Training

Almost Instant Buckeyes

I'm excited to share this super simple candy recipe with you today! 

Almost-Instant Buckeyes

makes about 5 dozen candies

1 (10-oz.) pkg. peanut butter chips

1 (16-oz.) can vanilla ready-to-spread frosting

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 Tbsp. butter or margarine

1. Line cookie sheets with waxed paper or parchment paper. 

2. Melt peanut butter chips in medium saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. OR you can melt them in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stopping it after 1 minute to stir. Remove from heat or microwave. Stir in frosting. Let stand about 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle.

3. Roll mixture into 1-inch balls; place on cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips & buter in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. OR melt in the microwave as directed above.

5. Pierce each ball with a toothpick; dip into melted chocolate, leaving a small area around the toothpick uncoated. Place dipped ball on cookie sheet, pushing candy off of toothpick with tines of fork (or a clean finger). :)

6. To smooth out the toothpick mark, first make sure your hands are clean. Then, give each hole a little pinch...

...and a little push.

There!

7. Let stand for 5 minutes or until set.

So easy & yummy! These also make a great gift. Maybe a teacher, neighbour, or party hostess you know would enjoy receiving a sampling of these tasty morsels? Just make sure there are no peanut allergies to contend with!

  If you're curious, as I was, where the name Buckeye comes from, these candies are called that because they look similar to the nut that comes from the chestnut or buckeye tree. There you go, you learn something new everyday! :)

Enjoy your weekend!

Linkin" Up:

Shine On Fridays

The Creative Paige
Home For The Holidays
Crafty, Scrappy, Happy
Tatertots & Jello
Young & Crafty
A Well-Seasoned Life
A Little Inspiration

Oh Christmas Tree(s)

  I have a question for you. Do you decorate your Christmas tree the same way every year or do you like to switch it up a bit from year to year? In the past, I've done it pretty much the same from year to year... mostly silver & blue, but with the kid's colourful ornaments added in too.

My tree a couple years ago.

  This year, I was able to purchase a small white tree for our family room which my daughter decorated with the kid's ornaments & my nutcracker ornament collection.

  That left my big tree for the living room. It's the first year in a while for me to have an "adult tree". It looks even more sophisticated this year with the addition of some dark navy ornaments. In certain light, they even look black or charcoal. Pretty sophisticated. I like.

It is SO hard to get good photos of a Christmas tree. Have you noticed?

My favourite ornaments are probably the nature inspired ones:

And whooo could resist these sweet owls?

What are your favourite ornaments from your Christmas tree?

Enjoy your day!

Dollar Store Gift Tag Makeover

  A couple of weeks ago, I shared some creative Christmas wrapping ideas. Since then, I've been wrapping up a storm around here & the space under our tree is looking all shimmery with prettily wrapped gifts.

  While I was doing all this wrapping, I came up with a neat little idea to share.

  I bought these gift tags from Michaels in the dollar bins a few months ago.

  I bought these Christmas decorations at the dollar store awhile ago.

  I put them together & they look like this!

I love how they look expensive when really they were so cheap! 

Enjoy your day!