Organizing Our Big Road Trip

  It's January. Christmas is done & the days can be dreary. When our regular to-do list is complete, we fill our free time with crafts & cute projects to bring some cheer to the grey winter. One other thing people start to do at this time of year is to start planning their summer vacation.

  We are no different.

  In fact, we started planning this summer's vacation a year & a half ago. It's been a long time coming, it seems. Now that it's 2012, we can start saying "this year" instead of "next year".  How exciting!

  Yes, we're going to Disneyland.

  Not only are we going to Disneyland, we're driving to Disneyland. Approximately 2,800 kilometres (that's 1,740 miles for my American readers).

  It will be a road trip of monumental proportions. I'm absolutely pumped. I love road trips! But this is the longest road trip we've ever attempted, so it requires some major organizing & planning.

  We've been reading up on Disney vacations & tips. I'm starting to plan early & have started to make a packing list for each person in our family.

  I've also started compiling a trip binder. 

  The trip binder is an idea I got from my sister-in-law, Carrie-Lynn, when they drove to Disney a couple of summers ago.

  It includes maps, itineraries, pamphlets, hotel information, etc. Any paper work involving the trip goes into the binder. 

  It's a brilliant idea, really. 

1) Choose a zippered binder, so that your papers don't slip out & get lost.

2) Fill it with plastic sleeves. One for each day of the trip, plus a hand full of extras.

3) Print off your day-by-day directions from map quest or google maps, your trip itinerary with each night's hotel information, including confirmation numbers, restaurant possibilities, sights you want to see, etc. & include them all in the binder.

4) When you're on your trip & pick up small mementos & pamphlets or tickets you want to keep, stash them into the binder & it's all in one place when you get home. 

  I'm filling up the binder bit by bit, as we reserve our hotels & get things booked. I've also started a countdown on our computer so we know how many sleeps are left until we leave! Ya, we're just a bit excited. :)

When do you start planning your summer holiday? Are you headed somewhere special this year?

Enjoy your day!

My Not-Yet-Famous Guacamole

  I don't know about you, but our family enjoys Mexican food year-round. Guacamole is one of our all-time favourite things to eat. My husband loves it so much that he keeps telling me I need to package & sell it! Well, instead, I'm going to share my not-yet-famous recipe with you. This is totally my own creation.

Steph's Not-Yet-Famous Guacamole

3 peeled, mashed ripe avocados 

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro (or 1 tbsp dried parsley)

2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (juice of 2 small limes)

1 1/2 tsp. hot sauce

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Mix it all together. It's best if you can let it sit for a couple of hours to let the flavours mingle, but you can serve immediately too. 

Serve with chips, veggies, or nachos.

We like our guacamole chunky so I don't over mash the avocados, but if like yours smooth, you could puree it. 

Tip: If you buy hard avocados & need them to ripen quickly, put them in a paper bag on your kitchen counter & they will ripen in half the time!

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What kind of food do you eat year-round? Any family favourites that never get old? Please share!

Enjoy your day!

Check out these great parties I link up to.

Getting Organized In The New Year

  Organization... Is that a word that brings on thoughts of longing? Or perhaps thoughts of dismissal, thinking it will never happen to you? It CAN be you! If you want to be organized, you can be. All it takes is some commitment. Set aside a little bit of time every day to clean out a drawer, under the kitchen sink, a closet, a cupboard, whatever! When the things you have have a home, it's much easier to tidy up because you know where things go. Less lost keys, less searching for your purse, less wasted time.

Via

  Having an organized home is very rewarding & definitely can take a lot of stress out of life. When your son asks you where the extra markers are so he can work on his homework project, you can tell him exactly where they are instead of spending half an hour looking for them. Maybe you want to get your pantry organized so that you can tell at a glance what you need when you make a trip to the grocery store. It is within reach.

Via

  Don't let the dream or maybe the New Year's resolution to get organized fall by the way side. Keep at it! Make it happen! You can do it!

Via

  If the task is daunting, ask a friend who is organized to help you get started. Maybe you just need a jumping off point to get you going. Push yourself to start & make this the year you get organized!

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  If you are a lover of all things organizing, you probably love tips & tricks. I sure do! Here are a few things I've found & some that I've put to use & think are worth sharing.

Via

  This amazing idea couldn't be easier. Save some of the little tie thingys that come on a bag of bread, potatoes, or apples. Label them with the names of your electronics & put them on the corresponding cable that's plugged into that pesky power bar. Now the next time you have to unplug that one thing, you know exactly which one to go for! Genius.

~~~

Via

  Use a CD rack to corral plastic lids. No more piles to wade through to find the one you want. Bonus tip: I've seen these exact CD racks en masse at so many thrift stores. In total seriousness, I gave a bag full of these to charity just today. I'm not kidding! Save yourself a few dollars & support a local charity while you're at it. :)

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Via

  Use plastic bins to organize your freezer. For me, this was a "why-didn't-I-think-of-that" moment. Those bins are easily found at pretty much any dollar store... Look out, Dollarama, here I come!

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Via

  Use a magazine holder for kitchen items such as boxes of plastic wrap or ziplock bags. You could also store small cookie sheets or cutting mats. Put on a shelf or in a cupboard & free up a drawer. 

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Via

  Store your sheet sets in the matching pillow case. When it's time to change the bedding, grab one go! No more searching for the whole set!

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Via

  This idea is especially fitting right after Christmas. Corral all of your wrapping paper in plastic shopping bag holders, available at Ikea. Love it!

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So there you have it. Are you eager to get organizing? I am! Hmmm, what to start on first? :)

Enjoy your day!

Happy New Year! Top Ten Projects of 2011

Welcome to 2012!! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas season & a happy New Year celebration.

  Since we were away for our Christmas vacation, I have yet to start any new projects. So, for your viewing pleasure, I'll share with you the top 10 most popular projects / recipes on Silver Boxes this past year. Maybe you can enjoy some of them again or have a look at some you may have missed. Simply click on the title of each photo to see the full post.

Starting at #10...

Almost Instant Buckeyes

#9...

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Pie

#8...

Light Bulb Snowmen

#7...

Christmas Gift Tags

#6...

Faux Silver Leaf Table

#5...

Fall Decor

#4...

Note Card Set

#3...

Spool Tree Ornaments

#2...

Spool Christmas Trees

And drum roll please...

 #1...

Christmas Banner

Happy New Year! Here's to many more projects, recipes, crafts, & small blessings.

Thank you all for joining me on the journey.

Enjoy your day!

Merry Christmas! (My 100th Post!)

  Today is my last post for this year. It's also my 100th post. What a rewarding few months of blogging this has been! I want to thank all my readers - new ones as well as those who have been with me from the beginning. I'm so blessed to be doing what I love & sharing it with all of you. Thank you for reading.

  In the new year, you will start to see some changes around Silver Boxes. I've decided to cut back a bit on the amount of postings I do in a week. I'm going to try three a week & see how it goes. Monday, Wednesday, & Friday will be the new schedule. I'll let you know if things change.

~~~~~

  As we head full long into the heart of the Christmas season, let's remember the reason for our celebrations - Jesus. God sent His only son to the world, to live a sinless life, to die on a cross, to rise from the dead, & to be the Redeemer of the human race. 

  Jesus wants to be your personal Saviour too. This Christmas, open your heart to Jesus. If you haven't already, ask Him to forgive your sins & make you one of His children. When you do this, you will truly experience the true reason for Christmas.

~~~~~

  From our family to yours, we wish you the very merriest of Christmases & a wonderful New Year! 

Enjoy every moment with your family & friends. I'll see you in 2012. 

Love,

Glittered Pinecones

  My very last Christmas project... what a month it's been! Don't get me wrong - a very fun month, but a very busy month. There were so many great things shared out in blog land. No shortage of inspiration, that is for sure.

  Back in November, I compiled a list of Christmas crafts I would like to try. Well, I am happy to tell you that I was able try my hand at all four. One, however, was a flop for me & so I am left with the remaining three. This is the final project... talk about leaving it to the last minute!

  Thankfully, these glittery pinecones are more of a wintery craft so I will likely keep them out into January & February.

  (If you're interested in the other crafts I did this Christmas season, check out the Spool Tree Ornaments & Toilet Roll Treat Packets I posted about. The wrapped candy canes I tried were a bust for me. I couldn't get them to look right. Bummer.)

  If you would like to make some of these, here's what you need:

• pinecones
• spray paint (I used white & silver)
• white glue that dries clear
• glitter (I used 'crystal')

1) Spray your pinecones very lightly with even, sweeping strokes. Let dry. Turn over & paint the other side. Let dry.  I purposefully didn't want mine totally painted. I wanted a bit of natural showing through.

I did a batch of white & a batch of silver, although it's hard to tell the difference in this photo.

2) Once the paint has dried, make a puddle of white glue on a piece of cardboard or something you don't mind getting glue on. I used whatever I could find in our recycling bin. 

3) One at a time, roll the pinecone in the glue, getting a bit on the tips. 

4) Shake some glitter over the glue spots. Let dry. 

You can also roll the glued pinecone in a 'puddle' of glitter. I poured, then when I had quite a bit sitting on my cardboard, I rolled to use some of it up.

I did steps 3 & 4 on each pinecone so that the glue didn't have a chance to dry before I got to them. If you're only doing a small amount, you could glue them all & then glitter them all.

5) After they've dried, use them however you would like in your decor. I'm considering making a pinecone wreath for next Christmas!

Little tip: I found this idea on Pinterest & had one of those "why-didn't-I-think-of-that" moments.

Use a cardboard roll as a vase filler!

via Dandelions & Dust Bunnies

Genius, right?

So, hidden in amongst the pinecones is a cardboard roll. :)

My last craft project for the year. Exhale. :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great link parties I attend!

Egg Nog Tarts

  Christmas is almost here! What happened to the month of December? I really would like to know. Are you ready for the big day? Here's my list: Shopping (check!), wrapping (check!), decorating (um, almost), cooking (nope), baking... I can at last check off the baking from my list. This was the last recipe I made for this year's sweet collection.

Eggnog Tarts

makes approx. 2 dozen

1 package (6 serving size) vanilla pudding mix

1 envelope unflavoured gelatin

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

3 cups purchased eggnog

1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped

24 tart shells (I used purchased)

nutmeg for garnish

1) Bake tart shells according to package directions. Cool.

2) Combine pudding mix, gelatin, & nutmeg in a saucepan. Slowly stir in eggnog. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Remove from heat. Chill 1 hour or until almost set.

3) Beat pudding mixture until fluffy. Fold in whipped cream. 

4) Spoon into tart shells & refrigerate until completely set, about 2 hours.

5) Sprinkle with nutmeg.

6) Store in the refrigerator. 

I ran out of tart shells & had some leftover pudding. And let me tell you that it's very good on it's own too! :)

Have a wonderful day!

Check out the great parties I'm linkin' up to!

My Christmas Tablescape

  Last week I had the pleasure of doing a table "dress rehearsal" for our Christmas Eve meal here at the Richardson home. I received some beautiful Christmas ornaments for my birthday earlier this month as well as a lovely set of silver chargers & napkin rings that I put to good use on my Christmas table. 

I set the table just as a test run & the kids convinced me to keep it set & use it for our supper that night. 

Twist my rubber arm... :)

I made super fast place cards with coloured paper & a paper punch. 

Then I nestled them into the napkin folds with a mini ornament.

So this is what our table will look like for our Christmas Eve meal. Pretty simple but special.

We really enjoy eating beside our Christmas tree. We often talk about our favourite ornaments & where they came from. 

The kids constantly want to hear about their "first Christmas" ornaments. 

Stories are told of those first Christmases & our precious babies. 

Memories are relived & love wells up anew for our treasured family.

We're so very blessed.

Here's to many more Christmas dinners & many more precious memories!

Enjoy your day!

Check out these great parties I link up to!