December Wrap-Up

At the beginning of December I came up with another photo-a-day challenge.

 I used my phone camera & I edited with instagram (You're welcome to follow me if you'd like) to make things easy. If you've been following me on Facebook, you've likely already seen some of them.

  Here's this month's photo-a-day recap:

I would love for you to join me for January's Photo Challenge! 

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Let's Rock 2013!

January Photo Challenge

It's getting close to the New Year. A new year - a new monthly photo challenge for January!

Follow me on Instagram at StephRichy to see my daily photo. Let me know if you're taking the challenge - I'd love to see your photos too! I'll be using the hashtag #sbphotochallenge. Please join me & we can share our photos with one another!

Here's January's Photo Challenge:

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Have a wonderful New Year!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

Merry Christmas!

I just wanted to stop in & say a big Merry Christmas & thank you to each of you!

I'm taking a blogging break (as many others are) for the next couple of weeks while we celebrate Christmas - our Saviour's birth. 

Have a wonderful Christmas with your family & loved ones.

I'll be back briefly before the New Year to share the photo challenge for January.

Thanks for your love & support this past year. It's because of each of you that I find blogging very rewarding.

Merry Christmas!

Pretty Ribbon Christmas Card Display

  I'm happy to report that I'm pretty much finished my Christmas preparations.

Shopping?

Check.

Wrapping?

Check.

Baking & Food Gifts?

Check, Check, Check, and Check.

Christmas crafts?

Lots of checks there. And more I would like to add! :)

Decorating?

As of today - check!

I have at last put up my ribbon Christmas card display - the last of my decorating this year.

It's quite easily made with two widths of ribbon (non-wired), some pretty paper clips, & a smaller width of ribbon to attach the paper clips.

Start by cutting your ribbons to the length of your door (or wherever you plan to hang your display). Notch the ends.

Layer the ribbons & pin at alternating lengths, allowing space for both portrait (10") or landscape (7") oriented cards.

Tie small lengths of the narrowest ribbon to your paper clips & stitch to ribbon.

Tack to the top of your door(s) & display your Christmas cards!

Now that my Christmas prep is pretty much done, I can enjoy Christmas break with my family & if I choose to do more crafting or baking, it's just gravy, so to speak. 

I hope you're getting your to do list done & have some time to enjoy the season too.

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

Caramel M&M Bars

Are you done your Christmas baking? I was.

Then, I decided I wanted to make these yummy bars to share with you. And hey, my family wasn't complaining. :)

M&M's are my favourite candy - by far. Ask anyone. Okay, ask anyone that knows me.

Caramel M&M Bars  Print Recipe

makes 24 bars

1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

1 cup Rice Crispy cereal

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

35 vanilla caramels, unwrapped

1/3 cup milk

1 (14 oz) package of M&M's (I used the Christmas ones), divided

~Heat oven to 350º. Spray 13x9 inch pan with nonstick spray. In large bowl, combine brown sugar & butter; beat until smooth. Stir in oats & cereal. Add flour, baking soda & salt; mix until well blended. **Reserve 3 cups oat mixture for topping.** Press remaining mixture in bottom of sprayed pan. Bake at 350º for 10 minutes.

~Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine caramels & milk. Heat over low heat until caramels are melted & mixture is smooth, stirring constantly.

~Remove pan from oven. Sprinkle 1 cup of the M&M's evenly over base. Drizzle with caramel mixture, being careful not to let caramel touch the sides of the pan. (Sounds like such a little thing, but trust me, you will have a heck of a time getting the bars out of the pan if they are caramel-glued to the sides! I'm speaking from first hand experience here.) Drop reserved oat mixture by heaping teaspoonfuls over caramel mixture. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate pieces.

~Return to oven; bake an additional 20-25 minutes or until centre is set & top is golden brown. Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled. Cut into bars. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator. 

 Look at the layers of candy & caramel - delish!

I hope you're having a wonderful countdown to Christmas!

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day!

Check out the great parties I link up to!

This recipe featured on: