Christmas: A Time for Miracles
Check out my new review for this eBook: Christmas Miracles, especially if you are in need of some hope and inspiration.
I really enjoyed the holiday-themed stories in this eBook.
In a world that often seems to have gone mad (just watch the news!!) it’s so easy to give up on goodwill, hope and miracles, big and small. But the world IS filled with all kinds of good people and wonderful things, we just need to be open to seeing and believing that’s true.
I wish you all… a magical and memorable holiday season!!
10 Under $20: Holiday Gift Suggestion List 2015 :-)
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My Holiday Gift Suggestion List for 2015 (all under $20) including links to my reviews.
A must-have DVD collection for the “Hitch” fan on your list!
One of the best books on Reiki I’ve ever read!
My all-time fav gardening book.
Fun and Easy Gardening for even the “green thumb challenged“! 😉
A Mr. Cheddar Approved Title!
Enlightening and Informative. Recipes Too!
Wonderful Pens! Mine Are Still Going Strong, Years Later! 🙂
Beautiful Eco-Friendly Stationary, with a Difference!
Larry Payne’s Prime of Life Yoga DVDs
Yoga CAN Be For Almost Everyone!
Sooooo relaxing!!! ZZZZZzzzzz…. 😉
Suncoat Peelable Nail Polish Kit
My Go-To Tootsie Polish! It’s Great.
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♥Happy Shopping and Holidays♥
Handmade and Heartfelt Holiday Gifts!
I ♥ handmade and heartfelt gifts, to give and to receive.
Made with ♥, special and one of a kind gifts. Also, giving of our time, in big and small ways. Treasures and memories that will be enjoyed and remembered for years to come.
Gotta ♥ all those reasons and more. 😉
On the eve of Black Friday, I thought I’d share some suggestions here at Veggies…for easy to make handmade gifts and other ideas, just in time for Christmas.
What is your fav handmade gift that you’ve made for someone or received?
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From the kitchen:
Easy Chocolate Hazelnut Clusters
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Knit and Crochet:
How to Knit Socks and an Easy Peasy Pattern
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Giving of Your Time and Talents
(the most special gifts of all, IMO) 🙂
-Volunteer to read to someone on a regular basis who is blind or vision impaired.
-Spend a day exploring winter’s wonderland with a child in need. Perhaps a way to also give a single parent a much-needed break.
-Befriend a older person at a care home who has no family or friends that regularly visit.
-Knit prayer shawls and give them to recipients personally, throughout the year.
Offer to help a neighbor who is living alone with some household chores like: snow shoveling, small home repairs, bringing over a fresh plate of cookies…There are a lot of lonely people out there and the holiday season is a particularly difficult time for many people.
-Volunteer to take calls at a local crisis center.
-Volunteer to help with a local literacy program.
-Plan small gifts to give as random acts of kindness: to people you meet on the streets, delivery people, letter carriers, clerks at stores you regularly shop at…and watch their faces light up with your thoughtful gesture.
Some suggestions: Coffee cards, a stack of fresh cookies tied up in a small gift bag, lip balms to help with winter chapped lips, simple hand-knit scarves, good-quality chocolate bars.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Top 5: Gadget Cases – Knit Pattern Links
***MORE LAST MINUTE HANDMADE GIFT IDEAS, THERE’S STILL TIME :<)***
THANKS TO THE FIESTA CAT YARN CO. FOR THESE PATTERN LINKS.
AREN”T THESE WONDERFUL? I WANT THAT OWL ONE FOR MYSELF.
HAPPY CRAFTING :>)
1: Ipad/ Netbook Sleeve w/Cables (Kristin Blom)
2: Owlish Netbook Sleeve (Corrisande)
3: Corylus (Kalurah)
4: PopTart Cell Phone Case (Hannah Kaminsky)
5: bHive (Kristen Briney)
HEALTHY HOLIDAY COOKIE ROUND-UP!
***YUMMM….DON’T THESE LOOK YUMMY?***
I’M GOING TO TRY SOME OF THESE HEALTHIER, HOLIDAY COOKIE RECIPES.
REBLOGGED FROM: SIFT, STIR & SAVOR. THANKS FOR SHARING!
HAPPY BAKING! :<)
Last year I was obsessed with eggnog. This year I’m obsessed with cookies.
So when I was asked to be a part of a healthy christmas cookie round-up that Sandra from Candida Diet Plan was organizing, I was pretty excited! Sandra was able to organize 18 different bloggers, which means there are 18 scrumptious cookies to drool over. And these aren’t just any cookies, these are healthy cookies- virtually all of the recipes are gluten-free and loads of them are also grain-free, dairy-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free and vegan. So, what are you waiting for? Here are the links to all of the cookies:
Sugar-Free Sugar Cookies (Candida Free Candee)
Dark Chocolate Truffle Cookies (Tessa the Domestic Diva)
Macadamia Coconut Cookies (Candida Diet Plan)
No-Bake Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies (Gluten-Free Cat)
Jungle Balls (Carrie on Vegan)
Raw Gingerbread Men (Om Nom Ally)
Chocolate Orange Gogi Cookies (Coconut and Berries)
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Snowman Cheddie Wants to Know….
Have you been naughty or nice this year?
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He’s really starting to get into the Christmas spirit. 😉
Have a wonderful weekend! 🙂
Need a Last Minute Crochet Gift to Make?
I’ve always ♥ making (and getting!) handmade gifts, at any time of year.
There’s something so special about a present that someone took the time to make, large or small and in whatever type of craft it was created from.
I also ♥ crochet, although I haven’t been doing that much “hooking” 😉 in the past year. I hope to get back to more crochet projects in 2014.
I found this short but well done Christmas crochet book:
Christmas Crochet Done In a Day
over at Amazon recently and decided to give it a try.
Here’s my review from Amazon:
“Christmas Crochet: Done In a Day features attractive holiday crochet projects that definitely would be doable in a day or two.
IMO, there is nothing better than handmade gifts at any time of year. The crafts in this book would make excellent holiday gifts that would be well received by the recipient.
Instructions are easy to understand.
In spite of it being a rather small book, there are projects that would appeal to young and old, two and four- legged pals too!
As an avid and long-time crocheter, I’m glad I downloaded a copy of Christmas Crochet: Done In A Day.”
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If you’d still like to make some crochet Christmas crafts but need a little inspiration, give this ebook a try. And do let me know what you make!
Happy Hooking and Holidays! 😉
Yummy (and healthier) Holiday Recipe Suggestions :<)
It’s not always easy to think “healthier choices” when it comes to holiday recipes.
But it doesn’t have to be ALL bad either. 😉
Here’s a round-up of holiday-ready recipes from the Veggie…archives that I hope you will enjoy.
This oh, so yummy hummus recipe was a winner in a recipe contest, here at Veggies, Yarns & Tails, a few years ago.
Delicious with crudité, tortilla chips, pitas…great on wraps too.
And what a gorgeous bright orange color to add to your holiday table.
Who needs additive-laden commercial party mix, when it’s so easy to make it in the slow cooker?
Pick and choose your fav ingredients and leave out what you don’t want. This is by far, the best party mix I have ever tasted.
Fill up a pretty jar, add the recipe on a ribbon tie and it makes a great hostess gift too. 🙂
Kasha and Beet Salad with Celery and Feta
This is one of my all-time fav marinated salads.
Oh, so delish and colorful too. Gluten-free is an added bonus.
A great potluck or buffet table addition.
What could be better after a day at the rink or skiing, than a hot and spicy bowl of black bean soup?
This is my version of this classic, comfort soup.
Makes a crowd-pleasing and oh so satisfying “meal in a bowl”. 😉
Mushroom Stroganoff with Herbed Pasta
My redo of this classic, oh so rich and yummy main dish. Lower in fat and no meat required!
If you are a meat-eater, you won’t miss the beef, I promise. 😉
And if you already ♥ mushrooms like I do, this is definitely one you’ll enjoy.
Makes a quick and elegant main dish, perfect for a holiday supper.
This luscious Berry Cobbler recipe is courtesy of the Veggie Table.
Lower in sugar than a lot of cobbler recipes. I sub Earth Balance for the butter and use buttermilk, not cream.
A nice dessert to make when you’ve got supper in the oven and want something sweet to finish a meal.
I make mine with organic frozen mixed berries (so convenient) and top with a scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt. Yumm…
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Happy Cooking and Happy Holidays! 🙂
My 2013 Holiday Gifts Under $20 List! :<)
Wow, Christmas is less than a month away, amazing.
Has this year flown by or is it just me? 😉
I just posted my annual holiday gift suggestion list over at My Real Life Reviews.
20 of my fav gift ideas and they are all under $20!
Hope you’ll stop by to check it out soon and do share if you can too.
Happy Holidays and Happy Shopping! 🙂
Cookies and a Thanksgiving Wish
***WITH THE U.S .THANKSGIVING COMING UP THIS WEEK, I THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD TIME TO REBLOG THIS POST FROM A FEW YEARS AGO.***
I THINK IT’S SO IMPORTANT THAT WE TAKE A TIME OUT NOW AND THEN, TO REALLY DWELL ON ALL WE HAVE TO BE THANKFUL FOR IN OUR LIVES.
AND ALSO, TO THINK ABOUT ALL THOSE PEOPLE IN NEED AND TO HELP OUT AS MUCH AS WE CAN.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO MY U.S. FRIENDS AND HAPPY WEEK TO ALL. :<)
I’ve been on a bit of a ‘cookie-crave’ lately, don’t know why but I hope it’s not permanent LOL.
For the most part, desserts of any type are one food ‘group’ I can usually resist. Exception: chocolate, of course. But then, that kind of goes without saying, right? 🙂
So, what’s the best answer if the Cookie Monster comes to call LOL!! Make cookies with lots of nutritious ingredients, natch.
These Kid’s Choice Cookies from my cookbook: Not Just for Vegetarians and are chock-full of goodies and lower in sugar than most ‘kitchen sink’ type cookie recipes I’ve tried in the past (recipe to follow at the end of this post). Do let me know if you give this recipe a try!!!
I made this batch yesterday with dried cranberries instead of the usual raisins, in keeping with the Thanksgiving spirit.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, Joe and I…
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