Yearly Archives: 2011

homemade peppermint marshmallows

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homemade peppermint marshmallows
After finding this tempting recipe by Miss Martha, I thought it would make a great pairing to my hot chocolate mix I was planning on giving my neighbors for the holidays.  The intentions were there… but my time ran out so the hot cocoa went out solo.  However Tessa & I did manage to make one batch right before Christmas. Normally I’m all about simple recipes that look & taste fabulous… this one is .
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midnight city

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midnight city
Loving this song by M83 lately & how appropriate with New Year’s Eve right around the corner… A review reads, “The band named after a spiral galaxy have, at last, made a record which befits that. It sounds like a soundtrack for the end of the world, or the birth of new worlds. Extraordinary.” – Simon Price Like discovering catchy tunes that take you to a happy place?  Simply subscribe to this blog and .
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homemade hot cocoa

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homemade hot cocoa
I like to surprise my neighbors & party guests with a little extra something around the holidays so this year, I whipped up some tasty hot chocolate they could enjoy throughout the season. This mix is really simple to make & when presented in dressed up jelly jars, it really makes a lovely gift. This amount makes 60 oz of powdered mix. I used 12 oz jelly jars so each batch filled 5 jars. .
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joy, peace & love to all

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joy, peace & love to all
Wishing all our firefly fans laughter & joy (our first ‘family photo card’ with our German exchange student, Tessa who has brought much joy & fun into our lives) peace, (image via the lonely heart) and love this holiday season. I love this song & the uplifting lyrics… Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air I know I can count on you Sometimes I feel like saying “Lord I just .
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imported from bethlehem

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imported from bethlehem
This year Steve & I have a different perspective on Christmas since we spent a week in Bethlehem this past May.  We had the opportunity to meet with a variety of Palestinian business owners who face difficult challenges doing business in the West Bank.  The group we were traveling with met with the Anastas.  They own a tourist shop in Bethlehem.  Originally their shop was on busy street, but unfortunately in recent years the .
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twig ornament tree

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twig ornament tree
One of my favorite seasonal decor tricks is dressing up branches from my back yard.  In the spring, I added whimsical leaves & birdies.  Around Thanksgiving I created a gratitude tree filled with flags of thanks.  And for the winter, I got a silver can of spray paint & prettied it up with Christmas bulbs. It’s really an inexpensive way to add a lot of holiday flair to your home.  I just ran out .
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top 10 christmas gifts

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top 10 christmas gifts
With just 5 days left before Christmas, we’ve calculated some of our top sellers for the season. mood buster shower bursts $3.95 each or $15.95 for the set We’ve been selling these little aromatherapy gems to women of all ages.  Most everyone takes showers & who doesn’t enjoy a little pampering now and then?  Makes a great stocking stuffer, plus helps you decompress after all the holiday hoopla. ticket stub diary $15.99 Life flies .
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our favorite christmas songs

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our favorite christmas songs
Since our firefly team logs many listening hours of holiday tunes during the month of December, they have become experts on defining their favorite Christmas songs.  Here’s a few they still like to hear over & over again… Plus Bess also loves Christmas Eve Sarasjevo – Trans Siberian Orchestra Danielle also loves anything off the Andy Williams 1962 Christmas Album A little fun fact – Steve & I spent our first married Christmas on .
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santa hat brownies

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santa hat brownies
I’ve been spotting  a variety of these sweet Santa hat desserts on many different blogs & couldn’t resist making them myself. You really can make these as easy or difficult as you wish… like buying pre-made brownie bites & frosting or baking the brownies & whipping up your own frosting.  It all depends on your taste buds & timeline. I make a cream cheese frosting because it tastes so dog-gone good with strawberries & .
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make it yourself mistletoe

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make it yourself mistletoe
I’m definitely a crafty gal, but during the Christmas season I tend to turn it up a notch (hence all these DIY posts that are popping up lately).  My slight addiction to Pinterest has also been and inspiration ~ that’s where I found this cute felt kissing ball by ohdeedoh.com We’re having a couple holiday parties so I thought it would be fun to hang it in our main entry way to the kitchen .
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