25 Days of Christmas - Day Ten

Sassy Sites! has a ton of great ideas for Christmas gifts for neighbors. Here are a few of my favorites...


Jolly Ranchers: Have a Holly Jolly Christmas!



Cheese Grater and Cheese: “Cheesen’s Greetings To A Really “GRATE” Neighbor!”




Measuring Cup and Candy: A Cup of Christmas Cheer
No one can measure up to you
But we’re doing our best to try,
We appreciate all the kindness you show
A kind of caring you just can’t buy.
This Christmas gift is sent your way
To wish a full measure of holiday cheer,
May your cup overflow with joy and peace.




2 liter of Sprite: “May your holiday be merry and “sprite!”



Wire Whisk with Hershey's Kisses: “We Whisk You A Merry Kissmas!”



Whoppers: Hope you have a “WHOPPER” of a Christmas!

25 Days of Christmas Crafts - Day Nine

This great idea for a Christmas gift - perfect for teachers, neighbors or friends - comes from a great blog, Twig & Thistle. I loved this idea so much when I ran cross it last year, that I made these for lots of people we know! They turned out great! I highly recommend them!



I purchased the clear boxes from a packaging company, picked up the Hershey bars, graham crackers and marshmallows at the Commissary (military grocery store) and they were fun to put together and didn't break the bank!

25 Days of Christmas Crafts - Day 8

We have been fans of Anders Ruff for awhile now - they are your go-to girls for printable party packages!
I printed out these great free "Letters to Santa" for my girls to use this year. I really enjoyed seeing what they would write about the one time they weren't good this year! Hysterical!

25 Days of Christmas Crafts - Day Seven

Please forgive me for not being able to credit where this idea came from. I saved it, but forgot to save where I got it from! But, what a great alternative to placing a Christmas wreath on your door!
Just purchase an old frame from the thrift store, add some fresh paint, funky ribbon and colorful ornaments!

25 Days of Christmas Crafts - Day Six

Following along with yesterday's theme of great, creative, inexpensive gifts to give teachers, friends and neighbors, today we have Popcorn Snowmen. How cute are these? The I Heart Naptime blog featured all sorts of different Christmas craft ideas throughout November, so be sure to scan back through the archives for other great ideas.

The key!

We haven't chosen a lucky key winner in a couple of weeks, so I am going to pull 5 numbers right now...
Email us if you have one of these lucky keys, for some special Sweet Funky swag to be sent your way!

#5, #12, #29, #51, and #159

25 Days of Christmas Crafts - Day Five

If you are like me, you love to give gifts to your neighbors at Christmas. I like the gifts to be original and really cute, without breaking the bank! So, I keep my eyes out all year for good ideas.
I ran across this one on the eighteen25 blog that I posted about yesterday. This is a great idea for Caramel Apple Goodies!

You create a new label for a can of Sweetened Condensed milk (can be heated to create amazing caramel) and apples in a great apple basket!
They have put together a really gorgeous presentation, but I am thinking you could simplify it a bit if you intend to make more than one.
I love that they include the free printable to use for the label on the can!

25 Days of Christmas Crafts - Day Four

If you haven't discovered the eighteen25 blog - you are really missing a terrific blog!
Link over there now to see an adorable Christmas Tree Cone Advent...

They even include a template to use. You just make your cones with great paper, add a number, and then hide little treats beneath!

25 days of Christmas Crafts - Day Three

I love these handprint ornaments! I can't believe I have never made them with my girls before!
It would be great to do them every few years to see how they grow!

25 Days of Christmas Crafts - Day Two

Today, enjoy this felt picture stocking from One Crafty Mumma!

She includes a pattern to use for cutting out the felt, and the embellishment ideas are adorable! Yes, you really can use a sewing machine to stitch the photograph on!

Another really great idea she shares is this Christmas tree that can be made and enjoyed by the little ones!

Just take a Ferrero Roche candy, some glittery pipe cleaners and some star foil stickers!

25 days of Christmas Crafts - Day One

Our 25 days of Christmas Crafts was so much fun last year, we decided to do it again this year. So, get ready to get your craft on!

Day One:

Yummy 3 ingredient Oreo Truffles by How Does She


Ingredients:
8 ounces of cream cheese

1 package of Oreos (about 15 oz)

16 squares/2 boxes of Baker’s semi-sweet baking squares

1. Start out by crushing all (except 5) of the Oreos until finely crushed.
2. Then add the cream cheese and blend until it’s a sticky mess!
3. Turn that sticky mess into 1-inch balls and place them on a waxed cookie sheet.
4. Melt your chocolate squares for dipping. Just stick them in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 15 seconds until smooth.
5. Start dipping your Oreo balls in the chocolate.
6. Grab those extra 5 cookies , crush them a bit, then add the pieces to the tops of the truffles.
7. Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes then ENJOY!

FYI: This recipe makes about 48 truffles. And, don’t forget to store the left-overs in the refrigerator!

What's Cookin' Wednesday - Cheap Wine Crockpot Chicken

Got a whole chicken and some cheap white wine? Then you can make some really tasty chicken in the crockpot today!

Cheap Wine Crockpot Chicken


1 small onion, diced
3 lb. whole chicken
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
1 tsp. dried basil

Wash chicken, remove inside parts, pat dry.


Put onion, broth, and wine in crock pot. I call it cheap wine chicken because someone left a bottle of really cheap white zinfandel here after a party, and I used it in this dish.


Put chicken in crock pot and season it.


Cook on low 8-10 hours, or high 3 1/2 to 5 hours. It will smell divine while it cooks, and tastes delicious!

What's Cookin' Wednesday - Ham and Cheese Croissant Melts

Today's What's Cooking is something I ran across on Pinterest. I jumped over to the website and decided to give it a try for dinner.

Ham and Cheese Croissant Melts

Ingredients:
Crescent Rolls
Lunch meat - your choice! I used Honey Ham
Cheese - again, your choice! I used Provolone


I opened the crescent roll tubes and instead of making triangles, I pulled the dough apart in rectangles (keeping 2 triangles together). I used a baking stone, but if you use a regular baking sheet, you will want to grease it.

Place the rectangles on the stone. You will only get 4 from a package, but we have a family of 5, so I used part of another package. I will bake up the remaining crescent rolls for breakfast in the morning.

Place your toppings - whatever meats and cheeses you choose. I decided to keep it simple this time, but next time, wouldn't it be yummy with fresh basil and sauteed Vidalia onions?

Roll up your rectangles and get ready to bake. The instructions on my tube said 350 for 12-14 minutes.

I served ours with homemade mashed potatoes and green beans. Yum!