We are Thankful: Thanksgiving Blessings Mix Recipe

Blessings Mix Gift Tag
   November 7, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

Set a pretty holiday table, or share with friends with these small Thanksgiving favors!

Easy to make and fun to eat, Thankgiving Blessing Mix is a simple snack mix favor to remind us of our nation's blessings. Get the how-tos with our Blessings Mix Tutorial.

Bagged in favor-sized gift bags and decorated with a harvest poem, Thanksgiving Blessings Mix brings a festive touch to your Thanksgiving table.    Read More >>

Handle With Care: The Secret Life of Christmas Magazines

   November 7, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

They're here! Surrounding supermarket check stands, elbowing aside House Beautiful at the bookstore, popping up in fabric stores--even lurking quietly in your mailbox: Christmas magazines!

Now, don't get me wrong. I love Christmas magazines. I buy Christmas magazines. I read Christmas magazines!

As a source for recipes, ideas, decorating schemes, gifts, crafts and all-round Christmas cheer, there's nothing like a good Christmas magazine. Don't even think of trying to pry my collection of Better Homes and Gardens' "Holiday Cookies" out of my clutches!    Read More >>

Turkey Poop: Silly Thanksgiving Gag Gift

Turkey Poop printable tag
   November 6, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

Looking for a silly treat for Thanksgiving? it's Turkey Poop!

Just right for a gag gift--or even Thanksgiving Day place cards--Turkey Poop is easy to make.

Place a handful of Milk Duds-brand candy, chocolate-covered raisins, or brown jelly beans in a small zipper food storage bag or seasonal cellophane gift bag.

Label with the Turkey Poop poem below or a free printable Turkey Poop gift tag or bag topper:    Read More >>

Christmas Creep: The Selling of the Holiday Season

Organized Christmas
   November 5, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

Are you suffering from "Christmas creep"? If you've been shopping lately, you know the symptoms!

Do you cower under trailing tinsel at the supermarket check-stand, trapped between two glossy ranks of Christmas magazines--in September? Do your teeth clench when you must push aside boxes of holiday gift wrap and Christmas ornaments to find school supplies and Halloween treats at your local drugstore? Does your mailbox groan under a daily dose of mail order catalogs, each admonishing you to "order early for Christmas delivery"?    Read More >>

Candy Overload? Repurpose, Recycle and Reduce the Trick-or-Treat Haul!

repurpose Halloween candy
   November 1, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

Halloween has come and gone ... and now its the morning of November 1st! For parents, that's the time when the excitement of Trick-or-Treat night gives way to post-Halloween reality: what to do with all that Halloween candy?

Whether they're worried about tooth decay and nutrition, or simply want to avoid the stress of a week of candy-fueled behavior from the little ones, smart parents put strategies in place to handle the Trick-or-Treat haul.

Here are some of our favorite ideas to repurpose, recycle and reduce the amount of Halloween candy in your organized home.    Read More >>

Simplify Season's Greetings: Using Computers To Send Christmas Cards

   October 31, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

As an online old-timer, I can attest to this fact: few subjects stir as much controversy as computers and Christmas cards. The questions come year after year.

Should we use the computer to address the cards? Write a Christmas letter on inkjet letterhead?

What about pre-printed signatures? Is it okay to use e-mail to send holiday greetings ... or text holiday emoji?    Read More >>

One Right Way to Celebrate Christmas? Wrong!

Organized Christmas
   October 25, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

We don't know where we get it, we don't know where it comes from, but lots of us will stumble over this holiday illusion: "There is one right way to celebrate the holiday season!"

This one's sneaky. It comes to us through images, songs and Christmas cards. It rears up between newly married couples, as they try to blend his way and her way and make their own way in the face of competing in-laws.

You'll see it working in tear-in-eye TV commercials: a happy multi-generational family (all in attractive, color-coordinated sweaters) gathers round a flickering fire.    Read More >>

S'Mores In A Jar: Easy Holiday Gift

Smores in a Jar
   October 23, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

S'Mores In A Jar! What could be better? Combining the flavors of the familiar campfire treat with the seasonal sweetness of Peeps ® brand marshmallow candies, this recipe creates easy holiday gifts in a jar for all occasions. Choose your Peeps to match the season!

This gifts in a jar recipe is easy enough for children to make. To create this Mason jar gift, you'll layer crushed graham crackers, Marshmallow Peeps, brown sugar and chocolate pieces in a clear glass canning jar.

Spiffed up with a fabric topper, pretty ribbon and free printable gift tags, S'Mores In A Jar make a happy holiday treat for holidays throughout the year.

Ready ... or Not? Welcome to the Christmas Countdown

   October 22, 2019 by Cynthia Ewer

The 2019 Christmas Countdown kicks off on Sunday, October 27. Are we ready to get organized for Christmas?

For many of us, the coming of the holiday season brings a feeling of panic in its wake--and I am not one whit different. I've seen it happen year after year: we careen into the first day of the Countdown saying to ourselves, "It can't possibly be time to prepare for the holidays!"    Read More >>

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