Merry Christmas 2013

From my family to you and yours:

Or if you prefer a more traditional route:

Inappropriate Elf - The Christmas Story Sequel

Have you heard of the annual Inappropriate Elf contest over on BabyRabies? It totally cracks me up so this year I had to enter. I took it upon myself to clue you into a little part of the birth of Christ that never made it into the Bible.

We'll pick up just after He was born ...

Mary and Joseph celebrated the birth of their son, Jesus. The three magi came bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They even had some animals looking on, seeing as they'd just booted those animals out of the stable so Mary could give birth, they were understandably curious. 

But wait!! Daer the elf was peering down on the scene. What could he want?

Daer quickly moved in and took Joseph down in a powerful headlock.

Then before anyone could figure out what was happening, he stuffed him in the stable.

He closed the doors and locked them up tight.

To the shock and horror of those looking on, Daer embraced Mary in a loving hug. Looks like Jesus wasn't much of a miracle after all.

Of course, there was a huge coverup so nobody ever heard what happened that fateful night after Jesus Christ was born.

Merry Christmas!

Thank you for reading,
Julie

Burned Out Bulb Holiday Decor

We've put the big size (C9) Christmas lights on our house the past few years but we always have a problem with the filaments disconnecting while in storage because when we pull those strands out each year, many of the bulbs no longer work. This year I couldn't just toss the bulbs, it was just too wasteful. Sooooo, I recruited the big kid and he and I did a little project.

Want to know how to make your own glitter bulbs? Here's what you'll need:

• Burned out christmas light bulbs (the big ones)
• White glue or Mod Podge
• Glitter

Optional

• Glass vase
• Battery operated lights
• Ribbon to tie on the vase

Here's what to do:

Gather your bulbs

Coat them in white glue or Mod Podge

Roll them in glitter

Watch how when they dry, they change color

(they don't really change color, the red ones were the ones I did)

Load them into a vase with some white battery operated lights

And enjoy!!

Warning: Despite appearances, glitter is not a child friendly craft material if you don't want to find it on everything you own for years to come.

Happy Holidays!!

Thank you for reading,
Julie

I'm sharing here this week:

Almond Joy Hot Chocolate - Vegan Style

I love hot chocolate, as do my kids. I hate buying it when we're out and about though because it is either cow's milk based, full of sugar, expensive or all of the above. When we're at home though, all bets are off and I've become a master at busting out fantastic plant based hot chocolates. Today I got a little extra creative and totally nailed this recipe on the first shot. I was just making it up as I went along and am so glad I documented what I used so I can recreate it.

Almond Joy Hot Chocolate
*Vegan / Plant Based

Ingredients

• 4 cups of your favorite unsweetened plant based milk - I used organic rice milk
• 1/4 cup raw cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup liquid sweetener such as organic agave or pure maple syrup (I used maple)
• 1/4 tsp Almond Extract
• 2 Tbsp Creamed Coconut such as this one

Optional Topping to be loaded into a whipper

• 1 Can Full fat coconut milk (you won't use the whole thing)
• 2 Tbsp Agave

Directions

Heat all ingredients together over warm heat until the creamed coconut has dissolved. There will be some little pieces of coconut floating in there.

Pour into a mug and enjoy.

Optional - I added a bit of coconut whipped cream (full fat coconut milk from a can + agave + vanilla in my whipper) and a sprinkling of toasted coconut on top.

HOLY MOLY!!!! (I've been saying that all day long, this stuff is so amazingly good)

Thank you for reading,
Julie