Forcing forsythia indoors, sometimes called getting branches to bloom early inside, is a simple way to enjoy these yellow spring flowers weeks before your forsythia shrubs bloom outdoors. By cutting healthy stems at the right time and following a few careful steps, you can force forsythia branches to enjoy blooms that last for days in…
White chocolate Brigadeiros are a creamy, melt-in-your-mouth Brazilian treat. Traditionally made with dark chocolate, this version uses white chocolate for a fun and delicious twist. This easy recipe only needs 4 ingredients and is ready in less than an hour, making it perfect for beginning candy makers. Decorated with pink and red candy hearts, these…
This chicken cheese panini sandwich is a slimmed-down version of one of my favorite lunch treats from Panera Bread. Reduced-fat cheese and a low-calorie bread and butter substitute save a significant amount of calories while still retaining the flavor and texture of the sandwich. Fresh herbs, colorful tomatoes, and nutritious spinach add brightness to the…
You don’t need to spend a lot of money on Christmas supplies to have pretty holiday gift wrapping. There are loads of ways that you can save money. Some take a bit of time and others just take thinking outside the box. Plus, there are many items that we have around the home that can…
Christmas cactus care is easy when you provide the right light, water, and soil. This winter-blooming succulent thrives indoors, adding festive color to your home when most plants are dormant. Botanically known as Schlumbergera x buckleyi (formerly S. bridgesii), this holiday cactus features vibrant tubular-shaped flowers. In the Northern Hemisphere, blooms appear in December and January,…
Creating a gingerbread house for the holidays is a fun Christmas activity that the whole family can enjoy. These gingerbread house tips will help you build a sturdy house that holds together and looks amazing. From using muffin tins to hold your candy supplies to choosing the best icing, these steps will make building a…
This peppermint crunch sugar cookie is crunchy and sweet. It’s the perfect cookie to take to your annual cookie swap. The cookies are shaped into balls and baked, dipped in white chocolate, and then decorated with a sprinkle of crushed peppermint sticks. You only need four ingredients to make this easy Christmas cookie recipe, which…
This white Christmas fudge recipe has a jewel-like appearance from the red and green cherries embedded in white chocolate. It is the perfect Christmas treat. The holiday fudge recipe is easy to make, even for those with little to no experience in making fudge. Keep reading to learn how to make this white chocolate fudge…
This recipe for cranberry pecan crostini appetizers is the perfect light bite to start any special gathering of friends. These snacks are nice to serve with drinks before dinner, and they also make a lovely starter to a meal when served on small plates with a light salad. Having a small bite-sized appetizer will start…
It’s time for a roasted root vegetable medley. This tasty combination is the perfect fall side dish for your Thanksgiving table. Roasting veggies brings out their natural sweetness and makes it a cinch to serve them to kids who cry out, “I don’t like vegetables!” This recipe combines root vegetables so plentiful this time of the…
These cold hardy vegetables are perfect for the cool weather of early spring. Now is the time to get them planted. Many of us have very cold temperatures going on right now but it’s never too early to plan ahead for vegetable gardening. With spring right around the corner and daylight savings on the horizon,…
It’s wonderful to watch wild birds in your backyard any time of the year, but if your goal is attracting birds to your yard in winter, there are a few things you’ll need to do to make sure this happens. Thankfully, it’s easy to attract birds to your garden when it’s cold outside! All you…
I asked my Facebook fans to share their Winter Garden Views and also to tell me where they lived so we could all get an idea of how the country looks in January in various parts of the country. The weather outside does not lend itself to gardening right now unless you are fond of growing plants…
Your kids will love to make this sweet snowman Christmas cake. The cake will be the hit of your Christmas buffet. He is made of a chocolate base and covered in butter cream frosting and then decorated. The cake is easy to make and kids will love to help you decorate it with their favorite…
These cute M & M&M gingerbread Christmas tree cookies will make a great addition to your Christmas buffet table. They would also be great for your annual cookie exchange. Gingerbread is a common taste during the holidays. From cookies and houses made of gingerbread, there are lots of options. See my tips for the perfect…
These are 10 of the Best Family Christmas Movies that we watch in our home year after year. Are you a fan of watching Xmas movies over the holidays with family? At our house, the tradition starts on Thanksgiving and continues right up to New Year’s Eve! These are some of my favorite Christmas movies….
My latest creation is this Grinch Paintbrush Ornament. Yes, folks, it is getting to that time of the year. This is the time when my mind goes into overdrive trying to come up with ideas for fun craft decor items to make for the Christmas holiday. Keep reading to see how I turned an ordinary…
This Burlap Wine Bottle Bag is an inexpensive way to dress up a bottle of wine for a Christmas gift. Many of our friends are wine drinkers, and I love to purchase one of their favorite wines to give to them for the holidays. Adding this homemade bag also adds an extra special touch to…
Christmas wreaths are commonly used on front doors, but can also used on mantles and in other areas of the home and garden such as garden gates. Aside from poinsettia plants, Christmas wreaths are one of the most popular ways to decorate your entry for the holiday season. And nothing quite sets the mood…
Winter flowering plants bring a blast of color to your yard and garden when you need it most – when the temperatures are really cold and not much is growing. It’s cold outside for most of us in the USA, but that does not mean that we have to sit idly by and wait for spring…
This boxwood Christmas wreath makes a nice change from the traditional fir wreath often seen this time of the year. it’s easy to make and you can use items from your own yard. I enjoy decorating with Christmas plants during the holidays and am always on the lookout for something a bit out of the…
If you like exploring on cold autumn mornings, you may have encountered frost flowers. These short-lived ice formations, also known as “ice flowers”, “ice fringes”, “rabbit ice” and “ice filaments”, are a special oddity of nature. In spite of the name, these formations are not actually flowers. When the air is very dry and there…
Growing amaryllis indoors allows you to enjoy stunning blooms for Christmas or during the winter months. It is one of the easiest garden decorating projects that you can do to use Christmas plants for the holidays. Forcing amaryllis bulbs gives you a spectacular houseplant, and the bulbs are a great gift for a gardening friend….
One of my mother’s time-honored traditions was to serve a pumpkin cake each year, for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, with her special toasted coconut frosting. She is not with us now, but that does not mean the cake will be missing! My whole family takes turns making the cake for our Thanksgiving celebration. The pumpkin…
If you like the idea of a plant that flowers in winter while there is still snow on the ground, try Growing Hellebores. Lenten Rose is another name for helleborus. The blooms come in lots of different shades and shapes. I first heard of Hellebores perennial several years ago when I spent a season trying…
When the new year comes to an end, I like to focus on my goals for the year. I find that I have the most success when I keep health and wellness goals at the forefront of my mind all year round. If you have been reading my blog lately, you will know that…