Saint Nicholas

 There are many stories about the life of St. Nicholas.  I found my information here.  The following is a quick summary.  Click on the link to read more details.

St. Nicholas came from a wealthy family.  His parents died when he was very young.  He grew up in his faith and strongly believed to give to the poor.  He became Bishop and was know for his generosity, love of children and concern for sailors.  Under the Roman Empire he was persecuted for his faith.  He went to prison.  He was released and died on December 6.  The anniversary of his death became a celebration known as St. Nicholas Day.

There are many variations of the story of St. Nicholas. He gave money for three poor girls dowries, he helped children, gave to the poor. Do a little research.  You will even see how Santa Claus evolved. 

If you put your shoes out by the door, Saint Nicholas visits and leaves candy inside them.  

This is probably the last year that I will get to participate with our little Saint Nicholas tradition.  I might have to mail care packages out to my children next year. 

Do you have any special traditions you do with your family during the holidays?

Christmas Crafts and Holiday Gifts

  It's that crazy time of year again!  

Snow 

Holiday Parties  

Snow  

Crafts  

Gifts  

Gift wrapping  

Snow  

Cookie making  

Hot Chocolate 

Sledding  

And more snow

Don't forget all of the Christmas music!

I put together this page and included some links from my blog to some easy Holiday Crafts and Gifts that you can make yourself, with kids or even a Girl Scout Troop.  Some of these are a great activity for those days when you are stuck at home because of the snow or cold weather.

Enough talking, lets get going! 

Christmas
Animal Ornaments 
Brazilian Holiday Flower (great children's craft)
Candy Cane Sleigh 
Christmas Cards and tags
Felt Heart Ornament 
Foam Gingerbread House (children's craft)
Foam Ornament Gift Tag 
Jingle Bell Bracelet (children's craft)
Mitten Gift Tags 
Mosaic Christmas Tree (children's craft)
Picture Frame
Snowman Ornament 
Stocking (out of construction paper) (children's craft)
Winter Scene (children's craft)
Snowman Ornament
Snowman Winter Craft (children and adult craft)
Ugly Christmas Sweater Felt Banner


Gifts
Homemade Bubbles
Bath Bombs
Laundry Detergent (powder)
Homemade Hair Detangler
Homemade Liquid Hand Soap
Homemade Lip Balm
Homemade Lotion


Miscellaneous Crafts/Gifts
Bangle Bracelet (wrapped)
Blank Books 
Bubbles (homemade)
Book Mark
Bottle cap necklace
Cork Board using Old Picture Frame
Decorative Wrapping Paper 
Dryer Balls
Fun Scrapbooks
Gift Box
Paint Chip Monthly Calendar
Pumpkin Soap Recipe
Twine Napkin Holders 
Note cards  
Homemade Sidewalk Paint 
Sit upon (a cushion to sit on)
Wrapped Bangle Bracelet


Don't forget to make some cookies this season.  They go great with hot chocolate!  (Well, cookies go great with everything!)  Here are some links to cookies that appear on the blog:

Cookies:
Butterscotch Chip Cookies
Avocado Chocolate Cookies 

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies 
Chocolate Chip Blondies
Chocolate Chip Blondies (vegan)
Chocolate Chip Chokies (Mom's famous recipe)
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Deep Dish Cookie Pie

Hershey Kiss Pretzels 

Icing for Sugar Cookies 
M & M Cookies
Nutella Cookies 1
Nutella Cookies 2
Peanut Butter Bars
Peanut Butter Raisin Bran Cookies

Pfeffernusse Cookies
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Raspberry Lemon Cookies  

Red Velvet Cookies 
Sugar Cookies
Vanilla Pudding Cookies

If you make some sugar cookies, make sure to check this out for an easy Sugar Cookie Icing recipe.

Check out the Recipe page for other sweets recipes.

My favorite cookies are the pumpkin cookies, M & M cookies, Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies and of course the Pfeffernusse Cookies.  

National Months - December

We made it a whole year of looking at the National Month long holidays!  December is up with Christmas, Hanukkah and New Years. I found a few more holidays that we can celebrate.  Let's get started!

National Tie Month

Do people still wear neck ties?  Are they still the "go to" gift for dads?  I do find the "tie that blocks a 9mm bullet from piercing your skin" rather interesting, though.  Well, if you find yourself wearing a tie, why not post it on social media #NationalTieMonth.  And if you have a tie that blocks a bullet, let me know in the comments.

Bingo's Birthday Month

B-I-N-G-O and BINGO was his name - o.  We are celebrating the game this month, not the song.  BINGO was first played in Italy in 1530.  The game made it's way to American in 1929 and was called Beano (not to be confused with the product that prevents gas).  The name was changed to Bingo and was used as a church fundraiser in the 1930's.

Operation Santa Paws  

December is a time of giving, so why not donate to your local animal shelter.  A new blanket, dog or cat toys, dog or cat food, kitty litter or some treats.  Contact your local animal shelter for a list of items they need.  Use #OperationSantaPaws on social media to spread the word.

I had a great time discovering all of the fun holidays that are being celebrated.  Thanks for playing along this year with the National Months!  

Retail Problems - Bicycle

 I often wonder about the people who ride their bicycle to the grocery store.  They buy a ton of stuff, and they stand at the register trying to figure out how they are going to get all of it home.  They go ahead with the entire purchase and I'm left trying to fit the items in a couple of bags.  If I'm lucky, I get to watch them try to shove them all into a backpack.

Black Friday

It's Black Friday!  That fun time of year where we exercise our credit cards.  Let's push them to the limit folks!  This is a great day for you to get in your daily workout by trying to snag that big screen TV before someone else grabs it.  Just don't get tackled in the process!  Want to be the first one in the store, why not camp out overnight!

Oh, yea, and it's also time for my world famous usual Black Friday post.  

The day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday and it is the biggest shopping day of the year.  For retailers, it marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.   In recent years, every Friday leading up to Christmas has been referred to a "Black Friday Sale."  Today, though, is the real Black Friday.

For those of us that are out there working on Black Friday, it's a crazy, long and tiring day.  Make sure you take those vitamins, drink lots of water, plaster a smile on your face and, well, just try to have some fun.

If you are out there shopping, it can get crazy, so, try to be safe.  Also, be nice to the store employees.  They don't make the rules or have any control over the amount of inventory the store has of that item you want to purchase.  So, go easy on them!

And now, what everyone has been waiting for, here is my famous Black Friday song playlist for your listening pleasure:

Man in Black - Johnny Cash
Paint it Black - The Rolling Stones
Back in Black - AC/DC
Black Cat - Janet Jackson
Black Magic Woman - Santana
Black or White - Michael Jackson
Black Widow - Iggy Azalea
Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden
Black - Pearl Jam
Blackbird - The Beatles
Black Betty - Ram Jam
Black Gold - Soul Asylum
Men in Black 3 Back in Time - Pitbull
Black Night - Deep Purple
Black Rain - Soundgarden
The Long Black Veil - Johnny Cash
Ebony and Ivory - Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
Black Dog - Led Zeppelin
Black Velvet - Alannah Miles
Black Water - The Doobie Brothers
Men in Black - Will Smith

Blue on Black - Five Finger Death Punch

Back to Black  -Amy Winehouse

Fade to Black - Metallica

Black Horse and the Cherry Tree - KT Tunstall

Two Black Cadillacs - Carrie Underwood

Black Honey - Thrice

Black Rose  - Volbeat

Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress - The Hollies

Now get out there and have some fun!

Happy Thanksgiving!

  In the year 1621, the Pilgrims held their first Thanksgiving feast.  They invited the great Indian chief, Massasoit, who brought ninety of his brave Indians and a great abundance of food.  Governor Bradford and Captain Miles Standish were honored guests.  Elder William Brewster, who was a minister, said a prayer that went something like this;

"We thank God for our homes and our food and our safety in a new land.  We thank God for the opportunity to create a new world for freedom and justice."

Linus Van Pelt
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Vegan Diaries - Restaurants

 I feel like times are changing for the better for vegans.  More information is out there and more people are interested in veganism.  I am also finding that more restaurants are waking up trying to cater to the vegan customers.

I remember starting my vegetarian journey.  We would go on vacation and there would be little to no options for me to eat.  The "little" options the restaurants had would be a side salad.  Basically, iceberg lettuce and maybe a tomato or cucumber slice tossed in for fun.  Everyone is ordering a meal while I'm trying to slowly eat a tiny bowl of lettuce salad.  Of course, that was over ten years ago.

Today, some restaurants are accommodating the vegetarians and vegans of the world with a couple of options.  Hey, I know it's not a full menu, but it is certainly progress.  

I think it's great that there are more people out there trying this type of diet and pleased that the restaurants are embracing this opportunity to offer a vegan meal option.