Preserving a Legacy of Family, Faith, and Food – November 1 – December 31

Written by Carey Bailey

I heart simple crafts.

A few times a year I slip away to a local spa and indulge in a pedicure and manicure. As a busy mom of 2 little people this treat helps me slow down, takes some extra deep breaths, and remember that God delights in me. (Psalm 149:4)
One of my favorite parts of the spa services is the sugar scrub on my hands right before the polish goes on. There is just something about the idea of sugar being rubbed into my skin (maybe because I am a big fan of candy?) and then the super smooth feeling after that I relish.

I started to wonder if I could recreate this for myself at home. Why should a girl only get to indulge a few times a year? And come to find out sugar scrubs are easy and simple to make!!!! Who knew?

I thought it would be a fun treat for my kids’ teachers to get a jar of this goodness for the holidays plus it seemed like something kid friendly that they could help me make.

Supplies:
Organic sugar in the raw
Almond Oil (not to be confused by extract)
Essential oil of your choosing (I used lavender)
Step 1: Mix1 cup Almond oil to every 3 cups of sugar.

Step 2: Add a few droplets of essential oil as desired. Stir

Step 3: Insert mixture into jars.

Step 4: Embellish jars with fabric and tags as desired.
Result: You will have yourself a cute gift that will make your friends hands happy campers!

P.S. – Don’t forget to keep one for yourself.

Carey Bailey‘s husband describes her as a woman who loves to dance around the living room in her pj’s, loves Blue Bell Pralines and Cream ice cream, loves her kids, and loves Jesus! This fun-loving mother of two also has a passion for helping fellow women discover ways to create a powerful relationship with Christ. She is the author of Cravings, an innovative forty-day devotional for busy moms that allows them to draw closer to the Lord in the midst of busyness. And the bonus is that is comes with a zero-calorie cupcake.

Visit Carey’s blog, Cravings, and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Only a few more days until Christmas! I can hardly believe it myself. We’ve had a crazy month – two weeks of traveling in Florida followed by a week of the flu. So, I’m trying to get in the mood!

This plate is just too cute to pass up. Looks easy and cheap to make! What’s not to love? And the penguins are just too sweet!

Check out the instructions over at Craft Jr and have some Christmas fun! Oh, and while you’re at it, you could make several to give to grandparents, aunts and uncles…

Everything Christmas: Celebrate the Joy of the Advent Season with the Best of

Christmas Past and Present

I was excited to receive this delightful book from Water Brook Press. I love Christmas time! Even more than that, I love the time I am able to spend with my family making memories that will last a lifetime. This book is packed with ideas!

From the back of the book:

Christmas is a time of celebration and wonder, a time to embrace longstanding traditions and establish new ones. It’s a time for meals filled with memories and heartwarming stories shared around the fireplace. It’s a time for worship, reflection, and remembrance of God’s greatest gift.

Everything Christmas is divided into 24 sections beginning with December 1 and ending with December 24. Because of this, it can be used as an advent calendar if you wish. Each day is filled with old-fashioned stories, Scripture verses, quotes, jokes, poems, Christmas carols, recipes, trivia,and more! In addition to all the wonderful stories and tidbits are a number of sections about how  countries around the world celebrate Christmas.

This book could be used at breakfast or dinner time around the table, at bedtime, during family worship, or even during homeschool time. There is something for everyone in this little book!

I did want to mention that “Father Christmas” and “Santa Claus” are mentioned in a few places in the book, but these little sections could easily be skipped if that offends you.

And of course one of my favorites is always the recipes. I was delighted to find a recipe for Christmas Snowballs – a cookie my own mother made for use every Christmas and that I now make for my own family. The recipe is found on page 199 of Everything Christmas:

Christmas Snowballs

4 sticks butter, melted

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups finely chopped pecans

6 tbsp. confectioner’s sugar

4 cups all purpose flour

Confectioner’s sugar (to roll cookies in after baked)

Preheat oven to 325 F degrees.

Mix first five ingredients well. Form into 1 inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 20 minutes until cookies turn lightly brown. Remove from oven; cool for 5 minutes. Roll each cookie in confectioner’s sugar.

When cool, roll again until well coated. If cookies break up while rolling in sugar, cool for another 5 minutes. Makes about 100 cookies.

I received this book from WaterBrook Press in exchange for doing this review. I am glad I did!