When you accidentally eat the dog biscuits & Other Holiday Tips

OK.. So we were cleaning out the freezer and found
this bag of what looked like cookie dough (or mashed potatoes!)
We couldn’t tell what it was, but I knew it had been in there awhile.

I thawed it decided to bake it. I tasted a bit and it seemed like cookies, but not much
flavor. I broke into cookie-sized bites and baked.

10 minutes later and all cooked, we stared at the baking sheet to see who
would get to try them first. We all took one and began to nibble.

They tasted like weird corn cookies to me. It was silent as everyone was chewing
and contemplating the odd flavor and texture.

Then my hubby said, “Are these the homemade dog biscuits you froze for Ally?!”

Yikes! We laughed and then bagged them up for our pooch!

Some days just turn out that way sometimes. Especially around the
holidays when you are so busy and there are more things being
added to your plate.

If you are like me, you want to do all the fun stuff like bake, create homemade
gifts and decorate the house. But, the everyday stuff is still there and can
take away your energy.

Here are a few tips and my favorite resources to help you
simplify your holidays and make sure you have fun.

1) Don’t try to do it all.
I used to do this and it really was hard. BK (before kids) I would
decorate the house with hand braided greenery and bake treats for
everyone I knew, plus sew gifts and host several parties. Now, I enlist
the kids help for decorating, and spend 1 day baking. We do sew a few
handmade gifts, but we do 1 theme (like all aprons or tote bags). Your
creative soul will be nurtured but not exhausted if you plan to do less.

2)Plan a night for yourself. Give yourself the gift of doing nothing but reading
a good book with hot cocoa and a snuggie. Enough said.

3)Enjoy the Season. I find so many time we are rushing to “get through” the
holidays or it all builds up for one day and can be disappointing. We chose to spread
out our celebrating over the whole season. Starting with Advent, St. Nicholas Day,
Winter Solstice, Christmas and Three Kings Day. I try to be present and hold the magic
of this time of year for myself and family.

The following are a few of my favorite resources for this time of year.

Festivals, Family and Food -the bible of festivals and holidays.. Really used this book over the years!

St. Nicholas Stories by Christine Natale

Sew, Mama, Sew Handmade Holidays- I always get my ideas from this 30 day spectacular

Inner Christmas website- Lynn Jericho

Festival of the Stones book by Reg Down

Winter Festivals audio/workbook by Anne Cleveland

I would love to hear your favorite books, websites or resources! Reply below…