DIY Pinecone Garland

 

DIY Pinecone Garland {via Simply Happenstance}

Since moving to the mountains a few months ago… I’ve completely fallen in love with pinecones! Of course, where we live… there’s an abundance! I knew for the holidays I wanted to make a pinecone garland because it looks natural, and fits perfectly in our new mountain setting. I figured the garland would last through Thanksgiving and Christmas, serving as winter decor, as well!  To make it a bit more festive… I added some gold paint and sparkles… because I am just a tad obsessed with gold {in case you didn’t already know that – wink, wink}… and all things sparkly! 

So, for this lovely DIY… you will need only a few supplies which can be purchased at a hardware store {such as Home Depot}, or craft store {such as Michael’s}. You will need: spray paint {I used gold metallic}, glitter  {I used Martha Stewart’s Yellow Gold}, eye hook screws {the size depends on the size of your pinecones}, and jute twine, string, or ribbon.

DIY Pinecone Garland - Supply List {Simply Happenstance}

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Pumpkin Nutella Muffins

 

Pumpkin Nutella Muffins {Simply Happenstance}

 :: Pumpkin Nutella Muffins ::

Oh my goodness, you guys! This is the BEST muffin combination… pumpkin + Nutella! During this time of year, I typically make plain pumpkin muffins and occasionally add in chocolate chips… but let me tell you, swirling in a dollop of creamy Nutella made an incredibly decadent difference! The pumpkin is flavorful and moist, while the Nutella creates a rich, chewy, chocolatey muffin top!

I doubled the recipe below and it made 18 muffins and one loaf to give away to a neighbor. This is the perfect baked treat to give to friends and family! If preparing this recipe as a loaf for others… you may want to buy a few of these darling paper loaf pans from Sur la Table. Wrapped in cellophane and tied with a simple bow… it makes for the perfect hostess gift or sweet treat for neighbors for the holidays! Enjoy! [Read more…]

Holiday Yams with Brown Sugar & Pecans

Favorite Holiday Yams {via simply happenstance}

 :: Holiday Yams with Brown Sugar & Pecans ::

It’s that time of year! The time where we all pull out our favorite family recipes for the holidays! This happens to be one of my personal loves that I make every Thanksgiving! It’s the ultimate comfort food… using yams {or sweet potatoes}, milk, butter, vanilla and pecans! It’s baked to perfection and served warm! Most of the ingredients you most likely have in your pantry… which makes this dish even more enticing! 

I know that yams are not always a favorite {especially the candied kind topped with marshmallows that we often find during the holidays}; however, this dish is a great alternative to the typical yams or sweet potatoes served. The rich potato mixture is mildly sweet with a hint of vanilla, and the topping…. perfectly crunchy with the baked pecans, warm brown sugar and melted butter! I promise this will become one of your ‘go-to’ holiday recipes!

I hope that you’ll whip up this tasty dish to serve at one of your holiday get togethers this year!  As Julia Child once said, “Everything in moderation…including moderation.” Enjoy, my friends!

Holiday Yams {recipe on Simply Happenstance}  [Read more…]

Eclectic but Loved…

As I grow older,

I’m realizing that I am in fact becoming my mother in many ways.

This could be a whole post, in-and-of-itself

{love you, Mom…. but never thought I’d turn into you – haha}!

Husby could probably give you a laundry list of funny similarities,

but one thing I’m noticing that has stood out this Christmas season is my love for our eclectic tree.

I have so many lovely friends who pull off perfect looking homes

that always seem tidy and organized

{girls…you know who you are – – and yes, I’m totally envious!}.

These same beautiful friends also have amazingly decorated and coordinated Christmas trees

{really they could be straight out of a magazine}!

Then…. there is our tree

{and my house, but let’s not go there – cringe!!}.

Our tree is real…. we haven’t decided to go artificial.

Just can’t imagine our house without the natural, woodsy, Noble Fir smell.

As a family we decorate our tree after I’ve spent an hour or two wrapping it

with what seems like endless amounts of white lights.

The kids enjoy pulling out their individual ornaments they’ve collected over the years.

Our tree is furnished with my own pieces from childhood….

even the one my mom painted and made by hand for my very first Christmas

nearly 35 years ago…

{holy wow… there is my age for you!!}.

Each year, my mom and I both buy {or rather, she craftily makes} our children an ornament

that represents them and their current likes and interests.

Our tree is adorned by all of those…

some homemade treasures from the kids…

along with cute, colorful, glittery filler ornaments that I find each year when we are out-and-about.

In addition, we try to buy an ornament on every trip.

It’s amazing… you can honestly find Christmas ornaments year-round.

We have Santa riding a dolphin from our honeymoon minimoon in Morro Bay over ten years ago,

and a very festive and bright one from our trip to Cancun this past summer.

To complete the look… we have an extremely sparkly, bejeweled star to top our tree

and quite a few strands of beaded {look-alike} cranberries.

This year, after thoroughly dressing our tree with our assorted mix of well-loved ornaments,

Sophia and I finished it off with the cranberry strands.

I started at the top, while she completed the bottom… all on her own.

I finished my half and asked her if she wanted to use the same strands

that I had to finish hers {so that maybe it would match – ??}.

She said she liked her big red cranberries and carefully continued working on her masterpiece.

When our tree was fully garlanded,

Sophia stood back and said,

“Mama…. It’s a crazy tree!! But I LOVE it!”

That’s all I needed to hear to be completely enchanted by it myself!

We have left the craziness and have even added a few more unique pieces

{if you can believe it}!

Our very creative Grandma made kitty ornaments with Sophia and Finn

to hang at the bottom of our tree filled with catnip, bells and feathers

{I think we’ve actually been lucky in that Pixie & Pearl haven’t scaled the tree yet!}.

I realized through this process that my tree does in fact resemble my mom’s from my growing up years…

I have indeed become her with respect to that {which warms my heart}….

and it looks like Miss Sophia Blue is taking to our eclectic style!