A New Year's Wish

Happy New Year!

2014

  Each year, I look forward to a new beginning. It is human nature to try to become better as we grow older. 
  Over Christmas, I thought a lot about how we focus on the wrong things. It is easy to get wrapped up in all the hustle and bustle of the holidays and spend time on things that don't really matter. I want to spend more time on things that are important. I think each us is on this earth to make a difference. If you are overflowing with joy today, make sure you share your smile and shine your light! And if you are having a tough time, look for someone who is willing to hold your hand and share their joy with you.
  This year , I want to focus on things that matter.  Family, Friends, sharing joy, being there for people, creating beauty, building community.

  My 2014 wish for us all is...

"Less Miley and More Kid President".

Life is short, sweet friends!

 If you have not heard of Kid President, follow this link to watch his video! He will make you smile...I am inspired each time I watch this!

                                                     A Pep Talk from Kid President!

What is your New Year's Wish? What do you want more of ... or less of? I'd love to know!

Have a Happy Day!
xoxo, Elizabeth

p.s. Nothing against Miley...she is young and still finding her place in this world. (I hope she gets settled soon!) 

Valentine's Day Spaghetti

Happy Valentine's Day! My sweetie and I met for lunch, but I thought it would be nice to cook a special meal for all of us last night. I made spaghetti and meatballs. Homemade sauce... A little bit of this and that. When I have time, I love to add ingredients until getting just the right combination. No recipe required. (Which also means we will never ever have this exact sauce again. Hopefully, by recording the ingredients here, I'll be able to get close! )

I started by sautéing 1diced onion in 1Tbsp coconut oil. Does that sound crazy? I thought I would try it. Not at all coconut-y like you might think. Just a hint sweet.
After that came: 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 small can tomato paste, and 1(28oz) can of petite diced tomatoes.
1/2c Red wine. (Merlot)
1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp oregano, and 1/2 tsp parsley.
1 tsp sugar.
A dash of salt and pepper.
After trying the sauce,  it tasted too acidic. It still needed something.
1 Tbsp of honey
Much better.
1 more Tbsp of honey.
Perfect!
I added a pack of al fresco Tomato and Basil Chicken Meatballs. (My son loves these!)
I also added 1/2 c water.
Then let everything simmer on very low heat for two hours.

By the time my hubby came home from the office, our home smelled delicious!

We served a salad and The Bread with the spaghetti. (My daughter made the bread all by herself!)
*we like linguine noodles with spaghetti sauce.

I'm curious... do you experiment with recipes? I've tried so many new recipes over the past year and it has been fun, but I also love to create my own things with whatever I have on hand. My grandmother could do that. We would stop by for a quick visit and she would invite is to stay for lunch or dinner. She would always say "I don't have anything fancy." By the time she called us to the kitchen, there would be a feast on the table. She was always so modest about her cooking. I would love to walk into her warm cozy kitchen again and enjoy a meal she prepared!

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day! When I was counting my blessings yesterday, I counted you all! Thank you for stopping by my blog so often! I know some of us will never meet in person, but I truly believe friendship can span computer cables and I am grateful for that!

Much love,
Elizabeth

Snowflake Wreath

Handmade Snowflake Wreath

Hello! We just finished our last day of school before Christmas break! I always love the last day before break. It is a bit crazy, but so much fun! We bundled up gifts to take to favorite teachers. Our yummy homemade fudge and some bird seed wreaths and red bird ornaments.

I want to share my handmade snowflake wreath. I love it so much, it is hanging in our family room this year! So easy to make. I have enjoyed cutting snowflakes since I was little! 

Snowflake Wreath
Here are the instructions for the wreath. It is so easy--just takes time to cut out the snowflakes! 

Cut a ring from a big cereal box. 10" across and 1/2" thick. 

Cover ring in aluminum foil (so the base of the wreath will blend in with the mirror). 

Cut out about 32 snowflakes. 3-4" wide. 

Barely hot glue the center of snowflakes to the ring. 

Then add more snowflakes to the outer edges of the first layer of flakes. (I like to attach these to the underneath edges of the first layer of flakes.)

Add a ribbon on top. 

This year, I added snowflake garlands to two mirrors in our home. It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Snowflake Garland in the powder room

Have you made Christmas decorations this year? We still need to decorate our gingerbread houses. Now that my sweeties are out of school, we will get started on them!

Hope you all are doing well!
xoxo Elizabeth

Elf on the Shelf Tea Party

Elf on the Shelf Tea Party

Hello! I hope you all are taking a little time to slow down and enjoy this magical time of year! We are slowing down today because Little Polka Dot has a fever. I think we will spend most of the afternoon cuddled up on the sofa and reading our favorite Christmas stories.
Even though we are slowing down, our silly Elf is still busy, busy, busy! This morning, we came downstairs to find him having a tea party with Peaches (One of our very favorite babies).

And here is is hanging out on our Christmas tree.

Do you have some cute elf stories to share?  Last year was our first year with an elf. So much fun!

Hope you have a very happy day!
xoxo Elizabeth

Christmas Calendar

It's that wonderful time of year! We joyfully count the days until Christmas! This year, I made an easy Christmas Calendar with materials I already have at home. Brown paper bags, red and green construction paper, green glitter paper, clothespins, and red ribbon. I spent part of Sunday afternoon making the numbers and then glued them to the bags. I clipped each bag to a red ribbon strung along the staircase.

Each bag holds surprises for my children. Nothing fancy.
Little sweets
Salty snacks
Chapstick
Etc.

Some bags have little cards sharing a fun activity we will do that day.
Decorating gingerbread houses.
Going out at night to look at Christmas lights in our neighborhood.
Baking Christmas fudge for friends.

A sweet little reminder of baby Jesus in this bag.

Does your family have a special way to count down the days until Christmas?
I'd love to know!

xoxo Elizabeth

Menu Plan Monday. Nov. 26, 2012

Hello, Sweet Readers!
I have missed you! Life has been so busy lately and blogging never made it to the top of my to-do list. I hope you all are doing well and had a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Our Thanksgiving started with friends and ended with family. We all got up early to run a Turkey Trot 5K with our buddies. There were 13 of us. The morning was beautiful and everyone was in a festive mood! We all agree if you run a 5K on Thanksgiving, you can eat as much pie as you want! After the race, my parents came to visit! Thankfully, my mom cooked the turkey and the traditional sides... homemade dressing, cranberry sauce, and macaroni and cheese. I made a pumpkin pie, a big green salad, and sweet potatoes. Little Polka Dot and my mom made a beautiful mincemeat pie. No real meat in there, I promise! Just spiced fruit. It was delicious! We had the best time cutting little leaves out of the dough to decorate the pie. My son even strayed away from the football game to help with the leaves. He made his into footballs... so funny!

Last night, we decorated our Christmas tree! It is one of my most favorite things we do as a family.
I'll add some photos soon!

Also, Polka Dot Skies is back open! I closed it for a while to prepare for two holiday shows. The shows were fun and now that they are over, I will be adding some new things to the shop! 15% off today with coupon code MERRY.

What's on the menu this week?
Monday- Curried Chickpea Lime Rice Salad and fresh fruit.
Tuesday- Beans and Brown Rice with a salad.
Wednesday- Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala with naan bread and green peas.
Thursday- leftovers
Friday- takeout sushi
Saturday- Hungarian Noodles-- an old recipe from a friend in Atlanta.
Sunday- dinner out with friends

Hope you all have a wonderful week! Any big news since I last saw you in October? I'd love to know!

xoxo Elizabeth

p.s. I'm linking up with Menu Plan Monday!

Friday Finds. Easter.

Happy Friday!

   I'm sharing some of my favorite Easter items!

                                               

                               1. Easter Banner by Lola and Co.

                               2.Easter Eggs in Bowl Photograph by alice b. gardens

                               3.Natural Wood Toys by apple n amos

                               4. Easter Bunny Wooden Block Puzzle by tiny giraffe

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Do you have any big plans? We will be shopping for Easter shoes and riding bikes! And I get to go to a baby shower tomorrow! 

xoxo Elizabeth

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Our Best Friend

Hope you all have a fun day!

I'm off to look for some gold...

xo Elizabeth

Friday Finds. Green.

Happy Friday! St.Patrick's Day is tomorrow, so I thought I would inspire you with some fabulous green finds! 

Imagination Kids

twillypop

The Patterned Pomegranate


Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Ours will be filled with scouting events, a slumber party, leprechaun hunting, and church activities!
xoxo Elizabeth

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing you all a very sweet Valentine's Day!

I opened a Dove Promise this morning and had to share it with you!

The fastest way to my heart is chocolate!

Dove always gets it right! 

For Valentine's , I met my hubby uptown for lunch at a little Italian place, Aria. We always say we should do that more often. It makes a weekday much more fun!

Wishing you all a very special day! Did you get chocolate or flowers or maybe a sweet little note? I sure hope so!

xoxo Elizabeth

Elf on the Shelf

Do you have an Elf on the Shelf? I've heard about these for years and this little guy showed up in our home on the 1st of December... patiently waiting on the blue houndstooth chair in our living room. We read the book that came with him. We gave him a name, Junior Clause. Now he is watching us all and reporting back to Santa. (I sure hope my name is on the good list!) Each morning, my children spring out of bed to find him. Today he is hanging out with my son's army men!

What is your Elf doing? Please leave comment and let us know!
xoxo Elizabeth

Friday Favorites. St. Patrick's Day Edition.

Little Clover. Sterling Silver Necklace
Blue Dove Studio

LUCKY Garland Banner
ArmyMOMOfTwins

Chartreuse Rose on White Pillow
BedBuggs Boutique

35 Shamrocks Lucky Charms Embellishments
MariaPalito

Digital Download - Image Transfer for Tote Bags, Pillows, Tea Towels and More
A Dreamers Vision

Happy Friday! Are you looking for a little Irish inspiration? This is your lucky day!  St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner and Etsy is filled with delightful green items! Just click on the links above to find the perfect pinch-proof jewelry, banners, pillows, embellishments, and digital downloads!

Hope you all have a fun weekend!
Elizabeth

sweet

Creating treasuries is so much fun! Here is my newest collection! I just love the color combination! Valentine's Day will be here soon and I think these handmade goodies will make it extra special! Click... here to get a better view and find links to each shop.

My Little Polka Dot especially loves her DIY Valentine's kit from Fresh Lemon Blossoms . Little Polka Dot has her Valentine's finished and sorted into little bags for each table of students in her class! Boy oh boy do I wish I could be more organized like her!

Have you decorated for Valentine's Day yet? I would love to know!
xoxo Elizabeth

Happy New Year!

w i s h e s

Happy New Year!
I hope all of your wishes for 2011 come true!

My 2011 will be filled with: 
good books
friendship and family
love
cookies and milk
being on time
gardening
walks on the beach
dressing up
hanging curtains
traveling
riding bicycles
coffee
sewing
taking pictures
dancing
swimming

I found all of these lovely photos on Etsy.
I would like to buy all of them and hang them gallery style in our blue playroom.


What are your dreams for 2011?
I would love to hear from you!

Christmas Fantasy Fudge

We are getting into the Christmas spirit at our house! That means singing Christmas songs on a whim and baking lots of Fantasy Fudge!

Would you like to make your own Christmas Fudge? Here is our recipe. It's from the back of the Kraft Marshmallow creme jar, except we leave out the nuts. It's easy and sure to be a favorite!

Fantasy Fudge
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup margarine
5oz. evaporated milk
1 12-oz.  package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 7-oz.  jar Kraft Marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine sugar, margarine and milk in heavy 2-1/2 quart saucepan; bring to full rolling bail, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring. This should reach 234 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat, stir in chocolate until melted. Add marshmallow creme & vanilla. Stir till blended. Pour into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Let cool and cut into 1-inch squares.

Hope you all are getting into the Christmas Spirit too! I'd love to know what you love to bake during the holidays!

A Letter to Santa from Little Polka Dot

Santa Owls Square Magnetic Notepad

                                                    Oh Louise Designs



Wow! Is it December already? My organized daughter is already working on her list. Her unorganized mom is just thrilled that the Christmas tree is actually up and decorated!

Little Polka Dot's Letter -- just as she typed it, except two little notes that any mom would add.

Dear Santa Claus, I might be able to guess what one of my chrismas presents will be!
I think it will be Flat Stanley! Can you write me back and tell me where he was please?
Also here is my chrismas list so you can see.
They are not in any type of order
1. Diary of a wimpy kid the ugly truth my dear friend told me this is too mature for a 7 year old--thank you!
2. Zhu Zhu pet playhouse ( all zhu zhu pets )
3. Ipod ( card please )
4. Ipod nano
5. Itouch
6. DS ( tell my parents to get a game or 2 for it) *please:)
7. build a bear
8. peeps (chrismas peeps )
9. A to Z mysteries collection
10. A brown dog with white running down her chest named Brownie, Chocolate, Sugar, or Cinnamon ( please make sure it is a girl and it’s small enough to let me hold it )
11. phone

Sincerely,
Little Polka Dot
7 years old

Before Thanksgiving, her list included: chocolate altoids, tictacs, and bubble gum. These items have now been upgraded to an ipod, an itouch, and a phone. Some of her older cousins must have gotten to her after Thanksgiving Dinner and told her this is her one shot to dream big!

Who is Flat Stanley? Little Polka Dot's class did a project last spring about the character Flat Stanley. We sent Flat Stanley to our friends and family and he sent postcards back to class telling all about his great adventures. One of our Flat Stanleys was sent to Santa. Since Santa has been sooooo busy, Flat Stanley has not yet returned to North Carolina. Santa really needs to get on the ball and create a wonderful little album about Flat Stanley's time in the North Pole:) 

What do your children have on their Christmas lists? I would love to know! Isn't this time of year so much fun?!!!

Thankful.

A photo from our trip to Williamsburg,VA

A Thanksgiving Prayer

by Samuel F. Pugh

O God, when I have food,
help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work,
help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a home,
help me to remember those who have no home at all;
When I am without pain,
help me to remember those who suffer,
And remembering,
help me to destroy my complacency;
bestir my compassion,
and be concerned enough to help;
By word and deed,
those who cry out for what we take for granted.
Amen.


Hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving. Take a moment to count your blessings! You all are very special!
Polka Dot