Still looking...

Okay, remember yesterday I said I was going to look for a "cause", well I'm still looking, but I did find something really cool so that's what I'm putting on my list today.

Day 70 - Operation Christmas Cards. You may have seen the post I asked Scotty Claus if I could put on our Facebook page, but in case you didn't, let me tell you about it.
Since many of our troops get limited mail, and Christmas is a tough time to be away from home as it is, this is a program to send heartfelt cards to those who are serving our country.  Home-made cards are encouraged over store bought, but either is okay. The whole program is spelled out on their site, so check it out:

http://www.operationchristmascard.org/Participation_Info.html

















I can't wait to get my crayons out, and my scissors and glue...I'm thinking I can even recycle parts of old cards and sparkle them up with glitter or something.  Then I'll write a nice letter saying Merry Christmas and thanking them for the job they do. I'm so excited about this, my pointy ears are twitching!!  Hope you send a few too! The address is on the site. Have fun and make a soldier's holidays a little more cheerful.

Merry Merry!

Care'n Presents

Save Up Your Pennies...

Day 71 - These days, every penny counts, and we all look to save where we can. If at all possible, this is the time I try to start stashing away a little Christmas money, so that when it's time to go shopping it's available.  Even if I am making cookies for everyone on my list, I still have to buy the ingredients. 

I'm not saying that you have to spend money to have a wonderful Christmas. Not at all. In fact, Scotty Claus likes to give his time and energy to worthy organizations (like the Junior League of Orange County). This year, I'd like to save my pennies, and maybe ask my friends to also, to give to a Veteran's group, or Children's charity. Hmmm...I think that's what tomorrow's list item will be...find a cause.  :) I'll let you know how that works out.


Merry Merry!!

Care'n Presents

A Bedtime Story

Day 72 - Start your holiday reading. If you are anything like me, you have about as much free time as a stick bug has muscles. This time of year however, I always seem to be a little more optimistic than usual (or maybe just crazier), and I start thinking that maybe I can read a whole book. It just so happens that I have a big collection of Christmas stories too. Go figure, right? No, they are not all children's books. Okay, you're right, most of them are, but I digress.
 
So...I'm not saying it has to be a Christmas book, or story. Any old reading material will do. The point is to make sure to make time for yourself. Shut out the world for a little while, and go to a new one through words, and your imagination. You remember having an imagination, don't you? Oh, and if you're sitting there thinking: "Books? Who reads books anymore? I guess I can get something on my tablet..." then don't even talk to me, you're making me feel OLD.
 

 

 

 

Merry Merry!!

 
 Care'n Presents
 
 
Photo: www.greatnewbooks.org (Check out the site: recommendations on "great books"!)

Dream a Christmas Dream

Day 74 - Dream a little dream.  When I was a wee elf I grew up in Southern California (before my family moved to the North Pole of course). Although now I realize how fabulous it is to live here, as opposed to somewhere where it's winter all year long, when I was a kid I dreamed of snow. Every Christmas Eve I prayed that somehow it would snow. This never happened, but it didn't stop me from praying the same thing the next year. Do you have a Christmas dream? Did you ever? Maybe it's time to start believing in that dream again. Crazy? Probably, but I think sometimes, and maybe a little more during Christmas time, crazy is okay.

Day 73 - Look toward the light! No, I'm not having an out of body experience. I'm just thinking about all the pretty Christmas lights that will be hung on people's trees and outside on their houses.  If at all possible, consider using LED lights. LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. They require less wattage and last longer than regular light bulbs. LED lights stay cool, so imagine how much safer it is to have them on your Christmas Tree. You won't have to worry about toasting the branches, or for that matter, little curious hands. If you want to know more about LED lights check out http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/led.htm.

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend so far. We're almost halfway through October. Halloween is just around the corner, and not long after that...well, you know the deal...




Merry Merry!!

Care'n Presents


photo: www.iowaenergycenter.org

Sometimes I Need a Few Practice Shots

Day 75 - I know it will sound suspicious if I say that I need to practice making cookies and candy but the truth is, it's not as easy as it looks. Have you ever noticed that the cookies and other baked goods always look so beautiful in magazines and advertisements. Do your cookies ever come out like that? (If they do, I don't want to know.) Mine don't. They aren't ugly usually, but they aren't, by any means, perfect little uniform sized or shaped, and inevitably a batch or two gets burned or dropped on the floor. This being said, if I want to try out something new to give as a gift, it's not a good idea for me to wait until I actually want to give them away.
 

Case in point:  I got this really cool mold to make candy Christmas trees. Think about it, what better treat would a Living Christmas elf want to make?  The tree part is made with green colored white chocolate and then I add a big pretzel stick as the trunk. So I decided to make some this morning to take to The Workshop for a meeting we were having. First, the chocolate didn't really melt very well, then the pretzels broke, then I spilled coffee on a couple of them. They ended up lumpy, and I broke a few more "trunks" off getting them out of the fridge. Memo to me: these will have to be made well in advance, with back up pretzels on the side. The finished product wasn't too bad, although I had to trim off the excess chocolate that spread on the outside of the mold and a few of the "branches" broke off. On the upside, no one complains about having to eat the rejects. For that matter, no one complains if they aren't perfect either. Heck, unless they taste horrible (another good argument for practice) no one cares what they look like at all for the most part.

So have fun practicing your baking, and candy and treat making. Share the mistakes.  And even if the final batch isn't perfect, don't sweat it. It's a gift that comes from your kitchen and from your heart, and that will make it all the better.





What they are supposed to look like (Wilton)



And these are mine  :)

Merry Merry!!

Care'n Presents

Time to Party!

I know that it's still early in the season for many of you but sometimes things just must be done early. Take today's list item for example:

Day 76 - Are you having a Christmas party? Seasonal get-together? Ladies Holiday Tea? Whatever shindig you are planning, now is the time to pick a date (if you haven't already). Then make sure you give your friends and family, at the very least, a "heads up".  If at all possible send out a "save the date" email, or Facebook notification.  We all know how busy things get once we hit December and if you wait too long, everyone will have made other plans.  I know I want my little soiree to be a big splash.  Another thing you might consider is your Living Christmas tree. When will it be delivered? You'll want to show it off to all your party guests, right? I like to get mine early enough to decorate too, of course, and make sure it's in just the right place. That's one of the cool things about The Living Christmas Company. Not only will our elves and reindeer deliver your tree, but we will even try to set it where you want it! I am so happy now not to have to fit my Christmas tree into one of those stands with the water tray and all that. No matter how hard I tried, the tree was crooked, or the water spilled out, or I ended up with needles EVERYWHERE! Not fun. Believe it or not, I'm a bit allergic to pine, so the less I have to handle, the better. (By the way, as much as it might be easier to get a fake tree...I shudder...our trees are worth the ichies. Besides, I can usually get Lauren Peace to decorate, hee hee).

So, plan your festivities, rent your tree at http://livingchristmas.com/ and have a wonderful day!



Merry Merry

Care'n Presents

Is 7 Your Lucky Number? How About 77?

Let's cut to the chase. Who has time for chit chat? Okay, who am I kidding? Without chit chat, what kind of elf would I be?  Typing, on the other hand, takes time, so on that note, I better get to it. 

Day 77 - Today, I'm going to start on 
my gift list. Every year I promise myself I'm going to do my Christmas shopping early, and every year I'm out on the week before Christmas, running around like every other crazy person who is trying to do it at the last minute. You'd think I'd know better. What if Scotty Claus waited until the last minute to deliver trees? Perish the thought!! 

So...item on my list:  start another list. I may not finish it today, but this way hopefully I won't forget anyone. There are so many people that I want to somehow at least say "Thank you" to.  If I wait until the last minute, those people are the first to be crossed off for lack of time. Not this year, by golly.  

You know how they say it's the thought that counts? I believe that. I also believe that gifts should come from the heart. I wouldn't want someone to give me something out of obligation, or guilt or something silly like that. My favorite gift is one that comes out of the blue from someone who says "I saw this and I just had to get it! It made me think of you." Those are my favorite gifts to give too. I can't always find those types of things for everyone, but when all else fails, nobody seems disappointed when I give them cookies...baked with love. So like I said: I better get to it!


Merry Merry!

Care'n Presents