Oat-Hemp-Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies.....So Good

Whether you just have to include chocolate in your cookies or simply want the treat to at least be a little bit healthy to make it worth the indulgence, this recipe is a winner. Ideal for those milk and cookie after school snacks, coffee breaks, holiday cookie exchanges or gift ideas. They freeze well too!

Taken from Taste Of Home magazine, contributed by Jaymie Noble of Michigan, this recipe just has one alteration which is the addition of hemp seeds.

OAT-RAGEOUS CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup oats or oatmeal

1/4 cup hemp seeds

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups or 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, cream butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar

Beat in the eggs and vanilla

In another bowl, combine the flour, oats, hemp seed, baking soda and salt. 

Add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture and mix well

Stir in the chocolate chips

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets

Bake at 350 for 10 - 12 minutes till lightly browned 

Cool a bit before removing to wire racks so they don't fall apart

Makes about 4 dozen

ENJOY

Holiday Quick Breads, Entertaining, Gifts

Home baked goods are always welcome on any party table or in a gift basket. Recipients of such thoughtful offerings just know a little touch of love is sprinkled into every batch.

Pumpkins, apples, dates, nuts and cranberries are tradition in holiday festivities and what better and easier way to use them than for quick breads. Below are the recipes for an apple bread, a pumpkin cranberry bread, a date/nut bread and a cranberry orange bread. Quick breads freeze well so you can get some holiday baking done early.

APPLE BREAD

3 cups chopped apples

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup chopped nuts or 1 cup rolled oats

2 tsp vanilla

You'll need two bowls

Peel and chop the apples

Combine the apples and sugar

Let sit for 30 minutes

Add the oil and eggs

Beat well

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients

Stir in the nuts (or oats) and vanilla

Dip into 2 greased loaf pans

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes

Cool before removing from pans

PUMPKIN CRANBERRY BREAD

3 cups sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

4 cups flour

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup cold water

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp nutmeg

2 cups pumpkin

4 eggs

2 cups dried cranberries

You'll need a large bowl

Combine the dry ingredients and sift well to blend

Add the oil, water, pumpkin and eggs and mix thoroughly

Fold in the dried cranberries

Pour into 2 greased loaf pans

Bake at 325 degrees for 60 - 70 minutes

Cool before removing from pans

DATE NUT BREAD

2 cups chopped dates

2 cups boiling water

2 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla

3 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups chopped nuts

You'll need three bowls

Pour boiling water over dates and baking soda

Set aside

Beat eggs and sugar

Blend in the oil and vanilla

Combine the flour and baking powder

Add dry ingredients alternately with the date mixture to the batter

Fold in the nuts

Pour into 2 greased loaf pans

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes

Cool before removing from pans

CRANBERRY ORANGE BREAD

2 cups sugar

4 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking soda

2 tbsp grated orange rind

2 beaten eggs

4 tbsp melted butter

1 cup orange juice

4 tbsp hot water

1 1/2 cup chopped nuts or raisins

2 cups cut up cranberries

You'll need one large bowl

Combine the dry ingredients

Make a hole in the center and add the eggs and wet ingredients

Blend well

Fold in the nuts (or raisins) and the cranberries

Pour into two greased loaf pans

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes

Cool before removing from pans

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

If you like your chocolate chip cookies soft yet chewy than this recipe just may replace your old favorite. The recipe came from The Ladies Corner and they even let us in on the secret behind these cookies. It's something as simple as the amount of salt that is added, leaving out an egg white and a lower oven temperature.

CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and set this bowl aside.

3/4 cup or 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened or almost melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

In a larger bowl, blend the butter and sugars till nice and creamy.

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

Beat the vanilla and the eggs into the butter/sugar mixture.

Blend till creamy.

Add the sifted, dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until blended.

2 cups chocolate chips

If you used a hand blender for the previous steps, for this part use a wooden spoon.

Gently stir in the chocolate chips

Either lightly grease your cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper.

For MONSTER COOKIES

Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the cookie sheets 3 inches apart

Makes 6 cookies

Bake 15 - 17 minutes

For LARGE COOKIES

Drop large spoonfuls of cookie dough onto the cookie sheets 2 inches apart 9 cookies per sheet

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Bake 13 - 14 minutes

For REGULAR SIZE COOKIES

Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto the cookie sheets 2 inches apart 12 cookies per sheet

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Bake 11 - 12 minutes 

Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

ENJOY!

Almond Sugar Cookies..Addition to the Sweet Treat Tradition of the Holiday Season

The trick to holiday baking is to get it done early enough to ease the stressful time crunch of the "to do" list before Christmas Eve. But the downside around this house is that between event contributions and all those people who deserve a little something, by the time the big day rolls around there is often little left. 

But the tradition is rewarding even if we do swear we'll cut back on the "unnecessary" work every year. New, untried and enticing recipes flood our Facebook pages and magazines, adding to the craziness of what makes for holiday cheer.

This new recipe is a keeper. It was cut out years ago from a Taste Of Home magazine and was tucked away in a cookie cookbook.

What sets it apart from the usual sugar cookie is the almond extract rather than the usual vanilla.

The buttery taste makes this a definite melt-in-your mouth gem of a cookie.

ALMOND SUGAR COOKIES

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1 cup softened butter (no substitutions)

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp almond extract

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in the almond extract.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Sift these three dry ingredients.

Add this dry mixture to the creamed mixture.

With your hands, roll into 1 inch balls.

Place two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Coat the bottom of a glass with cooking spray.

Dip the glass into a bit of sugar and flatten the cookie balls.

Baked at 400 for 7 - 9 minutes or longer (12 minutes) if the cookie dough balls were larger.

Remove the cookie sheet when the edges of the cookies are lightly brown.

Cool for 1 minute and remove the cookies to a wire rack.

For Glaze:

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

2 - 3 tsp water.

sliced almonds, toasted

In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, almond extract and enough water to achieve a glaze consistency to drizzle.

Tint with food coloring if desired and drizzle a bit onto each cookie.

Let the cookies cool before you add the drizzle or the icing melts into the cookie.

Sprinkle with almond slices.

Makes 3 - 4 dozen, depending how big the dough balls were.

Applesauce Raisin Muffins, Cold Weather Goodness

 Cold weather weekend mornings are perfect for homemade goodness at breakfast or mid-day snacking. Better yet if these muffins started with homemade applesauce!

This recipe was probably cut from a Taste of Home magazine but who knows from what issue.

MOTHER'S APPLESAUCE MUFFINS

4 cups flour (you can use 1/2 all-purpose and 1/2 oat or wheat)

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tbs ground allspice

2 tsp baking soda

Combine and sift to blend these four dry ingredients in a large bowl.

1 cup butter (soften in microwave if right out of refrigerator)

2 cups sugar

Cream the butter and the sugar in a mixing bowl

Then beat in:

2 eggs

2 cups applesauce

2 tbsp vanilla extract

Fold the butter/sugar mixture into the dry mixture and stir just until moistened. 

Add 1 cup raisins

Don't over mix or muffins can be tough.

Grease muffin pans

Pour the batter into 24 muffin cups about 3/4 full each

Bake at 350 degrees F

20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick tests done

Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing or muffins may stick.

Cool on a wire rack

Yield 2 dozen

Freeze for later if desired

Enjoy this old-fashioned, healthy recipe!

Ideal for a quick, nutritious breakfast, lunch or anytime snack.

Perfect to make ahead and save for holiday gift giving and party contributions.

Apple Crisp, Cross between a cookie and a pie

Apple season is here and you can never have too many recipes on ways to enjoy them. It is the week before Thanksgiving and the weather has taken a downhill spiral seemingly overnight. So what is there to do on a blustery Sunday afternoon but enjoy home baked goodness and a steaming hot cup of coffee.

This recipe for Apple Crisp is a combination of a crisp oatmeal cookie and apple pie. But you don't have to deal with making a pie crust and most likely the ingredients are already in the cupboard. Originally from an issue of Taste Of Home magazine, this recipe was contributed by Gertrude Bartnick of Wisconsin.

APPLE CRISP

Preheat the oven to 350 F

In a mixing bowl, combine these four ingredients:
 1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Cut in:
1/2 cup butter which is 1 stick.

If right out of the refrigerator, soften for 20 seconds in the microwave. You want it softened a bit but not melted.
Use a pastry blender tool to cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.
Press half of this mix into a greased baking pan.
The recipe says to use a 2 1/2 qt. baking dish or a 9 inch square baking pan.
I had doubled the recipe so in the photo shown I had used a 9 x 12 in. baking dish.

Peel and chop:
4 cups apples

Add the chopped apples to cover the crumbly mixture already in the baking pan.

In a saucepan, combine:
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch or arrowroot powder
1 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cand stir this sugar mixture until it comes to a slight boil and turns thick and clear.


Pour the sugar mixture over the apples which are already in the baking pan.

Sprinkle with the remaining crumb mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until the apples are tender and the topping is golden brown.

Let sit to thicken up before cutting into it to serve.
Serve warm as is or add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to each serving.

Winterberry Holly, A Deciduous Native Shrub

Mention holly and most people think Christmas and holiday decorating. The image that comes to mind is the bright red berries and the glossy, pokey, evergreen foliage. But did you know there is a deciduous holly that doesn't have those glossy leaves and loses them every autumn?

The holly we are most familiar is Ilex opaca, the American Holly.
The deciduous holly is Ilex verticillata.
Both species are natives to eastern and south-central United States and very beneficial to our wildlife.

The Winterberry Holly is generally considered a wetland holly but it does grow just fine in drier soils. The difference is that in wetter soils it suckers to form a spreading thicket and in the typical garden soils it tends to be more of a clump.

 A tough, easy to grow shrub with few serious disease or insect threats, this shrub is a winner. The size ranges from a height of three to fifteen feet with a variable width as well.

There are male plants and female plants. Originally I didn't know this and only planted the one you see in the photos, so obviously there must be males around or this one wouldn't produce berries.

In the spring, Winterberry Holly produces tiny white flowers, not much to write home about. But by late summer, the slender branches are covered right to their tips with numerous berries. This photo was taken in November and you can see that the leaves are still hanging in there.



Then when the leaves do finally drop, the shrub is in it's glory all winter long.

The berries provide beautiful winter color to the landscape for months until they are finally stripped by the birds and small wildlife.
Keep in mind that though the berries provide an important food source for wildlife, they should not be eaten by humans as they are considered mildly poisonous.

Therefore, if you do cut branches of the Winterberry Holly and bring them indoors for holiday decorating, keep them out of reach of small children and pets. If the berries or leaves are ingested, they can cause vomiting and diarrhea.

CRANBERRY OAT COOKIES...Take a Break From the Cold

Shoveling out from under a snowstorm is what you make of it. It can be nothing but a cursing with every shovelful or it can be a steady, take your time, meditative type of chore. Whatever it may be, there is little else more motivating than to know that when you're done you can leisurely sit and enjoy a plate of homemade cookies.

This recipe comes from Taste of Home magazine, sent in by Heather Breen
With the addition of oats and dried cranberries, it is a tasty, a bit healthy cookie, crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside.

CRANBERRY OAT COOKIES

Mix these three ingredients together in a large bowl:
1 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup oil of choice, the recipe called for canola

Beat in:
2 eggs
2 tbsp milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine and sift together in another medium size bowl:
2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour or you can divide that up with wheat or oat flour

1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture.
Stir in:
1 cup dried cranberries

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes.
Only let cool about 3 minutes and then remove to a wire rack. If cookies remain on pan too long they will stick.

This batch makes about 4 dozen

Gingerbread Cookies, Frugal Holiday Treasure

I stumbled upon what may be the perfect holiday cookie with more perks going for it than dietary downfalls.

Busy days have always deterred me from doing cut-out cookies for Christmas since rolling out dough usually became a frustrating experience. Drop cookies were so much less of a mess and took half the time, so I thought till now.

Gingerbread cookies have to be the one holiday treat that is guaranteed to lighten the mood and produce a smile.  No matter what a person's age, he or she cannot eat one without murmuring an "ahhhh, I remember when..." moment from childhood.

Most cut-out cookie recipes are made up of the ingredients we are usually trying to avoid: white flour, white sugar and solid shortening. This recipe I discovered is a gem. It is probably from the lean years of the Great Depression or the rations of war time because it doesn't contain any white sugar or eggs. Years ago such simplicity was out of necessity or availability, but today it can be seen in a more positive light:

A nutritional boost of iron
No white sugar
No eggs or milk
Very easy handling dough
Perfect for those who want a not-so-sweet cookie.
Ideal for dipping in milk, tea or coffee.
They are a crisp cookie so hold up well for packing into tins as gift ideas or shipping.

GREAT-GREAT GRANDMA'S OLD-FASHIONED GINGERSNAPS

By Helen E. Goodwin 

"Yankee Church Supper Cookbook"

1 Cup baking Molasses (Blackstrap if want the nutritional boost and not as sweet)

1/2 Cup Butter

1 Tbsp ground Ginger spice

1 rounded Tsp Baking Soda

3 Cups Flour

Boil together the molasses and butter.

Let cool.

In a large bowl, sift together the ginger, baking soda and flour.

Add the molasses, butter mixture and blend well.

Roll dough thin (about 1/8 inch thick) on a floured board or surface.

Cut out with cookie cutters.

Space out on greased cookie sheet so fit from 9 to 12 cookies, depending on their size.

Add desired decorations, such as raisins for eyes or cinnamon hearts for belly buttons.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 8 - 10 minutes

Makes 2 - 3 dozen gingerbread men or 4 - 6 dozen smaller cookie cutter shapes.

Yankee Church Supper Cookbook

If interested in other ways to use Blackstrap Molasses

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Holiday Wreaths, Reused, Resurfaced Memories

Craft stores and holiday bazaars abound with beautiful home decor to beautifully decorate your home for the holiday season. But you can create your own work of art even if you don't believe yourself to be all that crafty. We all have an imagination, it just seems to get buried over the years with the load of everyday responsibilities leaving little time to revisit that part of us.

If you have a love for thrift shops, yard sales and bargain bins, try to get in the habit of collecting stuff for the "possibilities" of what can be done with it. You can often find wreaths you may not like as is, but they can be taken apart to reuse the base wreath.

This wreath started with one of those wire wreath frames. Wrapped around that frame is burlap that you can get on a roll. Wrap the burlap around the metal frame, overlapping the edges as you go and do it tightly enough to eliminate any bulges. Use a safety pin to secure the end or glue it down with a hot glue gun. What you do from there is up to your own creativity, but for this one I had one of those artificial berry garlands that are used to drape mantels and doorways. This one was about four foot long. I tucked the wire on one end under the gaps from wrapping the burlap and then wound the garland around and around the wreath and tucked the other end under the burlap as well. Add a loop of fabric or ribbon around one of the vines for hanging.

Plastic canvas is a fun needlework project that requires time and patience but once done, these craft projects are very rewarding to know you made it yourself. Digging them out at the holidays can bring back memories on what was happening in your life at the time you were working on them.
If you don't have time or interest in making your own, these little sewing creations can be found at craft shows and thrift shops. Someone put a lot of time and loving energy into creating these types of sewing kits and it is a shame to see them end up at a thrift shop. So if you can bring a new life back into someone's work that would be great.
The chickadee seen above on this burlap wreath had been a gift to my mother-in-law and holds a special place in our hearts now that it has been returned to us so many years later.

This wreath was another thrift shop recycle project. I bought the green wreath as it was and took off the trimmings it already had. I wrapped the whole thing with a 50 bulb string of the tiny white lights. Use the string with a bulb on one end and a positive plug on the other. If you use one of the end-to-end types of lights you'll have to hide the negative plug so it doesn't show.

Next, use whatever trimmings you have to decorate your wreath. A hot glue gun works great for lightweight balls, ornaments and ribbons. The Rudolph plastic canvas was done when my children were small and to now have it pulled out again and added to this wreath means it'll  bring back fond memories every year when the kids come home for Christmas.

So have fun and let your imagination soar as you decorate your home with a little piece of who you really are!

Cranberry Oat Drop Cookies, Easy Pleasin' Holiday Baking

 An easy to please drop cookie recipe not only delicious, but pretty enough to brighten up any table or cookie platter assortment. Loaded with cranberries, perhaps the reindeer may even share a bite with Santa.

CRANBERRY OAT DROP COOKIES
 
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 tbsp. orange juice

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

2 1/2 cup chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
   (chop in food processor for just a few seconds,
               you don't want them mushy)
1/2 cup rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars.
Add the milk, egg and orange juice.
In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
Add gradually to the creamed mixture and mix well.
Stir in the cranberries and the oats. Batter will be thick.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool on wire racks.
Makes 4 - 5 dozen depending on their size.

Know your Christmas Trees

Once Thanksgiving is behind us, there comes the search for that perfect Christmas tree. Tree farms become busy places as people reserve their favorite pick with that telltale "taken" tag. 

The idea of symbolizing evergreen trees goes way back into history. Because evergreens stay green and don't drop their needles, with the arrival of the winter solstice people would look to the evergreen tree as a symbol of life's triumph over death. In addition to the evergreen trees, holly and mistletoe were also collected and brought into the home to ward off evil spirits and show hope for the forthcoming spring.

Our modern Christmas tree evolved from the early traditions of the Germans and Scandinavians during the Middle Ages.  It is said that Martin Luther began the tradition of decorating trees to celebrate Christmas. The story goes that around 1500, Martin Luther was so impressed by the beauty of snow covered evergreens shimmering in the moonlight, that he set up a little tree indoors, and decorated it with candles to honor Christ's birth. The balsam fir twigs resemble crosses, so it is said that perhaps that is how the firs became so popular as Christmas trees.

History has it that the Christmas tree tradition came to the United States with the Hessian troops during the American Revolution, or with German immigrants to Pennsylvania and Ohio. The custom didn't take off very quickly. The Puritans in New England didn't even celebrate Christmas and throughout New England, schools remained open, with a penalty for those who chose to stay home in celebration. 

Supposedly, the Christmas tree market was born in 1851 when Catskill farmer Mark Carr hauled two ox sleds of evergreens into New York City and sold them on the street. By 1900, one in five American families had a Christmas tree and within 20 years the custom was nearly universal.

The business of Christmas tree farms didn't take off until the hard economic times of the depression. Nurserymen needed to come up with another means for selling their evergreens, as people just didn't have the money for landscaping. How brilliant to begin cultivating trees, and pruning them for the attractive, symmetrical shape desired over wild trees.

Only six species account for about 90 percent of the nation's Christmas tree industry. Scotch pine ranks first with about 40 percent of the market, followed with Douglas fir which accounts for about 34 percent.

Firs (Abies Species) are very popular because they don't shed their needles as the tree dries out and retain that wonderful smell of the outdoors.


Fraser Fir is a favorite. Its 1" needles are silvery-green and soft to the touch, and being there is space between the branches, the Fraser is easy to decorate. The branches are firm which is ideal to hold heavier ornaments without them sliding off.

Noble Fir is a deep green and a very lovely branch shape. This feature makes them very desirable for making into fresh wreaths. Spacing and strength of the branches also make this tree easy to hand and hold ornaments.

Douglass Firs are beautiful and popular trees with their soft shiny green needles. The problem with this type is that they tend to be sheared so perfectly into the conical shape, too little space is left between branches for the decorations.

Colorado Blue Spruce is beautiful with its blue, silvery foliage and strong limbs. Spruces are good for those heavier ornaments. Just be aware that the spruces are much more prickly than the firs.

The Meyer Spruce, native to Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, is another type of spruce tree known for its hardiness.

 Norway Spruce are great if you only want to have the tree in the house for a week or two. This tree type doesn't hold its needles well and it is important to keep it properly watered to maintain some needle retention.

The most popular in Europe, and usually the cheapest, the Norwegian capital city Oslo, provides the cities of New York, London (the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree), Edinburgh and Washington D.C. with a Norway Spruce, which is placed at the most central square of each city.


Eastern White Pines are beautiful with their long, feathery needles, but may be too flexible to support many decorations. Pines are popular to use as garlands, wreaths and centerpieces.


Scotch Pines have wonderful needle retention and being they resist drying out, last indoors for the duration of the holiday season. However, their needles are very sharp, so care has to be taken during handling.

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree,  Manhattan, New York City

Don't Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle

When to Know to Let It Go

The holiday months have to be some of the most exciting, stressful and sleep deprived times of the entire year.  Baking, shopping, wrapping, cleaning, decorating, cooking, entertaining, and probably more last minute shopping, all somehow accomplished on top of all the normal everyday activities.  Add a few over excited children to the mix and many adults just may think about asking Santa if they can hitch a ride to fly away from it all.

Interesting how some people can let things sail right over them, and others have to do the count to 10 trick before daring to even speak. Since we usually let our guard down around those whom we are most comfortable, it is very easy to fly off the handle and say things we may regret.

Murphy's Law says, "If something is bound to go wrong, it will, at the most inconvenient time."
Sounds like a very negative way to view life but we have to admit things usually don't go easy, at least not the first time around.  Maybe it is like that to force us to develop a sense of humor. Laughter is the best medicine and usually once a crisis is past it does become a great story.

So:
If the Christmas lights you so meticulously arranged decide to quit mid-season and it is too cold or there just isn't time to tackle it again, let it go.
If the cat or dog knocks the tree over and delicate ornaments get broken, anchor the tree and let it go.
If you trek from one store to another and just cannot find that ooh aah gift,  or it's out of stock, again, let it go.
If sending cards has become nothing more than a chore, cut back or let it go. Send a note, e-mail, or phone call after the holiday commotion dies down.
If you have to decide on homemade iced cut-out cookies for the cookie exchange or a quick batch of rice krispee treats, make the latter, top with red and green sprinkles, and don't worry about it.
If wrapping is just too time consuming, stock up on tissue paper and gift bags.
If one more party invitation is pushing your tight schedule over the top, learn to politely decline.
Give yourself permission to turn off the phone, close the door and take a nap, bath or start a good book.
Fear you'll miss the good deals if you aren't running ragged on Black Friday? Wait till Cyber Monday and shop online.
Tired of going into credit card debt every year just to get it all over with and please everyone? 
Encourage name exchanges for family gatherings or else set price limits. 
There is nothing wrong with handmade, homemade type gifts, either crafty or from the kitchen.
Stop stressing over expectations, either from yourself or others.
Let it go or maybe Let them go.

Tension affects not only your mental state but ever notice how when you are all key up your back starts to hurt or that headache starts to pound?
Break down the word disease and it becomes 'dis' 'ease'.  Approximately 70% of disorders can be related to stress and nervous tension.  Since every part of the body receives its nerve supply from the spine, abnormal tension causes tightening of the muscles of the spine, causing pain as the nerves are affected and blood vessels are constricted.  Stress in life is unavoidable, but long-term fatigue and anxiety drains the immune system, resulting in the body being vulnerable to illness.

Attitude is the difference between fighting everything and just accepting "what is". There is a saying that goes: "We may not be able to change someone or a situation, but we can change our attitude about that person or situation." Try it and you really will discover a sense of freedom from the grip of frustration and worry.

Learning what is worth a raise in blood pressure and when to take things in stride is definitely a life lesson in not only maturity and wisdom, but your health.

Just about every culture has a version of the Serenity Prayer:


More information and a bit of humor about the Serenity Prayer:

The Serenity Prayer is most commonly attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr, a famous Protestant theologian known for his concern for social justice back in the 1940's.

God give us grace, to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.

Longer version:
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.


Funny Versions: 
God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change
Courage to change the one I can change,
And wisdom to know it's me.
–author unknown

God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway,
the good fortune to run into the ones I do,
and the eyesight to tell the difference.
-author unknown

When you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed, keep in mind that a lot of our pressure is from expectations we put on ourselves. Family members would much rather have you relaxed and smiling rather than irritable and on the verge of getting sick. All easier said than done, but we can try.
The true meaning of the holidays has to do with cherishing that which we already have, not letting commercialism plant the seed of dissatisfaction and the never enough syndrome. Best gifts are those given from the heart, which may or may not be a purchased item.

Holiday Survival

 The Holiday months of November and December have to be some of the most exciting, stressful and sleep deprived times of the entire year.  Baking, shopping, wrapping, cleaning, decorating, cooking, entertaining, and probably more last minute shopping, all somehow accomplished on top of all the normal everyday activities.  Add a few over excited children to the mix and many adults just may think about asking Santa if they can hitch a ride to fly away from it all.

Consider a few sanity items to help your family glide through the commotion without a meltdown.

Too much "over the river and through the woods" can easily result in overtired children suffering from a bellyache or headache.  Too many sweets and not enough down time can upset the balance in anyone's system.  Peppermint has the property to relax contracted muscles.  Stomach pains are felt because of the contraction of the muscle, be the cause from tension or improper foods.  Peppermint is also one of the best anti-nausea remedies around.

The Children's Tummy Oil is great to keep on hand for massaging the goodness of peppermint onto your little one's tummy to help relax those tight muscles.  This herbal oil also utilizes the benefits of the essential oils fennel, chamomile and lemongrass to help relax and calm those bellies as well as your child.  Click here

 The Peppermint Body Spray is like a medicine cabinet in a bottle.  Peppermint is good for everything from fatigue, headaches, cramps, nausea to congestion.  Spray into the air  or as a body spray to help with fatigue, rub onto temples for a headache, add a bit under the nose for a stuffy head or to help with nausea or motion sickness.  This spray utilizes peppermint essential oil so not for use with pregnant women as the concentration is too strong for the baby.  Same for children under the age of eight.  Click here

 This Tension Headache Massage Oil is wonderful to either use as a massage oil to knead into those tight neck and shoulder muscles or throbbing temples.  Also wonderful to add to a hot bath and let your cares float away with the steam.  Essential oils such as sweet marjoram, chamomile, helichrysum, basil, ginger and lavender are wonderful for relaxing the mind as well as the muscles.  Click here

 Over excited children often have trouble settling themselves down.  Our Children's Settle'n Down Massage Oil utilizes calming lavender, chamomile and marjoram essential oils in a skin nourishing  blend of apricot and jojoba  oils. Children love touch and a gentle all over massage or even just the feet will do wonders to bring on sleep.  Click here

 Help everyone in the family drift away into slumber and dream about sugar plums with this Sleep Aid Dream Mist Air or Linen Spray.  Wonderful for children, adults and even your family dog.  Essential oils chamomile, sweet orange, lavender and ylang ylang blend nicely into a sweet, floral delightful pillow spray.  Spritz lightly and smile as your loved ones seem to visibly relax into their pillows with an "ahhh".  Click here

  So once the kids are tucked safely in their beds and not a creature is stirring, now it is your turn.  Run the tub water, turn off the phone, close the door and bring along your glass of wine or a cup of tea.  This Nervous Tension Bath Oil contains a skin nourishing blend of oils such as almond, apricot, jojoba and wheat germ along with wonderful relaxing essential oils.  Sweet orange, lavender, marjoram and cedarwood combine to help relax tight and painful muscles, and bring balance to all the clutter which may be hindering sleep.  Click here

Making lists helps keep your spinning mind from getting overwhelmed. As things get checked off, you'll feel more in control, proud that something else is behind you, and relieved there is still tomorrow to continue the holiday marathon. Homemade, handmade, is wonderful and picture perfect is nice, but certainly not a requirement of a memorable holiday.