Then, I decided to just experiment with this myself. The recipe is halved and the cooking times have changed a bit. I hope you enjoy! This was a huge hit at our family gatherings.

Toffee Crackers Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• Crackers or Cereal of your choice (pretzels would be great as well)
• 1 1/2 Cups Semi-Sweet Morsels

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line cookie sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
3. Place crackers in a single layer to cover cookie sheet (about 20 or so crackers), set aside.
4. Combine butter and sugar in a pot and stir constantly; bring to boil. Once mixture has started to boil, allow to boil for 3 minutes. Mixture should be a nice caramel brown color.
5. Pour mix on top of crackers, spread with spoon to cover all crackers.
6. Place cookie sheet in oven and bake for 6 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and sprinkle with morsels. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
8. Once morsels have melted, spread over crackers.
9. Place in refrigerator to cool and harden.
10. Break into bite-size pieces once cool.

What is your favorite treat to make?

Brandi is the creator of The Creative Princess. She is a stay-at-home mom of two beautiful girls, avid couponer, crafter and a Pinterest addict. You will find awesome tutorials, creative couponing, cooking and crafting on her blog, she also takes you down her crazy journey of life around her small Oklahoma town.

Today, as you sit around your tree with the house looking like it has been hit by a tornado with toys and torn wrapping paper lying everywhere, take a minute and breath in this moment. Christmas represents so many things to so many people, but I think we would all agree that at the top of our lists are feelings of love, compassion, and gratitude.

The aromas in the kitchen remind us of Christmas past and loved ones gone on, but thankfully they left that special recipe that will never be forgotten. Our messy house reminds us of life‘s imperfections, what they represent, and how beautiful they truly are depending on your point of view. The gifts, no matter how terrible or wonderful, remind us that someone does care and sends loving thoughts our way everyday. Most importantly, the joy on our children’s faces remind us of a sweet little baby boy, born in a stable, to bring us peace.

That is what I wish for you today and all year through. The world may be in turmoil, your bank account low, close relationships strained, but I pray you feel peace in your heart no matter the circumstances. So go prop your feet up, hug your family tight, snuggle up with your favorite blanket, and put on a good Christmas movie tonight. But most of all, sleep in heavenly peace.

How are you celebrating Christmas today?

Brought to you by Alicia Ivey of http://mybabyclothes.com, where you can find the most stylish baby clothes, beautiful tutus and most precious baby headbands.

Last Minute Holiday Gift Ideas

Caroling Kit

First up is a Caroling Kit. Start with a copy of all of your favorite Christmas songs on card stock, add a bag of hot chocolate, and some lights (I found these 2 for a dollar at Dollartree). Throw in some candy canes and you have a bag o’ fun! To deliver, take your family and sing at the door! The tag could say “We WISSSHHH you a Merry Christmas!”

Hot Chocolate

Next, get a can of good hot chocolate, like Stephens, and pair it with some marshmallows or chocolate dipped pretzel sticks. The card could say “Wishing You Warm Chocolatey Christmas Wishes!”

Fortune Cookies

One of my favorite gifts I put together (if I do say so myself) was a good sized Chinese take out box with fortune cookies in it. Both items I found at a restaurant supply grocery store called Cash & Carry. The boxes are reasonably priced (they come in a pack of 25) and the cookies come in a large bag for around 5 bucks! Can’t beat that! The tag read “It is our good fortune to have you as friends! Merry Christmas!”

Whatever you do, make it thoughful, fun, and easy! With a splash of colorful ribbon and a sweet card you will, no doubt, hit a home run! That is what I like to do! Good luck and Merry Christmas!

What are some of your best neighbor/friend gifts you have whipped together?

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Susan lives in Boise, Idaho, and is a self-taught artist and a jack of many artsy trades. She is married to a professional artist and has two great teenagers. She has her hand in a lot of pots. She in very involved in her community and fundraising for her kids’ choirs. She loves friends, family, movies, pj’s, laughing, and ART! She just started her own blog: visit  susansspinningplates@wordpress.com

Last night, my kids and I were in an edible arts and crafts mode. We got out our supplies and tripled the recipe, leaving us with enough left over to share with three families in our neighborhood as holiday gifts.

How to Make Crafts for Christmas Gifts

Here’s what you need and how to make chocolate gifts.

Supplies

• Christmas cookie cutters in a variety of shapes (We used snowflakes, stars, and a gingerbread family.)
• Wilton candy melts (We used three varieties: white, milk, and peppermint white chocolate.)
• Wilton disposable decorating bags (We needed three, one each for the different kinds of chocolate.)
• Cookie sheet
• Wooden spoon
• Scissors
• Wax paper or Crisco (We preferred to grease the cookie sheet, but you may also place a piece of wax paper on top instead.)
• Paper towels
• Cellophane wrap (We used clear.)
• Ribbon

Instructions

Step 1: In preparation, place a sheet of wax paper on or grease a cookie sheet. Place cookie cutters on top of the wax paper or greased cookie sheet. Then, fill a disposable decorating bag about 3/4ths of the way full of chocolate candies (one variety per bag). Microwave for 30 seconds and remove to pat the bag with a wooden spoon. Microwave for 15 seconds. Repeat until chocolate is melted. Once the chocolate is melted, cut the tip of the disposable bag.

Step 2: Squeeze the chocolate around the edges of the cookie cutter first and then proceed to the center, filling the entire cookie cutter with chocolate. When all cookie cutters have chocolate in them, tap the pan on the counter to smooth out the chocolate. Add another layer of chocolate for effect: milk or dark and white chocolate and milk or dark and peppermint white chocolate are especially fun. Also, consider adding sprinkles or crushed peppermint candies to the top.

Step 3: Place cookie sheet in the refrigerator to cool. Once cooled, determine whether you’d like to give the gifts with or without the cookie cutter.

If you are including the cookie cutter with the gift, you are ready to wrap in cellophane and tie with a ribbon.

If you are not including the cookie cutter with the gift, remove the chocolate from each cookie cutter and place in the cellophane, wrap, and tie with a ribbon. And voila! You have the perfect neighbor gifts.

What are your favorite edible holiday craft activities to do with your kids?

This is a fantastic way to bring the spirit of Christmas back and help you connect with loved ones on a whole new creative level. Everyone can write a poem! The crazier and more mixed up the better. Throw them off the scent or make it meaningful. This may be the beginning of a wonderful new family tradition.

My husband’s family has been writing poems for presents for three generations. Every Christmas they would choose a few special gifts and write a fun poem to go along with it. This would liven things up and extend the giving, because along with the present was a little bit of themselves.

I joined the fun 20 years ago and I love it! Some of my most memorable gifts are the ones that my husband wrote. One year, the poem began “Crunch, crunch, munch, munch…” I still have the box of leaves that he collected. He said everywhere I went I would go out of my way to walk on the crunchy leaves. The poem made those leaves come to life!

This year, I am writing one for him (I hope he is not reading this!) for a special gift I plan to give. He loves model airplanes and I have arranged the next step up — a private flight  in a small aircraft. So here is the poem-

  The obsession started long ago, one crazy gift, one year,

  And now is like a freight train, UNSTOPPABLE, I fear!

   So, why not take it further, don’t let this chance go by,

   And take your love and passion straight up into the sky!

See? Easy! And fun! I just can’t wait to see his face!

Try it! Write a poem for a few presents and see what happens! You will be surprised. Encourage your family members to do it as well. And next year it will get easier. And when you are out shopping, you may find a few things that are just begging for a poem. You don’t have to be Dickens and nothing really has to rhyme. Just give it your best shot and have a good time! Hey, what do you know, there’s a poem right there! Merry Christmas!

What are your family traditions? What traditions have been passed down for generations?

Photos courtesy of Flickr.

 Susan lives in Boise, Idaho, and is a self-taught artist and a jack of many artsy trades. She is married to professional artist and has two great teenagers. She has her hand in a lot of pots. She in very involved in her community and church. She loves friends, family, movies, eating out, laughing, and  vacationing to warm destinations! She just started her own blog: visit  susansspinningplates.wordpress.com

It is always held during the first week of December when there is a chill in the air that helps create that nastalgic, old world feeling. It is a long standing tradition that dates back to the 1950s, as do some of the original costumes, elaborate decorations, and props.

Each singer is outfitted to look like he or she is part of a royal court, with a king, queen, prince, and princess along with gesters and wenches. The dinner guests receive turkey legs and finger foods. It is an opportunity for these amazing young people to come out of their shells, work hard, and sing their way into the hearts of everyone who attends! The qym has a nice echoing tone that is reminiscent of an old castle. You truly feel like you have been transported into the past!

These students are also singing to raise money for their Spring trip that the choir takes every year. This year, to advertise the event and get donations, the kids dressed in their costumes and went all over Boise talking to business owners and “sang for their supper,” so to speak. They collected all sorts of items — from artwork to hotel stays, event tickets to a diamond! Finally, all the donations were laid out in festive baskets and displayed on side tables at the sold out Madrigal dinner. A silent auction was held during the evening. The response was incredible!

For some, this is a “must do” to start the holiday season. For others, it is a chance to come back to the school they love and relive the magic of Madrigal. The parents put in many, many hours of hard work, and most everything, including the food, is donated to create the evening. The school’s musical director takes care of every detail and goes far beyond the call of duty. But it is all worth it…every minute.

To see your child feel immense pride in a job well done, and knowing that they are creating life-long bonds with fellow singers is worth every minute of making baskets, decorating, setting up, and everything involved in this great evening. And afterwards, we get to hear singing all over our house — in the bedroom, in the shower, in the kitchen, during homework, and on the way to school. It is awesome!

At this time of uncertainty in our school systems where great art programs are being taken away and events like this may have to disappear, it is important for us as voters and mothers and friends and citizens to keep the performing arts alive and going strong! These are the events that these young people will remember and take with them into their adult years.

The arts enhance education and make us better, more well rounded individuals who know how to work together and thrive. So, keep this in mind the next time the opportunity arises for you to support the kids in your area. Make it a new tradition and soak it all in! You will never regret it! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

What are your favorite holiday songs? What songs instantly get you in the holiday spirit?

Susan lives in Boise, Idaho, and is a self-taught artist and a jack of many artsy trades. She is married to professional artist and has two great teenagers. She has her hand in a lot of pots. She in very involved in her community and church. She loves friends, family, movies, eating out, laughing, and  vacationing to warm destinations! She just started her own blog: visit  susansspinningplates@wordpress.com

For my family, Christmas is both a time to make gingerbread houses and remember my husband’s brother Mark who passed away at this time four years ago. I strive to honor his memory by adding a little bit of zaniness to our typical celebrations because that’s what Mark did when he was here. The Hughes family has a zany Thanksgiving tradition they started after losing one of their family members. I look forward to doing our own version of it at Christmas.

This is for any of you who will be attending large family gatherings at which large quantities of food will be prepared and consumed. If you have kids of any age who will be trying to entertain themselves while the Christmas turkey or ham is cooking, why not keep them busy with dying eggs? In reds and greens? The Hughes kids dye about 50 of them, and a few plastic eggs with cash inside are added. Someone hides the eggs and then it’s a mad dash to see who can recover the most eggs!

The best part is it’s not just for the kids. After the kids hunt, they hide eggs for the adults and then the adults make the mad dash. The plastic eggs in this hunt hold slightly larger denominations, and the frenzy is that much more intense!

What are your untraditional holiday traditions? What makes them special for you and your family?

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Disclosure: This website is a part of an incentivized online influencer network for Fresh Takes on Family Time Powered by Subway.

Holiday Craft Project: Chex Mix Candy Gift

Chex Mix Candy Recipe

Ingredients

• 5 cups of Honey Nut Chex (this is gluten free!)
• 4 cups of mini pretzels
• 1 pkg. of vanilla candi quik
• 1 package of peanut m&m’s
• 1 cup of melted chocolate
• 2 crushed candy canes (optional)

Directions

Fill your boxes with the yummy Chex Mix and tie a cute bow with bakers twine or ribbon. I found these fun Chinese Boxes at Hobby Lobby, but I have seen them at several other craft stores. I also added a fun little accordion pinwheel to the front (you can find the whole tutorial here), but it would be cute with a fun gift tag as well. This is a super easy gift to put together, and your friends will LOVE it!

Warning: This Chex Mix is very addicting…but oh so yummy!

I wish everyone a very Happy Holiday!

Do you have a fun gift you like to give to neighbors and friends? What are some of your favorite snacks at Christmas?

 My name is Jamielyn Nye and I’m a hopeless chocolate addict. Sometimes known to eat chocolate chip cookie dough straight from the bowl. I’m a Mama to two chubbies and married to one sexy man. My days are full of chasing my 2 little monkeys, cleaning messes (it’s like shoveling in a snow storm), pinterest, snuggling, avoiding the ever-growing pile of laundry, e-mails, play-dough, crafting and wondering, “Is it nap time yet?!” Find me blogging at I Heart Nap Time. Chat with me on Facebook & Twitter.

How to Make Reindeer Candy Canes

Below is a list of supplies and step-by-step instructions for how to make the perfect reindeer candy canes to pass out to people this holiday season.

Supplies

To complete this project, you’ll need the following:

• Brown pipe cleaners
• Small red pom poms
• Small googly eyes
• Small bells
• Glue and glue gun or double sided tape (hot glue works best)
• Tag
• Cardstock
• Printer

Instructions

To make reindeer candy canes, follow these simple steps:

1. Wrap one brown pipe cleaner around the top of the curved part of the candy cane. Get creative and shape the antlers however you’d like!

2. Using a glue gun and hot glue or double sided tape, place the googly eyes below the antlers side by side and the red pom pom beneath them for the nose.

3. Thread the small bells onto the tips of the antlers.

4. Create a tag using a piece of cardstock and your printer with a phrase such as: “Happy Holidays! Thanks for Your Service!” Or, “Thanks for brightening up my day. Happy Holidays!” Or, “I appreciate your kindness. Merry Christmas!”

5. Once you have converted all of your candy canes into reindeer, divvy them up in the bags, giving an equal amount to each child. Then store them in the car and encourage everyone to hand them out to people who are kind to them during the holidays as a way of thanking them.

Tip! My boys are shy and when they were little, they had such a hard time. My suggestion, if this is the case for you, is to go with them and encourage them until they can do it themselves. The first time someone gets a surprised smile on their face and says thank you, they will want to find more and more people to pass them out to. It is contagious!

What do you and your family do to reward people for their kindness during the holiday season? How do you spread the Christmas spirit?

8 Ways to Relax and Enjoy the Holiday Season

Here are 8 ways to slow down over the holidays and make the most of the season:

1.  Focus on the meaning of the holidays. Remember the reason for the holidays. If it has become all about getting and receiving lots of gifts, and hurrying scurrying to the next holiday event, then maybe it is time to reevaluate what the holidays mean to you. Think about how you would like the holidays to turn out and then begin to make some changes in your life to bring you closer to your ideal holiday.

2. Plan. Discuss with your spouse, and children if old enough, some of the important things you would like to do during this holiday season. What are some traditions you want to continue, some you want to begin, and maybe even some you want to drop. Decide what is important to those in your family and then shape your holiday plans around this as much as possible.

3.Learn to say NO freely.If an activity does not fit with your plans, or it would be very difficult to fit it in, then say no without guilt. Save your YES’s for those things that are most important to you and those you love.

4. Be prepared.Know what events you need to have cookies, or a gift or a dish for. Don’t let them sneak up on you. Be proactive in seeking out events and activities you would want to be involved in so that you can be prepared.

5. Buy in bulk. Find a simple gift that can be given to several people, such as all the teachers you need to buy gifts for. Or food items are great gifts for these types of recipients, or an ornament to hang on their tree next year.

6. Schedule down time for yourself.Take an evening just for you, or have a shopping date with your girlfriends. Schedule a massage or a pedicure. While making the holidays merry for everyone else, don’t forget to take care of you!

7. Eat healthy. And speaking of taking care of you, be sure to eat healthy a good portion of the time, so you can enjoy yourself on a few occasions. Also, drink lots of water. We tend to get dehydrated when we are busy and being dehydrated can make you even more fatigued.

8. Schedule time to make memories with your family. It will be the little things they remember, not the gifts. Making cookies and going caroling. Decorating the tree and wrapping gifts. Drinking hot cocoa and watching Charlie Brown’s Christmas special.

What can you do to make this Christmas less stressful and more memorable for you and your family?

Bernice Wood is a wife of 30 years, mom to 4 young adults, and 7 grandchildren (She just found out about #8!) She is the founder of two blogs for women. Living the Balanced Life  teaches you to learn to define what is important in your life and learn to live accordingly. The second blog is The Successful Woman’s Resource Center (soon to be renamed TheStressedMom.com!) This site is brimming with day-to-day tips and resources to help you navigate your busy life.