Recipe for a Perfect X-mas plus crafts for kids

Good Early Morning all,  This is the second movie in the series about x-mas.  Yes, its another Lifetime Channel X-mas movie.  Can you tell I love these movies.  Well this one inspired a crafting experience and the hunt for a little tree, but I digress here.  So lets talk about the movie.  It's called Recipe for a Perfect Christmas.  It's about a woman named who is an assistant to a food critic. The critic goes on maternity leave and it falls to JJ to become the new critic.  This is complicated by the arrival of her crazy and wild mother played by Christine Baranski (she plays it to the hilt).  With the new job jj doesn't have time to deal with her moms shenanigans. So she makes a deal with a young chef who wants a review of his restaurant.  The chef will occupy her mother.  It makes for a lot of  heartwarming fun.  There are also alot of interesting quirks to the movie but I wont spoil it.  So check it out.  It's available at amazon and you can see it on lifetime Nov 21st. at 10 p.m. Here's another fun part.  JJ has this little tree in the movie and I've been wanting one for ages.  So we have been on a hunt and then I saw one at hospice thrift where we could make one. So here's how me made one. You will need the following items:

1 Styrofoam cone-$1 at dollar tree
1-25 pack of green pipe cleaner-$.88 at walmart
1-roll of gold twine-$.50 thrift store
1-odds and ends like miniature ornaments and bells and ribbons-$.50 each bag at thrift store
1-bottle of gold glitter glue-$1 for a pack of three
all total $5

Start from the top of the tree and stick tip of pipe cleaner into tree and wrap around tree. Secure it by sticking other end in tree once wrapped around. Keep adding pipe cleaner and just stick in ends has you go trying not to show any holes.  If you do can cover with ornaments.  When you get to the bottom you will have some white Styrofoam showing take your gold glitter and fill in the white area.  Drape your gold string around the tree like tinsel secure ends with gold glitter glue.  You can glue ornaments on or if they have little wires stick into tree to secure.  I luck out one of the bags had a little pine cone snowman which became my tree topper.  Put the tree on a silver tray I got from a freebie yard sale run and put the presents around the tree and your done.

                                                    Frankie had to get into the act.

So enjoy your little tree along with the movie.

Linking up to the following party:
http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/2013/11/thrifty-things-friday-136.html

3 Items is all you need short bread cookies

Good Afternoon all,  I have a very easy cookie recipe for you try today.  All it takes is 3 ingredients for some buttery flavored cookies. So here's the recipe and enjoy.  This came from Taste Of Home and was adapted to fit my family.

1 cup unsalted butter, softened--I melted mine in a sauce pot

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

confectioners sugar for garnish

In a large mixing bowl put butter and sugar and mix well until fluffy.  For ease of mixing add one cup flour blend well and then add another cup until blended. Spread dough with hands into 9 inch pan and press down to fill pan.

Bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees.  When brown around the edges remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before removing to wire rack.  When cool cut into squares and dust with confectioners sugar.  Voila done bon appetite and enjoy.  Sorry everyone the camera erased the series of photos for these maybe it needs batteries.

Also here's a picture of one of my favourite cookies which I posted in july before I had the camera.  So if you like what you see revisit the link  http://lorrainesresources.blogspot.com/2013/07/murder-takers-breather-chocolate-cookies.html

Linking up to the following party:
http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/2013/11/thrifty-things-friday-136.html

Break Dancing Frankie

Well frankie got the okay to go out side today.  He was so happy he decide to break dance today.

X-mas Morning Breakfast Banana Pancakes

Good Afternoon all,  The pancakes are finally done.  I was thinking with the kids going to be home for the holidays.  Their should be something special for breakfast, because most morning are spent in a rush out the door to school.  These pancakes are really delicious and easy to make.  If you like bananas you will love these.  You can definitely taste the bananas in the pancake.  I found this recipe years ago in taste of home and its been in my pending file for awhile.  I've adapted it to fit my families needs and budget.  So here we go your in for a treat.

1 cup baking mix (I used jiffy)

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 large bananas

bananas should be cut 1/4 inch (I recommend doing them smaller, the pancakes can be bulky if too big plus push down on pancake in pan to cook better).

Mix first 4 ingredients together and then fold in bananas.  Put large ladle of batter in grease pan and cook until both sides are golden brown.

Repost with pics of Pineapple Banana Smoothie

Good Morning all,  A little behind schedule for the pancakes because Conor ate my bananas.  So I had to run to the store to get more and because my knee is killing me I made the smoothie.  I realized when I shared it with you last time was in my very first post but no pictures.  So here's the recipe again with pictures.

Pineapple Banana Smoothie

1 can crushed pineapples

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup strawberries

1 banana cut up  note you can get a bag of frozen chopped fruit

1 cup strawberry yogurt

put it all in the blender and blend away

Drink up, the reason I like this recipe is if you have any inflammation of any kind it helps with the pain. The bromeline in the pineapples is an anti-inflammatory.

I will finish this and go make the pancakes so check back later.

frankies wordless wednesday

I'm on the puter so cool

x-mas decorations thrifting haul

Okay everyone I'm doing this a little early.  I hit up my favourite thrift store looking for thanksgiving decorations but not a one was in site.  I feel like they jump from Halloween to x-mas and just skip over thanksgiving.  So any ways found some lovely items for a possible table scape really getting into table

scapes.  I like the fact they are easy to do.  Only problem I have with them is Frankie thinks they're new toys.  So here's what I got and it didn't cost an arm and a leg.

little x-mas tree with gingerbread men-$2

smaller tree-$1

snowman with gingerbread man-$.50

teapot with gingerbread men-$1

thanksgiving turkey trivet-$.25  actually found this a week ago

It seems I will be doing something with gingerbread men since its the theme of the items I got.  Also noticed when in hospice they had a cabinet full of crafting supplies i.e. ribbons, pipe cleaner, patterns and many other items.  I will be going back. So here's the pics enjoy.  Oh for those of you wondering Frankie is fine now. He's running around at top speed, finished his meds today and got the okay from the vet to give him a bath.