Dec 1, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Five Things Friday
The holiday season can bring families together, feelings of holiday cheer, and more stress than you can shake a stick at.
It’s also a season of “How do I possibly do this?” and “How can we manage that?”
Finding that perfect gift for someone isn’t always an option when the price tag is higher than your ceiling.
Here are few ideas for giving without going broke:
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Five Things Friday
- Give the gift of time. Spend a few hours chatting over coffee. Catch up with an old friend. Drive over to your brother’s house. Take a loved one to dinner. Turn off your phone and outside distractions, and just be with each other. Rediscover the commonalities you have, and learn how you’ve changed.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Five Things Friday: Gifts That Don’t Cost
- Give the gift of service. How often do we say, “I wish there were more hours in a day?” What we mean is, “I can’t possibly do everything on the list, all the time.” Helping someone with household cleaning, running errands for them, or driving them to appointments is a great gift. Companionship while conquering a To Do List is a double gift!
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Five Things Friday: Gifts That Don’t Cost
- Give the gift of encouragement. We all need to be emboldened. Tell your peeps what you admire about them, and watch them soar. Keep telling them, and they’ll soar even higher.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Five Things Friday: Gifts That Don’t Cost
- Give the gift of creativity. We’re all good at something. Some are woodworkers, some excel in the kitchen. Others are writers, painters, quilters. Each of us has a talent that is meant to be shared with others. Create a homemade gift, or spend time creating/crafting with others and helping them discover what they’re good at!
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Five Things Friday: Gifts That Don’t Cost
- Give the gift of asking. To truly bless others, we need to know what they want or need. Pay attention. Develop deeper conversations. When they say “A”, don’t misinterpret it as “B”. Understand that understanding is deeper than just talk. Formulate questions that lead you to their answer, and be creative with your solution.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Five Things Friday: Gifts That Don’t Cost
What gifts do you like to give?
TWEET THIS: Five Things Friday: #Gifts That Don’t Cost @RealMojo68 #holiday
With a light bulb and a thinking cap,
Happy gifting!
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
Nov 27, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
Y’all know how I feel about Christmas, right? That glorious holiday spirit. The season of making and baking, crafting and giving. Simply wonderful.
In the past few years, I’ve strayed from decorating every inch of Bedford Manor. I mean, it’s just me and the cats here, and I doubt they care how many stockings are hung unless they’re filled with catnip and toys.
Instead, I set up a few inexpensive decorations the week of Thanksgiving, and let them stay up until after New Year’s. They’re easy, quick, and I don’t feel like I’m drowning in Christmas when I walk through the house.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Meet Sven
For starters, I set up my Nutcracker Village. This is the twelfth or so year since I started collecting. What started as “I would like this set of four” turned into a beautiful holiday tradition. Each one I have is unique. This year, I set them on top the living room display cabinet, and hung the smallest ones on the tabletop tree.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Nutcracker Village
The mantle is next. One string of garland and a few oversized, old-fashioned jingle bells add some Walton-esque atmosphere.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : My Old-Fashioned Mantle
A long, narrow tray holds votive glasses and decorative glass stones. Battery tea light candles complete the look. You can piece this look together with inexpensive thrift store and dollar store finds, or purchase a complete set online and at holiday home decor stores.
Frankly My Dear . . . : Mantle Candle Tray
My new decorative contribution this year is the pine cone/bell mix. I simply took a large clear vase and mixed small pine cones and colorful jingle bells. Near the top I placed a battery tea light candle, and covered it with a few more cones and bells. The flickering light reflects off the shiny bells and casts pine cone shadows on the brick at night, and in the daylight the colors are just as bright and lovely.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Pine Cones and Jingle Bells in Clear Vase
It took me two days to decide if I wanted the “hassle” of setting up the big tree this year. Since last year I’d only set up the tabletop one, and I finished NOLA this year, I decided I’d celebrate and bring back my Mardi Gras-themed tree. I took three strings of lights: purple, blue, and green, and zigzagged them up and down and around, draped long ribbon from the craft store, and hung beads and masks I picked up at the local party store.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : My NOLA Mardi Gras Tree
The beauty is, when the season is over, it’s just as easy to pack and store as it was to set up.
So, from all of us Nuts here at Bedford Manor, we wish you a very relaxed and affordable Holiday season.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : November in California
And Frankly, My Dear . . .: That’s all she wrote!
Nov 9, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
[Edited from original post, December 11, 2011.]
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
And this is what it looks like in my house:
See that salty good mix? This is my version of the original Chex Party Mix. I’ve always known it as “Doo-Dads”. Others call it “Nuts and Bolts.” Still others, just “Snack Mix.”
A little this, a little that. How could y’all not want some Doo-Dads?
You can deck the halls all you want, but in my house it’s not The Season until the Doo-Dads are made.
I pretty much live on a diet of this and my mocha mix from Thanksgiving til Christmas. I try not to overindulge. But it’s the holidays. I’ve been known to get a little carried away. Hence, the Security Patrol, otherwise known as Nutcracker. And believe me, there’s a lot of Doo-Dads to guard. At least, at first.
It may not look like a lot from this shot, but that tin is 14 inches tall and 10 inches wide. And this is just one batch!
Wanna guess how long before we ran out of the first batch? Let’s just say I made the second batch when nobody else would be home for hours. Easier to guard with less snack attackers around.
Here’s a few helpful hints when making this recipe:
*20 cups of cereal and snacks can be a lot for one bowl to contain, so I usually put all the dry ingredients into a large trash bag for easier mixing. If you do this, make sure to use a regular plastic trash bag and not a “scented” or “clean fragrance” one. You don’t want your Doo-Dads to taste lemony fresh. That’s so not part of the recipe.
*After mixing all the dry ingredients, pour the butter sauce into the bag. Make sure you have a tight grip on the bag and shake it, shift it, however you want to mix it. Just make sure you don’t crush the Doo-Dads. You’ll know when it’s all coated once the bag itself has been coated on the inside.
*Use large roasting pans. To make clean up easier, I buy the cheap disposable ones. No matter how many batches I make, all I have to do when I’m done is toss them out. No dishpan hands for me!
*If you’ve mixed the Doo-Dads in a large bag, make sure you have a good grip on the bag, taking in all the excess and holding it like a pour spout. The mix will tumble out quickly so be careful not to overfill the pans.
*When stirring every 15 minutes, I take one pan out, stir it and set it aside. I take the next pan, stir, and put it where the first pan was; rotating each pan clockwise, and putting the first pan into the last empty spot. Of course, they’ll roast no matter where they’re placed in the oven, but this ensures that the roasting is nice and even.
And now, from my house to yours… The Recipe.
Merry Christmas. Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!
Ingredients
- 5 Cups Corn Chex
- 5 Cups Rice Chex
- 5 Cups Wheat Chex
- 4 Cups Cheerios
- 1 Bag (12 oz.) Pretzel Sticks
- 1 Box (13.5 oz ea.) Cheez-It Crackers
- 2 Cans (14.5 oz ea.) Salted Peanuts
- 1 Cup + 2 TBS Butter
- 1/3 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
- 1 1/2 tsp Seasoned Salt
Instructions
- Mix together cereals, pretzels, cheese crackers and peanuts. Set aside.
- In small saucepan, melt butter over low heat.
- Add worcestershire sauce to butter, stir.
- Add garlic salt and seasoned salt to butter sauce. Stir constantly until blended.
- Pour sauce over dry mix. Mix thoroughly.
- Spread into shallow baking or roasting pans.
- Roast at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
3.1
https://franklymydearmojo.com/2017/11/09/recipe-doo-dads/ (c) 2012 Frankly, My Dear... New Inklings Press
What are some of your favorite holiday recipes?
TWEET THIS: Doo-Dads: A family favorite holiday recipe. @MollyJoRealy #doodads #holiday
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Sep 4, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @RealMojo68
Labor Day is the unofficial ending of summer in the United States. Officially, it was founded in recognition of the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws and well-being of the country.
For me it ushers in the beginning of the holidays. This weekend is devoted to planning and prepping.
So on that note, I’m taking the day off to celebrate with friends and family.
Happy Labor Day, y’all!
Frankly, My Dear . . . : Happy Labor Day!
TWEET THIS: Frankly, My Dear . . . : Happy Labor Day! @RealMojo68
And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!
Dec 19, 2014 |
Merry Christmas! How exciting that it’s less than a week away.
Are you ready? I’m so ready, I’m getting ready for next year already! Okay, not really. But almost really. I’ve definitely got plans. I may even venture into the world of day-after-Christmas shopping to find some amazing pack-it-away-for-eleven-months deals.
But that’s next year, and that’s a little ahead of the game.
This year, I have a few more gifts to give . . . to you!
The Unemployment Cookbook, Second Edition
On Sunday, December 21, the Kindle edition of The Unemployment Cookbook will be available for just 99 cents – that’s well over $2.00 savings!
And on December 24 and 25, both The Penny Parable and A Study on the Ten Commandments will be available to download for free.
So if you’re gifting a Kindle to someone, or looking to add to your own, please enjoy these books, from me to you.
Merry Christmas from Bedford Manor
And Frankly, My Dear . . . that’s all she wrote!
You may also enjoy reading:
Meeting Charles Dickens
Bedford Manor on a Budget: People Feeder
BETTER: Thanksgiving
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