children

Oh, How I Love The Holidays: Music

4:00 PM



This truly is one of my favorite times of the year. Growing up, my mother had a special stereo system put in our house. There were speakers in the ceiling of each room and we had volume controls in each of our rooms. I loved it most times....thanks to the volume control but oh no, sometimes my mother would tell us not to touch the controls. She wanted to hear what she was playing no matter which room she was in. The only time I really did not mind was the holidays. I loved hearing all the sounds of Christmas follow me from room to room and it really helped get me as a grumpy know-it-all teenager enjoy Christmas even more.


I don't have the speakers and stereo system that goes throughout the house nowadays but I do have the stereo in the kitchen during the holidays. I love listening to oldies mostly. Nothing like an old fashioned Christmas!



That brings me to this site. I found it many, many years ago when my children were really small. I download their Christmas music and stories and before bedtime, my kids listen to one of the albums. The stories truly are the BEST.


The site is Kiddie Records and they have all of the vintage, retro records from days gone by...before television was in every home, when radio was big family fun and before all of these techy gadgets took over. It is soothing and it is FREE. What is so neat is that you can also download for free the album art.

Check out the site, they have more than just Holiday music, but tons of great stories and poems and music that they pulled from albums that are now hard if not impossible to find.


I have been listening to "I'm gonna lasso Santa Clause" for ever lol

Click here for Kiddie Records: Christmas list

chocolate

Milkshakes Aren't Just For Summer....repost

11:52 PM



I was wondering where all the new visitors and pins were coming from. Thank you to Jessica over at Swanky Recipes for including my chocolate milkshakes in her holiday drink round up. Now, I seriously have a taste for chocolate.

*As Jessica said, add red and green sprinkles for a festive flair!

christmas

Milk & Donuts

9:28 AM



When it comes to the holidays I love good food with good friends and family. My children are getting older with the youngest being nine (Where the heck did time go???!) and although they still love cutesy foods and things, they lean toward a bit of youthful sophistication, lol.  I made these this summer for the current issue of Yum Food & Fun  For Kids, the Holiday issue. If you have not gotten your copy, believe me it is worth it!! Many, many, many holiday treats and party ideas perfect for your kids and even office parties!



A huge thank you to Yum Food and Fun For Kids for including me!!

Also, if you are in the state of Mississippi, Memphis and Birmingham area, look for my interview and recipe for Bangers and Mash in the December/January issue of Eat.Drink. Mississippi.!




candy

Easy Chocolate Covered Waffles

1:37 PM


Who said that a nice winter treat has to be hard? I went to the local grocery store this weekend and found a huge bag of vanilla Belgium waffles. These are like little bursts of heaven in your mouth. No need for syrup, they have a cake like texture that is divine. Yes, please!  My kids are in love with them. Being that it got extremely cold here (literally, overnight...one day it was 70 degrees and the next 36) I made the kids hot cocoa after we lit the tree for the night. Can't just serve em hot cocoa, so I pulled the bag of waffles from the freezer, melted some white chocolate chips and crushed some peppermint. Instant waffle-y goodness and even some marshmallows!

Melt 2 cups of white chocolate or chocolate chips in a double boiler ( I never have luck microwaving chocolate)

Crush your peppermint of candy cane and place on a plate.

Once chocolate has melted, dip your waffles in it or spoon and spread it over the waffle. Coat in crushed candy and place on a wax sheet to dry.

Easy peasy. Told ya!

I used Martha Stewart's Hot Cocoa recipe minus the salt.



blog love

Pinterest Love....Christmas Dinner Love

1:09 PM

I absolutely love pinterest. I have the Chrome button installed in my browser so I can pin no matter what site I am on. It is just so darn easy to do and I love that it saves all my favorites in one organized spot!

I did not do Thanksgiving dinner. I was out of town photographing for a commercial client and did not make it back until the late evening before Thanksgiving. I am so thankful that my mom stepped in and threw down in the kitchen! She put  her foot, arm, leg and head in that meal! YUM!

Since she helped me out and did Thanksgiving, Christmas dinner is up to me. I have been pinning like a mad-woman thinking of ideas and thought I would share my finds with you. I want to go a different route than we usually go so I have pinned some things I have never ever ever had that I really want to try: *cough* beets *cough*

Check out my pinterest board for Christmas Dinner ideas and inspiration from some of the best food blogs and sites around!


Follow Divian Conner's board Christmas Dinner on Pinterest.

blog love

Christmas Is Coming!

12:02 AM



Thanksgiving is done and I am already thinking of Christmas dinner. I was supposed to make Thanksgiving dinner but the photographer I sometimes moonlight as had me all the way in Georgia until the night before. Fret not did I (sometimes I like to speak in the ways of yesteryear---see I did it again) for my mama came to the rescue and made dinner for us. 

I am beat, tired, exhausted, thankful and still full. I will be back in the next few days sharing things I found on pinterest and the vastly informative world wide web to get the holiday juices flowing. 

Hotty Toddy...Cold Reliever...

9:41 PM


My mom is old school. By old school, I mean she is one of those moms who swears "An ounce of prevention equals a pound of cure". She believes in treating it before it hits ya!  

Today the bus ran just as it does any other day and just as it does on any other day, it blows its horn to high heavens until I peek my head out the door. Once I make an appearance, the driver waves and opens its doors to let my youngest off. It is something new the school district has implemented in these parts. No younger student is allowed off the bus until a parent shows their face. So there I am, standing in all my unprepared ragginess (hat atop my head, ripped jeans) waving a "hello! I am here!" to the bus when my baby girl literally slumps off of its steps. She looks as though she is about to cry and I immediately bombard her with questions..."Did someone bother you....was the bus driver mean? Did you have a bad day at school? Are you upset?" After the drill, she finally opens up to my mom, she is not feeling well. We take her temperature and it is 99 degrees. My mom declares a state of emergency, and breaks out the 'cure-all'.

The cure....a hotty toddy. A drink so potent yet so delicious that it will knock a cold straight out. My mom swears by it. She lives by it and tonight she had me make it.

I must say, it did indeed make the little on feel better. This time of year, we keep the ingredients to make this in stock. It is said to help with cough, sore throat and stuffiness.

You will need:
One orange (sliced)
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of lemon juice
2 tbsp of sugar
1 tbsp of honey
3 cough drops
3 peppermints
(for the grown ups.....add in a bit of peppermint schnapps)

Add everything into a small pot and bring to a boil. Stir consistently to melt the cough drops and peppermints. Once boiling turn off the heat. Pour into a mug and garnish with an orange slice. Serve warm. 



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