Yes! the best time to buy Christmas decor is after Christmas and we all know that – but did you consider buying cheaper handmade Christmas decor after Christmas ?  yes – those are the ones you want to look out for during yard sale – you can get those cheap too.  Like the ones after – that used to be for sale for $9.99 and is now on sale for $5.  So if you like the handmade stuff – follow the seller on facebook and after Christmas – I’m sure she would want to get rid of it too and will sell them cheap.

For those who are waiting for a good sale for your Christmas decors – Wicker emporium is now having a 50% discount – so make sure you stock up for next Christmas now.   We usually don’t get new items till they go on sale – and only use them the following year – I think that this is smart buying and I certainly wouldn’t pay full prices for seasonal decoration.   As a woman/mother and wife – one has to learn how to save a penny whenever we can.  Wicker Emporium has some really good stuff this year – so check it out before they are all taken.

Feeling under-decorate for Christmas this year  – I took an idea from a hand made basket by a lady in a local yard sale and did my own basket – to decorate every corner of my house that seems and looked bare.   It’s very easy to do – and you don’t need to spend a lot of money either, just some leftover Christmas decoration and a walk in the woods for some greens and you are all set to decorate your basket.  Can’t find a basket?  look for one from the dollar store – I figured if the lady could sell it for $15 – I definitely can make one for less and I was right.  So if you feel that your home is not ready for Christmas – try this DIY basket of Christmas greens and decor.

My brother-in-law is very good with his hands and since retiring he has been doing projects of home made decorations for fun and some for sale to friends and relatives.  He has his shed for doing this and one day while visiting him – I saw some of the work he did and decided that this Christmas I should buy him some micrometers to work on some projects that needed them.  Every Christmas I find it so hard to get him anything for he is a man with just about everything – I’m glad I stumbled into the shed the other day – and he was talking about the micrometers.  Hopefully, with the new micrometers, I too can get him to make some home made decorations fo my home – I love these kind of decor.

We are all set for Christmas – are you?  and yes our theme is red this year – what about you?  Loved the decor right?  I do – we’ve invited a professional to dress up our home this Christmas – because we are entertaining in our home this Christmas and since the spouse said that we have the budget for it – I hired someone else to do it and she managed to do up everything in the house within a day and at such ease.

Now that my house is all pretty up – I can prepare the menu for the big day ! woohoo!  NOT!  but what can you do when your spouse decided that not forgetting the VP of the company is the best thing he had done the entire world – so now I have to outsource – I can’t  be all dressed up and then cook as well – sorry.

With Christmas round the corner – I am firing up my oven and trying out old baking recipes, so that this Christmas biscotti will be ready for a gift basket for my childrens’ teachers.  Cranberry & Pistachios biscotti are everyones favorite here and I use melted white chocolate on one end of the biscotti to make it more richer in  taste and looks.  The below recipe was copied from Style at Home.

INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/3 cup (2/3 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
3/4 cup shelled natural pistachio nuts
6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil

PREPARATION
1 Position 1 rack in the center and another rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners, or use nonstick baking sheets.
2 In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the lemon zest and vanilla. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix just until blended. Stir in the cranberries and nuts.
3 Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured work surface. The dough will be a bit sticky. Divide the dough in half. With lightly floured hands, roll each half into a log 1 1/2 inches in diameter and about 15 inches long. Place both logs on 1 of the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 3 inches apart. Bake on the center oven rack until lightly firm to the touch, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes.
4 Transfer the logs to a cutting board. With a sharp serrated knife, and using a sawing motion, carefully cut 1 log on a slight diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Lay the slices on their sides in a single layer on the baking sheet. Repeat with the second log, arranging the slices on the second baking sheet. Bake until dried out and lightly golden on top about 7 minutes. Turn each slice over and bake until lightly golden on the second side, about 7 minutes longer. Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.
5 Place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water in the lower pan, or in a heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water in a saucepan. Slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Stir in the canola oil and continue to stir until the chocolate is smooth. Remove the top of the double boiler or the bowl from over the water and wipe the bottom to prevent any water from coming in contact with the chocolate.
6 Line rimmed baking sheets with waxed paper or parchment paper. Holding it vertically, dip 1 cookie at a time into the chocolate, coating about one-third of the cookie and letting the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. As the cookies are dipped, carefully place them on the prepared baking sheets. Let dry and harden for about 1 hour. The cookies will release from the paper once they are dry. (The biscotti can be made up to 5 days ahead. Layer them between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container and store at room temperature.)

Makes about 3 dozen biscotti

I’ve started Christmas decorating already this year – and it might seems early to you – but I figured – if I had to decorate I might as well have more days to enjoy the decorations and lights right?  I hope this year – I can really get the house all geared up before the kids come home from college – and I’m also getting a few more personalized things for the home just like the doormat above.  I chose a reindeer one – where I can place all the family member names on it hanging on the ornament balls.  So if you like personalized things – or doormats for a special friend or family member – click here for their christmas doormats and other personalized things.  Every year friends and family who visits asked me where I get them from – so this year – I’m sharing them early with everyone – so that they can order them now – and get them before Christmas comes.

This was the first time I attended the Annual Craft show in this town – and boy!  I surely missed all the fun stuff.  I didn’t expect so many crafts on sale here – so I wasn’t really planning to buy a lot plus the weather was terrible the day I went.  Hopefully, next year – the weather would be better – but I will be prepared next year to buy more than I did this year.

All these lovely craft are a lot more cheaper than when you purchase them in a store.

And there were many talented people here  – as you can see from all the display.

I really wished I had bought more – because as soon as I got home – I regretted not getting these as well.

Love the lights!

I should have bought the Grinch !

Love these as well – next year – you can be sure I will be spending a lot more.

Lovely pink tree ornaments

Christmasie night lights.

Lawn decor for Christmas is now in session – we are taking out stuff – getting ready to decorate the lawn once Remembrance Day is over.  As a show of respect – we never decorate before Remembrance Day.   This year – I hope we can get all the stuff out before the end of November – Christmas is but 50 something days away.  In this household, Christmas is the biggest celebration for us – and the entire town.