Sky View

I have been slacking on the photo-a-day challenge.  The challenge today was a sky view.  Here is a pretty sunset on our street that I caught this month.

Sherry

Linking with: 
December Photo-a-day challenge at A Content Housewife

My Winter Wonderland

 My winter wonderland was a shot of this little tree in the snow a few nights ago.  I shot this on manual.  The auto setting of this was too washed out and I know how to take it in manual now!  I couldn't do that a month ago!  That is why I took the photo-a-day challenge.  It gave me enough practice with manual that in a setting such as this I was brave enough to use it. 

Sherry

Linking with:
December Photo-a-day challenge at A Content Housewife

Home Sweet Home #99

Hello and welcome to Home Sweet Home!  This week I made my Grandmother's Best Ever Caramel Popcorn recipe. It is delish!

I created a mosaic of some of the photo-a-day challenge photos I have been taking.

I made Scalloped Ham & Potatoes with the leftover Christmas ham.  It is a great way to use the ham up and a nice comfort food dish.  I just made this dish again today and this one had a better photo!

  I also am excited to bring your attention to TCOH's  Sponsor RoseKraft.   This is a wonderful Etsy shop featuring Cottage Decor and Gifts: Victorian Scrap Die Cuts.  

 Please go and check out Rose's shop Rosekraft.  There are many items that would be nice gifts or great additions to your home decor.

Now, I would like to highlight some of the posts that caught my eye last week.

Christy at Our Southern Home showed off her husband's study all decorated for Christmas.  Just beautiful Christy!

Kathleen at Charm Bracelet Diva showed us a great tip on how to make a "cheater" chalkboard graphic for Christmas.  Check it out there are six graphics to choose from.

Kelly at Eclectically Vintage showed off her seven Christmas trees.  Many creative ideas here!

Jennifer at Town and Country Living showed off her beautiful Christmas dining room.

So many great post each week!   It is really hard to feature a few!  Thank you to everyone who joins me at Home Sweet Home!  It is wonderful to have you here and everyone have a very Happy New Year!

Sherry

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I will join these ladies today:
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground 

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Home and Garden Thursday  at A Delightsome Life 

Inspiration Friday  at The Picket Fence

Strut Your Stuff Saturday at Six Sister's Stuff 

Guidelines for Home Sweet Home Party:

Attention: To link up you must have a permalink back to this party in your post or you won't be featured.

Link up anything in your home or garden.  I love seeing neat shops too!

My button is on my sidebar for the party, if you want to use it.   If you are new here I hope you will become a follower. Please don't link up more than two posts.  No Etsy link ups or direct advertising, please.  Please visit some of the other blogs and get some great inspiration.  Thanks.:)

Now let's see your beautiful homes, delicious recipes, crafts, or whatever makes your home special!

I'm back...

I've been having trouble coming back to blogging after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School...   I'll be honest that every time I try to write something, I can't because the things I write about here are mostly frivolous & pretty inconsequential, and it seems ridiculous to be writing about those things like everything's okay when it isn't.

I know so many of us feel this way and that the pain won't ever fully go away for most of us...  And that's okay because it means we love and we care.

There are times when I look at my profession- decorating houses- and feel like what I'm doing is crazy when there are so many more important, life-changing things that need to be done.  There's been a stirring in me for a while now to use it to help others more.  I don't think there's any greater pain than losing someone you love and I know I want to somehow try to ease this pain for others.  Dave & I have been doing a lot of talking about it over the past few months & have some ideas cooking...

I've also heard that the students at Sandy Hook will be returning to school in a new building after the new year & that they are trying to turn the new school into a "winter wonderland" by filling it with thousands of paper snowflakes.  You &/or your kids can make snowflakes & send them to the PTA for them to hang.  Here's the write-up I read: "When school resumes for Sandy Hook, it will be in a new building. Parent-volunteers are working to ensure that the students are welcomed back by a winter wonderland with the entire school decorated with as many unique snowflakes as possible. We encourage senders to be as creative as possible, remembering that no two snowflakes are alike. Please make and send snowflakes by January 12, 2013." 

{image via here}

Please send all snowflakes and donations to:  
Connecticut PTSA 
60 Connolly Parkway 
Building 12, Suite 103 
Hamden, CT 06514

It's a simple project that can hopefully make some of the kids feel a little less frightened when they go back to school...

So...  I probably won't be talking about it much & I'll continue to write about the frivolous little things in life, but it will always be with me...  I won't ever stop praying for & thinking about all of the families in pain and I'll always worry a little more about my own babies.

{Our Christmas Eve snowfall}

I hope you had a happy holiday & this year, Christmas was really special for our family...  I'll be back after the New Year & am taking the time with my family & trying to savor every minute of it- and also to keep my eye from twitching when I look around at the mess that is my house.   ;) 

{My littlest one- Luke or "Louie" as we call him-sorry kid!!;)-  all tuckered out from the Christmas excitement}

Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to read my blog {and for not emailing me about the constant typos that I know are present ;)  and for coming along for the ride.   I truly value your time & your encouragement.  My very best to you & yours.

Scalloped Ham and Potatoes

Have you had your fill of Christmas ham and don't know what to do with the leftovers?  This dish is for you.  Classic scalloped potatoes with some salty ham layered into a creamy comfort food treat.

Scalloped Ham and Potatoes

2 cups of heavy cream

2 cloves  of garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pound of baked ham, sliced

2 pounds of potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon minced onion

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Combine the cream, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper in a heavy sauce pan.  Bring to a boil , reduce till creamy and thick, about 10-12 minutes.

Layer the ham slices in a 13 x 9 inch-baking dish.  Then layer half of the potatoes, followed by sprinkling half of the onion.  Pour half of the reduced cream mixture over these layers.  Repeat the layering.  Sprinkle the top with parsley and cheddar cheese.  Place the dish in the center of a rimmed baking sheet ( in case it bubbles over).  Bake on the center of the oven until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden brown and bubbly, 1 hour.  Remove the dish from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.  

Yields: 8 servings   

Recipe adapted from: The New Basics Cookbook 

Enjoy!

Sherry

I will link this to: 

Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm

On the Menu Monday at Stonegable 

Rooted in Thyme Simple and Sweet Fridays

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

A Pinteresting Party  at Tutus & Tea Parties
Let's Dish at Cuisine Kathleen

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I will put the Home Sweet Home party on this week as usual.  Enjoy your time with your family and have a very Merry Christmas! 

Sherry

I will link to:
Mosaic Monday at Little Red House

Scarf

I am a re-gifter!  Not that I give used gifts but they get photographed before I wrap them! LOL  Isn't that a pretty Spode tea cup?  Shhh.. don't tell but it is going under the Christmas tree!  But, not before I took a picture for this photo-a-day challenge of a scarf.  I am shooting in manual more than auto now, but I still need to try more lessons in using different shutter speeds and metering.  I will keep up the practice.  

Sherry

Linking with:December Photo-a-day challenge at A Content Housewife

The Best Ever Caramel Popcorn

This is the best caramel popcorn recipe.  My Grandmother has made this popcorn at Christmas for the last twenty years.  I have had the recipe for ever and never made it until this year.  Our kitchen smelled like a candy kitchen!  It smelled wonderful.  The best thing about this recipe is that you put the fresh caramel corn in the oven and take it out every 15 minutes and stir the caramel all over the popcorn and every piece of popcorn is coated in that caramely goodness!

Caramel Popcorn

6 quarts popped popcorn

vegetable oil

1 cup cashews

1 cup pecans

2 cup peanuts

2 sticks butter, melted

2 cups brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pop popcorn following package directions.  Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a heavy saucepan on medium heat add two sticks of butter, sugar, and honey.  Cook stirring until it starts to boil.  Boil 5 minutes.  Take off stove add baking soda and vanilla.  Pour caramel on popcorn in very large pan and stir. (I used a tall stockpot)   Place on two cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and cook in oven for 45 minutes stirring every 15 minutes.  When finished spread out on waxed paper on table top,  let dry, and break apart as desired.  Store in a airtight container.   *Note: it is such a large volume of popcorn it would be best made with a helper in the kitchen.:)

Enjoy!   

Sherry

I will link this to: 

Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm 
Strut Your Stuff Saturday at Six Sister's Stuff

Peace

May the peace and joy of the Christmas season be with you now and throughout the year.

Sherry

Linking with:
The Country Farm Home and Old Time Farmhouse for Country Whites Weekend 
 December Photo-a-day challenge at A Content Housewife

Home Sweet Home #98

Hello and welcome to Home Sweet Home!   I have begun wrapping Presents.

I have also been baking and hanging the Stockings.  Pictured here are my family's favorite, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie, recipe here.

And, I couldn't help but play with my new tricks at making dreamy photography like in the post Candy Cane.

 Now, I would like to highlight some of the posts that caught my eye last week.

Bernideen's Tea Time Blog had tea with Royal Albert's Old Country Roses and angels!  Two of my favorite things.:)

 Cindy at Old Time Farmhouse shared her beautiful dining room decorated for Christmas.

JP at Sweet Inspirations showed off a chandelier and a tablescape that was so glamorous!  Just beautiful JP!

Laura at Decore to Adore showed off this festive vintage ornament wreath she made for Christmas!

Crystelle at Crystelle Boutique shared her favorite hot cocoa recipe for Christmas Eve.

Mary's Meanderings gave us a full house tour that was gorgeous!

The posts were fantastic you guys!   It was really hard to feature a few!  Thank you to everyone who joins me at Home Sweet Home!  It is wonderful to have you here and everyone have a very Merry Christmas!

Sherry

Follow me on Twitter  
Follow me on Facebook 
Follow me on Pinterest 
Follow me on Hometalk

I will join these ladies today:
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground 

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Home and Garden Thursday  at A Delightsome Life 

Inspiration Friday  at The Picket Fence

Strut Your Stuff Saturday at Six Sister's Stuff

 Guidelines for Home Sweet Home Party:

Attention: To link up you must have a permalink back to this party in your post or you won't be featured.

Link up anything in your home or garden.  I love seeing neat shops too!

My button is on my sidebar for the party, if you want to use it.   If you are new here I hope you will become a follower. Please don't link up more than two posts.  No Etsy link ups or direct advertising, please.  Please visit some of the other blogs and get some great inspiration.  Thanks.:)

Now let's see your beautiful homes, delicious recipes, crafts, or whatever makes your home special!