Pumpkin Roll

One of the things I love about the holidays is all the baking that goes with it, well and the eating too.  Now if we could do something about all those calories.

Take a look what is on my baking list. 



Ingredients
1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)


Directions
FOR CAKE:PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with powdered sugar.
COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.
BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.
FOR FILLING:BEAT cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.
COOKING TIP:Be sure to put enough powdered sugar on the towel when rolling up the cake so it will not stick.

Blessings,

Cindy

♫♪I knew I'd caught a glimpse of heaven's love ♫♪
♫♪As he thanked me and ran out ♫♪
♫♪I knew that God had sent that little boy ♫♪
♫♪To remind me just what Christmas is all about.♫♪

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Christmas Fonts

Good Morning, can you guess what I have been doing this morning.  I have been downloading some new fonts for Christmas.  There are so many cute ones. Take a peek at some I downloaded this morning.



Merry Christmas
Flakes

Merry Christmas
White Christmas

Merry Christmas
kringle

Merry Christmas
St Nicholas

Merry

 

Christmas

 

Toy Train

Merry Christmas
Grinched

Merry Christmas

Candy Cane

Merry Christmas
Night before Christmas

Merry Christmas

Santa's Sleigh Full

Merry Christmas
Santa’s Big Secret BB

Merry


Christmas

Winter  Wonderland

Do you download fonts and use them? 

I LOVE fonts. d

Get your Christmas Fonts came from California Fonts

Cindy

♫♪Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, ♫♪
♫♪Jack Frost nipping on your nose, ♫♪
♫♪Yuletide carols being sung by a choir, ♫♪
♫♪And folks dressed up like Eskimos. ♫♪

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60 Days and counting

Wow, this year has zoomed by and so I know Christmas will be here before we know it!

What are you doing to get ready? 

Lots of people are talking about getting organized and planners, so with us all on board to get ourselves organized so that we can have a joyous, carefree season, thought I would share some budget friendly decorating/crafting  ideas.

Dress Up your child’s toy barn

Turn even the most prosaic scene into a winter wonderland.
A couple of smart touches — mini wreaths, coconut-flake "snow" — bring Christmas cheer to a nostalgic toy barnyard. 

 

Spin yarn into a wreath with pop appeal. {I think this is so adorable}

To craft this door wreath, wrap Styrofoam balls (in various sizes) and a Styrofoam wreath form with colored yarn. Then use a glue gun to affix the balls onto the form. I also think this would be pretty as a table centerpiece with a hurricane lantern in the center nestled around a big chunky candle.

Create  your own Winter Wonderland

Transform a ready-made, unadorned card-stock village by customizing the buildings with wrapping paper. Finish off the scene with tinsel wreaths, tabletop trees, and toy deer, sprinkled under a soft blanket of snow.

Cindy

♫♪That's the jingle bell,♫♪
♫♫♪That's the jingle bell,♫♪
♫♪That's the jingle bell rock.♫♪

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Kids rooms

This week our preparations for Christmas is a bit easier.  We are going to declutter and clean the kids room, or maybe a bonus room if you have one.  One thing you want to consider is cleaning out the toys, as new ones will be coming in.

Our holiday checklist this week consist of:

(below taken from Organized Christmas, Houseworks Holiday Plan)

• Seasonal Spruce-Up exercise.  Complete the seasonal spruce-up exercise to plan any pre-holiday home improvements. Make a realistic list of home improvement chores to complete before the holiday season.
• Declutter children's toys.  Work with your child to reduce clutter in the toy closet.  Assessing the remaining toys will help you make a good gift list.
• Begin collecting stocking stuffers.  Use a Stocking Stuffers inventory (get it here) form to remind you about stocking gifts on hand.
• Hit the back-to-school clearance sales.  After-season sales are a great source for stocking stuffers and crafts supplies.  Don't forget to load up on tape and scissors at bargain prices!
• Consult the kids and decide on Halloween costumes.  Schedule any sewing sessions in good time to be completed by October 10.
• Plan family Advent celebrations.  Look for creative ways to make the season come alive at the library or on the Web.  Order any day-by-day materials or Advent calendars now.
• Divide the Christmas card list (get your list form here) into five sections. Complete one section this week.  Goal:  to be finished writing, signing and addressing cards by November 1.

You can find other great internet inspiration  by visiting.

Don’t forget to print your weekly printables here for your binder.

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Do you have a holiday binder

I do, but unfortunately it is packed away this year due to a  upcoming move.  But never the less, I have a great place for you to check out one.  I wish I had mine to show you, but  Jill  over at Controlling my Clutter has a awesome tutorial on making your own. You can also find another one at My Sisters Jar. It’s a great way to keep yourself organized  during this hectic time of year.  Because I am a list maker, this really comes in handy.

Christmas Blessings

Me

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Master Bedroom & Personal Spaces-Week 3

This week we are concentrating on our bedroom.  Making it a retreat for the long days of holiday preparations.

Declutter, clean and decorate the Master Bedroom. It's a place for rest and renewal ... if you can find the space!

Tackle clutter in the master bedroom this week Use the STOP clutter method to sort the stacks and piles. Once you've cleared the items that don't belong, clean your newly-reclaimed private space. Use the "dry room" cleaning method to deep-clean the master bedroom in record time!

Finally, add decorative touches--candles, scent diffusers, flowers--to make the master bedroom a pleasant place to recharge your batteries.

Tackle the clothes closet. With cooler weather on the way, a seasonal clothes closet declutter is in order. Make room for holiday finery as you sort and toss summer's stained garments. Dare to dump it!

Our Prep list consist of:

• Inventory holiday cards, gift wrap, and mailing supplies.  Make sure you know what you have before you buy--and shop at home first!
• Make a Christmas card list. Pull out the address book or database, and make a Christmas card list.  Give thought to simplifying and reducing cards sent.  
• Use a computer address book for Christmas card envelopes or labels.  Harness the power of computer technology.  If your card lists is still kept on paper, convert it to a computerized form.  You'll thank yourself in years to come!
• Print address labels for Christmas cards.  If using address labels for your cards or letters, print them now.  You'll be ready to write, sign and seal!
• Order, buy or print Christmas cards or letters.  If you'll be buying cards this year, order them now--particularly if you'll be using the popular photo cards. 
• Plan personal pampering sessions, and add them to December's calendar.  "If Mama's not happy, nobody's happy"; your mood affects the whole family.  If you find the season stressful, plan now for some personal pampering sessions.  A massage, a retreat, or even a gathering with girlfriends can be a welcome break in a busy month.
• Set aside a gift closet or create a gift box; inventory any previously-purchased gifts.  The secret of organized (and frugal) gift-givers?  A gift closet or gift box.  If you haven't already, set aside a specific place in your home to hold all bought-ahead gifts.  A printable gift closet inventory form will let you know what you have while shopping or making out a gift list, so print one for your Christmas planner today.

Now you need to hop over to Organized Christmas Houseworks Holiday Plan to grab your printable for this week.

 

“It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.”

Hugs,

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Calendar and Creativity Week-Week 2

In week 2 we are focusing on getting our “craft area or space” decluttered and cleaned.  There is nothing more frustrating that not knowing where something is when you go and try to work on a project. 

Declutter and clean creative spaces. Whether it's a corner of the kitchen table or a dedicated crafts room, what's the state of your creative space? Is it efficient and easy to use, or bulging and bloated? This week, take the STOP clutter method to areas where you wrap gifts, sew, work on scrapbooks or make crafts. When the clutter's conquered, clean your space for happy seasonal crafting.

Assess stored crafts materials. Time to head to the stash--fabric, paper or crafts--to take a look at household supplies. Will you need to replace crafts basics like tape, glue, paper or scissors? This week's school supply sales are a great time to stock up in the crafts close.

Some of the things we will be working on in Week 2 are:

Create a seasonal calendar. Take control of your time with a simple family calendar for the holiday months ... or beyond!

Plan holiday travel.

Hold a scheduling session. Little things mean a lot--and never more than during the holidays--so schedule furnace checks, carpet cleaning, a family photo session and chimney inspection now.

Start a set of tear files. As you read holiday magazines or browse gift catalogs, tear our articles with recipes, decor ideas, gift suggestions or holiday traditions. Staple article pages together and place in labeled file folders ("Decor", "Holiday Recipes", "Gift Ideas") or page protectors in the Christmas planner.

Start--and use--a shopping list. Tracking "to-buy" items in one place saves time all year, but is crucial during the busy run-up to the holidays. Get the list habit now!

Inventory unfinished crafts projects. Remember the Rule of Four: if you have more than four unfinished crafts projects, or if any single project is more than four years old, don't schedule any new crafts! Finish the old ones this year--you've already got a head start on the process. Rout out projects you've begun, and take advantage of the time already invested in them for happy crafting.

Begin a "Gifts to Make" list. Christmas crafters benefit by starting early. Begin working on holiday gifts, decor items and crafts now, for a stress-free season.

Take a look at Week 2 @ Organized Christmas, Houseworks Holiday Plan and grab the printables you will need. 

 

“I heard the bells on Christmas Day; their old familiar carols play, and wild and sweet the word repeat of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Hugs!

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