Holy Macaroon!

Super easy recipe 

(and my friend who eats gluten-free can have these!)

Ingredients

3 cups or 1 package of coconut

2-3 egg whites

2/3 c sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Sprinkles if you'd like.

Mix all very well. Round into balls and place on parchment lined baking sheets. Squish down and add sugar sprinkles if you'd like. I added red and green for the holidays.

Bake 325 for 10-15 minutes, until the tops start to brown. Let cool before you try to transfer. Makes 24.

Roasting Chestnuts

First, wash your chestnuts and then cut an X with a sharp knife into them. It's easiest to cut on the flat side of the nut.
In a 400 degree toaster oven or oven, place nuts on baking sheet for about 5-10 minutes. The X will begin to curl up and the nuts will look browner.
Take out of the oven and carefully put them in a bowl. Serve warm.

That X that we marked serves a good purpose - You start peeling the nut from there. 

Enjoy!

Cute easy notebook

I'm a list person.  And I like to take notes.  This is an oldie but goodie craft.  I like to decorate notebooks (I get them really cheap at the start of the school year) for meetings and the holidays.  I use to be a HUGE scrapbooker.  But since my son was born, I haven't even found the time to put his pictures in a regular album.  Anyway, with all the pretty paper, embellishments, stamps, etc., it was easy to have supplies on hand.  Here is what I basically use:

Some people use Mod Podge, but I'm not very good with it, so I use a spray adhesive. 

You will also need a sheet of pretty scrapbook paper, scraps of paper, scissors, school glue, ruler, notebook, stickers or whatever to decorate.

First, I spray my notebook, it's best to do this outside.

Then, I measure the paper to fit my notebook. But this time, I lost my ruler, so I opened the book up and drew where to cut.

I stamped out the word "Christmas" on a scrap paper and decorated it with rub ons. Then I white glued it all into place the way I liked. The front middle title I made on the computer with a regular Word Pad page where I could change the font and color. Then, I printed it out. 

My dog, Maggie, was my little helper. She's sweet, huh?

Well, that's all really. SUPER easy and very cute. Inside my Christmas List book I have lists for gifts and who to give to (save a few pages), a list for my upcoming Christmas party, a list of treats I want to bake, a list of holiday must-dos (like go out and see the holiday lights), etc., etc.