Cyber Adventskalender-Day 9/10

Dearest Friends,

I'm not in the habit of neglecting you but it happened yesterday and not wanting to sound flip I'm OK with that.  One of my goals and resolutions for this Christmas season and for 2012 is to not get so worked up if things don't get done and to sit back and enjoy life more.  Yesterday was an amazing day of making do with what you have (Use it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do or Do Without), a home full of wonderful friends-some old some new, holiday crafting, Christmas Crack (more in a second), laughter, apple cider and engaging conversation.  A gal couldn't ask for more and that brings me to today, Spirit Sunday.  Nothing does that spirit and the soul good like a healthy dose community.  It's divine and we crave it.  People are desperate for low-key and fun ways to relax with other people.  Most of us don't care if your house if perfect or your food gourmet because we just want to sit and visit and with YOU.  Just make sure you have a clean toilet, extra toilet paper and a snack on hand.  If you find yourself socializing with the small percentage of people that actually give a rats patoot about anything beyond that then maybe you should rethink your circle of pals.  Life does have tasks that are the pits (doing your taxes, going to the dentist, cleaning behind the toilet, 3 hours of laundry on a Saturday morning) but life is also filled with lots of joy, whimsy, stunts and laughter.  Put that at the top of your to do-list and stop worrying so much about the other stuff. 

Here is a roundup from yesterday to inspire you :)

In the vein of holiday thriftiness I want to show you that you can do quick fix-it projects and make Christmas goodies all in the span of a little more than an hour.  I did these two things between the hours of 5:15 am-6:20 am in my pajamas complete with morning, dragon breath and fueled by glorious coffee with eggnog. 

Our bathroom hutch had a broken, glass door thanks to me.  (Side note-when you have children you find yourself breaking just as many things as they do FYI).  It is a cheap piece of furniture and for a variety of reasons not worth it in my book to replace.  But, it looked funny to have one side wide open for the world to see all of your beauty secrets.  I came up with the idea of fabric panels because Lord knows I have loads of stash.  I did this super cheap and down and dirty with vintage fabric from my mother and using my glue gun. 

Before. 

Taping fabric to the door to stabilize it for gluing.

I was so lazy I didn't even remove the old hardware, I just glued right over the top of it.  I worked in small sections, running a medium sized line of hot glue on the wood and sticking the fabric to it.  If your bathroom is cold you need to work in small sections because the glue with dry before you get a chance to stick your fabric to it.  I also worked from bottom to top because gravity helped to keep the fabric nice and tight so I had no unwanted ripple effects. 

Done.  This took 25 minutes and that included all prep work (making coffee, cutting, warming up the glue gun etc.)

This is the easiest project in the world and looks very festive.  I was digging around in the dark so I couldn't find my pinking shears.  You could run a nice piece of ribbon around the edge on the inside if you want a nice, clean finish.  Or if it's a nicer piece of furniture you could tack the fabric with little nails on the inside or use a staple gun.  If you don't have a glue gun you could use colored duct tape.  If you don't have fabric, again, you could take some funky duct tape and cover a piece of cardboard and then tape that cardboard in the door.  You could even use the doors as frames and mount artwork.  The possibilities are endless and thrilling when you think about it! 

It was off to the kitchen to make my famous "Christmas Crack".  This stuff is so trashy but so, so, so good and people love it.  If you want to be the hit of the part bring this stuff.  It's like a cookie with a layer of toffee and chocolate but we call it the "Christmas Crack" because it's so fanstatic that need to eat it only once and you are hooked. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a 9x13 pan with tin foil and lightly spray it with Pam or lightly grease it.  Line the bottom with a single layer of graham crackers.  (Some versions call for saltines which is fine but I'm fancy and use graham crackers.  I think it gives a better crunch and makes for a thicker bottom).  In a saucepan melt 1 Cup Butter and 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar.  Continuously stir it or it will burn .  I use a wooden spoon so as not to scrap my pans but you can use a whisk.  Once it comes to a boil keep stirring and let it boil for 3 minutes.   Remove pan from heat and pour evenly over the crackers.  If any of those suckers get out of line just push them back with a fork.  Be careful because this stuff is hot.  I know it will be tempting to want to lick the spoon but you'll burn your tongue.  Trust me on this one.  Stick the entire pan into the oven for 5 minutes so it can get all molten-y and bubbly.  Post five minutes remove the pan from the oven and let it cool slightly, poking any rebel crackers back into formation.  Evenly poor a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips on the top and let them melt slightly. (You can use other flavors but I made the mistake once of combining butterscotch, white chocolate and milk chocolate.  It looked pretty and was tasty but super, super, super rich.  Almost to the point of too much but the possibilities are endless).  Take a spatula and evening spread that chocolate goodness.  If you are feeling extra fancy sprinkle some chopped nuts on top.  Place pan in the fridge to let it completely cool and harden.  Break into pieces and serve with an air of confidence and a Church Lady sniff.  You have the best damn dessert at the party and everyone knows it. 

5:45 am and I am ready to make some Xmas Crack.  Again, fueled by coffee and eggnog.

Lining the lightly greased pan with my fancy graham crackers. 

Butter and sugar goodness. 

Evenly spread the melted, caramel sauce.  It's better to err on the side of a smaller pan because I've made the mistake of using too big of a pan once and you run out of sauce and have naked crackers.  Not good. 

It's alive!  Molten, bubbly, sugar delight. 

6:20 am and just waiting for the chocolate chips to melt. 

It feels extra fancy to spread melted chocolate.  

 

 

The Xmas Crack artfully displayed on an antique cake plate.  Why save your good china for 'special occasions"?  Just getting out of bed and putting on clean pants is a special occasion so get those suckers down and dust them off!

See!?  You too can do fix-it projects and make yummy goodies in just a little over an hour.  So easy. 

The rest of the day was filled with friends, cutting paper snowflakes and making vintage snow globes.  I used the 'pattern' for the globes from the BUST DIY Guide to Life but you can find this anywhere on the internet.  I'm not sure if I'm going to add water because truthfully, it looks kind of pretty without it.  One of the guests suggested spraying the inside of the glass with a little spray adhesive so the glitter could stick and maybe gluing snowflakes in the background which I kind of think is cool.  It's like a Christmas terrarium.  Both of these crafts are super easy and anyone can do them.  You need a little time for the globes because it needs to be worked in stages to let any paint on the lids dry, but it goes fast and it gives you more time to eat the Christmas Crack. 

Happy globe with paper snowflakes.  Awwwww........

 The point of this weekend, and truthfully all that day of our lives, is that they should have some element of relaxed fun with your 'community'.  Buon Sunday and get out and do something good for yourself today darlings.