Double Decker Holiday Prep

This is our 3rd married holiday season together and it's stayed interesting since the beginning. As we navigate the scheduling of blended families of blended families, we're happy to play host & hostess for some of the festivities. As we often do, we're opening our home to friends and family. Behind closed doors, it's holiday splendor that's a mess. What do I mean? Crafting, cooking, decorating, and gift-making are all abuzz with  Breezy busy as can be. This year, there's not only a homemade meal being planned, but homemade Christmas decorations, treats, and gifts. It's amazing what you can pull together with time, patience, and Hobby Lobby!

There's a special meaning to homemade for us this year. As we are now settling in comfortably to our new house we bought this summer, we are hoping it's home forever: to us, our dogs, future kiddos, and home away from home for nieces, nephews, and traveling friends. While I can't share all the homemade tricks and crafts quite yet since Christmas isn't past, I can only share a couple sneak peeks and one recipe you might consider gifting yourself!

Crock-Pot Apple Butter
5 pounds apples (peeled, cored and quartered)
1/2 cup apple juice
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (my extra "something")

1) Add all ingredients to the crock pot and cook on low for about 8 hours until apples are tender.
-If you're like me, you'll constantly be stirring this if you're home but you don't need to know if you leave them to cook at work. No worries!

2) Use a hand masher to blend all ingredients down to an applesauce texture and resume cooking for another hour on low. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.

3) When all is finished, add ingredients to blender 1/2 at a time. Use the blender set to puree for 30 seconds to a minute. Pour into jars and seal for distribution. Refrigerate.

What a wonderful homemade treat! I remember making apple butter with my mom when I was much younger. We gave homemade treats one Christmas to save money and enjoyed a lot of quality time together that year doing so. The first time I tried my hand at it as a grown-up, my mother-in-law fell in love with the stuff. Hence last year's Christmas gift of a Pampered Chef apple peeler-corer-slicer and stand. That makes this cooking project even easier. Enjoy making it a gift for your loved ones!

Prim Christmas Tree
Burlap
Buttons
Ribbon
Scrapbooking Brads
Hot glue gun fully loaded
Iron-on letters
Cotton balls

Above are the ingredients for a primitive Christmas tree adorned with homemade splendor! From the burlap, cut shapes you wish to use-it will take two of each for every ornament. Assemble and iron on the letters first. Then, hot glue one side together before stuffing with stretched-out cotton balls for the 3-D effect. Once stuffed, hot glue the other side and press together for a great fit. Decorate with buttons or other trinkets you may find in the cupboards, storage, or craft store. Finally, use ribbin to make a loop with a tight bow at the top. You can attach this with a small scrabooking brad (cheap) and hang 'em on the tree. Similar techniques and materials can be used to adorn mini wreaths or other pre-made items as well. The end result: pictured below!