Author Archives: maryjane

Today’s Recipe: Chocolate-covered Chestnuts

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.

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe,
Help to make the season bright.
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow,
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.

They know that Santa’s on his way;
He’s loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh.
And every mother’s child is going to spy,
To see if reindeer really know how to fly.

And so I’m offering this simple phrase,
To kids from one to ninety-two,
Although its been said many times, many ways,
Merry Christmas to you!

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Oh Christmas Tree, Oh …

The debate has been raging for decades of Decembers:

Real or artificial?

I’m talking trees, of course.

In one camp, you have the hearty, saw-slinging lumberjacks (and Jills) that relish the opportunity to strike out into the snowy woods …

(or tree farm)

to cut down a live fir for the holiday festivities …

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Hear Ye!

Welcome New Sisters! (click for current roster)

Merit Badge Awardees (click for latest awards)

The featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is … Heather Neeper!

Heather Neeper (#4701) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a beginner level Homespun Christmas badge.

“This year, I decorated a Christmas tree with ornaments made from applesauce and cinnamon. I also strung popcorn and cranberries on the tree. For the homemade gifts, I made scrapbook calendars, sewn organizers that fit over a coffee mug, painted glass ornaments, and baked lots of cookies and bread!”


“It turned out wonderfully!! I love the way my tree looks. My kitchen smells so good from the cinnamon. The gifts are great too. My family and neighbors are going to love them.”

WINNER: Rocky Mountain Gardener’s Handbook

I was taking a little stroll through the snow yesterday with my Great Pyrenees, Tulip, when look what fell out of my hat … the winner of Rocky Mountain Gardener’s Handbook giveaway!

Congratulations, Kat Tylee!!!

Kat Tylee said:

Please add my name to the hat. I don’t live fully in the Rockies anymore, but I live at the historical beginning of the Rockies on the Oregon Trail. I grew up under the Tetons and lived for four years in the shadows of the Missions. All part of the Rockies. Gardening there can be a challenge to say the least. High elevations and unexpected freezes become a way of life in the Rockies. I would love to add this one to my garden book collection.

Kat, keep your eyes on your inbox for an e-mail!

photo-of-the-day

Life of Pi

Have you read the book-now-turned-movie, Life of Pi? A few years ago, it was one of my favorites. It’s about a 16-year-old Indian boy’s passage to start a new life in America aboard a freighter that shipwrecks in the Pacific. (He’s traveling with his family to move their zoo to another country.) He manages to secure himself on a life raft … but with an orangutan, a zebra, a hyena, and a Bengal tiger. (You’ll have to read the book or see the movie to see how it ends.)

It seems a bit like this story I found on the Helped by Animals Facebook page featuring INCREDIBLE inter-species relationships that are formed when one (usually young and helpless) animal is put in life or death circumstances. (Make sure you visit their page because the photos and stories will warm your heart to its very core.)

This one below is udderly amazing. Not only does a predator quit being a predator, but its prey quits being afraid and in fact shows the predator care and love.

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photo-of-the-day

Pet Project

When it comes to unconditional adoration, nobody does it better than our pets. That’s why most of us just can’t leave the lil’ critters out of holiday gift giving. But there are better ways to thank your pet than with a mass-produced toy made who-knows-where or a store-bought treat full of who-knows-what. Nothing says love like homemade—and even the furriest and most feathered among us will notice the difference.

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Luna the Leaping Cow

This girl from Germany wanted a horse, so when her parents said no, she set about to ride the next best thing—Luna, her cow. (Check out the last name of the neighbor they interview.)

Have you heard?

There’s still time to solve your gift-giving dilemma. For the person who has everything, how about giving them peace of mind? Here’s how …

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