“It’s the best time of the year!”
This Christmas season we had an enchanting, never to be forgotten time when the “the fates allowed” … and our whole family spent a week together in Branson, Missouri.
We went to Silver Dollar City’s “An Old Time Christmas” the first day of our vacation and we were “dazzled” with over 6.5 million lights, walk-through tunnels, a 5 story special-effect Christmas tree, and the most stunning Christmas lights and displays we’ve ever seen!
The entire amusement park was “bejeweled”and the trees were wound and draped in lights.
We drank Christmas wassail and hot chocolate and wandered the pathways strewn with lights and Christmas decorations …
Watched Rudolph’s Holly Jolly Christmas Parade.
Saw Santa and Mrs. Claus in a Christmas sleigh loaded with toys.
And PaPa and Grandma even rode some of the amusement rides and roller coaster’s with both our children and grandchildren! (:
Each day of our week was filled with memories … Christmas movies, shopping, a visit and pictures with Santa Claus … bowling, go-carts, lazer tag, bumper cars, and wall climbing … and a magical evening aboard Branson’s Scenic Railroad on The Polar Express, complete with book reading, elves hopping on the train between stops, sugar cookies and cups of hot chocolate, and at last … a visit from Santa! He surprised us when he suddenly appeared in our train car with a “Ho, ho, ho! Our grandchildren were spell bound and he spent some time with each child, solemnly telling them when he handed each their shiny, silver, bell … “that they would always here it ring, as long as they believed.”
“Christmas memories of happy years gone by/They come back to me and keep me warm inside/Oh they mean so much to me/Those Christmas memories make me cry.” ~ “Christmas Memories” by Alabama
And now … a simple treat that looks like it came straight from the North Pole! Chocolate covered marshmallow pop with a peppermint handle and lots of sprinkles … perfect for dunking and melting into mugs of hot cocoa while waiting for the New Year to arrive!
So simple and fun to “assemble.”
Ingredients needed:
-
- Large marshmallows (I used Campfire Giant Roasters)
- Milk chocolate Almond Bark
- Peppermint sticks and/or peppermint and chocolate peppermint sticks
- Assorted sprinkles
- Cellophane bags with ties
Directions:
- Cover kitchen counter or cookie sheet with wax paper or foil and spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray
- Melt chocolate according to directions on package
- Insert a peppermint stick into center of each marshmallow
- Dip marshmallow into melted chocolate and swirl to cover bottom half of marshmallow with melted chocolate
- Sprinkle nonpareils on the chocolate before it hardens
- After chocolate has hardened, place marshmallow pops into cellophane bags, or place unwrapped marshmallow pops on a tray or candy dish to serve with cocoa.
“Have a holly, jolly Christmas
And in case you didn’t hear
Oh by golly have a holly jolly Christmas”
This year”
Burl Ives
From my cottage to yours ~ Trenda
Through the years, I’ve created some easy meals for our family that I call … “Skillet Express Meals.” Cooking criteria that “must” be met in each of these recipes: it “must” take less than 30 minutes to fix, it “must” be delicious, and it “must” use only 1 skillet to make the recipe, from start to finish. The first “Skillet Express” recipe I shared on this blog was 
The definition of tablescape according to the English Oxford dictionary is … “A decorative arrangement of ornaments or other objects on a tabletop.” Embellishing Oxford’s definition of tablescape a little further … a tablescape for me is created by arranging a tabletop in an artful way by using decorative objects … decor … centerpieces … lighting … and color in combination with the items needed in the table setting to create a certain mood or theme. 
The focal point of this tablescape is vintage minnow bucket that Richard found for me on one of our antique-ing excursions. Some time ago, I told him I was looking a for a minnow bucket though I had a certain “look” in mind for that bucket. I wanted an antique bucket with good coloring and with graphics that were still readable, but I didn’t want it to look all “beat up” so I could use it for arrangements. I was amazed when months after I mentioned it to him, he came to me smiling with this perfect gift in hand, complete with both the bucket and the minnow strainer and with the added bonus of a little rust to enhance the patina! Now, that my friends is a gift more romantic to me than a bouquet of roses! ❤
