New Year, Fresh Start

Happy New Year to my beautiful readers! I'm not even sure how many of you are still out there, my posts have been so sporadic since the start of the pandemic. 

Wishing You All A Very Merry Christmas!!

I just wanted to pop in quickly and wish you all the most wonderful Christmas 

filled with peace, joy, and love. 

Santa Saves at Target, and So Can You

I have been approached by guest bloggers more times than I can count, and have always declined. I feel as if my readers come here to read my various ramblings, and find out what's going on up here on the mountain top. However, when Aimee from DIY Darlin' approached me, I asked her to send along what she had in mind, because I thought it was something that would interest many of you. Let's face it, I'm all about how to save money, not just at the holidays but all year long....that's how I managed to cut my budget wayyyy down, after all! 

So let's hop on over and see what Aimee's tips are for saving money at Target! 

A Cozy Cabin Christmas

It's that time of year again.....time to think about lugging all the Christmas stuff into the house and creating my own little indoor winter wonderland!

Holiday Wrap Up

Can you believe it's the final day of 2018?

How can that be?? And how did Christmas fly by so quickly?

It always does, though, doesn't it? 

A New Addition to Mountain Mama's Kitchen

I hope all my sweet readers had a wonderful Christmas!

It was a busy, busy time in my little mountain top house, but filled with much love and laughter as well. 

Not to mention, lots of wonderful gifts! I'll share more of them after I unpack and photograph them, but for now I'm sharing something new in Mountain Mama's kitchen....an Instant Pot. 

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all peace and love during the holiday season!

Thank you for your friendship!

Debbie - MountainMama

xo

My Christmas Dinner Menu

Only a few days until Christmas, my sweet friends - do you all have your Christmas menu planned out?

I do....I planned the whole week's worth of menus last weekend so I could do my grocery shopping early! 

Look at me being ahead of the game....and I only forgot one thing! Good thing my younger daughter passes the market on her way home!

There's a good reason I plan my menus out early...bear with me, I'm going to tell you a story. 

My Magical Forest Christmas

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I have always been a big fan of twinkling lights, so Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. 

This year I decided to keep the decorating fairly simple compared to past years, and just focus on the twinkle lights. 

Budget Friendly Holiday Gift Guide

It's hard to believe Christmas is less than a month away - how did that happen so fast? I think I'm prepared each year, yet it seems to sneak up on me regardless and then I realize just how UN-prepared I really am!

I've been hopping around blogland and I love seeing some of the holiday gift guides that are out there, so I thought I'd share just a few of the items that I consider fabulous gifts....and all but the last two are in the range of $20 or less.

Gifts For The Foodie In Your Life

I first posted this last December, after Christmas, but this is the perfect time to repost and update this list, as there are only 11 shopping days left until Christmas!!

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It's no secret that I'm a foodie. Big time. I absolutely love to cook, and love to find new gadgets and tools to make my meals even more amazing.

My sweetie is my guinea pig. He eats each and every one of my experiments without question.....and usually without complaint.

There aren't many fails, although there have been one or two.

Holiday Home Tour 2017

It's the most wonderful time of the year, no doubt, and, like most of you, I've been busy gussying up my little cozy house, getting it all dressed and ready for Christmas. 

It seems a ton of work at the time, but isn't it all worth it when it's all said and done?

Christmas Blessings

Christmas morning dawned bright and sunny, with temps in the 30's.

 

It wasn't the white Christmas I had dreamed of, but it sure was nice to see all the sunshine streaming in through the windows.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Wishing a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and Happy Holidays to all of you wonderful people out in Blogland!

Christmas, Christmas Everywhere!

Can you believe Christmas is less than two weeks away?

Where on earth do the days go?

I know they say that time flies when you're having fun....but this is ridiculous!

A Woodland Forest Christmas

Boy, it was tough not to share this with you before now.....but I feel like there's some sort of law out there that says that even if circumstances and busy schedules force you to decorate for Christmas even before Thanksgiving.....heaven forbid....there's no way you can let anyone know!

Well, that's exactly what happened with us this year. 

The Garden at Christmas

I never thought I'd be writing a post about my garden at Christmas but who would have ever anticipated this bizarre weather we've had? 

It's 60 degrees with a misty rain right now, and the clouds are sitting on the mountain peaks all around giving everything a very ethereal look. 

I'm glad to have the day off to putter around my little house taking care of some chores before heading back to work tomorrow. 

It was a lovely holiday!

And tomorrow is back to reality. And winter shall truly arrive. 

Our little reprieve is over. 

This warmer weather meant I could spend a little time in my garden this weekend, which was terrific - what a bonus! I have to say, even though we just got finished with Christmas and yet to have our first real snowfall I've already got spring fever. 

That's not good. There's a long winter ahead of us. 

Looking at the garden from a distance there's not much to see. But when you are a true gardener you notice the smallest little buds - everything is more significant. 

Like the new growth on the roses by the veggie garden - I feel terrible that these tender baby shoots are going to be frozen in another 24 hours. 

The Parsley is still going strong - I should probably harvest this today.  Last chance for fresh herbs right out of the garden this season, I believe!

Another week of this weather and I would have been able to harvest fresh Chives as well. 

I'm still concerned about what is going to happen with my Garlic. The shoots are so big now, this green growth is surely going to be killed within a few days....what will happen to the bulbs below?

The Strawberry plants continue to send out new growth. Since I have them in pots I will stash them away for the winter in the garden cottage and hope for the best. 

The Violas continue to amaze me - they have bloomed continuously since April - 8 months of straight bloom. That's unheard of up here on the mountain top!

I'm not complaining, that's for sure. It's been nice to have something bright and colorful to look at since we have no snow sparkling on the branches. 

Even the Dandelions are blooming in the grass - and I have to say they look pretty cheerful, like a little spot of sunshine in the December garden!

I doubt we'll see any more flowers for the season - the snow is due to start tomorrow, along with a half inch of ice. 

I'm glad I had this last weekend to play in the dirt. 

It smelled like Spring. 

The Calm After.....

A Belated Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my lovely readers out there!!  

I have been missing in action for a couple of days....hard to avoid when I've been up to my eyeballs with last minute Christmas preparations. 

And it was all worth it. 

A good time was had by all.....

....except these poor little colorful stuffed critters that met their demise within minutes!

Christmas is a busy, busy time in my little mountaintop home as it is for many - cooking a big feast for my whole extended family always keeps me hopping on the big day. 

Potatoes were peeled out on the garden swing on this 60 degree Christmas. No complaints there!

Prime Rib was smothered in minced garlic from the garden and roasted to perfection. 

Tummies were happy, cocktails were flowing, and there was laughter throughout my new home. 

Just as it should be on such a glorious day. 

When all is said and done I find such peace at the end of the evening when the kitchen is tidied, the dishwasher running, and the house is calm and somewhat clean again. 

And I can take a seat at the end of a long day and just spend time with my sister, catching up on what's going on in her life. That's what the holidays are truly about, after all. 

After a much needed sleep I awoke to a beautiful sky and much colder temps than yesterday. The forecast finally calls for some snow on Monday evening....we'll see what happens but I'm hoping!

The local ski resorts are really suffering this season and need some cold temps in order to blow snow - although some natural snow at this point would be even better. 

We didn't have our White Christmas but perhaps a White New Year's is coming our way?

Fingers crossed. 

Meanwhile, I'm heading to the garden to do a few more chores in preparation for the coming winter. 

After all, it has to come sometime. 

Christmas Cocktails

Our weather forecast here in the mountains of Upstate NY says we will reach a high of 67 degrees tomorrow....on Christmas Eve. 

Are you kidding me?

Where's my white Christmas?

I think in light of the weather our Christmas Eve Cocktails will be by the outside firepit on the deck. 

Because, hello? SIXTY SEVEN DEGREES!

On Christmas Eve. 

I just can't. 

So, instead of a hot beverage on Christmas Eve, we're going to switch things up this year. 

A nice frosty Tuscan Pear Cocktail with ginger sounds heavenly!

As does this Pomegranate Vodka Gimlet  with fresh lime. 

Sweet Paul created this White Russian with Toasted Marshmallow Garnish which sounds like such a treat - dessert in a glass, anyone?

Sweet Paul keeps the party going with this Norwegian Forest Cocktail  - mmmmm those berries, rosemary, and lime sound refreshing on a HOT winter's day! Ahem. 

If you have some more berries leftover how about some Jingle Jangle Punch? 

 Or mix yourself up a Merry Maple Margarita for a twist on a summer classic. 

This Caramel Apple Sangria would be fabulous for a crowd...if you feel like sharing. 

And for a non-alcoholic crowd pleaser how about this Cranberry Cider Punch from How Sweet Eats. 

For 20 more holiday cocktail ideas why don't you head over to Swanky Recipes - there are some terrific ideas on that site I might just have to work my way through over the holiday period!

Sounds like a plan. 

It's tough work but somebody's got to do it!

Cheers!

Dealing with Holiday Stress

My daughter wrote an amazing post that came out today on Be Your Own Muse that talks about mental health. Her post really got me thinking about all the stress we go through during the holidays. 

I shared a little about how I was feeling totally overwhelmed last week here and how I caught up a bit here.  

I know, for me, I start feeling overwhelmed when there are a million things I feel I need to do and not enough hours in the day...or energy....to get them all done. 

I really, really like things very organized and tidy in my house. When they get messy or disorganized that brings on feelings of stress for me, and my heart starts racing a little. I don't know if this happens to other people, but I do know it happens to me. And it makes me cranky. I know this about myself. 

One of the things I try to do to keep that in check is take time each and every morning before work to accomplish at least one chore. By that, I mean one chore in addition to the normal daily morning routine of unloading the dishwasher, showering, making the bed, making my lunch, etc. If I take 15 minutes each morning to accomplish one additional thing it helps keep the chores from piling up and keeps me on track. Less stress = less crankiness. 

Via

I also know that I require quiet time. Regular bouts of quality quiet time. I am not one of those people who can just go, go, go and never take a second to breathe. That would flat out drive me over the edge - you'd find me sitting on the floor in a corner of my walk in closet whimpering and talking to myself. 

I make sure not to take on more than I can handle. If we have too many invites pouring in I do not feel one bit guilty turning some down - I know my own self and there's no way I can be out more than a few nights per week at social engagements. Our social calendar is quite full as it is and sometimes I just have to put the brakes on so I can have a peaceful night at home. There's nothing wrong with that. 

One of my happiest places in my home is my kitchen. I love preparing a nice meal with the music playing in the background and the candles burning while I'm sipping on a glass of wine. That's a good place to be and it tends to calm my soul. Making sure I have a few nights each week just like that keeps me grounded and sane. Relatively speaking, of course!

I also love to read. There's nothing like a good book to take me out of my own mind and shut off all the daily turmoil inside my head. Right now I'm reading a fabulous book by Debbie Macomber called Starry Night. 

I just started it on Sunday and I read over half the book that night - I just couldn't put it down. Don't you just love a great book like that? I've been making a point to read Christmas books all month which helps me keep the holiday spirit alive in my heart. 

One of the other things that really relaxes me is having a nice hot bath with some aromatic bath salts and a couple of candles flickering nearby. I love the mineral bath salts from Aura Cacia - they have wonderful naturally derived fragrances that really release their scent with the steam and the mineral salts help with sore, aching muscles. Win, win!! 

I'm a big fan of aromatherapy and always have been. In addition to the routines I practice to keep my stress in check I will often have a candle burning in the house when I'm puttering around. The scent will change with the seasons or my mood but either way, having something fragrant burning in the house just calms me. If not a candle there may be a stick of incense or some scented oils. 

I also use cleaning products during my daily routines that have wonderful scents like lavender, orange clove, or natural pine - I truly believe it makes the daily chores just a little bit easier when there's a bit of aromatherapy involved. 

Add some peaceful music and the pups dozing by the fire and all's right in my world. 

These are things that help me in my daily world. You have to find your own sweet spot, your own things that help you calm your soul. 

And when you find those things, make sure to take the time daily to give your soul what it needs. 

It's as important as breathing.