Tag: celebrate

25 Days of Celebrating Christmas

The 1st of December means the holiday season is officially here. Celebrating 25 Days of Christmas is the perfect way to ring in the festivities. Gather your family and friends for a memorable Christmas time.

Ideas for Celebrating the 25 Days of Christmas

  1. Put up Christmas tree and other holiday decorations
  2. Address and send out Christmas cards
  3. Go to the local bookstore or library for holiday books
  4. Start a new tradition and make homemade Christmas ornaments (Pinterest is a great resource for finding ideas)
  5. Try a new holiday-themed recipe
  6. Attend a local Christmas concert or play
  7. Get a professional Christmas portrait done
  8. Host a Christmas party for your family or friends
  9. Host a Sunday Christmas Tea
  10. Attend a live nativity
  11. Go caroling
  12. Build a snowman/go sledding
  13. Write letters to Santa
  14. Volunteer your time/donate to a toy charity
  15. Host a Christmas themed craft day
  16. Ride around and look at Christmas lights
  17. Visit Santa
  18. Make gingerbread houses
  19. Christmas themed movie night
  20. Fill Christmas stockings or baskets to hand out to friends, family, or neighbors
  21. Celebrate the 1st day of winter, make cut out snowflakes to decorate windows
  22. Bake Christmas cookies
  23. Host a family or friends’ night with games and other activities
  24. Celebrate Christmas Eve
  25. Christmas Day dinner with family and friend

Planning and hosting different events is a great way to celebrate the Christmas season with family and friends.

December Photo Prompt Ideas

Kicking off the holiday season, December provides numerous opportunities for photos. Whether you use your phone or a camera, capture the holiday spirit that surrounds you on a daily basis.

Photo Inspiration Prompts for December

  1. Christmas Tree
  2. Ornaments
  3. Christmas Lights
  4. Landscape or Skyscape
  5. Something Old
  6. Outdoor Decorations
  7. Candy Canes
  8. Glitter
  9. Red/Green
  10. Shopping
  11. Traditions
  12. Santa
  13. Favorite Warm Beverage
  14. Baking Fun
  15. Stockings
  16. Festive/Joy
  17. Black and White
  18. Holiday Fun
  19. Toys
  20. Peace
  21. Christmas Wrap or Wrapping Presents
  22. Bells
  23. Candles
  24. Christmas Eve/Holiday Food
  25. Christmas Day Fun
  26. The day after Christmas/Messy
  27. Snow/Snow Globe
  28. Morning
  29. Scarf/Mittens/Warmth
  30. Snowman
  31. Last Photo of 2018—Your Choice

Photos are a great way to explore your environment. Encourage your family or friends to take daily photos. Create a Facebook group to share or tag your photos for others to view.  After the month is over, print the photos for a scrapbook.

November Photo Prompt Ideas

Do you need some photo inspiration for the month of November? Photo prompts are small ideas to jump-start your imagination. Have fun, take photos, and make memories. Consider making monthly photo prompts a family project. The different perspectives are a great way to learn and share.

  1. Selfie (always take a selfie at the beginning of the month)
  2. Breakfast
  3. Art
  4. Seasonal
  5. Memories
  6. Landscape/Skyscape/Waterscape
  7. Local Fun
  8. Current Mood
  9. Current Reading Material
  10. Handmade
  11. Dinner Time
  12. View Out Your Window
  13. Favorite Snack
  14. Calm
  15. Blessings
  16. Close Up
  17. Black and White
  18. Through Glass
  19. Thanksgiving Decorations
  20. Thankful For…
  21. Pumpkin Pie
  22. Thanksgiving Fun
  23. Family
  24. Leftovers
  25. Low Angle
  26. Favorite Colors
  27. Shapes
  28. Cheerful
  29. Warmth
  30. Preparing For The Holidays

When the month is finished, consider printing your photos.  Making a scrapbook is a wonderful way to add notes or other tidbits to remind you of your inspiration.

October Photo Challenge Prompts

Enjoying the fall scenery, October is the perfect time to be outdoors. Grab your camera or mobile device to photograph your finds.

Consider these 31 October Photo Challenge Prompts:

  1. Selfie (always start the month with a selfie)
  2. Low angle
  3. View out your window
  4. Cider
  5. Apple orchard
  6. Pumpkin or apple bread
  7. Motion
  8. Caramel
  9. Candy corn or Halloween candy
  10. Black and white
  11. Sunset or Sunrise (or both)
  12. Single leaf
  13. Autumn colors
  14. Pumpkin patch
  15. Moon
  16. Cinnamon sticks or spices
  17. Favorite Halloween movie
  18. Hobby
  19. Old barns or abandoned space
  20. Nature
  21. Something orange
  22. Forgotten/Creepy/Spooky
  23. Jack O’Lanterns
  24. Vampires, skeletons, or ghosts
  25. Something large or small
  26. Favorite fall snack
  27. Personal inspiration
  28. Shadows
  29. Halloween decorations
  30. Halloween outfit or costume
  31. Trick-or-Treat

When the month is over, print your pictures. Make a scrapbook. Write small stories. Enjoy the adventure.

25 Fun Fall Activities

Fall brings changing leaves, cooler temperatures, and football. Enjoying the simple pleasures with your family and friends, celebrate life.

25 Fall Activities

  1. Go to a homecoming football game/attend the parade and other related events
  2. Go tailgating
  3. Host a fall themed craft day
  4. Decorate for fall
  5. Go on a color tour/photograph the spectacular changing fall leaves
  6. Have a bonfire
  7. Watch apple cider being made
  8. Drink apple cider/eat apple cider donuts
  9. Go outside and jump in a pile of leaves
  10. Go hiking
  11. Collect pinecones for crafts
  12. Bake an apple pie from freshly picked apples
  13. Play football in your backyard or at the park
  14. Go to your local farmer’s market
  15. Go to the library or bookstore to find books about fall
  16. Spend a day reading; wrap yourself in a warm blanket
  17. Burn fall scented candles
  18. Make caramel apples
  19. Go on a hayride
  20. Host a fall tea
  21. Enjoy a fall picnic
  22. Make homemade soup on a cool day (use fresh ingredients from the farmer’s market)
  23. Attend a fall festival or street fair
  24. Host a movie night
  25. Make a scarecrow

 

September Photo Challenge Prompts

September brings numerous fall activities. Participating in a daily photo challenge can help you focus on the world around you.

Here are some prompts for daily inspiration:

  1. Selfie
  2. Harvest
  3. Labor Day
  4. Back to School
  5. Softness
  6. Favorite Book
  7. Pet or Animal
  8. Bonfire
  9. Favorite Quote
  10. Favorite Beverage
  11. Landscape/Skyscape
  12. View Out Your Window
  13. Favorite Color
  14. Nature
  15. Close-up
  16. Collection
  17. Food
  18. Black and White
  19. Upside Down
  20. Football
  21. Silhouette
  22. Something Vintage
  23. Patterns
  24. Natural Light
  25. What’s on Your Feet?
  26. Clouds
  27. Quiet Time/Relaxation
  28. Fall Leaves
  29. Guilty Pleasures
  30. Something New

After you finish the month of September, print your photos and place them in an album for instant inspiration. For added fun, have your family or friends participate in the photo challenge. Cell phone use makes the challenge easy for everyone to join in the fun. Write a description under each photo. Years down the road, you may find the descriptions interesting, especially from younger children. Gathering the photos at the end of the month will bring a unique perspective on how each person views the world.

Going Back to Hogwarts

“Whether you come back by page or big screen,

Hogwarts will always be there to

welcome you home”

~J.K. Rowling

For fans of the beloved J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series, September 1st represents going back to Hogwarts. Celebrating the return to Hogwarts can be fun with the following activities for you, your family and friends to enjoy.

Host a Craft and Activity Day

Gather your family or friends and enjoy a craft day. Creating Harry Potter inspired crafts is easy with the help of Pinterest or Internet search.

Searching for activities, you can make a wide range of crafts including:

Make a wand with wooden craft sticks, hot glue, and paint.
  • Make a wand
  • Holiday ornaments
  • Coloring pages
  • Owl crafts
  • Create potions
  • Suncatchers

    Melt pony beads on old pizza pans to create large Harry Potter inspired sun catchers.

Harry Potter Inspired Recipes

Create a Harry Potter inspired meal, beverage, or snack. Search Pinterest, some of the recipes include:

  • Butterbeer
  • Pumpkin Pasties
  • Pumpkin Juice
  • Chocolate Frogs

Listen or Read Harry Potter

Simply spend the day relaxing. Spending a day immersed in the Wizarding World, listen or read your favorite Harry Potter book.

Host a Movie Marathon

Call your friends to watch your favorite Harry Potter movie or host a family movie marathon.

For Harry Potter fans, celebrating the day is like visiting an old friend. Consider doing one or combination of activities to enjoy the day.

National Iced Tea Day

Today, June 10th is National Iced Tea Day. Enjoying a tall glass of iced tea on a summer day is a great way to quench your thirst. Cold, plain tea by itself is a perfectly fine beverage. But if you want to try something new, adding different flavors may be a surprising twist to an old classic.

Ways to Enhance Your Iced Tea

Experimenting with diverse flavoring is the best way to find a perfect match for you. Do not be afraid to try something new. Who knows, you may find the best combination to serve at your next family gathering.

Mint

Adding fresh mint from your garden provides a refreshing taste to your iced tea. Simply wash, chop leaves to the desired size, and add to your tea. Or chop mint leaves into smaller pieces and freeze in your ice cubes. Later add the frozen cubes to your tea.

Berries

Experiment by adding different fruits to your iced tea. Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and other types of berries are a wonderful addition to your beverage. By experimenting you are able to find the perfect one to quench your taste buds.

Citrus

Along with berries, lemons, oranges, and grapefruit are another perfect addition to your iced tea. Simple wash and cut the citrus into slices to add to your tea.

Sweet

Of course, along with the healthier alternatives to add to your iced tea, you may add a sweetener. Many individuals prefer a sweet tea as an extra pick me up on a warm summer day.

So are you ready to add something new to your iced tea? Or are you happy drinking the tea without any new additions? Honestly, the choice is completely up to you. Just take the time to relax and enjoy an ice cold glass of tea on hot summer’s day.

 

 

 

End of the School Year Celebration Ideas

Time marches by quickly. Embrace the daily triumphs. Ending a school year is a milestone in your child’s life. Not to mention, you deserve recognition for last minute school snacks, homework help, field trips, and on some days simply getting your child to school on time.

As the last day of school arrives, take the time to celebrate. Scheduling conflicts may not allow your celebration to occur exactly on the last day, still take the time to recognize the accomplishment. The celebration can be a simple family dinner with a special dessert to a large party with your child’s friends.

End of the School Year Party Ideas

If you are uncertain how to celebrate, ask your child for input. Often your child’s idea may be something you would have never thought about as a fun way to celebrate. Or you can consider any of the following:

  • Special family dinner
  • Family game night
  • Trip to the local bookstore to purchase books for summer reading
  • Backyard BBQ
  • Pool party (if the weather permits)
  • Backyard beach party
  • Harry Potter theme party
  • Comic book, princess or other theme party
  • End of the school year theme party
  • Trip to the local ice cream shop
  • Dinner out at your child’s favorite restaurant
  • Pizza party
  • Video game night
  • Arts and crafts party
  • Outdoor games party
  • Trip to the park, zoo or other local attraction
  • Scavenger hunt
  • Movie night
  • Picnic in the park or your own backyard
  • Attend a major or minor league baseball game or other sporting events
  • Water balloon “fight” or other water-related activities

The possibilities on how to celebrate the end of a school year are endless. Surprisingly, a simple ice cream pie to celebrate the end of the school year may easily become a lasting memory.

Editor’s note: This blog is an updated version from one on my other site.

 

 

 

National Indian Pudding Day

Today, November 13, 2017,* is National Indian Pudding Day. Is your reaction the same as mine? What exactly is Indian Pudding? Or perhaps, you have heard of the old fashion recipe.  For myself, when I first read this, I had no clue what to expect from the recipe or even how to create the dessert.

So, like most things, I had to start with some research. The recipe is actually well known in the New England area. The history of the tasty dish goes back to the early 17th century. The dessert was mainly served during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

Prior to making the new dessert, I searched for different recipes. For the people who know me well, they are fully aware I am not the best baker. I basically do not have the patience to bake. For the most part, I do know how to bake and cook. But my skills are not top notch in the kitchen department. We all weaknesses. Admittedly, I do enjoy canning and making homemade jam.

After reading the recipe, I knew I was in over my head. I never even heard of the term “temper the egg” before reading the instructions. So, I did what I normally do when I cannot understand a recipe: I called my mother. Of course, she came over to help me. (By the way tempering an egg means slowly adding the hot liquid to the egg mixture to bring the two different temperatures together).

Most of the recipes called for cornmeal, molasses, sugar, milk, and spices. So, my mom and I picked the one, we thought would be the simplest to try for the first time. The recipe was an older one, but the sugar amount was reduced. I did not want or need a lot of sugar in my dish.

The main ingredients for Indian Pudding plus flour and sugar.

The ingredients start by cooking on the stove top.

The mixture coming together.

The next step requires baking. As the Indian Pudding begins to bake, the wonderful smell filled the house.

Baking in the oven.

The final product was finished. I will admit the look of the pudding was not what I had expected.

The finished product straight out of the oven.

 

The wonderful smell matched the deliciousness of the Indian Pudding. The recipe suggests topping with vanilla ice cream or heavy whipped cream. Well, I used the store bought-brand but the final product was still “yummy” good. I am glad I was able to try something new. As an extra bonus, my mom was able to help share this blogging experience.

*Note: This blog was originally written on November 13, 2015, for my other site.