It's Wine Time

Beings that I love anything

homemade

 (no box mixes for me)

wine isn't any different.

 

We were inspired by some

family friends

 and had been talking about this for a while,

so I was ecstatic when my beau got me 

homemade wine making equipment

for Christmas

(and coincidentally, my parents got

him the same thing)

 

Either way, we were making

wine.

 

Starting out is a little spendy, but once you have equipment, you are pretty much good to go.

 

I recommend trying to anyone that loves wine and enjoys making anything

homemade.

 

 

Shane is sh sh shakin' it to sterilize the carboy.

 

 

This recipe was a mead, or honey wine.

 

 

The recipe also included raisins, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, oranges, and nutmeg.

 

We also made strawberry wine a few weeks earlier.

(Any of these recipes can be found online.)

 

Too bad it takes weeks to ferment

'cause I'm ready for some wine!

 

-Heidi

 

Happy 2013

Yesterday was the last day of

December,

but that's not all...

 

It was also my fellow Modern Old Soul and her hubby's

1st wedding anniversary!

 

What a good way to start out the new year!

 

 

My holiday season was filled with too much

 food,

 not enough

 family,

 and some fun

finds.

 

My grandparents let us dig through some stuff

from both of their families. 

 

The

checkerboard

is from my great grandpa's sister

Evelyn.
 

I think it's so awesome how things like this were kept in

our family for so long. 
 

Lovin' the detail on this board.

 

I also inherited the two jars. 

They were both used for creams but I can't get over how

beautiful

they are. 


Love the character on this jar..

And the color of this one.

You sure don't find anything like this today.


 

I couldn't resist the

 books,

either. 
 

They were my grandpa's sister's books from when she was little.  I love that they are a little beat up and SO

colorful. 


Finally, I had to take this scrabble board.  It was my grandma's when she was younger. 

 

I likely won't play scrabble, but those letters have endless possibilites.   

 

 

 

Some people I know complained about the year

 -2012-,

but I think everyone who has made it to

-2013-

 is blessed beyond words. 

 

Have a happy and blessed 2013. 

 

-Heidi





 

Chicken and Dumplings Recipe

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless-skinless chicken breast

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 cans chicken broth

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Teaspoon cumin

1 Teaspoon black pepper

1-16 Oz can of buttermilk biscuits

Directions:

Mix soups, broth, butter, and spices in crock-pot.

Add chicken to the soup mixture and cook on low for 6 hours.

After 6 hours of cooking, use a fork to shred the chicken in crock pot.

Cut biscuits into 4 pieces each, and drop into soup mixture.

Make sure all the biscuits are covered in liquid, and cook for 1.5-2 hours on high.

Enjoy!

Christmas is HERE!

Wishing you and your families a 

<Wonderful & Enjoyable>

Christmastime!

From Modern Old Souls

Heidi, Mom, and I all got Tom's Shoes for Christmas!
When you buy a pair, a child in need also gets a pair :)
Here is where to get them:

 http://www.toms.com/?cid=PS_5916337&gclid=CL7C8tX6tbQCFckWMgodMWQAsA

Heidi and Shane!

Our First Christmas hosted in our New House!

We have had a great first year in our new home as a married couple! And I was very spoiled this year with many wonderful gifts, thanks Aaron :)

Time to bust out my Christmas dishes from my Nannie. They are red, my Favorite Color!

This is my first Christmas using them

Baking cookies for our last Christmas, which will be this coming Saturday with my Dad's family!

Perfect!

Aaron and I enjoyed Christmas Eve together with Church, Homemade Chicken & Dumplings, a cozy fire and movie in our basement, and presents to each other. It was a fun start to  making our own traditions! We are so blessed and happy! Enjoy the holidays and stay warm!!

-Molly

New Pieces & Christmas Decor

New (to me) Pieces to my Home

and

It's officially permitted to start decorating for Christmas!!

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Small container which became a cute addition to my coffee bar!

I chose to keep sugar in it, but anything would work!
 Cinnamon, powdered creamer etc.. Seasonal things would work great too 

The green lid matches my dining room perfectly!!

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A beautiful piece of Furniture from my Mother-in-Law, Joan!

I love everything about this. Most of all the color!

I remember this piece catching my eye the first time I was at
my in-laws home. I will always cherish it and do my best to keep it
original. 

Vuala!

My husband and I worked together to get this Simply Said piece on
the wall. It is very cute and completes this bedroom with an earthy feel. 

........................................................

Thanksgiving and Black Friday mark the time when it is considered by many to start decorating and planning for Christmas! I have been ready for about a month now!

....a few of my favorite Christmas decorations....

A crate from the Junk bonanza

I just added some garland and lights, and of course some Burlap!!

On to of the fridge!

I have many snowmen, I love those little guys. This one is
cookie jar!

The fatter the better :)

Plate and Candle = table centerpiece 

Tree #1, Zip's tree

What a lush...

Our wood stove is all hooked up in the basement and keeps
it very cozy! This stove was a gift from my Mom's Boyfriend to us when
we purchased our house. The basement had the perfect spot for it. 

Tree #2, in the basement
The tree skirt was made by my Aunt Sandy and was a
gift to my Parents. I somehow inherited it. 

It has been such a joy decorating for our
First Christmas in our
First House :)

.............................................................................



Another favorite part of Christmas for me is 
Giving & Receiving 
Christmas Cards!











***********************


This past weekend I attended a Christmas Cirque Winter Wonderland performance with my
Mom & Nannie.

Love them for all they have taught me!

We had a great evening.

 This made me even more excited for

the Holidays! My Brother in Law, Andrew got us great tickets right up front. If you ever have the opportunity to see Cirque du Soleil, do it!! Its amazing! Have a good week and good luck with

Christmas decorating, cooking, baking, and 

Sharing!

-Molly

November 17, 2012

 Thanksgiving is drawing near

Moving forward with 

<<Blog, House, and Life Updates>>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This past week I had the opportunity to catch up

with an old friend

..Maria..

We share many similarities and  can easily 

pick up where we left off

One of the loves we share is the Blog 

Young House Love

www.younghouselove.com

We love their style and family

& fortunately got to meet 

them at their book signing at 

West Elm in Edina!

They handed out the cutest House Cookies

We were getting nervous as we got closer to them in line!

John and Sherry!! The celebrities :)

Sherry signed the key to our first house, I have plans to do something crafty with it now

Signing their guestbook, I was still shaking at this point!

My signed book that I will cherish forever!

.........................................................................

some new updates to

 our 

house

New: Mirror and hangings on each side

Sweet, inexpensive finds from Kirklands and TJMaxx Homegoods

Aaron found me this little gem and I am currently using it as a coffee bar, my Keurig fits nicely on it

Homemade Pillows from my Soul Sister Heidi

They match my formal Living room perfectly

Fabric & Burlap was from our visit to the Junk Bonanza earlier this Fall 

I love having my personal seamstress & needleworker! Much Love Hydra

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The last piece I wanted to add to ..this post..

I received some Thank You cards in the mail and admired how they made me feel.
Sending a Thank you is a
--Quick--
..Simple..
{Straightforward}
way to show you were grateful and appreciated what someone did for you.
With Thanksgiving coming up I thought I would mention it, and spread the warm  "thankful" feelings.

This is one of the most special Thank-You's I have received. It is from my friend Janet's Mother from Fargo, I hosted a Breakfast for all her Bridesmaids and Ladies in the wedding on her wedding day. Everyone got ready and sipped Mimosas. It was great to hear how delighted it made her feel that day.

=======================================

Until Next time!

"Don't be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many 

days in the year as you make use of." 

--Charles Richards

-Molly