Browsing Category

Holidays/Parties

Love/ Spiritual/ Valentine's Day

A Valentine From New Nostalgia

God's love never ends

 For the above graphic to make sense, please CLICK HERE  to listen.

It is a song. It is the song “Times” By Tenth Avenue North.  This song alone gives me chills, especially the end.  But the version linked above was one that I had never heard and was played by KLOVE.  I was listening in my car and had to pull over as I was listening…it touched me so.  It is words of love from the very best Valentine…the God of this Universe.  I just had to share it with all of you.

Happy Valentine’s Day from me to you!

Here is a video I share every year at Valentines day.  It is called “The Father’s Love Letter” and it is full of scripture truths that God says about us.  They use portions of it in the song linked above, but here is the video in its entirety. Enjoy!






2
Valentine's Day

White Chocolate Raspberry Valentine Bites

 

white chocolate raspberry valentine bites
 
I think the raspberry is pretty much perfection, just how it is.
But when I saw this idea on Sasha Libby via Pinterest, I knew my girls would have a blast stuffing raspberries with white chocolate chips and popping them in their mouths.  They did..:)
white chocolate raspberry valentine bites
Cute, huh?
These would be great at a Valentines Day brunch or a fun 4th of July snack.
white chocolate raspberry valentine bites
My girls called them candy.
That made me happy.
3
Holidays/Parties

New Years Eve Inspiration

Happy New Year From New Nostalgia!
Still loving sparkly gold and silver!
I have a clock just like that.  Never thought of sitting it out as New Year’s decor! Looks amazing next to that bowl of balls.  Fun~
These make me want to get crafty and pull out my glue and glitter.
Fun for kids
Love the champagne “bubbles” on the wall.
Simple horns on a platter make an easy and functional centerpiece.
Source: delish.com via Amy on Pinterest
Homemade poppers.
Had to get mason jar in there somewhere.  How great is that?
A great way to display.  Sparklers are so festive!
Source: modcloth.com via Amy on Pinterest
If I were going somewhere fancy, I’d want to wear this!
And my nails would look like this.
For a more casual look, throw on jeans but add a heal.  And some sparkle on the neck, ears or wrist!
Love this.  Nails are a great way to add sparkle without being over the top.
This is the part I’m looking forward to.  No matter if your party is fancy or casual, a kiss is always appropriate on New Years Eve!
Cheers to all of you!  
What are you doing this New Year’s Eve?
My only definite plans are that kiss above.  
Other than that kiss, we are keeping it pretty chill this year!
_______________________
______________
Want to see more of my pins?  Follow me on Pinterest.
1
Christmas/ RECIPES/ Sweets

Andes Chocolate Mint Cookies – A Christmas Tradition

Andes chocolate mint cookies

It is the week before Christmas, and it seems like sugar is merrily making its way into our home!  My little 9 year old has discovered a love for making recipes, which has been a load of fun. I’m eager to steer her toward more healthful recipes come the first of the year!

{Like this one: Chocolate Bliss Balls–3 ways!}

This awesome Andes Mint Cookie recipe is one that I make every year at Christmastime. It is so easy, and has 2 of my favorite holiday flavors, chocolate and mint!  They are simple, pretty and oh so yum.   I double or triple the batch, make a bunch of balls and freeze them until needed.  I love the ease of baking just a few, right before heading out to our different Christmas celebrations.  I also love that I have them in the freezer just in case a friend pops by, it is fun to have a little treat to bake at a moments notice!

Andes mints

Andes Chocolate Mint Cookies
1 box Devils Food Cake Mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
Andes mints, unwrapped and cut in half

~Dump all into a large bowl, beat until combined.
~Roll into one inch balls.  (I just use a pampered chef small scoop and skip the rolling)
~Bake @ 350 for 6-7 minutes. (Don’t over bake, you want them soft.)
~Immediately, push an andes mint gently down in the center of each cookie.
~Wait a minute or so, until the top of the mint turns melted and shiny, then take a toothpick or tip of a knife and swirl the melted mint into a circle, creating swirly beauty. (my girls love doing this part)
~Let cool so the chocolate will set before putting on a platter.

chocolate mint cookie ballsAndes Chocolate mint cookies mixture

Andes chocolate mint cookies

Andes mint cookies

Andes chocolate mint cookies

2
Decorating/ FUN/DIY/ Holidays/Parties/ Kids/Family

Using Willow Tree Figurines For a Beautiful Thanksgiving Tablescape

My sister, Julie, has collected Willow Tree Figurines for years.  I have always drooled over her collection and found them so meaningful and beautiful.  When she posted a photo of her Thanksgiving tablescape on Instagram, I drooled even more, and was blown away with how simple and beautiful it was.  

If you are not familiar with Willow Tree Figurines, here is there website.  They make wonderful gifts to mark the most important and life-changing events in life.  I love that they address all areas of life, from the good (family) to the bad (illness) and create gifts that often times speak louder than words. 

Back to my sisters table, I am going to be sitting at that table later on this evening.  We are celebrating Thanksgiving a day early with my side of the family, and I CAN’T WAIT!  My sister has made it so easy on me this year.  While she has been cleaning, decorating, baking, cooking and planning fun family games, I have been relaxing and roasting a turkey.  Yep, that is all I have to do is show up with my turkey.

{My sisters pies ready to bake}
{um, YUM!}
Here is her menu. Oh, and that drooling issue I have? It is starting again as I type!

{Menu}
Turkey 
Stuffing
Sweet Potato Souffle
 Twice Baked Potatoes
 Crumb Topped Broccoli Casserole
Aunt Fannie’s Squash Casserole
 Corn Casserole
Rolls
 Deviled Eggs
 Pecan Pie
 Pumpkin Pie
Triple Berry Pie
Country Cherry Pie
Chocolate Chip Cookies
{I’m making Turkey, Lil’ Sis is making Deviled Eggs & Pumpkin Dessert, JULIE IS MAKING THE REST.} 
{Isn’t she beautiful?  Stop drooling…}

She is amazing at many things, but when hostessing our family for holidays she shines and does it better than anyone I know.  I love her dearly, and I’m afraid I just don’t tell her often enough what a gift she is in my life and how very, very thankful I am for her.  
She has always been there for me…ALWAYS…but when I went through treatment for cancer, she was by my side.  She lived an hour away, yet made that drive a bazillion times and was by my side through it all.  She saw me at my worst, my most sick.  I know it was hard for her to see, but she just kept showing up and caring for me.  I can’t think of many times  in my life when I felt such love.

On top of it all, she is one of the funniest people I know.  Her texts make me belly laugh, and she is always the life of the party on our ‘sister nights.’ 
I love you Jules, and I’m more thankful for you than words can say.  

3
Halloween/ Holidays/Parties

Halloween Pinterest

Cute Halloween Printable.  Print and frame for instant, tasteful decor!

Halloween tablescape idea.  Creepy!

Wreath made out of ping pong balls and googly eyes.  

DIY Halloween cut-outs.

Witch cupcakes.  Striped straws as legs.

Source: sirchef.com via New on Pinterest

Caramel apple bar.  Great idea for a Halloween party!

Cardboard bat! Use a loo roll.
Source: etsy.com via New on Pinterest

I love using pillows as a way to add a festive touch.  Love the simplicity of this one.

Draw a monster with your little ones.

Jack O’ Lantern Rocks
Source: bhg.com via New on Pinterest

Witch stocking fireplace decor.

DIY Halloween candy holders.  Dollar store vases & candlesticks, E600 glue & black vinyl.

Microwave munch.

Halloween nails. Black nail polish & goggly eyes.

An easy & cute idea.  Nice break from candy!!  Would be fun to put in your kids lunchbox.

Loo rolls, cut out eyes, stick in a glow stick and put in bushes to scare trick-o-treaters.

Make spider webs using Elmers glue and glitter.  Let dry on wax paper & peel off.
Source: wanelo.com via New on Pinterest

Spider web eye shadow.  A simple festive touch…who needs a whole costume?

Source: theidearoom.net via New on Pinterest

Hershey bar wrapped in white crepe paper & google eyes.
Source: mo-berlin.com via New on Pinterest

Beach balls painted to look like eyes and put in a tree.  Could use glow in the dark paint for even more fun!
Source: flickr.com via New on Pinterest

A clever Happy Halloween sign.
//
For another post on Halloween Pinterest ideas, click here.
To visit my Halloween boards on Pinterest, click here.

1
DIY/Crafts/ FUN/DIY/ Halloween

Posts from the Past: 4 Fun & Easy Halloween Projects To Do With Kids

This is a past post from the New Nostalgia archives.  I love visiting post from the past, especially seasonal type posts.  It is a great reminder to me of what I love, and what was post worthy!  I will be taking a trip down “past posts” road occasionally in the month of October.  I hope you enjoy!
//
We have been having a ton of halloween fun here at the Bowman House.  My girls just  LOVE all things spooky, and have been creating all kinds of spooky fun.  I am not one who is creative enough to come up with a project, so I depend heavily on FamilyFun.com!  It doesn’t matter what the season, the Family Fun website always has great, simple ideas.

Here are a few that we tried recently:

Salt Dough Ghosts and Paper Bag Trees
I can’t believe we have never made anything with salt dough before!  It is a cup of flour, cup of salt and a half of a cup of water.  Mold into any shape and microwave until hardened!  So easy!  The plan was to just create ghosts, but my girls wanted to get more creative, which was great, it kept them busy the entire evening.  The paper bag tree is a cute idea, but all that twisting left my wrists tired, so we decided to make just one!  I think making mini trees with brown paper lunch bags would be much better for little fingers and wimpy wrists.

Apple Bites
Gotta have a snack in the middle of all this creepy craziness!  Apples and Almonds, can’t get much healthier than that!

These were so much fun!  My girls spent almost 2 hours at the table creating these, and every few minutes there would be a trio of giggles drifting from the dining room.  They just loved finding silly face parts to glue on to their bags.  Aren’t they funny?
What would I do without Family Fun?  What did moms do without computers back in the day?  I am very thankful for ours, its kinda SCARY thinking about doing life without it!

BOO!
*Disclosure: this is  NOT a paid post, I just love Family Fun.com!

Top