New Years Eve Party

Happy New Year! Where did 2017 go? It seems like it was just yesterday we were ringing in a New Year... It's been an extremely full year for us, I don't know about you but I always found New Years Eve kind of sad like you are saying goodbye to an old friend. We've made some great memories this year from trips abroad to hiking to waterfalls, to trying new things and catching up with old friends. 

You can't have a New Years Eve Party without having a year starting centerpiece! We wanted to keep it sparkly and elegant. We covered our dining table with a black tablecloth, added candelabras, silver candlesticks and mirrored cones, a vase of gold and silver ornaments and a clock face take center stage this year. 

We added a touch of greenery to add a splash of color like we did in our Christmas tablescape.

We scattered crystals here and there around the table to tie in the candelabras ( I actually stole these from my tree).

We used a collection of silver trays as chargers beneath these beautiful star bone-china plates.

Wassail 
1-gallon apple cider
1-quart pineapple juice
6 ounce can of frozen orange juice concentrate
27 whole cloves
8 cinnamon sticks

Mix cider, pineapple juice, and orange juice concentrate in a large crockpot. In cheesecloth place, cloves and cinnamon sticks, tie a knot around them with the cheesecloth and add to liquid. Heat. Serve hot. Make sure you take the seasonings out before storing. We like to make this at least the morning before we serve it so it will have plenty of time to mingle.

Cornish Game Hens

Leftover cooked long grain rice
Mrs. Dash Tomato Basil and Garlic
Himalayan Pink Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Sage
Poultry Seasoning
Cranberry Sauce


4 Cornish Game Hens


Wash hens inside and out, remove giblets. Part skin from the meat in back and front, season with garlic, salt, paprika, sage, poultry seasoning and pepper if desired. Spoon inside of bird cranberry sauce (you can find our recipe here), follow with rice, then sauce then rice again until filled. Season outside of bird and cook for 1 hour 19 minutes in a greased pan at 380 F. You can spoon more cranberry sauce over the top if you would like.

Pizza Rolls

Filling: 

Cheese 

Pizza Sauce 

Dough:

2 Cups Organic Unbleached Flour

1 Teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt

1/3 Cup Cream

2/3 Cup Organic Milk

2 Tablespoons Organic Butter

Directions:

In a mixing bowl put your flour and sea salt mix together until combined then slice your butter into thin slices and add to flour and salt mixture. Add Cream and milk and stir until it forms a thick dough. Roll out and cut into strips. Add a small dab of sauce (We use Auntie Betty's Pizza Sauce) add cheese of your liking (I used a Mexican cheese blend I think :) ) Fold dough over and press sides firmly down. bake for 27 Minutes at 350 degrees. 

7 Layer Bean Dip

Ingredients:

3- 16 oz Cans Of Organic Re-fried Beans

1- 16 oz Organic Sour Cream 

1 Can Black Olives Sliced

1/2 of  a 10 oz can of diced organic Tomatoes 

1/3 of a 7 oz can Organic Ortega Green Chilies

2 Avocados worth of Guacamole 

2 1/2 Teaspoons Paprika 

1 Teaspoon Chili Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder

1Teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2 Sea Salt

Directions:

Organic Cheese of your choice grated (we like Mild cheddar, jack, Colby jack and even pepper jack).

Open the cans of beans, pour into the bottom of the bowl and smooth. Mix sour cream, paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder & sea salt in a separate bowl. Spoon on top of Re-fried beans. Follow with guacamole, then cheese. Top with drained tomatoes, then green chilies, and finally sliced black olives. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate.

We strung silver ornaments on twine for napkin rings and used white napkins.

Happy New Years! Hope you all have a great year full of many blessings, adventures, joys, and triumphs. We love you all!

Judah's Wife Book Review

We love reading here at the Cottage and love the opportunity to review good books. We have been given Angela Hunt's latest masterpiece "Judah's Wife", which is book 2 of 2 in the Silent Years series. The first one dropping us off in ancient Egypt in the lifetime of Cleopatra.

In this book, our curtain draws open to the dusty streets of captive Israel held under the heavy hand of the Greek ruler Antiochus IV a descendant of one of the generals of Alexander the Great.  Young and old alike are swept up in the greek culture. Wanting to walk, talk, dress and live like those ruling their nation.




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"Egypt's Sister" Book Review 




The righteous attempt to follow the way of God but the rulers continually make their attempt at living a life pleasing to God impossible leaving them with a life or death decision.

Enter Leah, Judah Maccabees, and his family.

Follow these characters as they make decisions that will touch the Israelite people for generations. Will they choose to serve God or go the way of what is popular in the culture of the day?

Don't miss this book. The characters are rich and believable the storyline is compelling. Follow Leah, Judah and his brothers along with the Nation of Israel in a period of time that not many even know about.

To purchase the first book in the silent years series click here.




To purchase Judah's Wife click here.



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7 Layer Bean Dip In A Jar

New Year's Eve at the Cottage means lots of snacks, sparkling grape juice, and board games until midnight. We took grandma's famous seven-layer bean tip that appeared at every bbq and party for as long as I can remember and made it fun size! Each person can have their own, as they ring in the New Year! 

1 16 oz Can Organic Re-fried Beans

1 16 oz Organic Sour Cream

1 Can Black Olives sliced

1/2 of a 10 oz Can of Diced Tomatoes 

1/3 of a 7 oz Can Green Chilies

1 Avocados worth of Guacamole

Grated Cheese (your choice) 

Related Article Huntington Beach Cheese Strips 

2 1/2 Teaspoon Paprika

1 Teaspoon Chili Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder

1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt or Himilian Sea Salt 

Begin with clean Mason Jars, Season sour cream with spices and stir well. Layer ingredients into jars. Cover with plastic wrap and a rubber band.  

This Is Christmas

I hope today finds you surrounded by those you love.  Whether friends or family, I pray that His blessings surround you and you find time to appreciate His gift. Let God fill your heart and then let Him break it, let love flow.

Something I've learned this year, there is beauty in being broken and poured out. I've learned that at your rawest moment you can be a lighthouse in someone else's storm. I hope this Christmas brings with it warmth and love, and His peace will follow you through the new year to come.

Make time for Him this holiday. May each of us like the shepherds and wise men make the journey with open hearts and open hands.

This holiday isn't about giving gifts, the newest technology, it isn't the tree and lights, the meals. Not even about the time we spend with those we love. It's the birth of our Savior, a God who loved us so much that He sent His only son to die a horrible shameful, painful death. It's the beginning of a love story written across eternity.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the LORD.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Luke 2:11-12 NIV

He came into this world, not as a mighty warrior, not as a  conquering king but a baby.

He came not with the cold hand of justice, but the tender hand of mercy.

He came to open the eyes of the blind, to unstop the ears of the deaf. He came that the lame would leap with joy. He came to heal broken hearts, broken homes and broken lives.

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Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.Water will gush forth in the wilderness Isaiah 35:3-6 NIV

He came to save the world- He came to save me, in the middle of my everyday shortcomings He came to rescue me. He came to write His love story for me across history. He came to meet me in all of my sinful dysfunctional mess and stretch out his hand in mercy to bridge a gap that I could never bridge.

This is what Christmas is about, God's costless, priceless, radical love for me and you. Love that no matter how badly I mess up will never diminish. The greatest gift has already been given.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 NKJV

Related Article: The Light Of Christmas 


A babe born in a manger. God entering the world, as a baby to die for me. A father sacrificing His son- all for me.

This. Is. Christmas.

From our Cottage to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas. May His perfect peace surround you. May we never forget the greatest gift ever given, was just that- given. Freely and undeservingly. So this Christmas don't forget to be present because that is the greatest gift you can give.  ~ Cheyenne

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

2017 Christmas Tour

Merry Christmas! I dearly love this time of year, the decorations, the lights, the cocoa and yes the Christmas treats. The smell of a real tree, a warm fire and wrapping presents.  I love all of it! But especially the decorating, Grandma cottage was a huge Christmas lover and every year she would decorate every square inch of the house

One year she filled an entire room with Christmas village except for a tiny pathway. It was beautiful! This year we didn't fill an entire room with village but, I still think it looks beautiful. So welcome to our farmhouse Christmas tour and our Cottage. We have one rule, anyone who steps through our door is family. So grab a cup of something warm and cozy (and if you have cookies that is even better) and stroll through the Cottage. 

I'm totally in love with the broken mirror trees on our mantel! We snagged the very last ones that Big Lots had. Over the mantel, we hung our Decor Steals wings. We rehomed our silver candlesticks from the table to the mantel with silver ornaments, bronze candelabras, a beautiful floxed pinecone garland from Hobby Lobby and our homemade burlap and muslin stockings. 

 

We swapped out our cream Ikea couch covers for white and paired it with green and cream ribbon throw pillows.

Coffee filter Christmas trees! So easy to make and so pretty, all you need is a cone, coffee filters, and a glue stick. Yep, that's it!

We framed the fireplace with distressed buckets filled with Duraflame logs.

Touches of Grandma Cottage's village grace our TV consul, we added a piece of garland over the TV also.

Fun fact- see that awesome vintage camera on the TV consul? Mr. Cottage brought that back from his time in Germany. Isn't it neat?

Old books and touches of the sea. You can take the girl away from the ocean, but you can't take the ocean out of the girl.

Ok, I admit it, I was on a bit of a garland kick this year. If I hadn't run out, it would be over literally every doorway. *Yes Mr. Cottage you should probably be worried* The garland over the door is actually handmade of our grapevines and live greenery (also from the yard).

I truly love the sound of a record player, that crackly sound as it plays the song- yep heaven. Next to it is one of Grandma's village churches. It reminds me of the one they wanted to build in the Bishop's Wife.

Crocks and Christmas trees, a vintage camera and cotton wreath. We flanked the armoire with two cream chairs and cute throw pillows.

In case you were wondering those furry white pillows on the couch are as soft as they look! We scored them at Burkes.

For the centerpiece on our crate coffee table, we used this adorable crate filled with reindeer moss and this beautiful cupcake holder from Kirkland's.

You might notice as you wander through we have a lot of trees, yeah we kind of like them. This one is our real one, covered with frost garland and glass, butterflies and seashell ornaments.

 White paper packages for beneath the tree we tied them with burlap, blue and silver ribbons and raffia with homemade salt dough tags.

We picked up that giant galvanized bucket at Lowes for 19.99, once we got it home we dry brushed it with American Paint Company "Uncle Sam's" chalk paint to take off the shine.

You may remember our very long kitchen remodel, we finally were able to decorate for Christmas in here (last year we didn't have countertops and the paint was only half finished). 

We put a cotton wreath on our pantry door and one over the stove. On the island, we put trees in galvanized tubs and crocks. On either side of the sink, we put white and silver trees, two bowls, and a crystal candelabra decorates the corner.

For this tree, we used mercury glass ornaments and a cute metal basket to hold it. We placed a cute horse-drawn sleigh and small tree to decorate our Pioneer Woman cake dish.

We replaced the aprons that normally hang here with adorable ticking stockings. 

This is my favorite spot in the whole kitchen, the window seat! Bonus points it's right next to our coffee station!

We decided to use ornaments as napkin rings, I happened to have these burgundy ones left over so I strung them on a piece of twine. To keep the burgundy tones we used a table runner the same color as the ornaments. For the centerpiece, we used fresh greenery, cotton garland, white and silver trees and a small tree in a crock (scored from Burkes).

We used silver trays for chargers and these bone china plates with gold stars. 

We decorated this end table with a galvanized tiered tray, wood trays from Decor Steals and a cute urn we picked up at Hobby Lobby years ago. 

A mixture of vintage and new treasures, those beautiful old books we found at an Estate Sale!

Some more of my favorite village houses and another beautiful church.

In the main entryway is Mr. Cottage's tree, 8 feet of Christmas glory. For this one we go with Americana & nature ornaments collected through the years, we usually add a few things each year. The Santa's hung on one of my Grandmother's tree's (she had an ornament for each child and grandchild) but passed to us after her death. 

In the background, you can see the Remembrance Tree, filled with ornaments for loved ones no longer with us.

Told you I was on a garland kick, this strand runs up our staircase. I clothespinned Christmas cards people have sent us and pictures of some of our favorite memories this year. 

In this family, you are never too old for a fairy tale, so welcome to our fairy tale themed bedroom.

In a fairy tale room, you have to have a fairytale tree so here it is. Covered with roses, pearls, delicate swans, wings, beautiful horses, works of literature and topped with a crown.

 I have to say I love this little guy, we picked him up at Big Lots - I regret nothing!

I usually hang my earrings on here (does that give you an idea of how many earrings I own - don't judge it could be worse) but I decided to spruce it up a little with live greenery and beautiful satin ribbon (way cheaper than the one Brianna wanted to buy and just as pretty).

And finally we come to the Master Bedroom, we used a beautiful winter berry garland over the bed which really popped against the Cottage sign.

The bed is loaded with lacy sheets and soft cream and white pillows. That cute believe pillow we snagged at Big Lots, I just love the way it looks.

We wanted to keep this tree neutral so we went with beautiful white snowflakes for ornaments.

On the dresser, we used this beautiful vintage christening gown and a stack of gorgeous old bibles, treasures from the past we discovered at estate sales.

On the other end, we place willow tree sculptures and a bucket filled with beautiful blue ornaments and a cute little Christmas tree.

Over the top of the mirror we used a piece of magnolia garland, I love how it looks up there.

And that concludes our Christmas tour, we hope you enjoyed it! Merry Christmas! We hope you have a wonderful holiday filled with love and laughter and lots of memory making. May the blessings of this season follow you through the New Year, and may you find yourselves on our doorstep again next year.