christmas breakfast

christmas breakfast

I have had the same breakfast every Christmas morning for as long as I can remember – Breakfast “Christmas Trees” and Crescent Brunch.  My parents would only make this at Christmas, so we looked forward to it so much every year.  We loved decorating the “christmas trees” with sprinkles ….. correction, we still love decorating with sprinkles.  Here is a photo from last year with my sister doing just that:

ChristmasTradition

 

Both of these recipes are super easy to make and fun for kids to pitch in and help.  And, now that I don’t live with my parents and these recipes are only for once a year….I make the crescent brunch recipe all of the time!

Breakfast “Christmas Trees”

  • 2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls
  • 2 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons orange juice
  • 2 Tablespoons red and green sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice 2 packages of crescent rolls (do not unroll) into 11 equal pieces and flatten. On ungreased cookie sheet, arrange 10 pieces into a triangle to form tree. Use last piece to make trunk. Bake 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cream the cream cheese with powdered sugar and orange juice. Drizzle on baked rolls and sprinkle with red and green sugar.

 

Crescent Brunch

  • 3 eggs slightly beaten
  • 3/4 cup of milk
  • 1 8 oz. package of crescent dinner rolls
  • 6 slices of swiss cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons red and green sugar

In a small mixing bowl, combine eggs and milk.  Separate crescent dough into 4 rectangles and place on bottom of 13×9 baking dish.  Press over bottom and 1″ up sides. Place cheese slices on top of dough.  Pour egg mixture over cheese.  Bake for 18-20 minutes at 425.

 

Only 8 more days until I can enjoy the delicious recipes above!

Heather Johnson - The Creative Stack

 

feed the fish

feed the fish

This year I really wanted to do something a little different to celebrate my birthday. Not only was it a big one for me, but it was right before Thanksgiving, so in the spirit of giving I thought it would be appropriate to give back! I was initially inspired by how my good friend, Cheyenne, celebrated her 31st birthday.

The day before my group of friends and I headed to the beach I loaded up on various goodies (i.e. jelly belly’s, snickers bars, orbit gum, etc.) and taped a note I wrote to each one. I also purchased several Starbucks gift cards and attached the note. Saturday morning I shared with my friends how I wanted to celebrate and handed them each a bag with 4 quarters to give out as we headed out to Broadway at the Beach with our big bag of goodies! We had a blast giving out candy and filling fish food machines with quarters! Some of the best reactions were from handing out the Starbucks gift cards!

Pretty much everyone was receptive to us. A few were confused and one turned down a Snickers bar….can’t please everyone I suppose! 🙂 My favorite reaction was a little girl who wanted to feed the fish so bad but no one in her group had any quarters. I happened to walk right through as she dropped her head in disappointment after her father told her he didn’t have any money. I was holding Dyce but was able to shift him so I could reach in my pocket and get my bag of quarters. You would have thought she won the lottery after I handed her the bag!

It’s the little things.

At the bottom of the notes I had put an email address. I wasn’t really expecting to hear from anyone, but it made my day when I got this email late Sunday night…..

Dear thefortunateplight@gmail.com

Your random act of kindness touched me beyond measure! It was so nice to be the recipient of this Starbucks gift card while walking from the bitter cold to where else, but Starbucks at Broadway at the Beach to get a hot chocolate.  Thank you for that!

I was eager to help you celebrate your birthday wish…so when one of the performers (aka…Santa Claus) asked if their grandparent could hang around with us because she was all alone. Not only was your generosity paid forward, but a new friend was made as well! Here’s to sharing hot chocolates and warm blankets!
 
Great start to the Thanksgiving and Christmas Season!!!

Happy 30th Birthday and may many blessings abound you.

Last night (my actual birthday) I was driving home from a late meeting at work. When I pulled onto my road I saw that one of my neighbors trashcans had tipped over and trash was all in the middle of the street. One of the bags had opened and loose trash was starting to litter their lawn. I’m not going to lie, at first I drove past thinking how late it was and I was tired, cold and hungry, but then I thought about this sweet woman’s email and how important it is to practice what you preach. I put my car in reverse and there I was in the middle of the night picking up bags of trash in the middle of the road and realizing that sometimes you have to make a  conscious effort to pay it forward.
This week let’s make a conscious effort to be better, kinder and more generous people. I truly believe only great things can come of it.
xo,
give it up

give it up

Hey guys. Sup?

So here’s the thing, I’m sure some of you out there know someone in need or perhaps you are in need of a few things yourself. With the holidays nipping at our heels it’s so easy to get caught up in seasonal recipes and diy decorations, meanwhile there are thousands of families in need.

Should we feel bad for caring about baking a delicious meal or making brilliantly creative place settings and tree toppers? Absolutely not. However, wouldn’t it be nice if we took a few minutes out of this busy season to help those in need and spread the love we have such an abundance of?!

We all have our own definition of giving but I want to share a few sites that I came across recently and encourage you to give back, should you feel so inclined.

Covenant House’s Baby Registry – The Covenant House in Newark, NJ is caring for homeless families with children and they need some essential baby clothes. It’s urgent. They are caring for families all across New Jersey and beyond that have been directly impacted by Sandy.

Monkee See Monkee Do – Helping families in need. I sat reading these families requests, some big and some small, and reading their sometimes tragic stories. It will be hard for you to not want to help them all!

HSRF – Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund

Project Flipmode – Our mission is to help individuals and families facing homelessness and other crisis with prayer and support. Also by providing help and resources that will empower them to change their lives.

Do you or someone you know have needs this holiday season? Do you know of another worthy cause you would like us to share? If so, email us at sslideup@gmail.com or leave a comment below and tell us about it. We would all be more than happy to try and help in any way.

And in the spirit of giving, don’t forget to enter our Turkey Giveaway!!

Happy Tuesday!