**Please note our office will be closed Dec 24th and Dec 25th and we will reopen on Dec 26th**

Hello friends! Can you believe this is my last Seven on Sunday before Christmas! Don’t’ know about you but this month has flown by so incredibly fast, faster than any I remember. I have been spread thin between being in my office, hosting a holiday luncheon, having social obligations, spending my treasured  time with Phillip (best part) running around like a elf on steroids to purchase gifts, decorating my home, getting started with our renovation and the long decision making process that goes along with it…you can say I am pooped!

I tend to compartmentalize my task list. Until Wed it was only about my holiday luncheon. Thursday was the luncheon and Friday and Sat were both designated as gift buying days and my self imposed deadline was Sat afternoon/Sunday morning. Have relatives coming in tonight so I want to know whats done is done. I ran around like a crazy person but pleased to say I got just about everything done. When I realized I was at my threshold, I went home and ordered a bunch of things on Amazon that I was not finding and never was I so grateful to have Amazon. We got snow on Sat (unexpectedly) and between that and frigid temps moving in, it was really nice to be home until we had to go out that night.Today is a wrap up of a few odds and ends, then I am done….woo hoo!

Hope this finds you doing well and also near completion with your own holiday prep, its so nice to know what’s done is done and you can sit back and enjoy the magic of the season with hopefully minimal stress. I want game playing, things cooking on the stove, being in my loungey clothes and just being home (oh and football blaring on the TV will be a given)  OK, onward to my post today….

1 THE MOST INSANELY BEAUTIFUL COOKIES! I cannot brag enough about these most beautiful cookies that super talented Cowtown Cookies made for me and my holiday luncheon. They are simply spectacular beyond words. I sent her pictures of my holiday decor an oh boy, did she knock this out of the park. I mean the detailing is just incredible!!! Too pretty to bite into. Thank you Morgan for making my cookie dreams come true. Will be doing a full recap post on my holiday luncheon in about a week…once I come up for air:) Click here to see the unparalleled work of cookie maestro Cowtown Cookies!

 

 

2 SKYLIGHT PHOTO BOX This gift idea (for any occasional) always triggers such emotion in me as when I started to see my mothers decline with Alzheimers, I saw that one thing that brought a smile to her face were pictures of my sister and I and our families (especially when the kids were little) The best purchase I ever made was this Skylight photo box because even with  from the miles, we could easily upload new pictures and she always had a revolving carousel of al kinds of wonderful pictures to enjoy.

When she was not able to really express herself any more ( I get so choked up writing that) I loved sitting next to her and narrating and reminiscing about the backstory of each picture, it brought her a lot of joy even during that most difficult stage. This is truly a phenomenal gift and a few on my gift list are getting it this Christmas. Click here for more info ( you can also buy on Amazon)

3 INSTAGRAMS OF INTEREST Of course going to devote my favorites to Christmas since its the last Sunday before the big day. What a bevy of beauty…

4 PHILLIP AT CHRISTMAS TIME! Best Christmas gift ever! Nothing can bring me joy quite like this little munchkin can. I have had a few really stressful days and all I needed was a cuddle with him and it was like an instant much needed tonic. He has truly stolen my heart (and my husband’s). We had such fun dressing him up in his little Santa outfit and he was quite the hit at my holiday luncheon, everyone was waiting their turn to hold him and he loved every minute.We also took him to meet Santa and will treasure these pictures forever! We are really looking forward to his first Christmas!

 

 

5 A BEAUTIFUL HOUSE TOUR FOR THE HOLIDAYS Love this elegant, timeless traditional home all decked out for the holidays. And love her gifts all wrapped up in wallpaper! Love how layered, cozy and elegant this house is. What can I say? I am a traditionalist and always will be:) So beautiful and festive, really enjoyed this tour….

 

6 A FEW RECIPES FROM MY HOLIDAY LUNCHEON I will be doing a long post on my holiday luncheon but wanted to share two of recipes that are so so good and perfect for a ladies lunch. These are always a hit!

AUTUMN BISQUE SOUP

1 very large head of cauliflower (or 1 and a half heads)

4 good sized carrots

4 Yukon gold potatoes (med to large) or 5 smaller

1/4/ cup chopped flat parsley,

1 large onion,

1/2 chopped parsnip

2 Knorrs chicken bullion cubes

Sprinkle of curry

Worcestershire sauce ( a few dashes or to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Heavy cream (calls for 1/2 cup, I use 1/4 cup which is totally fine)

Finely chopped chives (garnish)

Cut up all vegetables fairly small (about 1″) Fill a pot with about 5-6 cups of water, add bouillon cubes and all vegetables. Boil until very soft. Remove from heat and in batches puree with handheld mixer or in a blender until very smooth. Pour back in soup pot. Add sea salt, fresh pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and curry powder to taste.

Add about 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Original recipe calls for 3/4 cup of cream but I have lessened it by adding 2 more potatoes and the result is excellent. Add a pinch of finely chopped chives on top for garnish and enjoy!

 

ASIAN CHICKEN SALAD

1 head of cabbage, shredded fine

3 nice sized chicken breast, shredded fine

about 4 TBSP soy sauce

1 TBSP sugar,

2 bunches scallions,

about 1/2-3/4 cup slivered almonds ( I toast mine)

2 packs chicken Ramen noodles,

one can lo mein or rice noodles ( I use lo mein),

3 tablespoons or more sesame seeds (I use black sesame seeds)

Finely grated ginger or powdered if you don’t have fresh (about 1 TBSP)

rice vinegar to taste

Shred cabbage very thin with a good sharp serenaded knife or a mandolin, which makes it easy. Boil chicken in salted water. When cool, shred to small pieces.

Chop up 2 bunches of scallions. Bake almonds until golden brown. Add cabbage, chicken, scallions and almonds and set aside covered. I

n small mixing bowl, add about 1/2 cup soy, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, the sesame seeds, 1/4 to 1/2 cup oil (not olive any vegetable or corn is fine),the chicken seasoning packets from ramen noodles and 2 tablespoons sugar.

Mix well, toss over salad up to 30 min. before you want to serve, add rice noodles at end and chopped up ramen noodles. Garnish with scallions and and almonds

 

7 SUNDAYS SURVEY So,  now that I would assume most of us are done with our holiday shopping, curious as to how much of it brought you out into the stores vs buying online? I have to say with the exception of a few places, I was actually kind of surprised that on the Saturday before Christmas some places really weren’t bad at all.

It made me realize the power of eCommerce and how its taken over. I have to admit its awfully convenient and when you have snowy, frigid weather, being able to check things off your list from the comfort of your home is pretty hard to beat! I do like to support smaller local businesses but have also noticed stores are not stocked the way they used to be which often results in having to resort to purchasing online. How about you?

 

 

And, that’s a wrap for today! Tonight we have my dad flying in and my nephew and fiance so look forward to seeing them and spending quality family time together over the next few days. Hope to get some pictures uploaded of my holiday decor this year for a post tomorrow or Tuesday (better late than never)!

TWO ANNOUNCEMENTS-

 

1. OUR MUCH ANTICIPATED 50% OFF ALL HOLIDAY WILL BEGIN DEC 24TH AT 6PM

AND WILL BE ON SALE FOR FOUR DAYS (A MAILER WILL GO OUT)

 

2. WE STILL HAVE ROOM FOR A FEW MORE PICTURES FOR OUR HOLIDAY LOVE CONTEST! SEND IN YOUR 1-2 HOLIDAY RELATED PICTURES TO INFO@ENCHANTEDHOME.COM (WRITE CONTEST ON SUBJECT LINE)

FOR FULL DETAILS CLICK HERE