Life Among The Blooms Vol. 37

Life Among the Blooms Vol. 37 is a recap of the week and about random things going on over at White Lilac Farmhouse and a tip of the week.

It is a chance to get to know me a little better and see what I have been up to.

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Like you, I am on the crunch to get things done around the house and last-minute baking for enjoying the holidays.

I took sweet little Chibi to have her photo with Santa. She looked scared but it was more about the dogs that were in line. Chibi is afraid of larger dogs.

Chibi is such a sweet girl. Piper did not get her photo done this year. Jim was sick that bad cold virus going around. I cannot handle both of them with this knee.

A gathering of my close neighbor friends and their husbands at Pier 450 Restaurant. Chef Carlos has such wonderful Chef Tasting Themed Events. The restaurant is very quaint located on the water where the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River come together.

This time, our group rented a limo for the evening. A time to laugh and relax to and from the venue. It was such a great way of enjoying the holidays.

Chef Carlos did not disappoint us with the menu. Appetizers of pancakes topped with duck and melted in your mouth pastry puffs with Gruyere cheese kicked the cocktail hour off.

The first course was a Garden Vegetable Gumbo. It was topped off with lump crab meat and spoon bread.

The second course consisted of grits with two jumbo shrimp, braised short ribs topped with a peach relish glaze, and asparagus. The short ribs were incredibly tender. You did not even need to use a knife to cut. It melted in your mouth and was delicious.

The third course was Bûche De Noël. It was delicious and not super sweet. The cream filling had cherries. The chocolate sponge cake was light and not heavy. A Bûche De Noël or Yule Log is a traditional Christmas cake, often served as a dessert near Christmas, especially in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Vietnam, and Quebec, Canada. It originated in France. This dessert was delicious and perfect ending to the meal.

It was such a lovely evening. I only wished that my husband could have enjoyed it too. Normally, I would not have gone without him. However, we purchased tickets for this event and paid for the limo a while back. I was grateful to share the evening with another dear friend of our group, Carol.

Two words “gift bags”! You are down to the wire and have not wrapped presents yet? Wrap the ones for the little ones. Put items in gift bags. Yes, we all love beautifully wrapped gifts. However, it is the thrill of what is inside. It is a wonderful way to remove the stress of wrapping and enjoying the holidays.

Every year, I do a combination of both gift bags and wrapped gifts. I will wrap it as I go too. When presents are purchased or arrive at the house, I will wrap that evening to stay ahead of it.

One thing that I love about gift bags, you can use them over again. I save gift bags from my Christmas gifts. And, I will reuse them. Especially, the ones my mother buys. She always buys the prettiest gift bags.

Wrapping paper ends up in the trash. You can save gift bags to use the following year.

Another easy wrapping idea is to buy decorative gift boxes. There is no need to wrap. Just tie a pretty bow and gift tag. It will look beautiful and festive. I do this trick all the time!

This week on the blog, I shared about my collection of Belsnickel Santas. I shared the story about Belsnickel who is not Santa Claus. You can read about Unique Christmas Decor: Vintage Belsnickel Santas here.

I enjoy sharing our family favorites Celebrate in Style! Five Festive Cookie Recipes for Holidays & Parties.

Did you see this Cheerful and Charming: Bottle Brush Tree Wreath to Brighten Your Winter? I made this wreath that can stay up in the winter in minutes! I think this wreath turned out pretty.

As we enter into celebrating the New Year, here is some inspiration for entertaining some of my blogging friends.

Whether you are hosting a Christmas or New Year’s Eve party, Leslie of My 100 Year Old Home has The Best Frozen Vodka Cranberry. How beautiful are her ice molds?

You can not go wrong with a Countdown To The New Year With A Charcuterie Party! My friend, Jen of Midwest Life and Style shows us how to ring in the New Year in style by hosting a charcuterie board party.

Rachel of The Ponds Farmhouse shares this incredible Creamy Clam Dip Party Appetizer: 5-Minute Easy Recipe.

Need more appetizer ideas, Stacy of Bricks N’ Blooms has six recipes to share with us. My favorite is her Coconut Shrimp recipe. It is sure to be a crowd-pleaser!

Dear friend, I hope you and your family have a wonderful and safe holiday. Let’s rejoice in the ultimate gift we have received.

From my house to yours, Merry Christmas!