Ornaments – Recipes – Chain Letter! – e82s1

episode 82 season 1

Merry Christmas, love The Moss’

Welcome back for this Christmas special episode. Giving thanks, setting goals and a personal story.

Me, Valerie Moss and my special person London sharing a moment after decorating is completed!
Me, Valerie Moss and my special person London, Merry Christmas Everyone!

This year when we my hubby Jeff and I were discussing Christmas and where to spend it, we planned a trip to Mexico before the holidays, which I will share after when we get home. We were sitting around discussing this and Christmas is such a different time of year for me, When I was a kid I loved getting together and being with family – like emmersed in and around family, being busy with family. Since growing up and having a family of my own it’s just different. London, my eight year old made me feel so good…as we were discussing plans for the holidays and possibly heading out of town for Christmas Day…she said,” Mom, I like being home, I like when you decorate the house with your Christmas quilts, I like opening my gifts and stocking up here” Man do kids every make you feel good. This did it we are staying home and for once I’m looking forward to it on a big scale.

What are you doing for Christmas? Who do you like to be with and what do you like to celebrate. Do you have special baking. Special Songs and movies that get you in the spirit? Is it playing the Yule log on Netflix while reading a good book in bed, like The God’s Chair?

New Traditions Anyone?

Christmas Tree Ornaments

New Christmas Tree ornaments for the tree, made with Love with London, celebrating 20th Christmas with my sweetheart Jeff.
Christmas Tree Ornaments feating London’s School photo – best cards!
here’s the hand pressed paper used for the back, it’s parchment and has little designs
Love the layering, coffee sleeves, stickers, parchment and scrapbook paper, plus the hanging strap!

This year I started a new tradition, well only made it once so far BUT it’s a keeper…so before I tell you what I did I’m going to tell you what I’ve done in the past. At the beginning of the school year, London gets school pictures like most of the kids – typically I send these out in a Christmas card with a note. Well once the kids get older they like to help with everything and now that London and read and write she’s helping with this also.

sent to the cousins, aunts and uncles

So, I made her write a family list of names for the cards but instead of cards we made ornaments with her school photos. I used parchment paper, stamped with live flowers and pinched in certain ways creating designs like flowers, as the backing. I have these little cardboard frames, I collect coffee sleeves to use in scrapbooking, batches of Christmas stickers and started to layer and play with this. Check these out! they turned out so well. London write a small note telling almost all of the recipients that they were awesome and she loved them in her amazing 8 year old hand writing. Stuff these into an envelope and sent these off.

Christmas Chain Letter

First Swain Chain Letter - I wonder if this is going to work?
Christmas Chain Letter, starting with my letter, and instructions for the next people

The other thing I did was create a Christmas chain letter…I know right? I had this idea, I wanted to have the feeling of family as when I was a child I loved having my Auntie Kathy’s home to go to surrounded by my moms side of 5 siblings plus their kiddies and my dads side 7 siblings plus their spouses and kiddies at Christmas. So, since this doesn’t happen anymore I thought we should do a chain letter…this is how it worked:

Don’t forget to include details and your love note to YOUR Family!

First, I wrote a note with instructions (you read my letter, you write your note and update all of the family on your best things, then I wrote my letter, along with the instructions then I inserted blank paper and stamps to help encourage the next person to write their note, include it with mine and send it to the next family member. I included a list of people/family aunts uncles and cousins for ideas. At the end, send back to me (my address included) and I’d post this on socials for all to see…What do you think? Have you done something like this before? I’ll let you know how it goes.

My Top 5 Christmas Recipes

  1. Best of Bridge Cookies, Mona’s Mother’s Mother’s Best Friend’s Favourite ( I add coconut and oatmeal)
  2. Best of Bridge Cookies, Whipped Shortbread (I’ve made these with cinnamon chips, and also with rice flour and whole wheat flour as well as the traditional all purpose flour)
  3. Jeff Moss, Chocolate Drop Cookies
  4. Poppy Cock
  5. Oakhart Rum and EggNog – the only eggnog that.I like is by Lucerne sold at Safeway only.
Best of the Best: my GO-TO guide for good meals
Chocolate Drop Cookies (haystacks) one of my traditional favourites!
Chocolate Drop Cookies – I love a receipe in someone’s else hand writing
Poppy Cock
Got this one off Food.com and it’s a keeper
Whipped Shortbread, one of the best shortbread cookie recipe out there!
This recipe I’ve been making for 20 years, always a good one, soft and powdery cookies
A new find this year and it is a well worth it try - give it a go!
Only tried this one for the first time this year – an excellent cookie!

Moving into the new year, there’s a few things that I’m changing on the show first I want a theme so for 2020 my theme is going to be: Hobbies and Food with a focus on passion. Instagram @ValerieJMoss Pinterest @VJMoss Facebook @ValeriesVarietyPod

The music for this show is performed by London Moss, as previously she recorded for my show last year, she again is my background for this show. I’m in awe of her confidence at such a young age to feel open and courageous to be on a microphone singing her heart out. She feels proud and I’m definitely proud of her.

The Messiest Body Scrub – BUT it’s worth it! – e55s1

episode 55 season 1

my go to body & face scrub.
Two Minute Tuesdays on Valerie's Variety Podcast...
Two Minute Tuesdays Cover Art…

Episode 55

Two minute Tuesday TMTs Segment I’m featuring my favourite body scrub – a quick and dirty cheap body scrub. This is for all the girls, gals, ladies and guys if you want to have soft radiant skin. I love to exfoliate – like I mean a good scrub on my body to get all of the dead skin off, arms, legs mostly and face – neck, plus it feels really good.

Coffee and Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

I always save my used coffee grounds from my Keurig, we use a re-useable cup for our machine and scoop the coffee into this instead of the dreadful disposable cups. Anyway if you let this reusable cup sit overnight it will be dry and powdery. You tap the top of the cup and the ground just pour out – clean.

Containers

I have a red cylinder vase that looks nice on the counter that holds all of my use coffee grounds. Stirring occasionally with a chop stick to ensure it’s dry through. I transfer this to a tupperware to use in the shower. I found a small glass toy coffee cup that I use as my scoop- this probably holds a teaspoon, you could use any small scoop but it’s nice if it has a handle – easier to scoop the coffee out of the tupperware with wet hands. The tupperware size I’m talking about is like 1 measuring cup – not very big. The 2nd tupperware I have holds my Extra Virgin Coconut oil maybe half a cup. This is my favourite moisturizer to use, daily.

What to do

While in the shower, bring your ‘coffee’ tupperware with scoop in with you. Rinse off your body take a small scoop of coffee in your hand, moisten it slightly – you should have enough that coats both hands, and proceed to rub this into your legs, feet, bum, back, arms, keep getting more coffee as needed. The natural oils from the coffee also provide moisture. I also use this on my face. Please test an area of your body like you arm or your thigh first to ensure you don’t have any reaction. Scrub as firm as you want. I just love this good scratch, exfoliating on the body.

It’s Messy!

Warning, this is a message scrub, leaves your shower with little coffee grinds but it’s worth it! Also try ti limit the amount of water that gets into your container in the shower as it will mould. So, if you do get water just leave open on your bathroom counter over night giving it a stir with a chopstick or something dry until it’s dry through, easy!

Let me know if you try this out and what you think. check out my site for pictures of my containers. We use the presidents choice dark roast coffee (pssst better than Tim Hortons or MacDonalds). And just your over the counter extra virgin coconut oil from any grocery store, it’s like $10.

Until next Tuesday

Valerie’s Variety Podcast is a story podcast about my life in Calgary. ReViews, InterViews and my Daily Views. WhatEVER | WhenEVER. The show drops every Tuesday.

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