Cozy Cottage Christmas Homemaking:)

[Music] hello it's Becca and welcome to my little farmhouse on the Northern Plains of Iowa it's really nice to be with you today and hoping all is well it's getting so close to Christmas so just doing little things around the house today I'm going to be tidying up this living room and I need to wrap gifts so I may make a cup of tea before doing that then going to make Christmas cookies a busy day today and I'd love for you to stay for dinner because I'm making a warm and Hearty vegetable soup so I'm really glad you stopped by for a visit here at my home the carriage house the first thing I love to do around the home during this season is simply try to maintain a TIY home it's not always easy and it certainly doesn't have to be perfect but just cozy comforting and lived in I love putting Christmas music on or an oldfashioned movie while cleaning and that way the home is enjoyed being in and ready for Christmas I did make this DIY allpurpose peppermint cleaner last week and I absolutely love it it makes your home smell like Christmas it makes your home smell like the winter time I'll leave the recipe down below but it's basically castill B soap distilled water and the essential oils of peppermint and you can use it on anything and everything [Music] [Music] [Music] he [Music] I love placing warm and comforting blankets and throws around the house and little baskets that way people can have easy access to them especially on a cold Winter's Night they're the ultimate winter essential in a home and they add warmth beauty and a sense of comfort that makes the holiday season even more magical it's like being held a quiet assurance that you're safe warm and exactly where you're meant to be in the long evenings of winter a blanket becomes your cocoon a soft shield from the chill and the rush of the outside world [Music] so I just made a cup of warm tea I thought it would be nice to sip on while wrapping gifts it's kind of quiet in the house right now it's is really nice we're trying out a new tradition this year so each child or family member will get their own piece of wrapping paper in the bottom of their stocking and on Christmas morning after the child opens their stocking they find that little piece of wrapping paper and that will lead to the child to his her her own Christmas presents under the tree so let me know if you're making any New Traditions this year it's also important to keep those old and cherished Traditions alive as well [Music] it's late in the afternoon not quite time to make dinner but a perfect time to make Christmas cookies and normally I would be so exhausted by this time of day we do have four children from the ages five all the way up to 15 and we homeschool but there's a winter ice storm heading this way tonight so my husband's out getting a few Staples that we need to get at the store and for some reason when there's a winter storm or anything like that coming our way I instinctively want to get the house prepared and I know the kids would love and a husband the sand hearts that I'm about to make it's an old family southern recipe that's been in our family for Generations you know the ones old recipe cards with stains on them those are the best ones aren't they but don't make the mistake that I made and only added one one cup of flour instead of two they ended up turning out not too bad I'll leave the recipe down below but we're supposed to roll them in balls you'll see in a few minutes like little snowballs and after they come out in the oven they just flatten like a melted snowman due to the lack of flour but they still taste okay and there's an old story called Thunder Cake and a little girl and her grandmother gather ingredients to make a delicious cake before the storm comes but it's not real Thunder Cake if the cake is not done right before the storm hits and it must be eaten right when the storm's happening so I kind of had this little sweet Russian story in my head before this winter storm comes but to everyone out there please stay safe and warm during this holiday season so going to put a little bit more Christmas music on and we'll get these cookies made so [Music] [Applause] [Music] so now I'm going going to make dinner and going to keep it very simple tonight because I have a lot of baking to do this week for Christmas I'm sure you guys do too uh on Christmas I'll be making an herb roast with garlic mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables on Christmas day so I am watching a simple week night cooking class on crafty tonight and I want to thank crafty for sponsoring today's video crafty is an online platform and community that inspires millions of Crafters makers and DIY enthusiasts it's really good to support these people they have over 2,000 engaging CL uh classes such as crochet knitting painting photography drawing baking and cooking which is my absolute favorite there's something for everyone but each class is divided into simple easy to follow lessons Guided by knowledgeable awardwinning instructors who share their expertise through step-by-step demonstrations and I was so excited to Robin Miller on crafty okay you guys I used to watch her cooking videos a long time ago so when I saw her here I just I felt very comforted she's into really simple easy delicious week night type of meals which is good this time of year like right before Christmas because you want to you know during the week you want to make some simple meals and not go all out because Christmas Day and Christmas Eve are especially important so I'm going going to be making her delicious homemade vegetable soup I love watching all the cooking shows on here I've been putting them on before bed which has been really nice especially with it being close to Christmas and the holidays and these shows are really cozy to watch so the first 1,000 of my subscribers to click the link in the video description we get a full year of Premium membership to crafty for only a149 that's a huge discount compared to the normal price at123 so I will leave links in the description box down below I highly recommend crafty for this holiday season and spring to come so now I'm chopping my onion and then celery and carrots which this Trinity is called a mirror POA and France and this is such a healthy and easy soup to make right now because not only is it easy to make which is very helpful around the holidays especially if you have family coming to visit but it's very nutritious and we need to consume these nutritious foods and goodness to stay healthy during this winter this would be an amazing soup to make in a soup kitchen my children and I are trying to Source out on how to help this Christmas and being of service um but it shouldn't be for just Christmas only we should help and be of service during any season because people experience each season in such different ways [Music] [Music] and is hey he m [Music] I don't know get the now I have [Music] [Music] [Music] wow [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] J [Music] thank you so much for stopping by today so many more Christmas videos to come so really excited please share comment like And subscribe if you enjoyed your stay here and become part of our slow living Homemaker Circle where we Cherish The Simple Pleasures during this journey we call Life wishing you well and stay safe my sweet friend bye [Music]