What's Cracking?

Halloween is over...which means it is time for Christmas shopping and decorating! It really is the most wonderful time of the year! I like to add new pieces to my holiday decor every year. For 2017 I thought nutcrackers would be a great addition. My Uncle Ricky used to collect all types. Every Christmas I would help my mother pick out a new one for him. I'm excited to continue this tradition in his memory. 

The Clever Creations Christmas series is the best in holiday home and office decor.  This series features a wide array of unique and whimsical home décor perfect for celebrating the holiday season. They offer over 175 nutcrackers to fit any decor theme, or area of the house. Our traditionally designed nutcrackers come in many different colors, outfits and nationalities. Every Nutcracker is built from 100% real wood, painted and coated for durability, and decorated with care. Buy with the confidence that each nutcracker is long lasting and durable.

This Beach Santa Claus is my absolute favorite! He is 14" tall and wears a snowflake covered Hawaiian shirt. He carries an umbrella and an adorable stripped beach chair. His sunglasses are great and his flip flops on the "sandy" glitter base are the perfect touch. I love all things nautical so this one hits it out of the park.

The Lady in Red Nutcracker is 16" and super sassy. I love her red dress and furry hat. Her blond hair flips up into a fun style. The best part is her leopard print purse and trim on the base. Perfect for a fashionista. 

I also love this Traditional Chubby Scottish Nutcracker. He is smaller at 7" tall. He wears a kilt and has bagpipes. He is perfect down to his painted on teeth. 

I'm thrilled to add these guys to my shelves when the Winter comes. I will definitely be back next year to see what Clever Creations has. I will want another and may want to give some as gifts.  

While I was grabbing nutcrackers I also jumped on these Pickle Ornaments. My friend had one on her tree a few years ago and I thought the tradition sounded fun. I'm going to start doing a Pickle Present this year and I will be stashing the extra pickles in my mother and sister's trees. These are shatterproof, shiny green and has gold glitter.

Check out Clever Creations on Pinterest.

Happy Decorating!!

~Crystal Vicious

Easy Peasy Pasta

John and I had fun hosting our last Dinner Party so we decided to have another one. We even picked up some new chairs so more people could fit at our tiny kitchen table. My best friend Tammy made her famous "Gravy" with meatballs while I made with my favorite, Broccoli Aflredo. Garlic Bread in the oven and wine in our glasses. We were ready to talk about Barilla Ready Pasta.

 Ready Pasta is available in 4 cuts: penne, elbows, rotini and gemelli. I used Elbows for the meat sauce and Gemelli for the alfredo. We made Penne the week before with a yummy tomato basil sauce. They are all so good. 

Barilla Ready Pasta is a delicious, fully cooked pasta that is ready in just 60 seconds. Simply heat the pouch in the microwave then top with your favorite ingredients for a delicious dish in minutes. Each packages contains 2 servings, so they are perfect for a couple, kids or as a side. Great for people who have there hands full or are busy, because you don't have to wait around for water to boil.

I am not a fan of microwaves, so if you are like me, you can easily heat up Ready Pasta without the microwave. Just toss it in a skillet with some olive oil and heat it up for 2-4 minutes. Perfect! Not as convenient as the microwave, but still much faster and using a skillet keeps my pots free for cooking other things on the stove top. 

Barilla Ready Pasta has no preservatives and is made with 3 simple ingredients. A dash of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of sea salt & authentic Barilla pasta. Simple, Fast and Yummy. Everyone loved it. 

You can pick up Barilla Ready Pasta in Grocery Stores and Walmart.

It is even available on Amazon.

I love having Ready Pasta on hand in my pantry. It's the perfect way to whip up something quick and easy.

~Crystal Vicious

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