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This post is part “throwback Thursday” since Christmas 2014 was on a Thursday and part craft project for Christmas 2015.

I meant to share this back in mid-December… but… I forgot. Even so, it’s still an easy and fun craft for next Christmas.

I made a few of them as gifts this year and I’m planning to make many more for next year.

Here is the back story:

I was in serious “purge mode” last Thursday. I had finally owned up to the fact that I wasn’t wearing at least 80% of the clothes in my closet and about 90% of the shoes.

So I went through it, with a very critical eye, and this is what I gathered up to give away.

That mess on my bed consists of:

• 26 skirts
• 22 dresses
• 11 pairs of dress pants
• 7 jackets and sweaters

and

• Over 13 DOZEN (that’s more than 156!!!) tops and blouses

plus…

… 53 pairs of shoes!

It is so freeing!

The dresser is my next target!

I did hold on to two really nice sweaters. One green and one cream for crafting purposes.

Here is what I’m going to make with them.

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Not much of an intro today for this yummy soup. I’m running out of the house… late… so here you go!

Roasted Cauliflower and Spinach Soup

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 large head cauliflower, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 pound fresh baby spinach

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and drizzle the olive oil onto the prepared baking sheet.

Place the onion and cauliflower on the baking sheet and toss in the oil to coat. Sprinkle the thyme leaves on top and season with salt and pepper; then arrange in a single layer.

Roast until the cauliflower is tender and golden brown on the bottom sides and around the edges, at least 30 minutes.

Transfer vegetables to a large pot and pour in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce to a simmer for 12 minutes. Stir in the sour cream and heat through for another 4 minutes.

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Marissa’s childhood friend, Lindsey, is getting married in March.

Marissa and Lindsey’s other bridesmaids and maid of honor threw Lindsey’s bridal shower here at our house on Saturday.

The girls (Abigail, Kaley, Alyse, and Marissa) did a fabulous job! The shower was a huge hit!

Lindsey and all her guests were rightly impressed.

We set up the “savory” station consisting of cheeses …

… Italian meats…

… breads, crackers, and salads.

Then there were the wonderful Essence Bakery desserts! Oh my!

We set up the bar down in the pool kitchen.

We used my vintage milk bottles – along with the necessary signs to keep guests from being scared off by the beat-up bottles.

Yesterday, I made dinner for the first time in more than a week, to the delight of my family. It had been an unusual, difficult, and busy week. The recipe follows.

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Sweet Salvage was last weekend and I found the most wonderful hand-painted vintage window frame/pane pieces of art.

There were four of them hanging from the rafters.

Do you want to try to guess which one “I had to have”?

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It’s been nearly a month since Christmas and ever since then, I’ve been meaning to share with you my two favorite gifts.

The first is the fabulous Arizona cutting/cheese board that Marissa gave me. Isn’t it wonderful?

Oh, how my girl knows me!

She knows I adore my beloved AZ. I love cutting boards. And, of course, we share the love of CHEESE!

… speaking of cheese…

The second favorite thing is this vintage dairy display slab that Marissa and I found and then Dave gave to me to open on Christmas morning.

Dairy and butcher display slabs were commonplace in English shops in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The slabs were used in markets and grocery stores as countertop displays for sausages, butter, lard, and cheese. These white stoneware slabs were seen as the ideal blank canvas for advertising, thus serving a dual purpose.

A few years ago I purchased two reproduction slabs.

This rectangular “Pure Butter” slab sits by my stove …

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I served this salad on Christmas. I think it’s one of the prettiest salads around. It is inspired by a photo I saw on Pinterest.

Easy and Pretty. Now that’s a nice combination!

Fruit & Cheese Green Salad Wreath with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing

Salad

• 1 small head iceberg lettuce
• 3 cups mixed greens
• 1 cup baby spinach leaves
• 2 small bunches grapes (red and/or purple)
• 1 small red and 1 small green apple (1 cored and cubed and 1 sliced)
• 2 pears (1 cored and cubed and 1 sliced)
• 8 Strawberries (3 left whole for decorating, the rest diced)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

Dressing

• Zest of 1 lemon (remove zest and set aside before juicing lemon)
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup agave nectar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Salad: Place the iceberg lettuce and mixed greens in a large bowl and toss to combine. Place a bowl in the center of a large round platter and spread the lettuces around the bowl on the platter. This is your wreath base.

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Sunday was baptism day for Peggy’s grandson, Cruz. Cruz is the cutest baby boy there ever was! I swear, he is a little chub of pure joy and his grandma is head over heels in love! I don’t blame her one little bit!

Darling Cruz is held by his godfather, along with his godmother, proud daddy Stevo (Peggy’s son), and beautiful mommy Keegan.

The baptism was held during the 10:30 mass at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church and the lunch was at Cruz’s great-uncle’s home.

Peggy was responsible for dessert and she did herself proud! She made the most adorable and delicious little lemon cupcakes with lemon curd, lemon frosting, and lemon sugar. I held myself back and only had two. It was a test of control and strength!

I just noticed that the cupcake liners match her dress. What did I tell you? Adorable!

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The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon will be in Phoenix on Super Bowl Sunday.

Tickets went on sale yesterday morning at 9:30 Arizona Time. I set my alarm, just in case. Didn’t need it though. I was at the computers at 9:00, ready to log in.

Then, at exactly 9:30:00, I pushed the link and went to the screen below, on three separate computers in the house.

I waited, absolutely certain that I would be the excited recipient of free tickets to see The Tonight Show in Phoenix on Super Bowl Sunday!

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