P.S.- It's Heartmade: November 2014

Happy 1st Advent. The Christmas season has begun and I decided to be less traditional with my Advents candles.
Every year I have used an Advents wreath, but this year I chose a powder blue tray that I filled with Epsom salt to simulate snow, added silver and light blue Christmas balls, some pine cones, greenery and then placed my 4 candles in the center. My tree is in white, silver and powder blue so this Advent display will go nicely with the decor.

A very simple but beautiful display fit to celebrate each Advent Sunday.
This afternoon we lit the first candle and sat around it with a nice cup of coffee and a piece of cake.
Sunday Afternoon coffee and cake has been a tradition in my family as long as I can remember, but sitting around the Advents wreath made it just a little more special.

I hope everyone has a great and joyous time during the Season.

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-Filofax Layout {Week #5}

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-Pinecone Ball-

Every year I promise myself to start early with crafting things for my Christmas decor, but it never works out or I just don't get around to it. This year however I managed to start a little something that goes great for the rest of the fall season and carries right into Christmas.

I love pine cones and find them fitting for both of the major seasons.
Thanksgiving or Christmas, pine cones look great and so I tried my hand in making a pine cone ball. I've seen some displayed on Pinterest and thought they are just great so I just had to make one for myself.

I think I'll make some more decorations from pine cones since I still have a view weeks until the Christmas decor should be up.

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-Raw Cotton Decor-

Every year when the cotton fields are blooming I go and pick some of the cotton to make decorations for the fall. There is something very whimsical and rustic about cotton bolls. I just love the look of it for decorating.
Raw cotton is also very fashionable for fall wedding decorations.

Below you can see a jar that I wrapped completely in cream colored cotton string and then decorated it with burlap, a burlap flower and lace. This jar makes a perfect vase for a fluffy cotton bouquet freshly picked from the field.

I still had lots of cotton and managed to make a beautiful new wreath for my door. I also used some of the cotton pods to add as decor. A big burlap bow finishes the wreath of nicely.

These wreath are very simple to make. All there is to do is glue the cotton bolls to a Styrofoam wreath and add any other decor you might like. Such as bows, loops or floral items.

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-How To Peel And Cut An Onion Without Crying-

I love onions and they are the backbone for many dishes I love as well, but peeling and chopping onions is something I really don't care for.

There are many tips and tricks on how to prevent the crying while doing the onion cutting. Some are a little wacky, but why is it that we have to cry while chopping onions in the first place?

"When we cut into an onion, we break its cells, releasing the contents inside. This allows chemicals that were previously separated by a cell membrane to combine with each other and with the air. Enzymes and “amino acid sulfoxide” chemicals from inside the cells react to produce a volatile sulfur gas. This gas wafts up from the onion and reacts with the natural water in your eye to form sulfuric acid, which brings about the familiar stinging sensation.
“One of the reasons we cry is to rinse harmful things such as dust and in this case acid out of our eyes, Pain receptors send a message to our tear ducts, prompting a flow of tears to dilute the acid."
BY Evan Conway

So what can we do to prevent the crying bit?

Some people seem to be more affected by the weepy fumes than others. So give the suggestions below a try and find the one that works best for you.

1. Keep your onions in the refrigerator or place your onion that is to be chopped for 15 minutes in the freezer. The cold slows down the release of the fumes that make you cry

2. Use a really sharp knife and try to cut the onion instead of chopping it. When you crush the onion which chopping really is, the chemicals in the onion will release faster.

3. Wear goggles. You will look a tad goofy, but who cares?

4. Put your chopping board next to the stove under the range hood and turn the fan on high, as to suck the fumes away from the air around you.

5. Cut the onion in half and dip it in salt or lemon water for a moment.

cut the onion in half and dip it briefly in salt water or lemon water.

Read More at <a href='http://www.eatwell101.com/peel-chop-onions-without-crying-chopping-onion-without-tears'>10 Ways to Peel and Cut Onions without Crying</a>,10 Ways to Peel and Cut Onions without Crying, Copyright © <a href='http://www.eatwell101.com'>Eatwell 101</a>

6. Chew on something like gum or a piece of bread.

7. Using the natural acid of lemon juice or vinegar can help reduce the possibility of irritation. To give this method a try, just wipe down your knife with either and cut away!

8. Light a candle, this trick might be worth a try. Some people say the gas released from the onion will be drawn to the flame. If this doesn't work at least you have a nice romantic mood in your kitchen.

9. Instead of cutting your onion into rings (against the grain) cut them into strips (with the grain), slicing from one end to the other. That disrupts fewer cell walls and releases fewer oils.

10. Have someone else cut the onion for you!

I hope one or more of these methods will keep you from crying and make the task of peeling and dicing onions a little bit easier and more enjoyable.

If you have a tip on how to cut onions please leave a comment.

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