I am strongly recommending that you gather up your children, select some coloured papers, markers, scissors, glue and a few little decorations and spend the time with them to help them create those special Valentines Day cards.

Here is a helping hand for you – just click on the link or the picture and plan to make memories!

Make Valentines Day Cards

Easy Valentines Day Crafts

Enjoy making these and have a wonderful Valentines Day!

You can easily make butter tarts like these! Click on the picture and check out my pre-packaged products. So easy, you won't believe it!

I have a story to tell you:  Some of you are already familiar with the Mama Knows product line. Good old fashioned recipes that I have personally transformed into a ready to mix and make goodies.

One of the products are The Best Ever Butter Tarts. And much to my delight, my adopted grandson ventured into his mom’s kitchen and started baking. Using my pre-measured butter tart ingredients package, he got to work. Now – it is important for you to know that he is 12 years old and I will not even mention the fact that boys are not always the ones who would be most inclined to roll up their sleeves and get into the kitchen. I am delighted that he did it – big hugs and special rewards are sure to be coming his way from grandma Hanna!

Here are pictures of his kitchen adventure :

My 12-year old adopted grandson getting ready to use my Best Ever Butter Tarts in a jar

Was he going to have fun baking? You bet!

Little bit of mixing..... - nice to see the concentration of doing it right!

I think maybe mom was doing a bit of teasing from behind....

Check the oven.... time to put the creations in

And ready to go in! He is having so much fun baking - it's awesome!

Total success! They turned out perfect and I am not sure how many he consumed by himself - but knowing him, I am sure he shared...

You will find all my carefully selected and personally developed products in

Mama Knows Online Store

Hope you will visit and check out these special products – use them yourself or remember that  they will make a great gift as well anytime!

Let’s face it – grandma’s are younger these days – not in years, but in activities and how they live their lives. When my grandma was the same age I am now, I remember her projecting a totally different image than I do now. I couldn’t imagine her wearing blue jeans. golfing or wearing make up. Not that there is anything wrong with that and as much as I loved my grandma, I decided that I don’t really want to be like her. Wanting to be my very own grandma person is not easy, but worth it. There are a number of things to consider and takew care of and I want to share them with you:

What will your grandchild call you?

Easiest is the good old : “grandma”. But consider that there is more than likely another grandma in the picture. It was important to me that my grandson had something to call only me. So I chose “baba” – same name I called my grandma. Think about it this way – how many times in your life do you get to choose your own name?

What kind of grandma will you be?

Are you going to be the one who never says “no” or will it be your way or the highway? Kind of silly to think about it this way, actually. This point is the same as it is when you are a mom – the trick is to find the line, the perfect middle, the know when to say “no” and when to say “go for it”. And same as being a mom – you will not always know the right answer. So – don’t sweat it – remember that you have lots of experience!

Are you going to spoil your grandchild?

Of course you are – or at least you are going to try. I do have a rule for that – never, ever say “yes” when you know the parents would definitely say “no”. Never ever overrule them and never ever challenge their decisions. It’s their child and they have to live with whatever happens. If you are in doubt about this rule, just ask yourself how would it feel if you were the parent and the grandparent would challenge your decisions. And just a little note on this subject: if you have a problem with something the parents are doing, it’s OK to talk to them about it - just never, ever in front of the child!

Will you find the time to spend with your grandchild?

The answer to this one is: You absolutely have to. Look back and see how quickly your own children grew up. And if you were a working person when they were growing up, you are probably thinking that you missed a whole lot. You can make sure that you don’t miss anything your grandchild does or desn’t do. Use the phone, text, emails if you can’t visit often, ask the parents to send pictures and short videos – it’s the digital world these days! Easy and simple, but it will not replace the real visits or the real time you spend with your grandchild. Find it and make it happen – it is so very, very important.

Some time ago, I ran across The Golden Rules of Parenting – and here they are:

Seal Your Lips: You could be an expert who has a whole line of bestsellers on parenting to her name and your son or daughter will still want to do things their own way. remember that your advice and your opinions will not be welcomed, unless they are solicited! And even then it may just be solicited out of being polite – so walk carefully! And just to make sure you understand: this should read” Seal Your Lips and Bite Your Tongue”!

Love Thy Grandchild as Your Own Child - but Remember That He or She is Not Your Own: This just reinforced all the other points and I keep addressing it from all directions. It is your grandchild and it is very different than being your own child. It is there for you to love and play with – all the other stuff is the business of the parents – keep reminding yourself of that and you will be a very happy grandparent!

Abide By the Rules of the New Parents:  It is important to understand that the rules of parenting have changed since you were a parent. New gadgets, new ways to communicate, new lots of things. Pay attention to what the parents are telling you and do your best to understand and abide by their rules, because yours really don’t matter any more.

Accept Your Role: Understand that maternal grandmothers may appear to be more important. Understand that in most families, new mothers are the primary caretakers of babies, leaning on their mothers for support. Sometimes it can work the other way as well, but either side could be at risk of being shut out completely if they fail to observe and understand this. Think about yourself as being a relief pitcher in a baseball game – and stay on the bench until you are called – that’s how you will stay in the game.

Don’t Be Surprised If Old Issues Get Triggered: If you are in a situation where there are more than two sets of grandparents – I am talking about a couple who got divorced and than remarried – do not get into a competition. Even if the other side tries to do that, it is up to you not to fall into that trap. It will be appreciated if you don’t and it will avoid potentially traumatic situation.

Get a Life: As much as being a grandmother or a grandfather is hugely important, it cannot become your whole life. Stay close and connected, yet separate. Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries.

Let Go of Expectations: You may have your grandchild nearby right now, but what if the parents decide to move some distance away? Don’t take it personally – deal with it and find a way to stay in touch.

I hope you enjoyed this article – whether you agree with everything or not, send me your comments. opinions, suggestions and experiences – your input is very welcomed and much appreciated!

Almost 40 years ago, I made Christmas stockings for my two boys. The older one – Dusan – was just little over 2 years old and the younger one – Daniel was only 6 weeks old at the time. I made the stockings form couple of pieces of red quilted material, trimmed them with white and embroidered their names on it. We hang those stockings up every year – no matter where we are. and as the boys got older, the added tradition was to fill the stockings with little goodies and a large Toblerone bar. And as the years went by, I added stockings for new members of our family, When Dusan got married, “Kara: stocking went up, When Daniel got engaged to Nicole. “Nicole” stocking was added and when Abbie got engaged to Dave, “Dave” stocking was another addition. But the best and greatly cherished addition was the stocking that has “Jax” on it – that one is for Dan and Nicole’s son – our precious grandson Jaxson. And that stocking is about 3 feet long and it fill our hearts with joy to try to fill it for him.

Sounds simple and normal – I know that lots of people do this or something similar. But for all of us, one of the stockings became a very special Christmas memory. Dusan died tragically in a car accident in February 2010 and the first Christmas without him was very, very difficult. But that little tradition of putting all our stockings up became even more important. Dusan’s stocking just had to be with us – it was almost as if he was too.

And now – there is the second Christmas without him – and it is now time to start another tradition. . Last week, Daniel asked me if I would make a stocking for Jaxson, one they can put up in their house – just like I did for him and his brother. That made me feel so very, very good – it meant that the Christmas traditions I started are very special and Daniel wants to make sure they continue. I made a special stocking for Jaxson and added two more – one that says “mommy” and another one that has “Daddy” embroidered on it.

Maybe you want to make a special stocking that will start and very special memory for you – so – I am sharing what I did.

Here is a step by step process of how I made Jaxson’s special Christmas stocking:

1. Instead of making one from scratch, I bought a plain – and large – red and white stocking.

I started with just a plain red and white stocking - it had a little holly already embroidered on it, so that was a bonus that suited my design idea well

2. With a thin marker, I sketched Jacson’s name on to get ready for embroidering it into the top part of the stocking

Marking the letters with a thin marker before embroidering the name helps to make sure the letters are nice and even and still have that handmade touch

3. The special design I wanted to make was to start putting Christmas pictures of Jaxson onto the stocking and adding new ones as he is growing up. So far – I had two of them and the way I did it was to create fabric transfers that I could put a nice simple border around and attach them to the stocking. Making your own fabric transfers is not difficult – you will need transfer sheet you can buy at any store that sells office supplies and follow directions on the package.

Transferring pictures onto a plain white piece of fabric was easy, using readily available transfer papers and a hot iron

4. Once I peeled the transfer paper off my pictures, I trimmed the shapes about 1/2″ from the edges and clipped out little notches, getting ready to edge and “frame the pictures, before attaching them to the stocking

Cutting out little notches in the fabric helps when you need to fold the fabric to edge the picture - it won't bunch up on you. I trimmed the picture with a crochet ribbon - easy to make from a pure white material that has a gold tread in it.

5. I decided to add a pretty trim to the stocking, between the white and red part – again just a simple crochet from fun material that is easily purchased from a craft store. You can buy ready made trim of your choice and tack it on with either small stitches or fabric glue.

There are a lot of fun materials you can work with available - the one I used here is a yarn made of different colour little balls with pieces of yarn in between. As you work with it, the balls become connected - fun!

6. And then I attached Jaxson’s pictures to the stocking:

You will need to put a piece of cardboard into the stocking as you are attaching the pictures to make sure your stitches don't catch the back of the stocking. My special stocking now has Jaxson's first and second Christmas - and next year, I will be attaching Christmas #3 for him.

7. Here is what the stocking looks like when completed – with hopes of lots of special memories to come!

One of a kind special stocking for my grandson - with hopes of many special memories to come

8. And here are the two additions to Jaxson’s special stocking :

"Mommy" and "Daddy" stockings - because they deserve the special little goodies that Jaxson can put it for them - I know they have been very very good!

I hope my personal story will inspire you to take a little time and start creating your very own special Christmas memories.

Please send me your comments, suggestions, experiences and pictures – I love sharing with everyone and hope that you do as well!

Have a wonderful Holiday Season!

You can make your very own Christmas stockings and add a special touch to each one. Use them to decorate with, fill with treats and give as gifts!

Here is a really cute idea! You can easily turn woolen socks into one of a kind Christmas stockings – imagine hanging them on your mantel or accenting your armoire with them.

All you have to do is find the woolen stockings you like, and think how you can complement their look. Adding flannel patches, pieces of wool materials, trims, buttons, bells or a fringe will make these your very own. Most items can be stitched on by using a darning needle and narrow ribbon, yarn or cotton.

Adding a name is easy as well – here are 3 easy steps for you:

Insert a cardboard liner cut slightly larger than the sock, into the sock before decorating. THe liner will prevent stitching chatching the back of the sock

Stitvh letter, using yearn and back stitches - it may be a good idea to mark your letter on the sock first - easier to keep them the same size

Knot a loop of ribbon through top of sock for a hanger. You can put small treats into your sock or stuff it with a tissue paper or polyester fiberfill if you are using it for a decor.

And here is a very cute idea – making stocking for your four-legged friends and filling them with some treats!

treat your pets this Christmas as well - they know they have been good!

Hope you will enjoy making your own Christmas stockings – please send me your comments, suggestion and experiences – and pictures – your input is very welcomed and much appreciated!

Let me tell you a little bit about some of the products.

First - The Recipes in a Jar – it is a group of products that I am very proud of. Mainly because I am so very comfortable that everyone will love them. I have been told many, many times that I make wicked Chili, the best ever Butter tarts, very popular and frequently sought after Chocolate Chip Cookies, great Soups and even my two and half year old grandson checks with me every single time if I am bringing him Muffins.

Each one of these products is now packaged either in a glass jar or a nice gift bag, with a folder that includes the recipe and step-by-step directions. And you can check out all the products in the Mama Knows Online Store

Mama Knows Good Old Fashioned Chili - this jar contains 5 different kinds of beans and my very own premised spices and seasonings. It will make over 20 servings and is great to freeze.

Good Old Fashioned Chili in a Bag - same content as in the jar and of course - every product comes with a special folder with recipe and step by step directions

I have also created Gift Baskets – from the ones filled with cookies and chocolates, to one for the person that likes to bake (that one has a gift bag with my very own Chocolate Chip Cookies mix included) to a special one for the dog lover and another one for the Pasta Lover

Hope this give you a few ideas as to how you can make your very own special Christmas Gifts – and if you want to make it easy on yourself – you can just visit my online store and buy them from me!

For the baker on your list - festive cookie container filled with Betty Crocker utensils and my very own Chocolate Chip Cookie mix

For the Dog Lover - Ceramic food dish, filled with doggie goodies, including a frisbee and treats.

Perfect for you to share with others - whether they are your co-workers or employees or friends. Pretty festive red bowl filled with selections of cookies. chocolates. herbal teas, hot chocolate and candies

Great selection of items that will delight pasta lover on your list - all packaged in a white colander and of course - beautifully wrapped

There is a whole lot more items in the Mama-Knows online store – check them out today!

Cranberry Upside Down Cake:

Ingredients:

• 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of allspice
• 1-3/4 – 2 cups of cranberries
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1-1/4 cups of flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup of milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F with rack in the centre
2. Rub the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan with about 2 tablespoons of butter
3. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of sugar with cinnamon and allspice
4. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over bottom of pan
5. Arrange cranberries in a single layer on top
6. With an electric mixer, cream remaining 6 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup of sugar until light and fluffy
7. Add egg and vanilla, beat until well combined
8. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt
9. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture in three batches, alternating with milk, until well combined
10. Spoon batter over cranberries in pan and smooth top
11. Place pan on a baking sheet and bake cake until toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean – 30-35 minutes
12. Cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes
13. Run a knife around the edge and invert the cake onto a rimmed platter

Hope you will enjoy this recipe – please send me your comments anytime – your input is very welcomed and much appreciated!

Apple Raisin Bread Pudding:

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter (4 melted, 2 cold, plus a bit more, softened for baking dish
• 5 cups of milk
• 6 large eggs
• 1-12/ cups of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons of grated orange zest
• 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• About 1 lb. of bread, day old buns of baguette, torn into small pieces
• 2-3 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup of raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish
3. In a large bowl, whisk together milk,. eggs, sugar, vanilla, orange zest, cinnamon and add bread
4. Cover with plastic wrap and weigh down with another bowl
5. Let stand until bread is soaked through – about 20 minutes
6. Fold in apples, raisins and 4 tablespoons of melted butter
7. Pour into prepared baking dish
8. Dot top of the bread pudding with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cold butter
9. Bake until pudding is set and lightly brown on top – about 50 minutes to 1 hour.
10. Serve warm and it is great when you add vanilla ice cream or fresh whipping cream

Hope you will enjoy this recipe – please send me your comments, suggestions and experiences, your input is always welcomed and very much appreciated!

Here is the recipe:

Old Fashioned Butter Cookies:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of flour
• 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar
• 1 cup of col unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Optional:
• Egg wash: 1 large egg white beaten with 2 teaspoons of water
• Decorating sugar and sprinkles

Directions:

1. Place flour, sugar, butter and salt in a bowl of a food processor and process until mixture is the texture of course oatmeal. If you don’t have a food processor, you can do this with a fork
2. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks and vanilla and with motor running, add to food processor. If you are not using food processor, using electric mixer on a low speed will do the job as well.
3. Process until dough forms
4. Making cut out Sugar Cookies
5. Divide dough in a half and form into two ½ inch thick discs
6. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm – about 1 hour
7. Preheat oven to 350F
8. On a piece of floured waxed paper, roll out one disc to a 3/16 inch thickness and chill again
9. Repeat with the remaining dough
10. Flouring cutters ads you are working along, cut dough into desired shapes and carefully transfer to baking sheets
11. Re-chill rolled out dough it if gets difficult to work with
12. If you plan to decorate your cookies, brush them with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar or decorative sprinkles
13. Bake cookies until edges are firm – not brown – 15-20 minutes
14. Cool for couple of minutes on the baking sheets and cool completely on a rack

You most probably have a glass bowl already, so think about filling it with various sizes of pumpkins and colourful gourds – definitely not difficult and not expensive at all. But it does look great and I am sure it will add a special touch to any table

Do you have children’s table to set up? What a great idea this is – just get some colouring placemats. decorate a napkin paper ring and a crayon pouch with Thanksgiving theme pictures (you can use stickers you buy at your local discount store) and you will have something that will keep the kids occupied!

I love the simplicity of this setting and the use of colour. Adding a little pumpkin adds just the right accent and the moss green colour is very effective in contrast. matching the potted, simple centerpieces.

How adorable is this centerpiece? And all it will take is a pumpkin – fresh or a plastic one can be used here. Collecting some branches outside and adding colourful leaves, little birds and a cute little bird house can be very easy and very inexpensive. i have seen all these items in our local dollar store – and this is the centerpiece I am definitely going to make! I would recommend placing a florist foam into the pumpkin first and securing all decoration in that way.

Again  – simplicity is what makes this decoration effective. Most items used can be gathered outside – why not take your kids out for a nature walk and make several of these beautiful decorations together?

One of my favourites – using different heights and colours of pillar style candles – especially adding a metallic one, nestled on a bed of fall leaves, along with a few colourful gourds will make a centerpiece all your guests will admire! And think about using this concept for your Christmas table – it would be very easy to replace the leaves with pine branches, add some pine cones and colourful Christmas balls or bells…. are you thinking?

Warm and very friendly – that is what I would call this design. Love the round wicker place mat under the plate – think about how well this would work if you are using disposable plates! The leaves could also be replaced with ones you could gather outside, or you could purchase silk leave garlands or arrangements at your local craft store and remove individual leaves. The candle holders are great – and definitely easy and inexpensive!

Hope you have enjoyed this information – please send me your comments. suggestions and experiences – and pictures of your holiday table settings! Your input is always very welcomed and much appreciated!