{Merry Christmas}

From our home to yours!

I know this is a little less than traditional, but hey we are in a digital age :)

We sincerely wish you the blessings of Christ this Christmas...may He bring JOY to your home and LIGHT to your eyes this holiday season.

"Fear not, for behold I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."  Luke 2:10-11

a new favorite spot

Ben & I went out this weekend to find some good picture taking spots for some of my etsy products and to our great delight found this neat old railway.  Here's a few pics from the day!

forgotten christmas

Do you have a minute?  I know it's a busy season & all, but I am always in need of the reminder to refocus on why we really celebrate Christmas in the first place.  Christ is the One we should be focused on this season; in every way, in every Christmas carol, gift unwrapped, & party attended, His story is what it's all about.

Take one minute to watch this video from Gospel for Asia.  Then head on over to Forgotten Christmas  to see how you can partner with Gospel for Asia this Christmas to bring to the Lost the most important gift they could ever receive: the gospel.  Oh, and while you're at it, check out their awesome Christmas catalog.  You could provide practical gifts like a goat, camel, bible, or a water well to a family or an entire community using GFA's resources!

sweep, sweep

Hello Hello Blog World :)  I am going to make a few "housekeeping" notes that probably most people don't care about, but it will make me feel better to do it, so there!

I recently deleted the fabric blog that I made for my fabric shop---why?  because it is too darn hard to remember to post to two different blogs.  I don't know what I was thinking.  So to make my life simpler, and because that blog really was very neglected, I just deleted it.  So that means The Carter Casa will be the go to blog for everything Carter related, including my 2 etsy shops!

Recently, Ashley Carter Designs reached 60 sales on etsy!! yayyy!! so excited!  The Lord has really been blessing my shop lately & for that I am so blessed & excited :)

And don't forget, a portion of the profit from both Ashley Carter Designs & My Sunshine Fabric go to Heartline Ministries in Haiti.   I am still partnering with Holly Day Cards & Jenn Straznicky Photography @ CreateforHaiti, so you should definitely check out the cool cards & photography they both offer--especially for the Christmas season!

That's all for now, folks! Thanks for bearing with me :)

it's like Christmas in your mouth

I thought I'd share with you one of my favorite Christmas treats...it makes a great gift, you can get really creative with the packaging & the best part is that it tastes like Christmas in your mouth.  Seriously.

Hot Spiced Tea is one of my favorite Christmas treats.  Partially because it's a "nostalgic" thing for me & I grew up sipping on this deliciousness during the Christmas season, but also because it's just that good.

Unfortunately it is really sugar packed & from a nutrition standpoint I can't really say that it's the best, but for a once a year indulgence---it's pretty great ;)

You can see makes a great Christmas goodie to give to friends and family!  I packaged some of my mix up for friends with simple twine, shiny paper & ball mason jars--so cute!

And now for the recipe:

Hot Spiced Tea

1 cup instant tea (reg. or decaf)

8 oz. jar Tang

 (yes, Tang---can't believe there is actually a recipe I enjoy with Tang, but it's true)

5 oz. pkg lemonade

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup sugar

Mix together.  Makes a little over 1 dry pint.  To serve, mix 2 tsp into 1 cup boiling water.

And there you have it.  Christmas in a cup.  Enjoy!