It's The Holiday Season

Hey Y'all!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We sure did!!  We enjoyed our time with family and friends and played cards, ate way too much, and then set out for a night of shopping.   If you have been following us, you know my husband, Mike,  fries our turkey (and several others).  This year's was the best! I don't think he did anything different to them, but oh my goodness, it was so juicy and tender. A delicious turkey and all the fixings make for a wonderful Thanksgiving.  But we don't stop there...

We love to go "Black Friday" shopping.  Not because we want anything particular, but we always run into sweet friends we don't see very often and it's so fun catching up.  I think the cool weather and the official start of Christmas carols (although our stations have been playing them since early November) really puts me in the Christmas spirit.   How about you?  How do you kick start your Christmas season?  I love the decorations and activities and try to cram as much in as we can in the 4 week span.  We put up multiple trees Thanksgiving weekend...  I have 1 in our living room- very family friendly/ hodgepodge,  1 in the dining room- a little more structured, and 3 small ones in our foyer- lights only.  I have scaled back on the trees this year as Brittney's pink themed "Barbie" tree moved to her new home with her. It is very cute, I am sure she will post a picture.

I admit, I do not enjoy setting up the tree, especially fiddling with all the lights.. & Yes I do have 3 sections of my pre-lit white lights not working at this time...argh. But I love each and every one of our ornaments.  There is a story with most all of them and I cherish the sweet thoughts and memories that come with each one being unpacked and hung prominently on the tree.  This one is the most special one we have.  We had been married less than 3 months. It was so much fun setting up our tree and decorating our home. 

Our First Christmas ~ 1982 Hallmark

I try to make sure we have an ornament each year to add to our collection and that it has the year on it.  Last year we had a little mishap and lost a few... I was very sad, but things happen.    Here are a few that hold an extra special place in my heart... what do you think? 

 

This was from my Mom, Janie, the year I was 

pregnant with Brittney. She got a "Dad to be" one for Mike too!

These treasures have been a source of fun every year.  Brittney made these in preschool when she was about 2.   They have cute little sayings on them and were made to her height that year.  As she got older and could help us decorate the tree, each year the "chain" made its way higher and higher. She loved for it to be in the most prominent spot on the tree so everyone could see it.  We have laughed about it each year when we see if survived another season.  I couldn't imagine our tree without it. And though not in the very front of the tree ~ it definitely is on our tree this year too.   

       

And this one is a picture of Brittney & Andrew at the venue they chose for their wedding.  They got engaged in 2013 ~  It was certainly a year we will remember.

I haven't selected our 2015 ornament yet, but it has been an exciting year and I hope our ornament will reflect that too.  I will be sure to post a picture when we select one. 
 
What type of ornaments do you use? Do you coordinate all your packages and tree decor? I love that look, but am never that on top of things to make it happen... Maybe one day.
 
All month we will be sharing some of our holiday ideas, recipes, traditions and tips.  Please feel free to leave us a comment, let us know your decorating ideas and your go to recipes.  We would love to hear from you.  Be sure to sign up for our emails ~ you don't want to miss out.

  

                                     Amy

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Icing a Cupcake

Hey everyone! Happy Black Friday! Did you go shopping today? I didn’t – I’m choosing to sit on the beach instead. It’s a pretty good trade off!

Today I’m going to show you just a quick tutorial on icing cupcakes with an icing tip.

First let’s start with what you need:

• Icing (duh)
• A bag - I used a disposable decoration bag, but a gallon size zip lock bag works too!
• Icing tips. The three tip set in my picture was $3 at Walmart!
• Coupler (not pictured) - the coupler helps secure your tip in place on the bag. I forgot to grab one. They're helpful to have, but obviously not a complete necessity.  

Alright now you need to pick which tip you’re going to use. I used tip 1M, it’s this one that looks like a big open star.

Drop your tip into the corner of your bag and cut open the corner. You want to make sure the hole is big enough that the bag won’t block any of the icing coming out, but not so big that the tip will fall out when you’re icing. That would be tragic! Now fold down the top part of your bag (see the picture below) and fill it up with your icing.

The point of folding it down was to keep the top of the bag clean so it is easier to ice.

Now we are ready to get started. Twist the top of your bag closed and hold it at the top like this… 

Start on the outside of your cupcake and work your way into the middle, applying light pressure to the bag. The icing will come out pretty easily so you don’t want too much pressure!

Once you get to the middle hold your bag straight up and stop pressure and pull straight up. This will give you that nice finished tip.

Now you’re a decorating expert! Hope this helped!

Xo Courtney

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SHE Travels: with kids

 

 

Ten states.  Ten days.  Six people.  All packed in one minivan after 3700 miles we all determined it was the best vacation ever!  After that trip I decided I was a travel with kids expert. There were no major meltdowns, however we did get asked by a waiter why we were so happy.  (No, I didn’t drug them.)  We stopped and had an activity about every 8 hours.  We had fun. We played games.   

 So, enough already.  It is a travel season for families. You want ideas.  How do you keep your sanity and every one else’s on long trips. Easy, you plan, plan and plan or you make a list like I do.

1.       Everyone needs their car bag.  Things I put in car bags include (depending on age) their favorite stuffed animal or doll, a notebook to write in or draw on, a kindle or some kind of electronic device along with the chargers.  The car bags become their hotel bags.  So they are personalized for each child.  I make sure there is room left for the goodies I will be giving them over the trip.

2.       My goodie bag idea was started by my Mom and the kids love it.  I have a bag of items to hand out when the kiddos start getting antsy.  A new coloring book and crayons (colored pencils in the summer…crayons will melt and will be with your car forever!)  A new movie.  A book. Crossword puzzle book or word searches (don’t forget pencils).  Anything that is a quiet activity and doesn’t have more than 3 or 4 pieces. 

3.       Which brings us to the snack bag.  My husband doesn’t like to stop every 5 minutes and let’s face it who does?  So, the little ones need a small snack to keep them relatively quiet and happy. The things I carry in my snack bag are gummies, cereal bars, granola bars, M&M’s, chex mix, chips.  You get the idea.  Little snack bags of their favorite items. So, I can hand out individual proportions when needed.

4.       Yes, I carry drinks too!  If we are on a long trip I have a cooler.  If it is just a one day trip, I get them one drink and remind them I am not stopping for a long time.  When they were little I would just pour an ounce or two in the sippy cups at a time.

5.       I also let them bring a pillow and I carry beach towels for each one.  They come in handy to cover up if you are cold.  (We don’t use our favorite blanket on the car ride.  Drinks could spill, sticky food could get on them…..So, we use beach towels in the car and the blankets we save for the hotel or our destination.)

It seems like a lot.  I use to have to hear it from my husband all the time.  I pack too much he would say.  Now after traveling all over the country with 4 kids.  He just puts it in the car.  Because if they are relatively quiet and happy.  The drive is so much nicer.  I almost forgot!  We play games!!  We are always playing the license plate game.  The 10 day trip we would stop at a National Monument and our kids were searching the cars in the parking lot for the states they were missing.  We also play the alphabet sign game.  You see a sign for Applebee’s and you can say, A for Applebee’s.  No one else in the car can use that sign.  Now if they see the actual Applebee’s they can call it.  I also make a scavenger hunt for each trip.  Things we should see along the way.  In the past they have included things like buffalo, a casino, a tour bus, the Hollywood sign….you get the idea. 

If we have kiddos, we will travel with them at some point.  I hope this helps make your trips no matter how long or short more enjoyable.  Do you need all the stuff?  No, but I would hate to be stuck in a traffic jam with hungry, tired kids with nothing to do.  If you figure out how to make the daddy person behave in that situation, please comment!! 

I hope all your travel is smooth sailing and no traffic this holiday season!! 

Lisa

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Thanksgiving Leftovers

Via Pinterest

Hey Ya'll! We're two days away from Thanksgiving and we could not be more excited. Just the thoughts of fried turkey (our family tradition), sweet potato casserole, and pecan pie make my mouth water! I don't know about your Thanksgiving, but we always have leftovers that could last DAYS. Below, I've linked some ideas of what to do with your leftovers in case you want to eat them in a non-traditional way.

1. Turkey Noodle Soup - the perfect use for leftover turkey AND dressing

2. Turkey Popovers - tasty turkey and mashed potatoes in a puff pastry, yum

3. Dressing Waffles - a different take on the traditional dressing

Just for reference, most items keep for 3 days in the refrigerator and longer in the freezer. This helpful link provides details on how long to actually keep leftovers and how to properly store them. Make sure to take plenty of storage containers and resealable bags to ensure you're able to take home as many leftovers as possible!

Happy Thanksgiving!

xo ~ Brittney

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Thanksgiving Tablescapes

Hey Y’all,

It is crunch time! Thanksgiving is this week! Eek~ are you ready? I have so enjoyed all my fall décor, pretty pumpkins and gourds all over the house and the scent of pumpkin filling the air. 

Last week we shared recipes and tips for making sure your Thanksgiving was yummy.  You have planned your meu and your guest list. Now it’s time to work out the details and little details can make such an impact.  Do you have a casual set up or is your family dinner a little more formal? Either way you want to be sure things look pretty.  So, how will your table look for the dinner? 

Our dinner is pretty casual ~ no china or extra silverware; generally buffet style works best for our crew.  I like to make sure that the bowls and platters look festive and love for the dessert area to look pretty too.  I have my fall colored tablecloths and of course a kiddie table area for the little ones we celebrate with.  They get a cute paper “coloring sheet tablecloth”, this helps keep them occupied and the adults get to enjoy conversations a little bit longer.  

There is an art to a beautifully set table, don’t you think?  I love how pretty these look! 

 

 

image via Pinterest

image via Pinterest

image via Pinterest

 

Earlier this season, my sweet friends had a pre Thanksgiving dinner to celebrate my birthday.  Doesn't Lisa's table look beautiful!  It was so pretty and festive, a great fall kick off.  

Whether you go all out with your “tablescape” or go a more simple route, at the end of the day the only thing that matters is that the day was spent with the ones you love and being thankful for the blessings we are given.   Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!!

                                                xoxo,    

Amy

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