SHE: New Years Eve

Sunday, December 31, 2017

Hey Y'all,

It is New Years Eve 2017!  I hope you are able to reflect back on this year and have memories more happy than sad, more love than loss and more gratitude for the life you have and those you get to do life with.

Do you have big plans? Ours are always pretty simple but fun none the less. We enjoy having family over for games and appetizers and of course trying to watch the ball drop at midnight. This year I think I will be struggling to see that big ball drop. But I am going to try.

Whatever your plans I hope they include the ones you love most.  Here are a few ideas for foods, games, and décor if you have decided to host a party last minute.  

Thank you for following the ladies of SHE Degree!  It is our hope that
you are learning new tips to make your life easier in some small way.
We love sharing with you and have some fun events planned for 2018. 

Keep listening for the birdie whispering in your ear ~ be the Best SHE you can be!
Titus 2:3-5 


Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!!

xoxo,  

SHE Degree

Lisa, Amy, Courtney, Brittney & Madison

image via google


SHE: Ready for 2018

Thursday, December 28, 2017

Hey Y'all,

We have had the best holiday season. I hope y'all have too. As much as I love the holiday  s, I am so excited to have the decorations down and put away and our house back to normal. Is it just me or does your house seem "empty" without all the Christmas decorations?  What is your tradition?   Do you take your decorations down right after Christmas or do you keep them up until the New Year? 

What about New Year's resolutions.... do you make them?  I don't typically make a list but I do try to reflect on the past year and pray that I am a better person for the year I have had.  Of course after all the holiday yummy treats, healthy eating and exercise should be at the top of my list.  This New Year we will also be welcoming a new baby into the world and into our family.  Y'all we are so excited!! We can't wait to see our daughter and son in law as Mom and Dad.  They are going to be such good parents. Who has grandchildren? We are really looking forward to this next season of life.

There is so much to do to get ready for a baby. One awesome thing we did was freezer meals. Brittney searched Pinterest and Google and found several recipes for foods they would actually eat. I am a big fan of recipes with minimal ingredients, normal everyday meals. They found a good variety of meals that weren't a tweaked version of the same chicken dish.

Some suggestions for you that we found out during our marathon cooking day.
Research your favorites and see how they can be changed to be freezer friendly. Some foods freeze better than others, use quality containers- you don't want to skimp on your containers only to find your meals ruined.  If you are a new mom, you might want to limit spicy, onions, peppers and potentially dairy items at first until you know if your baby is sensitive. 
Some recipes can be prepared to a point, frozen and then when you are ready to cook them you may need to make a batch of rice or top a casserole with bread crumbs or stuffing mix.  Nothing too difficult to do.

The better you plan out your day the easier and productive it will be.
1) Find your recipes
2) Make your grocery list
3) Order quality containers, we used these.
4) Make sure you have adequate freezer space for the number of freezer meals you plan to make
5) Don't forget heavy duty aluminum foil, wax paper and freezer bags

Are you ready to get started on a few of your own?  We will be sharing recipes we made this week. You can always visit our Pinterest boards for inspiration too.  Whether you are a new mom, working mom or anyone responsible for feeding a family, freezer meals are a hit.  With a little prep time, you can get a delicious dinner on the table any night of the week.  Please share with us your family favorites too!

Have a great week-end!!

xoxo,
Amy









SHE Makes A Lace Crown

Wednesday, December 27, 2017




  
Hello my crafty friends! Today I'm sharing my DIY lace crown. I'm a little embarrassed to post this because of the pictures, but I'm going to anyway. Just keep in mind that I was in a hurry and didn't have time to clean my craft room before this so there is stuff everywhere!

This is probably one of the easiest, but cutest crafts! If you have, or know, a little girl this is a must!!! (This also works if you’re a self-claimed princess like me – I plan to make myself one.) I made this lace crown for one of my best friend’s bachelorette party this past weekend. She was so cute!
All you need is some lace (I bought a half-yard), fabric stiffener, and hot glue. Optional items are paint, glitter, and something round to shape around (I used an old jumbo wine bottle).



Lay your lace out on a piece of wax paper and cover it in the fabric stiffener. (Helpful hint: the kind I bought pours out so I had to brush it on. I HIGHLY recommend getting stiffener that comes with a spray top) Now this needs to dry. I did this step right before I went to bed one night so it was able to have all night to dry. 





Optional step – if you’re planning on painting your crown keep reading, if not you can skip ahead. I painted hers with gold paint. I wanted to make sure I kept the details of the lace though. So I grabbed my spray bottle (you can pick one up for a dollar at most stores), I poured some paint in there and mixed in just a little bit of water. I then sprayed it onto the lace. It gave it color without weighing it down with paint. I also sprinkled some glitter on while the paint was wet!





Once your stiffener (and paint) is dry trim any off the bottom if you need it shorter. I did this in a few cuts so I wouldn't go too short (ignore my bike and my socks...*embarrassed*). Now shape it into a circle as wide as you want (like I said, I used an old wine bottle) and hot glue the ends together.



Ta-Da! You’re now a princess! We secured hers to her head by sticking bobby pins through the holes in the lace.



Did you make one? I’d love to see it and/or here your tips. Let me know in the comments!

xo Courtney



SHE Does Casino Christmas

Monday, December 18, 2017



Christmas is so hectic in my house, and to add fuel to fire my mom, sister and I all have birthdays in the week leading up to Christmas! My dad has never been a fan of December – I wonder why?!? ($$$I think I know$$$)

Growing up we always called it our 90mph Christmas and it seemed so fitting. I thought there’s no way it could get any busier. I was wrong. I then grew up and got married. So now I have Christmas parties with work and friends, and a whole other family to celebrate with. It may be crazy, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world!

Between all of my family events and all of Hubs family events we about cover the spectrum of things to do. We have a variety of gift exchanges, normal gift swaps where everyone gets everyone a gift, and then my favorite – Casino Christmas!

We do Casino Christmas with my mom’s sisters and their spouses and kids. We start around dinner time and don’t usually go to bed until around 3 or 4 in the morning! Dad has a roulette table he pulls out. It’s a $20 buy in, second place gets their money back and first place wins the pot. I won last year and I’m ready to defend my title this year! After we wrap up roulette we head to the table for blackjack. Is gambling for Christmas a sin? I don’t know, but it’s done with family and so many laughs are had and memories made. At the end of the day that is all that matters!

Are you looking for a new tradition to spice things up? Casino Christmas is definitely the way to go!

 Let me know if you try it out and how it went. I’d love to hear about it!

xo Courtney


SHE Likes Big Bows...

Monday, December 11, 2017




.. And I can not lie. What's up y'all! Today I'm showing you how to make a big bow for the top of your tree! I LOVE making these. I usually make a new one each year and have made a few for the tree at my office. This could be scaled down to a smaller bow if that is what you're needing.

Let's get started...

First you need your ribbon. The key here is WIRED EDGE RIBBON. If the most perfect ribbon that you've ever seen doesn't say its wired then put it down and walk away. I'm not kidding! Without the wire your bow will fall flat and be a sad sad bow... 

This year I stuck with two colors, a red and a glitter gold, but I usually do three.



For this next part it is helpful to have an extra set of arms. It isn't necessary (I did it last year alone), but I promise you it is much easier and quicker. Have your helper hold their arms out to their sides - isn't Hubs just the best helper? Don't go any wider than this - been there done that. It makes a floppy bow, even with the wire, and like we said earlier floppy = sad.

Laying the ribbons on top of each other begin wrapping around and around. This part is personal preference - you can wrap as many times as you want. As you see in the picture I wrapped somewhere between six and eight times and have a nice full bow. You can wrap all the way to the end of the ribbon if you want, I've done it before. You end up with a tighter bow because there are more loops.



Once you've wrapped till your heart is happy, you're ready for the next step. If you didn't use the whole roll cut the ribbon to where it's even with the loops. In the picture above I cut it by Hubs hand, you don't need all of that hanging off the side.

Now take it and fold in half.



There in the middle, cut a slit on each side. Not too deep or it will fall apart!





With the left over ribbon cut a strip about eight inches or so. It'll need to be long enough to tie around your loops and then to tie it to the top of your tree.

So like I just said - tie it (and knot it!) around the middle where you just cut the slits. This is the point of cutting those slits so you can tie it good and tight.



Now for the fun part! It is time to start fluffing! Start by grabbing the top loop on one side and pulling it out. Continue for each of the loops and then do the other side.



See?



Once you have all your loops pulled out work your way through the bow moving loops around and shaping it until you are happy with it!



Now you're done! Just tie to the top of your tree and start decorating!



I hope you loved this tutorial as much as I loved making the bow.

Did you make one? Send me pictures - I'd LOVE to see it!

xo Courtney


SHE: Shopping Event

Sunday, December 10, 2017



 

Hey Friends,

On Saturday we had the opportunity to be a vendor at a local church's Holiday Market.  
I have always loved "craft fairs/ holiday markets" as a customer and really enjoy them now as a vendor. It is so much fun meeting the other vendors and seeing friends from past shows. 
Sadly this was our last one of the season.
But we have a few items left over ~ that is good for you if you still need holiday items!!

These items make cute hostess gifts or secret sister gifts. You can use one of these baskets, they 
come in 3 different sizes~ Add a tea towel and cookies or a candle.  You have
yourself a quick & adorable gift that your friend will love. 

View the items here and just comment SOLD with your email address.
If you are local, we will arrange to meet you. We are happy to mail it to you also, (shipping costs will be added.)

Let's go shopping!!

xoxo,


Amy 

National Cookie Day!

Monday, December 4, 2017


Hey y’all! Do you know what today is? It is National Cookie Day!! I mean what is better than that?

I love cookies and I love just about all of them! Snickerdoodle, chocolate chip, sugar, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, and the list goes on and on... This time of year though I have a special favorite – gingerbread. Is it the smell of the molasses, the childhood memories, or just simply the taste? I have no idea, but I know I love them so!



I usually wait until a little closer to Christmas to make them, but this year I got a head start for cookie day!  I tried a new recipe this year – it required no chill time and the cookies held their shape in the oven! Can we say perfect cookie recipe?!? You can find the recipe in my post by clicking here.

I always make my gingerbread men, but I also like to make other shapes. This year I stuck with circles. I got the perfect bite-size by using the top of a shot glass!




I went a little girly on my circle cupcakes – polka dots and monograms!




I hope you’re enjoying this wonderful holiday as much as I am! If you make any cookies I’d love to see them!

xo Courtney



Christmas Movies

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Now that Thanksgiving is over it is officially time to celebrate Christmas! Now, don’t get me wrong – I love Thanksgiving, but I love Christmas more. (Plus – December is my birthday month so let’s get there already!)

To start off the season I’m going to give you my top ten movies that you should watch. These are in no particular order so you should just watch them all! I’m looking forward to watching all my favorites even more this year since I’ll be snuggling my sweet new baby!

1.       ELF
2.       National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
3.       The Santa Clause
4.       The Santa Clause 2: The Mrs. Clause
5.       The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
6.       Santa Baby
7.       Santa Baby 2
8.       The Polar Express
9.       Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch  Stole Christmas
10.   Home Alone

You’ve probably seen most of these, but if not get to work!!

Now Hubs thinks Die Hard and Die Hard 2 are Christmas movies that belong on the list. I keep telling him that just because it occurs during Christmas time does not make it a Christmas movie.

Do you have a favorite that I didn’t list? Do you agree or disagree with Hubs? Let me know in the comments!

xo Courtney


Giving Tuesday

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Hey y’all! With it being Giving Tuesday, I felt it was only appropriate to talk to you about the two organizations that are near and dear to my heart - The Ronald McDonald House and St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. 


First, The Ronald McDonald House. I was always involved with RMH growing up and once joining Alpha Delta Pi in college (for those who don’t know RMH is ADPi’s national philanthropy) I became even more involved. 


The Ronald McDonald House is a home away from home for families with children in the hospital. Its community motto is - the house that love built. Their vision says “We believe that when you change a child’s life, you change a family’s, which can change a community, and ultimately the world.” 


The RMH has helped more than 10 million families over the years. The houses around the world provide more than 3,000 rooms a night for families. It is more than just a room, it is the ability to be close to your child when they’re in the hospital instead of having to go home, the ability to know that if need be you can be with them in minutes. Most houses are walking distance to the hospital. To stay at the house all they ask from you is for $10 a night if you are able to afford it. If you are unable ($10 doesn’t seem like a lot but some families are there for days and it can quickly add up) they simply ask you to pick a chore from the list to do around the house. These chores are simple things like vacuuming or cleaning the kitchen, and you never see anyone complaining about having to do this. Some families pay the $10 and pick a few chores. This is where the fundraising we do comes in, it helps pay for those stays. They also have the Ronald McDonald Family Room that is inside the hospital in case you don’t have time to leave or any other reasons you might have. These rooms have TVs, washer and dryers, kitchens, showers, beds. Anything you might need while in the hospital for a long time, which it usually is since the average stay at the RMH is 9 days. 






The second is St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Chances are you’ve already heard a lot about this wonderful organization, but I’m still going to talk about it! 

Danny Thomas founded St. Jude on February 4, 1962. His dream was that no child should die in the dawn of life. At the time they had 125 employees and an annual budget of 1 million dollars. Today they have more than 3,600 employees and a daily operating cost of $2 million dollars (which is primarily covered by public contributions). In 1962, the survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood cancer, was 4 percent. Today, about 98% go into remission within weeks of starting treatment and about 90% can be cured. This is thanks to research and treatment protocols developed at St. Jude. They also cover all your fees. When a child comes to St. Jude all they have to pay is their travel fees to get there the FIRST time, after that everything is taken care of. Your bills, food, and gas- I really do mean everything. Most people don’t realize this and that’s why fundraising and donations are such a large part of St. Jude. They were the first institution founded with the sole purpose of research and treatment for childhood diseases. 

They also don’t keep what they find under lock and key, information discovered at St. Jude is shared with doctors worldwide. 

Maybe you’ve heard all this before, maybe it was all new to you. Regardless, I hope it was eye-opening and I hope you’ll consider giving this year. Maybe not to one of these, but somewhere. And remember – money isn’t the only thing you can give. Most all organizations would be happy to have you volunteer!


I’ve provided the links for each organization to donate if you’re interested. 


The Ronald McDonald House – www.rmhc.org/donate 


St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital – www.stjude.org/donatenow 



Thank you for reading!



xo Courtney 

Latest Instagrams

© SHE Degree. Design by FCD.