Friday, December 21, 2012

Holiday Survival Guide

Happy Friday y'all! We made it through the week! Woo hoo! I know that this weekend marks the holiday CRAZIES for most everyone so I thought that I would give yall my best holiday survival tips!

1) Do the holidays YOUR way!
-You dont have to do what every one else is doing for the holidays, do what feels right for you! Dont like ham? Have Mexican. Don't want to participate in the hussle and bussle? Go on vacation. {Like us, Jamaica here we come!}
2) Get in the spirit.
-Whether that means wearing reindeer antlers and drinking eggnog or bumping 50 Cent + drinking wine coolers + driving through the Christmas lights*. Enjoy the holiday spirit, it only comes once a year.
3) Put a bow on it.
-If your wrapping resembles something you did when you were 5 years old mine or something wrapped up at Pottery Barn, it is ALWAYS better with a bow.
4)Relax
-Easier said than done, I know. But if you need to squeeze in a massage while finishing your last minute shopping, do it! Hey you deserve a present too!
5)Eat + Drink + Be Merry
-Dont worry about overindulging. If ever there was a time... This.Is.It.

In the spirit of #5 I leave you with a super yummy recipe that the baby and I whipped up last night. Also, I had to throw away 5 good eggs because I conveniently forgot my fridge was broken and the recipe only calls for one.



Ginger Snap Cookies
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/3 cup cinnamon sugar

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2.Sift the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a mixing bowl. Stir the mixture to blend evenly, and sift a second time into another bowl.
3.Place the shortening into a mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Gradually beat in the white sugar. Beat in the egg, and dark molasses. Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture into the shortening mixture; stir to thoroughly blend. Sift in the remaining flour mixture, and mix together until a soft dough forms. Pinch off small amounts of dough and roll into 1 inch diameter balls between your hands. Roll each ball in cinnamon sugar, and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
4.Bake in preheated oven until the tops are rounded and slightly cracked, about 10 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack. Store in an air tight container.EAT!

*True Story. I did this my freshman year of college. Though now that I'm old & grown, I do not condone drinking and driving. Get a DD.





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Thursday, December 20, 2012

Can it be vacation yet...

Lord knows I need this edition of...
Its Ok Thursdays
I'm saying it's ok to...
-the fact that our refrigerator broke {but I refuse to buy another until after we get back from Jamaica} -also due to said broken refrigerator, we are eating out until January 3rd
-just wrapping my first Christmas present last night. ha!
-mailing out a few Christmas gifts late
-being super slack on Christmas cards so now they're New Years cards! Holler at a girl if you want one
-eating more chocolate than "real food" in the past week. My bikini will not be thanking me next week

What are you saying it's ok to?


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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Wedding Wednesday Link Up Co-Host

Hi Ladies! I'm co-hosting  the fourth Wedding Wednesday Link Up Party with A Happy Wife in New Orleans!!! Being an old married I have had so much fun checking out everyone's wedding posts. I feel like whether your single, engaged or have been married for 50 years, you can't help but get a smile on your face when hearing about other people's wedding experience. But maybe I just love LOVE :)

What is this link up party all about?
Link up any wedding-related post on your blog. This can be a favorite post of yours previously written or a new post. Anything wedding related! Wedding planning, your own wedding recaps, a wedding you were in, a wedding you attended, bridal showers, engagement stories, honeymoons, etc... You get the picture! Be sure to link up a different post for every new link up party.

Now let's meet this week's co-hosts!
Brandi @ Brooklyn State of Mind
Mandee @ Life Chaos and Quotes
Teressa @ Newborn Mama

Here are your "vows" to linking up:
1. You MUST follow your Host and Co-hosts {#1 - 4} via GFC.
2. Link up your favorite "wedding" related post on your blog. It could be a new post or one previously written. ** Be sure to include the link directly to that post.**
3. Please link back to me within your post (text link or party button). There will be times that I will feature my favorite posts and will only feature those posts that include a direct link back to me.
4. Visit other blogs that have linked up and let them you know stopped bye.
5. Spread the word about this fun link up party!
A Happy Wife in New Orleans


Interested in co-hosting a future Wedding Wednesday Link Up Party? 
Email Mary at rollingontheriverinheels@gmail.com!

I am so excited to see everyone's wedding post! 
Thank you for saying "I DO" to the Wedding Wednesday Link Up Party!



PS - Quick question for Wedding Wednesday participants.... Do you like how you can link up any themed wedding post OR would you like it if I set a theme for each link up / asked wedding related questions to be answered in your post? Just looking for ideas to keep things spicy ;) Please leave me a comment letting me know your thoughts!



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Wedding Wednesday

The tragedy of Newton, CT will forever be a defining moment in our country. Something that we must learn from and grow so that no such tragedy ever occurs again. However if we want to grow and move forward (never forget) we need to shine as much beauty upon the world as we can. What better way to change the somber tone from yesterday to one a happier one than with a wedding theme.
A Happy Wife in New Orleans

I'm not sure if yall know this, but S and I got married in Mexico. We were in one of the most gorgeous places on Earth, surrounded by 35 of our closest friends & family. When we were planning our wedding we knew that large and traditional just wasnt "us". So I proposed a destination wedding. Cancun was the first real vacation that we ever took together, and it was the first place we thought of for the wedding location. We couldnt wait to share such a special location with the people that meant most to us. It was the best decision we ever made. And hey when we renew our vows in 13 8 years maybe we will go a more traditional route. Maybe. So I'll leave you with some pictures of our wedding trip.








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Monday, December 17, 2012

A giveaway

I briefly touched on the Newton tragedy in a previous post. There is no easy segway back into "normal" blogging posts. But I do want to invite you all to participate in a really fabulous giveaway that I'm part of.

Check out the list below to see what each blogger is giving away!



1. Kaitlin from Kaitlin Leigh - A Starbucks Glitter Tumbler
2. Brandi from Brooklyn State of Mind- $15 Target gift card & a Holiday Glam Surprise
3. Melissa from Grin & Barrett- $25 Starbucks gift card
4. Meg from You're Meaghan Me Crazy- Crocheted Infinity Scarf
5. Haley Brianna from The Ink & Anchor- Ad Space
6. Crystal Taylor from Billie Jean- $15 Anthropologie gift card
7. Kelsey E. from Stories of Kel- 1 Premiere Ad Space
8. PipLey Vintage- 30% off all store items include sale items
9. Stephanie from The Vintage Modern Wife- ELF Eyeshadow Palette
10. Kelsey G. from Beauty without Limits- 1 Month Ad Space
11. Amy from Not Your Average Baby Blog- 1 Month Ad Space
12. Abbey from The Makings of a Mess- Ad Space
13. Brittany from The Domestic Geek- Ad Space
14. Jessica from Sew Do Something- $20 Gift Certificate to her shop
15. Lisette from Northern Belle Diaries- 2 Month Ad Space
16. Sarah from Scissors and a Whisk- Frost Bitten, Twice Shy Nail polish Set




Good Luck!!

And a huge Congratulations to Myranda for winning the iPad Mini Giveaway!



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Processing

I took an extended weekend off from blogging. Along with the rest of the country I am still attempting to process and cope with the tragedy that struck our nation on Friday. As a mother and an educator I believe that my heart wont fully recover from learing about this atrocity.

I took the weekend to bask in the beauty of my blessings. To be present in every moment I am lucky enough to be given. I truly celebrated my husband and his birthday.

I know that many people are questioning God and his reasoning, it would be a lie to say that I'm not struggling with that myself.  I have, however, continued to pray and seek God despite my feelings. Mostly I pray for the families that lost loved ones. I pray that the community of Newton is able to recover from this event. I pray for our nation as a whole.

Most of us wont be able to personally help or reach out to those affected. But we can make an effort to respond. We can attempt to bring beauty into the world as we process this ugly ugly event. We can pay it forward, commit random acts of kindness, attempt to spread a little cheer. And lets continue to pray and lift up those beautiful people that were lost.

Dont forget the blogging day of silence tomorrow


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