Our Top Posts of 2012

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Amy

Happy New Year everyone! This year just FLEW  by, didn’t it?

We thought we’d do a quick recap of our top {the ‘most read’ according to google analytics} posts this year, just in case you missed anything :)

Christy’s North Carolina Pantry lives on…and on…and on, thanks to Pinterest {oh, how we love thee, Pinterest!}

 

Christy’s Kitchen Makeover follows next.  The Better Homes & Gardens Real-Life Kitchens & Baths issue featuring this kitchen should be out any day!

Christy’s Kitchen Re-do

Her adjacent Laundry Room also got prettied up, and it’s another “top post.”  This room is in the current issue of Cottages & Bungalows magazine!

 My Kids’ Bathroom makeover follows next. I called it a Part 1 post because I intended on doing some more work to the mirror, but that will have to fall into our “goals” post, I suppose!

Terry’s Kids’ Learning Center is our next most-read post; her basement is amazing and such a great use of space.

Next up is Christy’s {New} Pantry Makeover.  In this post she also reveals that Better Homes is on their way to photograph her house for this spring’s Kitchens special issue.

Next up is a post with a great tip–an easy way to hang silver platters on the wall.

This tutorial post was next with a very useful chalkboard  “Out of Treats” sign to end Halloween on your terms :)

 Terry’s Camping Themed Birthday party she threw for her son is our last but not least, “most popular” post.

As always, thanks for visiting us! We are looking forward to an exciting 2013.

XO,

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Lalaloopsy 4th Birthday Party

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Amy

 Since it’s been the holiday season, I didn’t want to jump back in with a post about all that was pink, girly and Lalaloopsy until now. But, a few weeks ago we celebrated my daughter’s fourth birthday in grand style.

To give you a little background, this was her first ‘party’.  I said to someone the day of the party, I have thrown approximately 17 boy parties {My boys are 7 and 10 so think Star Wars, Army, Ninja Turtles, Transformers–you name it, we’ve done it}, but this was my first GIRL party so I may have gone a little over the top. It was a TON of fun to finally create something related to dolls, pink and totally girly, and I can definitely say she enjoyed her celebration too.

The theme of the party was not without much debate. During my last visit with Terry (who among her many talents is a professional event planner) together– with Pinterest– we planned a beautiful silver and white Snow/Winter Fairy party for her. That lasted about a day. Then my daughter decided she wanted a Hello Kitty party. Again, after much discussion and maybe a little hopeful persuasion from her mother, she finally settled on a Lalaloopsy theme for her big day.

Putting something together with the doll concept with buttons and sewing was too cute to pass up. I prefer to use mostly homemade items for parties, especially since I used to make and sell many of the party accessories such as you see in the photos.  I was really in for it when we {she} found LalaLoopsy party plates, cups, etc. at Wal-mart. So, again we compromised, and she got to set the table, which she did days in advance in her excitement.

I used generic white and pink cups, made stickers for them and filled them with popcorn and served the drinks in them. The straws were leftover from this Baby Shower we had last year.

The party was in the afternoon, so I didn’t do too much for food, just lots of snacks and sweet treats for the little girls to enjoy.

We did cupcakes, pink of course, with little toppers I made.

I knew I wanted to have a seat for each little girl, so we rented some extra chairs, a large round table and a white cloth. It made things so much easier to have everyone sitting instead of running wild, then we just packed it all up and returned it the next day.

I made the banner out of fabric scraps to hang above the buffet table; it’s been repurposed and now hangs over her bed in her room as a little reminder of her day.

We had a craft station set up in my office.  The girls made three different Christmas ornaments {under the supervision of some gracious middle schooler helpers} which of course, I don’t have pictures of to show, but it kept them busy and the ornaments served as their little “take home” gift.

 All in all I think the birthday girl had a ball!

XO,

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Posted in Birthday Parties, Entertaining, Events, Uncategorized, Weddings & Events | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Best Make~Ahead Cinnamon Roll Recipe EVER!

Posted on December 26, 2012 by Christy

It’s December 26th, and there’s a good chance you’ve exceeded your maximum caloric intake for the day/week/month/year already.  BUT, don’t we get to feast until the New Year and then start our diets?!

This is the best cinnamon roll recipe EVER, and I have made quite a few, including my grandmother’s (delicious) and Pioneer Woman’s (also yummy).  There are a couple of reasons I like this one so much.  First, the dough gets mixed in a bread machine.  While I make lots of bread from scratch, sometimes it’s nice to be able to dump the ingredients in the bread machine and do something else while it does the work.  Yes, you can mix the dough by hand if you don’t have a bread machine.  Second, you can make the rolls the day before, cover the pan and let them rise in the fridge overnight.  Then bake and frost the next morning (I also make the frosting the day before) and enjoy.  Third, they are slap-your-momma good.  Seriously!  Why not try them for your New Years’ Day breakfast?  That way, if your head aches from too much champagne, all the work is already done for you.

I claim no credit for this recipe.  I found it on my favorite recipe site, AllRecipes.com, where it has 4,916 reviews and a five-star rating.  That means there are over 314 million people in the US alone who don’t know about this recipe!  And what about the rest of the world?!  Out of the goodness of my heart, here it is:

Clone of a Cinnabon by Marsha Fernandez (click to go to original recipe)

IngredientsAll about Cream:

Dough:

  • 1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 1/3 cup margarine, melted
  • 4 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 2-1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Filling:

  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2-1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon (you can use the fancy kind if you want, but it’s great with the plain old grocery store brand)
  • chopped pecans, if desired (because they make my husband happy)
  • 1/3 cup butter, softened

Frosting:

  • 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

  1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.
  2. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
  3. Roll dough into a 16×21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. (Christy’s note:  add chopped pecans if you’d like.  My kids prefer not to have nuts, so I do half and half).  Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).  (Christy’s note: This is where I cover them and put them in the refrigerator overnight.  In the morning, I take them out and let them come to room temperature and rise for up to two hours, and then I bake them).
  4. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt. (Christy’s note:  I make the frosting the day before, too, and store it in the fridge.  Pull it out when you take the rolls out to rise the next morning).  Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

I bake these a little longer than 15 minutes, sometimes up to 18-20 minutes.  I try to find the balance between letting the tops get too brown and having the uncooked doughy center (I hate that!).  These are SO delicious, and I usually serve them with fresh strawberries or pineapple.  You can thank me later!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Tricks to Ensure Your Guests Feel Welcome This Holiday Season

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Terry

I am hosting Christmas at my home this year. My husband’s family will be traveling in from Syracuse, NY, and from Hilton Head, SC, to celebrate the season with us here in Virginia.  I am so grateful they are willing to travel, as my husband and I simply will not. :)  That probably sounds quite selfish, but we decided that while our children are young we want them to experience Christmas morning at home.  I feel we are creating some amazing memories similar to the ones I grew up with, and that is just something I am not willing to compromise on.

Norman Rockwell captures it perfectly!

With that said, I do realize it is a huge sacrifice for our family and friends to travel during the holiday season, and I really want to make them feel welcome.  In order to ensure that our guests feel comfortable in my home over the holidays, I try to be sure they have everything they need during their stay.  Here are some helpful hints and creative ways to welcome your guests this holiday season.

Bathrooms:

Fresh towels are a must.  I try to have at least two towels per person, especially for our female guests.  I use two towels daily, so extra towels are just something I wouldn’t want my guests to go without.

I personally love the Better Homes and Gardens Thick and Plush Towels from Walmart (yes, I did say Walmart!).   They come in about 10 different colors, they are super inexpensive, and you can easily monogram them to give your bathroom a more custom look.  Doesn’t the monogram make all the difference?

I hope to have His and Her guest robes hanging  in my guest bathroom someday.  Wouldn’t that be such a nice hotel touch?

Pottery Barn robes would be such a lovely touch when welcoming your guests.

I always have Q-tips, cotton balls, soap, a new toothbrush, toothpaste,  shampoo and conditioner on hand.   It is a busy time of year, so guests might forget to pack something.

I re-purposed grandmother’s mason jars to hold cotton balls and q-tips.

Bedrooms:

Fresh Sheets and lots of pillows are a must in my guest room.  There is nothing like crawling into a comfy warm bed after a full day of traveling.

I also try to ensure I have photos displayed around the bedroom that reflect their family.  It is like bringing a piece of their home into my home.  For example, here is an amazing photo of my niece Chloe from her senior picture photo shoot.  I have placed that in the bedroom where her parents are going to sleep this holiday.  Isn’t she beautiful!?!

My Niece Chloe- As gorgeous as ever!!

Kitchen:

I try to ensure that all dietary needs are met.   As most of you know, I have a son who has a rare metabolic disorder, so when we travel we have to pack so much food to ensure he can eat along the way!  I would hate for my guests to feel that they have to do the same, so I try to stock my fridge to ensure I have something for everyone.  My niece is lactose intolerant so I will have soy and almond milk available for her.  My nephew is peanut free so most of my baked goods will be peanut free.  This is not always realistic, but I try my best to make sure everyone feels at home.

Lastly, I always set up a coffee station so my guests can brew a cup as soon as they wake up.  I hate waiting for my much-needed cup of Joe in the AM!  For this reason, I love the Keurig Brewing System.  No one has to wait for a hot cup of coffee, cocoa or tea in the morning.  You can simply brew the perfect cup of coffee whenever your heart desires.

Terry’s Coffee Station

Christy’s Holiday Coffee Bar

Amy’s Cocoa Bar

May your guests feel warm and welcome this holiday season!  Thanks for stopping by and Happy Holidays!
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Dining Room Makeover {BM Revere Pewter Paint}

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Terry

It’s been 5 years in the making but every room on the main level of my house is finally painted- YAHOO!!!  This is such a huge victory for me as I really hate painting.  Well, that may not be entirely true as what I really hate is the prepping and taping.  I know there are million gadgets out there that tell you that you don’t need to tape if you buy their products.  Unfortunately that just doesn’t apply to me and my “get it done” personality.  I am a born ‘rusher’,  I start a project and I want it done as soon as I begin.  This is not the best personality to have when it comes to DIY home improvement projects and that is why I must tape prior to painting:)

I hate taping but it is a necessity for my “get-it-done” personality!

My dining room is prepped and ready for some color!

Another reason it has taken me so long to paint my house is because I am afraid to commit.  I have a huge fear over picking the wrong paint color.  I am so thankful for my girlfriends as they have an amazing eye for color and help point me in the right direction.   This time around, I painted outside of my beige comfort zone and tried a cooler shade of grey.  Revere Pewter is an amazing Benjamin Moore color with a tiny hit of beige so it was the perfect compromise for me.  It ties perfectly into the rest of my home and as you can see below, it works well with the Grant Beige painted in my formal living room which is right next door.

Adding some color to my dinning room inspired me to move some things around.  Remember that mirror I had hanging above my buffet?  I have since painted that with chalk paint and shifted it over to another wall.  My husband and I placed an open white shelf where the mirror used to hang.  I am sure this looks very familiar as Amy and Christy both have this exact shelf hanging in their home,  I guess I felt left out and had to have one for myself!  Doesn’t it look so much better?

Here is the mirror before the chalk board makeover- sorry for the Halloween flash back!

My new and improved chalk board!!!

New paint and open shelving really changes the look of my dinning room.

I actually stenciled this jar because I wanted to create a fall “Thankful” apothecary container this past November. I tried to write down reasons to be thankful daily and I would place them inside this jar. I have kept it out because I love the burnt red color of the leaves and I feel that I still have a ton to be thankful for this Christmas. It is a terrific reminder to remain thankful during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

Lastly, here are a few shots of my holiday dinning room tablescape:

Bunched up burlap fabric creates a rustic table runner

My dollar store snowflake plates add a pop of red to my dinning room table

I love adding greenery to a table

This belonged to my beloved grandmother (aka: Nanie). She passed away last year at 103 years old. I love having bits and pieces of her memory scattered around my home especially at Christmas. This is one of my favorite holiday memories as Nanie would light the candles and it would magically spin around.

 

 

Happy Holidays!

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DIY Ruffled Burlap/Ticking Tree Skirt

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Terry

One of my most treasured wedding gifts was from my Grandmother.  She made my new husband and I our very first holiday decorations.  It was such a clever gift since we were young and just starting out.  We really didn’t have holiday decor, certainly nothing that matched. But, as the years have passed and our family has grown I have been wanting to update my holiday decor.

This year I decided to try making my own tree skirt using an old round tablecloth.  I loved the red and white plaid table cloth as it was so I decided not to have ruffles go all the way up.   I did want some ruffles and loved the idea of burlap since many of my ornaments are rustic.  I then decided to add the ticking as the striping contrast pulls it all together.

Here is my step by step DIY Ruffled Tree Skirt tutorial. (I apologize for the dark photos– My basement work space is in need of a lighting makeover!)

Happy Holidays!

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A Sweet Christmas Treat–Cherry Limeade Recipe

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Christy


As a part of our homeschool experience, my children are involved in a once-a-week tutorial program.  The wonderful tutorial my kids attend gives them a day of enrichment–art, music, drama, creative writing, Bible, science lab, and PE for my daughter, and some very intense math, history, and English classes for my son.  So even though I thought I’d hung up my “Room Mom” credentials a few years ago, it turns out that the tutorial program has a Christmas party, too.  And hey, I’m not going to be a Scrooge about it–we should celebrate Christmas every chance we get, in my opinion!

The seventh graders in my son’s class were craving a little sugar this morning (when are they not?!). They start the day with algebra and need all the energy they can muster.  I found some darling red and white striped paper straws at Home Goods last week and decided I wanted to contribute a drink so I could use them.

I’m addicted to Sonic’s cherry limeade, and I’ve tried a few different recipes before.  This is a tweak of several of them, but you might want to taste as you go since some like it sweet and some like it tart!

~Cherry Limeade~

1 Two-liter lemon-lime soda

1 jar maraschino cherries

1 c. fresh lime juice (Yes, you can cheat and use the bottled kind!  No judgment here!)

1/2 c. sugar (more or less to taste)

Mix all the ingredients together, including the juice from the jar of cherries, and stir until the sugar dissolves.  I cheated this morning and used bottled lime juice, although the fresh really does taste better.  When I use fresh limes, I cut them up after I juice them and throw them into the mix–they look so pretty with the cherries.  If you don’t have limes or lime juice, a can of frozen limeade concentrate will do in a pinch, although this will make a tarter batch of cherry limeade.  It’s not rocket science, though!

The fun part is garnishing the glass and the pitcher.  Of course, I pulled out my darling striped straws, and some red and white napkins from Target.  I used one of my favorite printables EVER–the “Drink Me” Mad-Hatter-inspired labels–to dress up the pitcher, along with a red ribbon {visit Betsy at B. Nute Productions to print out the Eat Me/ Drink Me labels–clicking the photo below will take you to her site.  While you’re there, take a look around–her other stuff is *awesome*}.

Mad Hatter Eat Me Drink Me Printable Tags from B. Nute Productions

They downed the entire pitcher, so it looks like it was a hit!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Christmas Shelves

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Amy

I have to be honest, it doesn’t feel exactly right to write about holiday decor and other lighter topics yet. My heart still just hurts from the events of Friday, I expect it will for awhile.

I was reminded in church yesterday that Jesus was born into a dark, dark world. The spirit of the holiday is to find Joy in Him despite the darkness, and not let evil overwhelm the celebration of the miracle that is truly Christmas.

We were already attempting a simpler Christmas even before the recent events in Connecticut. We’ll be traveling for the holiday, and this year I already felt that I needed to focus more on our family and less on striving for perfection in the decorations, the food, the perfectly wrapped gifts, etc. I also wanted to take time to enjoy it and be less overwhelmed then I admittedly have been in years prior when I owned a custom Christmas Card business and it was CRAZY at this time of year.  I actually cut things like Christmas cards off my “To-Do” list, I am thinking in this era of Facebook and being a blogger most friends hear enough from me! :) It’s been easier then I thought to actually do less, and I am finding I am enjoying doing the small things more this season.

I have decorated a few “statement” parts of the house rather then trying for perfection everywhere. The first thing I did was decorate the open shelving in my kitchen, we built them in January so this was my first chance to inflict some holiday spirit on them!

The advantage of having a white kitchen is I can swap out my seasonal decor. The pops of red in honor of this time of year definitely stand out in the otherwise mostly plain white room.

On the lower desk area {which I don’t really use as a desk for whatever reason} I added the hot chocolate fixings per Terry’s inspiration HERE.  The kids had a great time making their “To Go” hot drinks Saturday night before we surprised them with a trek to see the Holiday Light festival at our local oceanfront.

Note: we apparently picked the busiest night of the year and after an hour and a half of waiting in line in our car the kids voted on a Christmas movie at home in favor of returning on a less busy night, Oh well!

So, no fancy holiday mantels or Christmas trees here this year, my kids decorated both spaces and I am just leaving them just as they are {OK, maybe I have tweaked an ornament here or there :) }. In the meantime, its been just a blessing to be home, be with family and know that the best part of the season is still to come.

We’ll be joining in the Blogger Day of Silence tomorrow in honor of the events at Sandy Hook Elementary.

XO,

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Fabulous & Easy Last Minute Gift Ideas

Posted on December 14, 2012 by Christy

***I keep forgetting to announce the winner of the $50 Home Goods/TJ Maxx gift card here on the blog.  I put it on Facebook, but guess the holidays are making me a little scatterbrained!  The lucky winner is comment #80–Kristin R.–and her card is in the mail to her as I type.  Thanks so much to everyone who entered!***

Less than two weeks until Christmas!  Are you all finished with your shopping?  I’ll be done by the end of this weekend, or else!

It seems like every year I get caught needing a small and fast gift for someone.  I like to give a little something to our neighbors, Sunday School teachers, Bible Study leaders, the kids’ tutors at their homeschool enrichment program, the mail lady, my decorating clients, friends, ballet/karate teachers, and, wow, the list sometimes seems endless.  While I love and appreciate all of them, a $10 gift card for each of them would break my gift budget, and there’s no faster way to ruin the holiday fun!

So, because I love you and I want your holiday to be happy and stress-free, here’s a list of my favorite small~but fabulous~presents.  If I include a recipe, I have USED IT repeatedly and can vouch for it:

1. Peppermint Bark, from the recipe on the McCormick Peppermint Extract box (even though I often use Trader Joe’s or Watkins extracts).  The recipe is {here}.  Here are my changes:  I use 12 oz bags of Wilton’s White Candy Melts (buy them in the cake decorating aisle) and microwave them.  I then use red food coloring only and stir it in along with the peppermint extract.  I spread the mixture into a foil-lined jelly roll pan (1 bag covers 1/2 of the pan) and sprinkle the top with crushed peppermint.  Once it’s hardened I package it up–presentation is everything! :)  1 bag of candy melts equals two finished gift bags, in my world.  I make this every. single. year.  Enjoy!

Peppermint_Bark.ashx.jpg

2.  Homemade liquor–the key to surviving the holiday!  See my blog post{here} for recipes for yummy homemade limoncello, raspberry vodka, and kahlua.  There’s still time to make them!  Plus, there’s a link to cute homemade labels for you to print out and use.

3.  Rhinestone Monogrammed Ornaments:  This was a Pinterest favorite for me this year, and my go-to gift.  I bought the ornaments on 50% sale at Hobby Lobby, along with ribbon, gorgeous silver hangers, and the silver letter stickers (I found mine in the scrapbooking aisle).  I made a couple of dozen of these (they were a little simpler than the ones pictured below).  Here’s a link to a great tutorial at the Creativity Exchange:  {rhinestone monogrammed ornaments}

Rhinestone Monogrammed Ornament by The Creativity Exchange

4.  Homemade Bath Salts:  My recipe is {here}.  Give these with an old silver spoon from the thrift store tied in the ribbon for extra pizazz!

Homemade Lavender and Ginger Bath Salts

5.  Homemade Sharp Mustard:  My recipe is {here} and it is fast, easy, and GOOD (thanks, Aunt Diane!).  Amy made us printable labels to dress up the finished product.

 

Sharp Mustard Recipe

black-mustard-labels.jpg

Green-mustard-labels.jpg

6.  Bath and Body Works Foaming Anti-Bacterial Soap:  I buy these in bulk at the beginning of the season (Twisted Peppermint is my favorite).  When you buy them 7 for $20 and use a coupon, they’re a great deal.  Pair them with a cute guest towel and you’re good to go!  Or, buy the candle and use this free printable from our girlfriends at For Chic Sake to monogram it!  (They have other gorgeous free printables that would make great gifts, too.)

Customizable Candle Wrap from For Chic Sake

I have a few other go-to ideas, but I’m thinking maybe I should do a Part 2 to this post so I don’t overwhelm you!  In the meantime, this should give you a good start on last-minute gift ideas.

Thanks for stopping by!

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