Secrets of a SPECTACULAR sugar cookie!

This post comes a little late for your holiday baking, but I just had to share my top 2 sugar cookie tips since I have seen many a sugar cookie misfortune this holiday season.

First, let's think about what a sugar cookie is. According to Wikipedia, "A sugar cookie is a cookie made from sugar, flour, butter, eggs, vanilla, and either baking powder or baking soda. Sugar cookies may be formed by hand or rolled and cut into shapes. They are commonly decorated with frosting, sprinkles, or a combination of both. In North America, decorated sugar cookies are particularly popular during holidays such as Christmas and Halloween." May I point out one thing - a sugar cookie is made with BUTTER. Not shortening. This is very important for the end result to be ridiculously decadent and just what you've always wanted.

My standards are high. I would say that 9 out of 10 sugar cookies I see during the holidays do not meet my standards (not a very scientific ratio - I just know it is a lot!). Eating a sugar cookie can be a blissful event if you follow these 2 tips:

#1 - Roll 'em thick! No thin sugar cookies here. The thicker the cookie the more heavenly it will feel in your mouth - seriously. Also, a nice thick layer of frosting compliments a plump cookie.

#2 - Do NOT overcook sugar cookies! This is by far the most important rule to sugar cookie making and the rule I see broken the most. Resist the urge to leave the cookies in longer! You will look at them and think, "Those are not quite done. They need another minute or two." But DON'T DO IT! Take them out. Trust me. See below? The cookie below was left in the oven too long...

The cookie below is perfect! Sugar cookies are not meant to be brown. If they are brown around the edges, you have cooked them too long. Sugar cookies are not meant to be crispy in any way. There is nothing more disappointing to see than a beautifully decorated sugar cookie that is brown and crunchy.


Now everyone has their favorite recipe but I think mine is the best sugar cookie recipe. In fact I've had people say my sugar cookies are the best they've ever had. My sister's boyfriend says I should sell them and make a business out of sugar cookies. Just sayin'. If you are interested in my recipe, leave me a comment. If there is enough interest I will post it here on the blog. I hope these tips help you make amazing sugar cookies because that is how it was meant to be.

And if you ever need an idea for some entertainment at a party or get-together, for children or adults...bake up a batch of sugar cookies, make some frosting, set out some sprinkles and sparkling sugar and watch your guests have a blast decorating cookies. Seriously. Even adults love decorating sugar cookies. I have done this numerous times this holiday season and it has been a hit every time!

Do you think YOU have the best sugar cookie recipe? Let me know, because I would love to put it to the test! Happy baking!

I wasn't blogging, but I was still creating...

Despite my lack of blogging, I have still been creating. Here are some of my creations:

Every girl needs a coordinating holiday hair piece!
A turkey clip from felt and ribbon for my baby girl to wear on Thanksgiving.

A Thanksgiving table

Creating a little holiday magic for my kiddos.
I love watching little kids decorate the Christmas tree!

I made an outdoor Christmas tree by wrapping garland around a tomato cage and adding a strand of white lights (an idea I got from Pinterest. You can follow me on Pinterest HERE.)It looks really nice all lit up at night and was made with items I had on hand. Here it is with a light dusting of snow from a winter storm last week:

I'm lovin' our Christmas mantle this year!
Some fluffy garland decorated with glittery, gold snowflakes, gold stars, and
some chocolate brown, sparkly ornaments.
All this highlights the large nativity picture that depicts the reason for the season.
*sigh*
I think it is beautiful.

And I couldn't forget our annual gingerbread house decorating. I was the architect and my son was the decorator. It is my way of conquering my OCD ways by allowing my son to place the candy wherever he wants, in whatever pattern he wants. It is a really great exercise for me in letting go. My son loves it and I love making memories with him!

So there you have it. If you have any questions about the details of any project, let me know. And I will try not to wait so long to blog about my projects.
Happy Holidays!

'Oh Christmas Tree' Fruit and Cheese Tray

So I've been on a bit of a blogging hiatus...in case you haven't noticed :). I was suffering from a mild case of blog burnout. But I hope to be back blogging more regularly - maybe.

I wanted to share this super easy Christmas fruit and cheese tray I put together for my son's preschool Christmas party. I signed up to bring a healthy food item for 12 kids. So that ruled out sugar cookies or cupcakes piled with frosting...I needed something festive looking and fun for the kids. So the fruit and cheese tray in the shape of a Christmas tree was created:

Isn't it cute? And it was so easy to put together! Grapes, sliced apples, pear slices, and cheese cubes with a little fruit dip "tree trunk" and some cheese star "ornaments." The kids went crazy for it - particularly the cheese. Kids love cheese. You can never go wrong with cheese cubes at a kids party. And cheese slices cut into shapes with a cookie cutter? Even better!

Just about any fruit/veggie tray can be jazzed up by creating a shape using the items on a big platter. A heart for Valentine's Day, a flag shape for the 4th of July, a snowman or tree shape for winter/Christmas... the possibilities are endless!

It's the small and simple touches that make things special...

A Christmas Table and Centerpiece

I know Christmas is over, but I thought I would share pictures of our Christmas table. I used a deep green tablecloth with silver chargers and my mom's red dinner plates to add some Christmas color (yes, we used plastic cups. Not my first choice but at least they were red :). I kept the centerpiece simple:

A white cake plate standing on a white platter. Add sprigs of fresh greens ($6 for a bundle at United), red berries pulled off some picks from Hobby Lobby, a box of silver ornaments from Dollar Tree, and...

Some glass votive holders with a white votive nestled in some fake snow. A simple and thrifty, yet beautiful centerpiece.

There's nothing like a beautifully simple table, amazingly good food, and being surrounded by family to make Christmas special. I hope your Christmas was as wonderful as ours!

Adding Some Christmas Pizzaz to the Picture Wall

Do you remember the picture wall I put together for my in-laws? You can see more details HERE. I decided it needed a little touch of Christmas so here it is looking a little more Christmasy:

It was so easy - I just wrapped a few of the picture frames with Christmas wrapping paper (I'm a polka-dots kinda girl) and added a bow. It doesn't take much wrapping paper and if you are like me, you shop the after Christmas sales and get wrapping paper cheap! So easy, fast, and thrifty and it gives just a little touch of Christmas cheer to this wall. I also tied another glittery reindeer ornament, like the one I used HERE from the Dollar Tree, onto the big 'D' with a red ribbon.

Add a sparkly "Merry" ornament and your finished...

Just the right touch of cheer and whimsy for the holidays!

A New Christmas Tradition

I love that my son is old enough this year to be really enjoying Christmas! He keeps saying things like, "This is the BEST Christmas!", or "It's Christmas time, Mom!", with all the enthusiasm his 3 year old body can express. My son also really enjoys reading stories. Every night as part of his nightly routine we read 2 stories together.

So we decided to start a new tradition this year, and follow in the footsteps of my favorite blogger Melissa. You can see Melissa's idea HERE. I went through our book collection and picked out all the Christmas/Winter books we owned. Then I wrapped them all with Christmas paper (no bow or ribbon, not the greatest wrap job, but it works.) and put them in a Christmas basket next to my son's rocking chair. Spencer gets to open one every night through Christmas Eve and we started about 2 weeks ago. HE LOVES IT! He gets SO excited to open a book every night for story time. And the nice thing about it: you can wrap just as many books as you have, and start that many nights before Christmas - don't think you have to have a ton of Christmas books to do this. Here are some of the books we've been reading:

My favorite? I Believe in Santa Claus. It is our first Christmas reading it and I love the message it shares. I also love Snowmen at Night and The Tale of Three Trees. And of course we will be reading The Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve. It was a tradition in my family growing up...

Leave me a comment and let me know what your favorite Christmas story is. I would love to have some ideas for future Christmas book purchases... Merry Christmas!

The Dollar Tree Hurricanes make their Christmas debut...

The Dollar Tree hurricanes are back and dressed for a Christmas party!
They served as the centerpiece for the party my parents hosted at their home this past Friday night. I continue to be amazed at how versatile they are... add a few Christmas fillers and they simply glow!

My favorite fillers were the 69 cent fat, candy cane sticks from Dollar Tree and the glittery reindeer ornament (also from Dollar Tree) and 99 cent green glitter tree from Walgreen's nestled in some fake snow.
*sigh*
I love them.
Festive and beautiful, yet simple and cheap.
Have you made your Dollar Tree hurricanes yet?

Holiday Cranberry Punch

I thought I would share an easy punch recipe that I like to serve around the holidays. So easy it only has 3 ingredients. I served it at our Thanksgiving dinner in my pretty, white, ruffle serving bowl. It was beautiful if I do say so myself!

Holiday Cranberry Punch

1 - 2 liter bottle Diet 7-Up or Diet Sprite
1 - 64 oz. bottle cranberry juice
fresh cranberries

Mix together the 7-up and cranberry juice in a punch bowl. Float fresh cranberries on top. Serve over ice.

How easy is that? Just the right amount of sweetness. And it adds a festive touch with the red cranberries...I love it! Try it for your next holiday get-together and see how it disappears!

Nativity Exhibit

I have been a little MIA lately when it comes to blogging. Want to know where I've been?

I have been straddling a ladder to decorate a 9ft. Christmas tree, arranging nativities, arranging more Christmas trees, collecting money for poinsettias, caroling with youth outside our church, walking around with special friends to see nativites, listening to heavenly music, etc. All things for the Stake Nativity Exhibit at church this past weekend. Here's my Christmas tree all lit up...

It was beautiful. More than I could have imagined. A feast for the eyes. Visually stunning. A spiritual boost. A perfect beginning to the Christmas season. I had the privilege of working with some amazingly talented women and men. There were over 400 nativities displayed with 75 countries represented. Here are just a few pics from the event, but you really had to see it for yourself to get the full impact...

(My friend Ashlee's nativity from Uganda. She is not a member of my church but was kind enough to loan it for this event. I thought it was so unique and different!)

I hope we can all remember the reason for the season...Merry Christmas!

Just a little more Dollar Tree lovin'

I promise Dollar Tree is not compensating me for professing my complete adoration for their store. And I promise that this will be the last post, at least for awhile, that expounds upon the wonderfulness of Dollar Tree.

I wanted to show you some of the other items I have discovered at Dollar Tree. I think often times dollar stores get a bad rap for having cheapy, worthless items or they are not a true everything is a dollar store. You can definitely find some cheapy stuff at Dollar Tree, but among the junk are some gems.

For instance, the picture above with the "Families are Forever" sign. The metal tin that is holding my faux greenery came from Dollar Tree's spring line of gardening products. It was a metal tin with orange and green paint sponged all over the etched leaf design. But a simple coat of spray paint makes it look more elegant and was the perfect container to hold this greenery. I looked at buying a similar tin at Michael's, but on sale it was still $6. For $1 and a little spray paint I already had on hand I have the look I wanted to achieve.

Other Dollar Tree items I enjoy:

Sometimes they have some great storage bins available. I bought several of these plastic baskets to hold my son's toys and they work great. For only $1.


Thank you to my sister-in-law, Krista, who introduced me to my next love. I think these diaper disposal bags are one of my favorite things from Dollar Tree. So handy to keep those smelly diapers under wraps. And you get 75 for only $1. You can't beat that - even at Wal-Mart.

Did you know Dollar Tree has a great selection of cute board books for kids?

Don't underestimate the food section of Dollar Tree. Yes, they sell food. There are definitely some good buys to be found. A 14 oz. package of animal crackers for $1. They also have some really good "fig newton" like cookies in apple and strawberry flavors that I enjoy. Another good find - jars of roasted red peppers. Roasted red peppers at the grocery store can be pricey. But the Dollar Tree jars are only $1 and they are good quality. I use them alot in dips and appetizers and love to put them on sandwiches.

I showed you the hurricane candleholders from the Dollar Tree, but here are some of the other variations you can make using the glass candleholders and vases available for only $1.

Other great items: picture frames (sometimes hit and miss), these removable, vinyl wanabe, wall stickers (says "Family: a gift that lasts forever"), and small favors in the wedding/baby shower section.

I am lovin' Dollar Tree's autumn/Halloween decorations. The fake crows are all the rage around blog land as are the glittery skulls. And if you are not a big fan of skulls, those are the faux leaves I used to fluff up my garage sale wreath - 10 for $1.

Another glass creation: Individual cupcake stands from candle dishes

Glue one of the tried and true glass candlesticks to one of these candle dishes (below). The dishes come in all different colors. I think these could make cute shower decorations...whether for cupcakes or candles!

A few Christmas ideas from last year.

Might get your mind thinking for the holiday season this year?

Dollar Tree had these small wreaths of berries or pine boughs with berries last year. Here is my recreation of a candleholder I had my eye on at Target last year. (The picture above is my dollar tree candleholder, the one below is the one from Target).

The pine bough version. Just a small wreath with a glass candleholder nestled in the middle. Total cost - $2

Not bad huh?

A few other things to note:

Dollar Tree has great party supplies.

Gift bags

greeting cards

helium balloons

($1 is a great price for these!)

So after this very long post, if you are still with me, I hope you have been inspired by the $1 possibilities. But beware, it makes it really tough to leave the Dollar Tree without at least $10 worth of stuff when you recognize the possibilities!

Happy Dollar Tree shopping!