25 Days of Christmas - Day #25 Christmas has arrived

by: Ashley

Whew!! I know Christmas isn't about decorating and baking and gift-giving, but yet, we all tend to get a little stressed with those things.  So it's somewhat of a relief when the day is finally here.  The day where I get to eat all the cupcakes I've been baking and watch my nephew and niece open up their presents and just relax with family watching cheesy Christmas specials. 

But right now I'm not relaxing...because I took on this recipe from Always with Butter:

Well, you'll notice in the recipe that she suggests the use of an stand mixer.  Not only do I not have a stand mixer... but I don't even have an electric hand mixer.  I didn't think it was going to be a problem, but now I've been whisking and whisking and whisking away... and my cloud frosting isn't forming any peaks :( 

I know it's odd that I don't have an electric mixer - but I'm in the middle of moving in with my fiance and I might have one somewhere in a box that is still packed.  I've tried not to buy too many kitchen items because I've registered for a lot of those items already.  I'm hoping that maybe the frosting will keep in the fridge until I can take it over to mom's house and use her electric mixer.  Wish me luck!!!

But anyhow, I hope you guys are enjoying the day with loved ones, and, most of all, remember what today is all about.  (Besides enjoying tamales and egg nog and cookies)

By the way - I just wanted to say how much Danie and I have enjoyed writing this blog! We've written a little over 50 posts now (crazy right?!!) and love hearing feedback.  I especially loved this 25 days of Christmas series we've done, but I hope you don't mind if we take a small little break to regroup and figure out our next direction.  

Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! And we'll be back before the New Year :)

25 Days of Christmas - Day #24 Last Minute Gifting!!

By: Danie

So the big day is almost here!!! I said the same thing to Mike last year, "We aren't doing this to ourselves again next year" we were doing last minute shopping at the mall! It was total brain damage, the lines were insane and it's just too busy.

My idea and I promise I am doing it this year. I am going to keep a little journal with everyone that I need to purchase for or get a little gift and through the year just write down things they mention they need or like.... and throughout the year try and buy the gifts and put them in a box until Christmas. We are dying to enjoy the holidays :)

So some last minute gift ideas?!? Yes, please!

- Bananagrams

-Subscription for __________ (They have everything you could imagine)

-Coffee Table Books

-Decoupaged picture to canvas (It is super easy for a finished gift)

-Gift Cards

-Gift Basket of some of that persons favorite things

-eReader

This year we were not really sure what to get for my dad. Really the only think he is interested in is his grandson so I am putting a great picture of the two of them in a frame as one of his gifts. This year we are doing a lot of travelling so we are trying to keep it simple.



25 Days of Christmas - Day #23 Our Friends of the Furry Variety

By: Danie

So in case you were wondering.... Ashley's party was great! I hadn't done the "Cupid Shuffle" in a while. It's just like riding a bike though....once you get movin' it all comes back to you!

Well I can't believe we haven't written about gifting for our fur babies?!?! We would be lost without our little Jimmy B and I know the same goes for so many other families. I am also pretty sure he got more gifts than Mike last year :) So what to get??

The Famed Christmas Sweater

While I was checking out the puppy selections online I stumbled upon the jackpot so to speak, Baxter Boo, it is an online emporium of awesome doggy sweaters, snowsuits, boots, goggles, graphic tees and toys. To say the least I was pretty impressed!

Toys & Such

About a year ago Martha Stewart launched her line of pet toys at Petsmart and when I saw the commercial I thought that they were the cutest toys ever (they almost look like toys for kids). They are reasonably priced but beware it looks like most of the toys are plush.

Everlasting Bento Ball

Now this is supposedly the "it" chew toy... I was informed that it is all the rage. There is a cavity for you to put your dogs favorite treat and then you put the everlasting treat on top of that cavity (this comes with the ball), it also has the little massaging bumps, Jimmy loooves toys with that. Supposedly it will last ions because the everlasting treat just chips off a little at a time. They come in three different sizes so if you have a strong chewer get the next size up. It may be available at pet supply stores but I have also seen it at Amazon.

Courtesy of Martha Stewart

Apple Cheddar Dog Biscuits

Ingredients

(Makes about 16)

2 cups barley flour

½ cup old-fashioned oatmeal

1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tablespoons olive oil


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients and about 3 tablespoons water to form a dough. Roll out mixture between two sheets of plastic wrap and cut out biscuits with 3½-inch bone-shaped cookie cutter. Reroll scraps and continue cutting out dog biscuits.
3. Space biscuits 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes until nicely browned and firm.
4. Transfer biscuits to a wire rack. Turn off oven and place rack in oven overnight. Remove from oven and store in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

Hopefully those cute little fur balls have a very Merry Christmas!!! :)

25 Days of Christmas - Day #22 Cookie Cutter Ornaments

by: Ashley

So tonight's the big night... well not the BIG night but it's the big night of my ENGAGEMENT party! I'm so excited but at the same time there is so much to do!!

Which makes it totally awesome that I discovered this super easy project - it only took 10 minutes to do two of these.

Typically an ornament from the store cost anywhere between $5 and $15 (and of course there are some way more expensive).  Well I got a canister of cookier cutters for $5 and a set of 5 different ribbons for $5. So that's just $10 for the possibility of several different ornaments.  Oh and don't forget the double stick tape - it's so much easier to work with than glue.

I have about 10 more cookie cutters so I definitely plan on making more of these bad boys!!! They are just too easy to not absolutely love them.

25 Days of Christmas - Day #21 Gift Wrapping with Love

by: Ashley

Feliz Navidad! Feliz Navidad! I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas, I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas... ugh this song is stuck in my head!!!!

So this year I decided to try something a little different with my gifts. Instead of just buying wrapping paper, I purchased some plain white craft paper (which is less expensive!), red craft paper, and gold ribbon.  And the result was FANTASTIC.

If you want some other ideas check out my Pinterest Gift Giving board.  I really like these ones below featured on Grey Likes Weddings (photographs taken by Jenny Liu).  

Source: thelifeofawife.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Hopefully you are all done with your Christmas shopping and you can focus on the gift wrapping.  Of course if you make it too pretty then you won't want the recipient to tear it open! :)

25 Days of Christmas - Day #20 DIY Reindeer Cards

By: Danie

If you haven't already sent out your Christmas cards... you probably should get on it!! We have already sent out the stock photo cards! Being new parents we are a little overzealous.... well this blog is a first hand account of me being a "crazy mommy." If I didn't have a child, I would probably not be learning to sew, making personalized gifts or decorating my house for any holiday..... just being honest :)

Lucky for you I am a mommy!! So you get to see how I made the Reindeer Cards.

First you will need one of these....

So you can do this with hands or feet (I think it would be really cute if you could get your puppy's paw print!!). We chose feet because when your child is asleep its easier to get his foot prints.

1. Stamp hand print/footprint/paw print on the card

2. Use whatever you have on hand to decorate your card (markers, paper, glue, glitter, sharpies)

3. Put your message on the card- We used some of these for our nieces and nephew's Christmas money but made some of them thank you cards for Christmas gifts. {Ashley's blog yesterday suggested taking Christmas cards to the nursing home, so if you are in the giving back spirit make some extra and try to do that this Sunday. If you haven't read her post from yesterday you should check it out!!} 

4. We made all of our reindeer different and unique!!

These fun personalized cards were so fun to make and it shows your family that you put thought and care into something for them.

25 Days of Christmas - Day #19 Angels

by: Ashley

It sounds so cheesy to say it, but Christmas is truly the time for miracles.  My favorite way to give back during the holidays is to adopt an angel from the Salvation Army tree.  This year my angel was 4 years old and only asked for three items: a dress, a coat, and a barbie doll.  Of course I spoiled her with a little bit more than that!  But there are so many more children out there that won't have gifts to open on Christmas morning.  Or their gift will be a pair of shoes to replace the ones on their feet that have holes.

Recently, I heard that some people were doing more at their local stores.  When I heard about these Layaway Angels, I just about cried.  If you haven't heard, there are individuals out there paying off layaway accounts at K-Marts and Wal-Marts.  They are looking for accounts that have children's toys to help make sure that these kids will have a real Christmas.  You can read the story here.

If you are looking for a way to help out this holiday season, there are so many options.  Check out the Salvation Army website for information about donating.  See if your local soup kitchen needs help or food/monetary donations.  And I know that we typically talk about helping or donating to kids on the holidays, but there are many seniors who don't have any family.  One Christmas, I went to a nursing home and handed out Christmas cards and socialized with the residents.  They really do appreciate just having someone to talk with, especially during a season meant for family and friends.

There's still 6 days left til Christmas! It's not too late to donate or spend your time towards a good cause and become an angel to someone out there.