Here’s what My Everyday Life – Week 49 looked like:
I am obsessed with my new stars.
Cozy corner.
Reflected pajamas.
My holiday wrapping paper vibe.
She loves the new tree skirt.
Festive.
She’s a fan of the new deer.
Old Fashioned !
It rained heavily this week. It was awesome.
Welcome to I Love Lists Friday! Let’s surf the internet together:
Sometimes you want cake but you don’t have any. Sometimes you fantasize about driving to the store to buy a single slice of cake but then you find yourself unmotivated to do so….so you sit on your couch imagining all of the things you could eat instead of cake, but then you figure out you just need fairy toast. Fairy toast /bread is usually sweetened butter smeared on toast and hit up with a heavy dose of sprinkles. I took that idea and ran with it. I mixed a little powdered sugar in with cream cheese to make something very close to cream cheese frosting. I spread it on toast and topped it with sprinkles. Cake craving satisfied. I really should keep an extra slice of cake in the freezer….
To see more of my Thursday Snack Ideas, follow my Pinterest Board!
Let’s not forget that with all of the commotion of cookie baking, home decorating, DIY gift making and gift procuring that we need to make a real weeknight dinner. As much as I love snack dinner, my family needs a home cooked meal every once in awhile.
I was making room in my pantry for my December baking bonanza and I noticed that I had two jars of apricot jam that needed to be used. A trip to the store for chicken and not too long after we have Apricot Glazed Chicken for dinner.
The apricot glaze in this recipe is ridiculously simple. All pantry staples–soy sauce, hot mustard, apricot jam and garlic. The original recipe called for 8 chicken thighs and that amount would have been just fine…but I happen to LOVE the apricot glaze, so I downsized and left the sauce amount the same. I roasted bunch of carrots on a baking sheet with the chicken in the oven and made a batch of rice in the rice cooker . The chicken is tender, crispy, caramelized and that sauce is so wonderful spooned over the rice. If you’re looking for additional heat, a little sriracha drizzled on top makes it extra delicious.
I’m going through a transition right now. I’m starting to (big gulp) like GOLD. I KNOW I KNOW, I don’t know what happened. If I told 20 year old Tracy who was a super stubborn SILVER ONLY lover, she would never believe me. She would also never believe that I am into fancy china and feel OK about capers now. It’s funny how your tastes change, huh?
I was approached by Pier 1 to put together something Christmas related for my blog and so I thought it would be a good opportunity to test the waters on a Golden holiday. You know how much I loooooove to decorate a table & a mantle! Here’s the thing though about this gold situation— I like a lighter gold– like a more champagne-like gold. The kind that you’re not sure if it’s silver or gold… Oh and I’m also starting to really like old brass. So, that’s what we’re working with. Out of all of the Christmas Themes that Pier 1 has going on this year, I felt like their Champagne Shimmer Collection would work well with what I had in mind.
It’s Cyber Monday (who even made that phrase up??!) and are we ready to do some shopping? I opted out of Black Friday and ate leftovers in my pajamas and binged on this show. In other words, I lived it UP. Cyber Monday is usually more my speed. I like the feeling of finding all of my Christmas gifts from Amazon so I can exploit Amazon Prime Shipping. The shipping price is always what GETS ME to pull the trigger. PLUS….I can do it all from my pajamas and not have to wait in line. Thank you, technology. Today I put together a list of all of my favorite things that could/would/should make excellent gifts for the holiday season. That’s right, I’m playing Oprah today with My Favorite Things Holiday Gift Guide 2015 edition!
Here we go!
Watercolor Set– I’ve given this to a few people as gifts this year with this book and some aqua brushes . Cooper and I both have our own coloring sets and we take them on the go when we’re out & about. Super portable/ super fun/ a great way to add a little color to your journaling.
Prisma Colored Pencils– I treated myself to some fancy colored pencils. I love a set that has a tremendous amount of color. They’re a dream to color with. If you’re gonna gift them, make sure you throw in a few coloring book
Koi Brush Pens– Game changer! I love these pens so much. They’re sturdy and super saturated. That means I don’t mind when Cooper (who has such a heavy hand when it comes to drawing) uses them.
Calligraphy Set – Hoping to get more into calligraphy this year. I bought this set and am going to crack into it on Christmas break. It’s a GORGEOUSLY curated set and feels super regal. Your friend/family member who also loves handwriting will get a kick out of it.
Kombucha Kit– One of my favorite discoveries of 2015 was learning how to make my own kombucha. This kit helps with that! It’s been about 6 months since I started my first batch and I’m still going strong. Spread the kombucha love and get your friends & family their own kits. Add in a few bottles & a good book while you’re at it.
Leather Zipper Case– My friend Lisa has one of these pouches and they’re beautiful! I keep eyeing hers…but I am not sure if I want to get the silver or gold one. If you carry a big bag, you can consolidate with this pouch. It’s super sleek and glitzy so it instantly classes up any outfit. I will have one. Oh yes I will.
Illume Woodfire Reed Diffuser– If you love the smell of campfires/fireplaces, you’ll love this reed diffuser. My house smells like this right now and it makes me supremely happy.
Juniper Ridge Christmas Fir Spray– We haven’t had a real Christmas tree since Cooper was born. We’re a white Christmas tree household so we definitely miss out on the Christmas tree smell. I’ve been super impressed with Juniper Ridge’s incense and now I am OBSESSED with the Christmas Fir Spray. It’s the pure essence of Christmas Trees! I swear, it smells like we have a real tree in here now.
Urban Decay Naked Smokey Eyeshadow– The only eyeshadow I use! I love this palette because it has EVERY color I use to smoke up my eyes. If my high school aged niece didn’t already have it, I’d buy it for her in a heartbeat.
Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker– The main reason why I don’t make ice cream regularly is that I don’t have enough space in my freezer for the ice cream container insert and I don’t always remember to put the container in the freezer overnight. I bought this Cuisinart ice cream making because the compressor chills the insert while it churns! No need to think ahead and clear out room for your freezer. Also- I highly recommend this ice cream container, this scoop and this book. All of those things wrapped up with a giant bow would make someone SO HAPPY this Christmas.
Polaroid Mobile Inkless Printer– I’ve been wanting to print pictures from my phone for awhile now and LOVE the fact that you never have to buy ink with this polaroid printer. Cooper and I make little journals with our pictures. It’s always exciting to see an image from my phone pop out from the printer. Make sure you get extra paper!
Fujifilm XT-1 I’ve been using this camera as my main camera for the past year. I bought it to travel with (my Canon 7D can get really heavy) and I love it so much that I use it for most of my recipes here on Shutterbean. It’s so much fun to play with.
Nikon Coolpix Camera– This is Cooper’s camera! I wanted something that was kidproof/waterproof/shock resistant and this one fits the bill. It’s great for trips to the beach or underwater shoots in the pool.
Stitch Fix– Get your friend a gift card so they can try the service out!
Gift someone a Creativebug membership! First Month Free with Code: COZYCRAFTS– I love being able to access great tutorials & classes on my computer. Cooper and I have taken a few classes together and it’s SO MUCH FUN.
Curated Music + Food= Turntable Kitchen Subscription Box– For the music & food lover!
Birchbox Subscription– If you love trying samples of perfume & beauty products, you’ll love this.
Olfactif- I just started my subscription this month. Can’t wait to see what comes to my door!
If you plan on doing any shopping online, you should sign up with EBATES because you get cash back from your purchases. They also will give you the good promo codes for shops online. All of you have to do is login to your account and go through their website and earn. They’ll send you a “big fat check” quarterly. A lot of big online retailers are on there, so I ALWAYS make sure to see if I can get cash back from a sale. When we bought our new fridge we got $75 back! Amazing right?? It costs nothing to sign up.
Here are some guides from the past if you need additional ideas!
