Rolled Sugar Cookies and Royal Icing

Hey y'all! 

One of my favorite family holiday traditions is making sugar cookies! We always try to make royal icing, and it always ends up super thin and runny (boo!). This year, I have been following quite a few people who decorate the most GORGEOUS cookies, so I knew I had to step up my game if I was planning to post these babies on instagram. I decided to use new recipes from the ones that I normally use because I really wanted soft sugar cookies and I wanted a different icing (the one I used in the past had way too much almond or vanilla or something or another).

Rolled Sugar Cookies - I got my recipe here. They were super soft and tasted great! My only change to this recipe is that the thicker rolled cookies were much softer and I wanted to eat all of them, so you should probably do that. This recipe calls for an ungreased cookie sheet, but I used parchment paper which helped the bottoms become a really pretty light golden color.

Royal Icing - I started with Martha Stewart's recipe here. I will tell you to NOT use nearly as much water as she calls for. Honestly, I probably used half the water it called for and it still wasn't super thick. I would add a tiny bit at a time until you get the consistency you want.

This was my first time to really use the outline and flooding techniques successfully (honestly, I think I used to try the flooding without the outlining...P.S. that does NOT work). If you don't know how to do this, you want to have a thicker icing to outline your shape and then thin it out (i.e. add a tiny bit of water) to "flood" the outline. This results in a smooth even finish for your cookies! A couple of other things that I learned were that if there are bubbles in your icing, you can use a toothpick to pop those suckers and that you want to make sure the icing is COMPLETELY dry before you put them in tins (mine weren't 100% dry so some ended up having crinkles in the icing).

I recognized that I was too obsessive to get into decorating these intricately in the time frame I had to make them, so they ended up being relatively simple. Maybe next year when I can space out my baking days a little better! I'm still pretty proud of the outcome! What do you think?

By the time I got to the candy canes, I was just done with being a perfectionist and almost out of icing, so I just striped those with the light blue and red. They ended up being perfect for people who don't like as much icing though! 

I think this may become an every holiday tradition, not just Christmas. Does your family make cookies for the holidays? Or have any special recipes?

Until next time,

How to Make a Liquor Bouquet

Hey y'all! 

I hope that each of you had a very Merry Christmas! Ryan, Cash and I have had a great one! We have celebrated with his parents and get to celebrate with my parents and siblings early next week. I should tell you, I LOVE Christmas (I may have mentioned that before). I love crafting and baking and decorating and watching Christmas movies and listening to Christmas music! I think I drive my husband nutso with all the Christmas cheer. I thought I might share some of my projects from this year with y'all! Most of them could be adapted for different holidays/celebrations! 

I'll be honest, I meant to post this before Christmas, but I got sick the week before and my productivity went out the darn window. Even when I started feeling better, I just wanted to sleep! 

Today, I'm going to give you instructions on how to make a liquor bouquet! You can do the same thing with essential oil bottles (which would be SO cute), candy boxes, or really anything that is small.

I've made these little guys for multiple occasions and thought you might be able to use them too! This one was made for someone my dad works with who happens to like bourbon. You can use any liquor you want to! I personally like making it with all different kinds of alcohol so that the bouquet is very colorful from the different bottles.

Supplies:

• 10 mini liquor bottles (plastic are best because they are light weight. You can also use more or less bottles if you want!)
• Low temp hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Ceramic Pot (the size will depend on how many bottles you are using)
• Styrofoam Ball to fit in the pot
• Dowel rods (I used the 3/16th inch ones)
• Crinkle filler 
• Acrylic paint (if you want to paint your pot)

Instructions:

1. Paint your pot. For this particular project, I painted it gold. You don't have to paint the pot at all. The pots that Hobby Lobby had in stock all had scratches or dings on them, so I painted it to hide the imperfections. You don't need much paint to make a difference and the thinner the coats you put on, the faster it dries! 
2. Hot glue the styrofoam ball into the pot. This keeps it from moving around when you go to stick your "flowers" (a.k.a. liquor) into the pot. 
   
3. Glue the liquor bottles to the dowel rods. This is not the time to be stingy with the hot glue and you want to make sure it's completely dry before you can go to the next step.
4. Cut the dowel rods to the desired length. I had no problem using scissors. They would make a significant dent in the rods and they would break at that point easily. You will want the rods to be shorter for the front of the bouquet and longer in the back. 
   
5.  Once the glue is completely dry, begin placing the dowel rods into the styrofoam base.
   
   
6. Now you will want to add your crinkle filler, a bow if you want or a sign (happy birthday, congrats, etc)
   

Project COMPLETE! The first one I made took a little while to figure out placing, but this one took me about 25 minutes in total, including painting the pot. Did you do any fun crafts for the holidays? I would love to hear about them!

 Until next time,

One Amazing Year Later

Hey y'all! 

I might not get through this post without crying, just warning you! Why? Because one year ago today, I got to marry my best friend. Everyone experiences a wedding in different ways, I'm going to share what I remember from our wedding day. This may also be the longest blog post ever, so no judgment if you don't read the whole thing!

I remember how much fun I had getting ready with my friends. Seeing all of my friends from different parts of my life all together made me so incredibly happy. 

I remember how excited my mom was to zip me into my dress (and me thinking "Thank God it fits!").

  

I remember sitting in the car with my dad on the way to Ryan's and my first look. That may sound funny, but we sat in the car talking about random stuff for ten minutes on the way.

I remember that it was insanely cold and sleeting/drizzling most of the day, but when I stepped out of the car, I didn't even care that I was in a sleeveless dress, because after a year of having my dress, Ryan was finally going to get to see me in it. 

I remember him turning around and seeing me for the first time. His reaction was exactly what I had hoped for (including a fist pump).

I remember how grateful I was for our AMAZING friends who were already fabulous, but got bumped up a notch for taking pictures in the cold with us. 

I remember seeing the ceremony room and the reception room for the first time. It was everything I had imagined come to life. 

I remember five minutes before the ceremony started, that something went wrong. My mom handled it soooo well knowing that not telling me what was going on would make things worse. Everyone was really concerned I was going to freak out and my reaction was "tell them to hurry up and fix it, I'm ready to get married!" (no freaking out necessary). I was so excited all day long. Some people get nervous, some cry, but me? I was so excited I couldn't stand still all day.

I remember standing with my dad waiting to walk down the aisle.

I remember seeing Ryan when the doors opened and walking down the aisle towards him. My dad and I were having a full on conversation down the aisle. Our guests laughed at what was being said "slow down Mad, he will still be there in a minute." Psh, I just walk fast anyway!

I remember saying our vows, exchanging rings, and praying together for the first time after that. Our vows were "I, Madalene, in the presence of God, take you, Ryan, to be my husband. All that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you Whatever the future hold, I will love you and stand by you, as long as we both shall live. This is my solemn vow."

I remember being told that Ryan could kiss the bride and being pronounced husband and wife and officially becoming Mrs. Bradley!

I remember our first dance, my dance with my dad, and Ryan's dance with his mom (which his dad cut in on to dance with Ryan - LOVED it!)

I remember telling Ryan to not shove the cake in my face and that he ate the cake because he knew it would make me happy (even though you don't even like cake).

And boy do I remember the reception. We had SO much fun with all of our family and friends. I wish we could have a huge party every year just so we could see everyone!

I remember standing in the reception hall listening to all of our guests call the hogs right before we exited the building.

It was the best night and we are so grateful for every single person who was able to help us celebrate.

In honor of our first anniversary, I have a few more things to add to our vows:

• I promise to try harder to put the laundry up in our closets after it's clean (I have a tendency to leave it hanging up in the laundry room which is on the opposite side of the house for a week or so - oops!)
• I promise to make you chicken nuggets and mac'n'cheese any time you want it
• I promise to try to be the "bad cop" when it comes to Cash more often (surprise, I let him get away with everything)
• I promise to not get mad when you add a pound of sugar to everything you cook. 
• I promise to not critique your driving (but only if you make the same promise in return!)

Most of all, I want to restate my promise to love you everyday for the rest of our lives. So much has gone on in the last year and I know the best is yet to come. I'm so happy that your cheesy pick up line worked and that you're my husband! I love you!

Thirty by Thirty Update

Hey y'all! 

I haven't been updating on my 30 by 30 list much lately, but that doesn't mean I haven't been working my tushie off towards some of them! I wanted to update y'all on some of them! 

5. Read 20 New Books Each Year - In 2014, I have read 115 books on my kindle app. Not even kidding! My husband will attest to the fact that on a Saturday I might read three books in one day. You might be thinking "I thought you were studying for some big tests." Yes, I am and have read one book for fun since July. Let's put this in perspective....in 2013, I read 193 books! Most are contemporary romance, $2 or less (free and 99 cents are my best friends) on Amazon and really quick reads, but I love them all the same. Also, you should note I have spent an INSANE amount of time on an airplane/in an airport in the last two years. I would guess on each round trip I make, I probably read about 6ish books.

7. Pay off as much debt as we can - All I'm going to say here is WOW. We are doing great towards the goals laid out and I know we are going to reach it by the day I turn 30! :)

8. Pass the CPA exam - I found out today that I am officially HALFWAY done with this exam! Y'all honestly don't know the joy that this brings me. I'm a glass half full kind of girl, so I am PUMPED about this. God is soooo good! Thank you to my awesome husband for supporting me through this...hopefully sometime soon I will be able to watch football with you instead of studying all the time. Also a huge thanks to my amazing family and friends! I appreciate ALL of your love and support and I know y'all will be rooting for me for the next two exams too!

27. Lose 50 Pounds - Y'all...this one is sucking, but I'm slowly making progress. I'm down 8 lbs right now, but have a long way to go. Time to get serious (right after I eat this chicken fried steak my husband is about to make me). I plan on sharing my progress with y'all more often. You guys hold me accountable! (i.e. I know you read my blog and I go out to eat with you, I'm going to eat healthier because I know that YOU know that I'm trying to lose weight). 

Any goals that you're working towards and need some positive thoughts and prayers sent your way? I would love to do that for you! Just let me know what you're working towards and I can send as much positive energy and prayers your way as I can! Consider these little minions my virtual hug to you, wishing you luck!

Until next time,

Holiday Gift Guide: Under $50

Hey y'all!

Yesterday I posted my holiday gift guide with gifts under $25 HERE! Today, I'm going to post my gift guide with gifts under $50. Here we go! 

1.  The Dreamer Henley Pajama - I LOVE pajama pants, but never seem to wear the tops that come with them. I love that this set comes with the flannel bottoms, but with a top that I would wear more often. These are currently on sale for $39.50 HERE. This is the pair that is on my Christmas list :)

2. Kate Spade Flask - I bought this for a friend as a bachelorette party gift, but it would also make a fun Christmas present! You can find it HERE for $40 and can get 25% off with the code WHATFUN! Kate Spade has a TON of cute gift ideas on their site, and with that 25% off code, you can't miss!

 

3. Columbia 1/2 zip fleece - I have one of these and I would wear it every single day if I could. You can find it HERE for $45. I love that it doesn't have the cinched bottom band like a lot of fleeces have AND it has sleeves that are long enough sleeves for my arms (WINNER!)! 

4. For your ridiculously organized friend/family member, I highly recommend OXO pop top containers. I am obsessed with ours! They are airtight and seal really well, so I don't have to worry about anything going stale. They also look really pretty in our pantry when filled. This set is $49.99 at Bed, Bath & Beyond, but you can use a 20% off coupon too!

5. Brookstone Perfect Drink - A good friend of ours has this and it is SO cool. Basically, you download an app and pick what beverage you would like to concoct, place a glass on the scale and it tells you how much of each mixer/liquor to add for the "perfect drink."

Hopefully this gave you a few fun ideas for Christmas gifts! Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Until next time,

Holiday Gift Guide: Under $25

Hey y'all! 

Earlier this week when I posted my Christmas wish list, I promised a post with gift ideas for under $25! So here we go! 

1. This print is $17 for an 8 x 10. Throw it in a cute frame and you've got an awesome gift for any Razorback fan. There are a TON of other adorable prints (some that would be great wedding gifts too!) on Kristin's etsy site!

2. This bracelet is so cute! I love infinity symbols and think this bracelet is so cute! At $20, it would make a great stocking stuffer! 

 

3. This monogrammed clutch from SunbirdWay on etsy. These are super cute and can fit everything you need for a night out or, if you're like me, everyday use that will fit easily in your backpack if needed! They come in ten different colors and you can have the monogram be any color you want too! These are $22 and there are a few of these under our tree for gifts this year! :)

4. Almost anything from jane.com. It's like groupon for etsy and you can get so many good deals! Each deal normally lasts a few days, but if it's a popular item, they can sell out fast! You definitely need to check this site out! You can get quite a few things for under $25 in total!

5. Christmas spirit essential oil is made up of orange, cinnamon bark and spruce oils and seriously just smells like Christmas happiness. I especially love this because we have artificial Christmas trees, so this gives a little bit of the Christmas tree smell without the runny nose side effects. If you don't have an account and want a bottle, I can order one for you! With my discount, they are $10.25!

Want to check out a few more items for under $25? Check out my good friend Brianna's blog HERE! Hope y'all are having a great day! 

Until next time,