The Busy Giffs: December 2013

December 27, 2013

Wine Bottle Sugar Cookies


I am loving this holiday season!
I love all the "holiday things", like playing in the snow, looking at Christmas lights, watching Christmas specials, and wrapping gifts!

I thought Emmalee would like decorating cookies so I figured I'd attempt making them this year so we could!
I scoured Pinterest and every recipe called for almond extract or other people had commented about how they "tweaked" them and I just wasn't comfortable with that. So like any normal human, I posted on Facebook that I needed help finding the most perfect fool proof recipe and a friend posted her recipe that she stole from a magazine years ago.  It's no where online and it was the easiest, most ridiculously delicious sugar cookie recipe ever so I need to immortalize it for all of you!

Oh, and they didn't have a name. So I have named them Wine Bottle Sugar Cookies. 
Why, you ask?
Because I apparently don't own a rolling pin (which is probably why I haven't attempted making sugar cookies since I moved out of my mom's) and a wine bottle worked just perfectly in its place! ;)


You need:
2 softened sticks of butter
1 8 ox softened block of cream cheese
2 cups sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
3 1/2 cups flour

Cream butter and cream cheese with sugar.
Add egg, beat until creamy.
Add dry ingredients. Combine.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. ( I let mine sit overnight).
Use LOTS of flour on the counter and roll out cookies, cutting desired shapes!
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.


These are basically fool proof and took less than an hour to cut out over 4 dozen!
You can use whatever icing you'd like! I thought about royal, but flood icing and a two year old just didn't mix so we went with store bought frosting that we colored, and I pulled out all our sprinkles!
here's a few images from my NEW instagram account!




Enjoy!



December 25, 2013

Merry Christmas! Words of Wisdom Style



Merry Christmas!

We're obviously spending the day wrapped up in the first Christmas that Emmalee "gets" but just a quick note to say Merry Christmas to all of you from all of us! 


and one of my favorite Christmas themed Words of Wisdom:


Have an amazing Christmas!!


December 19, 2013

Sprout Organics


Have you heard of Sprout Organics?
They are wonderfully organic snacks for babies, toddlers, and kids and my daughter LOVES the Tropical Fruit and Pumpkin Crispy Chews!

Diane over at Dollops of Diane just did a great giveaway with Sprout Organics and the Princess and I were one of the lucky winners!


We only received the box on the 13th and all but one package is already gone-- Emma just loves them so much!

Thanks Diane and thanks Sprout for food my kid loves to eat and that I love giving to her!

Home Update - 1 year in!

We're a year in the house and we've been making our way through each room.  I feel like every project takes so long and each project...