Spiked Apple Cider

 

Hello fabulous people! Happy national apple cider day!

 

I don't know about you, but I have had a week. And it's only Wednesday! So to celebrate this wonderful day I figured why stick with regular cider when you can have spiked cider?

 

Now here is where sad news comes into play... I was already home in my PJs when I decided that spiked cider was a must. Obviously I wasn't going to change and get back out in the rain (I don't know about you, but here in Chatt-Town it has been pouring all day). Now for good news - there was vodka in the freezer! (thank you hubs!!) So I'm going to let you in on how I'm celebrating national apple cider day with things you most likely have in your home already.

 

All you need is apple cider and vodka. Cinnamon sticks are optional. They make an excellent garnish as well as adding a little extra flavor.

Grab your glass and throw in some ice. Pour a shot (or two) of vodka and top off with cider.

Garnish with a cinnamon stick and enjoy your evening!

Now I realize this isn't some fancy drink recipe, but it's what I had and I'm sure you do too!

What is your favorite cider recipe? Let me know in the comments!

 

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Getting my life together.. HA

 

Here lately I’ve really been trying to get my life together – ha, right? Is that even possible? I’ve always had great dreams of being an organized person (and let’s throw in another ha...), but it never happens. I buy the fancy planners and map out my life and do great, but only for about three days. Then I’m screwed.

This time though I’m serious. I mean if I’m struggling to run a household that consists of hubs, me and the dog, how am I ever going to add kids to the mix? So I’m trying… really hard…

Things I’m doing:

1.       The dishes every night, even when I don’t want to. A clean sink gives me happiness. (Sometimes I get lucky and Nick does them before I make it to them!)

2.       I bought a Happy Planner. I realized that I had a planner for me, a planner/notebook for work and another one for my blogs. WAY too many, and it was setting me up for failure. So with this planner I’m able to customize it for what I want and so far it’s perfect!

3.       Trying my best to stick to my to-do list. I’ve always loved making lists, but when I’m tired I don’t always follow through. So I’ve been working on making sure I stick to it.

4.       Attempting to organize my craft room. I spend so much time in here and it is a mess!! I can’t think when I’m in there and that is distracting.

What I’m doing isn’t much but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

Do you do anything to help stay organized? Let me know in the comments!

 

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DIY: Lace Crown

 

 

Hello my crafty friends! Today I'm sharing my DIY lace crown. I'm a little embarrassed to post this because of the pictures, but I'm going to anyway. Just keep in mind that I was in a hurry and didn't have time to clean my craft room before this so there is stuff everywhere!

 

This is probably one of the easiest, but cutest crafts! If you have, or know, a little girl this is a must!!! (This also works if you’re a self-claimed princess like me – I plan to make myself one.) I made this lace crown for one of my best friend’s bachelorette party this past weekend. She was so cute!

All you need is some lace (I bought a half-yard), fabric stiffener, and hot glue. Optional items are paint, glitter, and something round to shape around (I used an old jumbo wine bottle).

 

 

Lay your lace out on a piece of wax paper and cover it in the fabric stiffener. (Helpful hint: the kind I bought pours out so I had to brush it on. I HIGHLY recommend getting stiffener that comes with a spray top) Now this needs to dry. I did this step right before I went to bed one night so it was able to have all night to dry. 

 





 



Optional step – if you’re planning on painting your crown keep reading, if not you can skip ahead. I painted hers with gold paint. I wanted to make sure I kept the details of the lace though. So I grabbed my spray bottle (you can pick one up for a dollar at most stores), I poured some paint in there and mixed in just a little bit of water. I then sprayed it onto the lace. It gave it color without weighing it down with paint. I also sprinkled some glitter on while the paint was wet!

 

 

 

Once your stiffener (and paint) is dry trim any off the bottom if you need it shorter. I did this in a few cuts so I wouldn't go too short (ignore my bike and my socks...*embarrassed*). Now shape it into a circle as wide as you want (like I said, I used an old wine bottle) and hot glue the ends together.

 

 

 

Ta-Da! You’re now a princess! We secured hers to her head by sticking bobby pins through the holes in the lace.

 

 

 

Did you make one? I’d love to see it and/or here your tips. Let me know in the comments!

 

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Weekend Recap: Party Time

 

This weekend we celebrated one of my best friend’s upcoming wedding by having her bachelorette party! We headed to Nashville, TN and had a blast!

The theme of her party was cranberry and leopard with champagne sayings. The shirts we wore out said “Pop the bubbly Kari’s getting a hubby” and then our shirts for brunch said “Pop the top she’s tying the knot”. I made both shirts with my mom’s silhouette machine and everyone loved them.

 

 

Knowing we were going to be in a hotel room I didn’t want to have too many decorations, but I knew we had to have something. So I got a tablecloth, plates, confetti, and napkins that matched the theme. I also made our leopard print glasses, confetti hangers and cranberry poof balls. All was completely minimal, but it really added to the room and made it feel less hotel-y. One of my favorites was the lace crown I made for the bachelorette herself to wear. You can see it behind all the glasses in the picture below. I’ll be doing a post later in the week on how I made it, so check back for better pictures of it!

 

 

And of course there was food! Since we were heading to dinner we only had some snacks. We had buffalo chicken dip, a popcorn bar, cheez-its, and cupcakes. The basics, but all things the bride-to-be loves.

 

 

It was sad to end such a great weekend but it was nice to get home to hubs and the pup. 

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History Lesson

Since this is the beginning of this blog I wanted to let you know a little bit about me! Yes, you can get the brief summary in the “About Me” section. This one is more in depth, let’s call it my life story.

 Let’s start at the beginning – I was born on December 21. I’d like to say that is the reason for my complete obsession with Christmas (I’d leave my decorations up year round if hubs would let me!). I grew up in a big family that loves to spend time with each other. It truly is a blessing. We love to play games and things can get a little heated! I almost ended up at the hospital during a game of spoons – thankfully I caught myself and there was no injury!  I’d like to thank our constant togetherness for the way I turned out today. I’m not so bad if I do say so myself *hair flip*.

 

My parents, sisters, brother and I before our cruise in Summer 2011!

 

My Christmas obsessed self and hubs dressed as Santa & Mrs. Claus last year!

 

Fast forward a few years – it was nine weeks into my sixth grade year of school when my parents made the decision to homeschool. At first I wasn’t a fan, but throughout the rest of middle school and all of high school I realized how much I loved it. Being homeschooled opened a lot of doors for me and my family and I’ve very thankful for all of that. (There is a stereotype for what homeschoolers are/look like, I know because I’ve met them. But as an FYI – I don’t fit in that stereotype!)

College time. Yikes! To say I was nervous my first day is an understatement. I mean, I hadn’t been in a classroom in seven years. I couldn’t find a parking spot and was running late so of course I called my mom crying. No fear though, I made it to class with a minute to spare! That first week I went through recruitment and joined a sorority. The Ronald McDonald House and lions (Hello, The Lion King?!?) had always been a passion of mine, so joining Alpha Delta Pi was the perfect fit for me!  I had the time of my life and met some of my best friends (who later in the story stood by me on my wedding day). It was more than just meeting your future bridesmaids though. I learned so much in my four years that I’ll take to the grave with me. Can you carry on a conversation with brick wall? I can!  I majored in Accounting and was beyond thrilled to walk across that stage. Of course, I decided I didn’t like accounting so I’m the Communication Specialist at my office. Whatever, I got the piece of paper and I’m proud of it!

 

Love these letters and everything they stand for

One of my best friends and I at one of the bid day events

 

Marriage. Well isn’t this the next step? I met my now husband in my parent’s neighborhood. His parents live across the street from mine (yep, that makes me a real life “girl next door”!). He moved back to town after graduating college and that’s when we met. We started dating March 2011, were engaged October 2013 and married August 2014. He’s the perfect fit for me and my mother takes all the credit because she picked him out for me. We adopted our 4-legged baby about two weeks after our engagement and he’s the most perfect (and spoiled) fur-baby there is.

 

My friend at Emily Katherine Photography captured our engagement perfectly!

Our perfect wedding day!

Our sweet baby. Bottom left was the night we got him. Top right was his first birthday.

 

Well if you’re still reading, thank you! That has you all caught up with the life of Courtney.

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