life on instagram - Christmas treats

There's been a lot of sugar lately!  

Below are just some fun Instagrams from the last few weeks. 

Gingerbread houses. 

Simple reindeer cookies (idea from here). 

Thankful for companies like Betty Crocker, Wilton, and M&M's who make baking easy!

Some days I just need cute and easy. 

Chow Time!!! Puppy chow (or muddy buddies) is my weakness. 

Recipe here. I use more cereal and less powdered sugar and want to eat it ALL DAY. 

Homemade sugar cookies. 

Ugly sweater cookies! Super fun. Kit from Walmart. 

BUT my favorite thing about Christmas is celebrating with Fresh Life.

If you live... anywhere! you can join us this Christmas and celebrate with us. 

www.freshlifechristmas.com for locations and times and to watch live online.  

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

hunt and cut 2013

Here we are again... Hunt & Cut 2013

We went deep into the forest this year to find our perfect Christmas tree and it was AMAZING!!!

Oh and sweet Kelli documented the lovely day. 

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.... which tree to pick?!

We hunt...

and cut. 

Then we hang out and eat.

Soups for a cold day.

I stamped simple white cups with a homemade tree stamp for soup.

Then used a Smash Date Stamp to stamp other cups that said "happy memories NOV 29 2013" for hot cocoa. 

I kind of love them. A lot. 

Cute little bunting. 

And my favorite Hunt & Cut treat! (You can see this previous blog for the DIY of these trees)

One more cause I love them so. 

I LOVE doing life with these people. Love. 

Kelli and I. 

Loading up the trees. 

These pictures that Kelli captured on the drive are amazing! You can see even more on her blog.

Ok one last thing. That 1st picture I posted that Kelli took is one of my favorite. 

She and our friend Ashley make monthly desktops/wallpaper and they used that picture for this month. 

It's stunning and you can download it on their sites for FREE!

Merry Christmas friends!

flavored sugared cranberries

It's no secret I love SUGARED CRANBERRIES. 

I've been making them for a few years now (see here & here).

BUT this year I tried something new... 

 FLAVORED sugared cranberries! 

The inspiration came from Victoria of A Sublet Revelry who loves these treats as much as me 

(maybe even more!). 

 My first thought was they would taste so good with a hint of Orange AND I was right! 

 Then I thought coconut and maple! Well, the coconut was good, but maple... not so much. Ha!

 I love making these treats to eat, but they also make a fantastic gift!

This is an old jelly jar. I spray painted the lid and then glued a little tree to the top.

But, it needed something more... 

So, I put a bow on it. 

Here's my updated recipe for these YUMMY cranberries.

Sugared Cranberries 

Ingredients

3 cups granulated sugar

3 cups water

1 bag fresh cranberries (12 ounces, I think)

3/4 cup superfine sugar

1.5 teaspoon flavoring (orang, coconut, or ???)

Combine granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring mixture until sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer; remove from heat. (Do not boil or the cranberries may pop when added.) Stir in cranberries; pour mixture into a bowl. Add flavoring and stir. I usually let it cool a little before putting it into the refrigerator.  Cover with plastic wrap (I place the plastic wrap directly on the berries/liquid) and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

My new coating technique- Drain cranberries. Sprinkle 1/4 cup superfine sugar over cranberries while still in colander and toss around. Sprinkle 1/4 cup superfine sugar on a rimmed baking sheet. Add the cranberries to sugar on baking sheet. Using a spatula spread out the cranberries so none are touching and shake the pan to make the cranberries roll. Sprinkle remaining sugar over cranberries and shake some more (the pan stays on the counter and just move the pan back and forth till all the cranberries are covered).  Let stand at room temperature until dry rolling around the cranberries occasionally. 

These have become a HUGE hit with my friends and make for great hostess gifts, party favors, or gifts. Enjoy!

A few other fun and yummy CRANBERRY recipes/crafts- 

Cranberry Maple Walnut Muffins

Sugared Cranberry and Popcorn Cake Garland

Sparkling Cranberry Brie Bites

Stringing Cranberry Words

Upside-Down Cranberry Cake

Cranberry Wreath

Simple Cranberry Christmas Cake

Check back later this week for another YUMMY cranberry treat! 

Any other cranberry ideas/recipes I should know about?!

life on instagram // 2

I'm pretty much obsessed with bows lately (this is my new ring from Target).
My new theory is "when in doubt, put a bow on it".

My poor Christmas tree is still outside. Pathetic. 

I mentioned last week that our Whitefish campus is meeting in a new location. 

Well, the owner purchased theese AMAZING Vintage Marquee Lights from Fab.com and I love them. 

Sunday I went to see Sufjan Stevens!!! 

It was a GREAT concert! He had a HUGE "Wheel of Christmas" that people would spin to decide what song they would perform next. Not to mention they were all in Christmas costumes. 

You can listen to his new Christmas album on Spotify. SO GOOD.

Lastly, this adorable window display that I saw in Missoula while waiting to get into the concert. 

I technically didn't end up instagraming it, but I wanted to share anyways. 

Noteworthy Paper & Press has these amazing windows with a black painted "frame", fake snow, and in this particular window a very full gold mailbox with letters to Santa. 

Check out their facebook page to see pictures of all the CUTE windows.

Is anyone else procrastinating Christmas decorating, or is it just me?!?!?

life on instagram

I. LOVE. Instagram.

If you haven't heard of Instagram let me just tell you that it's basically Facebook + Twitter in 1, 

but WAY better AND just in pictures. You follow people, people follow you, you can "like" or comment on pictures.... it's very fun. 

 I realize some people don't have Instagram, so I'm going to start sharing some of my favorites from the week (well, maybe not EVERY week, we'll see how it goes). 

I've been wanting to add this to my blog for MONTHS now, but I guess I'm afraid of commitment, HA!

Obviously you can follow me on IG (Instagram for short ;) 

BUT I like the idea of sharing them here and even pinning to Pinterest too. 

Let the Instagrams begin!!

OK, I couldn't resist posting a few Thanksgiving pics!

My mom was visiting and we made some yummy pies the night before Thanksgiving. 

She suggested the YUM with the leftover crust and the apples were cut with a crust cutter she got me. 

We made a fake tree with yarn + push pins and then hung a sign that said "coming soon". 

The dinning table was simple, but lovely. 

The Sunday after Thanksgiving was our annual HUNT & CUT... my FAVORITE!

The hosts put their epic truck out front with a tree tied to it for a photo spot. I want that truck SO bad.

It's going to get crafty here!!! 

People kept asking what I wanted to sew and I felt silly saying ... banners, tablecloths, crafts. HA! 

My church/work just moved locations at one of our campuses and half of my Kid's Ministry meets in a wine bar. 

I LOVE the stage decor and the kids loved the disco ball. 

My crafty corner is getting organized and I love it. 

My newest addition is my washi tape on adjustable curtain rods in a crate. 

So that's all!

I'm excited to show you some creative stuff throughout these IG posts. 

Are YOU on Instagram???!!! 

Do you just LOVE it?

previous christmas fun

CHRISTMAS is coming! HOORAY!!!

Here are some of my favorite PAST Christmas treats & decor. 

TREE CUPCAKES from our annual Hunt & Cut party (we find & chop a Christmas tree).

SUGARED CRANBERRIES have become a very popular treat around here. 

I'm going to be experimenting with some new flavors soon!

CHRISTMAS CARD HOLDER I used last year and the year before. 

 Fun ideas for a CHRISTMAS TABLE. 

 CHRISTMAS DECOR - popcorn & cranberry garland was my fave. 

There you have it! Some CHRISTMAS fun from the past few years. 

Honestly, this year I am keeping it SIMPLE!

Want more inspiration? 

Check out my CHRISTMAS TIME & HOLIDAY ALT STYLE on Pinterest.