Sharing my journey as a mother, wife, homemaker, Jesus girl, entrepreneur and all things in between!
Have you ever looked up your favorite scented products on the Think Dirty app? It is super alarming. After struggling with infertility and hormone issues, I have been trying to gradually make conscious switches for our family. Know better, do better, right? My girls are my priority and I cannot live with knowingly exposing them to chemicals that can hurt them for the rest of their lives.
I also believe that the scent of a home is important. It should be warm, cozy and smell amazing. But at what price? Essential oils are great, but they don’t always cut it.
Recently, I was introduced to Skylar. You guys, game changer right here! Clean, safe and mindful, these smell fantastic and are not harmful. No hormone disruptors or carcinogens here! Hypoallergenic, safe for sensitive skin, vegan, and cruelty-free! I can have my cake and eat it, too! A fantastic smelling home that I can feel good about.
The Fall Cashmere scent was my first pick. It is absolutely addicting smelling and the perfect choice for these cold, cozy nights! There are so many to choose from and truly something for everyone!
Check out their home line and personal fragrance line! (I stopped wearing perfume when my oldest was born due to sensitivity issues. That will be my next purchase!) You owe it to yourself and your family.
I am a perfectionist. I’ll admit it. I am an overachiever. And to be quite honest, I am a keeping-up-with-the-Pinterest-trends kind of mom. Typically, I have a big 9 foot tree, with white lights (they can change to color for the kids). I deck it out in coordinating, perfectly spaced ornaments, with a pretty burlap skirt and the matching stockings. Normally putting up the Christmas decor is a huge fuss and a big task. Our entryway is styled carefully. The porch is given its own tree with lights. I love to do it, don’t mis-hear me. But it is an undertaking, and I like it the way I like it, so I often don’t let me kids help. Can you relate?
This year, with our home sale closing any day, we had put our tree into storage. Once we found out we would be home for Christmas, we decided that we HAD to do a tree for the kids. We bought a simple $50 real tree from Lowe’s (no fancy cutting down our own tree experience here). We put some hand me down colored lights on it. I let Addie choose some ornaments at Walmart and we pulled a few simple ones we hadn’t packed. I put down our kitschy tree skirt that I had thought I got rid of. And you guys, I legit did not move one single ornament. The kids did this (with a little help from their dad for the tall ones). We got the cheapest star topper we could find. At first, I was a little sad. No entry decorations. No heirloom ornaments.
But then I saw it. I saw the JOY in my children’s eyes. I saw the peace that came from making a memory rather than a perfect home. I saw a calm that I don’t typically see this time of year. And I have decided that while it may not fit my modern farmhouse style, this might just be the best tree we have ever had. Because it was decorated with love by the people that mean the most to me. We will cherish this one last Christmas in our home, and I will soak in every second. That’s what is most important <3
Oh my word, you guys! As a self-proclaimed cookie dough expert, I can tell you, this may just be my favorite sweet! It’s so dangerous that I only make cookie dough fudge at Christmas time, or else I would have a real problem. I’m telling you, you may just forget that you are eating fudge and not raw dough.
So, what sets this recipe apart from all the other cookie dough fudge recipes out there? The brown sugar, and the salted butter! They truly give it that Tollhouse cookie taste.
Not only is my cookie dough fudge amazing to eat, but it really does pretty up the dessert plate! It makes the perfect gift, too. Package some up on a festive dish and wrap with cellophane for an easy teacher or host thank you!
*I like to use my bench scraper to cut the fudge! If you run it under hot water, it will slice it like butter and helps you get nice, even squares!
Grab what you need and scroll on for the recipe!
Aren’t these snowy first birthday cookies the cutest?! A friend of mine was planning a “Winter One-derland” first birthday for her baby boy, Barrett, and custom sugar cookies make any party sweeter! Their palette was muted blues and greens, with snow flakes and drifts! This set, while somewhat simple, may just be one of my favorite yet!
Per usual, these are done using my favorite melt-in-your-mouth sugar cookie recipe (HERE) and my viral royal icing recipe (HERE)! The flakes on the trees are simple sugar sprinkles, but they add so much!
The real star of the show is the snowflake! It may be an easy shape, but that shimmer really makes them pop! Check out the reel video below to see it in action. I use BAKELL Champagne edible glitter and there truly is nothing out there like it!
Seriously! I cannot get over how much I love the way these snowy first birthday cookies turned out. If you’re planning Christmas cookies this year, you must try the snowflakes this way!
Hi there! Still alive over here. I have been taking a bit of a sabbatical from writing new content to really hone in on time with my girls this season. It has been so refreshing to just be present.
Other big news! We sold our home, and are in the process of moving and downsizing. Our little family is about to embark on some pretty big, exciting new changes that I cannot wait to share with you all. Make sure you follow us on Instagram to stay up to date! It’s going to be fun!