Five on Friday- Stocking Stuffer Ideas

Ever since I was little, one of my favorite parts about Christmas morning was emptying my stocking. Even though everything in my stocking was always little and not expensive by any means, it was just so fun! I thought I could list a variety of  ideas that you could use for stocking stuffers. I know some people do stockings differently and put more expensive things in there, but we have always done just fun, knick knack type items.

1. For women, I think the most fun things are nail polish, cute socks, lip balm/lipstick, hand cream, candy and/or breath mints and maybe even some fun personalized stationery!

2. For men, you could put socks, fishing lures, hunting accessories, golf balls/tees (depending on their hobbies), candy and/or breath mints as well, chap stick, a new tie and fun cuff links!

3. For Harper, I'm thinking of adding on to her Little People Princess Castle collection with some additional princesses :) Other good ideas for toddler boys and girls are bath crayons/tablets, play doh, crayons, bubbles, fruit snacks, board books, stickers, bath toys, toothbrush/toothpaste, underwear for potty training time and eating utensils.

4. Some people are totally against gift cards, but I think they are great gifts and can be great stocking stuffers! The trick is that you need to make sure to get a gift card to somewhere that the person already likes to shop or shops often. When you get a random one, the gift cards either don't end up being used, or the person has to spend more out of their pocket to find something that they really want. I think great choices would be for Amazon.com (because they have everything) or restaurants/fast food places where the person likes to eat.

5. You could also just stick some money in there too :)

Have a great weekend!

Recipe- Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cookies

I saw this recipe on Pinterest the other day, and it looks divine! I haven't tried it yet, but I couldn't pass up sharing it with everyone because I'm sure these cookies would be delicious :)

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (18 ounce) box red velvet cake mix

1 cup white chocolate chips

Powdered sugar, for rolling and dusting 

Directions:

Cream the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined. Add the cake mix and beat until incorporated. Fold in white chocolate chips.

Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up, so that you can roll the dough into balls.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Add powdered sugar to a shallow bowl. Roll a heaping tablespoon of dough into a 1 1/2 inch ball, roll the ball in the powdered sugar and place in on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remianing dough, spacing the balls about 2 inches apart. Bake until set, about 11-12 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Five on Friday

1. Does anyone else feel like the past few months and the holiday season in general has just flown by? I don't know if it's because I have been so busy at work the past couple of months or just life in general, but I feel like it's not lasting long enough! Let's all remember the real reason for the Christmas holiday though during this busy and hectic time :)

2. I don't know how some of you live in those areas of the United States that get a lot of snow, ice and winter weather in general! As I said before, we got some wintry weather last Friday, and it's still sticking around! I'm so ready for the ice/snow to melt off the roads and ground and for everything to dry up. I'm down for it snowing, lasting a day or two, then magically disappearing :)

P.S. This is not a picture of Arkansas- just a pretty picture of some winter weather!

3. My department at work is going to one of those "paint your own picture" studios today for our Christmas get-together. I have never done this before, but I know several people who have and they say it's so much fun! I'm really excited, and I have a few places in mind to put this in my house :) Let's hope it turns out ok!

4. So, I started my Christmas shopping early and was done by the first of November. However, I keep seeing these cute and fun toys to buy Harper. I have no clue where we are going to put all of the toys she gets for Christmas, but I couldn't resist this Little People Princess Palace yesterday! We really need to be putting money in a bank account instead....................

5. Only one more week of work and I'm off for awhile! I'm so excited to be off the whole week of Christmas and a few days the following week. It will be a much needed break from work and the commute and great time to spend with family relaxing, visiting and eating!

Happy Friday!

Christmas Pajama Party Link Up!

I shared this picture of Harper in her Christmas PJs yesterday, but I decided to link up today and post it again! I mean, I don't think anyone could ever get enough of those beautiful, blue eyes!! I know I know, I'm a little biased :)

An Icy Weekend

Happy Monday to everyone! We had a round of winter weather come through our parts on Thursday night, so we have pretty much been in the house since then! My office closed down on Friday, so I got to stay home and enjoy the time with Clint and Harper. We didn't do anything at all besides just hang around the house, and it was so nice. By Saturday, I had cabin fever though, so Clint's parents came and picked up Harper and I (Clint was at work), and we headed out to lunch. Yesterday, we just sat around the house some more and just enjoyed the nice, relaxing day. 

Here are some pictures from our weekend!

We got so bored we had to open a Christmas present! This tea set is so cute, and Harper has thoroughly enjoyed playing with it.

Christmas PJs!

Our Thanksgiving Break

Happy Monday! I was so not ready to come back to work. That 4 day weekend/break was much needed, although now I wish I had a few more days of it!

Clint worked on Thanksgiving, so Harper and I ventured to Heber Springs to have Thanksgiving at my mom's house, and then to visit a few other relatives while we were there. I ate a lot and was exhausted by the end of the day. Harper and I made it back home around 5:00 pm and just rested for the remainder of the night.

On Saturday morning, she and I went out to Kohl's because I had a $10 gift card that was only good until 1:00 pm. I got her a puzzle and a new book. Even though it was crazy busy out there, the lines went really fast and we were headed back home in no time! Clint had went fishing that morning, so when he got home I went out shopping with his aunt and cousin (who was in town from Denver). We went downtown to a few of the little boutique stores and browsed.

On Saturday, we just lounged around the house, ran a few errands, cleaned house, etc- nothing too major. Clint worked again yesterday, and Harper and I went to Church and hung around the house some more!

As I've said before, I'm horrible at taking pictures, but I did capture a few this weekend. Harper's hair is getting so long, and it's finally long enough for some pigtails!

She LOVES drinking from my water cup!

Only a few more weeks until Christmas break- yay!

Our Weekend

This weekend was so nice and seemed busy, but very relaxing as well. On Friday, after going to the doctor and they found nothing wrong with my ear, I decided to go ahead and upgrade my iPhone. I got a 5S, and I love it! On Friday night, Harper, Clint's Aunt Debbie and I went to Dazzle Daze to do some browsing/shopping. We had fun, although Harper had enough after about 45 minutes-1 hour. We did get to sample some yummy treats though while we were there :)

On Saturday morning, we ran over to TJ Maxx. I have been looking for a console/cabinet for my breakfast area, and I found one that I really liked! We went ahead and got it, and it looks really good with all of my other decor. Now, I've just got to decide what I want to put on top of it- lamps or some other type of knick-knack decor item?

I also put up my Christmas tree and decorations on Saturday, and Harper has already broken one ornament. Oh well, I figured we would have a time trying to keep her out of the tree. I guess I just need to move all of the breakable ornaments to the top and the plastic ones to the bottom! I do like how my tree turned out though, and I love how it "lights up the room." I didn't put as many ornaments as I usually do because I knew Harper would be into them.

On Sunday, we went to Church in the FREEZING COLD weather, and then Clint and I went to see the new Hunger Games movie. It was super good! I loved that it was really long and seemed to follow the book pretty closely. I can't wait for the next movie to come out next November :) I may have to reread the book to remind myself of what happens!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving! Make sure to really soak in all that time with your families and loved ones. I know that life is hectic, and it's hard sometimes to really relax and enjoy those around you.

Five on Friday

1. I'm planning to put all of my Christmas decorations up this weekend! I don't typically like to do it until the weekend after Thanksgiving but since Thanksgiving is later this year, I'm going to go ahead. I did find this cute idea to use tomato cages and deco mesh to make Christmas trees. I'm hoping I can replicate this and put them on my front porch :)

2. Conway has an annual holiday shopping event/fundraiser called Dazzle Daze very year. It started last night and goes through tomorrow, so I'm excited to go to that event tomorrow and look at all the cool booths. I'm not sure that I'll buy a lot, but it will get me in the Christmas spirit!

3. I think Harper is cutting her molars or something because she has had a runny nose, pulling at her ear, drooling and just not acting like she feels 100% for a week or two now. I'm ready for her to get back to her happy, healthy, feeling good self :)

4. The weather is so crazy here. It was 80 degrees this past Sunday, and now they are calling for the highs to be around 45 starting tomorrow! That is what makes everyone sick!!

5. I think that I take my good health for granted. Rarely am I sick, and I have been having issues with my right ear for about 2 weeks now. The doctor said I had fluid in it, I got a shot and some over the counter medicine, and it's still no better. I'm heading to the ENT doctor today to hopefully get some better news and relief. Ever since this started I have just felt kinda blah, and I'm ready to get back to my normal self! When I do get sick with something, I think to me it feels so much worse than it really is because it's unusual.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Ebates

Today, I wanted to make everyone aware of a great website that I found out about quite a while ago. I will say that I forget to use it all the time, but I thought it was the perfect time to introduce to everyone with holiday shopping season officially here!

You can join Ebates for free. All you do is sign up on their website at Ebates.com! Then- before you make a purchase online- make sure you log in to your account, choose the store you are shopping at, and the website will automatically take you to your website of choice for you to finish your shopping and purchases! Then, once a quarter, Ebates will send you a check for the amount of cash back you have earned. It's that easy! I've been a member for about a year or so and have actually gotten several checks, so I know it works.

On another note, we had another laid back weekend. I wasn't feeling well on Friday night and Saturday, so we just lounged around the house and napped. On Sunday, we went to Church and played outside since it was 80 degrees here! We are supposed to get back down to normal temps for this time of year as the week goes on though.

Have a great week!

Five on Friday- Places I Want To Go

Today, I decided to list five places that I want to travel to in my lifetime. I'm a major homebody, but I also like to travel sometimes to see new places, people, things and historical sites!

1. Greek Islands

I would LOVE to do a cruise through the Greek Islands someday. I am obsessed with Santorini and have always wanted to go there ever since seeing the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants :)

2. Italy

I went to Rome back in 2005 and loved it. I would also love to go back and see several of the other cities and wine country. There's so much history and architecture to see there.

3. Lake Tahoe

I see pictures of Lake Tahoe all the time, and it looks absolutely gorgeous. I think it would be such a fun and relaxing place to go in the summer. It would also be somewhere that I feel like would be kid friendly, so that's a huge bonus!

4. New York City

I mean, who doesn't want to go to New York City? Clint and I both have wanted to go for several years; we just want to be able to go when we can really spend some money and enjoy all there is to see. I feel like it's so huge that you need to plan a long trip there (and probably go back several times)!

5. Hawaii/Fiji

I want to go to both places, so I grouped them together :) I have always heard how absolutely beautiful Hawaii and Fiji both are, and I'm a sucker for anywhere with a beach and crystal clear water. 

Recipe- Beef Stroganoff

Another yummy recipe for you today! I do want to say that not all of the recipes I post are my own. Some I have found online, and some are other family member's specialties :) I do want to share all of my favorites though, so you can enjoy too!

1 1/2 lbs. hamburger meat

1 can cream of mushroom soup

4 slices velveeta cheese

1 soup can of milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown your hamburger meat until cooked through. Combine all ingredients in saucepan and cook until boiling. Simmer for about 10 minutes longer and serve over rice or noodles! Simple and delicious!

A Low-Key Weekend

We had such a nice weekend just relaxing and spending time with each other. Friday night, we ordered Mexican takeout and caught up on some of our shows. On Saturday, we made a quick trip to the grocery store and hung around the house for the rest of the day. Clint did some work outdoors, and Harper and I went outside with him to play. I cooked dinner on Saturday night, and we lounged some more! Sunday consisted of Church, afternoon naps and playing outside again. I really think these are the best kinds of weekends :)

I was going to wait to put my Christmas decorations up until the day after Thanksgiving but after I realized that the "Christmas Holiday period" was a little shorter this year, I think I've decided to decorate next weekend. It seems like so much work to put it all up, and I really want to be able to enjoy it for at least a month or so. I'm not sure how Harper is going to react to the tree. I have a feeling there is going to be a lot of telling her "no" and "stay out of the tree." I bet she will love all the lights, glitter and presents though :)

Hope you all have a great week! Here's the beautiful sunrise on my way to work this morning (no, I wasn't driving!).

Five on Friday- Harper's Christmas List

Harper and I had a good talk last night, and she told me everything she wanted to ask for from Santa for Christmas :)

1. Radio Flyer Trike

Harper adores her Radio Flyer wagon she got for her birthday, so I know she would love this for next Spring/Summer.

2. Melissa & Doug Puzzles

I think that the Melissa & Doug brand has the best and cutest puzzles. Harper already has several of them, but I found several more that I think would be great additions.

3. Fisher Price Servin' Surprises Kitchen Table Accessories

Harper got the Servin' Surprises kitchen table for her birthday as well and loves to play with it. She can have even more fun with all the accessories!

4. Fisher Price Magna Doodle

I remember having one of these when I was a kid, and I think Harper would have so much fun with one of these. It would also be a good thing to take to Church to entertain her!

5. Melissa & Doug Art Easel and Accessories

Harper may be a little young for this at Christmas, but I know that she would love it as she gets older.