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Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Celebrate!

I am very excited for Christmas this year. My oldest treasure really is getting into it! She knows it's all about the birth of Jesus and when we talk about why we celebrate Christmas she says "because Jesus was boring". Yes that is right boring, she really means born but I think it's so funny how she says boring! My youngest treasure really doesn't care as long as he has a truck he can play with! However he is enjoying the Christmas music that we listen to everyday! He loves to dance and sing!

We went caroling last night with our students in youth ministry and had a blast! This is something we do every year as a youth group and the students love it as much as our elderly that we sing to. With only 6 days to go we are preparing and getting anxious! Merry Christmas to all my friends! I pray it is one of the best Christmas' ever!

Jesus is the reason for the season!
~Court

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

On the 12th day of Christmas...

That is right, only 12 days to Christmas! Really can it be? Seems just like yesterday that it was Thanksgiving.
So far we have had a great Christmas season. My oldest treasure was in her school Christmas play and I must say she did a wonderful job. She quoted John 3:16 with her classmates and I was so proud! You would have thought she was the star of the play the way my husband and I were so excited! :-)

My house is warm and decorated for Christmas. Christmas presents are being wrapped and we are making precious memories with our little treasures!

Here is a picture of my Christmas mantel! I love the smell of fresh pine so I usually try to use it in my house somewhere when decorating. When I was a little girl my family always had a real Christmas tree. Since I like to put my tree up early and can honestly kill anything (even evergreens) I opt for an artificial tree! So I use natural and fresh decor in other parts of the house.





Here I used fresh pine, apples and pomegranates. The pine cones are cinnamon scented and as soon as you walk in the door you can smell them. This is a very simple and very inexpensive way to decorate! I love the fresh elements in my home.

Hope your Christmas season is as wonderful as mine. Tis the season to be jolly! :-)
Merry Christmas,
~Court

Monday, December 5, 2011

Glitter and Glitz...A few of my favorite things!

Well, well, well... Where have I been?  Missing in action for the past month! I really don't know what to say except for phew!!!! I have spent time with family for thanksgiving, braved black Friday, and spent a lot of time sitting in traffic!

However, in all the craziness of life I have managed to get a few Christmas decorations up.
This is my bright green and red Christmas tree. Sorry for the quality of pictures! My husband did get me a new camera but he is torturing me by making me wait till Christmas to open it. (It was one of our black Friday deals!)

The big red balls have been a craft that I have tackled. I saw them at our local small town boutique selling for $10.00 each. I am too frugal to pay that much for 1 Christmas ornament so I opted to make my own.
A Styrofoam ball, spray adhesive, and lots of glitter and viola... a beautiful addition to my tree. Don't tackle this project yourself unless you are ready for a mess!!!!

I am also in the process of stringing popcorn, for what I call my memory tree. Maybe eventually I will have time to show you the finished product! Remember the reason for the season. See you again soon!
~Court

Friday, November 18, 2011

Tis The Season...

Yes this is the season to be jolly but it is also our busiest season! I have been contemplating putting up our Christmas tree. I usually like to do this the day after thanksgiving but with all the hustle and bustle. I think I might just put it up early.

I like to celebrate Thanksgiving as it's own holiday without Christmas. Thanksgiving for us is a time of thankfulness and love. A time of remembering those around us and not taking them for granted.  I love my family they are my greatest treausure.

I hope all my friends and family have a wonderful Thanksgiving. That means you too!

~Court

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Gifts Galore

It's been a very lazy November Saturday for me. As I sit here on pinterest, eating pretzels and left over halloween hersey chocolate, I have been gift inspired! Christmas is just around the corner and I have lots of homemade gifts I want to make.

 I love this scarf! For myself and others!

Homemade hot chocolate! Who doesn't like a little hot chocolate at Christmas time! And here is the perfect hot chocolate recipe!


This photo ornament is super cute!

I can't wait to get crafting. 
~Court


Thursday, October 27, 2011

A Childhood Treasure

Seems like it has been forever since I have been able to post and it was only last week. It is most definitely the start of the holiday season! Busy, busy, busy. We have had several events and lots of company. Every time I have company I always like to fix something special. So I contacted my childhood best friend's mom, and got a recipe from her about two weeks ago. My mother and father-in-law came to visit one night last week and I made this delicious meal called chicken manicotti.

I remember the first time I had this dish. I had went to spend the night with my friend Kensley. Every weekend she was either at my house or I was at hers. We were inseparable.That night her mom made this pasta filled dish and I loved it. Kensley would call and invite me over whenever they had it thereafter. Her mom always was a wonderful cook. Her style of cooking was much more gourmet than my parents, who had a very southern style. Don't get me wrong my parents made wonderful meals growing up, but I loved going to their house to see what she made that was different. Kensley's home always smelled so good. Her mother had a way of making a home look beautiful. She just had that special touch. Even though Kensley and I are miles away from each other, I still consider her to be one of my best friends and we try to keep in touch as much as we can! I am very thankful for the childhood memories that I still  hold on to.

So, today I am going to share this recipe with you. It is so very simple and so very yummy. But beware, it is not a low fat dish!

Chicken Manicotti
Ingredients:
8 manicotti shells
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 Tbs. melted butter
4 ounce can mushrooms (undrained)
1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese

Cook shells until just barely tender with no salt, drain and set aside.

Mix soups with sour cream.
Mix half of the soup mix with chicken
Stuff shells with this mixture and place in a greased 9x13 pan.
Saute onion and butter, add mushrooms and remainder of soup mixture.
Spoon over shells and bake @ 350 for 15 min.
Top with cheese and bake 5 more min
*Recipe from Anita Culbertson

I do not stuff the shells. I slit them and then fill them and roll them back up. It saves me time. I also baked this with cheese on for the full 15 to 20 min. Here is a pic of my shells before sauce and cheese. Wish I had a picture of the finished product but I don't. So sorry! Needless to say there were no leftovers for us!

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as my family. I can guarantee it will be a treasure in your recipe box!
~Court

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

S'more Fun For Fall

Alot has happened for October. So far we have painted some pumpkins with polka dots!


Made a fall wreath (with inspiration from pinterest)!

 We also had a very relaxing fall break, even though I missed our youth bon fire because of being sick.The couples hayride for church is up and coming. It should be lots of fun. There will be a hayride (of course), bon fire, fun with friends, chili, hot dogs, and of course s'mores. Here is a picture of our cute little s'mores kit I made for this special night. My friends Connie is coordinating this event and she found flat marshmallows for roasting! Just layer grahams, chocolate, and the flat marshmallows in a cellophane bag. Tie with pretty ribbon and add a sweet tag! Perfect favor for your fall party!


Stay tuned for s'more fun! :-)
~Court

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Crazy good pumpkin pie

Growing up my dad always made pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, or butternut squash pie in the fall. I have to be honest, I never was a fan. I would always choose the pecan variety over this vegetable pie. Then one day a lady at our church made us a pumpkin pie and to my surprise it was delish! I could honestly eat this whole pie myself! Straight out of the tin pie plate!

She insist on using fresh pumpkin or butternut squash in this recipe. I do like it much better with the fresh but you can also use the canned variety. I promise you will not be disappointed!

Fresh Pumpkin Pie
(makes 2 regular pies)
2 cups cooked squash or pumpkin
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1&1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into 2 unbaked pie shells. Bake @ 350 for 45 min.
If I use fresh pumpkin, I put it in the food processor to be sure it is very smooth with no lumps. I don't like just mashing it up. I like the texture of the pie better when it has been processed.  I never make my own crust! I really wish this was something I were good at, but I am not! The ladies at my church however, have the crust making down! I need to have them teach me! Until then, I promise the store bought option taste wonderful with this pie! I promise, this recipe is one of the best!
~Court

Friday, October 7, 2011

Sisters Tea and Me!

It has been a busy week! My church had  VBS Monday through Wednesday and that alone has kept my whole family busy. On Sunday my mother asked my oldest treasure if she would like to go have tea this week. Well, I was probably more excited than L.

My mother and I started this a few years back. We found one tea place in our area and decided to see what it was like and ever since I think we have been hooked. Thursday, we went to a sweet little place called Sisters Tea Parlor and it was so fun. The decor was everything you would hope a tea parlor would be! A pink room (my oldest treasure had to sit in this room!), an aqua colored room with black accents, and a garden gate room. The garden gate room looked like the perfect place to have a little girls tea party! There was tulle and ribbon, and frill everywhere!

 Cute little sign at the door...
 I love mesh ribbon! So cute how they used it to add frill at their door!


 You could pick out your own hat. They had a room full of them.
Our sweet and savory food! It was all wonderful! 

 We sat at the kindness table. Loved the scripture! My tea was wonderful! Royal Wedding= Mango, Kiwi, Raspberry. I think L drank 4 cups of tea. Who knew she loved hot tea?



 Loved the decor in this room! Definitely Shabby Chic!
The Pink room and the garden gate room!

Pinkys up! Hope you enjoyed my Sisters tea experience! I'm going to have a cup of hot tea!
Happy Friday Everyone!
~Court

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Farmer's market fun!



So, this weekend it definitely feels like fall. The high today was 57 degrees. We had our church car show and it was very chilly. Yes, I opted to go with my husband to this car show because it was at our church and they had fun things for my little treasures and free food. Who doesn't like free food?

I have been on the hunt for my porch fall decorations, which aren't anything too special but something simple that puts my family and I in the fall spirit. To my oldest treasure it's not officially fall until there is a pumpkin on the porch. It's true, riding down the road the other day she said "it's fall mom because everyone has pumpkins on their porch".


While looking for the perfect pumpkins, my youngest treasure and I packed up and went to my little town's local farmer's market. I must be honest, he and I both love to go. Its so colorful with all the fall fruits and veggies. and the fall flowers. Pumpkins have been pretty pricey this fall so I was so happy when I found some from a little old man with a big beard for $2 each. They are selling at our local dollar store for $4. I was very excited to get them for 1/2 the price! The same little old man also had some beautiful pears and apples.
 So with it feeling more like fall. I wanted to bake! Something pumpkin but since I didn't have any on hand I decided on an apple pie. The kind with a crumb topping instead of a pastry crust topping. My friend Stephanie makes the best crumb topped apple pie. I searched the web for her perfect recipe but couldn't find it anywhere so I had to go with this recipe. Not too bad. We had it eaten in no time! Still not quite as good as her recipe maybe I will have her share it with me sometime and in return share it with you. Below is a picture of my delish apple pie!

~Court

Friday, September 23, 2011

First of Fall!

Today is the first day of fall!! So now that means I can officially decorate my porch with all things orange, brown, and yellow! I must say I cannot wait! Fall is my favorite season!

For my family, fall is a time for Bon fires, hoodies, pumpkin pie (that I have the best recipe for. I promise I will share it later!)Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin bread, chili, pumpkin patch, pumpkin painting, trick or treating, thankfulness, and my favorite thing, just spending time with family! Fall is also one of my husband's favorite times of year because of all the car shows that are going on! He loves to drive his 57 chevy truck and hang out with other antique car collectors! This is something he and his father do together! Can't you tell I am really the car show type!

So, I hope everyone has a wonderful fall! Don't take your family for granted! Remember the things you're thankful for and cherish the blessings that God has placed on your life! Keep warm! Wishing you a happy first of fall!!

~Court

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Someone's trash became my treasure!

I am always looking for a great deal. OK what am I saying, a great steal! I love to shop and I love to get a bargain! So I went on somewhat of a shopping spree in hopes of finding some fall/winter clothes. So Below is what I found!




So are you ready for my grand total? $14.50. Where, you might ask?? Goodwill! So, I know some people are not too excited about buying resale clothes but, I must say I am pretty happy with my tops. I got 5 shirts total for a quarter of what one would cost at my favorite store. To top it all off they are all name brand. That's right, brands like Talbots, Croft and Borrow, and Casual Corner. I think they all look pretty classy with my scarfs and necklaces! My little town has lots of resale stores and you never know what you might find. From furniture, to home decor, to clothing. So now with the money I saved on my shirts I can buy me a nice pair of jeans or two! So, don't reject those resale stores, look and see what you might find! You never know what treasures may be out there for you! Happy shopping!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Girls Night Out! Let's go GNO!


We had our annual girls night for our student ministries from our church Friday night. Dinner and a movie and a feather headband craft. What girl doesn't like a good chick flick and feathered hair. Although I didn't go all out, I did decide to decorate some. We all know about the big time candy buffets that are so in fashion for parties right now. Well, I had an idea to do a popcorn buffet, and after searching pinterest I realized, it wasn't my idea first! :) (of course not)! There are so many cute ideas out there for this. From different color popcorn to the many toppings. I did a very simple buffet (mostly different toppings) for this night and it was a hit! Planning on using this idea again for my youngest treasures birthday!!    
           
 A look at the polka dot popcorn buffet                                                                                    
                                 













 Big jars full of popcorn! Adorned with pretty ribbon and cutesy paper and tags!
Found the cute party tags at Tomkat Studio.


Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Fall's A-Coming!

Fall is just around the corner and I can already smell it, and taste it! It is one of my favorite times of year! Nothing like seeing my oldest treasure (Laurney as we call her) get excited about wearing a pretty princess costume and going door to door in my sweet neighborhood to get candy! Or, thanksgiving when it's just starting to get cold and spending time with my family. We have a tradition in my family that we have done ever since I can remember. When we sit down for thanksgiving dinner, we go around the table, and each person has to share what we are thankful for! Needless to say my sister and I usually both start crying before we even begin to share how God has blessed us.

So, I am very excited about Halloween this year! I am considering having a Halloween party! I received my family circle magazine today and here are a few pics of my tablescape and outdoor decoration inspirations!

Stay tuned to see my actual decor!




I must admit I am crazy for polka dots, so these polka dot pumpkins are just the thing for me!


    Isn't this garland just darlin'!



Last but not least a sweet arangement made from a hat box! Can't wait to try these ideas out!
~Court

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Blog for you Jess!

I am creating this blog because my sister-in-law (Jess) always tells me I need to start my own blog! :-) So Jess I guess you are giving me new inspiration! Sharing some of my favorite things. I have a  new found love for party planning. I hope to have pictures of my daughter Lauren's 3rd birthday up soon!