christmas shenanigans

christmastime is always full of fun.

we end up doing all sorts of fun activities and it just adds so much joy to the season!

some people might feel overwhelmed at the prospect of keeping up with all the joy, sparkle, and fun of the season but i find that being busy and on the go such a part of the season. don’t get me wrong…i love having slow days and catch up days and days where you don’t have a million places to be but i also try to be smart, efficient, and effective with my time and learn to say no when it’s too much.

with that said, here are a few snippets of some of the fun we had this past december!

G I N G E R B R E A D H O U S E

every year we create a gingerbread house. olive loves to decorate it and ellie likes to eat all the candies. LOL next year, i am going to try to create my own from scratch. well not from scratch scratch but i saw, this past season, a house made from graham crackers and all the fun trimmings and i think i might try that next year! i’ve gotten the same house for olive a couple years in a row and i am hoping to find a different one for her to make next year!

via tandeminlove.com
gingerbread trimmings
via tandeminlove.com
via tandeminlove.com
this pretty much sums up all our projects. olive working hard and ellie watching and eating candy. LOL
via tandeminlove.com
via tandeminlove.com
olive very cautiously putting on the candies
via tandeminlove.com
my sweeties
via tandeminlove.com
via tandeminlove.com

S A N T A

via tandeminlove.com
via tandeminlove.com
in awe over mr. and mrs. claus
via tandeminlove.com
I always say 4 is the magic number when it comes to santa!
via tandeminlove.com
via tandeminlove.com
via tandeminlove.com
the sweetest letter that olive wrote to santa. i asked her what she wanted from santa and she said this. be still my heart.

D R I V E I N T H E A T R E

via tandeminlove.com

Z O O L I G H T S

via tandeminlove.com
a fun rainbow globe of lights
via tandeminlove.com
via tandeminlove.com
having fun in the rainbow globe of lights
via tandeminlove.com
having a blast with val
via tandeminlove.com

C O O K I E D E C O R A T I N G

via tandeminlove.com
excited to decorate!
via tandeminlove.com
via tandeminlove.com
via tandeminlove.com
via tandeminlove.com
via tandeminlove.com
via tandeminlove.com

R A N D O M S H E N A N I G A N S

via tandeminlove.com
painting animlas
via tandeminlove.com
via tandeminlove.com
she cracks me up. showing off to me how focused she is.
via tandeminlove.com
ellie working hard on her gorilla
via tandeminlove.com
via tandeminlove.com
via tandeminlove.com
home baked cookies for the neighbors
via tandeminlove.com
via tandeminlove.com
via tandeminlove.com
home from school, ugly sweater day, and ready for winter break!
via tandeminlove.com

xoxo

deeelish cookies

i’ve been making sugar cookies almost my whole life. it was what i did and do. every holiday season went hand in hand with making sugar cookies. yup. i actually have never kept a recipe. i would go from one version to the next because you can always find a sugar cookie recipe.

but i have searched no more. i have found the most perfect sugar cookie recipe. i’m in love.

so let me back this up a bit. i’ve been a bit obsessed with copper cookie cutters. yes. i want to buy 50 styles of cookie cutters but that would cost an arm and a leg. they are expensiiiiiive. well, i’m collecting a bit here and there so i can build my collection. anyhoozle, when i purchased a batch of cookie cutters from copper gifts, they came with a cute little booklet with a few recipes inside. i decided to try them! boy oh boy. it turned out the most delicious, buttery, perfect sugar cookies.

they had great tips {unlike the traditional way i use to make them} and it was sooo much easier and practical. the cookies came out substantial in size, thickness, and were perfectly baked to buttery goodness. mmmmm.

they also had a recipe in the fold over for royal icing. unfortunately, this was a last minute baking bonanza and we didn’t have any meringue powder in the house, nor could hc find it on his excursion out. so, i made icing without it and it was just fiiiine. it took longer to harden but it was, nonetheless, tasty good. my other problem or lack of effort?? i didn’t have the time or the energy to pipe my frosting. it was already soooo late {and i was damn tired} and i wasn’t in  the mood. shame on me, non? i just hand decorated each one, so my lines are a bit wonky…c’est la vie!

2 cups unsalted butter (4 sticks room temp)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

gently mix butter and sugar, then beat until light and creamy. beat in eggs and vanilla. gently stir flour before measuring. combine dry ingredients and add a cup at a time to butter mixture. beat until completely blended. roll cookie dough between two sheets of parchment paper. continue rolling all dough between parchment paper and placing in stacks on a cookie sheet (that fits in your refrigerator or freezer). cover cookie sheet with foil. chill dough overnight or 1 to 2 hours. remove one sheet of dough at a time and cut into shapes. bake on baking sheet at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or just until the edges begin to slightly brown. this recipe will make at least 2 dozen, 4 to 6-inch cookies.

for the icing, i used powdered sugar, warm water, clear vanilla extract, and food coloring. i made small batches of different colors to ice the cookies.

via tandeminlove.com

via tandeminlove.com

[♥ xoxo i lov~e]

via tandeminlove.com

via tandeminlove.com

via tandeminlove.com

overall, i was a happy gal on how they turned out {despite it being a last minute baking session}! annnddd, they were oh so delicious. i.can’t.stop.eating.them.

well, i hope y’all try this recipe! it’s so yummy. happy baking my lovies!

xoxo

sugar cookie making and baking

as i stated in my prior blog post, i love making sugar cookies for our thanksgiving get togethers. it’s a fun activity for the kids {decorating & eating them!} but it definitely gets me in the holiday spirit when making them. it reminds me of all the times i made sugar cookies as a kid and how excited i would get to make ’em and then eat them all {yum!}!

so the day before turkey day, hc and i broke out a bottle of wine, put on christmas music, and i got to work on making some yummy cookies. this recipe is a classic and so easy to do. the recipe will yield up to five dozen cookies, give or take a dozen {depending on the size of your cookie cutters!}.

via tandeminlove.com

[let’s start with the first ingredient…wine]

via tandeminlove.com

[cheers]

ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups of butter, softened
  • 2 cups of white sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 5 cups of all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon of salt

via tandeminlove.com

[a few ingredients]

via tandeminlove.com

in a large bowl, cream together the {soft} butter and sugar until it’s smooth. then beat in the eggs and vanilla. then stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. split the dough into two halves and wrap it each with saran wrap and chill in the freezer for an hour.

after the dough chills, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and start rolling out the dough {about 1/4 inch thick} onto a floured surface. start cutting out all your fun, festive shapes and then transfer your cookies onto a greased baking sheet.

bake your cookies for 6-8 minutes {or until the edges are slightly browned}. don’t over bake your cookies or they will be too crunchy and hard! after you take your cookies out of the oven, place them on a cooling rack so you free up your baking sheets to start the cycle all over again!

via tandeminlove.com

[whip it good]

via tandeminlove.com

[wine + baking = some damn good sugar cookies]

via tandeminlove.com

via tandeminlove.com

via tandeminlove.com

[decorated sugar cookies by my nephews and grace]

there you go! some delicious, soft, yummy, sweet sugar cookies to festively decorate and eat! tis the season to overindulge. i hope you enjoy this recipe as much as i do. it’s such a great way to keep kids entertained, get them to be creative, and start a fun holiday tradition.

xoxo