Yummy Memories

My Grandma Kanar has the best sugar cookie recipe, hands down.  No, seriously, she does.  I would totally duel anyone who disagrees.  Now, my grandma isn't much of a cook-just ask her-but these cookies are one of those things that she does very well.  And these fantastic cookies have been the center point of some great family memories.  If you ask my father, Christmas doesn't really come without cut-out cookies.  Every Christmas when I was growing up, we as a family would make these delicious cut-out cookies and decorate them together.  I have many memories of all of us in the kitchen, cutting out cookies, popping them in the oven and then decorating them once they had cooled.  And we'd get to eat our favorites that night.  And of course, leave some out for Santa Christmas Eve.  But these cookies are just for Christmas.  On Valentine's Day and Easter, my mom would make special cookies and tuck them into our lunch boxes.  She would do hearts for Valentine's Day, something my mother-in-law also does for her children even to this day, and little ducks for Easter.  I always loved it.  It made us feel special because my mom took the time to make us a treat just for that holiday.  It's a tradition I definitely plan on carrying on with my own children.  Which is why it's so handy that I have Grandma's recipe.  And in case you wanted to start some traditions of your own, I'm sharing it with all of you!  

Grandma Kanar's Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

5 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2 c. sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

1 c. shortening

3 eggs, well beaten

1/2 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

In medium bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar and baking powder.  Add in shortening and work in with hands until mixture is fine.  Add in eggs, milk and vanilla.  Roll out the dough, grab your cookie cutters and cut into desired shapes.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Get the kiddos involved!  Have them each pick out their favorite shape to cut out and decorate once they're baked.  It's a fun way to make some yummy memories of your own!

You could make these for Valentine's Day, Easter, St. Patrick's Day, the 4th of July, Thanksgiving and of course, Christmas.  They're also great for themed birthday parties because you can make them whatever shape you want!

Happy baking!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Coca-Cola® blogging program. If I am one of the first 100 blogs received by SocialsMoms, I will receive a $25 gift card. For more information on the program, click here.

{Who's That} Project Alicia

This week's guest is the lovely and amazing Alica from Project Alicia.  Her blog is just as lovely as she is and I know you all will love her.

Alicia here from Project Alicia. Such an honor to be at Scraps and Scribbles today.

I am a late 30 something, married 18 years, with a couple of pre-pubescent tweeners on my hands.

Somewhere along the messy, unpredictable road of life I happened on photography.

I took my first shot through that DSLR and I knew. We were destined to be together, like something straight out of a movie script. I see the world in an entirely new light. Clouds and trees come to life.

And otherwise forgotten, ordinary moments become extraordinary as I press the shutter and seize them.

It is empowering and moving- like nothing else I have ever experienced. And every single new capture is like a beautiful gift just waiting to be unveiled.

Project Alicia is a blog dedicated to my journey as I delve into the world of photography.

I never have a shortage of photo or learning opportunities, particularly with my critter lovin', adventure seeking youngins.

Frogs, snakes, and spiders are frequent subjects.

I also capture many of our road adventures and candid life moments, much to my children's dismay.

But just as projects come in all forms, Project Alicia is not limited to photos. My passions are often as unpredictable as the Iowa winds.

You may find recipe cards, organizing or travel tips, tutorials ranging from 4th of July chalk

to blanching a peach to achieving a vintage flair for your photos.

My blog is never short of material. Life gives me plenty of blog fodder. Miscarriages, bullies, wet dreams, and disease were definitely not in my mothering handbook. But I find that what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger.

This is one of the reasons that Project Smile was created. It is a bloghop that runs the last day of every month for one week. An attempt to focus on the smiles rather than the hiccups and heartaches. Kristi of Live and Love Out Loud is minding it for the next 6 months. I host September through February. There are no set rules. Just document the sweet, simple moments that make you smile.

At project alicia you may even find a laugh or two as I gracefully evolve. Whether it's waxing, getting caught at amusement parks with flash flooding, or living to tell the tales of Vegas, life is anything but dull. Oh,and crazy loves company.

So feel free to pop in and join me for the next chapter of project alicia.

I hope you all have loved getting to know Alicia.  She is truly amazing!  Go check out her blog-you won't be disappointed.

I'll be guest posting over at her place tomorrow : )

{Fashion Friday} Purple Rosette Tee

In case you weren't able to stop by Tea Rose Home to see my guest post, here's what I shared with Sachiko's awesome readers:

Rosette Tee

Today I'm sharing a simple way to disguise a holey tee.  I'm still a novice seamstress, so when it comes to me and sewing, simple is best.

I had a little bit of a mystery-a bunch of almost new tees were developing holes in them, all near the bottom of the shirt, thus ruining otherwise perfectly good shirts.  Not only was it frustrating because I didn't know what was causing the holes, but I felt like I was wasting money because these shirts that had only been worn 2 or 3 times were now trashed.  

This is only about half of the pile of shirts with holes.  I needed to come up with a creative way to cover up the holes without it being obvious that I was hiding something.

With the purple tee (which is also right there on the top), the holes were kind of big and covered a wider area

They were also a little off-center, so it presented a bigger challenge. 

To fix yours up, you'll need:

A holey tee

A tee to cut up in a matching/coordinating color

matching thread

rotary mat, cutter and ruler

tailor's chalk 

Then I found this tee at a consignment shop and had an idea.  It matched the contrast stitching on the purple holey tee perfectly.

It was only $3!  And HUGE!  I've never seen such a large medium-sized tee!  But that meant there was plenty of fabric to work with.

To start off with, I folded the dark purple tee in half and with tailor's chalk, marked a line diagonally down from the collar to just past the last hole at the bottom.

I pulled it out flat like this, still keeping it folded in half (see the chalk line) so that the area I cut out would be even.  Then I cut out that chunk-bye-bye holes!

I measured the length of the piece I cut out and the width at the bottom and cut a piece out using those measurements from the lavender tee.

I wanted it to have a gathered look at the top, so I stitched some thread in about 1/4 in. down from the top of the edge and gathered it by pulling on the thread.

Then, using the piece I had cut out of the purple tee as a guide, I trimmed up the lavender piece

Then pinned it in place.

And sewed the pieces together.

Like so.

Now, you could stop here if you wanted.  But I felt it needed a little something more.

Rosettes make everything prettier!  I cut a few strips of fabric from the lavender tee and rolled them into rosettes, stitching them in place as I went so they wouldn't come undone.

Then attached them to my tee at the collar.

And there you have it!

Holes? What holes?

I'm quite pleased with how it turned out and I hope you love yours too!

I'm working on some more tee re-vamps so be on the look-out!

Tips and Tricks: Simplify

Spring has sprung and for a lot of us, that means it's spring cleaning time.  I've always found "spring cleaning" as a good excuse to declutter and simplify things.  But spring cleaning doesn't have to be just for the physical things in your home-you can simplify in all areas of your life just by making simple changes.  Here are some of my best ways to simplify:

1. Unplug things when you're not using them.  Things like your toaster, phone charger, TV and computer suck up a lot of energy and waste a lot of electricity when they're left plugged in.  When you're done charging your phone, unplug the charger.  When you've turned off your computer or TV for the night, unplug it.  It will save you a bundle on your electric bill.  Just by unplugging my TV every night before I go to bed, I cut my monthly bill by $20.  That adds up fast!

2. Do I really need this?  When decluttering, ask yourself "Do I love it? Do I need it? Would I just die if I didn't have it anymore?"  If the answer is no to at least two of those questions, it's time to toss it.  Keeping things that we don't need just junk up our lives and whether we realize it or not, add to our stress.  If it's not bringing you or your family joy, get rid of it!

3. A place for every thing and everything in its place.  I'm a big fan of organizational containers, especially pretty ones.  Not only are you keeping things neat and tidy, but it looks nice, too!  Clearly label things so you know what's where and can easily find things (and put them away when you're done) when you need them instead of having to dig through things to find what you need.

4. Watch those "Best By" dates.  I can't tell you how many times things have sat in my fridge/cupboard and gone bad because I didn't pay attention to when they expired.  Not only am I wasting that food and my money, but I'm then having to waste more money to replace that item.  Now, sometimes you need to know when to throw something out, such as your make-up/beauty products.  Keeping them past their prime can lead to eye infections, and skin problems.  If you want to know when it's time to toss them, check out this post.

5. Have more quality time.  Spend less time in front of your computer screen, your TV or on your phone if you can help it and spend more face time with the people that are important to you.  Get down there and play with your little one.  Set aside a date night for you and your hubby.  I've found that when I do those things, my home life is a lot happier and I'm a lot happier because of it.

6.Have a little "me" time everyday.  Even if it's only 5 minutes where you just sit and relax, having some "me" time can really change the course of your day.  For me, it's like it recharges my batteries and helps me re-focus on what I need to get done for the day.

What are your tips for simplify and enjoying more out of life?

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Cottonelle blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Some Things You Probably Didn't Know

My guest for this week's Who's That is under the weather, so we've rescheduled our blog swap.  But I didn't want to leave you all with nothing today, so I thought I'd share some totally random things about me.

For those of you Facebookers, you might remember when this went around a few years back.  I added some to it and had to update others.  Hope this isn't TMI for you all!

1. I'm totally a Floridian. No matter where I live, that will always be home. Until moving out to New Mexico, I'd never lived anywhere but Florida (that I can remember. We lived in Tennessee when I was a baby for a while.) And the first time I ever saw snow was actually in Florida. I'm so happy to be back in the Sunshine State.

2. I have an irrational fear of being eaten by sharks and bridges (like something happening to the car while driving over one and careening over the side-it especially freaks me out now that I have a baby because I would want to save him.) And I'm still a little afraid of the dark-mostly it unnerves me, I don't like not being able to see what's around me.

3. I worked for Compass Bank as a teller for almost 2 1/2 years before our son was born. It was my first "real" job.  I got robbed once (you can read about it here.)

My first day as a teller

4. I come from what some might call a large family-I guess that depends on what size family you come from.  I am the oldest of four kids-I have one younger sister and two younger brothers.  There is a 9-year gap between me and the youngest.  We all get along (for the most part) and I love being able to spend time with my siblings.

My sibs: Ethan, Josh, Emily and Me

5. I'm extremely insecure with myself and my appearance. I always have been. I think part of it is all the teasing I endured in elementary school. Part of me is still that little, awkward, shy fourth grader with the crooked teeth and the knobby knees.  That's probably why doing What I'm Wearing makes me uncomfortable.

6. I'm a huge beach bum. I love the beach. I could spend the entire summer there and not get bored of it. And I love to surf. I'm not the greatest at it, but I'm getting better. I'd love to get back into it soon.  It's one of the things I missed most about living in New Mexico other than not being able to see my families whenever I want.

7. I'm actually grateful to the boyfriend that cheated on me. It made me get over him and never, ever want to put someone through that kind of pain (not that I have ever considered cheating on someone.) And it taught me what I really wanted in a guy.

8. Robbie, my husband, is one the silliest people that I know, but you'd never know it, because he's usually really quiet around people. But his sense of humor is one of the things I love about him. And he's totally a hottie :) I still remember the very first time I saw him-I didn't actually meet him for almost another month after that, but I remember thinking, "Who is THAT?!"

9. I worry WAY too much. About everything. Mostly right now, I worry that I won't be a good mom. And I've been having awful dreams about Bobby-like things happening to him that I can't stop and it really freaks me out. And sometimes, I let myself get too overwhelmed by things. I have a big problem with anxiety. And, yet, I really don't get stressed.

10. I'm a very opinionated person, but I usually keep them to myself unless it's something I feel needs to be said. I just wait to the appropriate time to voice them. I don't feel that I should force them on other people. And just because my opinion is different from yours, doesn't mean I think any less of you. You're just as much entitled to your opinion as I am.  Like people don't really care that I don't like rompers-they're still going to wear them anyways.

11. Before meeting my husband, I thought I'd never get married. I was going to move to NY and live in the city and have a dozen cats (yeah, I was going to be a cat lady.) But I'm so glad he found me (he seriously looked for me at church and asked everyone he knew if they knew me and what my name was.) Being married to Robbie has been the greatest adventure and I look forward to our 50th wedding anniversary (and beyond.)

12. I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints (most people know us as mormons) and I'm proud of that. My faith has truly shaped the person I am today. It has given me sort of a compass with which I guide my life. It's given me hope through the rough patches in my life and all of the amazing blessings in my life have come from my loving Father in Heaven. And same as the opinion thing above, just because you and I might not believe the same things, I don't think any less of you. I'm not the kind to hold someone to my beliefs because they're just that-mine.

The Orlando Florida Temple

13. I absolutely love being a mom. I never thought I could love someone this much. Our son is the greatest blessing in my life, second to my wonderful husband. Yeah, he overwhelms me at times, but I wouldn't trade motherhood for anything in the world. I love watching him grow and change and learn. I love his smiles and his laughs and just the loving way he looks at me.

14. I am an inducted member of 2 college honor societies, as well as being on the Dean's List, Who's Who Among America's High School Students 2 years, National Honor Roll 2 years and Who's Who Among America's Junior Colleges. That was a huge accomplishment for me, mostly because school has always been a struggle for me.


15.  After 5 years of being out of college (that's a whole long story for another day), I started going back this past November to finish up my bachelor's degree.  Truth be told, I'm hating it, but I long ago set the goal of finishing college and it's something I'm holding myself to, no matter how much I dislike it.  I'm only about a year from graduating.  I'll be so happy when it's all done and behind me.

16. I try really hard to stay in shape. I love doing yoga and pilates and want to try kickboxing one day. I even completed all 90 days of P90X-it sucked but the results were well worth it.  I've learned, however, that to really stay motivated, I need someone to work out with.  Sadly, when we moved to Florida, I had to leave my awesome workout buddy in Albuquerque (yet another reason why you guys need to move here, My!)  But I hate HATE running.

17. I love to sing. I was in chorus in elementary school, high school and college. But I'm really shy singing by myself in front of people. When I was little, I really wanted to be a rockstar. Sometimes I still do. My sister and I had a little "band" and we wrote songs.  They were really cheesy.

18. I gained 46 pounds while I was pregnant with my son.  It took me 2 years to lose the last 15 of that.

At 32 weeks with our son

19. I've never done drugs of any kind-luckily never been offered drugs, either. Never even smoked a cigarette. In fact, I'm highly allergic to cigarettes.

20. I had braces twice. And my teeth are still a little crooked (darn wisdom teeth.)

21. I'm actually a really loud person once I'm comfortable around people. It drives Robbie nuts : ) He's constantly telling me to be quieter, especially when I'm around my family. What can I say, we're boisterous.

22. I love to travel. I definitely don't get to do it as much as I'd like. I have been to over half of the 50 states and been all over Ontario, Canada and parts of Quebec, but I've never "really" been out of the country (back then, you didn't need a passport to go to Canada.) I have a long list of places I want to see before I die and I'm going to see them all.

23. I love photography. It started as a hobby and progressed into a passion. I always have a camera of some sort with me. My dream house includes a dark room. And before I met Robbie, I was going to school for photography and wanted to work for National Geographic as a photographer. Now I do weddings and other various photo-related things. It's a way for me to keep doing what I love and still be a mommy and wife.  I would love to have my own studio someday.

24. One of my goals in life is to be on Jeopardy. Seriously, I'm so not joking.  Yeah, I'm a nerd. But it's going to happen.

25. My other goals are to learn to play the violin and the bass guitar, to learn to snowboard, see the world, master Photoshop, publish a book of my photos, to learn to scuba dive, go para-sailing, surf in Hawaii and grow old with Robbie and see our great-grandchildren.

26. Since being married, I've gotten so used to there being someone else in the bed with me, I have a hard time sleeping by myself. When my husband first starting traveling for his job, I couldn't sleep.  I'd seriously be up til like 4 in the morning.  That goes by to my whole anxiety thing, too, I think.  It's gotten better since I've had to get used to it, but I still have a hard time sometimes.


27. I love flowers.  Any kind.  I think they're beautiful.  I do have favorites, however.  I love gerber daisies, hibiscus, hydrangeas, big orange poppies, and orchids.


28.  The thing that most excited me about owning a house, besides being able to decorate it however I wanted was being able to plant a garden.  I think there's just something so satisfying about eating something you've grown yourself.  Kind of like when you make something and someone compliments you on it.  You're all like "Thanks!  I made it!"


29. I love finding a good deal.  I think that's why I love thrift shopping so much.  Finding those little treasures at awesome prices just totally makes my day.


30.  I am a self-admitted cheapskate and I'm proud of it.  I just can't bring myself to shell out ridiculous amounts of money on things.  Now, obviously some things do cost a little more and there's no way around that-I'm talking big things like a house or a car or a computer.  Everything else, I can totally find a cheaper way to get it : )


I hope you all enjoyed this little "get to know Courtney."  Hopefully I didn't scare you off!  

{Hand-made Lovelies} Felt Playhouses by Miss Pretty Pretty

I heard about the cutest shop from my blogging buddy Tammy over at She Wears Flowers and I just had to share it with you all.

Miss Pretty Pretty makes the most amazing felt playhouses.  They fit over a card table-how simple and easy!

How neat is this pirate hideout?!

This one would be perfect for my little guy-he loves playing pretend.  I love the working mailbox on the "front porch"-too cute!

How about this sweet bake shop for your little princess?

Or this cool train station for your little conductor?

All of the houses are 100% handmade by Julie, the shop's owner and can be customized to fit any size card table.  They also come with a handmade storage bag for when it's time to put it away.  I think her creations are breath-taking!

I'm so glad Tammy shared this awesome shop with me.  She's going to be doing something fun with this shop in the near future, so I'd start following She Wears Flowers so you don't miss out!

Just In Case

I've been doing {relatively} well with keeping up with things and then bam!  

We had a crazy storm come through our part of Florida Thursday.  It was raining so hard I couldn't see our fence from our back door.  There were 5 tornadoes that touched down throughout town!  And we got our power knocked out for 27 hours.  Nice part was, I didn't have to cook that night : )  Needless to say, it kind of disrupted things here.  I spent most of today catching up on things.  But next week, things should be back to normal.  

And here's what I had planned for yesterday's Fashion Friday.

I saw this earlier this week over at Yahoo.  It's Trends Men Hate That Women Love.  Some of them I could totally agree with because I don't even like them, like jumpsuits and harem pants and Uggs.  But some of them left me saying "Wha?!"  Check them out for yourself-Trends Men Hate

Hope you all have a fab weekend!

Shutter Love: Hands

I haven't done a Shutter Love in a loooooooooong time.  But this week's theme, Hands, just sort of spoke to me :)

This is the one and only "maternity" picture I have from when I was pregnant with our little man.  Thank goodness for self-timers!  I wanted something simple, so it's just my preggo belly, my hand and my hubby's hand, showing off our wedding rings.  I liked the symbolism of it all.