Iced Lemon Sugar Cookies

Last year I tried this recipe for the first time and really liked it. Lemon is one of my favorite flavors so of course what could be better than lemon sugar cookies?! I never got around to sharing this recipe on the blog for some reason, and in early November I found myself in need of a tasty but different cookie recipe…and that’s when I stumbled across this one in my recipe folder. I made them up again, took some fun pics and am now sharing it with you all here. Enjoy!

This recipe makes about 3 ½ dozen or 40 cookies.

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

½ cup powdered sugar

½ cup white sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 Tablespoons lemon zest

1 egg

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 cups white flour

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a good size bowl mix together the softened butter, powdered sugar, white sugar, vanilla, lemon juice & zest. Stir in egg.

3. Add in baking powder and flour. Stir until well blended.

4. Use a spoon to scoop out dough. Roll into balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Use a flat bottomed cup dusted with flour to flatten each ball out into a cookie.

5. Bake for 10-12 minutes and remove from oven.

6. While the cookies are baking mix together the ingredients for the Lemon Butter Cream Icing (listed below).

7. Once the cookies are finished baking set them on a cooling rack. You don't want the cookies to be completely cooled before you ice them. It's easier to ice them (and the icing will go further) if you ice them while they are still warm.

Lemon Butter Cream Icing

1 Tablespoon butter, melted

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 drops yellow food coloring (optional)

10 Tablespoons powdered sugar

Icing Directions

1. In a small bowl melt the butter in the microwave. Stir in the lemon juice, vanilla, and food coloring.

2. Spoon the powdered sugar into the liquid mix.

3. Stir the icing until it thickens. Mash out any lumps of sugar with the spoon against the edge of the bowl. You want the icing to be as smooth as possible.

4. Spread a thin layer on slightly warm cookies for best results.

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• Give Me The Goods #41

The Best Cat Toy Ever

I have had quite a few trial and errors in the cat toy department in the last eight months or so. I am SO happy to finally have a toy they both enjoy greatly! Back when we adopted our cat Emerald (she's the black one) I got a set of these Skitter Critters Catnip Mice from WalMart. Emerald LOVED them and played with the all the time. Not long after we adopted Demi (the grey cat in the pictures here) he started playing with the mice as well.

I would (and still do) find these mice all over the house. Demi is especially notorious for picking up the mice in his mouth and carrying them from our bedroom to the living room to the basement...pretty much everywhere. Half the mornings I wake up and get out of bed I step on a mouse... it's a good thing they're soft!

Demi was especially excited when I went a purchased a new set of mice. He would look at the mice on the package and then look back at me as if to say "when do I get to play with them?". Between Demi & Emerald two of the old mice have since been torn to bits and had to be thrown away. They are really enjoying these new mice and that's probably because of the fresh catnip in them.

While I was trying to take pics of the mice to write this blog post Demi kept sniffing them, looking at them, walking around them, at one point he tried to carry them off. He was more than ready to start playing with his new toys!

If you have young cats (both of mine are a years old and under) then these toys should be perfect for them! I love that they're less than $5 (inexpensive pet toys are the best) and that the first round of mice lasted for 6 months before the first one 'died' into bits. When this new batch starts to die out I'm sure I'll be getting a new set of these mice to replace it. I haven't seen my cats play with anything (writing pens knocked off the table, pieces of denim scraps from my sewing room, or cherrios dropped on the floor-before I can pick them up-when I make breakfast) more than they play with these mice.

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10+ Unique & Different Gift Ideas

So if you've been around the blog awhile you may remember my post from last year on Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas for Boys & Men or the easy and fairly inexpensive DIY Couples Christmas Gift. The DIY Individually Wrapped Hot Chocolate was also popular (I use my own Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix recipe). But if you're new here you haven't seen those posts yet (so be sure to check them out!) and you're ready to see some gift ideas!

This year I am putting together a short list of unique and different gift ideas. Some of these are DIY's and some are store bought or you can purchase them from different Etsy stores (which are all linked in appropriate places), but all of these are awesome ideas for almost anyone who loves Christmas! Many of the ideas have come from my Pinterest Board: Christmas Gift Ideas. I also have another board with gift ideas on it and that is the Pinterest Board: Joy of Giving. I have more there if you like what you see here then you should hop over and check that out too!

{photo via Emily A. Clark}

#1 A unique cook book! This idea comes from Emily A. Clark's post: Gifts for the Ungiftable. I personally would love a new cookbook for Christmas! My sweet little brother got me a Betty Crocker cook book a few years back and I use it ALL the time now (especially since moving to the country and not having instant Pinterest access!). It was a wonderful gift that I never would've thought to ask for or put on my Christmas list. In the post linked Emily shares a few other unique gift ideas too. A few that I liked were the classic book ends and a pretty cutting board.

click image to enlarge & read
{photo via Call Me Cupcake}

#2 Brownie Mix in a Jar! Doesn't this just look delicious?! My mom's theory is people should give gifts that can be made up AFTER the holiday season is over because usually at that time you're too busy finishing up all the desserts from the holidays and the Christmas Cookies people give you that you can't enjoy everything as much. This idea comes from the Swedish blog Call Me Cupcake.

{photo via Thistlewood Farms}

#3 Paint Stick Dominoes! This is a DIY project idea from Thistlewood Farms and I really LOVE it! I think this is one of the most creative ways I've seen to make your own domino set!

{photo via Sweet & Savory Life}

#4 $10 Movies & Snacks Gift! Who doesn't love an easy gift? This idea comes from Sweet & Savory Life. I think it's definitely a great last minute idea for someone you may have forgotten to add to your gift list or for someone who really enjoys watching movies! Check out the Redbox Gift Options. Another idea (which could be a bit more expensive, but still fun) is to hit up the $5 movie bin at Wal-Mart and pick out a few movies the person on your list would enjoy.

{photo via A Simple Kind of Life}

#5 DIY Painted Mousepad! I never would've thought to paint a mouse pad, but this is really neat! If you have a creative person on your gift list you could even make this a kit gift by giving them the items necessary to create this and then let them do their own decorating! This idea comes from the blog: A Simple Kind of Life.

{photo via Eat Sleep Cuddle}

#6 Gold Leaf Notebooks. This is a wonderful gift for the writer on your gift list. I think you could totally use gold spray paint to do this project, but the tutorial on Eat Sleep Cuddle uses paper. Very fun and cute idea and of course you could do shapes (heart on the front of a notebook anyone?) or words like "write" or "create" or "dream". Loving this idea!

{photo via Northern Belle Diaries}

#7 Monogrammed gifts! For those girly girls or college students this is a gift where you can take practically anything and personalize it: notebooks, coffee mugs, coasters, cell phone cases, necklaces, towels, pillow cases, laptop decals....the list could go on.

{photo via Mary Kay}

#8 Mary Kay Satin Hands Kit! When I was a MK beauty consultant in my college days this was one of the items I promoted the most. I had bought the kit for myself and fell in love right away! It makes your hands feel so soft & pretty! This is the perfect gift for a mom who doesn't give herself enough 'me' time. The best thing about this gift? It comes in three different scents: fragrance free, peach, and vanilla sugar! I've tried them all and I have to say peach is for sure my favorite! {Locate a MK beauty consultant near you to purchase this item!}

{photo via Little Lovelies}

#9 Paperclip Bookmarks! For the readers on your Christmas list: they can never have too many bookmarks! I know my hubby is always losing his. These are a little girly, but with some creativity I'm sure you could make some boyish paperclip bookmarks too (if a male on your Christmas list enjoys reading that is!). Another easy DIY bookmark idea is to use some cardboard and fabric scraps to create unique bookmarks. Check out the tutorial at The Sewing Dork.

{photo via GreySkiesBlue on Etsy}

#10 Best Friend Coffee Mugs! I now have best friends in three different states and being so far away sometimes it's nice to have something that makes them feel closer than a few hundred miles away. This gift is sold on Etsy (made to order!) but I'm sure that you could totally DIY because I've seen tutorials for things like this such as the Chalkboard Paint Coffee Mug from A Beautiful Mess Blog or the DIY Painted Mug Tutorial on My Crafty Spot and the Sharpie Art Mug from Whipperberry. If you're in need of inspiration for your design check out this Pinterest search I did.

{photo via Cynthia Shaffer}

#11 Cookies In A Tin! If you like baking and giving cookies as a gift to neighbors and church friends you might be interested in this project. Thrift stores have lots of old Christmas tins floating around most of the year, but especially around the holidays. Pick up a few, get some spray paint and start up-cycling them into something pretty to give your gifts in this year!

This item has already sold.
{photo via HuckleberryVintage on Etsy}

#12 Unique Wood Salt & Pepper Shakers! Awhile back, when I was feeling more crafty & creative, I took a set of old wood salt & pepper shakers, sanded them, painted them, sanded again and then glazed them to make my own set of vintage shakers. They were adorable and turned out so well! This is on the unique ideas list and you can totally find someone who has already done all the work for you if you're not up to making some yourself (just browse Etsy!). Here is a blue set via VintageChichiean I found while searching for options available.

{photo via Mr. & Mrs. Adams}

#13 Build A Pampering Kit! This idea is fun because you can do so many different things with it! Some things you might want to include: fun chocolates, cozy socks, bath salts, candles, magazines/books, hand creams/lotions, lip moisturizers, scented body wash, herbal tea packages, perfumes, pumice stones...or anything else the girl(s) on your list might enjoy! Check out some other themed basket ideas such as a baking kit, car washing kit, and the movie time kit all of which are found at The Lady Wolf.

{photo via Pinterest}

#14 Random Plates! Strange as this gift may sound, there are several uses for beautiful random plates. If you're a thrift shopper I'm sure you come across many random plates on the shelves in the home section of the store. This is a gift you'd have to give to someone you know really well, or to someone who already has a plate collection going on. Some people might use plates as decor in their home (as shown in the photo) or if you know a food blogger you could always give them different solid color plates & uniquely shaped dishes for them to photograph their creations on. (I know I would love a fun collection of different solid colored dishes to spice up my food photos!)

{photo via Simply Kierste}

#15 Family Name Sign! If your shopping for multiple families, or just want to do a single gift for a family, a family name sign is both pretty & practical. There are TONS of ideas on Pinterest for family name signs (just do a general search and you'll find plenty) and then of course there are Etsy shops who offer to make these for you so you don't have to mess with the work. One such store is MagnoliaMommyMade who custom makes and frames a beautiful sign, click link to view. Another Etsy shop which does the wood signs is SugarCreekLane. The wood blocks in the photo just above is probably one of the most unique 'signs' I've seen yet and is a DIY tutorial.

{How To: Gift Wrap A Box by Blue Eyed Beauty Blog}

As a bonus, of sorts, I'm going to include the photo tutorial for how to gift wrap presents which I wrote last year. I love wrapping boxes because they are the easiest, but you could easily use this tutorial for things that aren't in boxes and still end up with a decently wrapped gift. Enjoy!

As you can see, I have lots of ideas! I could probably keep going, but didn't want this post to be overwhelmingly long so I will stop with these things here. Thank you for reading through and don't forget to leave your comment to the question below!

What are unique/different gift ideas you like?

Prego With Style | Navy Blue & Boots

I'm not very creative when it comes to pregnancy outfits and that's mostly because I am running out of clothes that fit. Even the maternity shirt in this photo doesn't cover like it used to! As of December 3rd I am 6 weeks away from his due date. I cannot wait to hold him in my arms!

Maternity Denim Jacket: Old Navy. (Thrifted)
Navy Blue Maternity Shirt: Old Navy.
Denim Maternity Skirt: Made by Me!
Cowboy boots: Gift from Mom.

I can't believe how big he's gotten! I started having stretch marks show up around mid November. I was honestly surprised and kind of disappointed. My mom had only one from the 7 kids she had so I was hoping I'd be so lucky. At least right now I can't really see them so they don't bother me too bad, and I'm sure I'll get used to them once he's out too.

Best of Winter 2012

Hi everyone! I thought I would put together a post highlighting the most popular posts from the blog last year. I originally thought I would post this on the first day of Winter, but that won't be until December 21st and many of these posts share things you might want to try before then. The great hits from last year include gifts, foods, and things from my Winter Bucket List. (I shared a few other posts, recipes mostly, from last year which would also make great winter foods.) I've debated on whether or not I want to put together a winter bucket list for this year, but I'm thinking I probably won't. There are some things I want to do such as get a real Christmas Tree and go to the same Christmas Parade where Autry proposed to me, but other than that I don't have a lot of winter plans. I mostly just want to get through these last weeks of pregnancy and then have my little boy in my arms. That will be a plenty big project in itself I think!

Top posts from last winter!

{Click on photos or text links to view the post}

I'm Engaged!! {Click photo to read post}

2012 WINTER RECIPES

DESSERTS

SIDES

DRINKS

BREAKFAST

SOUPS & MEALS

There were many things I didn't get to post last year that I'd love to post eventually. I have a few that I know for sure I'll be sharing with you. I am not doing much interesting in the way of gifts or foods this year, but if I do I'll be sure to share!