Vanilla-Brown-Sugar Body Scrub

Each year I strive to make homemade gifts. Not sure if you remember, but last year I made caramel popcorn and honey cinnamon butter. This year I made a body scrub. Vanilla-Brown-Sugar body scrub to be exact. It's super easy to make and all the ingredients come from the kitchen. I was pleasantly surprised at how soft it made my skin. I bought the little jars from amazon and 1 batch filled 7 1/2 jars.

Ingredients:
2 cups of brown sugar
1 cup of granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla
1 cup of sesame or sunflower oil

Begin by mixing all of the sugar together until there are no lumps. Add in 1 cup of sunflower or sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of vanilla [I like to use sunflower or sesame oil for this body scrub because it does not carry the strong scent that olive oil does].

I added some ribbon and a tag and it was ready to go.

You can use on your hands, feet, elbows, legs, or anywhere really.

Happy exfoliating!

Peanut-Butter-Stuffed Ginger Cookies

When I saw this recipe in the latest Rachel Ray magazine, I couldn't wait to try it. For some reason, we've found favor in ginger snaps recently, so I couldn't wait to make this rendition with a surprise middle.

We have been trying to be intentional about starting traditions for the two of us. We're making progress, slowly but surely.

We go out to breakfast every year on our anniversary
We get a real Christmas tree every year (and have actually gone to the same place all 4 years)
We exchange gifts on Christmas Eve (that started back in high school)
We just added another one...baking a new cookie every year. So I was proud to document it.

Anyone else have special traditions?
Happy cookie baking!
If you're interested in the recipe, [click here]

A Christmas Sign

I'm excited to share my first project in about 5 months. I wanted to display a Bible verse depicting the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Christ. Don't get me wrong, I love my Christmas tree and glitz and glam decor, but it's easy to get lost in it all. I'm thankful for the birth of Jesus, his living testimony, and his death on a cross that paid for my sin. 

Back to the sign...

I mod podged book pages to a piece of cardboard I already had.

 

I didn't take pictures of each step, but after it dried overnight...

• I used stamps to print on the Bible verse
• bought wood from Home Depot
• glued the wood together (it was very light particle wood)
• spray painted the frame red
• attached the cardboard to the frame
• attached a mounting bracket to the frame
• hung it up

Please bear with the lighting and photos. It's not near any windows and it was difficult to fit into one photo and still see the details... 

Right side

Left Side

The verse reads, all this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet, "the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel." Matthew 1:22-23

Here's the best all-in-one-photo I could get. (taken at night, poor quality)

Merry Christmas!

Crispy Peanut Butter Cups

I should be grading but instead I'm here blogging. I guess that never-ending stack of papers in my bag can wait.

Anyway, this past weekend my college roomies came for a visit. Twas a great time. We made these delicious sweet treats...

If you're a chocolate peanut better fan, you'll love them. Very rich but a great combo.
 

Recipe here.

Christmas Card Display

Last Christmas, Tommy and Katie bought me a black shutter.  Between not having the time and debating what do with it (for months), its been left untouched. It has such a rustic feel and I finally found a use for it.

While looking for a place to display our Christmas cards, I got an idea. Using twine and hooks I already had, I whipped a little somethin' together.

Did you notice sweet Aubrey and my brother on their Christmas card?
Now, if I get more than three cards, I'd be all set.

I've got two more posts schedule for this week, hopefully I'll get them done to share.