The 12 Days of Christmas: Spouse Edition

If you follow me on Instagram, this won't be news to you... but for the 12 days leading up to Christmas, I surprised my handsome husband with one gift each day that corresponded with the number for that day. Well, every day matched the number except day one. I think I'd be a pretty terrible wife if I made an entire batch of delicious cookies and only gave him one.

Each day when he came home from classes, I gave him that day's gift. He loved it, and I felt like a rockstar wife having something for him each of those days. I highly recommend doing this (or something similar - there are 14 days of Valentines as well that people do in February) because it was a lot of fun for both of us!

Here's what I did for each day... but they can easily be changed up to match what your husband loves! You don't HAVE to coordinate the gift with the day number, either - I just did that because I'm like that.

Day 1 - red velvet cookies

Day 2 - a "pair" of running socks

Day 3 - three new books

Day 4 - four specialty coffees

Day 5 - one journal and four pens

Day 6 - a six-pack of beer

Day 7 - a movie, popcorn, three candies, and two sodas

Day 8 - eight magnets that symbolize his time at USAFA

Day 9 - a collage of the nine cities we honeymooned in

Day 10 - a $10 gift card for when he forgets his lunch

Day 11 - eleven 'open when' letters

Day 12 - twelve local restaurants to try in 2015

And these are the tags I made to put on each gift. Aren't they cute? I've included a link to download them in a PDF file at the end of this post!

To download the 12 Days of Christmas printable tags in full size, CLICK HERE to open a PDF - I recommend printing them on cardstock so they are sturdy enough to attach to your packages!

• Have you ever done the 12 Days of Christmas? 
• Do you have any suggestions for each of the numbered days?

Holiday Recap - 2014

A holiday recap? In January? Yes, I'm behind... because I had other posts scheduled for while I was out of town and wouldn't have time or decent Internet access to post from!

To start, we went to a hot cocoa party and watched Elf with some friends... to which I took some hot chocolate cupcakes! I can't wait to share that recipe soon.

For Christmas, Dan and I loaded up the cats (and boarded the dog), and headed to Kansas City. It was a 10 hour drive, and while not very fun, we had a blast when we got there!

Our schedule was so jam-packed with lunches and dinners with family members and friends that we can hardly call it a vacation... but that's okay! It was wonderful seeing everyone and being able to spend time with them.

We celebrated Christmas with my family on Christmas Eve with a KC style BBQ dinner and gifts... and I was SO surprised to have gotten the red Kitchenaid mixer I've been eyeing for years thanks to my awesome husband! We had a lot of fun that night and ate way too much then and on Christmas day.

We also were able to see Unbroken on its opening night, and while it didn't tell the FULL story that the book does, it was still incredible.

We went to the last KC Chiefs game of the season... in which they kicked San Diego's butt (woohoo!) but ultimately didn't make the playoffs (just barely). We had a great time with friends, though!

• How were your holidays? 
• Did you travel or stay put?

Tangerine Butter Cookies: Recipe

Welcome to my very first installment of Food Fridays! One of my goals this year is to share one new recipe every week on, you guessed it, Friday!

Luckily for you, I have been baking my tail off since early December, and I've been documenting it all. I'll try to sneak in some actual food along with all the goodies, but I make no promises.

Today's recipe is my favorite cookie to share: Tangerine Butter Cookies. I made six dozen of these to take to a cookie exchange, and I made another dozen to take home with me for the holidays. They're different than any other cookie I've ever tasted, so they're always a winner! (I may or may not even have a bag of dough in my freezer so I can make more of these whenever I feel like it...)

Not only do these cookies taste light, fruity, and wonderful, but they are made with REAL tangerine peel. I love to zest it right into my cookie dough, and I'm anxious to try making these with lemons and limes as well. I think they'll turn out just as great, but I am a big lover of citrus fruit.

Don't they look so light and refreshing? They are, and they're EXCELLENT served with champagne. I haven't met anyone yet who hasn't liked these when they tried them. They're just so different from other cookies. If you try them, let me know what you think! 

To save the recipe, just click on the image, and then right click to save the recipe card. It is 4x6 inches, and if you print it on cardstock, you can add it right in with your other recipe cards! 

• Do you like tangerines?
• What is your favorite type of cookie?
• Do you enjoy baking?

Goals for the New Year: 2015 Edition

Ahh, a new year is upon us. With that comes new goals. I know some people don't like resolutions or goals, but I do. I look forward to the 'fresh start' each January brings. I love being vocal about my goals so that others can encourage me and hold me accountable. I also just love having things to work toward.

Without further adieu, here are my blogs for 2015 in six different categories of my life.

• Double my blog readership.
• Publish 3+ posts per week.
• Get connected in more blogging communities.

• Add two new prints each week to my shop.
• Create three new products for my shop.
• Reach 1,000 sales in my shop.

• Read 30 books.
• Work my way through my 'Dear America' books from the beginning (more than 30 - may not make it all the way through in one year).
• Continue reviewing books.

• Edit my 2014 NaNoWriMo novel.
• e-Publish my novel. 
• Publish a piece of writing - anywhere.

• Work out 3+ times each week.
• Take a class at the gym each week.
• Run a half marathon (no full this year).
• Drink 8+ cups of water per day.
• Focus on making healthier choices each day.

• Create an organizational system for all areas of my life.
• Work through daily devotionals. 
• Add 4+ new recipes to our cookbook each month.

There you have it - my goals for 2015. I hope this year is as amazing as 2014 was. I have a lot to look forward to and a lot to work toward! 

• What do you think of my goals? 
• Do you have any new goals for 2015?

2014: My Year in Review

2014 has been incredible. So many things happened this year - I got to play with lion cubs, Dan found out he's going to pilot training at ENJJPT, we spent 100's Weekend in Estes Park, I trained for and ran my first full marathon, had a bridal shower and bachelorette party, attended Dan's graduation parade, commissioning, and graduation, got married, spent a month in Europe for our honeymoon, said goodbye to Colorado and moved to Ohio, road lots of roller coasters at Cedar Point, watched the Kansas City Royals go to the World Series for the first time in my life, started volunteering with 7th and 8th graders at our new church's youth group, expanded my Etsy shop and sold many items at a craft fair, hosted Thanksgiving for the first time, and traveled back to Kansas City for the holidays.

2014 is definitely a year that I will remember forever! So many memories were made... and I absolutely cannot wait to see what 2015 has in store!