Large Pineapple Jar from Waiting on Martha
I can't express to you how vital a good punch recipe is. A good punch recipe gets you out of mixing individual cocktails, it looks quite swanky, and it's a really simple way to add a festive flair to even the most mundane event. This time of year, nothing seems mundane - a punch makes your party fancy without hardly even trying. Just pour the ingredients together and serve.
Voila!
For the last three, maybe four years, we have had a fake white tree. It's dreamy and lovely.
. I love it. I bought it a few years ago when I was craving something different.
Last year I started to feel like my children were missing out on the experience of going out and choosing a tree. But if you've ever chosen a tree with me, then you know it's a long and frustrating situation. Then add Mr. Hedin into the picture - he was a forestry major in college and also a bit picky. Together we can be there for hours choosing a tree.
This year I started bracing myself for choosing a live tree with our children around Halloween. Maybe a little earlier. I was not interested in spending hours at a lot trying to find the perfect tree while herding three children. There's a reason why I love the fake white tree.
THEN
I found out about
new program that they literally call
Pick the Perfect Christmas Tree
. Here's how it works ::
- Use the hashtag #heyswansons on Twitter or post on their
with what you are looking for.
- They will get back to you and work out details
- Head into the nursery to check out what they picked for you. Ours was perfect right out of the gate.
Not only was this the easiest tree choosing experience that I've literally ever had in my life, there are also reindeer at Swansons and a camel. So we made an afternoon of it. It was lovely.
It wasn't until we got home and started decorating the tree that I realized how exciting this tree was. We haven't had most of our Christmas tree ornaments on a tree ever. Literally. Ever. When ever we go on a trip, I buy a new ornament. Something that serves as a momento from the trip and not something that has to sit out all the time. It's been a really fun way to remember all of the fun we've had together. The above glass Santa is from Venice. Below is a streetcar from San Francisco.
Don't worry, the white tree is up too.
Tree ℅ Swansons Nursery
Don't forget! Order now through December 10, 2014 and get 20% off at
when you use promo code CHEERSTO2015
I think I look forward to New Year's Eve more than any other holiday {although, I say that for every holiday, so there's a chance I'm lying}. I love the champagne, the start of a new year, the goal of staying awake past 10pm. I love it all.
I'm not a resolution type of gal. I prefer to have a good time and see where that takes me.
This year for New Year's Eve I partnered with my girls, MJ of Pars Caeli, Jennifer of Classic Play, Amy of This Heart of Mine, and Melissa of Lulu the Baker - and our awesome friends at
to plan the coolest New Year's Eve ever. I made the cocktail and
did the rest.
{Red Stamp is offering a discount for my friends! Scroll to the bottom to get the deets.}
Red Stamp has a fabulous selection of party supplies that take your party from regular to "I can't believe how fabulous your party is!" I'm obsessed with all of it. How cool do you want your party to be? They have it all, I'm serious. It's awesome.
For our New Year's celebration I created a seasonally perfect cocktail filled with lemons and sparkles and glitter - the Lemon Sorbet Champagne Float.
Want to know what's really cool?!? Red Stamp is posting my cocktail recipe on their site and you can get it printed on their awesome paper and have it on your bar. Set out the ingredients - with the printed recipe - and guests can mix their own cocktail.
to order your own!
Here's your discount code for 20% off!
Code :: CHEERSTO2015
Expires on 12/10/14
Red Stamp product ℅ Red Stamp
If there is anything that has ever seemed sillier to me than decanting and aerating wine, I'm not sure what it could be. I pay a lot of money for the nice bottle of wine. Why on earth am I going to pour the wine OUT of the fancy bottle? Then no one can appreciate the label and revel in my genius of buying such a swanky bottle of wine.
But then I was introduced to a new fancy aerator and I decided it was time to grow up and figure out what the hub bub was all about. I texted with my friend the wine maker, researched online, and taste tested {it was hard work and it was all for you}.
Here's what I learned. Always decant a nice bottle of wine. If it's old, there could be sediment in the bottom and that's yucky. If it's not old, it brings out the aromas by being exposed to air. If you bought a cheap bottle of wine, decant or aerate that thing so it isn't so "biting." So basically, always decant.
Aerating is a quick and dirty way of skipping the decanter and leaving the wine in the bottle {hooray! see my fancy label!}
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Because stuffing inside the bird is so 1990. Stuff an apple instead. The stuffing stays wonderfully moist {hate that word but there is no replacement} and is so tasty with the turkey.
Happy Thanksgiving!
By the time Thanksgiving is here my family is going to be so tired of turkey. And stuffing. And everything else. Luckily, no one tires of a cocktail.
To celebrate all things Thanksgiving, I put together a tiny little video to get you excited for the easiest side dishes ever - Weeknight Party Girl style.
Ironically, cooking a giant turkey is a lot easier than cooking almost anything else. But the fear of a Clark Griswold style experience is real. All too real. The trick is to do the math right on figuring out how long to cook it {here it is (pounds x 15) / 60 } and then keeping it basted. Which does mean you have to be in the kitchen while it's cooking - figure baste it once every 45 minutes - or every time you refill your cocktail. Which ever comes first.
Cheers!
This is the perfect alternative to a huge turkey if you only have a few people to serve. Or, if you aren't hosting Thanksgiving and won't end up with leftovers, this is a great way to end up with a little turkey the next day.
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