Behind The Scenes | Emma & Mr. Darcy's Christmas Photo Shoot

The Christmas Emma Monster is going to get you!

We have never sent out a Christmas card before.  Last year we tried to get a good photo of all of us right after Emma was born, but didn't get it done in time... and our shoot was a big 'fail' (as you might remember from my post) juggling a new baby and the Mister.

You can find Emma's PJ's, here!

But, I always look forward to receiving the cards with perfectly posed "Brooks Brothers" families all gussied up in their sweater vests and patent leather.

It makes me believe that perfect children and families do exist!

For at least one day of the year...

 My baby grooving to the jingle bell rock...

We call this Emma's "Oo-Oo Oo-Oo" dance.

We will be sending out our first Christmas card this year (that I rushed ordered last night at 11pm... of course).

 It is complete with perfect photos of our babies.   The shoot, however, was far from perfect...

 
Far from perfect.  Mostly funny (read : frustrating).  And blurry (which is also frustrating).

And very sweet.  Did I mention blurry?



I ended up with a ton of really fun photos of Emma and Mr. D playing with my "Christmas Morning Under the Christmas Tree" props.  Here they are searching for the TV remotes and tennis balls in the stocking that I hid in there to intrigue them.  So tricky...

Hope you enjoyed our outtakes! 

This was probably the 'perfect' smile... too bad she's not facing the right direction!

Christmas Cookies | Sugar Cookies

As I'm preparing for my Holiday Christmas Cookie Brunch Workshop next week, I'd thought I'd share my tried and true, favorite recipe.  This is the same recipe my mom used when my sister and I were growing up, decorating sugar cookies for each and every holiday.  The dough is incredible to snack on!

Jenny's
Deluxe Sugar Cookies

 

Sugar Cookie Recipe

2 sticks of butter
1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp of vanilla
1 tsp of cream of tarter
1 tsp of baking soda
1 egg

In your Kitchen Aid fitted with the paddle attachment, whip together butter and powdered sugar.  Add Flour, vanilla, cream of tarter, soda, and egg.  On slow, stir together ingredients just until combined.  Turn the dough out onto a floured board and wrap it with plastic wrap.  Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.  

Unwrap the dough and put it on a floured board.  Be sure to flour the rollin pin, as well. 

Roll out dough until 1/4 inch thick. 

Cut shapes.   Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.  




Bake for 6-8 minutes at 350 degrees just until the edges begin to turn brown - baking time will depend on size and thickness of the cookie.  

Utilize scraps of dough by making them into a ball and re-rolling them and cutting shapes.

Royal Icing

3 egg whites
4 cups of powdered sugar

In the Kitchen Aid fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until almost frothy.  Add in the powdered sugar and whisk on slow until smooth.  You may need to add more or less powdered sugar or water to achieve desired thickness.  For sugar cookies, you want the icing to be thin enough that it will fall back on itself and smooth itself out, but not too thin so it will run off of the cookie.

Good colors are so important to making professional looking sugar cookies.  Here are my tips :

Red : When making red you need to use a lot of food coloring.  I also add orange to the red to make it less pink.  Add just a touch of green to the red to make it less electric.

Green : I add a little bit of yellow and orange to green to make it more of a natural green.  For christmas, I like to use two shades of green - light and dark. 

Blue : I add a little bit of yellow and orange to blue to make it softer.  It is a more sophisticated looking blue.

Packaging Baked Goods in Your Kitchen - Creative & Resourceful Ideas

When I owned a catering company, I learned that it, indeed, is “all about presentation,” as they say.  I’ll never understand how someone can spend so much time and effort into making a delicious and beautiful treat, then put it into a plastic tupperware box or put it on a paper plate wrapped in plastic wrap.  Drives me crazy... I realize that most people do not have all the time in the world to dream up how to package their cookies.  Yes, I know there are more important things.  Buuuut, it is so easy with just a little effort.

Take a cue from you favorite retail boutiques, do they put your purchases in a plastic grocery stack?  No, they wrap your items lovingly in tissue sealed with a branded sticker and then into a color coordinated gift bag.  Packaging your kitchen goodies nicely might even make them taste better... if that is possible.

Now, you can find all of this packaging supplies in my online store : Everyday Occasions - enjoy!

 Kitchen Packaging Supplies
   
Cellophane Bags (buy here)
2.5" circle labels
Small Rectangle Labels
Parchment paper
Bakers twine
Scissors
Various Ribbons & Colorful Twine

Here are some of the examples of how I have used these materials throughout the year :

 The BEST Buttermilk Biscuits & Homemade Blackberry Preserves

Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies in bags with twine tie

Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies with Foldover Card 

Banana Bread packaged in parchment tied with twine

oohh... look what's inside!  (recipe here)

Black and White Cookies with Large Circle Labels, Ribbon & Cello Bags

Black and White Cookies with Large Circle Labels, Ribbon & Cello Bags 

Mini Chocolate and Salted Caramel Sandwich Cookies in Cello Bags with Foldover Card 

Mini Chocolate and Salted Caramel Sandwich Cookies in Cello Bags with Foldover Card packaged in a mailer box with parchment paper, then tied with natural twine.

Holiday Sugar Cookies in cello bag, tied with twine and card

Chocolate Brownie Cupcake... yum!

Concord Christmas Tree Lighting | My Life | Concord, Ma | Holidays

Sometimes I have to pinch myself... do we really live in this perfect little idyllic town?  Does this quaint town really exist?  My latest 'pinch me' moment was when we walked downtown on a Sunday night for the Concord Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting. 

The little town center was filled with area families and children anxiously awaiting the arrival of Santa to flip the switch and light the huge tree in the middle of town.

Mr. Darcy (and Mike) were very excited.  D had to be carried most of the way... all of the kids running around and the general splendor was a little too much for him to handle at times.  The problem is that he thinks he is a kid, and when a group of them run by he likes to run after them... which is sometimes scary for the children.   

The Toy Shop in Concord is amazing.  It is filled with classic toys and play things - a huge collection of wooden toys, baby dolls, instruments, infant toys, animals, train sets, etc.   

The main street was bustling before the parade began... everyone was looking for a great spot and getting hot cocoa.

Many of the local churches had groups of carolers singing Christmas songs - might have been my favorite part.  For those of you that know my family, we love a good sing-a-long... especially during the holidays.

Mr. enjoying the carols. 

Kids all lined up for Santa.  Look at the little girls in the elf hats!

More groups singing.

A vintage car started off the parade.

Santa brought up the tail end on the back of a fire truck.

 

The big moment... lights!

Holiday Table Setting | Centerpiece Ideas for Christmas Table

I'm re-sharing this post from last year - enjoy!  Later this week, I'll be sharing some photos from our holiday parties this year!

Cozy & Elegant
Holiday Dinner Party 
Table Setting

This year, I continued my "Handstitched Holiday" theme to my table setting.  As I mentioned, I have never before officially had a 'theme' for decoration for Christmas... this just sort of happened, but I like it.  It makes every decorating, wrapping, baking and table setting project so easy. 

I like this long brambling 'centerpiece' that runs the entire length of the table versus just one centerpiece element in the, well... center.  To achieve this look, I placed sprigs of cedar to create a swag look.  Next, I placed two boxwood topiaries (that used to live on my mantle...) and dressed them up with a red and natural striped ribbon.  Finally, I tucked in various shapes and sizes of chunky white pillar candles. 

The table is set with my Spode brown and ivory china dinner plates, white hemstitch linen napkins, country wine and water glasses, and pewter flatware.  I wrapped the napkin in jute upholstery webbing - you can find it in craft stores in the upholstery section.  On top of each napkin I placed a gingerbread candy cane cookie. 

Here is a close up of the topiary - it is fake... cake you tell?  It is the only fake thing in my entire house, but I really like them so I don't care!  They're my rules, I'll break them if I want to.

I love this cedar greenery - the little yellow tips add a great dimension and texture.