Do you smell that? Mmmm...that's the smell of fresh baked sugar cookies and gingerbread men coming out of the oven. Do you see that? Wow! I can see twinkling lights and stockings hung by the fire. I'm daydreaming, of course, but it's Christmastime!! It's time to pull out the totes of Christmas decorations. It's time to dig through our favorite cookbooks and find those yummy recipes we make year after year. It's time to make memories with our kids and make some new Christmas ornaments for the tree. Today I've got ten DIY ornaments you can make with your kids. They're easy enough for all ages. So, pick your favorites, make a list, head out to the craft store and pick up the supplies needed to have an afternoon of ornament making. {You may already have the supplies in your craft closet if … [Read more...]
5 Things you can do to make this your most Organized Holiday ever!
This is a follow up to our popular Organized Thanksgiving Post. Preparing ahead of time allows you to slow down & enjoy the busy holiday season. Let us help you navigate through the next few hectic weeks… Update the family calendar for the next two months. Add all dates to your family calendar necessary over the next two months: Class Parties School Concerts Church Services / Pageants Family Gatherings Birthdays Anniversaries Holiday Parties Office Gatherings This is absolutely crucial to maintaining any sense of order at all during the holidays. Be sure sit down to dinner with your family soon so that you can go over these dates and double-check that you haven’t forgotten about anyone’s particular event. It’s also crucial to maintain only ONE … [Read more...]
Family Activity: The Twelve Days of Christmas
I know what you're thinking, "Sarah, it's barely November and you're talkin' to us about Christmas already? Put your holiday spirit on hold until after Thanksgiving, please." Bear with me, though - because I've got a pretty awesome Christmas activity that requires a bit of pre-planning. You'll be grateful I gave you a head start here, I promise. If you read my post in the Relationships section, you'll know every year in the days leading up to Christmas my husband gifts me with The Twelve Days of Christmas. This means that each day he gives me a gift - nothing too pricey! - in the countdown towards Christmas. This year, I'm going to gift someone with the Twelve Days of Christmas. And my kids are going to help. Things you need to know: If you would like the last day to fall on … [Read more...]
12 Days of (Christmas) Cookies
On The First Day of Christmas my true love gave to me...A Cookie Cookbook! Okay, maybe I only wish that but, I do love cookies.. gingerbread, sugar cookies, snickerdoodles, chocolate chocolate chip... you name them, I love them. Just call me Cookie Momster (hee hee, get it) One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is the smell of piping hot cookies baking in the oven and the bright, shining eyes of my family and friends as I serve up plates of decorated cookies and the sounds of their sighs as they crunch delightedly on some of my favorite homemade treats. This Christmas season, I want to share with y'all some of my favorite cookie recipes and I want y'all to share your favorite cookie recipes with me, too. I am going to feature 12 days of Cookies here on Blissfully Domestic. … [Read more...]
The Ultimate Christmas Cookie: Too Pretty To Eat
Oh, bring us some figgy pudding... Oh, bring us some figgy pudding... Oh, BRING us some figgy pudding, and a cup of good cheer! No figgy pudding here, just the Christmas classic: decorated sugar cookies! Now, don't expect to pop these pretty designs out in an hour. To save me some sanity, I baked the cookies one day and decorated the next. Don't let me scare you now, but it actually took me a total of 9 hours to decorate all of the cookies. And don't fret either. It was a joyous occasion listening to Christmas music on Pandora and decorating until my heart's content. It's an especially great idea for homemade Christmas gifts for you friends and family. You can even get your kids involved. For example, you could decorate the main body of the tree and let the kids … [Read more...]
Our Top 10 Elf Missions! {FREE PRINTABLES}
"MOM, HE'S BAAACK!" Much to my kids delight, our Elf on the Shelf has joined us again. My kids are so excited that they even made him a little welcome back sign. This time my plan is to have Zac (the name we chose for our little Elf) encourage healthy habits, good social skills and wonderful manners! All of his missions are simple and easy to recreate. They also offer 'teachable moments' to talk to your children about kindness, respect and character development. What do you need to get started? Just download these FREE printables - , and . Cut out each mission and tape it to a craft stick. There are sixteen ready-made missions and a blank page to create your own. The possibilities are endless! Ready to get started? Mission 1 - Healthy Habits A little reminder to take … [Read more...]
