Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I hope you have had a wonderful Christmas season filled with friends and family! There are so many traditions my family has during Christmastime including Dirty Santa and my grandmother's gumbo! Whatever your traditions may be, I hope they were well spent. 

Every Christmas Eve we go to the candlelight service at my church and then drive about 45 minutes to my paternal grandparents house and eat dinner together and open a few presents with my cousins. And this is what I wore Christmas Eve:

                   {a twirling dress picture was necessary}

My dress and clutch are thrifted :)

On Christmas night we go to my maternal grandparents house along with my 35 cousins for some of my Nana's famous gumbo. And this is what I wore:

earrings /shirt/ sweater is vintage/ jeans(similar)/ boots/purse

Isaiah 9:6 

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Mama's Dumplings

Ingredients:
• 1 package pork chops
• 1 package low sodium pork sausage
• 3 Tbs minced garlic
• 1 bunch of green onions (chopped)
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro (chopped)
• 1/4 cup grated fresh ginger
• dash of salt
• 2 Tbs sesame oil
• 2 cans chopped water chestnuts
• 3 Tbs soy sauce
•  2 Tbs cornstarch
•  low sodium chicken broth
• won ton wrappers (in my grocery store, they are found near the garlic and fresh ginger)

What to do :
Put first three ingredients in the food processor and pulse until blended. Transfer meat mixture into a mixing bowl and add the next 8 ingredients. Stir until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 1/2 cup chicken broth. Stir into meat mixture. Finally, stir in another 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Wrap up in the won tons and you're ready to get cooking! These delicious dumplings are very easy to make, the most time consuming part is wrapping them!

                                            {Steamed}

{Fried}

 

Dipping sauce :
• low sodium soy sauce
• garlic
• chopped green onions
Use whatever sauce you like. This one is easy and one of my family's favorites.

Outfit: Fair Isle

 Vest(similar) /Sweater-thrifted /Jeans/Flats(similar)/Handbag- thrifted

Celine Knock Off

With it being Cyber Monday I thought it would be the perfect time to post about this perfect bag! I think Celine handbags are simple, beautifully structured, and easy to use. But all of these wonderful things that every woman wants in a handbag come at a price. This is the Celine:

Priced at $1,930

 

This is the knock off you can find at Dailylook.com

 

Priced at $50, you're welcome.

 

I was just scrolling down my Pinterest feed and, once again, coveting these gorgeous bags. Then, I took a closer look and realized the only difference was the little Celine logo written at the top of the bag. So I immediately clicked on the link and it led me to this awesome website I had never heard of! They have many knock off bags and other popular clothing items you can find all at one website!

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you had a day full of family, food, and fun! I love waking up on Thanksgiving and smelling the roasted garlic and butter from my dad's homemade "trash" and then lounging on the couch with my brothers and sisters, watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade. I just wanted to share a few pictures from my afternoon and show off the delectable turkey that my older brother made for us!

 

Psalm 100:4-5

 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

 

 

3 Fall Outfit Ideas

                                            Outfit #1

 

 

 

 

 

Sunglasses, Earrings, Top, Vest (similar here), Jeans (similar here), Boots

 

Outfit #2

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hat (similar here on sale now!), Earrings, Vest, Top, Leather leggings, Booties (similar here)

 

Outfit #3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Denim Shirt, Poncho (similar here) Necklace, Jeans, Booties (similar here)

 

 

Mississippi Spice Muffins

As you can probably tell from this picture, Mississippi Spice Muffins are well-loved in our home. You can sometimes tell which recipes are proven winners just by looking at them. I have many fond memories of these delectable muffins. I think back to when my three siblings and I were little, sitting at our kitchen counter, giggling and sprinkling powered sugar all over ourselves. My family has been making these muffins for years, they are the bombdiggity! Side note: we usually double the recipe and save the batter in a Tupperware container in the refrigerator to pull out and pop in the oven whenever you want it. :)

 

 

 

 

 {SECRET INGREDIENT: GRATED NUTMEG}

 

 

 

 

Voila!

 

November Favorites

Fall is absolutely positively my favorite time of the year. I love the smell and warmth of burning wood in the fireplace and the scrumptious scent of good food coming from the kitchen. I think I love fall fashion most of all. I am a very cold natured person and being able to bundle up in scarves and sweaters without looking insane is a plus!

                                                           
1. Food Favorite
During the holidays there are many traditional desserts we enjoy. Pumpkin pie, pecan pie, apple pie, sweet potato pie;), the list goes on. I would like to introduce you to a new dessert that should become one of your traditions. Now, we all love chocolate cake, but have you ever tried a tofu chocolate cake? Please do not be turned off by the "tofu" part, I know I was before my mom made me try it. I think most of us, including me, have a terrible misconception of tofu. Yes, it is white and slimey and sometimes chunky, but you can turn it into so many things and not even know it's there! This chocolate cake for instance...

Looks pretty normal, right? And it tastes possibly even better than your normal chocolate cake. But I can guarantee this cake is much simpler to make. All you need is: 1 super moist box cake mix, 1/4 cup of water, and 1 package of tofu.

                                                                                                                  Mix all of the ingredients together with a blender, then spray pan and pour chocolate mixture in.

   Pop it in the oven at 350 degrees for thirty or so minutes... and voila!

Optional (but highly recommended) drizzle a little of your favorite icing on the top!

                                                           
2. Household Favorite
This month's household favorite is simply having a good fire in the fireplace. I love the smell and the crackle of burning wood. In my opinion, a fire completes the home and makes it cozy. And, again, being a cold natured person, you can't beat curling up in a blanket in front of the fire with a cup of tea and a good book .

3. Fashion Favorite 

When I was a little girl I wore hats all of the time. ALL of the time. I would even sleep in them.

 I have recently fallen back in love with them, and in these cooler months they help keep my head stylish and warm!

Find similar hat here

4. School Favorite 

Fun fact: I'm homeschooled! I try not to be as weird as most people believe homeschoolers to be. I do not own a denim skirt or overalls and I do not do schoolwork in my pj's everyday, not that there is anything wrong with any of those things, I was just clearing things up.(haha!) I thought it would be fun to include a school favorite along with my other favorites just to spice things up and keep it interesting. :) Which leads to my school favorite of this month: Daddy Long Legs A classic book that every girl should read. It really grabs you and makes you want to hurry and finish the book to be able to find out what happens! And also Fahrenheit 451, I just finished the book and I find it interesting that it was written 60 years ago and is frighteningly similar to The Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Divergent, etc., in todays culture.

That's it for my November Favorites!

Let Me Introduce Myself

Hello!
 
          My name is Lucy. I look forward to giving you tips and tricks with fashion and lifestyle! I absolutely love quality fashion finds, dupes, and steals. And stumbling across delicious, but easy, recipes and household timesavers.
          I am very excited about (finally!) starting a blog. I would not say I have your stereotypical blogger lifestyle, but who really does? I hope my blog is helpful to you!