Hosting a Cookie Exchange

One of my favourite parts of Christmas is hosting a Cookie Exchange!

If you have never heard of a Cookie Exchange before, here is how it works. You invite your friends and family to each bake a specified number of cookies, which then get split up and divided between all of the guests. There are also some set aside to eat on the night, so that people can vote for things such as most creative cookie, best use of sprinkles and most festive decorations.

Best of all, there are so many free printables out there that you don't have to do a lot of work to make your Cookie Exchange successful. Invites, voting forms and awards are already done for you, so that you can enjoy a night of tasting with your friends and family.

Once you have invited your guests, the first thing to do is bake your cookies. It is perfectly acceptable to enlist your children and others to help with this step! My boys love baking with me and it helps to teach them important skills.



One of my favourite Christmas Cookies to make are these Peppermint Mocha Brownie Cookies, but you can create whatever Christmas cookie you feel like.



Be sure to provide some sweet and savoury snacks for your guests- even though they will be eating cookies it is nice to have a break and nibble on something different. Here I have a Christmas tree made from crackers, cheese and cherry tomatoes, some pretzels with chips and dip, meringues with berry compote, and my famous Chocolate Peppermint Cake.



Have a sampler of the different cookies on some festive plates, and let the tasting and voting begin!



With the free printables you can give out some fun awards, and some of them can earn prizes. I have found that Christmas themed kitchen items such as Christmas mugs with hot chocolate sachets are a popular prize.



Cookie Exchanges really are a fun way to celebrate the Christmas season, and you get to leave with so many different baking options. I would suggest providing some containers so that each guest has a box full of baking to take home, and have someone in charge of dividing up the cookies evenly. Usually if I have five guests coming I specify 30 cookies per person- which means 5 per guest and one each to try during the actual party, but feel free to suggest more or less depending on circumstances and how many guests you have coming.

Have you hosted a Cookie Exchange and have some great tips to share? Let me know in the comments!

5 apps for a calmer Cristmas

Christmas is here, and sometimes the silly season can get a bit overwhelming! Technology has come to the rescue, with some apps that allow your phone to become your new best friend over the Christmas period.Here are a few of the apps I have been using to get prepared this holiday season.

The Christmas Gift List is a very handy, especially if you have  large family and need to keep track of who you are buying for.  Quite often I see things that I think would be a good present, only to draw a mind blank when I get to the shops. This app lets you mark down what you plan to buy each person, and also keeps you on track with budget.



Christmas Decorating Ideas is a great app if you get too distracted looking through Pinterest- with this app you can search by theme, colour or type and then save it to your phone so that when you go shopping you know exactly what you are looking for.



My boys loved Talking Ben and Talking Tom, and now there is Talking Santa! Great for kids who need a giggle, and grown ups too. My boys find great delight in running Santa over with snowballs, and the video recordings are a great icebreaker at the end of a long day.



Allrecipes is still one of my favourite recipe sites, and the Dinner Spinner app is a genius idea all year round, especially at Christmas time when you may have a lot of food in your kitchen but not much of an idea of what to do with it! You can get inspired with Seasonal Recipe ideas, search by dietary needs and link up to your own personal Recipe Box.



Finally, the Christmas Budget Planner is the best way to keep track of all your Christmas spending- not just gifts but things like decorations, food, parties and seasonal expenses. This app means you won't get a huge shock come January when your credit card bill turns up!



Have you come across any apps to make your Christmas easier? I would love to know!

December outfits inspired by Emma Stone

One of my favourite celebrities right now is Emma Stone- her ability to pull off different outfits, hair colours and makeup trends keeps her fresh and relevant to a lot of women.

I especially love her dress sense, and I have put together a few outfits for this holiday season based on some of my favourite Emma Stone outfits.

First up is monochrome with pops of red, perfect for Christmas! This outfit could work in a more casual office, or glam up an evening function. Pop a black blazer on if it gets too cold, and you can always add a bolder lip colour.

shop this look here

I love Emma's tapestry Heidi look here, paired with nude shoes to lengthen the leg. Here I have gone with a LBD version, with nude pumps and pearl earrings to keep it ladylike. The draping detail on this dress will disguise all those Christmas cocktails, and the length is very flattering.

shop this look here

Of course, Christmas is not all glamour. There are shops to hit and children to wrangle.Some days, jeans and sandals will get you from place to place- the trick is to have fun with your shoes and rock some big sunglasses!

shop this look here

Pattern clash is huge right now, and monochrome works best for those who have not had much experience with this trend. The trick is to stick with the same colour family, and match a small print with a large print instead of having two similar prints. Add a red lip and you can go from the office to a function!

shop this look here

Finally, there are some parties where you need to get glammed up, and I cannot think of anything better than pink. I love how Emma has debunked the myth that redheads cannot wear pink! There are different types of pink to suit all skin types. I love bright pink but cannot wear it next to my face, so here I have opted to have the brighter half on the bottom and tone down the pink with the top. Some neutral, ladylike accessories add to the glamour.

shop this look here

Which outfit is your favourite?

Linking up with Wardrobe Wednesday, Confident Twosday and Thursday Fashion Files.

30 Day Flip- Holiday Decorating

Today I am linking up with The DIY Forum and HomeTalk to show my Christmas decorating. Thankfully, this year I was able to get a Cricut, which has helped with a lot of my decorating! I do not do too much though, as my son celebrates his birthday close to Christmas and so I tend to leave the decorating until after his birthday. I have come up with a few ideas to get my house into the festive spirit.

First up, my seasonal nook in the home has been taken over by Christmas papercrafts! I have done an advent calendar, Christmas banner, Papercraft Sampler and a small gift box decoration all from one Christmas paper packet and some cardstock.



This advent calendar has 25 tags, all with a perforated number that has an activity written on the back. My boys will love being able to see what we are up to each day!



This simple banner was made using cardstock and paper, tied together with twine. This file was free on the Cricut website!



One of my favourite projects this Christmas has been this sampler, which I hang in a 12x12 frame as seen above. I love coming up with an idea for each square, and having it all come together is so much fun.



I made up some cute Christmas present stacks for table placecards, but one is sitting in my decorated nook as well.



As far as gift giving goes, I quickly whipped up these wine bottle holders as wine is the perfect gift for Christmas party hosts, neighbour gifts, or even teachers.



My last little project was these two 6x6 canvases, which I decorated using scrapbook paper, cardstock and some embellishments.


I have had so much fun decorating for the holidays. I am still supposed to be resting for the next month, so my grand design plans have been pulled back a bit. However, I have been able to craft up a few little touches within my home to make my house feel a bit more festive.

WCW Festive Pasta Salad

It is the season for celebrations over food and wine, and what better way to celebrate than with a colourful pasta salad? Best of all, this is so quick and easy to put together. so you can spend more time socialising and less time in the kitchen!



Festive Pasta Salad

2 packets fresh green filled tortellini

1 jar green pesto with cashews

1 package dried cranberries

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the fresh pasya according to the package directions. Drain and return to pan. Add pesto and dried cranberries, toss to coat. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Chill for at least two hours then serve.



Quick and delicious, perfect for your next Christmas side dish.

Appreciating my Family for NFCM

As some of you may be aware, I recently took a short break from my blogging to focus on my health. I had laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis removal in January, where steps were also taken to treat some of my symptoms. However, these symptoms continued, and in some cases worsened, and the only other option was a major surgical procedure. The incidental discovery of a rare rectus sheath hernia was also found, and so it was agreed that I have the hernia repair and a hysterectomy at the same time, requiring a full cut along my abdomen.

This was major surgery, and I had my doubts. I was worried that I would be away from my boys for so long, how my recovery would be, and there were also the fears of going under general anesthetic. I am no stranger to surgeries, having had major hip surgeries as well as three other laparoscopies, but each time I still get nervous. However, my symptoms had forced me to stop exercising, and some days I couldn't even leave the house. For two weeks out of every month I was in constant pain, and when I couldn't even walk my son to school and back I knew that something had to be done. The surgery was booked in, and I started to prepare for my hospital stay.

You can imagine that this is not something I can recover from overnight, and in fact I spent an entire week in hospital recuperating. Throughout this time, my family pulled together to help with meals, looking after my two boys and making sure that I still had everything I needed to be comfortable.



November is National Family Caregiver Month, and I wanted to highlight how important family can be when you are dealing with illness. I am so grateful to my husband for being the parent at home for the next few weeks, and he did an amazing job while I was in hospital. He still is doing most of the work around the house as well as helping with the boys, and I cannot give him enough credit.

My parents and in-laws have also been amazing, helping with transport, meals and housework. Sometimes just having company is enough, and a cup of tea with my mum is guaranteed to get me to forget about my pain for a while. My mother-in-law especially has been so helpful, taking time away from her day to help out and make sure I have everything I need.

I am taking each day as it comes, and hope to be back on my feet by Christmas!

I am truly amazed at the amount of people who look after their spouses, parents or other family members long-term. Six weeks seems like a long time for me, but those who do it every day are often under-appreciated and may not have the help of anyone else nearby. I am lucky in that I will recover with time, whereas others may have to deal with a lifelong illness or a sudden diagnosis that brings about major change to normal life.

I also wanted to share the story of Heather Von St. James, who made me aware of National Family Caregiver Month. This woman is so strong, and her health journey had me in tears. If you have a moment, I encourage you to read her story and find out why she is now fighting to change the law. Her journey with mesothelioma is a tough one, and she now devotes her time to advocating for those affected by this devastating cancer and helping inform others of the dangers of asbestos. This is particularly poignant here in Christchurch, where a lot of houses are being renovated or demolished without thoughts for the dangers of asbestos.

My blogging will be back to normal this week, as I can at least sit down and type now without being in pain. Feel free to come say hi on Facebook or Instagram!

A brief break

Things have been a bit quiet here recently- I am currently undergoing some major changes and will be undergoing surgery next week with a lengthy recovery.

I hope to be back at the end of November, bringing you more recipes, children's activities and SAHM stories, but in the meantime I hope you all have a wonderful lead up to the festive season.

I will have so much to share with you when I get back- Christmas is going to be big plus I have a 6th birthday party and some craft markets, so I have no shortage of ideas and tips.

In the meantime, you can follow me on Instagram.

Hope you have a wonderful month!

Lauren.