"Fancy" Valentine's Day Cookies

If you've been around me in the last two weeks, you've probably heard about my obsession with "fancy cookies." I've long loved these sweet treats, but decided I would attempt making some of my own for Valentine's Day treats for work and for my loves. I went and purchased all the supplies this past week {P.S. Kroger has meringue powder wayyy cheaper than Wal-Mart!}, and got started Friday evening making my dough.

The first batch of dough I used was yummy, but really challenging to work with. I ended up making two batches of this Wilton roll out cookie recipe without any almond extract because that's not my favorite. I made about seven dozen cookies, and this royal icing recipe made more than enough for me to ice them all with with enough for probably another dozen left over! My first batch of dough was from that same recipe link, but I felt like the Wilton recipe was less material to work with, and cut better.

I used three different heart shaped cutters, and found that the wider hearts ended up looking better with the icing on them. I made four colors with gel dye: pink, red, purple and white. I used a variety of techniques and sprinkles to just try to get comfortable with this whole thing! I made only one consistency of icing, and would line the cookies and let it set for a few minutes before flooding it with color.

It does take a while for the icing to dry for stacking, but it's also been raining and will be raining for a lot of this week, so the humidity in the air may have affected the drying time! I'm definitely going to make these again...shamrocks, anyone? I think it will go a lot faster/smoother now that I've done it once and know what to expect. I'll also try to do a couple of different consistencies for decorating and texture.

If you have any royal icing tips or ideas, leave me a comment!

One Year Here

One year ago today, we closed on our house here in Dublin. This was one of many firsts: buying a home, living together full-time, moving somewhere to create a life as a married couple. While it was 'home' for Christopher, my heart and my home is all over the East Coast and I was expecting a move to a small town in South Georgia to present some challenges.

While there were a few along the way {The Great Flowerbed Flood of 2017, and Hurricane Irma just to name a few} the move was surprisingly smooth. I'm not sure that I've ever felt as at peace about living somewhere as I do here. And while a lot of that has to do with my husband, a lot of it also has to do with the people here. I've lived a lot of places, and people are not universally accepting, kind, or excited to get to know the new person. Usually there is some hesitancy and distrust of those coming it to a tight-knit community that causes the transplant to rescind and not make further attempts at developing connections and relationships.

I've never felt more universally accepted and liked than I have here in Dublin. I've met so many people who are genuinely interested in me, my husband, our lives, and in making a deeper connection. I'm not sure I've ever lived somewhere that so many people are as deeply rooted in their faith and are actively living it out. The people here are kind, and inclusive, and loving.

While we have a short list of shopping and dining options {Target will never happen here, y'all.}, we have a growing and thriving downtown community that I'm proud to work in every day. I've been included in an amazing Bible study group with some wonderful ladies that I wouldn't have met if one person hadn't taken a chance and asked me, a virtual stranger, to come over for dinner. And I feel so blessed to live in a community that values family, my marriage, and our commitment to each other.

I've learned to value the little things more, thanks to living in this small town. Even though my mother cries every time she has to make the almost five hour drive to see me and I have to Amazon my face wash each month, I appreciate the fact that it takes me five minutes to get pretty much anywhere any day of the week. I love the fact that we have 52 official St. Patrick's Day events that start in February...and don't expect to find a green bow for sale anywhere after Valentine's Day. I love that my in-laws are just down the road. I laugh at the sheer number of parades we have that makes it feel like I'm living in my very own Stars Hollow. And anytime we go somewhere, I'm always ready to get back home.

So here's to here, and a great year. Cheers to many more.

His & Hers Sweet Treats {V-Day Gift Guide}

Empress 1908 Gin | Man Crates | Jord Wood Watch | Lilly Pulitzer Tie

Monogrammed Tie Clip | Monogrammed Wine Tumbler | S is for Southern
Mint Julep Candle | Kendra Scott Bracelet | Hobo Wallet | Charleston Rice Beads Necklace 

I’ve actually already done my Valentine’s Day shopping for the hubs thanks to a fab couples massage last weekend when we were out of town. But don’t think I wasn’t worried about it before I concocted that fun experience! CJM had never had a massage before, so I thought a weekend away would be the perfect time to splurge a little and do something fun together.

Anyways, I was perusing some of these “Valentine’s Day Gifts for Him” lists, just felt that the items weren’t practical or lacked a cool and/or unique factor. One of the cool things I wanted to get my hubs for Christmas {but nowhere in town sold it} is this cool, indigo gin. It even changes colors from a light purple, to blue, to pink depending on the mixers and add-ins! The wood watches are super trendy guy gifts, but this one with the dark green face was really beautiful. There are a couple of different patterns of this fun Lilly Pulitzer tie that would be perfect for Easter as well as Vday Date Night, and the Emily McCarthy monogrammed tie clip really pulls the whole look together.

And probably my most random gift suggestion is the Man Crate, something I heard about on a podcast. They have a bunch of different themes of gift boxes varying in prices from $40-$150+, but the cool part is that it’s shipped in a wooden crate with a laser engraved steel bar to open it with! How fun!

Always jewelry for the ladies! I have a Kendra Scott “bolo” bracelet myself, and I love how easy it is to put on and adjust the sizing. I really like this bar design, and it comes in three colors. Speaking of colors, the newest color in the Charleston Rice Beads collection is called Rainbow Row and is so fun. Kind of similar to the unicorn coloring that was popular in 2017, these metallic beads look great on with a variety of colors and add some real personality to any outfit.

Another colorful item is this Hobo “Rachel” wallet in the mosaic paisley print. I saw this in a local Dublin boutique called Mint, and fell in love. It has a ton of room for cards, cash, and maybe even your phone. I like a brightly colored wallet to help me find it in the bottom of my bag along with a million other random things.

Two other things from the fab Emily McCarthy Shoppe that I love are these monogrammable wine tumbler. They come in a bunch of colors with a handful of unique monogram designs so your cup really stands out from the rest. Also available are large tumblers and canteens. The store also carries this yummy Mint Julep candle collection that smells wonderful, and doubles as décor once the candle melts away.

And finally, for a gift that could really go either way is the “S is for Southern” Garden & Gun book, perfect for any love of all things southern. What’s on your Valentine’s day gift list?