The Easiest Homemade Coconut Syrup Recipe

My Grandma Kathy on my mom's side has a recipe that is above all recipes.  It's a staple when we have waffles, pancakes, french toast, and crepes.  Breakfast without this recipe isn't the same.  It's rich, delicious, flavorful, takes your breakfast to the next level, and sadly it's not low in fat or sugar.  I wouldn't eat it everyday, but I do consume it on those special occasions.  I'm introducing you to the Easiest Homemade Coconut Syrup Recipe.

Christmas Tradition: Hot Wassail

First things first, Merry Christmas from the Sisters at Fry Sauce & Grits!
Here at the Craig home we have a Christmas tradition of making hot wassail every Christmas Eve. So I thought I'd share with you this family recipe -- it is the season of giving, afterall! I always grew up drinking this citrus-y drink every Christmas, and since, it has become a staple to the Christmas Season.

5 DIY Christmas Gifts from Our Thrifty Ideas

Hey everyone. It's Vanessa from Our Thrifty Ideas. I'm excited to be stopping by today to share a really quick & cheap DIY project. This is a perfect project for the winter time, and you even have time to make a whole bunch for last minute neighbor gifts and give them out for Christmas!

 

Today I'm gonna share how to make a rice heat pad with washcloths. I found a 6 pack at Walmart on black Friday so I stocked up on a bunch. They are still there for like $1.98 so still an awesome price. And as always, buy the cheapest generic rice you can find. This particular project I think I used 2 1/4 lbs per heat pad, but that's only a few dollars.

 

Start by placing 2 of the washcloths together lining up each edge. Use a straight stitch with a very close stitch to sew all the way around all 4 edges, but leaving open about 2 inches in one corner. Make sure to back stitch at the beginning and then end.

 

Then create a funnel out of paper (or use a wide mouth funnel) and pour enough rice into the washcloth bag that will make it comfortable and formable. Don't pack it too tight!

 
Then take your open corner, tuck it into itself and using the same stitch, sew the opening closed. Make sure to overlap the other hems so that there's no open holes for the rice to fall out of.

 
My son recently woke up not feeling well, and all he wanted was to lay on the couch with his blanket and duck pillow, and watch cartoons. But the whole time he kept complaining that he was freezing. So I pulled out the heat pad and warmed it up in the microwave for him. He had one on his feet, one on his back and then laid his head on one! This is now one of his favorite things. I know he's tired when he requests the warm pack to snuggle with!

 
When you use them for kids, make sure to test the temperature of the pad before giving it to them. Depending on your microwave, you can heat them for 1-3 minutes. These also are great to stick in the freezer and use as an ice pack, or warm for your sore sore muscles.   Thanks so much for letting me stop by
the blog today.  Make sure to check out my blog where today I'm sharing another idea for these, toddler hand warmers!

 I also share other fun DIY projects as well as recipes and mommy tips and tricks! A few of my holiday favorites:

Cinnamon Roll Pull Aparts

    Winter Wonderland Mix

3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge

DIY Velveteen Bow Tree Topper Tutorial

Our tree has been decorated for a couple weeks now and I haven't put a tree topper on it yet because I don't have one.  I didn't want to spend any money so I did the best thing I could do was to diy own!  I saw this Christmas tree from the talented Kristen from The Hunted Interior and loved everything about it.  I've had this picture in my mind for a while now and thought of how I could incorporate this into my Christmas tree.  A couple nights ago at 10 p.m. when I getting ready for bed, I thought a big velvet bow would be the perfect touch to our Christmas tree.  With this simple and easy tutorial you'll be able to create this stylish tree topper bow for your sophisticated looking tree, wreath, garland, or make lots of bows to scatter them throughout your Christmas decor.  I love how it turned out!

Minted Christmas Cards and their new blog, Julep!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Minted.com.  All opinions are 100% mine.  

Have you heard of Minted.com?  It's not the place where they make money or where you can purchase delectable mint truffles.  Minted is one my favorite places to get inspiration for holiday cards, business cards, and party decor. McKay, Amelia, and I finally got our family pictures taken this year, I knew this year was the year we HAVE to do Christmas cards.  I checked out Minted holiday cards, and I loved most of them.  Check out my favorites below!

After much consideration, thought, and going back and forth many times.  I dwindled it down to my top four.  Which one do you think I picked for our Christmas card this year?

1. Minimal Band Holiday Photo 

 2. Modern Yuletide Holiday Photo

 3. Pebble Dot Christmas Photo

4. Bold for the Holidays Holiday

You'll just have to wait and see.  

Just recently Minted started their own very indie blog called Julep, where they post a ton of great inspiration for weddings, parties, diy, and making life more beautiful.  This is my kind of site!

I found this tutorial on how to make your own typography cookies!  What a fun gift this would be for neighbors, friends, and family.  I could see these cookies on top of a cake, string them up as tree ornaments, ice them with the kids for Santa and his reindeer, or just enjoy the beauty of them and then eating them with a cold glass of milk and sitting by the fire.

Here are some of my other favorite posts from Julep: 

Winter Wedding Backdrops

Decorating with Plants

Thanks Minted for supporting Fry Sauce and Grits!

DIY Bakers Twine and Bell Garland

Hey everyone, it's Courtney.  I want to share with you one of the easiest, cheapest, and quick "crafts" I've done all year.  Do you have some bells laying around the house?  Why not turn those bells into a fun and festive garland for your mantel, doorway, tree, or wreath.  This little decoration has added so much character to my mantel.  Check out how I made my DIY Christmas Bell Garland!
  

The Six Worst Christmas Songs of All Time

When it comes to Christmas music, I think that things are black or white.  It's either good, or it's terrible.  I think we all dread hearing certain songs on the radio every Christmas Season.  In an effort to raise awareness, I decided to make a list of the worst Christmas songs ever.  I would like to suggest our culture divorce itself from these terrors.

6. "Hey Santa" - Wilson Phillips

Don't get me wrong, I love Wilson Phillips, but this song is pretty much atrocious.  And that hat?  Really?  I think we could get by without hearing this song ever again.  

14 Beautiful and Elegant Christmas Wreaths

I sometimes have a hard time decorating for holidays because I love so many different styles: traditional, modern, and glam.  I've been working on getting our front porch decorated for the holiday season and I found some great and beautiful looking wreaths to use as my inspirations.  Check out these 14 beautiful and elegant Christmas wreaths!