Tips to Finding the Perfect Nursing Bra

This post has been in the making for a long time.  When I wrote the first part of my Bra Guide series, I was inundated with questions about nursing bras.  In this post I'm going to give you some simple, constructive, and easy to understand tips on how to find the perfect fitting nursing bra for you.  I'm even going to give you recommendations on my favorite nursing bras and where to find them, and answer your questions about how they should fit, when you should purchase one, and the debate over underwire vs non underwire.  

Finding a nursing bra doesn't have to be an awful experience.  Once you understand the basics of what YOU should be looking for in a nursing bra, it will be a quick and painless trip to your local bra department, boutique, or a click or two on your favorite online retailer store.

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

Your Free Tree Giveaway Day 9

Is it time to spend some quality time with your loved one?  I can't remember the last time McKay and I actually went on a date without the little darling.  I'm here to tell you that today we have an awesome date package giveaway from our friends YourFreeTree!

Enter into the giveaway from YourTreeTree to win dinner for 2 at the famous Christopher's Steak House and tickets to see the Utah Jazz play the Timberwolves on January 21st!  The crazy thing is you only have today to enter!  This is a one day giveaway!  So make sure you enter!  YourFreeTree will announce the winner Saturday morning. 

If you haven't heard about YourFreeTree, it's a new site launching next week!  YourFreeTree is a website where they feature free gift certificates everyday from businesses nationwide and locally. I'm all for free stuff!  Your Free Tree will feature gift certificate to all sorts of merchants ranging from women's fashion, carpet cleaning, to servicing your car and much more!!   We've heard all of our lives that money cannot and does not grow on trees, but YourFreeTree is here to prove that sometimes it can.

**NOW this is KEY: YourFreeTree is giving away a new prize EVERY DAY until Dec. 23rd!  So, be sure to bookmark this page HERE and check back every day to enter the next giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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!

Grits Births A Southern Belle!

We're so happy and thrilled to announce that our sister Melanie, aka "Grits" had her first baby early Sunday morning.  After a very long labor we're happy to say that mommy and baby are doing well!  The babe of Birmingham doesn't have a name quite yet.  We'll keep you posted when the decision is made.  Sending our love and good vibes to Andrew and Melanie in Alabama.  Isn't she beautiful?!  She has red fuzz on her head!

Red Cup Living Review and Giveaway!

I have never understood my husbands love for a giant plastic cup.  We have nice glasses, but he has alway preferred to get a drink from some random giant plastic cup we have in the back of our cupboard.

But then Red Cup Living shipped me some of their 32 oz. XL red cups.  After I received them, I put them away and was planning to use them for when we had some friends come over. But then Andrew and I started using them every day for water, and we love them!

Red Cup Living was founded by a husband and wife team whose mission was to inspire others to get together with friends, family, and neighbors and make memories.  They hope to ignite patio parties across America and challenge everyone to raise a red cup and connect to those around you!  Sounds like a Southern ideal to me!

They are super sturdy and made of a very high quality plastic, dishwasher safe, and break resistant.  They have all different types of cups too including mugs, cocktail cups, shot glasses, margarita and wine cups that would all be fun for parties.

This would be the perfect stocking stuffer priced gift for secret santa parties, work buddies, or little gifts for friends and neighbors! 

We were invited to a Christmas party at our neighbors this past weekend, and we ended up bringing our Red Cups with us.  The guys were all using them to drink their sodas while they sat around and watched the football game.

I asked them what they thought of the XL manly size and they raised their cups, cheers to the Red Cup!

Dexter kept trying to sneak a drink from Hunter's Red Cup.  Naughty puppy!

Red Cup Living has been generous enough to offer a $50 giveaway exclusively to our readers!   

In order to qualify for the $50 giveaway, you must visit Red Cup Living and then comment here on our blog which is your favorite type of Red Cup Living product and what you would like to use with your family and friends this holiday season.  Winner will be chosen at random by Dec 15.

Also, you can use a special 15% off promo code through New Year's for Red Cup Living partyware!  Use promo code: REDCUP15 at www.redcupliving.com 

Not to mention Red Cup Living is doing this awesome giveaway: who doesn't want a $250 Am Ex gift card and $250 in Red Cup Living partyware to throw a Holiday party?!!

This season is the perfect time for all things red and merry, including the ultimate Red Cup Living holiday party! Enter for your chance to win the grand prize – valued at $500 – to include $250 worth of Red Cup Living products (the reusable version of America’s favorite red party cup that comes not only in the iconic cup design, but in styles for wine, margaritas, coffee and more!) and a $250 American Express gift card to buy everything from music, to munchies, party decorations, and more!

Enter online at http://a.pgtb.me/l8V2W2 by 12/15!

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!

I am thankful for...vinyl wall art

Sometimes when it comes to home decor, you want to be non-committal. I have to say, I haven't always been such a fan of vinyl wall art, because a lot of it tends to be cheesy looking.

But, I found a place with really great stuff! It's www.vinylwallart.com and they were nice enough to send me this decal! 

I have always been a firm believer in counting your blessings and I thought that it would be a fun addition to our Thanksgiving dinner we were hosting this year.

I put it up on my wall before dinner and left some chalk out for our guests to jot down the things we were thankful for.

I like it so much, I'm going to leave it up for a while. After all, we should be thinking about what we are grateful for all year round, right?

It was actually very easy to put up with the help of my husband. I would say with a larger decal it's a two person job, but it took us less than 10 minutes to put on the wall.

You first position it on the wall where you want it, and use some tape to hold the top in place. 

Then you peel the backside of the decal off, using the blue rubber spatula they provide to smooth out any bubbles.  Pretty simple.  Then you peel back the top white layer, and voila, you're done!

Now I want to order these gold dots for the baby's nursery. Wouldn't this be cute?!

Vinylwallart.com has been generous enough to give our readers a 20% off coupon code! Just use: frysaucevinyl at checkout.

Also, you can sign up for their newsletter to see new product and promotions here.

I'd love to see pictures of how you're using your vinyl wall art!

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!

7 Tips to Beautiful Family Pictures

There's a lot that goes into family photos: picking out outfits, making sure hair and makeup look good, finding a photographer, and that all family members are in happy spirits.  Making sure all of these things are in order can cause a lot of stress and this stress can show up in your photos.  Then whenever you look at those photos hanging on your wall you're reminded of how crappy and stressful that experience was.  Ugh.

SO to avoid all of that, here are some tips I've found to be really helpful for my family and hopefully they'll be helpful to your family as well:

Holiday Gift Idea: DIY Genealogy Fan Wall Art

Getting a gift for parents, grandparents, or any loved ones for birthdays, anniversaries, and for the holidays can be really hard.  You want to give them a priceless gift that is something they're going to cherish and not throw away in six month, right?   I have the perfect and priceless gift idea for your loved one.  How about giving the gift of family by creating your very own stylish genealogy chart or fan where you can display, proudly, your family and heritage!

Thanksgiving Tablescape Roundup

I have always wanted to host a Thanksgiving dinner in my own place, and so I decided a while ago that 2013 was the year!  It's not like I'll be 9 months pregnant and still working. Sometimes I wonder what I was thinking, but alas, I am still excited!

I've been searching the web high and low for some Thanksgiving tablescape ideas.  I want something simple and easy to clean up.  But, something that looks nice!  And since I don't want to be standing over the sink washing my china with my newly formed swollen cankles, I am looking at paper good options as well!  Who says Thanksgiving can't be casual and chic?!

Here are a few ideas I have stumbled across that I thought might give you some last minute inspiration. Remember, Thanksgiving is about reminding ourselves of our blessings from God, the people we love, and of course the food!  Tablescapes are not that important, so keep it simple.

Family Pictures from McKell Morgan Photography

McKay, Amelia, and I a couple weeks ago got our pictures taken by the lovely McKell from McKell Morgan Photography.  McKell and I went to high school together so we've known each other for years.

McKell is a gifted photographer, she self taught herself on how to use the camera and is known for her newborn and family sessions.   She is my favorite photographer I've ever used.  She knows how to capture people where their personalities cam come through. She's all about capturing moments in families.  One reason why I really love her is because she exudes this calmness and chill vibe that really rubs onto you, and therefore making our photo session a lot less stressful.  If you live in Utah and need an exceptional photographer who is so great to work with, affordable, and has great style and taste, check out her photography on her site McKell Morgan Photography.

Here's some of my favorites from the session:

McKell also did Amelia's newborn pictures.  The most awesome part about her newborn sessions is she comes to your house and takes the pictures there!  We did them in our bedroom and in the backyard.  This was extremely convenient instead of having to drag all of my crap to a studio with a two week newborn.  Check out my favorites from her newborn pictures.

Thanks McKell for making us all look so beautiful!  Looking through these newborn pictures is making me kind of baby hungry.  Check out McKell's portfolio, services, and contact information on her site.