Christmas Gifts For Siblings

 

Every year, I love making some new gift guides here on the blog for you guys. This Christmas, since I not only have my two girls, but also my niece living with us, I thought it would be fun to share some ideas for gifts to give to siblings that they can share. It definitely keeps things more cost-friendly, and, at least in my experience, ripping in to a gift with your sibling can be so much fun! :)

1. Cassaro Wooden Rocker The girls just got this as an early gift, and they are obsessed with it. All three of them play with it at some point every day. It is big enough to fit two kids at a time, so there is a lot of fun to be had! 

2. Hooray Heroes Sibling Book We have the original Hooray Heroes sibling book, so when they released their Christmas book this year, I knew we just had to have it! It is so cute how you can personalize the characters to look like your kids, and pick which stories go in to the book! I know this will be a book we look forward to reading every Christmas! Use the code HOORAYXMAS15 for 15% off all of their books!

3. Kid Kraft Play Kitchen Baylee got this kitchen for her second birthday, and it has been played with pretty much every day over the last 3.5 years. Natalie and my niece Kennedy adore it just as much as Baylee does, and the three of them spend hours pretending to cook and play "restaurant". It's truly the cutest thing, and such a great investment!

4. Magnetic Tiles The girls actually don't have any of these yet, but they are getting some this year. Everyone I know raves about how much fun they are, and it's something they will definitely all get to play with together.

5. Melissa & Doug Easel Baylee got this easel for her third Christmas and it's still a hit! With two sides to use for coloring and painting, it's perfect for siblings to share so that they can work on their art at the same time.

6. Lego Duplo Blocks The little girls are still too small for regular Legos, so we have a ton of Lego Duplo blocks that they love to play with together. They're the perfect starter block for tiny hands, and a great tool for teaching about working together! 

Are you getting any gifts for your kids to share this year? 

Let me know in the comments! :)

 

Love List

 

It's been quite a while since I did a love list, so I figured there was no better time then at the beginning of the best season of all! For me, the holidays should always have a cozy vibe, so most of the things on this list are all about cozy! :)

 

1. Matching Jammies from Lazy One Inc. We do matching jammies every year, but these definitely are the most comfortable sets we have ever owned. I love how they're all a little different, but still the same print, and that you can get a matching set for your pup! You can save 10% off your purchase using the code: ASHLEE10

 

2. Christmas Sheets. I love having warm flannel sheets in the cold months, and a Christmas print just makes it so festive and fun! These sheets from Target are my favorite and they come in sizes Twin to King!

 

3. Christmas Crib Sheets. It never occurred to me until this year, that Target does not sell holiday crib sheets. A quick search on amazon, and I found a ton, and the prices aren't too bad! Click here to see some of my favorite ones.

 

4. Saranoni Blankets. I got my first two Saranonis right before the beginning of Fall, and you guys, they are the softest ish you have ever felt in your life. Buy all the blankets, I'm not kidding.  

 

5. Lillian & Co. Jewelry. If you are looking for a perfect gift for a lovely lady in your life, look no further! These bracelets are the cutest, so comfortable, and the price is absolutely affordable.  

 

6. Chase Those Rainbows. My girl, Cynthia, is launching her holiday line of girl's bows and accessories at 10:00am PST today, and you don't want to miss it! Use the code COFFEEANDGRACE to save 15% off your purchase!

 

7. King of Christmas. The prettiest artificial trees, wreaths, garland, and other Christmas decor around! A lot of places sell trees and wreaths, but I guarantee the quality does not even begin to compare. Click here to purchase your decor and use the code COFFEEANDGRACEBLOG to save 10% off your entire order! 

 

I could seriously go on forever with all my favorite things right now but I think this post is officially long enough! If you use any of the codes, tag me in anything you share! I want to see what you all got! :) 

 

Only 47 days until Christmas! 

Halloween 2019

 

October flew by so fast; I can hardly believe that Halloween is already over! We had such a fun month, though, and our amazing Halloween wrapped it up perfectly. Baylee had school, of course, and since her school does not allow them to have a Halloween party, I decided to send her with a festive lunch (which she loved!)

 

Once I got back from dropping off Baylee, I came home and made funfetti pancakes for Natalie and my niece Kennedy. They were so excited! We watched some Halloween cartoons, danced to some Halloween music, and played until it was time for lunch. I attempted mummy hot dogs and they turned out horrible (haha) but the girls ate them up!

 

We got a big surprise that Brian would be coming home after being on shift for 10 days due to the fires out here in California. Since we were saving his pumpkin just in case he made it home, he picked up Baylee from school a couple hours early so that the two of them could have time to carve it! Baylee was absolutely stoked that Daddy made it home in time for Halloween! 

 

After carving, we all got ready in our costumes so that we could take some pictures before we headed over to my cousins' house for their annual Halloween get together and trick-or-treating! This year, we were a family of vampires and a baby bat, which was so fun and easy! But I have to say that Kennedy dressed as Britney Spears stole the show! ;) 

 

At my cousins' house we had chili, cornbread, and salad for dinner, followed by so many sweets for dessert. I wanted to bring something completely new this year, so I made a graveyard trifle. It was an absolute hit, and so stinkin' cute! 

 

The kids all had the best time trick-or-treating! There was 6 of them total, and now that they are all old enough to run around and go door to door it's the most fun ever! It broke my heart a little that Baylee no longer needs me to hold her hand and walk up with her anymore, but I loved watching her have the time of her life. Natalie got the hang of it by the third house and was holding up her pumpkin bucket as high as she could to get her treats. Both Natalie and Kennedy were mind blown that we were letting them have candy...I think they have a new favorite holiday! ;)

 

And now the Halloween decor is all packed up and the Christmas decor is making its way in to my house! I am more excited than ever for this holiday season...I can't wait to experience it through the eyes of both my girls and my niece! Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fun At the Pumpkin Patch!

Over the weekend, we had our annual visit to the pumpkin patch. We didn't realize that the one we normally go to was closed on Sundays, so we tried a different one down the road from it. In the end, we were so glad things happened that we because we liked the new patch even more! (We went to Los Rios Rancho in Oak Glen) The girls had so much fun tromping through the patch looking for their perfect pumpkins!

 

After the patch, we walked around the village, had some lunch, and then finished the afternoon with an "apple burrito" warmed up and served a la mode! SO GOOD! I'm so glad we've been able to make a dent in our Fall bucket list already, it truly is the best season! :) 

Hope you al had a wonderful weekend; only 16 more days until Halloween!

 

Friday Favorites: Spooky Jams

 

One of our favorite things about Fall each year is getting cute Halloween jams to wear all through October! The selection this year did not disappoint, so I rounded up some of my favorite pairs to share with you! All of them are still available online, and most are on sale right now!

Clockwise from top left:

1//2//3//4//5//6

My sister and I decided to match our three little ghouls, and they think it's the most fun thing ever!

 

And you know what? I have to agree with them! ;)

Only 27 more sleeps 'til Halloween!

 

The Best Pumpkin Muffins

Over the weekend, Baylee and I made the best pumpkin muffins ever, so I thought it was only fair to share the recipe with my favorite blog readers!

Ingredients: 

2 3/4 cups of all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 can of pumpkin (15oz)

3/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

topping ingredients:

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Instructions:  

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Line two muffin pans with liners (24 total)

3. Combine dry ingredients (flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda) and whisk together in a large bowl

4. In a stand mixer bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin, coconut oil, milk, and vanilla extract. Beat on low until combined.

5. Once combined, keep mixer on low and slowly add in dry ingredients.

6. Fill each liner about 3/4 full with batter.

7. Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl, stir, then sprinkle a teaspoon or so on the top of each muffin.

8. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

9. Let cool for 5 minutes and then move to cooling rack.

 

 They're bakery quality, and taste amazing right out of the oven, cooled off, or warmed up for breakfast the next day! 

If you make them, let me know what you think!

 

 

Fall Bucket List 2019!

 

Happy first day of Fall, friends!

Every year, I post a bucket list for each season, and I think this is easily my favorite list yet! 

Fall Bucket List 

1. Have weekly apple cider floats.

2. Bake a new pumpkin muffin recipe.

3. Visit the pumpkin patch.

4. Watch "Hocus Pocus" and our other favorite Halloween movies multiple times. 

5. Make a new soup for dinner every Sunday.

6. Carve pumpkins.

7. Go to a trunk-or-treat or other Halloween event.

8. Make s'mores in our fire pit for dessert one night.

9. Bake an apple pie. (I've never made one, and I'm determined this year!)

10. Drink a hot caramel apple cider from Starbucks.

11. Do a random act of kindness.

12. Have a chili and cornbread night.

13. Take the girls on a nature walk in the mountains.

14. Host a beautiful Thanksgiving. 

15. Soak in all the moments of this magical season!

What's on your Fall bucket list this year??