At a Glance

My last post was similar, but hey, here's another post to sum up 2014 because why not. 

Today is the last day of 2014, and although the new year doesn't automatically erase all the bad from the past year, it does signify a fresh start. Learn from the bad, and carry the good with you into the new year.

Now to wrap this up, here are some of my favorite looks & recipes from 2014. See you next year!

XO – Courtney

fashion frenemy

frappy hour

sunshine ahead

anytime is breakfast time

blurred lines

cupcakes for two

last but not least

FIESTA OR SOMETHING ELSE?

flavor fave

concrete jungle

chillin & grillin

summer scarves

stay cool

wardrobe 101

crockpot cookoff

darkness

flavor fave

rules of engagement 

holiday spirits

reflection

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Reflection

It's that time of year when we all begin to reflect on the past 12 months and look to the next. We celebrate our accomplishments, recall our trials, and realize the changes; we relive the good, the bad, and everything in between. For me, 2014 has been the start of a new journey that will continue to unfold in 2015 and beyond. I started 2014 with a bang by quitting my "dream" job that turned out to be not so dreamy. I started this blog. I went back to working retail part-time (something I thought I was done with). I started planning my move the California. I learned patience. I learned to relax...I learned yoga. And that was only January. 

The first six months went by fast and slow. Waiting to set a moving date. Waiting for my lease to end. Waiting to hear from jobs in Los Angeles. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Then suddenly, June was here. The date was set. Before I knew it, Zack and I were driving across the country away from family and friends and everything we knew towards the unknown with only uncertainty before us. 

It was one of the most exciting and unnerving summers of my life. The job hunt began. I found a job. 8 days in and I quit. Again. It wasn't right. Kept pushing. Soon after, I found a temporary job as a CAD Artist (that I'm still working at today). I've met new friends. I've kept up with old ones. I learned how to longboard. I got engaged to my best friend and high school sweetheart! I celebrated several holidays, including Christmas, here and started new traditions.

I'm not going to elaborate on any of these (I've done that in plenty of previous posts), but I will say 2014 has been an exciting year, and it has laid the stepping stones for an even more exciting year in 2015. 

Thanks for following along this year, and I look forward to the next!

XO – Courtney

top [h&m] // pants [madewell] // shoes [sam edelman] // bag [the limited] // hat [urban ourfitters] // necklace [melrose trading post]

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[photo credit: zack hardy]

Wait For It...

Wishing everyone a legend-merry Christmas! However you're spending your holiday, I hope your day is overflowing with hearts full of love, tears full of joy, and bellies full of food. As promised, here's our 2014 Christmas card (plus a few outtakes). 

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

Isaiah 9:6 

XO – Courtney

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Holiday Spirits

 

It's officially the week of Christmas (and less than 2 weeks before 2014 comes to a close), and before you know it the parties will end and the decorations will come down; a new year will be here and we will all be giving up on our resolutions. But cheer up because it's not over yet, and we still have plenty of time to celebrate! Today we're stirring up some holiday spirit with a dessert turned drink to enjoy before your 2015 diet kicks in: Apple Pie on the Rocks. It's easy to make and even easier to forget that it's alcoholic, so pour yourself a glass, cozy up by the Christmas tree, and soak up the goodness of the holidays. 

XO -- Courtney 

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Apple Pie on the Rocks

INGREDIENTS

·  ½ cup Apple Juice

· 1 oz. Fireball Whiskey

· 1 oz. Vanilla Vodka

· Pinch of Cinnamon

· Cinnamon Stick (optional for garnish)

· Brown Sugar (optional for rim)

· Ice

DIRECTIONS

1. Rim glass with brown sugar.

2. Combine vodka, Fireball, apple juice, cinnamon, & ice and shake/stir well.

4. Garnish with cinnamon stick & enjoy.

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Tis the Season

Tis the season for Christmas flavored fashion, and today marks 10 days until Christmas, so the holiday festivities are in full swing! For all you last minute shoppers, I've got your holiday looks covered for any occasion.

1. The Ugly Sweater Party

One of my favorite events of the season. Zack and I actually wore one of the items featured below for our Christmas card (which will be revealed in a post in the very near future), and then recycled it for an ugly sweater party this past weekend (so, spoiler, if you follow me on Instagram you got a little peek of which one I was wearing). Target has tons of great options that won't break the bank. It is Christmas after all, so we're all spending enough as it is; no need to splurge on an outfit that you will never wear again (probably). Here are my picks:

t-rex sweater // target

elf suit pajamas // target

make your own ugly sweater // target

garland scarf // diy

2. Casual Christmas

For a night of Christmas lights, caroling, or even ice skating (followed by hot chocolate and a Christmas movie, of course), here's my must-have winter accessories for a cozy Christmas: 

hat // urban outfitters

shoes // sam edelman

scarf // madewell

3. Holiday Statement

Finally, if you really need to make a statement this holiday, nothing does it better than a LBD and some sparkle. I prefer to keep it simple and add some shine with my accessories, and at this time of year, finding something that sparkles is pretty easy. I could see myself ringing in 2015 in this look below:  

dress // made well

bracelet // stella & dot

necklace // madewell

shoes // sam edelman

clutch // h&m

Once you've got your outfit squared away, you can check out my other holiday posts here, here & here for other ideas to get you into the Christmas spirit (as if you weren't already!)

XO – Courtney

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Chex It Out

Like the last recipe I posted (here), Chex Mix is another staple around the holidays in my family. The weekend after Thanksgiving, between decorating the tree & Black Friday shopping, my mom would also start whipping up the first batch of Homemade Chex Mix (and I could hardly wait for it to come out of the oven before sneaking a handful...or two...or three). 

Well this year I'm 2,500 miles away from my mom's mix, so I just had to make it myself. Again, another easy recipe that's perfect for a holiday party or personal snacking, but I'm warning you, this stuff is addicting.

My family has always made Chex Mix in the oven, but I saw a recipe for Crockpot Chex Mix and I was intrigued. First of all, I only have 1 baking sheet so the oven idea was already going to be difficult, and secondly, I love to use the crockpot whenever possible, so I took the ingredients from my mom's recipe and threw it all in the crackpot. Once everything is combined, set the crackpot on low for 3 hours, mixing every 30 minutes, and go on decorating or wrapping presents while the smell of Chex Mix fills your home. See below for the detailed recipe, but here's a few tips: When you go to stir the chex mix, I found it easier to pour the contents into a separate large bowl and mix gently with a rubber spatula to keep the mix from breaking. I also left the crockpot lid cracked slightly to let extra steam out so the mix wouldn't get soggy. 

Once the 3 hours are up, lay the chex mix flat on wax paper or foil to cool then start snacking! Keep it in a sealed container and enjoy it while it lasts. It will keep for several weeks if stored properly, but I'm sure it will be long gone before you even have a chance to worry about that!

XO – Courtney

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Crockpot Chex Mix

INGREDIENTS

· 3 Cups Rice Chex

· 3 Cups Wheat Chex

· 1 Cup Pretzel Sticks

· 1 Cup Goldfish

· 1 Cup Cheez Its

· 1 Cup Mixed Nuts

· 1/3 Cup Oil

· 1/4 Cup Worcestershire Sauce

· 1 T Garlic Salt (Heaping)

· 2 T Accent (Heaping)

*Adjust according to what you like in your Chex Mix!*

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine rice chex, wheat chex, pretzels, goldfish, cheez its, & mixed nuts in a large bowl.

2. Combine oil, worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, & accent in a measuring cup and stir well.

3. Slowly pour liquid over mix, stirring gently. Combine until mix is evenly coated.

4. Pour mix into crockpot. Set crockpot on low for 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. 

5. Spread out over wax paper or foil to cool. Store in a sealed container. 

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Crafty Little Christmas

Switching things up today with a first for the blog – a DIY post! 

It's been almost a year since I started Forks on the Right (where has the time gone?), and I'm pretty happy with myself for not giving up on the whole blog thing. I've enjoyed it and I hope you have too. I've got some new plans in store for 2015 (more details to come later), but consider this a preview for what's to come.

Today I've got a few Christmas DIY projects that will have you wanting to stay home for the holidays (or throw a party just to share the spirit with others). 

1. Merry & Bright Wreath

SUPPLIES:

· Wreath

· Christmas Greenery

· Yarn

· Fabric

· Paint

What's Christmas without a wreath to decorate your door? I opted for an already assembled twig wreath (but you could even make that from scratch if your little heart desires) and dressed it up with red & silver Christmas berries and frosted greenery . Then I took some scrap fabric and cut out triangles, painted "Merry & Bright" on them, and strung red yarn through the little flags. Absolutely loving the finished result and the entire project cost under $20! I purchased all the supplies at Michael's (check online for coupons before you make your trip). Plus the paint and yarn came in handy for a few other Christmas projects on my list! Keep reading...

2. Christmas Canvas

SUPPLIES:

· Canvas

· Paint

· Paintbrushes

· Pencil

Up next: a festive Christmas quote to deck the walls! I've seen so many great Christmas printable on Pinterest, so I decided to create my own version. I had an extra canvas and already had paint from the wreath...all I needed was a Christmas quote. Choosing a quote was the hard part, so I had Zack help me narrow it down. We decided on one of our favorite "Elf" quotes, a holiday movie staple for us. "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!" The runner up: "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, but if the white runs out I'll drink the red."

First thing I did was write the quote in pencil (and shaped it like a Christmas tree). Then I painted the entire canvas red. Once it dried I used white to paint the words (you could see the penciled words through the red paint). Other ideas for this project: used chalkboard paint or even a block of wood instead of canvas. Tons of possibilities.

3. Stocking Tags

SUPPLIES:

· Yarn

· Cardboard

· Safety Pin 

· Double Sided Tape

· Scissors

If you're looking for the easiest DIY ever, then this one is for you. I just bought Zack and I Christmas stockings, and even though I intended on buying us different stockings, I just really loved the plaid so they ended up matching. Anyway, I saw these little "initial tags" that could be pinned on the stocking, and I thought it was a great idea to tell them apart. They were only $3.00, but they didn't have the letter "C" (yes, they had "Z"), plus I knew I could make them for much cheaper. Challenge accepted. I went home, cut our initials out of cardboard from a shoe box, covered the cardboard with double sided tape, wrapped them in my leftover red yarn, and safety pinned them to the stockings. Mission accomplished. 

4. Oh Christmas Tree

SUPPLIES:
· Christmas Tree
· Paint
· Polyurethane Clear Gloss Spray
· Twine

And finally, we've arrived at the Christmas tree. Tons of crafting opportunities there. You can really let your mind run wild with ornament ideas, but I'm going to share one today that I've been planning on for a while: an ornament made from our first tree! Even if it's not your first tree, you could still do this with your tree and decorate it however you want! When you are buying your tree just ask them to cut an extra slice for you to keep. After you paint it, spray a clear polyurethane coating over it to protect it and give it a nice shine. Our tree already had a little hole in it which made hanging it really simply, but you can drill your own hole in yours and it's good to go!

Now you've got less than 20 days till Christmas, so it's your turn to get crafting! And keep in mind all the ways you can save money by recycling and reusing items you already have. I know the red yarn and paint will come in handy once again when I start wrapping presents. And I'd love to hear your DIY Christmas projects with me so feel free to share them! 

XO – Courtney

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