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We've Moved!

If you happen to find this page or see this post- we are missing you! We've moved to a new site- head over to citrusandcream.com for the new and improved Citrus and Cream! Thanks for continuing to follow along.

Stephanie and Candace
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Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, friends! We hope this day is full of love, light, and joy!

"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests." Luke 2:14

Love Candace and Stephanie

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10 Lessons Learned from Throwing Another Party

Thirty minutes until party time, and this is the scene we have: Kitchen counters are covered end to end with wrappers, dirty dishes, and an even dusting of flour. Drinks aren't made, appetizers aren't finished, and my hair is one frizzy mess. I begin doing my usual dance, running from one thing to another like a stressed out cartoon character when Steph finally shakes me (figuratively, anyway) and tells me to go and fix my hair.

Somehow in the five minutes before 7:00, we pull it together. Guests arrive, and soon we have a drink in their hands and apps on their plates. People are laughing, chatting, and chowing--signs of a good party.

But there are lessons to be learned here, friends, lessons we should have already learned with all the events we have. Here are my notes, written mostly for myself, but available to all crazy party-throwers out there.
  1. Serve what's tried and true. You can whip up all the gourmet food you want, but the fact remains that people love their simple comfort food. We had three appetizers and three desserts, and guess which two plates were licked clean by the end of the night? 7-Layer Bean Dip and Chocolate Chip Cookies. My mini chocolate cupcakes with vanilla-salted caramel buttercream? Hardly a one taken. Steph's beautiful individual mint cheesecakes? She packaged a dozen to bring back home. Even bruschetta and bacon-wrapped asparagus were jealous of the attention the dip was getting! Lesson learned: chocolate chips and tortilla chips never let you down.
  2. Get your nails done professionally a few days before. You say it every time: "I'll just paint them myself the night before the party." You never do, and you never will. And then you'll be kicking yourself when your dress and make-up look great but your nails say that you've been living in the woods for awhile. It will undoubtedly be the best $15 you spend all week. 
  3. Enlist a few friends to contribute a dish to the menu. You may not believe this, but sometimes it's polite to allow others to help. For some people, showing up to a party empty-handed is just the worst. You know which friends love cooking and baking...let them in on the fun.
  4. Read the recipe--the entire recipe, beginning to end--and prepare your ingredients before you begin cooking. How many times must you go through the pain of realizing you're out of eggs or low on powdered sugar before this one sinks in? 
  5. You only have one oven. You seem to forget this each time you host a dinner. One oven.
  6. Prep everything you possibly can the day before. Chop veggies, mince garlic, sift flour, organize ingredients, set the music, swap tea-lights, make frosting, hang garland. You want to enjoy the party just as much as your guests, don't you? Keep the day-of as easy as possible by doing 95% the night before.
  7. Stay away from Pinterest at least 72 hours before the party. 
  8. Be nice to the people who live with you. Your party will be over in an evening, but you'll see them the next morning. 
  9. Life happens, and sometimes people have to cancel. They may even forget. Accept it. They still love you even if they don't make it to your party.
  10. Remember: You are throwing a party for others, not for yourself. If you keep this in mind, then it becomes less about you (and trying to be perfect!) and more about creating a wonderful night for the people you love. Lighten up, have a cookie, and enjoy the evening!
A few favorites from our Favorite Things Party!
We're trying to take these lessons to heart in the next year! We know you may one or two to add, so please share! 

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Pay your bills! {$400 cash giveaway!}

cashgiveaway
This time of the year can be a little overwhelming and stressful, especially on your bank account!  Between the holidays and the new year (and about 20 birthdays in our families!), things just add up. That’s where we come in! We have teamed up with 24 other bloggers who are hosting a HUGE $400 CASH Giveaway!  You heard right, cold hard CASH.  We want to help you out with all those holiday bills, and all you have to do is enter below.  One of our lucky readers will win $400 cash to help out with those bills and start the new year right!

Giveaway ends on Wednesday, January 1st at 11:59 PM EST. Winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.
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This giveaway is sponsored by these awesome blogs:
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DIY Peppermint Hot Chocolate Party Favors

'Tis the season for parties and celebrations! Since it is far too easy to get carried away with decorations and gourmet desserts (thank you, Pinterest), we can't help but love simple party favors. There's something sweet about handing your guests a little "thank you for coming" as they head home. After all, they're the ones who make the party!

At our recent Favorite Things Party, we gave each of our friends a spice jar filled with homemade hot cocoa mix, complete with a candy cane stir stick. It was a fun and festive way to bid them goodnight and Merry Christmas! Best of all, it was little more than stirring and assembling.
Peppermint Hot Chocolate in a Spice Jar

What You Need
  • Spice Jars - We found these at World Market for about 50 cents a piece, thanks to a couple of coupons! They are usually $1 a piece.
  • Candy Canes with the "hook" broken off, so they become stir sticks
  • Tags - We printed them on pearly paper then used a paper puncher
  • Ribbon to tie
  • Ghiradelli Baking Cocoa (or any good quality cocoa)
  • Sugar
  • Salt
What You Do
  • Mix the chocolate, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. We used this recipe from Martha Stewart, and it was perfect, enough to fill about 20 jars. Fill each spice jar almost to the top.
  • Using scissors, cut/break the "hook" off the candy cane.
  • Secure the candy cane stick to the jar with a ribbon.
  • Tie on your tag.
  • Each jar makes a large cup of extra chocolatey hot cocoa. Empty jar into 1.5 cups of heated milk. Yum!
We love that this favor can be adjusted to fit all kinds of parties and seasons! You could do a spiced chai for Thanksgiving or a cinnamon hot chocolate for Valentine's Day. Any other ideas for changing up this sweet little thing?

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