Holidays are here!

My favorite time of the year has finally arrived! Crazy to think Christmas is now just under a month away. One of my favorite part about the holidays is decorating. This year I turned on a Christmas movie and my husband and I decorated while our little girl napped. 

Putting up a tree gets tricky when you have a one year old. We left the bottom quarter of our tree ornament free. The middle of my tree has these cute cushioned ornaments I bought at target. I used very little ornaments to prevent my daughter from getting hurt. I'm hoping she has no interest in yanking on the tree but then I stop and tell my self lets get real. A girl can dream! Lol

In my bathroom I used a shower curtain and matching mats I bought on Groupon.  I also used tall cylinder vases I bought at the dollar store and filled them with mini ornaments.

I love to go shopping after Christmas to buy decor on sale for the following year. Last year I bought this huge stocking at Target for $2. I filled it with Poinsettias and hung it on my bathroom door. 

My kitchen is still a work in progress but i feel like that's the one room in my house that always is. 

I am obsessed with this cookie jar. 

 

My next project is going to be an arts and crafts day with Xolei. Something that's baby friendly and something that'll keep her little hands busy. There will be more holiday posts! Can't wait to share. 

Happy Holidays Everyone 🎄 

Best chocolate chip cookie recipe

Everyone has that one thing that takes them away from life. That thing that makes you feel like its Christmas morning and all of the gifts under the tree are for you. My thing is baking; I LOVE baking! When I was younger I was a fan of store bought cookie dough. I would tag along with my mom when she shopped for groceries and made sure to always throw in a roll of sugar cookie dough and chocolate chip cookie dough. When it was time to bake I would mix the two dough's together and OMG it was the most tasteful cookie.

Now I find myself following recipes instead of buying pre-made dough. One of my favorite cookie to bake is of course a yummy soft chocolate chip one. I found a recipe years ago and made sure to save it because the cookies came out perfect and I have family and friends that will confirm this. They are seriously the best chocolate chip cookies. Here is my favorite recipe:

Yields: a little over 2 dozen

Ingredients:

2 + 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 + 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter (1 + 1/2 stick, melted)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 white sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips or chocolate chunks

Directions:

You are going to need two bowls. In one bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, corn starch and salt. (I use a whisk to mix these ingredients) Set aside.

In your second bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid Mixer as my second bowl), whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together. Make sure there are no lumps. Whisk in egg and mix, then whisk in the egg yolk. Then add in the vanilla.

After the wet ingredients are mixed (I switch out the whisk for the flat beater attachment on my stand mixer) take the dry ingredients from your first bowl and slowly add them into the wet ingredients. Once they all come together fold in the chocolate chips (I let the mixer do this for me on the lowest speed). Be sure the chips are evenly distributed.

 

Cover the dough and refrigerate for 2 hours. CHILLING IS VERY VERY IMPORTANT! 

 

Take the dough out and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325*F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper (or I just spray my baking sheets with baking spray)
I then starting rolling the dough into 1-1 1/2 inch balls and place them about 2in apart. If you want a thicker cookie give the ball more height than width.
Bake for 11-12 minutes.

 

The cookies are going to look underbaked but will continue to cook on the baking sheet. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before moving them. 

Grab yourself a tall glass of milk, turn on some Netflix and enjoy these amazing cookies!

Bon Appetit!

How can I repurpose my baby's clothes?

My little one is growing out of her clothes so fast I'm not sure where to put all of it. So, I looked up some fun ways to repurpose her clothes and wanted to share.

My first recommendation is if you're looking to have another baby soon, buy a bin with a lid and save the clothes. If there are clothes with tags on them, I take them back to the store they belong too and ask for store credit to buy things like diapers, formula, etc. Another great idea for clothes with tags on them is to re-gift them to another baby. (yep that's right I said re-gift) :)

If you're like me and take every item that is owned by your little one so close and dear to your heart, why not make some use of it instead of keeping it locked away to collect dust.

First Im going to show how to make a turbin headband using an outgrown onesie. It takes 2-3 minutes, there is no sewing involved and all you need is a pair of scissors.

Use a onesie of your choice. I chose a plain white one for demonstration purposes only but patterned onesies are a lot more fun. First, lay your onesie out on a flat surface.

 

  

Next you cut a strip in the middle about 2-3 inches wide or the width of your choice:

 

 

Take the middle piece and twist it once, then twist it again:

 

 

Bring the two ends together and you have yourself a homemade headband

 

  

Here are some posts I found on Pinterest on other fun ways to repuropose your baby clothes: 

Turn them into doll clothes 

http://obsessivelystitching.blogspot.com/2009/06/baby-clothes-to-doll-clothes-tutorial.html?m=1

Make a quilt 

http://www.lilblueboo.com/2012/04/a-t-shirt-quilt-a-tutorial.html

Lastly, add layers to adjust the size 

http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/2010/02/making-her-clothes-last-part-one.html?m=1

 

If you have another idea please share in the comments below! 

P.S. Be sure to follow our Instagram page: babyxolei &  Pinterest: xenea02

 

Mommy Ride Along - Hello Everyone!

11/04/2015

I would like to first introduce myself and remind everyone that this is my first time doing this blogging thing. However, I would like to mention that this is something I have been wanting to do for a long time and I am super excited that it is finally coming true.

Our first Pumpkin Patch with BabyXolei: Bengstons 







My name is Xenea (Senya). I am married to wonderful man named Sal and have been married now for 2 1/2 years. We have a little girl named Xolei (Solei) who actually turns 11 months today. She is the reason for this new adventure. I have learned so much from her and thought it would be great to share our experiences with the world. I wanted to share my parenting stories especially because Xolei is my first. Although we had tons of help throughout our journey, we learned a lot on our own and found it helpful to read other parents stories and relate to them. I am not an expert as I am still learning everyday. I hope you find my posts to be intriguing, funny, or helpful. I'm sure I will also have a million and one questions and hope to create a fun loving community. Lets help each other out and become better parents for the sake of our little ones.

Thank you for your support and look forward to being helpful in one way or another.

P.S. Be sure to follow our Instagram page babyxolei