my black friday

outfit// leggings c/o pink blush  boots// ebay socks// chad's closet  sweater//pink blush hat// c/o crochet this for me glasses// c/o firmoo

it is now officially the day.. where holiday sweaters and christmas trees are fully welcome! hello christmas season! last year chad and i started a tradition of doing non-traditional black friday shopping. instead of waiting in long lines and dealing with the craziness of the holiday shoppers, we sleep in, drink lots of coffee,  do some online shopping and  my favorite part... go christmas tree shopping.  it is a much less chaotic way to start the holiday season if you ask me... and great news! pink blush (where my sweater and leggings are from) are having a major sale on their clothing items (40%! off + free shipping!) now you don't have to wait in line to get your sister that cute scarf or sweater that she is wanting... you can do it from home! just like what i am doing, christmas shopping while staring at my christmas tree. winning.

pink blush is giveaway several fun prizes on IG today as well.. go to my instagram//heathermariebee to enter and see all the rules!

happy first day of the holiday season!!! 

merry christmas from our family to yours!

merry christmas from our family to yours! i hope that you spend this holiday season with those you love, surrounded by good food. i don't always talk directly about my faith as a christian but i hope that despite whatever your religious believes are that we can all reflect on how this season is about giving. i am personally thankful for how generous god is to send his son into the world so that we may live eternally with him.

isaiah 9:6 "for to us a child is born, to 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!"

anyway, i hope that everyone has a safe and merry holiday and that it is filled with joy! merry christmas!

nothing says christmas like gluten free gingerbread

 

 there are few foods more comforting in the holidays then gingerbread. i can remember times when i was just a little girl, going to macy's santa land, and getting a gingerbread cookie at the end. i think it is one of those foods that encompasses all of the flavors of the season, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, it all screams wintery foods. this year i decided to get a little creative and create my own gingerbread recipe. because i am a newer cook, i always am a little hesitant to do this but i was feeling very confident thursday evening. i wrote it all out,tested it, and was amazed at the results. it was so good that i am now going to share it with you, though it may be a tiny bit late because christmas is only a few days away (hooray!). however, i do think that this bread would be a tasty treat any of the winter months, its hearty, moist, and truly wholesome. i made it gluten free, but for those of you can eat all the gluten you like (lucky you!) you can substitute the gluten free flour for regular flour and omit the xanthan gum

gluten free gingerbread

1 1/2 cup gluten free flour, i used king arthur baking flour which worked great
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plain yogurt
3 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 large eggs

1. preheat oven to 350. prep a 9x5 breadpan, grease with butter and flour.
2. in a large bowl, combine gf-flour, xanthan gum, soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. in a smaller bowl mix yogurt, milk, and vanilla. set to the side.
3. combined butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl. beat until light and fluffy (about 4 minutes). add and beat molasses. add eggs, one at a time until everything is mixed well.
4. add in 1/3 of the flour mixture, then 1/2 the milk mixture. taking turns with one another until the batter is well combined. however, be careful to not over mix!
5. once batter is well combined, pour into 9x5 pan and bake for 45 minutes.

on friday, i made this and added cream cheese frosting. it was quite tasty but i didn't apply it to the entire loaf because chad isn't a fan of the frosting. so, if you are feeling extra festive, try adding some of that in!

if i were to host a christmas party it would look a little like this...

if i were to host a christmas party, it would look a little something like this.

1// there would be lots of pine and garland everywhere you turn. giving the party a beautiful, classic look.

2// the cutest invitations would be ordered from tiny prints that would fit the nights theme

3// there would be  lots and lots of christmas cookies for everyone to share. gingerbread, peanut butter blossoms, thumbprint cookies. the whole bit.

4// a beautiful table arrangement would be made, accompanied with rosemary seating cards

5// there would be lovely seasonal food and cocktails. and because it is winter, lots of pomegranate

6// the food would be lovely. the drinks delicious,  there would be lots of toasts, and the night would end with conversation by the fire

.... frank sinatra's holiday album (who i love), would be playing in the background, lots of candles would be burning, people would stay late. and once again, there would be lots and lots of good food.

what would your perfect holiday party look like? i hope that next year, chad and i will live in a space that will allow us to host one! until then, i will just plan this party in my head ;)

**hover over number to find image source**

oh christmas tree...!

instead of trying to race the crowds on black friday, chad and i decided to start a new little tradition of our own called green friday aka christmas tree friday. this year green friday started by waking up friday morning (very well rested after all of that turkey the night before) had a nice morning of drinking coffee and listening to christmas music, before heading out to the tree farm. upon arriving at the farm i was giddy and had a hard time containing my excitement. it has been years since i have had a real christmas tree (about 17 years ago!). chad and i decided because we only have a little place, that we were going to find the perfect, little tree. we figured, little family, little tree. ;)

**down the rows we go, searching for the best tree around!****we were so lucky, this past weekend the weather was perfect in minnesota. it was in the 30s (and no snow, a little odd for being december!) we just had to bundle up in a few layers, but remained warm the entire time! at first i was pretty nervous, thinking that it would be so uncomfortable being outdoors for so long, and even considered bring a thermos of coffee to help warm up ;)**

we got home from spending the morning at the tree farm and placed our tree in our room, so we can make sure we see it as much as possible ;). there truly is something majestic of a christmas tree, or maybe it is just the holiday spirit that is more apparent during this time of year. this spirit makes me so giddy i become child like. i become ecstatic baking christmas cookies and decorating the house. it will be interesting when chad and i have littles because i really don't know who will be more excited about christmas, me or the little ones ;) anyway- our experience of getting our first christmas tree together was so lovely. i hope that chad and i can continue doing "green friday" for the years to come. i love our little family, our little tree, and this little life we live together. (also, there are some more photos of our christmas tree adventure via instagram if you would like to see them, user names heathermariebee & ckirsebom)

scandinavian christmas

this year i am going for a scandinavian look for my christmas decor. i just love how simple it looks, yet elegant. pops of red, white, and pine. chad and i are going to be cutting down a real christmas tree this year from a tree farm! i haven't done this since i was 3 or 4, so i am beyond ecstatic to do this with my husband. i hope it can be a little tradition that we can carry over once we have our own little family. though it isn't quite time to pull the christmas decorations out, i am starting to really get the itch.. i have already began asking chad, but he says i have to wait until december 1st... i am thinking i just have to walk until the day after thanksgiving ;)

what is inspiring your holiday decor this winter?
images source

joy to the world

joy to the world,the lord has come

let earth receive her king

let every heart prepare him room

and heaven and nature sing,

and heaven and nature sing,

and heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

.... he rules the world with truth and grace,

and makes the nations prove

the glories of his righteousness,

and wonders of his love,

and wonders of his love,

and wonders, wonders of his love.

as i was listening to christmas carols around the house this song came on and kinda just hit me.

the lord jesus came to this earth for us.

the greatest gift.

and we get to celebrate this event thousands of years later.

with that, let us prepare our hearts over the next few evenings 

and be reminded the true purpose of christmas

photo credit: 1

merry christmas bloggy friends

merry merry christmas everyone

i hope the season is filled with love and family

laughs and joy

embrace the family traditions (for the anderson crew it means going to perkins and baking on christmas eve- and cranking up the christmas music to dance around like fools. this is what life looks like with three girls in the household)

and if you want a sweet holiday song to end your week.....

Madwell Inspired XMAS

A little fashion inspiration from Madwell