Tuesday, February 28, 2017

The Ocean Made Me Salty :)

I spotted this shirt on Pinterest and I knew I had to have it! I made this shirt using my cricut. I'll be sharing another one of my t-shirt cricut projects this week so I'll talk more about my process then.

Monday, February 27, 2017

Music for Monday: Maren Morris

How is it already the last Monday in February!?? I'm enjoying a little sun & beach time this week and I have been listening to Maren Morris on repeat while lounging in the pool! Here are my favorites:
I Could Use a Love Song - Maren Morris
I heard this song in November-ish and it was the only Maren Morris song I would listen to until very recently. I still love this song but I have started shuffling her 'HERO' album and I also love these songs:

Friday, February 24, 2017

Friday Favorites

This week has felt so long! I think it was especially long because it was the week before spring break! But, today is my last day of classes and then I am off to the beach!! Here is what I have been loving this week:
1. In preparation for the beach, I painted my toenails & my fingernails Essie's Berried Treasure and I loooove it!! I am so excited to get my hot pink toes in the sand!!

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Party Game: Newspaper Fashion Show

The first time I played this game was at my sweet sixteen & I thought it was a little strange at first. My mom asked all of my guests to split into groups and then handed each group a stack of newspaper and a roll of tape. She then instructed us to pick a model and make an outfit for them because there was going to be a fashion show in 20 minutes. I thought this was all too weird, but people got into it!

Okay, old picture time! This is what I looked like after my friends got me ready for the fashion show:

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Mini Apple Tarts


I have had this idea stirring around in my head for a while. Ever since making Butter Pecan Tarts, I have wanted to find a way to make mini apple tarts. So, I used the same pastry for the crust as the Butter Pecan Tarts and then mix and matched recipe to fill up the tarts. here is what I did:
Start the crust by mixing 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

French Silk Pie

I made French Silk pie on Sunday and I had forgotten how delicious it is! I had also forgotten how easy it is! It's the perfect blend of a crunchy/nutty crust with a light mousse filling - yes ma'am!! The recipe is an old one from my family's recipe book but it's a good one!!
Start by making the crust. combine 1/2 cup of melted butter and 1/4 cup of brown sugar in a small mixing bowl.
Mix in 1 cup of all-purpose flour.

Monday, February 20, 2017

Music for Monday: Can't Take My Eyes Off You

I had a completely different song planned to post for today. But, then as I was studying yesterday, I heard this song and I knew I had to change my post!! So, the song I had scheduled for today will go up next week and today, I'm talking all about...

Friday, February 17, 2017

Friday Favorites: Lots of Love & Snow

Happy Friday, everyone! This week was full of love and snow - let me catch you up...

1. We got hit by an INSANE amount of snow on Monday! My family woke up Monday morning to winter wonderland! We haven't gotten snow like this in years and I am loving it!
My mom and I went for a walk last night to look for the tallest snowbanks and we found so many! Most of the snowbanks go to just above my hip but...

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Pie for Breakfast?

This past Saturday, I had pie for breakfast and it was delightful! It was definitely a sugar overload but it was so much fun! I thought it was such a great idea for a fundraiser so I'm sharing it with all of you!

The event that I went to was a fundraiser for the local Rotary club where our family friends live in Vermont. They were raising money to support students who are going on an exchange and they asked everyone attending to bring a pie or two. When I was invited to this event I thought it would just be dessert pies. But, I was wrong! There were pizza pies, Quiches, Shepard's Pie and of course, lots and lots of dessert pies!


The entry fee was $5 for all you can eat pie and the turn out was serious! Apparently people love the idea of pie for breakfast! This themed event was such a fun alternative to the typical potluck! I loved getting to try all different kinds of pie!

See you tomorrow!


Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Heart Shaped Treats

Both of the recipes I'm talking about today are ones that I've already shared but I wanted to show you how I turned them into Valentine treats! I took my go to sugar cookie recipe (you can find it HERE) and turned them into hearts. I also took my favorite cinnamon bun recipe (you can find it HERE) and turned them into hearts! So many hearts coming out of my kitchen this week!

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Valentine's Cards

Happy Valentine's Day, sweet Readers!! My family went to Vermont this past weekend and I got to do some Valentine crafting with my favorite crafting buddy, Hannah! We relied heavily on Pinterest for some ideas but we had so much fun putting some cards together! I'll walk you through the cards that I made!

I made all of the cards using blank pre-folded cardstock cards. I also used a black Sharpie pen to write on the cards, some markers a hot glue gun, some felt and extra cardstock to decorate the cards.
This card says 'Valtenine... you make my heart soar.' I used yellow cardstock to fold up the mini paper airplane. I glued the paper airplane on with a hot glue gun.

Monday, February 13, 2017

Music for Monday: Love, Love Love!

Today, I'm sharing one of my all time favorite songs about love. I thought this was fitting since Valentine's Day is tomorrow. I'll be sharing some fun Valentine's treats all week long - I have some cards to share, some cookies & more!! Happy love week!!
What the World Needs Now - Jackie DeShannon

Friday, February 10, 2017

Friday Favorites

This week has been a busy one! I am anxiously awaiting Spring Break, so I can close all the darn tabs in my brain and rest for a week! I'm also excited for break because I've been working on a fun little cricut project for my family to wear while we're away! I'll blog all about that once I'm done! Until then, here is what I have been loving during my busy week...
1. To get the picture above, I went to Essie's website and found that they describe this color as a 'feisty hot pink' and they nailed it! I've had this color on my nails since Wednesday and I adore it - it is so pink and so perfect! Especially with Valentine's Day coming up, I have loved having this little bit of pink on my nails.

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Party Games: Blindfolded Scavenger Hunt

This game has been part of my family's party game repertoire for a long, long time. And not only is it fun at parties but it is great for team building, so this game could be used at office parties or in classrooms to promote effective communication among colleagues/classmates!

To begin, every guest needs to pair up - depending on the kiddos at the party I may choose to pair them up to avoid conflict, but older kids are usually able to pair off without much help. Once they are paired off, their pairing becomes their 'team.' One member of the team is gets blindfolded and the other will be providing directions.

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've seen recipes for pretzel bookies before on Pinterest, but I've always been skeptical. Why would I add pretzels to a perfectly good chocolate chip cookie? Well, I have since discovered why... because they are perfection! They are the best blend of sweet and salty - they're delicious! The recipe is from Chocolate, Chocolate and More Chocolate, you can find it HERE.

Before we get started, I should mention that I did a horrible job of taking pictures as I was making these. I posted a couple of Instagram stories as I was baking these and I think my mind can only focus on one form of media at once. So pictures will be low in this post, but I will do my best to explain everything!
Start by combining 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Homemade Granola Bars

I made these granola bars on Saturday evening and I have had one every day since as a snack because they are so good! I found the recipe from a cute blog called Bless This Mess and you can see it HERE.
Start by spreading 2 1/2 cups of old fashioned rolled oats and 1/2 cup of roughly chopped nuts of your choice out over a baking sheet. Two notes - I used gluten free oats because my mama is Gluten Free and the recipe worked great! And I used sliced almonds, but you could use any kind of nut you like! Bake the oats and the nuts for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and transfer them to a medium mixing bowl.

Monday, February 6, 2017

Music for Monday: Jack Johnson

I can't believe it's taken me this long to share a Jack Johnson song! How is that possible!? I have to admit, when I was 13-14, I thought Jack Johnson was 'old people' music because my parents listened to him. But, maybe I've become an 'old person' because I love Jack Johnson, big time!! Oh well, old or not, here are my favorite Jack Johnson songs:

Better Together by Jack Johnson

Friday, February 3, 2017

Friday Favorites: Hello February

Happy Friday & Happy February!! I am ready for a little weekend in my life - this week was full!! This weekend will definitely be designated to a little work but hopefully some fun too! I'm excited to start working on Valentine's recipes! One of my friends (Hi Erica!) asked me if I'm one of those people who LOVE Valentine's day, and initially I said no. But, after giving it some thought... I really just love any reason to decorate and make festive treats! So, I guess I do LOVE Valentine's day! Here's what's going on in my world right now...
1. Have you seen this!? It's called the United State of Women - it's a bunch of great women talking about empowering women. And I couldn't love it more!

Thursday, February 2, 2017

Smooches Y'all

The Bean loves saying 'smooches' - if she's leaving a room she says 'smooches', if you help her with something, she says 'smooches.' So, apparently it's synonymous with many words, and I'm hoping it's a phase because it's not my favorite word. But until the phase is over, I figured I might as well have a little fun with it too!

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Happy February! I made these cupcakes this past weekend and they were scrumptious! They were a little long a complicated to put together but the end result was so worth it! I started by making my favorite chocolate cupcakes and when the cupcakes were cooled, I cored them and filled them with eggless cookie dough. Then, I iced the cupcakes with my favorite buttercream frosting recipe and stuck a mini chocolate chip cookie in the top.

A couple of things before I start...
1. My mom helped me make these - so there was a lot going on in the kitchen at once and I wasn't able to take pictures of every little step like I usually do. I have some general pictures, but I will do my best to explain how everything came together.
2. The 4 different components of this recipe - the chocolate cake, the eggless cookie dough, the buttercream frosting and the mini chocolate chip cookies come from recipes that I got in four different places. So, before I talk bout each part, I will link to where you can find the original recipe (if applicable 😃).

Start by making 1 recipe of my favorite chocolate cupcakes - you can find the recipe HERE. One recipe makes 24 cupcakes. When the cupcakes are bakes leave them out to cool completely while you make everything else...