No Rhyme or Reason

It's been awhile since I've posted, but I have the excuse of spring break! The lovely things I am posting today have no rhyme or reason (hence the name of the post) and were mostly created for my own amusement.

We'll start with the creations that just happened to fall around Logan and I's 3 year anniversary.

I made Betty Crocker's Grasshopper Fudge Cake (think of a thin mint... in a cake form) to accompany the lovely dinner we were going to celebrate 3 years with...

but we ended up going to a restaurant that had one of our favorite pieces of HUGE cake, so that definitely trumped my poor little green cake.

That was okay, because the cake ended up being a wonderful treat for not only us but all of the roommates we have collected, as well as a special addition to a spontaneous Sunday dinner party.

As usual, I learn something new from every recipe that I make. I learned that this cake is DELICIOUS, but I also learned that mint extract is kinda expensive and doesn't last long. Oh, and people are very weary of a green cake named after a grasshopper.

Ps. YES those are Andes mints on top :) I was NOT going to waste my leftover thin mints... must ration until next February!

Alright, time for a wonderful craft. This is one of those things I create and it just works out so well and I can't help just staring at it and loving it and being so proud that I MADE THAT. I was planning to make these as a present for our 3 year anniversary, but my mistakes mixed with my determination produced them a few days late. I love them more than any boy would anyways.

Here it is... my version of LOVE NOTE PILLOWS from alisaburke.

I began by making an attempt to make the whole pillow case, but after I bought the pillow and began to sew the pillow cases out of material, I decided I would stop there so I wouldn't mess up the whole project. It just didn't nearly good enough. I found these nice looking pillow cases for $7 each on amazon and they fit my new feather throw pillows perfectly! I used fabric transfer paper from Michaels... not that iron on stuff (BAD experiences with messing with that paper). I just printed them out and sewed them on. Ta-da!!!! Don't you LOVE them?

Just had an idea... wouldn't these be adorable with wedding vows????

Alright, let's talk about some recipes. I might have gone a little recipe-crazy this past week...

First, there was some deal at the grocery store where I ended up getting these mini sausages for free. Except I'm not a big fan of these guys. So I put a spin on Baked Corn Dog Muffins by dropping the sausages into corn bread batter in the pan. It was good! A nice little dinner.

Second, I tried out these ranch oyster crackers. I read on pinterest that they were addicting and they definitely were! They were a nice snack for a beach day on Sunday!

I brought these babies to school for snack this week and was the envy of many students. They weren't the easiest to eat... they left a few droppings on the floor. But they were the PERFECT combination. Apples, peanut butter, raisings, oatmeal... what more could I ask for?

For dinner, we endulged on these open-faced barbeque sandwiches made from Crockpot Barbeque Beer Chicken placed on garlic bread. I used root beer because it was all I had on hand, but it was still very yummy and satisfying. Definitely more of a man food than a me food, though.

Next, I would like to introduce you to... my new breakfast! Seriously, every morning this delicious thing graces my stomach and holds me over until lunch...

Green Monster Spinach Smoothie!

Looks disgusting, right? Sounds disgusting when you know it's spinach that is making it that wonderful color. But I'll tell you a secret... it's... MAGIC.

I would have never tried this recipe if I hadn't been brave enough to try my friend Meredith's smoothie a few months ago after she said it had spinach in it. "You can't taste it!" She said... I couldn't... but it didn't really stick with me until I saw it on pinterest.

All you do is add frozen banana, peanut butter, yogurt, milk, and a TON of baby spinach to a blender. Guess what you'll taste? Everything BUT the baby spinach. I've even experimented with this... adding more and more spinach each time, and I still only taste the bananas and peanut butter. Like I said, MAGIC. I also don't know the difference between regular spinach and baby spinach, but I also experimented with regular spinach that said it was 'perfect for cooking' and it turned out just as good... FYI!!!!

I'm pretty much eating a huge blended spinach salad for breakfast every morning.

Try it. Seriously.

One more recipe to mention before I move on to more magic... I tried out these frozen yogurt drops. I tried one an hour after freezing and they were good, but I left them in the freezer overnight, and when I ate them they had some weird film over them. Moral of the story is... eat them when they say to eat them... I guess milk exposed to open air in the freezer doesn't hold up too well.

Alright... one LAST thing. I can't think of someone who WOULDN'T love this. I found this stain remover magic (on pinterest of course) and tried it out that night. It worked perfectly! Logan couldn't even believe it... all he had to say about it was, "I bet they'll be back in a week... that doesn't really work"

Basically, take a spray bottle. Fill it half full with water, and the other half with ammonia. Spray on any stain on your carpet, no matter how old it is. Douse it. Don't be shy. Lay a towel over it and iron. Repeat as much as needed. Grab someone in your household and make them watch.

Here's my success story:

Before:

After:

Enjoy!!!

Strawberries Strawberries Strawberries!!!!

Here it is!!! The post you've all been waiting for... my glorious strawberry recipes.

If you remember, we went strawberry picking 2 weeks ago and left with 5 pounds of strawberries... each. I'm sure you're thinking, WHAT is she going to do with 5 pounds of strawberries!?!?!

Well, I'll tell you.

Summer Strawberry Salad - I added some strawberries to my usual salad to make it more summery. The only thing it needed was walnuts and it would have been perfect!

Ingredients: Lettuce (cut, rinsed, dried), small handful of raisins, 1 small granny smith apple (diced), 6 strawberries (sliced), fat free raspberry vinaigrette dressing.

Simple, but delicious!!!

Strawberry Bread from Strawberry-Recipes.com - Sounds a little weird at first, but once I thought about how much I love banana bread I decided to go for it. It was very good... just like banana bread but instead of each bite tasting like the fruit you would get these fresh fruit pieces. Very VERY good.

Ingredients

- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups strawberries, sliced

Directions

Combine flour, salt, sugar, baking soda and cinnamon. Beat eggs. Add eggs, shortening , strawberries and bread dough enhancer.

Stir until all ingredients are moistened. Spoon batter into 2 well-greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 70 minutes. Test and keep baking until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes.

Put upside down and let cool on racks. Serve while still warm. You can store the strawberry bread in the fridge for a few days.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie - Much to the pleasure of my roommate, I'm sure, I made these smoothies in the morning before work quite a few times.

Ingredients: 6 strawberries (fresh or frozen), 1 banana, 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt, splash of milk, handful of ice.

Instructions: Blend.

Fresh Strawberry Pie from allrecipes- very simple with minimal ingredients and not terribly bad for you. This pie was delicious. I used a shortcake crust that brought it all together.

Ingredients: 2 (8 inch) pie shells (baked), 2 1/2 quarts fresh strawberries, 1 cup white sugar, 2 tbsp cornstarch, 1 cup boiling water, 1 (3 oz) package strawberry gelatin

Directions: In a saucepan, mix together sugar and corn starch until corn starch is blended completely. Add boiling water. Cook over medium heat until mixture is thick. Add gelatin mix, stir until smooth. Let mixture cool to room temperature. Place strawberries in pie shells with tops sliced flat and tips up. Pour cooled gel mixture over strawberries. Refrigerate until set. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies from buddingbaketress - I was worried about these cookies because my strawberries were in the fridge marinating in their own juices, so the batter ended up being very very moist. I baked them anyways and they turned out a little damp but very very good. Use as fresh of strawberries as you can for this recipe.

Ingredients: 12 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (2 cups)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
Coarse sugar, for sprinkling over the cookies

Directions: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, stir together the strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of the sugar; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon zest and remaining sugar. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingertips until moist and fragrant.

Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the zest/sugar mixture and whisk to combine. Using a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture until you have coarse crumbs. Add the cream to the bowl and stir until the dough starts to come together, then gently fold in the strawberry mixture.

Use a small cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) to drop dough onto the prepared baking sheet, evenly spaced apart. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown. Transfer the pans to wire racks and let the cookies cool. The cookies are best the day they're made, but can be kept in an airtight container for 1 day.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Those are all my strawberry recipes, and the 5 pounds are officially gone (along with almost everything I made with them). I should say, the 5 pounds of strawberries are gone... who knows where those 5 pounds ended up ;)

Hope you enjoyed the recipes and you do your own strawberry baking before the season is over!

Crockpot Mac and Cheese, Sock buns, and Clipboards

So the February challenge may be over, but I'm not done with challenging myself!!!

Don't worry, I'm working on those strawberry recipes... I have quite a few down! But I'll save that for another post to keep you waiting in misery :)

Let me share with you another recipe that I tried this week (sans Strawberries)... Slow Baked Mac and Cheese.

This was a recipe that was made in the crock pot, which I love! It took about 3 hours, so this would be an after-work recipe, not an at-work recipe. It is really delicious!!! Mine turned out a little more chuncky than the picture, but it was still very good. Also, the sides were a little crispy and were thrown away, but the inside was perfect. This was my dinner every night this week! I'm so proud to say I made homemade mac and cheese!!

I also finally got around to making my very own teacher clipboard. Remember Meredith's from last week? Well, here's mine!!!

The last thing I wanted to share with you is my sock bun. I have been doing this for quite a few months now, but I never got around to taking a picture. The bun is great because I can use it instead of my boring old pony tail. It also looks great messy or neat. Also, my hair turns out curly when I take it out!!! I got all kinds of compliments about it at school, and I was (embarrassingly) proud to tell everyone that it was a sock holding my hair together!

Finally, I'm going to mention that great knitting project I'm working on, just so you don't forget about it!! You should be seeing an end result by... the end of this week (hopefully)!!!

Look forward to Strawberry recipes, coming soon.

February Challenge Week 4

Sorry about the late update on my February challenge!

I might not have stuck to the days I wanted to this week, but I certainly got a lot done.

We'll start with the hair.

Oh, the hair.

Last Monday I attempted this Neatest Messy Bun. I failed miserably. I think my problem was that it says to start with wavy hair. I put mousse in my hair and braided it into small braids all over my head before I went to sleep that night. I woke up in the morning, took out the braids, and BOOM. Straight. My hair just won't stay wavy!!! So I spent 20 minutes trying this hairstyle only to remove the bobby pins and throw it up in a pony tail and make my way to school. I would call this one a failure. Maybe I'll try it again when I have more time.

Okay, Outfit!

I wore this number on Tuesday. I got lots of compliments. I just HAD to find a way to work in my cowboy boots, I love them! The only thing I don't like about this is the white tights. White tights just make me feel so... pale!

New Recipes:

It was my friend Meredith's birthday on Friday so I got to use her as an excuse to make two crafts and a recipe!

For the recipe, I made Better than Crack Brownies and they were absolutely delicious!!! I'm not usually one who prefers nuts in my desserts, but the way the nuts complimented the Reeses cups and mixed in with the texture of the rice krispies was PERFECT. Loved them, and they weren't that hard to make!!!!

Crafts:

One craft that I finally got around to at the beginning of the week was Hand Towels that Don't Fall Off the Handle! I ended up using fabric placemats from the dollar store (shhh! Everyone thinks they're handtowels!) and just some cheap cloth I found. I think when I redecorate this summer I'll make some super cute ones that go with the kitchen. Anyways, they work very well, I love them!

Next, like I said, I got to use Meredith as an excuse to make some crafts.

For her birthday card, I did a five minute attempt at the Crafty Friend card. I was in a rush and having a hectic evening (think: carpet covered in mod podge and hot glue blisters all over the fingers) so I didn't put nearly as much effort into it as I could have. It was really easy though! I used this ribbon spool template (which looks like a cute idea for ribbon too!), some ribbon I had already, and some dollar buttons from Michaels. I printed the spool out on brown cardstock with a wood picture background and cut it out. Again, 5 minutes. Tops.

The thing that took up the majority of my night was the Blingy Clipboard. I had been wanting to make one of these for myself for awhile, and I thought it would be the perfect gift for my fellow crafty teacher-t0-be friend. I bought a recycled wooden clipboard at Office Max for $2. I bought scrapbook paper at Michael's for $1. I bought a few blingy odds and ends from Goodwill but mostly used some leftover mardis gras beads and things I found around the house. I printed her name on complimentary cardstock, cut it out, glued it to the scrapbook paper, and mod-podged the scrapbook paper to the clipboard (hence, the mod podge carpet explosion). Then I hot-glued the 'bling' on randomly to the clip of the clipboard (hence, the hot glue blisters on my fingers).

I am in the process of making mine now, but it took a backseat to some more, erm, important things that came up this weekend.

Curious?

It's not good news. It involves my laptop falling. Right on the hard drive. It involves wiping the hard drive clean. It involves me kicking myself for not backing up my information for the past 2 1/2 years. It involves me redoing hours of schoolwork. It involves me finding as many pictures and music files and projects as I can through email and old laptops. It involves a very unhappy Amy.

The moral of the story is...

Go back up your computer.

Now.

Don't say you'll do it tomorrow.

Don't wait to buy an external hard drive.

Go get your thumb drive and back up those things that you can't lose.

You'll thank me later.

I'll end on a positive note!!!! On Sunday we finally got around to going strawberry picking at Pappy's Strawberry Patch! I have lived in this town practically my whole life, and I have never been strawberry picking at this patch that is literally 10 minutes from my house. I've been trying to go for about 4 weeks, but it's always something. So Logan and I went with some friends. They sucked us in with a deal: Pick 10 pounds or more and you get 20% off. Then they showed us the 10 pound box. It was huge! We scoffed at them and thought, "We won't pick 10 pounds, they're crazy." Then we picked 10 pounds. Oops. The good news is, we split it with the other couple we were with so each couple (each lady) has 5 pounds of strawberries to figure out what to do with.

Sounds like a challenge? I think so!!!!

Look forward to some strawberry-themed recipes in the near future! I'm sure you will see Fresh Strawberry Pie before you can say rotten strawberries!

February Challenge: Week 3

Think I was a slacker this week? Think again! The amount of things I got done or started this week could hold me over for the next month. Could... but won't! I'm just getting back into the swing of things!

Monday (New Hairstyle): On Monday I tried out this easy-looking formal bun. I was in a rush, and it really didn't take long to do! It was very very pretty and I felt pretty in it!

The only problems I faced were my stick-straight hair that can't seem to hold anything (no matter how many bobby pins and how much hair spray I add) and the fact that I spent the day at an Elementary school. So this is what my hair looked like by the end of the students' breakfast...

So it didn't hold too well and my hair was just a hot mess for the rest of the day. But hey, it was a start!

I also tackled a new recipe on Monday since Tuesday was Valentine's day and I couldn't eat my boyfriend's wonderful steak dinner without a dessert to offer up! Sticking to what he loves, I made this No Bake Oreo Layer Dessert (you'll find that most of my desserts for him have oreos, peanut butter, or both). It was delicious and disappeared WAY too quickly.

I ALSO did a craft on Monday night to prepare for my first Valentine's day with my (almost) very own students. I made these Break my Heart valentines very easily and with only needing to buy m&ms. Just print the template, cut out the hearts, staple two hearts together, fill with M&Ms, and seal! The students get the M&Ms by 'ripping' your heart open. They loved it!

Tuesday (New Outfit): On Tuesday it was a little chilly so I went with this new Ralph Lauren turtleneck (I know, I haven't owned a turtleneck since I was in Elementary school... but hey, it's RL and pink :)), a tshirt vest, and black pants. Simple, and matching. Oh, I forgot to mention, my favorite pair of sparkly pink flip flops! They're wonderful!

Wednesday (New Recipe): On Wednesday I decided to try out another recipe in the crock pot while I went to work: Crock Pot Lasagna. I got up early, got everything ready and started, and followed the instructions to cook on high while I was getting ready then turn to 'warm' and leave for the rest of the day. It only took me about 30-45 minutes to get ready, so I thought I would leave it to my boyfriend, who leaves about 45 minutes after me, to turn it to warm. I woke him up, gave him the instructions, texted him, everything. I MADE SURE he turned it to warm. He promised me he did. I come home Wednesday afternoon, and what is the crock pot on? Low. This doesn't sound like that big of a deal, but the instructions say that the lasagna is supposed to be cooked for 4 hours on low for it to be finished. This lasagna was cooked on 1 1/2 hours on high then 7 hours on low! Ugh. I didn't get mad at him. I didn't. I calmly explained what happened, then I scraped out the burnt pieces and tupperwared up the salvageable leftovers. I couldn't help but take a picture of the burnt pieces in the sink, just in case he ever cared to ask what happened to the lasagna. The lasagna was still pretty good... just had that nice crispy flavor to it.

Thursday (New Craft): On Thursday my craft was to start the charging cell phone holder. Logan has a dresser on his side of the bed and his phone cord doesn't reach up there, so his phone is always sticking in my clothes drawer or balancing precariously on the ledge of something. I decided this is just what he needed. I started with an old conditioner container and got it all cut and ready to mod-podge, but when I put Logan's iPhone in it, it wouldn't fit. Time to find something bigger. Although I didn't finish this craft until Saturday, I did finish it! I found a Lysol bottle that I thought would be too big, but after finishing the project it ended up being a really good size. My version doesn't look nearly as good as the one in the tutorial, but it turned out to be a pretty nifty invention.

Friday (Home Day): This is where things start to get sketchy. On Friday I came down with a horrible case of strep throat, so I was in bed pretty much all day. My craft on Friday DOES count as something for the home, so it's kind of a double whammy. I made up for it on Saturday anyways.

Saturday and Sunday (Jumble Days): Although I should have been in bed all day Saturday and Sunday, I spent my days between laying in bed, studying for my upcoming FTCE exams, and doing crafts. Oh, Sunday I went hiking and shopping too. Not to say I felt great doing it. So I got quite a few things done and started over the weekend... Since I had to call out of work I might as well do SOMETHING productive.

I started by cleaning my showerhead using this nifty trick of rubberbanding a bag of white vinegar to the head of the shower, leaving it, then scrubbing it off. I left it for multiple hours then scrubbed and scrubbed and used bleach to get it the way it was, but mine was pretty nasty in the first place. Now the water comes out all the holes though! Yay! Check out my before-during-after shots.

I also finally got around to putting up a cork board piece on the inside of my kitchen cabinet, inspired by this idea. This would be a great place to hang recipes (if I used anything besides pinterest) and right now it's where I'm hanging my shopping list. It was super easy, I just used mounting pieces from the dollar store and a piece of cork left over from an old project, both things I already had around the house (so what had taken me so long to get it done?).

I also shopped and started a few projects... here's a peak of what's to come!

Men's Necktie Wristlet

Homemade Samoas/ Caramel D'lites

and a super secret knitting surprise that will blow your mind (if it comes out right)!!!

Oh, here's a picture from our hike on Sunday, just for the fun of it. We definitely went a little... erm... off the trail. Our baby of a dog wouldn't get her feet wet so Logan had to carry her across the river. What fun :)

February Challenge: Week 2

Wow, February has been passing so quickly! I'm having a blast with this challenge! Although, it is a little challenging coming up with the time on Thursday and Friday nights to get crafts and home stuff done. A lot of stuff overflows into the weekend, but that's what I left those days open for!

So here's how this week went:

Monday (New Hairstyle): So this was actually a Sunday night Superbowl Party hairstyle that carried over into Monday when I threw it up in a ponytail. Yeah, I do that a lot. So I found this curling wand at goodwill in the surplus/new items section and remembered my friend saying how it curled really well. If you haven't gotten on the bandwagon of a curling wand yet, it's just a curling iron without the clamp... so it's just a really hot rod that you wrap your hair around, but it doesn't make that annoying little twitch in your hair where the clamp holds it. Yes, I could just wrap my hair around my curling iron without using the clamp, but then I wouldn't get to spend money and have the latest item. The point is, it was like $15 at Goodwill, and I was in the mood to spend some money, so I bought it. I tried it out on Sunday night when I was in a hurry, and absolutely loved it! It didn't curl my hair as much as wave it, and right away I felt like I had Taylor Swift hair. Add some hairspray and my hair was wonderfully un-straight for the next 24 hours!

Tuesday (New Outfit): For my new outfit this week, I went a little more toned-down than last week. I paired up a skirt that was in the back of my closet that I had never worn before with a plain yellowish-gold shirt (the skirt had gold beads at the top), gold sandals, and a gold necklace. Of course, the one day I wear a skirt to work the wind blows like crazy on the playground, so I got to spend the whole time keeping one hand on my clothes. Wardrobe malfunction in an Elementary School? No, thanks.

Wednesday (New Recipe): On Wednesday, I tried out this Roasted Carrot Soup from pinterest. I've been waiting a long time to make this, and I was looking forward to the simplicity and creaminess of the soup. Well, it was NOT worth it. It took about 2 hours to make, and only made enough for two lunches. I guess that's the glory of making things from scrap. I had to cut the carrots, cook the carrots, cook the broth, blend it all together, add more water, make it soupier... I wasn't happy. I wasn't very impressed with the taste either. It was almost too much... like baby food. Maybe a little more water would do it next time, but I have a feeling there won't be a next time for this soup in my household.

Thursday (New Craft): So one of the crafts I came up with earlier this week was to help out my friend's wedding. She was telling me how much she wanted brown paper bag envelopes that looked 'earthy' so I spent the afternoon figuring out how to fold and glue a paper grocery bag so that it yielded a nice looking envelope. I was so excited with the finished product that I forgot to take a picture, but I'll do up a tutorial now.

Friday (Home Day): None, again.

Saturday & Sunday (Jumble days): I played catch-up this weekend... I did a lot of cleaning and organizing. I also finally got around to making some shoes that have been sitting in my 'projects in progress' bag for months. I found these shoes at Forever 21 when I was doing a walk-through one day. They were $5 and came in UCF colors :)

So of course, I bought them, and decided I wanted to spruce them up a little. I wanted to add a knight but wasn't brave enough to attempt wasting a good pair of shoes to a shaky hand. Instead, I just did the 'UCF' symbol in white fabric paint.

I also threw together a recipe that I have been craving all week. My mom used to make these homemade 'egg mcmuffins' for us on weekends. Just cook an egg over-easy, add some cheese and ham and put it all on an English muffin. Delicious!!!

That's it for this week!

February Challenge: Week 1

Week 1 of my wonderful new challenge, and someone decided this obviously wasn't hard enough. Within the first two days of deciding to fill my limited extra time with wonderful new experiments, I had a best friend announce a wedding and a pregnancy. Suddenly, instead of planning outfits and recipes, I'm spending the majority of my free time planning Save-the-Dates and parties.

That won't stop me, though! Who needs sleep?

Just kidding. Actually, I'm excited about the new things I can come up with to help out my friend. I love weddings, I love babies, I love creating things.

So I've been busy this week. I haven't EXACTLY stuck with my schedule, but I've done much more than I planned. Want to see?

Monday (New Hairstyle) - I attempted the braided headband inspired by this. I don't know if I just don't have the right hair for it or I did it wrong, but it was very hard to get a flat start (the beginning of my braid stuck out of my hair like a weird lump) and the braid got very skinny at the end where the layers of my hair ended. Low and behold, I decided to stick with my plan... I threw my hair up in a ponytail with the braid and wore it the whole day, no matter how silly I looked.

Tuesday (New Outfit) - I spent an hour or so on Monday night trying to find a new outfit to wear on Tuesday. I finally found this inspiration with the button-up shirt under a tank top under a blazer. I worked it and worked it and finally settled on the look below. Again, I feel like I looked a little silly, and Logan was SO confused about what I was wearing.

Wednesday (New Recipe) - On Wednesday I made Oreo Cheesecake Cookies for my friend and her fiance to say congratulations. Everyone seemed to love them, except me. I don't like cheesecake, so this was the perfect recipe to give away!

Thursday (New Craft) - Okay, here's where things get a little fishy. I didn't get around to doing a craft on Thursday, but I cooked up something for Tiffany yesterday at work. Tiffany found these save the dates on Etsy and was close to buying them when I swooped in and convinced her we could make them. I was stuck and work with limited supplies, but this was my creation. For her actual save the dates, it should be on lighter cardstock with twine instead of ribbon. She also doesn't want the thumbprints at the bottom.

Friday (Home Day) - Yeah, I didn't do anything house-related on Friday. Oops.

Saturday & Sunday (Jumble days) - Oh boy, did I get a lot done this weekend! Not only did I start up Tiffany's Save the Dates, I prepared for superbowl with these desserts. I figured I'd whip up something fast and easy, but this was much easier said than done. I started with these Chocolate Covered Football Strawberries. Since I was going to decorate my cookies anyways, I substituted the white cookie icing for the white chocolate making the lace of the footballs. It wasn't perfect and it kind of ran together, but it worked. I also did these football cookies, which seemed super easy on the website, but were MUCH more complicated. Oh, right, just "pinch the dough into a football shape"... Logan and I sat there for an hour pinching and kneading and rolling and shaping this football dough until Logan finally gave up, slamming his football into a puff of flour. I eventually gave up too, saying que sera sera. Well, after all that work, the cookies baked and still turned into non-football shaped blobs. Without saying anything to Logan, I calmly got out my kitchen scissors and cut each blob into a football shape. Logan was shocked at how nicely they turned out ;). I then frosted them, then spent about an hour putting icing the little laces on the strawberries or cookies. Argh. I hope it's worth it. I don't even like football.

On a separate note, did I mention we got a new dog??? Logan and I adopted Lily, an 8 year old Shepard mix from the shelter two weeks ago. Isn't she precious???

Well, that's all for now. Time to search for another hairstyle for tomorrow!