Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies!

So Ty's birthday is Thursday. I will save you from the mushy "Oh my gosh  I can't believe he is five already.He is the best thing to ever happen to me" Because, DUH, he is. If I were to do that, I think he would deserve he own post altogether. And he may get it. But this post is strictly about cookies. :)

Anyway, I was trying to decide what to make for him to share with his class at pre-school.

I ran across all of the usual goodies on Pinterest. Honestly, I was kind of bummed. I found a lot of ideas but nothing that WOWED me. Until, I came upon this recipe. THESE.COOKIES.ARE.AMAZING.

For the original recipe and additional pictures, here is the blog that the recipe came from:
http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/12/09/recipe-round-2-cake-batter-chocolate-chip-cookies/

(note: the blog stated that this recipe yielded 2.5-3dozen. I got about 15. I may have made them a little too big hehe)

The recipe:

1 and 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 and 1/4 cup yellow or white boxed cake mix ( I used yellow)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg (at room temperature)
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips ( I did what the original recipe said and mixed 1/2 cup white chocolate and 1/2 cup semi-sweet chips)
1/2 cups sprinkles

In a large bowl (NOT the bowl attached to your KitchenAid- use that for the wet ingredients) Mix flour, cake mix and baking soda. Set aside as you prepare your wet ingredients
In a separate bowl (Now you can use your KitchenAid) cream together the butter and both sugars on medium speed. Then add the egg and vanilla and mix until creamy.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix. DO NOT OVER MIX. Then fold in chocolate chips and sprinkles.

Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour (up to 4 days). This is key to keeping the dough from spreading too much while it bakes. DO NOT SKIP REFRIGERATING!

Preheat over to 350 degree

Scoop rounded tablespoons of the dough onto an ungreased baking sheet.
(the author makes her dough balls more tall than wide, I tried it and did not notice that much, if any, difference to me. I will probably try her method again ) 

Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are slightly browned. The center will be soft but will firm up as they cool.
Chill dough between batches in the oven.

Let cookies rest on sheet for 4 minutes before moving to cooling rack.

Here are a few pictures of how mine turned out: Pardon the horrible lighting, my kitchen stinks lighting wise :)

 That is flour on my cookie sheet. Does everyone do that? 

I think someone told me to try it but have never seen anyone else do it. 

 Right out of the oven! 

Finished! These are definitely my new favorite cookies!! 

I attempt juicing!

So, I don't usually make New Year's resolutions. In true form, I did not make one this year. But I DID decide to make a conscience effort to eat healthier and make better choices related to my health in general. This really is not that much different from a resolution I guess, except I did not set stern rules for myself. I did not want to set myself up for failure completely. I have tried the completely-changing-my-diet-overnight thing...which did not work. AT ALL. I would do great for a few days, then have a day where I was  on the go and had to break the rules. SO I am giving myself a little breathing room. I am trying to add juicing to my diet, once that becomes part of my daily routine I will make another change. I hope that this helps me stay on track a little better.

So, in true control freak fashion/perfectionist, I researched, researched, researched. For like two days. I watched a LOT of great how to videos, compiled a list of recipes, downloaded a juicing app, and got a couple books on my Nook.

I also watched the documentary "Hungry for Change" on Netflix. It is good stuff.

I think I read this blog the most. I love it.
http://www.fortheloveoffoodblog.com/

I did have one tiny problem in my quest for juicing greatness... I had NO juicer! But I did have a blender and a sieve. SO the first week I spent about 45 mins a day blending and straining my own juice. I really did not mind doing the work myself , but on the mornings that I was in a rush I simply could not dedicate 45 mins to this task. It was pretty messy too.

The hubs and I talked and decided I could purchase a juicer! I did not want to go super expensive since this is a new thing. I ended up getting the GE 800 watt juicer. I am "in like" with it. I wish I were "in love", but I almost feel like I was getting more juice out of my veggies when I hand strained it myself. :( BUT it did cut my 45 minutes task down to about 20. So I will take the trade off I guess.

Here is the model I got. It does the job and is pretty easy to clean, so I do not have much to complain about.   It doesn't look hideous either, which is an added bonus.




So, here it is, three weeks into my juicing journey and so far so good! I do not get to juice everyday, things come up. BUT I notice that I am craving the juice!

This is the juice that I make most days,and  by far my favorite!

2 carrots
2 stalks celery
1 apple ( I use Fuji)
1/2 cucumber
2 handfuls of spinach
a few pieces of Kale

I have also added:
Ginger or fresh lemon juice- both great!

Here is a picture of what my daily juice looks like. I actually LOVE my pasta jar turned drinking cup. I can take it on the go without worrying about spills! But.. I may invest in something a little prettier later :)

Hopefully I can one day be a juice guru!

It's been awhile!

I have to be about THE worst blogger ever.(I doubt anyone is reading anyway) But, I have a really good excuse! Right after my last post (In AUGUST..I know) my computer died- the sad, never returning to life again kind of death- complete with every picture I had copied to add here. I even had several posts ready to  be typed out... But enough excuses. I would like to make a little note about spray painting, a PSA, if you will.  If you spray paint outside, even on the opposite side of your house it CAN still get on your car. (especially if you have a white car:) )  I told you I would share the ups and the downs. Well, I started noticing these little "dots" (literally) all over my car. My husband and I assumed I was getting tree sap from the trees around our house and my office- we tried EVERYTHING we could think of, bought about every cleaning product on the shelf, with NO results. So, long story short- someone pulled a nice hit and run on my car in September and when it was getting fixed, the shop was AMAZING enough to take a crack at fixing my paint. Well, I guess they tried EVERYTHING they knew and what do you know- nothing worked. It came down to one of the guys filling a bucket with Dawn Dish soap (blue, of course) and scrubbing the heck out of my car- guess what? It came off!!! All of that and I should have just used my darn dish soap. I guess that shop figured out what kind of paint it was and stated that it was some sort of spray paint. I have never cowered in the corner so much as I did when they were telling us. I am lucky I have an understanding hubby, or else I could have seen all of my craft supplies in the trash after this stunt. SO I have been "cooling my jets" on the whole spray paint thing, that is, until I can figure out a way for my to paint in peace.

If you all have any tips or ideas please let me know!! I think I am going to try the garment bag paint booth from Pinterest but any other ideas would help!!

My little boy!

So my one and only child started all day Preschool this week. (What?!) Yes, I am still in shock. While he was so excited to be a "big kid" I really struggled. Before he started  I kept thinking that it was my last week to hang out with him in the mornings without being rushed to get to school on time...for the next 14 years. (I can be dramatic, I know) So on his first day I asked him a few questions, and hope to do this every year. This post is more for me to look back on so ignore if you wish :) 

What do you want to be when you grow up?

A big kid! Also, Batman, and Sonic the Hedgehog (because he can run fast) 

What is your favorite color?

Green, and purple for "go KState" (that makes my heart happy) 

What is your favorite food?

Cherry Berry 

my snacks aka banana chips, pineapple chunks, yogurt, fruit snacks 

What is your favorite game?

Candyland or any of the Lego games on Xbox 360

If you are still reading I must add that as I walked out of his classroom fighting the tears, I get in the car and butterfly kisses was playing on the radio... REALLY??!! I lost it at that point. It was pathetic I'm sure, but funny now. :) 

Will it be this hard every year? If anyone IS reading this what are your tips for dealing with the first day?? 

Memo Board re-fashion

So I have made this ugly  memo board about 4 years ago. I was bored and did not think it through very well. It has hung in my kitchen since I made it, but I have cringed lately looking at it. I just didn't like it. SO one day I had crafty adrenaline pumping through me and was determined to make, decorate or refashion SOMETHING. So down it came. Here is what I had to work with. Rough huh? 

It is two pieces of foam board hot glued together to make one thick piece. I used spray adhesive to attach the scrapbook paper so I knew at least that was stuck well. 

First thing I did was remove all of the ribbon- I was lazy  thought that glue dots would do the trick  back when I made this. Clearly wrong.

Here is what it looked like with all of the ribbon removed

The paper tore in a few spots but I was OK with it since the fabric was going to cover it all 

 

 I used some muslin that I had leftover from a tablecloth.Then I took the whole shebang outside and used spray adhesive to attach the fabric the board. (I just went over the scrapbook paper) I eventually trimmed the excess fabric off, leaving about 1-2 inches to cover the edges. I folded the edges over and hot glued them down. 

Here is what it looks like with natural light(you cant see the scrapbook paper much) 

This is just with the light on. I kind of like the pattern showing through a little. Not much difference now that I see the pics..but I PROMISE you can tell :)  

Then I started embellishing the heck out of it!  I hot glued the clothes pins and found a piece of elastic that fit, so it got glued as well. I had  left over fabric from a PB window panel, I just cut it along the already hemmed side and hot glued it down. This was a pretty easy project and I am surprised at how much I like it. The only problem ? I didn't notice that the fabric is almost the EXACT same color as my wall! Whooops! So until I figure something out to break up the color this is what it looks like hung: I HATE the command hook but this is covering our fuse box and blah blah blah. I will slap a bow or something on it I guess. 

Its not the best memo board ever- but it cost me $0.00 and it doesn't make me want to say bad words. 

Roasting pan redo

It is has been a LONG time since I have written anything- I was so excited to start this blog but  I lost my steam.. I have a touch of OCD, so when something is not perfect I put it on the back burner. BUT I am going to give this another shot. SO here goes... :) 

I bought this roasting pan (?) at a flea market with my mom in the spring. I had NO idea what I was going to use it for but thought it could be useful somewhere, even as a planter on the front porch.  it is enamel (I think?) and actually pretty big, with no dents or rust spots.  

I knew I wanted a distressed look for it but did not know how well the paint would stick. So I just said what the heck and gave it a shot. I scrubbed the heck out of it and roughed it up with some sand paper and a wire brush that my husband uses to clean the grill (then washed it again)

Then came the frustrating  tedious part...painting 

I have a love/hate relationship with spray paint- I love how it changes the look of something but I HATE waiting the 2 minutes for it to try. I am a little impatient, yes. 

BUT I sprayed on some black paint with primer and let it sit..and sit.. 

(notice my sweet trash bag? my front yard is really the only place I have space to spray things so I use a trash bag and stake down the corners with sticks- ghetto? oh yes..but hey it works and I ALWAYS have sticks and trash bags) 

SO I sprayed this puppy twice with the black. Then the annoying part- I must not have totally wiped all of the dust from sanding off. there were little "globs" of dust under the paint. yay. Since I was going for the distressed look it was not TOO much of a pain- I just waited until it was dry and took a paper towel over the "globs" until they came off. Yes, it took off the black paint. NO, I did not touch the sucker up because I figured it would be covered with the white paint I planned to finish the project with anyhow. 

Then, I sprayed the whole thing with white paint. I was a good girl and let it dry (for like 10 minutes). When I went to flip the pan over to spray the bottom, the paint started coming off on my hands!  So then I said forget it and tossed the dang pan on my back porch to tackle for another day. 

Enter two weeks later... I was bored and wanted to give it another shot. I decided to lightly sand and try the white paint again. And guess what?! The paint stuck! :) 

Long story (sorry) short - two more coats of white spray paint later....

I was then able to start distressing the dang the thing! A little sanding on the edges and wherever else my little heart chose. It was done! YAY! 

Do you ever have a project that you had to walk away from and then came back to finish? Then, once it was done you were more relieved that it was done then you were excited ? Totally me with this thing. But were are on better terms- I decided to use it at a bridal shower I hosted to hold the party favors

.

 Now, it has a home on a table that holds my work junk..cellphone, work keys..you get the drift

So there you have it- I repainted an enamel roasting pan, and learned a few things:

1- Get all of the dust off after sanding (duh, right?) Wash and let DRY- don't wipe 

2. Be patient and let the paint dry 

3. If frustrated with the project, throw the dang thing on the back porch until sanity is restored  :) 

My attempt at light sabers!

My son's fourth birthday is right around the corner. He is TOTALLY into Star Wars Lego games, so it was no shocker when he said he wanted that as his theme. Of course, my first stop was Pinterest to see what great ideas others have had for this theme. I found some really cute pool noodle light sabers..problem it is January, and although Wal-Mart is always five steps ahead of the real world (seasonally speaking), I found NO pool noodles. My wheels starting spinning and thought about using pipe insulators- the same ones I use for my yarn wreaths.

Cheap=YUP, Soft=YUP, Available in January= HECK YES!

So I gathered my supplies and went to work.  

What you will need:

1 pkg Foam Pipe Covers (4 pack) 

Duct tape- I used one roll each of: Red, Green, and Silver

Scissors

 To begin: I cut my foam tubes in half- I think that the full length may be a little too long for 3 and 4 year olds- the half size seems to work a lot better

After cutting the foam tube in half, remove the yellow pieces of plastic that keep the seam from sticking together. Stick the seams together, try to get them as even as possible- this will help the tape not to crease as much. 

Cut about 7 or 8 pieces or tape- you will want them to be long enough to go all the way around the tube. I stick my pieces to the side of my coffee table...I have been wanting a new one to repaint the dang thing for awhile now so I am not worried about hurting it. 

I chose to have multiple small pieces of tape as opposed to one long strand because when I did a test run with plain old duct tape it creased a LOT. I do not have the patience or time so I chose this route- If you are talented enough for one long piece by all means go for it!

Cut a small piece of tape to cover the end- this part will not look perfect, yes it bothers me, but hey they ARE for lil kiddos who will  NOT notice a crease or two in the tape.

 

Begin wrapping your tape pieces. Continue with the colored pieces until you are about 6 or 7 inches from the bottom.

When you are almost to the bottom- about 7ish inches- take a piece of silver tape and do the same thing you did to the other end. Then begin wrapping your silver tape until it slightly overlaps with your colored tape. Again, I suggest cutting a few pieces ahead of time, it really saves time in the end .( I HATE pulling and cutting tape so if I can get that part out of the way, I am a happier crafter)

Here is the finished product- Sorry for the bad pics- I have horrible lighting in my house and have to use flash almost always. I have not decided if I am going to add "buttons" to the light sabers yet or not. I am leaning towards not...