Sweet Tooth doesn't have to = Sugar High

Since getting an oven (yipee!) I've been in the mood to BAKE!
Which is of course a good thing...right?

When I bake, it makes me happy and I feel like a good housewife, doing what housewives should be doing....BUT it also allows for a lot of temptation in the kitchen and a husband that ends up eating 50+% of the finished goods. 

MODERATION is key.

I have a huge list of yummy recipes I've been dying to try, but I am resisting the urge to try them all in one day, or even one week...and spread them out throughout the monthS to come, and maybe even share the goodies with others - in turn making me a good neighbor too :D

The next treat on my list is a secret {to be revealed later, like Valentine's Day...}

but here are the other recipes that I plan on making in the near future...
feel free to try them and share how they turn out for you!!

• Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie - um yes, please!
• Clone of a Cinnabon - I have been CRAVING these for-EVER
• Samoas Cupcakes
• Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies (super easy!)
• Or the more complicated Red Velvet Cake from scratch - still trying to decide which one I want to make more...
• Chocolate Crackles - a re-try...because I failed so miserably last time I tried to make these....
• Chocolate Truffles - minus the Grand marnier and coffee

....and the list goes on.....No really, it does!

Here's one that I checked off my list last week:

Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars
(family recipe)

Crust:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour

Filling:
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven 350F

1. Cream butter and powdered sugar together. Add salt and flour, mix well.
2. Pat crust into 9x13 greased baking dish and Bake for 15-20 minutes.
3. Mix eggs and sugar until pale yellow. Slowly add dry ingredients. Add lemon juice.
4. Pour mixture over hot crust. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until top is golden brown.
   *Cool before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar* 

ENJOY! :D

Sweet

Noa decorated his first valentine's cookie

 it was so sweet.

 we decided to surprised Daddy with it when he came home from school...

and he loved it!

there were kisses and hugs flying all over

and the cookie....

was gone in a flash!

Happy Valentine's Day!

L.O.V.E.

February is one of my favorite months of the whole year. 

I LOVE it!

It's a month of birthdays (4 in my family - including mine)
Come to think of it, Noa's half-birthday too...

A month of sweet treats and lots of hugs & kisses.

It's a month of LOVE, of course!
and everything else that comes with it...chocolate....flowers..........

Here are a few Valentine's Day ideas that I am loving right now...
{P.S. These are all DIY-(do-it-yourself)-able, so go ahead, make some for yourself!! I know I will}
 

Naturally Sweet - a DIY Valentine from Twig & Thistle
(there are more stickers for oranges, pears, berries, passion fruit...SO FUN!)

for your honey's Valentine's Day breakfast, how about some

Samoa Scones - YUUUUMMY - my favorite Girl Scout cookie in scone form.
get the recipe at Baking Bites

 Valentine's wreaths:

The heart felt wreath from The Idea Room
 
and finally...

the paper rose heart from DIY dish

...Which leads me back to the photo at the beginning of this post....

I finished my paper rose project!!! YAY!
And it looks fabulous, if I do say so myself ;)

And SwEEt Husband took this glass vase

and spray painted it to make this faux-porcelain vase

Which goes SO much better in our apartment.
isn't he the sweetest? I LoVE him.....


And the final product.....

I also L.O.V.E.

Crazy??

...Some people may say that I am, after hearing about my adventure from yesterday.

I went on a hike with my good friends Christal and Daniel....yes, 6 months pregnant...

It wasn't a long hike...in fact, we had to cut it short because of the killer mosquitoes that were eating Christal and I alive! Thank goodness for the girls that gave us bug spray, so it was a lot more pleasant on our way back....but by that time we had a TON of horrible bites already...

A HUGE THANKS to both Daniel and Christal for taking turns carrying Noa on their backs!!!

I really don't think I could have gone on this hike carrying him the whole way...

We were surrounded by beautiful wooded scenery, a side of Hawaii I hadn't yet experienced.

...some interesting vegetation....

We went through some farms located behind the campus to get to the trail head...

I got much needed exercise and fresh air!....it felt so good to get out and be so close to nature.
so do I think I'm crazy for doing this?? ....Not at all!!
Overall, it was a fabulous day and an amazing hike! (minus the killer mosquitoes)

Plus, I got some amazing twigs/sticks out of it for my next project! ;)

More projects & some random thoughts...

 Pillows 2 & 3 are done!

Take a look.....

Rosettes are super easy to make and this simple pink pinstripe helps to tone down the other rather loud prints and designs on my couch...

I got the idea for this pillow from ...Vanessa at V and Co.
I just made the ruffles a little wider, and only on one side of the pillow.
I'm very excited about how it turned out, even though Chad thinks it's too girlie ;)

Testing out the new pillow.
...I think he likes it too :D

All of my sewing was done on this beauty...

Margaret....my friend Christal's vintage sewing machine.
She sews perfectly  and looks lovely too.
Thanks, Christal for letting me use your sewing machine!!

My next project I have planned is also super simple, yet super cute:

I made these paper roses using card stock and the spiral paper method.
I plan on making this:

by Dozi Design
Now, I just need to find some good twigs and branches lying around.....not so easy when you live on a tropical island with only one season all year-round.



On a more random note......

Noa fell asleep after having lunch in his high chair

I always have been envious of his long eye lashes...and today they seem to go on for miles.

Hubby is taking a photography class now.......am I jealous? YES...
He also took a photography class in high school

This photo was taken in his HS photography class and got high remarks.
It even got entered into a contest and was displayed in the library for everyone to see.
Appropriately titled: "Got milk?"  :)

oh, how I love my boys!

Fabulous finds & Apt decor

So what does a mom minus a child do with all that free time??

aside from working, sleeping, eating....etc, I have been frantically trying to decorate our rather drab and old apartment...planning, sewing, shopping, crafting...phew! SO much work!

Here is what I have come up with so far!

 I first found this fabulous idea HERE.

And when I came across these adorable plates, I just had to try it out!

I LOVE secondhand/thrift stores and these fabulous finds!

 all you need are cute decorative and functional plates...

 vases, candle holders, etc. for the stands....some epoxy, and voila!

 It's an easy, simple and inexpensive project that I just LOVE!

〜＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊〜

We have this awkward, impractical space in our living room wall, so I made this aqua curtain to cover it up! - and with some leftover fabric, made these flower curtain ties....

Now, onto pillow covers!

I have 3 pillows I have to cover, and 1 accent pillow to make.

and only the first pillow cover is completed!

It's reversible (?)  ... :)

...the details:

For an easy tutorial on zippered pillow cases....go here.

And last (for this post), but not least.....
my MUGs!!!
(we had these random hooks under our rather HIGH cabinets - what better to hang on them than fun, colorful mugs?)

Have I told you that I LOVE second-hand stores?!


Well, that's it for now....but there are plenty more projects that I am working on, so stay tuned!!!

Something that made me smile today...

As some of you may know, Chad and Noa have been visiting Chad's family in Vegas for the past 3 days {and yes, left ME all by myself on the island...}

I have missed them SO MUCH! more than I ever thought possible...

They just sent this to me and I wanted to share it with all of you, because it brightened up my day, and made me smile.

also, our dear friends, the Toma family, visited them today....

and Noa got to see his adorable girlfriend, Miu-chan :D

I so wish I could have been there.

Love you all!!!! and miss you tons!