3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

Three ingredients. That's it. 

Ready for them?

• 1 cup peanut butter (chunky or creamy-- whatever floats your boat)
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 egg

Mix 'er up.

Roll 'em up.

Crimp with a fork.

Into a 350 degree oven for ten minutes or until golden brown. The cookies will be soft for a while. You can eat them immediately, but they'll be gooey until they cool a bit. Which can be a good thing--depends on how you like your cookie.

Add a glass of milk for perfection.

They're delicious and dangerously simple.

Enjoy. :)

Cherries And My Wonderful Mother

My mother dropped by today.

She said she had a few things for me-- a little early birthday present.

Ok, I guess you can come on over. :)

And a half hour later she walked in the door with a handful of roses, a little wrapped present, and cherries.

Oh, she knows me well. 

She said she had to get the cherries because they were on sale and knew I loved them.

Good call.

The roses are pretty and the earrings (the little wrapped present) are perfect.

And the cherries were beautiful.

So I thought it was a great opportunity to practice my photography skills. I need the practice. Remember my awful hallway photos?




Hello, gorgeousness.


Cherries can be great photography subjects. They sit still when you're taking pictures.

However, these cherries were bad photography subjects.


They were too delicious.


They kept disappearing on me.

And then there was nothing left to photograph . . .

I love you, Mom.

On Projects In Progress And Decorating With Trends

So we're still working on things and have three projects in various stages of progress-- however none of them are finished yet. So I have a few "before" and "during" pictures. Hopefully the "finished" pictures will be forthcoming.

I'll make no promises when because we are on a summer pace, for sure.

The main thing we're working on is a mini hallway makeover. We were fortunate enough when we moved into our house a couple years ago to not have too much remodeling to do. Most of the house had been renovated-- walls were removed, ceiling were vaulted, counter tops and cabinets replaced, etc. However the hallway seemed to be forgotten. 

No joke. This hallway hardly gets any light. And I messed up my camera settings so a few of them are a little "fun house" looking.


The problem with the hallway was that it still had the original dark wood cabinets and trim, while the rest of the house has been painted with a lighter color palette and white trim. It is already a dark hallway, so the plan is to paint out the hallway to match the rest of the house and add new art work.

Here's the "fun house" picture:

So far, the all the wood has been sanded and I painted the wall around the corner-- with chalkboard paint.

I really had go through some introspection before coming to the decision to paint the wall with chalkboard.

And I didn't want to do something just because it's the thing to do now. I want my home to be a reflection of who we are and things we love--regardless of trends or decorating "rules".


I chose to go ahead and paint it because:

1. I truly love the look of chalkboard.
2. I had the materials already.
3. Most importantly, I will love to draw on that wall.

I used to love to draw. I still do, but I haven't taken the time to sit down and do it in a long time. This wall will give me an excuse to force myself to take the time and unleash my long-forgotten artistic side.

I'm not saying that decorating with trends is a bad thing. If you like to stay on top of the style trends and have the money to do so, then go for it. Just do what you love-- in keeping with proper priorities.

If you love something trendy (chevron, chalkboard, owls, etc.) here are a few things I would encourage you to consider:

• Do you really love it?
• In five years are you still going to love it?
• Can you afford it?
• Can you afford to change it if you don't love it in 5 years?
• Does it fit with the rest of your home?

If all the answers are "yes" then go for it!


Have you decorated with the trends?

5 Random, "Life Changing" Posts From Across Blogland

I'm in the middle of a few projects, so I have nothing finished to show you all. So I thought I'd share five completely random things from blogland that have "changed my life" for the better or at least-- made my life easier.

In no particular order at all:

1. How To Draw Like An Artist On A Chalkboard from In My Own Style

This post rocked my world this week. I've always admired the beautiful art from chalk professionals such as Dana Tanamachi. (If you're not familiar with her work, you really should "google" her.) In this post, Diane over at In My Own Style, shares some tips and resources to make chalk lettering easy. I've already been practicing on my canvas chalkboard.


2. Creamy Garlic Alfredo from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

I probably make this recipe too much. It's simple to make. It uses ingredients typically on hand. My husband requests it regularly. Winner, winner, pasta dinner! :)


3. DIY Nail Stickers from The Beauty Department

If you like to be creative with your nail art, you should check this out. Scotch tape-- who would have thought?! I used this technique for my flag nails.


4. Restaurant-Style Steak from Whit's Amuse Bouche

I was scared to make this steak for our anniversary dinner. It looked too easy. But it turned out so much better than I thought it would. I now believe it is the best way to cook a steak.


5. DIY Dry Shampoo For Dark Hair

Two ingredients (with an optional third). It may seem a little crazy, but it really works.


Have you all run across anything "life changing" lately?

It Took Me 26 Years But I Finally Scribbled On My Parents' Wall {Or How To Make Your Parents Paint}

I scribbled on my parents' wall with a sharpie.

:)

My parents moved into their current house eleven years ago. They had painted other rooms in their house, but hadn't gotten to painting the kitchen.

And there was this half-wall with outdated, slightly ripped wallpaper in their kitchen.

For. Eleven. Years.

So last week while I was visiting, my mom had to leave for her book club and left Josh, my Aunt Becky (her sister), and me unattended. So with some peer pressure, I decided if I wrote on her wall with sharpie, my parents would finally take care of the issue.

I went with a "coupon" for a painting assistant. Me. (It was only fair.)

(This picture was taken after the wallpaper removal was underway. It wasn't quite this bad in the beginning.)

A few days after the scribbling incident, my parents found time to paint. :)

I helped, of course.

And we couldn't have gotten anything done without my lovely, canine assistant:

Scraping off wallpaper sucks.

Thankfully, my parents didn't get mad. I think they are happy that it finally got done.

My aunt says I should scribble on more walls.

:)

Note: If you decide to scribble on your parent's walls, I am not responsible for any negative repercussions. Draw at your own risk.

Chalkboard Paint Stick Drink Tags

I received my Ballard Designs catalog in the mail the other day. Since I can't afford many of their beautiful products, I'm always on the lookout for inspiration for my own projects.

When I saw these beverage tags, I knew I could make something like that on my own.

I wanted to take it a step further and apply some of the chalkboard paint I still have on hand from my chalkboard canvas. Plus I thought it would give the tags more flexibility in labeling anyway.

A simple way to make these tags are with paint sticks!

You'll need:

• paint sticks
• utility knife
• drill
• chalkboard paint
• sandpaper (maybe)

1. Score the paint sticks where you would like the cut. If you score it well with the utility knife, it should make a clean break when you apply a little pressure. I say should, but there were a few times where the cut wasn't quite as clean, so I sanded down the edge a bit.

2. I then drilled a hole on one end. Since the paint sticks aren't that thick, you don't need to apply a lot of pressure while you're drilling. The weight of the drill should do most of the work.

3. You could stop there and write on words with a marker like the Ballard tags, or you could take it step further and get out your chalkboard paint. I have a chalkboard paint in a pint can, so I simply dipped the tags in the paint and hung them to dry.

It's best to wait 24 hours before writing on chalkboard paint.

Use your prettiest string or twine to tie them to your pitcher. I'm partial to baker's twine.

Linking to:
Home Stories A to Z's Tutorials and Tips Link Party

Uncommon's Uncommonly Yours Link Party

Not Just A Housewife's Show Me What Ya Got Link Party

Two Years Ago Today

I'm such a blessed woman.

I love him so, so much.