as seen in my kitchen

Fruit Dream Cookies aka cherry koolaide sugar cookies

I was making cookies the other day to take to Kalla's piano recital this past weekend.  

These cookies had been on a 'need-to-try' list for some time.  

They are in my BHG The Ultimate Cookie Book (probably a impulse buy at Sam's one day last year).

They are called Fruit Dream cookies.

And yes they are dreamy.  YUM YUM

Definitely will be making them again....in perhaps grape flavor.

I think these would also make great sandwich cookies with buttercream squished in between two.

Or vanilla ice cream.

Here's the recipe:

1/2C butter, softened

1/2C shortening

1C granulated sugar

1/2C sugar-sweetened fruit drink (I used cherry flavored koolaide)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2C all-purpose flour

1 1/2C white baking pieces

colored or coarse sugar (I used rainbow colored sugar sprinkles)

Preheat oven to 375F.  In large mixing bowl beat butter and shortening on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.  Add sugar, drink mix, baking powder and baking soda.  Beat til combined.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Then beat in flour and baking pieces.  Cover and chill for about 30 minutes.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in coarse sugar or sprinkles.  Place on baking sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes until edges are just set (centers should be soft).  Let stand for 2 minutes then transfer to cooling rack.

They are of course just melt in your mouth dreamy right out of the oven.  

Beginnings of a bedroom makeover

Time for a change.  I'm aiming to spruce up and change my bedroom a bit this summer.  I'm going from way colorful to a more sophisticated gray.  I hope.  The walls are apple green with lots of red in my room too.  I don't want to have to paint the bedroom (unlike the other bedrooms, this is a large room with high ceilings....it took me like 2 years to paint it originally!)  But I wanted a little bit plainer bed.  Problem with changing up the bed is that we have a giant king sized bed.  Bedding is not cheap in that size!  But I found this wonderful gray quilt on the clearance aisle at Target.  Perfect.  Then I did some online fabric shopping to make pillow cases and shams.  The fabric didn't turn out how it looked online and the 2 color pattern is looks actually brown instead of gray, but I think I can make it work.

And no, the most excellent elephant teapot is not necessarily for my bedroom, but I was SOOOO excited to scoop up the last one at Target he got in the photo too.  I saw those things on an ad or something and was VERY moved that this was just something that I really needed in my life.  Was bummed when I went to find one and they were gone.  And lo and behold, my next shopping trip I found one lovely teal elephant waiting to go home with me.  :)

Here's what I'm living with now.  I loved loved my funky painted headboard, but now it's time for change.  

(If you are looking to paint or wallpaper a headboard and want the template for this shape you can find it here and article here).  

I really want a modern white leather tufted headboard, but not patient enough to save the $$$ for that. 

 I think I've got a DIY solution (that doesn't require a saw) I'm going to try as soon as school is out.

This summer the boys' room is getting a total makeover too.  Just need to decide which color to paint.

Mother's Day take II

So how was your Mother's Day?  What did ya do?

Mine started off lovely.  Beautiful day.  Hubby set his alarm early to make us all breakfast.  

I was showered with lots of handmade drawings, paper flowers and cards. 

 And a few fresh flowers as well.  

Boys actually wore polo shirts to church with their shorts...only for my special day would they get so fancy. 

 I wore a newly thrifted linen H&M shirt dress with my new fancy necklace I ordered from a friend.  

Went to fav Mexican restaurant with friends (party of 15, only 6 were adults).  Chicken fajitas.  Every year this restaurant hands out a rose to every mother on Mother's Day.  Kids behaved at lunch.  It was bliss.

Then I came home and suddenly became very ill and was in bed the rest of the day.  Only coming out at 6pm to sit on the couch and watch AFV with the kids.  

They ate McD's and I had half a bag of plain goldfish and a sprite.  

Far cry from the steaks I was going to have hubby grill, the fresh milkshakes I was going to make, eating on the deck and playing with the kids.  ugh.  stupid stomach.

And I had planned to make a trip to Home Depot to by flowers and plants.  Instead spent the day in a dark room mostly alone.  Hubby did have the kids clean the house for me and was a nice surprise when I got up.

Anyway, today I'm feeling a bit better.  

So Maressa and I hit HD this morning and bought lots of lovely plants and some bushes for the front yard.

  We got some red geraniums, some white thingamijigs and some green leafy vine-y things for two large planters I got at Target earlier this year.  I've never had a container garden before.  

Any any other kind for that matter.  I think it turned out well. 

 M was SO excited to help me.  Til she got dirt on her feet.  

She changed shoes 3 times, then called it quits and waited for me to finish and she would water them.  

Then her dress got wet and we had to change that too.

I'm slowly working on a deck makeover.  This old vintage metal glider is getting quite the color face lift.

Oh how much I love this color.  And spray paint.

Speaking of, inspired by Julie's post, I painted a jar (first picture) for my new flowers.

Definitely loving the painted jar look. :)

Deck makover to be revealed very soon!

When I forget how big I'm blessed

When you are frustrated, losing your patience, having a bad day here is your prescription.
Listen, sing along and repeat.  :)

Don't hate me because my refrigerator is beautiful

Or rather really REALLY clean!!

One of the benefits of no electricity and having all your food spoil and be thrown out.  :)  And there was no choice in cleaning every nook and cranny, lest stink, stink STINKY house!  ;)

Slowly filling it back in.  We won't mention the nastiness I found under all the drawers.

Tomorrow kids finally go back to school.  No word on whether we make it up or not.  If so that will make 2 full weeks between this and our snow to make up.  yuck.

But for now I'm gonna enjoy that my kids are playing nicely and I don't have to play taxi driver today and put on Everybody Loves Raymond on the travel dvd player in my sewing room and get busy.  My sewing machine and I need to rekindle our relationship.  :)

Blessings in the Dark

Hello bloggy friends.  I'm not sure how many of you are aware that I live in north AL.  Yeah, that little part of the country that just got devastated by massive tornadoes.
In my neck of the woods we didn't get much damage.  But it doesn't take much of a drive to see areas that look like a bomb went off. 
We however did endure a minor inconvenience.  We have been without power/electricity for almost 5 days.
Sounded really crazy Thurs morning when listening to a radio that we would be without for so long.
Now it feels weird to hear the sound of my dishwasher and washing machine running as I write this.

Oh and kids still haven't gone back to school.  It's been like a camping vacation in our own home.

We had a really nice set up though.  We have a gas water heater and stove.  Yep hot showers and hot meals....we were super blessed!!

Here you can't see the hail on the deck.

Supposedly there was a tornado spotted just up the street from me, but it never touched down.

A lake was dumped into our yard in less than 10 mins.

A break after the first wave of storms...the couch cushions are in our most interior room. 

Kids prepared with their flashlights.

Next few days.  We had land line in and out over those days.  Luckily I had this old cord phone...the kids asked me what kind of phone this was.  Our cell phones did not work for days...or was very spotty..not to mention only way to charge was in our cars.

I got dishpan hands.  :)

This is how our front door remained for days all day.  Kids lived outside.

So of course there were/are many flies in my house...ick!

Our lizard required a heat lamp.  He seemed fairly happy in the sunshine.

We played and lived outside. 

 Board games and other things on a picnic blanket in the shade in the front yard.

We ate every meal but breakfast outside.

This was our entertainment unit.  

My old school 'jam box' I had in high school came in quite handy.  

We got all our info from radio and some entertainment at night with the crazy people calling in to the stations...lol

After we put the kids to bed at night, hubby and I played 'black out basketball for an hour. 

 Then we'd sit and listen to the radio by candle light.

Speaking of, luckily the kids' sound machines they sleep with took batteries and I used battery operated tea lights for make shift night lights.  They were pretty comfy.

This was truly an amazing experience.  Neighbors were out everywhere.  

Sharing generators, checking on each other, passing info, bringing bags of ice.

Shopping at Target in the dark is an eerie experience.

Ice and bread were really hard to come by for a few days.

People were panicking in the beginning and driving hours away for supplies and waiting in 3 hour long lines for the few gas stations opened in the area.

The best was having a crowd of people over for 'meat fest' when we grilled all our thawed out meat.

Today after a full day of power, Kalla said she missed not having electricity.

I understand her sentiment.

Hope you all count your blessings.

Prayers for all those who lost family and homes from this storm.