I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

For those of you that are on the edge of your seat about my latest fluffy cookies, here is an update.

First of all, thank y'all SO much for all the cookies input! We love getting comments and it was so fun to get ones with cookie tips! It is because of y'all that I have made any progress at all.

Sweet Julia commented and attached a link to a recipe that she said solved her flat cookie problem. When I read the ingredients I was very surprised to see vanilla pudding and crisco in the recipe. Those were both new to me but I was ready to give it a shot so the next morning I went straight to the store to get my pudding and crisco.

Ella has been loving this lets bake cookies every day phase I'm going through.

It really worked! Look how beautiful my cookies turned out! Thank you Julia! Click here to get recipe.

I have nothing bad to say about these cookies, they really were so good and the perfect amount of fluff. But...Kristen's cookies can not be toped. They really are the best cookie I have ever had. So now that I know I am capable of baking a fluffy cookie I am going to give Kristen's recipe a few more tries with some of y'alls great tips! On a random note, all this talk about fluffy has made me think of my favorite book called A Porcupine Named Fluffy. I read it to Ella tonight and she loved it too. It's pretty funny so if you are looking for a good children's book you should totally check it out.

Anyways, thank you guys so much again and I will keep you updated.

cabin fever

 We are on day 9 of McKenna's tummy bug and it has been a long 9 days...

She has finally begun to improve each day but still not 100%. My mom came in town Friday to help me out for a couple days and it was so nice to have her here. Unfortunately she now has the tummy bug. Sorry mom.

While my mom was here I started working on Ella's halloween costume. I don't have it all finished to show you yet but it involves a dress with patches sewed on, two mismatched knee high socks, brown boots,  orange hair spray, two braids and a coat hanger:) 

Some other inside activities that I have attempted (and failed at) over the last 9 days are perfecting my chocolate chip cookies and crocheting. 

Thank y'all so much for the tips on my flat cookies! I wish I could say they worked. I think it's me, not the ingredients. I have bought all fresh ingredients and even put my dough in the freezer for about 20 minutes before baking them and still my result is always the same. flat as a board. After seeing this cookie recipe on pinterest I really thought my luck was about to change. The caption under the picture said "fluffiest, chewiest, most amazing chocolate chip cookies." The recipe called for cornstarch which was supposed to be the magical ingredient that made them so fluffy. I don't doubt the recipe at all. I am sure that 99.9% percent of people that make these cookies have full success. I am that .1%. Next time Kristen and I get together she is going to stand over my shoulder while I bake. I am not giving up on this.

Then I watched youtube videos for hours learning how to crochet bows and flowers. Once again I need Kristen standing over my shoulder. She's a pro.

Maybe next time I should make the big and chunky one for my big girl and the small and dainty one for my baby. 

You guys remember my Granny's chairs that have been on my to-do list for months now?

I still have to paint them and recover the cushions but I at least got them sanded down and ready for the next step. 

My plan was to paint them a very light grey (or is it gray? I never know how to spell it) but because I already own a bucket of white paint in the garage that just sounds easier so they will probably end up white just like I did the dining room table.

I have no idea what fabric to recover the cushions with. I already had this navy and white stripe fabric from ikea but it might be a little bold for the chair. 

I don't know, I will have to see what it looks like when the chairs are white.

Anyways, hope everyone is having a great week and staying well!

Knit Dress

I finally finished the first knitted project (that wasn't a scarf). 

  I saw this on the lion brand website and its pretty obvious that I don't really understand what "check your gage" means...

Ok.  It was supposed to be for a six month old.

And now it is perfect for a small, fat child. Not quite an infant.

It is the absolute weirdest size.

But its finished.
I added the ruffles on the sleeves and the crochet edging.
Then I made aves try it on,

and its more of a shirt for her.

I wish sass would try it on but I am pretty sure that would kill her.

You can even be active in it :)
I know its weird.
Maybe I could bring it in on the sides?
And its kind of heavy.  and bulky.
oh gosh.  Learning more as I type this.

And yesterday they both got a new purse and busted out their modeling skills.



So, moral of the story, I really need to work on how I measure things when I am knitting.
Or "check my gage".
Ill go google it.

My son is crazy, I finished the chairs and I made some quick pillows

How about that for a title? 

This is what I woke up to this mornin'

but not just this,

His arms and hands;

His legs too.
And his back.
I asked him if he did it or if Sassy did it, and he said he did it.
hmm...
Someone is either a liar, or has an amazing stretch armstrong arm to get to his back.
I can think of so many uses for a stretch arm...
I wonder if he did everything he could reach and just not his back or if Sassy did it all.
I guess the truth will come out eventually?
Probably not.
We can never say he is not a fan of color.
Oh, and I finished the chairs.
I was really nervous at first and did not love them.


They are pretttttyyyy bright.
If you are looking at these and kind of cringing because you realize that they don't really go with the walls- its ok, just look away.  And then come back.  They may grow on you?
(Not at night though.  They really only look their best in natural light.)
Oh well.  I am definitely not painting those things again.
That took a lot of paint. And time.
(Pencil by Martha Stewart if you were wondering).
The other day I saw these pillows in Rue and immediately wanted to copy them.

I know they aren't as lush or pretty, but you get the idea.
Ok, they look a sad attempt, but they are done.
I just did a basic envelope pillow. Took just a sec.  Freshly Picked has a great tutorial.
I looked back on it and realized later that the girl I was copying was just a single girl and maybe I am turning my house pink and yellow a little too fast.
Jeff, I hope you don't mind.  You can totally nix the pillows or the chairs.

Here is to a new looking house for now.
Now if I only had a rug to really tie the room together...

Chalkboard Paint Crazy

And when I say crazy, I mean crazy.  It just hit me and I really ran with it.

Hard.

At about 4:30 yesterday I up and decided now would be the time to paint my kitchen with chalkboard paint.  I have wanted to do it for a while now, but I don't know what came over me.  Maybe that I had gone like 12 hours without a new project or that my kids were actually napping or that the color in my kitchen finally grossed me out enough that I had to never see it again- I don't know.

But I did it.

And I LOVE IT!

(don't judge my clutter.  I am a refrigerator decor hoarder)
and so do the kids.

Then we took that chalkboard paint and used it to paint some pumpkins.

They got pretty into that too.


Very into painting. Serious face.

They weren't the prettiest pumpkins around, but they were efficiently painted.

and terribly decorated.  I know.  I am not an artist. (as if that was in question)

and my mother in law got me two of these fantastic chalk boards when she went to round top

(Do y'all want lessons on how to be an amazing artist? clearly I should give them)
and now I am painting my chairs...

I may need an intervention.
at least its not chalkboard paint :)