The smell of snow and flannel shirts.

Its snowing like crazy here in Arkansas. All I can think about is how bad I wish I had a kitchen full of things to bake. But I don't. Also I can smell the homemade bread my dorm Mom is making from all the way upstairs and its killing me. So these recipes might be making things worse..but I will tell you about them anyway=)


Sayy whhhat! Whole wheat sugar cookies! Oh goodness..

Whole Wheat Chocolate Brown Sugar Sugar Cookies

Makes:  about three dozen cookies
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder.  Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fit with a paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugars.  Beat until well incorporated.  Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl.  Add the egg.  Beat on medium speed until mixture is glossy and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Stop mixer and add the dry ingredients all at once.  Mix on low speed until all of the flour is incorporated  Stop mixer and finish incorporating ingredients with a spatula.  Spoon batter out onto a sheet of waxed paper, and form loosely into a log.  Roll and seal cookie dough and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.


I really want to try these. I make pancakes for the girls that live on my hall ( I am an RA) on Saturday mornings. I am wondering if they will go for these. Humm maybe I will just make them and see if they notice.

Chai Spiced Buttermilk Pancakes
2 eggs
2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
healthy pinch of ground cloves
scant 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns (or a dash of freshly ground black pepper)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup brewed black chai tea
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
oil or cooking spray (for cooking)

Thanks to  Joy the Baker  for teasing me with these recipes.

Love! From my snowy cabin aka my warm dorm room.

-Amanda

Its February!

Yess! I really like the month of February. Honestly, most months that have fun holidays in them I get really into. I am a slightly cheesy person and get really excited about giving into traditions and getting wrapped up in each different season.
So February to me means lots of girly colors, sweets, pretty flowers, and the continuation of wearing warm scarves, boots and my favorite leather jacket.Anyway. Today I wanted to show you some fun Valentine craft ideas that are a little different and maybe more fun than the Jonas Brother valentines I sent a couple of years ago..(at least I'm admitting it.)


This project would be cool for anytime really. I like the skeleton key shape a whole lot but you can be creative and do whatever shapes you want!

You can use little trinkets,things you find around the house,old pieces of jewelery you don't care about anymore, or even things that are significant to you and your special someone.

 see instructions for this wall art idea here!


I see paper dollies used for seriously everything these days. These envelopes are a cute way to make a note more personal. I think I will make one for my mom=) Source!

I LOVE FLOWERS!! There are so many pretty options that are in reds,pinks,and whites right now and I am always wanting to find ways to keep them in my dorm room. When I saw this idea I seriously could not wait till I got some fresh flowers.

and this means I also get to take a trip to Sonic happy hour to get the carrier=)

find out how its done here=)

These are just plain cute. I don't know..might be a bit more tricky to actually do than the others but I still really like them. Homemade bow and arrows make real cool decorations.

source!

And here are two desktop calenders that can help keep you in a winter mood. I really love the second one, I  print the Free People calenders off every month and put them by my desk in my room.

dearest.

FP

Hope you enjoy this month as much as I do friends. Shalom-Amanda.

 

“To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others."

- Francois Mauriac



twinkle lights...I would.

My first post! If you know me at all you know that I have a fixation with lighting. Lighting has to be a certain way depending on my activity at the moment. It is different for reading,studying,talking with friends,getting ready, on and on. I like finding fun ways besides lamps to provide appropriate lighting for my mood. =) I especially love lighting that comes from old white wire Christmas lights...ahm...twinkle lights=) They make me very happy. I cant always handle the overhead lighting of my dorm so these are a softer option. I have seen lots of different ways to recycle your lights left over from the holidays but these are a few of my favorites...try them!!

This one is using a black chalkboard with small holes drilled into it just the right size for the twinkle light bulbs to poke through. I like this one because you can come up with different designs using patterns or words and still write on the board. I would really love to try it in the shape of a tree or a skyline.

source!

Of course mason jars or old wine bottles (esp. darker colored ones) serve as a good home for the lights

whether they are hanging like this..

or the way I have them in my dorm room along side some other jars like this..

This one is used from an old drum style lamp shade. All you have to do is wrap the lights around the shade and attach the shade with hooks into the ceiling. I wanna try!!

And this tent makes it even better

source!

YAY for soft lighting! Shalom, Amanda.