We all have our priorities

So we've been in our new house for a little over a week now and our kitchen still looks like this.

I had gotten it cleaned up and put together at one point, and then my husband came home last night with yet another truck load of all the random bits and pieces of things that we still hadn't packed up from the apartment. Boxes half unpacked, paint samples on the walls, counters completely covered in clutter...

So how do I choose to spend Phoebe's naptime?  Making cookies, of course!

I can't describe how much I love these cookies.  They are a soft, chewy gingerbread with butterscotch chips.  Even my husband - who hates gingerbread - loves these. 

I use the recipe from here, and my only changes are that I add a whole lot more of the amount of spice that it calls for, add some nutmeg, and use about a half a cup of dark molasses - because I just love molasses.  I probably go through at least five jars during the holiday season with all of the gingerbread I make. 

So I have two tips for making awesome cookies....

First of all, use a baking stone.  They cook evenly all around, the bottoms brown perfectly, and I have seriously never burned anything while them.

My next tip is to invest in a cookie scoop.  People thought I was incredibly silly when put one on my wedding registry, but it makes the nicest, most uniform cookies that look fantastic every time and you never have to get your hands all goopy.  Not to mention that I use it all the time in addition to cookie baking - meatballs, fruit, ice cream, candy making...  I promise you won't be sorry!

This was also my first time using my new oven, and I think it made them all that more delicious.

Past Project Friday

Every Friday I will be posting some sort of crafty project that I have completed in the past.  It could be anything from baking, to sewing, needlecrafts, art, decorating, etc.

This weeks Past Project Friday comes from last Easter.  Phoebe's lambie was made using Rashida's pattern from her book, I Love Patchwork.  I really can't express how much I love this little lamb - I seriously thought about keeping her for myself, but she deserves to be loved and squeezed and cuddled and fed grilled cheese by my little lambie.



I just can't resist that gummy smile :)

Drowning in paint chips

Thanks for being patient during my few and far between posts!  I've been running around like mad, trying to create some sort of order amongst all of the half-unpacked boxes and random pieces of furniture scattered throughout, all while catering to the tiny dictator of the house, known as my toddler.

My first order of business is to get the living room, dining room, and kitchen painted, since I refuse to put up any Christmas decorations until I can tolerate the color palette in this house!  I really like to paint - I find the entire process quite theraputic and I just love surrounding myself with color. 

Amazingly, the most stressful part for me is actually picking the color.  First I raid the paint store of almost every paint chip they have, spread them all over the floor, tape them to the walls, and agonize over finding the perfect shade for days (sometimes weeks).  And more times than not, once the room is painted I find something about the color that is just not right, so I start the entire process over and repaint (much to my husband's chagrin).

These blues/teals are going on a wall in my living room.  Since taking this picture, I painted the wall using the color swatch on the very top, ended up hating it, and already repainted it something of a more muted grey/blue which I'm completely in love with.  Stay tuned for the finished pictures.

And now - onto the dining room!