Please Be Patient with Me!

Sorry for the lack of post lately!!! I have been having trouble with Blogger, no more space for pics?! I will get things up and running as soon as I can. Thanks so much!

Happy Holidays!!!!

Holiday Yams

I am going to share with you the best recipe for yams!!!!!!!! I had never liked yams before, they always seemed so mushy and yucky (texture is important to me with food...). This recipe was introduced to me a few years ago by Chad's cousin and I was amazed :) For more proof on how good they are; last year I made them for my family for Thanksgiving dinner. I noticed my brother eating them and asked if he liked the yams I had made. He looked down at his plate, "These are Yams!? I thought it was some kind of dessert!" HAHA! Once you try these you will never go back! And they are super easy!!!

Nutty Candied Yams:

Topping:

1/2 c. Brown Sugar

1/4 c. Butter, softened

1/4 c Flour

3/4 c. Pecans

In a small bowl, mix together topping ingredients; set aside.

1/4 c. Butter

1/2 c. Orange juice

1/4 c. Brown Sugar

1 29 oz. can yams, cut into pieces and drained (I've used fresh yams as well and might even like it better..)

In a small saucepan, heat butter, orange juice, and b. sugar over low heat until melted together. Place Yams in 9x9in baking dish. Pour sauce on top. Sprinkle Yams with topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until browned. Serves 6. 

This is what is will look like before baking

My little girl loves this recipe too!! She gobbles it up pretty fast :)

DIY Roman Shades

I LOVE Roman Shades!! I believe they add so much more character to a room than just ordinary blinds :) However, they can be pricey. Would you believe it if I told you I made mine for about $8!!!! And NO SEWING!!! ha!

I made these curtains for our Kitchen, they turned out so well I just had to share! I made them using cheap blinds from Walmart as the base or skeleton of the curtains--I got mine for $4. Each curtain used one yard of fabric--which I bought at Hobby Lobby using a 40% off coupon! :) 

I found 2 different tutorials via Pinterest that were super helpful! You can see them for full details HERE and HERE, they both have really good details and pictures and since I did not take pictures during the process of making mine I will refer you to theirs :) One main tip that I learned is I would only use Fabric Glue. Both of these blogs use fabric glue and a hot glue gun. I found the fabric glue to dry a lot smoother, where the hot glue dried hard and clumpy and you could kind of see it through the fabric.

Let me know if you have any questions! Have fun! :) 

For Sale: $300 Tall Vintage Dresser

This dresser is beyond belief, it is soo pretty!! I wish I could keep it! ;) This tall dresser has 5 drawers, they are dovetail and in great condition. There is an unbelievable amount of detail on this dresser--detail you only see on vintage pieces!! We painted it a beautiful light blue-green color; lighter and more subtle than your average turquoise. 

Before Pic:

 After:

SOLD: $300 White & Gold Retro Dresser

White Dresser for sale! This dresser has a nice Retro vibe--with gold accents and the original knobs. All the drawers are dovetail and in great condition. 

Height=33 in.

Length= 64 3/4 in

Width=17 3/4 in

This dresser was fun to refurbish! I knew as soon as I saw it how I wanted to paint it :) I LOVED the original knobs that were on it and decided to keep them. We added the legs to make it look a little more elegant and not so squatty :)

Before picture:

After:

Our Home Tour: Kitchen & Dining

Our kitchen was looking pretty clean so I thought I better take advantage of the opportunity to do a little photo shoot :) Plus, I thought I should show you how it looks now before I get to work changing it! hehe! For Christmas I told Chad I just wanted the money to do some kitchen projects. I am so excited to start working on them soon and will update as I go! Here is the kitchen now:

DIY Stools my Hubby Built :)

Metal Wall Art turned Pot Hanger

DIY Roman Shades

DIY "Eat" Letters

 Refinished chairs and Dining table

 I Love having this tray on our table to keep things together, it keeps it from looking cluttered!

Stenciled Wall

Picture frame turned Chalkboard

 Refinished Retro Gold and White Dresser

Homemade Bagels

I love to cook. I took all the cooking classes that I could when I attended BYU. They were by far my favorite courses! :)..Pun intended hehe! This is a great basic bagel recipe that is easy, doesn't require many ingredients, and can be customized  with added flavors or toppings. I'm afraid I can not remember the original source of the recipe, just that I got it from a BYU family cooking class.

Yes-You Can-Bagels

2 cups warm water, about 110 degrees F 2 (1/4-ounce) packets active dry yeast 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon 5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal Optional Toppings: 1/2 cup lightly toasted chopped onions (2 teaspoons each) 2 tablespoons poppy seeds (about 1/2 teaspoon each) 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (about 1/2 teaspoon each) 1 tablespoon kosher salt (about 1/4 teaspoon each) *Cream cheese and jam for spreading Combine the water, yeast, and 3 tablespoons of the sugar in the bowl of an upright mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Gradually add 4 cups of the flour and the salt, and mix until the mixture comes together. Add 1 to 1 1/2 cups additional flour 1/2 cup at a time to make a stiff dough, either stirring with the wooden spoon or working with your hands. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky, about 5 minutes, adding just as much flour as needed. (Dough should be heavier and stiffer than regular yeast bread dough.) Grease a large bowl with 1 teaspoon of the oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until almost doubled, about 1 hour. Remove from the bowl and punch down the dough. Divide into 12 equal pieces, about 2 to 3 ounces each, measuring about 4 inches across. Form each piece of dough into a ball. Roll each ball into a 4 to 6-inch log. Join the ends and place fingers through the hole and roll the ends together. Repeat with the remaining dough. Place on a lightly greased surface, cover with a clean cloth, and let rest until risen but not doubled in a draft-free spot, 20 to 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet with the remaining teaspoon of oil. In a large, heavy pot, bring 12 cups of water and the remaining tablespoon of sugar to a boil. In batches, add the bagels to the water and boil, turning, for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Flip bagels onto the prepared sheet pan. Bake for 5 minutes, turn over and cook for another 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

Family Pictures

Its that time of year again, when you start thinking of the Holidays and sending out Christmas cards. I actually really love this time of year! I'm already getting excited thinking about eating Turkey and wrapping presents. I even have a pile of presents started in our basement ;) And I have been waiting to do our pictures so I could start designing our card :)

Stacy took our family pictures this past weekend! She did an amazing job! We started outside but the rain pushed us in and we ended with a great indoor shoot!

I was SOOO excited to discover this old bus in a field not

far from our house! It was the perfect backdrop :)

I love my family!!!!!

 She's my best little buddy :)

 My handsome Hubby :)

Hahah! Love this funny smile of Lucy that Stacy was able to capture :)

Our Sweet Baby girl.....

Can you tell she is the center of our lives?

We love how these turned out!!!!!!!! We did a few Christmas specific pictures as well, but you will have to wait to see those! ;) I love my little family so much! I am so blessed to spend each day with them!