Mind Your Manners

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

holiday sillouette.

I love this project I found on Project:Domestic Bliss. Nikki found this sillouette in Ballard Design and decided she could make it.

She used simple and inexpensive pieces; such as red and white posterboard and canvas frame sides.

Ballard Design: $60.95

Project:Domestic Bliss: $9.53

Awesome.

Follow the link to Nikki's site above to get step by step instructions. She also has joined a group "Nifty Under 50" It's a challenge to create all her Christmas gifts for under 50 bucks! If you email her, she will send you a link to her "secret site."

sigh

i'm totally in daydream land today.

and it's not about the ring, but what the ring represents.

i am so blessed and happy that i have found the one my soul loves and i can't wait to spend my life with him.

he is amazing, silly, intelligent and warm...oh, did i mention stinkin' adorable.

i love him.

...now i just wait. *grin*

p.s. if you are wondering, those are Tiffany rings. i die.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Molasses Cookies.

Molasses cookies are such an excellent holiday treat. I found the best recipe from Martha Stewart (yes, she rocks the cookie recipes). They got rave reviews from my dad after we lost the traditional Molasses recipes...that means they are GOOD! :)

Ingredients
Makes 36
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a shallow bowl, place 1/2 cup sugar; set aside.
With an electric mixer, beat butter and remaining cup of sugar until combined. Beat in egg and then molasses until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in dry ingredients, just until a dough forms.
Pinch off and roll dough into balls, each equal to 1 tablespoon. Roll balls in reserved sugar to coat.
Arrange balls on baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. Bake, one sheet at a time, until edges of cookies are just firm, 10 to 15 minutes (cookies can be baked two sheets at a time, but they will not crackle uniformly). Cool 1 minute on baking sheets; transfer to racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 4 days.

I like to get Sugar in the Raw to roll the cookie dough balls in (after I roll it in granulated sugar to get the sweetness)...makes it pretty. You can find it at any grocery store.

Enjoy! :)