Winter Vacation 2015


We recently returned from our winter vacation, we had such a wonderful time last year, we decided we had to go back to the same place again this year and were not disappointed. 

 The cabin is huge, but still incredibly cozy. Oh, and the best part, is that it snowed the entire time we were there! There was at least 6 inches of fresh snow every morning.  I seriously have not seen so much snow since I was a little kid. We were falling through it as we walked in it. 
The kids could not get enough of it, they didn't even want to come inside for lunch.

 We built snowmen, forts, had snow ball fights, went sledding and ice skating. 
This years getaway was like a dream, everything I could have ever wanted. Snow, wood burning fireplace, good food and most important family and friends. 

We had such an amazing time and the 4 days flew by in a blink of an eye. We made so much memories, and I am so glad that I took pictures, I have printed them and put them into our albums. We have a family album and each kid has their own album. They love looking through the pictures and talking about all the special moments. 

Here are a some pictures of our trip :)


--the back yard is amazing--

-- the living room--                          -- these icicles are so pretty--

--me and my big kids--

--my kidos loved the snow--

Winter/Christmas House tour


This is my absolute favorite time on the year!

The cold outside does not bother me, because I know that I have this cozy little home to come home to, filled with the people I love. The house is looking so lovely with the twinkling lights and smells amazing with candles and all the new recipes I am trying. 

This is the season on celebrating our Christ the savior. So I am bringing light,  joy and happiness into my home. 

My home tour may not be extravagant, but it is mine and I love it. I thank our God everyday for the home he gave me and the loving family that fills it. 














Thanks for visiting, and I hope you all have a great holiday season,




Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars


We love snickerdoodle cookies in our home, and these just take it to a whole new level. 
They are amazing! We all love them, I have to control myself with only one or two. 


INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE CRUST:

  • 12 full size graham crackers
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING:

  • 2 packages (8oz each) cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon

FOR THE SNICKERDOODLE LAYER:

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup  chopped pecans

FOR THE TOPPING:

  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • DIRECTIONS:


    1. Line a 13x9 baking dish with parchment paper. Set aside. Preheat oven for 350 degrees.
    2. In a food processor, pulse graham crackers with pecans and sugar until fine crumbs. Add in melted butter and pulse until combined.
    3. Press crumbs into bottom of prepared baking dish. 
    4. For the cheesecake filling, beat cream cheese with sugar, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon using the whisk attachment of an electric mixer. Beat until fluffy and smooth (about 3-4 minutes). Pour over graham crust.
    5. For the cookie dough, beat butter with sugar for 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat thoroughly. Add in baking powder, salt, flour and cinnamon and beat until fully combined. Fold in chopped pecans. Scoop dough by large spoonfuls onto the top of the cheesecake layer. Try to use your fingertips to spread gently until cheesecake layer if fully covered.
    6. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon topping. Sprinkle generously over the cookie dough layer.
    7. Bake for 30-35 minutes. That's okay. Remove from oven and cool completely. Once cooled, cover and refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight. Cut into squares and enjoy.


 Thanks for visiting, 




Homemade Mac and Cheese


Once the kids see that we are having mac and cheese for dinner, 
there are always whoops for joy. 
We actually all love this dish, I serve it with a side salad and it makes a wonderful dinner.

Click HERE to print. 

Ingredients

  • 1 package of elbow macaroni
  • 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 3 cups milk
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • pepper and garlic salt


  • Crumb topping:
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 pinch paprika


Directions

  1. Cook macaroni according to the package directions. Drain.

  2. In a medium saucepan, melt butter or margarine over medium heat. Stir in enough flour to make a roux. Add milk to roux slowly, stirring constantly. Stir in cheeses, and cook over low heat until cheese is melted and the sauce is a little thick. 

  3. Add the cooked macaroni into the cheese sauce. Stir well and transfer to a casserole dish. 

  4. Melt butter or margarine and a pic of paprkia in a skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and brown. 

      Spread the crumb topping over the mac and cheese. 

  1. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

      Thats it, enjoy. 





Big Girl Room



Little Miss Emily got her own room! Yay, we are all excited for this big change. Before this, my two older kidos shared a room, but the time came to split them up. My son would keep my daughter awake talking and asking question after question late into the night, he is at that curious age :). 
With Emily starting school in a few days, I figured that a good nights sleep was important, so her own room was a must. 

You can see their old shared room here.  

Now we have a girls room and a boys room

This room was the playroom before, you can see it here. First thing I did was give it a nice fresh coat of paint. I used my favorite gray color Sterling by Behr. I have it in about 75% of my house and I am planning to paint the rest of it with the same color soon. 















I have been wanting to create a gallery wall somewhere in my house for a while now, and it was really fun to create this one here. I started to gather inexpensive pictures and frames here and there for a few weeks and am pretty happy how it turned out. 



See how I painted the dresser here
Duvet is from Pottery Barn Teen
Bed is from IKEA
Pouf is from Land of Nod
Rug is from Rugs USA
Blackout Drapes are from Pottery Barn Teen





IKEA Malm Dresser Hack (before and after)



I have been busy this month trying to finish up some of the projects on my to do list before school starts. As I was working on my daughters room, I decided to paint her dresser to give it a new look. Her IKEA MALM dresser was very functional but a little boring.
After a little bit of paint, some new knobs and overlays, it looks like a completely different piece of furniture. 

I ordered the overlays from here. There are so many options for different IKEA furniture, you can truly customize your own furniture and make it one of a kind. 

I found the knobs at home depot, I believe I paid about $30 for all 8.

If you want an approximate cost breakdown:

Dresser: $99.99
Overlays: $28.00
Paint: $16.00
Knobs: $30.00
Poly seal: $8.00 

Total: $181.99

Off course I already the dresser from a few years back, so it cost me $82 to refinish the dresser. 





I bought hi-gloss paint with built in primer at home depot, I used a small roller and gave it 2 coats. 
After the paint was dry, I sealed it with two coats of polyurethane, which I also applied with a small roller. 
The next day after my dresser was dry, I measured and drilled my holes and put in my hardware. Afterwards I superglued my overlays on. 







 Have you done any IKEA Hacks lately? Leave a link below, I would love to see your project :)

Thanks for visiting, 












Boys Room









It was so refreshing to actually be able to create a "boys" room. You see, before my daughter and son shared a room, and it was difficult to create a space for both of them. You can see their old rooms here and here

My older son is sleeping in this room now, and eventually my baby boy will move in here within the next year. I personally do not like bunk beds, it is such a pain to change the sheets and make the beds everyday :( but I think it is well worth the space we are able to get for playing.

I painted the walls my favorite shade of gray: Sterling by Behr from Home Depot, the bunk beds are from pottery barn and were an amazing steal on craigslist. The bedding is from target, the yellow bookshelf is from overstock, and the rest of the furniture is from IKEA.

 Thanks for visiting, 


Chebureki - Чебуреки


Chebureki are a common Russian street food, they can be a great appetizer or main dish. We can snack on them all day long or you can serve them with a soup or salad for a full meal.

I take a shortcut and use store bought raw/uncooked tortillas, and they taste oh so good!

Ingredients

-12 uncooked tortillas ( usually found near the fresh salsa, and cheese at the grocery store)
-1 lb chicken (2 chicken breasts)
-1 lb beef
-1 egg
-1 small onion
-3 cloves of garlic
-2 tsp salt   (or to your taste preference)
-1/4 tsp of pepper  (or to your taste preference)

To seal tortilla:
 -1 egg white
-pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Grind 1 lb of chicken, 1 lb of beef, 1 small onion, garlic cloves into a medium sized bowl.
I have this attachment for my stand mixer, which I have had for 10 years and it still works great!

2. Add egg, pepper/salt to the meat mixture and mix well. (I use my stand mixer to mix it well)

3. Take tortillas and place about 2 tablespoons of the meat filling on one side of the tortillas, leaving a 1 inch space at the edges.

4. Whisk together egg white and a pinch of salt.

5. Brush the egg white mixture around the edges and fold the tortilla in half, sealing the filling inside.

6. Pinch the sides together by pressing a fork all around the edge, to seal the filling.

7. In a heavy skillet, cover the bottom with about 1 inch of oil and heat.

8. Fry 2 tortillas at a time, flipping when golden brown.

9. Drain on paper towels before serving.


Enjoy!

Click Here for the printable version