Project Fat Ass, I'm on it....

So, my 30lb weight loss for my 30th bday is not going to happen.  Boo. I'd like to say I ate healthy and exercised...but I didn't.  I eat relatively healthy, but I am a glutton for dessert.  Yep, I {heart} baked goods!  It wouldn't be as bad, but I can bake. Really well.  So, 30lbs isn't happening :(

I did see this on pinterest and I am on it.  I can handle this, it's a 30 day challenge.

I did it today...my calves are dying :)  In a good way, if there is a good death for your calves.


-Make your life beautiful!
 

Thanksgiving Tablescape

Happy Thanksgiving!!  

Our Thanksgiving is laced with tradition, from the pies, turkey, and mash potatoes to the stuffing (which is not stove top!!  wink wink mom!! :)  My mom makes kick ass stuffing in the bird from my grandpa's recipe.  I may have suggested I could just make stove top....and that's the story of how I almost ruined Thanksgiving :)  Just kidding!

-Make your life beautiful!


SUNDAY: The Girl Creative ,The DIY Showoff ,Sisters of the Wild West ,The Tattered Tag ,Flamingo Toes, Under the Table and Dreaming , I Heart Nap Time  MONDAY:Skip To My Lou, Thrifty Decor Chick, C.R.A.F.T., Sew Can Do, Dittle Dattle, Between Naps On the Porch, Homemaker on a Dime,  Making the World Cuter TUESDAY: Tip Junkie, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Today's Creative Blog, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Strictly Homemade, A Diamond in the Stuff, Handmade Tuesday, Stories from A to Z WEDNESDAY: Primitive and Proper, Blue Cricket Design, Not Just A Housewife, Someday Crafts, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Organize Your Stuff Now, Seven Thirty Three, Sugar and Dots The Mommy Club  THURSDAY: My Repurposed Life, Paisley Passions, House of Hepworths, Beyond The Picket Fence, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Somewhat Simple, Inspired by Charm FRIDAY: Remodelaholic, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Miss Mustard Seed, Chic on a Shoestring, Shabby Nest, Tidy Mom, Little Lucy Lu, My Simple Home Life, Whipperberry, 
SATURDAY: Funky Junk Interiors, be Different Act Normal, Tatertots and Jello, Young and Crafty

Hershey's Brownies and Hot Cocoa

I am posting these because they are my absolute favorite recipes made with cocoa powder.  I use to buy the box brownies and the packet cocoa.  One day I wanted brownies and googles them....

Ultimate Chocolate Brownies

Skill Level:

Intermediate

Prep Time:

20 Minutes

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted and divided
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips or HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (I don't use these...because I never have them sitting around.)
• ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING(recipe follows) (I don't make this either!)

Directions

1. 1 Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan or two 8-inch square baking pans.
   
2. 2 Stir together cocoa and baking soda in large bowl; stir in 1/3 cup butter. Add boiling water; stir until mixture thickens. Stir in sugar, eggs and remaining 1/3 cup butter; stir until smooth. Add flour, vanilla and salt; blend completely. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into prepared pan.
   
3. 3 Bake 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan, 30 to 35 minutes for square pans or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Frost with ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING. Cut into squares. About 36 brownies.
   
   ONE-BOWL BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
   6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
   2-2/3 cups powdered sugar
   1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
   1/3 cup milk
   1 teaspoon vanilla extract
   
   Beat butter in medium bowl. Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with milk,
   beating to spreading consistency (additional milk may be needed). Stir in vanilla.
   About 2 cups frosting.

It was kind of the same deal with the hot cocoa.  The girls were out playing in the snow and wanted hot chocolate and I found this on the back of the cocoa powder container :)

Hot Cocoa

Skill Level:

Beginner

Prep Time:

25 Minutes

Nutrition Info

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• Dash salt
• 1/3 cup hot water
• 4 cups (1 qt.) milk
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Miniature marshmallows or sweetened whipped cream (optional)

Directions

1. 1 Stir together sugar, cocoa and salt in medium saucepan; stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil and stir 2 minutes. Add milk; stirring constantly, heat to serving temperature. Do Not Boil.
   
2. 2 Remove from heat; add vanilla. Beat with rotary beater or whisk until foamy. Serve topped with marshmallows or whipped cream, if desired. Five 8-oz. servings.
   
   VARIATIONS: Add one of the following with the vanilla extract:
   
   SPICED COCOA: 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Serve with cinnamon stick, if desired.
   
   MINT COCOA: 1/2 teaspoon mint extract OR 3 tablespoons crushed hard peppermint candy OR 2 to 3 tablespoons white creme de menthe. Serve with peppermint candy stick, if desired.
   
   CITRUS COCOA: 1/2 teaspoon orange extract OR 2 to 3 tablespoons orange liqueur.
   
   SWISS MOCHA: 2 to 2-1/2 teaspoons powdered instant coffee.
   
   COCOA AU LAIT: Omit marshmallows or whipped cream. Spoon 2 tablespoons softened vanilla ice cream on top of each cup of cocoa at serving time.
   
   SLIM-TRIM COCOA: Omit sugar. Combine cocoa, salt and water; substitute nonfat milk. Proceed as above. With vanilla, stir in sugar substitute with sweetening equivalence of 1/2 cup sugar.
   
   CANADIAN COCOA: 1/2 teaspoon maple extract.
   
   MICROWAVE SINGLE SERVING: Combine 1 heaping teaspoon HERSHEY'S Cocoa, 2 heaping teaspoons sugar and dash salt in microwave-safe cup or mug. Add 2 teaspoons cold milk; stir until smooth. Fill cup with milk. Microwave at HIGH (100%) 1 to 1-1/2 minutes or until hot. Stir to blend; serve.

Brownies source
Hot Cocoa Source

Thanksgiving Checklist part 2

Thanksgiving Checklist

This is a list of crap I would like to accomplish by Thanksgiving.

1.  Trim Painted in Living Room
2.  Dining Room Chairs Painted
3.  New Microwave and Dishwasher
4. Doors in Living Room and Dining Room Painted Black
5. Back Door Painted Red
6. Reupholster Living Room Chair


Well, I've gotten a lot done.  Not sure the dishwasher and microwave is going to happen...we'll see.  The back door is definitely not getting painted red before Thanksgiving.  I forgot to buy the paint.  I have however cleaned and cleaned and then cleaned some more.  I loathe cleaning.  LOATHE IT!  I hate cleaning crap over and over again. Especially when I am the only one who does it!  

I did however get the desk area cleaned/organized and prettified!  More on that tomorrow!

 
I believe that is all for now.

-Make your life beautiful!

Thanksgiving Ideas and Cranberry Salad Recipe

So, I totally need to start decorating...this weekend!
First, I have a cranberry salad recipe that will knock your socks off!  Promise!
I can't stand the gelatinous muck that comes out of the can.  Gag.  {to be fair, I have never actual tried it, but it gives me the willies!}

I made this recipe up a few years ago to avoid looking at the can crap.

Cranberry Salad with Cream Cheese Topping 

1 lg can of Mandarin Oranges (drained)

4 Apples(I use Fuji, you'll want sweet apples to balance the tart cranberries)

1(12oz bag) of fresh cranberries

1 (3oz) pkg of strawberry jello (raspberry and cranberry are good too)

1/2 c Sugar

Pulse the apples and the cranberries in the food processor.  Drain oranges and toss with apple and cranberries.  Toss sugar and jello into fruit mixture and stir.  Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Cream Cheese Topping 

2 pkg cream cheese (room temp.)

1c Powdered Sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 lg can crush pineapple drained

4c cool whip

1 c chopped pecans

smash cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla.  cream together until smooth.  stir in pineapple. fold in Cool Whip. mix thoroughly. add pecans .  You can make this ahead of time and let it sit for about 20 min before serving or just make it when needed.

It's so delicious!!  Try it!!

Now on to Thanksgiving Inspiration from Pinterest:

-Make your life beautiful!!

10 Gray/Grey Dining Chairs

They are done!  My dining chairs are finally done!

I totally like them!  If they were Tolix chairs, I would love them!!


Two of them were from my mom, they looked like this;

Then I redid them and they looked like this:

Then I picked up 8 of these at Habitat 4 Humanity:

I paid $2 per chair during memorial day weekend....yes, I have had them since the beginning of summer. Don't judge!  Anywho...I was going to make them green. Fail.

One more pic for the after:

Total Cost:
$16-chairs from H4H
$10-wasted green spray paint
$24-8 cans of gray spray paint
$10-drop cloth to cover the seats

Total-$60ish....I don't have the receipts.

I have been a chair finishing fool lately.
The Burberry Drafting Chair
The & Chair Redo




-Make your life beautiful!




SUNDAY: The Girl Creative ,The DIY Showoff ,Sisters of the Wild West ,The Tattered Tag ,Flamingo Toes, Under the Table and Dreaming , I Heart Nap Time  MONDAY:Skip To My Lou, Thrifty Decor Chick, C.R.A.F.T., Sew Can Do, Dittle Dattle, Between Naps On the Porch, Homemaker on a Dime,  Making the World Cuter TUESDAY: Tip Junkie, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Today's Creative Blog, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Strictly Homemade, A Diamond in the Stuff, Handmade Tuesday, Stories from A to Z WEDNESDAY: Primitive and Proper, Blue Cricket Design, Not Just A Housewife, Someday Crafts, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Organize Your Stuff Now, Seven Thirty Three, Sugar and Dots The Mommy Club  THURSDAY: My Repurposed Life, Paisley Passions, House of Hepworths, Beyond The Picket Fence, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Somewhat Simple, Inspired by Charm FRIDAY: Remodelaholic, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Miss Mustard Seed, Chic on a Shoestring, Shabby Nest, Tidy Mom, Little Lucy Lu, My Simple Home Life, Whipperberry, 
SATURDAY: Funky Junk Interiors, be Different Act Normal, Tatertots and Jello, Young and Crafty