Reminiscing...

I got my college/intern scrapbook out from the storage unit, and I thought it'd be fun to take a trip down memory lane;-)

Winter Shopping

So, I scored a few new things for Christmas, along with some giftcards to Target and XXI ;-)

The mustard sweater and the grey sequined tunic are from Forever 21, and you can't really tell but the orange tee is from Target.

These I got at goodwill, each were $9.99! Yay!

And below I've put together some outfits. Let me know what you think. Sorry for the bad pics, it's not so much the camera as the poor lighting, after all it's in a basement.

I thought this might be cute with my beige trench over it for winter.

Tee: Target, blazer: Goodwill, boots: Target, necklace: papaya, jeans: Target.

I love glitter, in case you couldn't tell. Haha.

Tunic: Forever 21, blazer: Goodwill, jeans: Target, loafters: Nordstrom.

I love this outfit, but I'm not sure I'll actually wear it. Just because if it's cold enough outside to need a sweater and scarf...my feet would freeze off!

Sweater: Forever 21, scarf: Christmas gift from little bro, jeans: Target, shoes: Payless.

I am still not sure if I like this outfit...maybe its the gray sweater I don't like with it...

Shirt/dress: Target, jeggings: Burlington Coat Factory, boots: Target, sweater: Goodwill, scarf: Christmas gift from little bro.

Again, I love this outfit, but I'm not sure I'll actually wear it. Just because if it's cold enough outside to need a sweater and scarf...my feet would freeze off!

Shirt: Target, jeggings: Burlington Coat Factory, jacket: Hot Topic, shoes: Target, shoe/hair clips: Forever 21.

Super cute riding outfit! I like it with boots too.

Blazer: Goodwill, tee: Target, jeans: Target, oxfords: Target.

I'm still not sure how I feel about the shoes with this outfit, but I love the rest!

Red shirt: Macys, blazer: Goodwill, scarf: Christmas gift from little bro, pants: Ross, shoes: Target.

I heart bomber jackets!

Tunic: Ross, bomber jacket: Goodwill, scarf: Christmas gift, pants: Ross, combat boots: Target.

I love the dress, not sure if I like the sweater with it.

Dress: Target, sweater: Goodwill, shoes: Target (but I added the glitter)

I think I would like these outfits better with my navy blue socks, instead of these red ones.

Sweater: Goodwill, yellow skirt: Target, black skirt: JC Penney, orange tee: Target, grey tee: Target, boots: Target.

TESTING TESTING

My blog posts aren't working with FB timeline very well. Hope they fix it. Bah!

Pinterest

Enough said.

Most Memorable Christmas

Humm. That's a hard. There's probably several.

One of my favorites was 1998. We went to visit my cousins in Waukon Iowa. We took a long three day train ride, along with my grandparents. I always loved the train ride.

We have lots of cousins in Iowa. We usually stayed with Mark, Deb, Lars, Lane, and Lindsey. I remember me and my sister always playing dress up with Lane and Lindsey. And of course we were outside a lot. They have a giant hog farm. An of course, there was always lots of snow;-) if our cousins were in school, me and my sister could be found sliding down white hills.

I always remember tons of baking. Dozens of Christmas cookies, butterfinger and chocolate dessert.

I also remember lots of Christmas parties, with tons of food, people, etc.

I also remember visiting a place called "house on the rock" it's a very cool tour/museum. Lots of impressive collections, oversized toys, movie memorabilia.

That was a good Christmas.

Paula's Volcano Cake

I found this awhile ago on pinterest. I've made it three times since then. It's that good!

*SCROLL TO BOTTOM FOR RECIPE*

Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 55 min
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients Add to grocery list

Cream mixture:
1 8-ounce softened cream cheese
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 cups 4X or 10X sugar

Cake:
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 cup pecans
1 (18.25-ounce) box German chocolate cake mix, prepare by following direction on box
10 bite-sized almond and chocolate covered candy or candy of choice
Glaze:
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

For the cream mixture:

Beat ingredients together with an electric mixer. Set aside until ready to use.

Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch cake pan.

Line bottom of greased pan with coconut flakes. Sprinkle pecans on top of coconut. Set aside.

Follow directions on back of box to prepare cake. Beat for approximately 2 minutes, using an electric mixer. Fold in bite-sized candy. Pour into cake pan. Evenly space dollops of cream mixture on top of the cake. When the cake cooks, the cream will sink down to the bottom. This will be your “volcano” of flavor. Place in oven for 40 to 45 minutes. While cake is still hot spread the glaze evenly over the cake.

For the glaze:

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in cocoa powder and add milk until you get a thin consistency. If glaze is too thick, add more milk. While bringing the butter and milk mixture to a boil, whisk in confectioners’ sugar and almond extract. Glaze should be thin. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before using.

White Velvet Cutouts: Recipie

This is hands down my favorite sugar cookie recipe. They always turn out so soft and smooth! I think the secret is the fact that there is cream cheese in the batter. My mom found this from a Taste of Home magazine, years ago! And I still make them, because they're that good. 

*SCROLL TO BOTTOM FOR RECIPE*

Emily enjoyed helping me!

Ingredients

• 2 cups butter, softened
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon Spice Islands® pure vanilla extract
• 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 
  BUTTER CREAM FROSTING:
• 3-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon shortening
• 1/2 teaspoon Spice Islands® pure vanilla extract
• 3 to 4 tablespoons 2% milk, divided
• Red and/or green food coloring, optional

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Gradually add flour and mix well. Cover and chill 2 hours or until firm.
• Roll out on a floured surface to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut into 3-in. shapes; place 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until set (not browned). Cool 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool.
• For frosting, combine 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, butter, shortening, vanilla and 3 tablespoons milk in a large bowl; beat until smooth. Gradually add remaining sugar; beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add enough remaining milk and food coloring until frosting reaches desired consistency. Frost cookies. Yield: about 7 dozen.

Now, I don't know if it's because I make them too thick, but this only seems to make about 4 dozen for me. Only, hahha.