Moulding Makes Me Happy

I absolutely love moulding!  It just changes the look and feel of the rooms in my house.  Over the years we've added it to most of the rooms and lately I'd been thinking a lot about beefing up the walls in our entry and staircase.  So we decided to have chair rail and picture frame moulding installed.

      

We still have a long way to go, but so far I'm loving the results.  I plan to paint the walls above the chair rail Revere Pewter(same as the L.R. and D.R.), by Benjamin Moore(matched to Glidden Paint) and the area below will be painted a creamy white.

As you know, one change leads to another!  So we'll be saying goodbye to our old light fixture and replacing it with something simple.

We're also adding an electrical outlet, so I can finally add a lamp to the entry table.  Lamps create such nice ambiance don't you think?!

I have plans to create a photo gallery along the stair wall; something I have wanted to do for a long time!

Our contractor friend is doing most of the work(I'm in charge of caulking-n-painting), but his schedule is quite full already, so it's been a bit of a challenge to find time to finish things up and that makes patience even harder to practice.

So a few boring-before pictures to share with you today.  Hopefully I'll have some progress pictures in a few!

Recipe Box Makeover

This weekend I decided to give my recipes a new home.

My recipe box contains a few great family recipes with the handwriting faded, some cut from old magazines and newspapers. It's fun to go through them! It's like sorting through old memories.

Although a little outdated and beat up, my recipe box is very special to me.  I've had it for years, it just needed a little makeover.

I began with a couple of wallpaper samples from Serena & Lily, cut to size. (Thanks again, Caitlin!) I used Mod Podge to adhere the paper to the box after painting the lid and trim with paint.

Then I added an adhesive metal bookplate from Staples, on one side.

I used my printer to create the recipe label.

There are a lot of ways to manage your recipes online, but I love the traditional way of storing my recipes in a box tucked in the cabinet. Why do I feel like I was born in the wrong era?!

How do you store your recipes?  Do you keep them fresh in your head or pinned to your Pinterest boards?

*Recipe cards are available to print from here. 

Oatmeal-Biscoff Cookies

You had me at Biscoff!

Are you familiar with Biscoff Spread?  Biscoff spread is a sweet, creamy, spreadable treat made from Biscoff Cookies.  I love Biscoff spread!  It's a tasty-indulgent treat that definitely won't make you skinny!

My kids love to eat Biscoff spread with apple slices.  Like the old saying goes, If you eat it with fruit it's practically health food! I kid!

And while eating the spread with apples is a favorite treat, I decided to mix things up and surprise my kids with homemade cookies.  My kids will happily scarf down a plate of cookies.  So I knew this recipe would be a hit and I loved the challenge of trying something different.  Enjoy! I know you will too.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats 

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/8 teaspoon salt 

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature 

1/2 cup Biscoff Spread 

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

1/2 cup light brown sugar 

1 large egg 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease 2 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.  Using your mixer, beat cookie butter, granulated and brown sugar in a large bowl at medium speed until creamy.  Add egg and vanilla; beat until combined.  Reduce speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients one at a time and beat until incorporated.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.  Remove dough from refrigerator and form 2 tablespoons of dough into balls.  Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.  Bake for about 9 minutes or until cookies are golden.  Allow cookies cool completely before devouring. good luck with that!

*Recipe adapted from: Two Peas and Their Pod

I am linking this post to: 

Tatertots and Jello

By Stephanie Lynn

Sew Many Ways

Tip Junkie