let it be done

To our friends who have become family, and our family who have become friends.

2012-02-12T22:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Briee’s bridal shower. It was a lovely shower with lots of church friends and family. We had plenty of food and some good coffee.
But as I think about it today, it marked the beginning of the end of the wedding preparations and the beginning of the beginning of the happy couple’s new life together.
So while I am happy, I am also sad and need to make sure I don’t overlook all the things and emotions that go along with handing over your oldest daughter to the man who will take over taking care of her.
Because I still have a baby sister and three little girls of my own. And that is a lot of weddings to get through!

I handed my camera over to Josie to take a picture of me and the bride and needless to say, it didn’t turn out ! Note to self, a professional photographer is a must!

Baby Cakes

2012-02-03T21:35:00.000-07:00

Babies + Cakes. You really can't go wrong. Especially when the cake reveals a new baby brother!

I needed to be prepared so both blue and pink it was :)

Limited time and a new recipe made for brown edges :(

Have I ever mentioned that frosting cakes is not my area of expertise?

So excited to find out! Come on Mom! Hurry up!


Congratulations! We can't wait to meet him.

Collections vs. Hoarding

2012-01-05T20:49:00.000-07:00

I like a lot of stuff. As in, different things. Pyrex, cookie cutters, books, cookbooks, milk glass, Jadeite, melamine, vintage tablecloths, vintage sheets. Just to name a few. Since I like so many things, I also have a lot of things. I have convinced myself I have collections of things and have them all neatly organized and displayed so as not to appear on an episode of Hoarders.

So when I took the Christmas decorations down I decided to mix it up a bit and showcase some stuff that was stashed away in boxes in the basement. It's kind of like finding a hidden treasure and getting a whole new box of stuff :)

95% of my melamine collection

Melamine resin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Idealized structure of melamine resin

Melamine resin or melamine formaldehyde (also shortened to melamine) is a hard, thermosetting plastic material made from melamine and formaldehyde by polymerization. In its butylated form, it is dissolved in n-butanol and xylene. It is then used to cross-link with alkyd, epoxy, acrylic, and polyester resins, used in surface coatings. There are many types, varying from very slow to very fast curing.

Applications

In the kitchen

A melamine-resin plate

Melamine resin is often used in kitchen utensils and plates (such as Melmac). Melamine resin utensils and bowls are not microwave safe, as they absorb the microwave radiation and heat up.^[1] As with all thermosetting materials, melamine resin cannot be melted and, therefore, cannot be recycled through melting.

During the late 1950s and 1960s melamine tableware became highly fashionable. Aided crucially by the stylish modern designs of A. H. Woodfull and the Product Design Unit of British Industrial Plastics, it was thought to threaten the dominant position of ceramics in the market. The tendency of melamine cups and plates to stain and scratch led sales to decline in the late 1960s, however, and eventually the material became largely restricted to the camping and nursery market.^[2]

When I grow up I want to be a professional organizer

2012-01-02T07:43:00.000-07:00

I love Christmas and all the trimmings that go along with it. I also love neatly packing everything away and finding new homes for all the gifts we received.

There are so many wonderful organizational ideas out there and products for every size of home and style of organizing.

One of my favorite blogs is Tatertots and Jello. She has some of the best crafty link up parties and she also writes a segment called The New Home Ec over on Babble. Check out the series she just started about organizing your home, room by room, and then hop to it!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T13:57:00.001-07:00

Here is some pertinent reading material to start off your new year, compliments of my mother. (With special thanks to my dad for his life long subscription to the WSJ!)

Here's to an incredibly productive 2012!

Conquering the To-Do List

{Cheers}

Christmas Cookies and Food Gifts for all your friends!

2011-11-29T10:18:00.001-07:00

We love Christmas. We love baking and decorating.

We love making gifts and thinking and planning the perfect thing for each and everyone on our gift list.

We also know that there are so many of you who enjoy all of these things as well but don’t necessarily have the time it takes to get them all done.

Create Christmas memories with these homemade gifts. Let us do the making, you do the giving! Place your order and cross that off your to do list.

Nothing says Christmas like a batch of iced sugar cookies!

Choose from Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas

or Happy New Year.

$25 per set.

Need a cute gift for that friend or neighbor that loves to bake?

Try a vintage sifter stuffed with a

Cranberry Buttermilk Muffin Mix!

$15 each.

Here is the perfect pick–me-up gift! Grab a bottled beverage and

top it with one of these handmade cookie collars!

Collar comes with a cranberry orange white chocolate

cookie tucked inside.

$3 each. (beverage not included)

Give the gift of a simmering Christmas Aroma.

Oranges, lemons and Christmas spices all wrapped up in a

vintage enamelware pan!

$15 each.

Little kids and big kids would love to have these

Christmas Brownie Pops in their stockings this year!

Homemade brownies dipped in dark or white chocolate,

wrapped up and tied with a decorative tag.

$1.50 each or $15 per dozen.

Place your order by calling

Kellee at 970-744-0913 or Laura at 970-481-2191

or email us at letitbe.done@yahoo.com

Information regarding delivery or shipping will be discussed when your order is placed.

Good news from heaven the angels bring,
Glad tidings to the earth they sing:
To us this day a child is given,
To crown us with the joy of heaven.

Martin Luther

Ikea,Pyrex and other fun but unnecessary things

2011-11-23T06:27:00.001-07:00

Quite the combo, I know. This past week was filled with the most interesting mix of projects and tasks I think I have ever had. Most of my family will be here today today for Thanksgiving so I have been doing the usual cooking and cleaning to prepare for company.

Another thing I really like to do before company comes is add lots of unnecessary projects to my list. It’s like an instant deadline to get everything done I have been putting off and obviously it runs in our family, right Lauren? And MOM?

So while I have plenty of things to blog and lots of Thanksgiving recipes to share, I now have to get up and get back to work. But you can hop on over to Jan’s blog and check out our trip to Ikea last Friday and see what we did with our time together!

Cookie Cutter Inventory

2011-11-10T10:02:00.001-07:00

In an effort to better organize my cookie cutters and in a search for some cutters for a few non cookie projects I have going, I decided to take a count of how many cutters I actually have.

293 is all.

Yes Laura, I counted your new woodland animal set from Ikea as mine. I think I will count the Star Wars ones too. That brings the count to 297.

I personally don’t think that this number qualifies me for an episode of Hoarders but you may beg to differ.

Are you looking to add a few cutters to your collection? Check out Fancy Flours for some beautiful sets.

Cookie Cutters 4 Less is good too. They are out of Fort Wayne. Hello sisters, how did we not know this when you lived there?!

Happy Baking!

My Favorite Cookie Recipe

2011-11-08T07:46:00.001-07:00

I often have people ask me for my sugar cookie recipe and my frosting recipe.

This is my favorite so far and turns out every single time. It came with this set of Wilton cookie cutters.

The funny thing is that I have never actually made that tree :) I think Mom has the same set and has tried it out a few times.

So while my blogging friends are posting menu plans and delicious fall soups, I only have cookie recipes to offer. How's that for a poor palate Lauren?

Sugar Cookies
3/4 cup butter
3/4 sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 400. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add baking powder flour and salt, one cup at a time mixing well after each addition. The dough will be stiff. Divide dough into two balls and work with only one at a time. Do not refrigerate dough.

Roll out to 1/4 inch thick and cut out cookies. Bake on top rack of the oven for 6-7 minutes. Let cool slightly and remove from cookie sheet.

Royal Icing
3 level tablespoons Wilton Meringue Powder Mix
(I actually use 3 egg whites)
4 cups powdered sugar
5-6 tablespoons water

Beat all ingredients at medium speed for 7-10 minutes until icing can form peaks. This icing can be stored in an airtight container and re whipped before using. Yields 3 cups.

Icing can be colored. I use a a small squeeze bottle with a very small #1 tip to pipe onto cookies. For multiple layers of frosting, let first layer dry overnight. Cookies can be frozen after frosting is dry. 2-3 weeks max.

There’s a Moose in our House!

2011-11-03T12:34:00.001-06:00

March 2011 – Brian submits his application for a Moose tag (it was the 14th time he submitted one)

May 2011- Brian receives the news! He has drawn a moose tag, and a bull tag at that!

June –Aug 2011 – We talk about the moose hunt, we plan the moose hunt, we scout the area, he learns how to call a moose.

Sept. 2011 – Brian goes camping every weekend to his designated area to scout for his moose.

October 1, 2011 – The first official day Brian could shoot the moose! He was only out of camp 20 minutes…there he was, just waiting.

October 4-14, 2011 – Brian and the guys processed almost 400 pounds of meat.

We have roasts, steak, ribs, ground meat, breakfast sausage, Italian sausage and moose salami.

October 28, 2011 – The Moose Party!

Not pictured – Moose Sliders, Chocolate Moose Shooters

More Birthday Fun

2011-10-25T07:57:00.001-06:00

So, all my children were born in the same week. It makes for a lot of partying at our house. This year we had some great fun with family and friends and enjoyed some good food too.

Here are the pictures of this weekend’s dessert line up.

Happy Birthday Zweifel girls! Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us.

Happy Birthday Circus Animal Cookie Style

2011-10-17T22:18:00.001-06:00

I saw these jumbo circus animal cookies over at Bake at 350 and thought they would be fun for a cute little girl turning two.

I think what I liked best was the bag topper and the fact that the there was no actual party involved!

Happy Birthday P!

How many days does it take to frost a cookie?

2011-10-13T16:43:00.001-06:00

Don’t answer that. It is supposed to be a joke.

I had this pile of cookies that I baked on Monday. I figure if I am going to turn the oven on, I might as well get them all baked at once. And by them,I mean the multiple upcoming occasions that call for cookies

1. Priscilla’s birthday.

2. A new roof.

3. Grace and Josie’s birthday.

4. Welcome to Colorado.

5. I am glad we’re friends.

6. I am now the proud owner of a huge moose and a new freezer to keep it it. (Actually, I have to bake again. I ran out of dough for the moose)

I think that is it. Check back for pictures of the finished products.

Progress Report Part 2

2011-10-10T09:14:00.001-06:00

Here are the dressers. All painted and ready to go. Well, actually already going. I love the colors and the room is coming together nicely. Just not nearly fast enough!

I did take a little time on Friday night to put together this jewelry organizer I saw on Pinterest. It turned out to be my favorite part of the room so far and I had all the parts I needed for it! (Keep in mind, it is also the only thing hanging on the wall in the room so far too.)

The bed is still a work in progress. I need some new sheets and to find some fabric for some decorative pillows and a dust ruffle of some sort. So, back to work I go!

Progress Report

2011-10-03T22:02:00.001-06:00

I am making progress on my painting projects/ bedroom redo. I know it is hard to believe but I really am. I have to keep reminding myself that when everything is complete, it will actually be three dressers, a nightstand, a headboard, and a mirror that got painted!

I don’t have any pictures just yet but I will. I promise! In the mean time, I found a few Pyrex pieces last week when I was out and about. How about a peek at them instead?

Next up, the painting projects. Maybe in multiple posts. I work pretty slow these days!

Time to get to work

2011-09-19T11:08:00.001-06:00

I found this great bedroom set at one of the new thrift stores for $25. And that included delivery.

So now that it has been taking up space in the garage for a month,I have to get to work.

Since this is going to go in our bedroom, I HAD to have some new bedding right? So I ordered this cute duvet and am using these colors.

West Elm

And now, I had better get to work.

Check out this great informational post on how to paint furniture and wish me luck!

Things to Make You Think

2011-09-18T21:17:00.001-06:00

I looked through the pictures on this blog. And at my sister’s request, I took a picture of my fridge. And then a strange series of thoughts went through my head. First, I hate my side by side fridge and I will never get another one. Second, WHY was there a snake in one of those freezers? Third, I must be weird because I put everything in the same place every time when I put stuff in the fridge. And lastly, there is not a day that goes by that I am not extremely thankful for all the things that I have. I have a wonderful family, incredible friends and ample opportunities that some people only dream of having. And I have real butter. It doesn’t get much better than that.

I pinned something AND I made it!

2011-09-13T19:07:00.001-06:00

So my sister came across this cute tie necklace somewhere.

Here.

And then we found another one. And another one. And another one. And then we decided we should stop looking and start pleating, folding and pinning (the real kind, not the online kind).

And we ended up with a really cute necklace.

AND THEN! I made another one! What is this world coming to?

Isn’t she cute with it on?

So just in case you are starting to feel like Pinterest has turned you into a computer loving couch potato, don’t worry, all that pinning will pay off.

Now it’s someone else’s turn to show off :)

Cookie Catch Up

2011-09-12T11:25:00.001-06:00

I realized I have fallen behind on my cookie picture posting. Here are cookies from the month of August.

Chickens and Iowa for Mom’s farm chick party.

Class Reunion cookies. Yes, I graduated in 1991.

80th Birthday Party. These are by far the coolest cookies I have made. Not the actual making of them. They way they turned out.

I have more to bake and frost this week. Maybe I won’t take so long on the pictures this time!