Sugar Cookies - Best Ever & Easy

Best Sugar Cookies Ever!

I follow a blogger named Rachel Parcel.  She has a blog called pinkpeonies.com.  I have seen her post over the years about her family sugar cookie recipe. They always look so delicious, but I have a family recipe myself, and they happen to be my favorite thing in the world so I never even considered trying her recipe, until today.  Now I have a new favorite recipe.  Thank you Rachel Parcel.

I did make a few changes just to speed up the whole process.  The recipe is very similar, but I created a way to make the Valentines Day cookies without using a rolling pin. 

My two year old granddaughter and I decided we needed a no fail, faster way to make soft delicious sugar cookies. Her attention span does not make it easy to roll out and cut out.  I have to admit, even without a two year old helping, I have always wanted to find a faster way to make my favorite cookies.  This is going to be my go to method from now on.  If I don't want them to be heart shaped it will even be faster.

I used a cookie scoop, instead of a rolling pin. My two year old granddaughter, Lucy, pushed the cookies down with a glass, and then I formed them with the back of a butter knife to look like a rough heart cookie. Then Lucy pushed them down one more time. They were ready to bake so fast and easy. They looked pretty rough around the edges but after they were baked they looked as good as those done with cookie cutters.

Make sure you do not over-cook the cookies. When they come out of the oven slide the parchment paper with cookies off the cookie sheet and onto a cooling rack immediately. They will continue to cook and harden if you don’t get them off the cookie sheet. Using parchment paper allows you to take them off without waiting until they are cool.

Use a cookie scoop instead of rolling out and cutting out

Keep the dough cold to make this part go faster

Here is the fancy tools used to flatten out the cookies so I don't have to use a rolling pin. This is way faster.

I sprayed the bottom with spray grease and then dipped it in sugar to keep the cookie from sticking.  Lucy flattened the cookies for me.

I used the back of the knife to form a quick heart shape. 

 It doesn't have to be perfect.

The cookies look rough when they go in the oven, but don't worry...

They come out looking great after they have raised and expanded.

We kept some of them circular.

Add some frosting and sprinkles if you like.

They are so delicious and easy!

Download and Print or save to device

DIY Kitchen Remodel

Everything looks better with a fresh coat of paint

Can you guess how many of the upgrades are done with paint?

When we bought our house, I knew it was going to need a lot of updating. The kitchen was the highest priority for DIY projects I planned to do. I am just an average stay at home mom with no construction background.  I decided I would see what all I could knock out on my own just by watching youtube videos to learn how to do things.  I also, wanted everything to be able to be done on a very tight budget.  Let me give a list of the things I planned on changing from this picture:

1. Cabinet color
2. Formica countertops
3. Drop down fluorescent light ceiling
4. White plastic sink
5. Dated faucet
6. White appliances
7. Color of the kitchen walls and ceiling

8. No backsplash
9. Baseboard size and color, no chair rail
10. Hardware on the cupboards
11. Dining room table also needed an upgrade

12. Replace arched cabinet doors 

13. Replace hinges with hidden hinges

When I watch home makeover shows on tv, the remodel jobs always happen so fast.  In reality, when you are doing them all yourself, and you don't know how to do anything but paint, there is a large learning curve.  I took lots of photos and videos all along the way.  My initial plan was to have a blog post of hits and misses each time something went well or really flopped.  I wanted to document which youtube videos really worked and which ones should be left to the professionals.  It turned out that doing my own projects and documenting all the steps became very time consuming and I neglected to post as I went along.  

I may still post each step at a future date, but for now, here are the finished kitchen projects.  Well, sort of finished.  I am always changing my mind and redoing things here and there.  Let me give an example;  I hate the arches on the cabinet doors.  I have replaced about half of them, but the others are still being built, by me.  The new cabinet doors also have hidden hinges.  These are things you wouldn't necessarily notice but they certainly look better when they are all done.  At this pace it will probably be 6 months before they are all done.  I will do one every time another project I am working on needs time to dry or I am waiting on supplies etc.  If you look closely in the pictures some of the upper cabinets are still arched.

List redone, cabinet color, formica countertops, drop down fluorescent light ceiling, white plastic sink, dated faucet, white appliances, color of the kitchen walls and ceiling, backsplash, baseboards size and color, hardware on the cupboards, replace arched upper cabinet doors, hidden hinges

One of my favorite projects was the counter and backsplash.  These are just painted to look like marble, then coated with Stone Coat Countertop Epoxy.  I did my dining room table as a trial run before taking on all the countertops.  I love them so much.  It was hard to photograph because they are so shiny.  It's like taking a picture of a mirror, but they make me so happy!

I know having a cabinet desk combination is very dated, but we use this space a lot, so I decided to just give everything an update instead.  I see in this picture the ugly linoleum in the laundry room off to the side on the left.  I painted that to look like tile.  It's not shown in the picture, but it no longer looks like this. I'm reminded of another blog post I still need to do. Painting linoleum is a great way to update without a lot of commitment or expense. 

I can't believe how different it looks with recessed lighting

I ordered special lights to go in the Pendants.  They have silver tips on them.  Regular lights were a little to bright and I wanted a little more pizazz. 

I love the backsplash on this and the marble countertop.
Well it looks like marble. It's just paint and epoxy.
I also added chair rail and painted all the walls grey.

Taking down the light structure and installing recessed  and pendant lighting turned out to be the hardest project I have ever done DIY.  I had to get my kids and husband to help with the heavy lifting.  If I had it to do over again I would probably hire that part done.  Drilling holes in the ceiling and in the joists so I could run wire was a huge challenge.  But, now I know how to do it.  Thank you youtube, and my brother Daniel who facetimed me to make sure I didn't electrocute myself. 

Stay tuned for my next project.

GlazeTableTop

Refinished Table 4 Years Later - Update

The Epoxy Table Top is Still Holding Up

Before I updated the table it was very dated

The top was formica

https://youtu.be/AD_IYbAeXck

The original post with all the instructions on the DIY is in the link below:

https://fiveorlesssteps.blogspot.com/2015/01/epic-fail-every-once-in-while-diy.html

Family Traditions Bind Us Together!

DIY Christmas Stockings

Everyone in the family designs their own stocking

Trees, Snowflakes and Candy Canes are always Beautiful

Sometimes couples coordinate their stockings

Nathan is on a mission so he gets a mission tie.
Grant made a torn stocking look. Anything goes!

I buy the stockings on clearance at the end of the year,
but even full price, they are a great no-sew option

Glitter and glue are the only items we used the first few years.  This year I splurged at the dollar store and got some tiny mirrors and a beaded tie.  Still the entire project was under $20.

Family Traditions Bind Us Together

Stability, purpose and security seem to come in abundance whenever we engage in a family tradition. During the holidays we have a lot of them. Some involve food, games, songs, and telling stories, but one of our favorite traditions is decorating Christmas stockings. Everyone in the family gets together one night a year, and creates our own masterpieces. All you need are some plain stockings, glitter and glue.  We put a piece of plastic down on the table to catch all the glitter as well as using plates and paper, but lets face it, glitter does get everywhere.  My boys call glitter Satan's dust.  They hate it, but only in a joking way.  Let's face it, glitter helps keep us all in the spirit of having fun together and creating memories.  There is nothing like telling a 25 year old son he has glitter on his cheek.  That's a good time!

My sons call glitter Satan's dust, but let's face it,
We all love the look it makes on our Christmas stockings

One of the great things about traditions is that they can live on for generations. It’s never too late to start a new tradition. Creating your own Christmas stockings year after year is something our family looks forward to and talks about for months leading up to our big day.

 
In order for this tradition to be something that can be done in one evening and by all ages and artistic abilities we have decided to keep it simple. I purchase a couple dozen Christmas stockings each year when they go on clearance but even when they are full price they cost under a dollar apiece. Buy some glue and glitter and you are ready to go. Make sure you buy extra stockings because every once in a while the design will go completely wrong and in order to keep the peace in the household it needs to be thrown out and started over.

Our family sits around the kitchen table, with Christmas music in the background and we create our works of art. This year I splurged on a few extra gems and mini mirrors. I got the stickered mirrors and some of the glitter from the dollar store.

This is a tradition I highly recommend!

My Unperfect Life

Rather than posting the perfect family photo, this post needs the REAL family photo

I decided to post a real, unfiltered story about myself. I am a blogger who has been off my game for a little while.  It's like I am flying around the airport but not landing very often. I love to do remodel projects around the house and blog about them. For about a year now, I haven’t updated my blog because of a condition I have been dealing with. I do plan on getting back to blogging soon but for now I want to share a very personal story. 

Many people suffer from migraine headaches. I have a different sort of migraine condition. I don’t have headaches and pain, but rather episodes of amnesia or weird fading in and out of amnesia. Other times, I am completely fine with no memory loss. It’s very weird. I have had many tests run over the past year or so and have been under the care of 3 different neurologist. It’s a rather rare condition but I’m not the only one.

One person who was suffering the same condition as me had an episode while having a brain scan done. My doctor told me the scan showed what looked like heat waves going on in the brain that causes the fading in and out of amnesia.

Now that I know exactly what it is, I am more aware when it is happening. It is frustrating to me when it happens at inconvenient times. During my worst episode I couldn’t even remember my own kids’ names.

Luckily it eventually passes and then I am back to my normal self. Whatever normal is for me.

The first time I had a real bad spell I ended up in the hospital for a few days because it mirrors the symptoms of a stroke. For about 6 months the doctors even called the episode a stroke until they had finished with all their brain scans and were able to rule the stroke out.

It is so rare they don’t even have an official name for my condition or if they do, I can't remember what it is called.  The only way I know to describe it is amnesia during a migraine.

While having an episode I sat down and thought long and hard how I could describe what it was going on inside my head. The best way I can describe it is I feel like my thought process has to go through a black hole in order to get to the other side. Common sense and things our brains usually process easily every day can get bogged down in what feels like mud in my brain.

At times I can't even remember who dear friends are.

Just like any other migraine it can be very strong or so light you hardly even know is there so most of the time I am able to plow through my daily life somewhat normal. When I am having a light migraine I just tend to repeat myself a lot.  It can be very upsetting, even for someone who always likes to look at the bright side of things.

I am not making this post to complain, or to draw sympathy, but rather to bring to light that every single person has an unperfect life.  Social media might make it appear that there are no troubles  and we may feel like we are the only ones with hard things.  Or in some cases social media makes it appear as if all of life is one big mistake. I would like to think that neither one are a true representation. Life is a test full of ups and downs.  We each take the good and take the bad because it is all part of the package and that's ok.  My issues might not show up like a broken arm so many might not even know, but I'm sure every person in the world has their own set of challenges.  Some are visible and some are not, but regardless, we are all doing the very best we can with the cards we are dealt.

I always like to look on the bright side of every coin.  It is just my nature.  For this reason I would like to share a tender mercy in my life. At one point I didn't know my kids names or even what a glass of water was.  When I would try to talk, my words got all jumbled up. The only word that has never gotten jumbled or lost in translation for me is the word, “Tim.” Tim is my rock and my world. He is my husband, best friend, and my constant through life. Today is our 29th anniversary. I love him so much and I’m so grateful for the best companion a person could ever wish for.

Happy anniversary through Thick and Thin!

Hackleman's Happenings: Funeral Sandwiches

We call them funeral sandwich's but they can be eaten anytime.  They are the perfect food for a super bowl party.  Ham and Cheese sliders are great anytime.  They taste delicious hot or cold.  I can't wait until tomorrow when I will be eating one!



Hackleman's Happenings: Funeral Sandwiches: Best Sandwich Ever! Cooking for a funeral luncheon can be a lot of work, unless you try this recipe.  I used two different types of...

LeBron James Makes History

Pinterest Hit! DIY Bling Shoes

DIY Bling Shoes

I bought the crystals at Hobby Lobby on a half off sale.  $7.00

E-6000 Clear Glue

The best Purchase of all was the Jewel Picker.

It has a wax top that allows you to picks the jewels up and places them on the glue with ease.  I smudged some glue on the heel of the shoe.

Only due a small area at a time.  Enough to place about 10 jewels at a time.

I was able to put the jewels on the shoes in about 10 minutes.  This is one of the easiest DIY projects I have ever done.

Update 1-24-2018.  I originally jazzed up a pair of shoes back in 2014.  It has now been 4 years and they are still my favorite pair of shoes.  I wear them about 3 times a month and always get a lot of accolades.  They were so easy to make and worth the effort.  This is definitely a pinterest HIT!

Happiness Meme

Gators Frozen In Swamp with Noses Up

As temperatures plunge Alligators go into Survival Mode
Notice how they keep their noses out of the water as it freezes.

Made you look.  Did you catch the ok sign?

Control Freak - Joke of the Day

Pinterest Miss - Phone Case

I love How the Case Turned Out
There Is Only One Problem
And It's a Major One...

Over the years I have tried a lot of DIY projects I found on Pinterest and to date, this is still the one that hurts the most.  I love to bling things up to the nines and this one turned out to be so easy and really a favorite.  It made me happy all the time.  I was so proud of it.  I also blogged about all the benefits of making your own jeweled items including a cell phone case. It was quite the conversation piece. Ladies wanted to know where they could buy them and ultimately how to make them. They are so cheap and easy to make, I understood why so many people were interested in joining the b-dazzle world for themselves. But then, I realized a downside when it came to the amazing world of jewels and cell phones. It's such a large downside that I have given up on the jewels all together when it comes to my phone.  Here is why...

The precious little crystals cause interference with the cell phone signal and ultimately make your phone conversations hard to hear or dropped all together.  So it comes with very large regret on my part that I have to announce this DIY project as a major bust.  Sorry one and all for this horrible announcement.

Call In Sick - Joke of the Day!

I'm Gettin Muffins For Christmas!

Joke of the Day!

Gianforte or Red John?

Red John would win the Gianforte look alike contest

Friend Request

Sofa Makeover Update

Leather Sofa looks like new again!

I originally posted this DIY project on my blog 2 1/2 years ago. I took an old sofa that was destined for a junk pile and created my favorite DIY project ever.

Here is the link to the instructions of how to transpose a leather sectional to look like new:

http://fiveorlesssteps.blogspot.com/2015/02/how-to-turn-old-coaches-into-something.html

Now 3 years later, my sofa is in need of a 10 minute update to get it back to par.

As you can see, there is some wear and tear.  I am happy to report, the stain never came off on clothing.  It does take a few days to completely dry.  Just remember, it is cheap, fast, and easy, but you do need a week of drying time.  Stain dries slowly when it is applied to leather.  After it is completely dried, it does not come off on clothing at all!

On the left is what it looks like after a little stain is rubbed on. Don't forget to wear gloves. Stain does not come off your skin easily.  I did have to buy a new can since my old one was in the garage and dried out.  A small can goes a long way.  It cost $5.60 at Walmart.

This time I didn't have to do all over the sofa.  I just touched up the areas that had a lot of wear.

It took less than 10 minutes.

I still love it!

Help

If you can understand this note, thank a music teacher.

How to Make A Fondant Face

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKgNLITrJ5M

Joke of The Day

He Is Risen

Eye Spy Secret Service Agents

I spy, with my little eye, undercover secret service agents.

Yesterday, I picked my son Grant up from school early because he had a doctor’s appointment. As I was driving to the school, I noticed a few odd things along the way, like a broken down car, as well as two snow plow trucks stopped on the side of Highway 370. 

Seeing two snow plow trucks on the side of the road when we were having a heat wave of 45 degrees sends out red flags, are we about to get hit with a storm?

When I saw the old car, I thought of pulling over to see if they needed any help but since it was a man all by himself I decided against it. You can never be too safe. Then when I saw the two snow plows it made my mind race. I was thinking, is there a storm coming through that I don’t know about? That seems odd, since it was 45 degrees outside and not a cloud in the sky. About 20 minutes later I picked Grant up and headed back down Highway 370 toward Bellevue Hospital, once again passing the snow plows and broken down car. We also noticed there were police cars everywhere. When I pulled into the hospital, there were three additional cops standing outside their cars waiting for something. That’s when it hit me. President Obama is in town and this was security for him. I asked Grant if he thought maybe those snow plow drivers were actually undercover secret service agents. 

While Grant was getting a cast, Obama was driving by.

While the doctor was putting a cast on Grant, I got a text from the school saying, “President Obama is visiting a PLHS teacher in Papillion and many roads are closed and traffic is congested. Please be patient as you pick up your children.” 

When we were leaving the hospital, Highway 370 was completely closed. We drove the back roads, to the school to pick up Nathan. As we were driving we were very alert to the possibility of seeing undercover secret service agents. We noticed construction workers standing next to large trucks sort of kicking clods around, and our best catch of the day was an old Ford truck driving directly in front of us on a dirt road. All of the sudden it pulled off to the side of the road and stopped. As we were driving by we saw the man, in a flannel shirt, talking into his “sleeve”.

As soon as we saw Air Force One in the sky, Highway 370 was re-opened.

Immediately following this incident we saw “Air force One” take off in the sky. The eagle has left the building was the only thing we could say. Immediately after we saw the plane in the sky, highway 370 was reopened.

The moral of the story is: we had the best day ever playing Eye Spy.

Joke of the Day