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Cinnamon Rolls With a Twist

posted in faith, family, food, recipe by Sara on
 Stripes and Polka Dots // Cinnamon Roll Twists
Happy Monday, I hope everyone had an awesome weekend! Since my work schedule has changed, I’ve been able to enjoy four day weekends! I love having four full days home with the little one! However, my days off last week were hardly a break. Sometimes I feel more exhausted after a day home then after a day at work. I was so busy chasing after my daughter, catching up on housework, and running here and there that I hardly had a chance to breathe. Come Sunday, I was more  than ready to sit down, relax, and be uplifted (both physically, mentally, and spiritually).
For those of you who did not know, this weekend was General Conference for my church (not sure what General Conference is?…click HERE) and I must say that I was definitely uplifted! There were so many inspiring and hopeful messages; I simply loved every minute of it! Apart from the wonderful talks, one of my favorite things about conference time are these yummy cinnamon roll twists– our family tradition. It is one of the many recipes I’ve adopted from my mother-in-law, which I loving got permission to share it on the blog today.
Stripes and Polka Dots // Cinnamon Roll Twists

Cinnamon Roll Twists (Makes about 30 rolls)

Mix together:
3 1/2 cups warm water
1 cup cooking oil
3/4 cup sugar
5 Tbsp yeast

Let raise for 10-15 minutes.

Add:
4 cups flour (one at a time)
1 Tbsp salt
3 eggs (one at a time)

**If you are using a Bosch or Kitchen Aid, change your beaters to bread hooks, then mix in an additional:

6 cups flour (one at a time)

Roll out dough right away in a big rectangle leaving the dough about 1/2 inch thick. Spread 1 cube of softened butter over the top of the dough, then cover with brown sugar and cinnamon. Fold the rectangle in thirds, and seal the edges.  Cut the dough in 1 inch strips, twisting each piece. Place the twisted dough on a greased baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. When finished baking, frost immediately. (Icing recipe below)

Stripes and Polka Dots // Cinnamon Roll Twists
 
Stripes and Polka Dots // Cinnamon Roll Twists
Stripes and Polka Dots // Cinnamon Roll Twists
Now for the cream cheese frosting…my favorite part. Simply frost these rolls right out of the oven so the frosting can melt and seep into every crack and crevasse; then eat and enjoy!
Cream Cheese Frosting
1 cube softened butter
1 8 oz cube of softened cream cheese
powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp of milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
Stripes and Polka Dots // Cinnamon Roll Twists
Stripes and Polka Dots // Cinnamon Roll Twists

These always make WAY more than our little family could ever eat by ourselves, so we like to divide them up and take them around to our friends and neighbors for all can enjoy. I’ve never tried freezing them…if you should try it, let me know how it turns out.

Pinterest Challenge Week #2

posted in inspiration, Pinterest Challenge, women's fashion by Hanna on
Stripes and Polka Dots: The Pinterest Challenge Week #2
What I loved most when I found this outfit inspiration on Pinterest was that I actually had most everything already in my wardrobe to duplicate it! Not to mention I love the color combination with the pop from the leopard print. The only thing I had to buy was the scarf which I found at Walmart for $3. This was my first time wearing this combination, which already seemed like a “no brainier” but thanks to Pinterest and a lot of help from Sara I am slowly starting to see fashion in a whole new light.
Stripes and Polka Dots: Green, Navy, Leopard Scarf, and Wedges
Sweater: Downeast Basics | Pants: Gap | Scarf: Walmart | Wedges: Lands End

——————–

Ooo, I’m loving Hanna’s outfit! Too bad we don’t live closer so I could borrow it!

Anyway, on to mine…I’m sure all of you remember this awesome slouchy tee I made about two months back (if not, you can find a full tutorial on how to make one HERE). It has become one of my go-to pieces in my wardrobe because a) it is super comfortable, and b) it is versatile. While it is fairly versatile, the bright bold color has definitely made me step outside of my comfort zone some. I naturally gravitate toward neutral colors, so choosing this bright cobalt blue is me stepping outside of the box (shocking I know). With some more color in my wardrobe I’ve been having fun experimenting with mixing and matching different pieces. I saw my inspiration for this outfit on Pinterest soon after I made this tee and I instantly thought, “I have all those things! Why not give it a try?” …So I did.

Stripes and Polka Dots: Blue Slouchy Tee, Cranberry pants, and Leopard Flats
Top: Made by me (tutorial) | Pants: JC Penney | Leopard Flats: Target | Necklace: Forever 21

I was getting really sick of all the fancy, shmacy, posey pictures I’ve been doing of me lately, so I thought I’d made it a little more “real life”. A huge part of fashion and personal style to me is the functionality of it. I have a two-year-old. I chase, I bend, I dance, I lift and I am up and down all day long.  I like clothes that are low maintenance and comfortable to wear, while still looking stylish and put together—I think I nailed it with this outfit! 
That completes week 2 of the Pinterest Challenge! Be sure to visit the other talented bloggers joining in on this challenge– they’ve got some great projects planned! There are:

Katelyn // Ginny // Corey // Megin // Vanessa
 Amy // Havalah // Stephanie

My Version of Birthday Cake

posted in food, holidays by Hanna on

There’s been a lot of birthday and party talk lately since both Sara’s and my girls have birthdays this month. I’m still in denial that my baby is going to be turning one! It’s such a precious time watching them grow in that first year but it’s also been so sweet to watch my girls interact more. By interacting I mainly mean screaming at the top of their lungs and then laughing about it. Oh girls.

Anyway along with not doing big birthday parties growing up in my family, we also didn’t have the usual birthday cakes either. My mom quickly learned that none of us really loved a regular birthday cake with an inch of frosting so it seemed pointless spending the time to make one and then have tons of leftovers that no one wanted. So instead we started a tradition where we just asked for our favorite dessert and in my family there a MANY! One of the big hits for birthdays is a Lemon Poppy Seed cake which I’m sharing with you today. The other is a Chocolate Eclair cake we’ll get to another time. Both are so so good and what is that word I seem to always be using? Oh yes, easy!
This Lemon Poppy Seed cake is great because it’s one of those recipes where you just dump everything in a bowl, mix and bake while the result is a moist and delicious cake. I also need to give a big shout out to my husband who finished this cake and took the pictures as I stuck the cake in the oven right before I was headed out to watch the General Women’s Meeting last weekend. It was a beautiful meeting with such a sweet and important message of lifting each other up as women through serving and befriending one another. If you missed it and are wanting some great inspiration you can watch it HERE.
Now let’s get to the recipe.
Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
1 Yellow cake mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup poppy seeds
Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir together. It’s kind of a thick batter so I used my electric beaters.

Spray a bunbt cake pan with cooking spray and then coat it lightly with flour to insure the cake doesn’t stick to the pan.

Pour the cake batter into the floured bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until cooked through. Once the cake is done let is cool for 5 minutes before removing it from the pan. In the mean time, mix together lemon juice and powdered sugar to make a pour-able glaze. (Tip: Start out with just a little bit of lemon juice, maybe 2 Tbsp while making the glaze.) Lastly drizzle the glaze over the cake using a spoon.

I’ll just pretend that I didn’t eat half of this cake by myself before I decided to get a grip and froze the rest of it. It’s still taking me some effort not to go get it out of the freezer!
Anyone else have some special birthday treats besides the usual birthday cake?

Our Favorite Things GIVEAWAY!

posted in giveaway by Hanna on
We, along with 11 other fabulous ladies, are celebrating with Ginny from Modern Common Place Book on her blog’s 1 year birthday! We’ve followed Ginny’s blog early on and love all the “life” lessons she has to offer and have enjoyed watching her blog grow into what it is today. We all recognize that the real joy of blogging comes through our followers and supporters, therefore we’re giving away some great prizes as a thank you and as a chance to get to know a lot more you!

BLOGBIRTHDAYGW2

Just Jacq // The Emily Gold Shop // Oak and Oats // Simple Clarke

One lucky winner will receive a $50 Amazon gift card and three hand-picked (and hand-made!) boutique gifts! These gifts will spoil you!

bloggqitems

The Custom Jimmy Choo print is from the awesome Sandra Manton Shop from the Sam and Duke Blog. Sandra is absolutely skilled – and this piece is simply stunning. We all need this hung in our bedroom! See other gorgeous prints here!

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The winner will also receive 4 vintage shabby hand-made headbands from the Emily Gold shop. You can pick the size (infant or adult), and there are tons of designs to choose from! See her beautiful Etsy shop and all her headbands here.
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Giveaway will run from 12:00 am EST on March 31st until 11:59 pm EST on April 7th. All entries will be verified, so be honest! Winner will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to claim their prize before a new winner will be chosen. Enter using the Rafflecopter below.

Treating Husbands with Love and Respect

posted in marriage by Sara on

I was 19 when I got married and while I was over the moon in love with the man of my dreams, I realized early on that there is much more to marriage then simply being “in love”. Marriage can be fragile. It requires constant nurture and a lot of effort. It involves doing those everyday acts of kindness and love that make ordinary relationships extraordinary. 

As a little girl, I dreamed of the day that I’d find my prince and live happily ever after. I’m blessed to say that I did find my prince and we most certainly live a happy life. My husband is my biggest support and my best friend. He pushes me to follow my dreams and strengthens me during times of disappointment and insecurity. I tremendously respect and admire the husband, father, and man he is, and am glad I can call him mine. While I fall more and more in love with my husband everyday, that is not to say that our marriage is perfect…actually it’s far from it. I’ll be honest, not every moment of the last four years has been wedded bliss. Like any other marriage, we’ve had our ups and downs. And while I’m no marriage expert, I would like to write about one thing in particular that has been on my mind lately regarding a happy marriage– that is respect.

It all started one Saturday about a month ago when I had a huge list of chores that needed to get done. We had a busy week coming up and only one day left to prepare for it. I made a list of everything that needed  to be done and made a plan in my head of how the day was going to go.  Without a word in edgewise (or even allowing time for my husband to offer his help), I told my husband, “Here is want needs to get done today, and you are going to help me.” He nodded his head ok as to acknowledge he really had no choice in the matter, and so the day began. As the day progressed I unconsciously found myself hovering over his shoulder questioning his every move.

“Are you sure that is how you fix it?”

“I don’t think you are doing that right.”

He shrugged it off at first, trying hard not to show how completely annoyed he was with me, but soon  he had had enough. I could tell he was frustrated but I was blindly unaware of why. When I confronted him about it, he explained how belittled he felt by my questioning remarks. When I later reflected on how I had treated my husband that day, the love of my life, I was ashamed. With each nagging and questioning remark I had stripped him of his manhood; and worse, I had treated him as though I was above him instead of an equal partner in our marriage.

Too much in today’s society, men (especially husbands), are made out to be mindless dogs. They eat, sleep, work and obey their wives. Their opinions are irrelevant and they have no say in matters. The divine role of men, husbands, and fathers has become a joke, and I disgracefully played right into it. I realize that no successful, or even happy, relationship can result from such a hideous thing.

From that moment on I’ve tried to treat my husband with the respect that he deserves.

I try to tell him often how much I appreciate his hard work and all that he does for me and our family.

I try to tell him often all the qualities that I love so much about him.

And lastly, I try to refrain from nagging or disrespectful comments; and instead, try to make more of an effort to see his point-of-view.

I’m not at all perfect at it, but by treating my husband with more respect I in return have been shown more love and appreciation. I feel more united in my marriage and closer in our relationship. More than ever, I see my husband as my prince, my hero, my protector, my best friend and my eternal sweetheart. And by showing him that respect, I think he can view himself as the same.

Again, I’d like to reiterate that having been married for only four years I am by no means an expert. However, this was a learning experience in my marriage that I felt impressed to share on the blog. Wives, do your best to respect your husbands; and husbands, love your wives. I know from experience that it is easy to fall into the trap of criticizing or taking your spouse for granted, but there is simply no place for that in a truly happy marriage. By showing your spouse constant love and respect, and by putting their needs above your own, there will come a deeper love and a new found respect towards your spouse. I’d like to end with one of my favorite quotes on marriage:

“If you want something to last forever, you treat it differently. You shield it and protect it. You never abuse it. You don’t expose it to the elements. You don’t make it common or ordinary. If it ever becomes tarnished, you lovingly polish it until it gleams like new. It becomes special because you have made it so, and it grow more beautiful and precious as time goes by.”

This is how I feel we should view and treat the relationships we have with our husbands.

Thank you for reading, and allowing me to share with you what I am most passionate about. I welcome and look forward to your thoughts, experiences and views on the matter.

– SARA

Linked To:
http://www.create-with-joy.com/2014/03/inspire-me-monday-week-117.html
http://aproverbs31wife.com/life-happens-sometimes/
http://theblissfulbee.com/work-it-wednesday-no-41/
http://ithappensinablink.com/2014/04/5-quick-easter-crafts.html
http://iputabirdonit.blogspot.com/2014/04/linkn-blogs-19.html

Pinterest Challenge Week #1

posted in diy, home, inspiration, Pinterest Challenge, women's fashion by Hanna on
Hey, it’s Hanna! When I saw this gold-dipped frame from Sarah at Pretty Providence, I fell in love and I had just the mirror to do this same thing with so on to my pin board this went. Sadly, not too long after I pinned this inspiration my mirror fell over and shattered. Now that I think of it, it was only a few weeks later I had to get my appendix out during our vacation in Florida…yep…bad luck! Anyway I still loved the idea so I decided to take this inspiration and use it on a picture frame.

Instead of going with gold I decided to try bronze to match some of the other decor I already had in my living room. This lovely frame is the center of a photo wall collage I did above our new piano. I’m in LOVE with it all! Now I just need to get a family picture in this frame and it’s complete!
Stay tuned for a complete look at this framed wall collage with bronze accents coming soon!
Sara here, to show my first project of the Pinterest Challenge– a DIY studded collar! Studded apparel is everywhere this season and it’s one trend I’m absolutely in love with! Best of all is that I found this simple tutorial on Pinterest a while back on how to create your own studded look.You can buys these studs at almost any craft supply store (I got mine at Joanns with a 40% coupon for $3.60) and they come in all different colors. Each stud has little prongs that you push into the fabric. Once the stud is placed right where you want it, you bend the prongs inward to secure the stud. You guys, it is soo easy! I’m trying not to get too carried away and bedazzle my whole wardrobe with these studs, I love them!

We hope you enjoyed this first week of projects! Be sure to follow our Pinterest Challenge board on Pinterest so you can check out all the amazing projects by us and the other bloggers!

Making Progress // DIY Chalkboard Calendar

posted in diy, home, organization by Hanna on
I’m blaming it on the warm weather and “spring cleaning” for my recent productivity and finally starting to unpack the rest of our boxes; most of which had a lot of our home decor stuff. Four months in our new house and in just the last few weeks I feel like we’ve made some real progress to make it look like we actually live here!
After living in our house for awhile and giving it much thought (I’m talking many nights in bed before going to sleep) I’m starting to get a sense of the things I want to do for each room. I still wouldn’t say it’s all exactly how I want it, but I’ve been surprised at how putting up a few things really brings out who we are and makes me feel more comfortable in my house. Plus I had a good reminiscing moment while pulling out all our pictures that have been boxed up. I already need to replace most of them with updated pictures of the girls!
So today I’m giving you a peak at our dining room. It’s right off the kitchen and connects with the living room and the family room so it’s a place we’re in a lot!
Right now I’m going through each room and decorating it using mostly things we have on hand and then making a list of things the room still needs that we’ll need to start saving for. Rugs are at the top of the list for pretty much all of the rooms on our main floor as is the case for the dining room. Anyone have some good suggestions on rugs for a dining room? I need to find something that will hold up with kids and the huge mess they seem to make under their chairs at meal times!
Other than a rug the thing on my list was some sort of a calendar. I made one for our last place out of an old window frame, but it doesn’t fit anywhere in our house where it would be convenient. While I was at Hobby Lobby I happened upon a chalkboard that was 23×35 inches for only $8.50 after getting it 40% off. 
At first I thought about taping off the lines for the whole calendar and painting it (I ALWAYS think of the hardest way first) and then I discovered paint pens. Pretty much the best thing invented and I’m just learning about them! I’m probably way behind on the times here. I made another trip to Hobby Lobby for mine. This is the one I got and I had just enough to draw out the whole calendar. I also gave the wood frame a coat of white paint that I had on hand as well.
I’m loving finally being able to see our month happenings at a glance, especially with Eric traveling for work. I never seem to remember his schedule and always think he’s going to be home one week when he is scheduled to fly out. This will keep that all sorted out.
Oh and lets talk about how I had to actually turn on our fan today because it was so warm outside! The problem was I couldn’t figure out how to turn it off for the pictures. The chain was stuck and every time I tried to reach higher my hand would get whacked by the fan. Tomorrow’s fix-it project I guess.

-HANNA

Linked To:
http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/2014/03/craft-o-maniac-monday-link-party-13.html
http://carriethishome.com/2014/03/frugal-crafty-home-blog-hop-69/
http://www.abrightandbeautifullife.com/making-monday-34/