Menu
0
0

Category: family

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.

Picnic Themed Birthday Party

posted in crafts, diy, family, food, holidays, inspiration, kids, party by Hanna on
It is officially spring (as of March 20th) which for me marks the beginning of shorts, sandals, vacations, and birthday celebrations. Ironically enough, my daughter and both of Hanna’s girls all have birthdays in April about one week apart. 
Picnic Themed Party | by Stripes and Polka Dots
Last year, instead of throwing two separate parties (little Livy was not yet born) Hanna and I decided to combined our girl’s birthday parties. Growing up, we never really had big elaborate birthday parties where we invited all our friends. Instead, my mom would make whatever we wanted for dinner and dessert and we’d celebrate our birthday with our family. However, this is not to say that we don’t enjoy throwing a good party. In fact, since Hanna and I have started our own families, throwing fun little parties together have become one of our favorite hobbies.

Picnic Themed Party | by Stripes and Polka Dots

We wanted to keep things simple, yet provide a fun environment for our family and friends while creating a sweet memory for our little girls. We finally decided on a casual picnic themed birthday party at the park. Minus the unexpected chilly weather, we managed to pull off a fun party for all ages on a small budget of just $100. 

Picnic Themed Party | by Stripes and Polka Dots

Since the food took up the majority of our budget, we looked for inexpensive packaging ideas and decorations. Instead of purchasing “to-go” boxes, which can end up costing a lot of money, we bought simple brown paper sacks and then printed a cute little banner on them. All the sandwiches  were wrapped in wax paper and this cute pink checkered tissue paper that we found at Walmart for $3. The fruit cups were packaged in cheap plastic cups and then topped with saran wrap and baker’s twine. Finally, all the different sack lunch items got a colorful label that we made with scrapbook paper. 

Picnic Themed Party | by Stripes and Polka Dots

Picnic Themed Party | by Stripes and Polka Dots

Picnic Themed Party | by Stripes and Polka Dots

For the decorations, we used some balloons I had leftover from my baby shower a year earlier and then we made some matching ruffled streamers. Here is a great tutorial from “Dana Made It” on how to make ruffled streamers– so cute! All the baskets and flowers were things that we had at home. 

Picnic Themed Party | by Stripes and Polka Dots

Great parties do not have to mean spending a lot of money. Try and look for areas where you can cut back or make simpler. Find things around your house, friends or family’s homes, or at second hand stores that can be reused for party decorations.  And last but not least, have a good time. What truly makes a good party is the people that you celebrate it with. 

Picnic Themed Party | by Stripes and Polka Dots
Honestly, this party seemed like it was just the other day. I can’t believe it has been almost a year later and that I’m already planning out birthday #2 for my daughter. Sadly, this year will not be a combined party since Hanna and I live much farther apart; however, we did manage to come up with the same birthday party theme for our girls. I guess great minds really do think alike… or maybe it’s our crazy twin connection. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this picnic party flashback! And for all you “go-doers” out there, I’ve also gathered up some more fabulous picnic party ideas and inspiration shown below:
Picnic Themed Party | by Stripes and Polka Dots

Popsicle Picnic Party | Little Lovely
Boxed Lunch Picnic Party | All Things Heart and Home
Fabric Tent | Inspiration via Pinterest

Friday Finds #8: Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day

posted in family, Friday Finds, inspiration by Hanna on
While we had a lot of traditions surrounding the bigger holidays, growing up we didn’t celebrate these small holidays like St. Patricks day. I’m not sure if I even ever wore green on that day! However, since I’ve become a mother I’ve gained a whole new meaning of “holidays”. I want to use these holidays to create fun memories with my girls and do something a little special as a family. At the same time, the thought of decorating every inch of my house in shamrocks and the color green and making these elaborate recipes as well as coming up with gifts for everyone we know isn’t something that gets me excited as a busy mom. In fact it’s VERY overwhelming.
If you’re like me and you’re a mother chasing kids all day while juggling 50 other things or are not a super crafty person, you’re going to LOVE today’s finds as St. Patrick’s day is right around the corner! I really like how these ideas make celebrating St. Patrick’s day festive and easy while spending time with the family. And the best part…we’ve got ideas from breakfast to dinner to everything in between!

1. Start the day and surprise the kids with this “Lucky” breakfast | Thoughtfully Simple
2. DIY Bell Pepper Clover Stamp craft for kids | The Crazy Coupon Lady
3. St. Patrick’s Day Family Fort Night | Pillow Thought
4. St. Patrick’s Day Outfit Inspiration | The House in the Hills
5. Shamrock Rice Krispies Treats | Try Me Tonight
6. Anti-Pinch Polish | Eighteen25
7. Lucky Shamrock Pesto Pasta | Babble
8. The Night Before St. Patrick’s Day picture book | Amazon
I think my St. Patrick’s day is officially planned out from start to finish with this round-up! How cute is that anti-pinch polish going to be for the girls?! And forget corn beef and cabbage; the pesto pasta looks a lot more kid friendly and so easy!
What are your plans for St. Patrick’s day? We’d love for any more ideas you guys have!
-HANNA

DIY Magnet Board Photo Wall

posted in diy, family, home, inspiration by Hanna on
Sara and I are 2 out of 5 kids in our family. In just over five years our family of 7 grew to 15 people. Between weddings, graduations, trips and having babies there have been LOTS of moments captured; all of which my mother tried to put on her kitchen walls. Needless to say, it was starting to get really cluttered. So for her birthday I decided to solve the problem and give our mom a nice, big space to display photos of her cute grand-babies.
For many years now I have looked at this blank wall as I’ve walk up and down the stairs at our parent’s house. After looking for a solution to where all of the pictures could go, that my mom wanted to have around I couldn’t have found a better place! So last year while I was staying there over the holidays I drew up some plans of how I wanted the wall to look and what would allow for the most pictures. The magnet boards makes it easy to hang and interchange a lots of pictures, plus the ledge on top adds additional space for framed pictures.
We started by adhering sheets of metal we got from the local hardware store with liquid nails that we cut down to the size we wanted. We also put a nail in each corner to secure them. My dad and husband were great handymen for this project!
Then we framed the metal sheets with 1x2s. Going along the top we did a 1×4 with a piece of molding over that to give it some detail. On top of all of that we added a photo ledge using another 1×4 and a thin strip of wood to the front of that to keep the frames from slipping.
After caulking all the edges, it only took a couple coats of paint to complete this project.
When I was showing our mom my plans for this before I even started I could tell she was a little hesitant and didn’t really see my vision. Because I never come up with “over the top” projects that are hard to bring to reality. In all honestly thought this was a really easy project once I figured out all the measurements and made all the cuts. Plus it cost less then $100!
I couldn’t be happier with the final results and neither can our mother. She says she loves going up and down those stairs now and looking at all the pictures of her family.
After doing this project, it’s made me want to do one in my own home down in the playroom. Hum…the wheels are turning again!
-HANNA

Linked To:
http://www.thegirlcreative.com/2014/02/23/sunday-best-link-party.html
http://thediydreamer.com/from-dream-to-reality/106-lets-party/
http://upcycledtreasures.com/2014/02/the-makers-link-party-6/
http://diyshowoff.com/2014/02/23/diy-party-5/
http://cityfarmhouse.com/2014/02/inspiration-exchange-linky-party-38.html
http://placeofmytaste.com/2014/02/work-wednesday-36.html

Our Blogging Goals for 2014

posted in blogging, family, motherhood, organization by Sara on
Hi everyone! I’ve just returned from a week-long vacation with Hanna and am already looking forward to our next one! We always have so much fun together and it is as though we’ve never been apart. With a whole week together we had so much that we wanted to do, but it only took us a day to realize that not all of it was going to get done. With having three little girls under the age of 3 there was just no way that we were going to be able to care for them, complete all the projects we had planned, and go everywhere we wanted to go while still keeping our sanity at the same time. When it came right down to it we decided to set aside our blog and all of our projects for the week and enjoy the time we had together. Instead, we had a blast chatting away the days, eating way too much food, and watching our girls play together—while having to play referee on occasion. We even found the courage to pack the three girls in the back seat and travel out to our parent’s house for a few days. With it being about a four hour drive each way, Hanna and I utilized the time to talk about our future progress and goals for the blog. Since many of our blogging goals are geared around our readers, we thought we’d share them with you.

BLOGGING GOALS

1.   Get more personal in our posts. We want our readers to come to know the real us. While some of our pictures may suggest otherwise, we have bad days too where our hair and makeup doesn’t get done, our house is a disaster, we lose our patience with our children and the laundry is pilled high. We make mistakes and we are always striving to be better than we are. We’re not blogging to imply that we are above anyone else, but rather to share our ideas, experiences, and inspirations to help and inspire others.
2.   Stay true to ourselves. We have both found a lot of joy in blogging and the opportunity it gives us to stay more connected with one another. In continuing to blog, our overall goal is to remain true to what is important to us, what we believe in, and who we are. We will never post anything on the blog for the mere sake of posting something or to get gain.
3.   Comment more on other blogs and connect more with other bloggers. We are constantly overwhelmed by the support of other bloggers and our readers. We are delightfully gitty with each new follower and with every comment. Our goal is to continue to pay-it-forward by supporting other bloggers and to make new friends by reaching out. After making this goal we have rounded up a great group of other bloggers for a surprise blog series we will be starting in March– stay tuned! 
4.   Start an editorial calendar to organize our tasks and improve our time management. I know I am not alone when I say that time management can often be a struggle, but it is something we are constantly trying to master (without success). We started using an editorial calendar (both a hard copy and an online version) so that we can more easily keep track of the tasks that need to get done and hopeful become more organized with our time. If anyone has more ideas or suggestions on the matter please feel free to share!
5.   Post more regularly on our social media sites. This is really something that we have both struggled with since starting our blog. Neither one of us are the type that updates our Facebook status everyday (barely every month) or posts a new picture on Instagram on a daily basis but we are beginning to realized the importance of social media use in growing our blog. And, since we only post three times a week we hope to stay more in touch with you and fill you in on daily happenings through the use of social media. Wish us luck!
6.   Make our blog more easy to navigate and more easy to connect with. It has been less than two months since we started up Stripes and Polka Dots and we are already finding many new ways to make it better. Unfortunately, we feel rather limited at the moment as to where we’d eventually like the design of our blog to be, but it is our goal to save our pennies and do our research so by this summer we can make our blog more user friendly. With some of the changes we hope to incorporated in the coming months we hope it will enable our readers to become more engaged as we wish to get to know you better. 

Kid Approved Valentines Party

posted in crafts, family, holidays, kids, lifestyle by Hanna on

It has been a busy week getting caught up with everything after our trip to Florida! I was pretty much behind on everything; blogging included! So today with it being Valentine’s I wanted share with you a little bit of my week that included this Valentine’s party I did for preschool.

Since moving into our new house I joined an at-home preschool group that some of the mother’s in the neighborhood had already started. We take turns doing preschool at our homes 2 days a week. So far it’s been really great for my toddler for social interaction with some bonus learning and crafts. It’s been great for me in getting to know some of the other mothers around me and finding some friends for Mia.

This week was my week and it being the week of Valentines I wanted to do something to celebrate. We spent the first day doing a craft that would serve as decoration for the party later in the week and then as a Valentine to give to their parents.

I cut up a bunch of scrap paper and had the kids glue them to inside of the heart. They love stick glue so they had a good time with it. This craft was perfect for a quick and easy decoration for the party!

Yesterday was our “party” day. We started by decorating bags with foam heart for all their Valentine’s to go in. Felt stickers was something we hadn’t done before and it was another hit with keeping the kiddos entertained.
Next we played a game of “Pin the Heart”. My daughter, Mia was my model for the girl we “pinned” the heart on and my helper in coloring it.
Our final activity was decorating heart cookies and eating them. Yum!

Now that the kids were all hyped up on sugar and before everyone’s mom came to pick them up I passed out their bags they decorated earlier and we passed around all the cute Valentines everyone brought.
Once the kids were gone I spent a good half-hour on clean up while Mia ate more candy and then we had a lazy afternoon. What a great day!
Hope everyone has a lovely Valentines day!
-HANNA

Friday Finds #5: Valentine’s Gift Ideas

posted in family, Friday Finds, friends, holidays, inspiration, marriage by Sara on
Last year, my husband Eric stayed up late the night before Valentines making me a flower bouquet from Hershey’s Kisses and tissue paper and leaving these flowers around the house with little notes. If you knew my husband you would know he is NOT a crafty person so this gift meant a lot to me. How sweet that he would take the time to make something for me since that’s what I enjoy? I’m hoping to top his gift this year, but with the holidays just getting over and a husband that just had a birthday my brain is strained for thinking of a good gift that is meaningful and affordable.Not to mention finding a great gift to spread the love with all the other special people in my life. So for our sake and yours, Sara and I have rounded up some pretty awesome gift ideas for all those special people in your life.
1. “Because I Love You…” Dry Erase Board | by Drawings Under the Table
2.  Mr & Mrs Coupon Book | by Day Spring
3.  “Open When” Letters | by The Dating Divas
5.  Felt Fortune Cookies | by “The Martha Stewart Show”
7.  Heart Balloon Surprise | by Oh Happy Day
8.  “You Are Golden” Printable Valentine’s | by The Crafted Sparrow
If you have any other ideas please send them our way! Also be sure to check out our Valentine’s Day board on Pinterest for many more cute ideas!
-HANNA