DIY Nightstands {ikea rast hack}

I am SOOO excited about our nightstands! It took me forever to decide on how I wanted to paint these:

These are the infamous Rast dressers from Ikea.  If you google {Rast Hacks} you will find a bunch of different ideas.  I loved the champagne style but I was not sure if it would go with {our new bed}.  I finally found my inspiration on {Little House Blog} and they have a great tutorial.  

I really love the pulls.  :)

Hope you have a great rest of your week!

{LJ}

Perfect Summer Raspberry Cheesecake {no bake}

Hi y'all!  Can you believe it is almost August?  I am really wondering where my summer went. :'(  Before I know it I will be back in the classroom teaching kids how to find the roots of a quadratic... {sign}.  I decided yesterday I needed to get busy baking and crafting while I still have the extra time.   I had pinned this {No Bake Raspberry Cheesecake} a while back and finally got around to making it yesterday.  This recipe is really simple and takes very little time {except the 2 hours it needs to refrigerate}.  The recipe is from the awesome blog: {My Baking Addiction}.  I love the flavor and it is lighter than a normal cheesecake.  Tall Tan Man was a little sad because he was craving cheesecake and this is not an authentic cheesecake.  Just wanted y'all to know that so no one gets disappointed. :)

Crust Ingredients:

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 TBSP sugar
3 TBSP melted butter

Cheesecake Ingredients:

2/3 cup sugar
Zest of 2 lemons
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
8 oz cream cheese, softened
8 oz frozen whipped topping
1 cup slightly smashed raspberries {you could also use strawberries or blue berries}

Directions:

1.  Combine all the crust ingredients in a small bowl.  Stir with a fork until mixed together.  Evenly distribute and pack mixture into four dessert dishes.  *Side Note:  The original recipe says to use 6 dessert dishes.  My glasses are about the same size as a cup and I had enough to make four.  

2.  In a large mixing bowl combine sugar and zest until well combined.  Now using an electric mixer, combine lemon juice, vanilla, and cream cheese.  Make sure all the cream cheese is combined! 

3.  Fold in the whipped topping {just a little side note...I let the whipped topping sit out for an hour while I was at the pool.  It was the prefect consistency}.   Next fold in the raspberries. 

4.  Evenly distribute the cheesecake mixture into the dessert bowls.  I did have a little left over, oh man I guess I have to eat it now so it doesn't go to waste.  One word.  Amazing. 

5.  Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. 

Hope you have a fabulous week! 

{LJ}

Blog Facelift

It is about dang time I did some updating on my blog.  I am pretty sure I had not update my pages {the tabs on the top of the page} in years...  I really had been putting off updating the Crafts page the longest, because I knew it would totally kick my butt.  And it did, took me pretty much all day.  Yay for being a teacher with summers off!!!  Sorry, don't hate me.  :)  I finally organized everything under categories so if you wanted to find something you could.  

I made a couple holiday sections:
 

And lastly if you know me well I had to have a random section... I can be a spaz at times. 

Alright, thanks for stopping by.  Sorry for the boring post about my new page, but I am super pumped how it turned out!  You should check it out!!! Hopefully your web browser likes it {not sure how the mobile version will turn out}.  Have a happenin' Friday!

{LJ}

Our new bed!!!

Hi there!  Our move is progressing well, who would of thought our little apartment would take so long to set up.  We laugh when we talk about getting a house and how difficult it would be for us to agree on things.  I think God has a sense of humor, because Tall Tan Man and I can be pretty opposite at times.  I have figured out that if Tall Tan Man builds/makes something {even if it was my idea} he likes how it turns out.  Before moving to Colorado I showed Tall Tan Man a bed I liked and I also found directions on how to make it on {Ana White's} website.  I kept bugging him about when he thought he would make it,  I might of been doubting him making it any time soon... Wife fail.  The bed was my welcome to Colorado present, I am pretty darn lucky!!!

We used the Minwax stain, Dark Walnut. 

 I love the legs...

Hope y'all have a great rest of the week! 

{LJ}

The Before's

Hi there!  Our new apartment is coming along slowly but surely.  I am a reeeeally sloooooow decorator.  I don't like to make any rash decisions, and designing for the myself and Tall Tan Man has been harder than expected.  Tall Tan Man gave me a few guidelines... no floral and no over decorating.  You would think this would be easy to work with, but I have found myself a little stressed out by making our home right for both of us.  It's silly, I know.  I just want both of us happy.  Our apartment started out with most of my furniture, but has slowly changed thanks to my handy husband.  Here are a few projects we are working on currently.  I will be SO thankful when all of these are done...I want my floor to not be covered with a tarp!

Here is the beautiful coffee table Tall Tan Man made.  

This is the awkwardly large desk in the kitchen...As you can see it collects more trash than office things. 

 

We will be doing our own ikea "rask hack" {you should google all the awesome hacks}!

The BEAUTIFUL bed Tall Tan Man Made.  Sorry for the late night phone picture, the bed looks tiny.  Do you love our leopard sheets?  Can you guess who bought those? 

This is our new Ikea dresser that will match the bed. 

I better get up and start painting!  Have a fabulous day!

{LJ}

Homemade Fudge Sauce

Happy Saturday!  I have a new obsession.  One word.  Netflix.  Have you ever watched the TV show Drop Dead Diva?  Well, I am sucker for cheesy, lighthearted shows and this one is that.  Another one of my current obsessions is this fudge recipe.  Growing up my Mom would make this and I remember eating it by the spoonfuls.  When I was back in Texas a few weeks ago I was craving this and opened up Helen Corbitt's Cookbook {1957}.  I hope you enjoy this as much as I do! 

Fudge Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

2 1/4 cups powdered sugar

5 oz evaporated milk

6 squares bitter chocolate

Set up your double boiler and add all the ingredients to the top pot.  Allow mixture to melt over the hot water for 30 minutes.   Here's the awesome part, do not stir.  Just let it sit...

After 30 minutes start stirring.

Isn't it beautiful?

If you can contain yourself and not eat it all, this would make a great gift {you will be sooo loved}. Just make sure you refrigerate it after your done.  Now the best way to eat this is by first getting the perfect vanilla ice cream.

 Yummmm!!!

Now start pouring the fudge sauce.

Maybe a little bit more.

Ok, maybe a little bit more.

Ah, perfect!

Hope you have a great rest of your weekend!

{LJ}

Lemon Brownies

Hello!  Wowsers, I am officially moved.  Feels good to have everything in one place.  For a while I had most of my things in Denver, a suitcase at my parents house in Dallas where I was staying, and random things left at my single lady apartment.  Before you start reading into things, I was in Dallas for a friends wedding not because I was ready for a break from Tall Tan Man.  I ended up not packing too smart, so I invested in a six pack of mens white v neck t-shirts.  That was the best idea...Everyday I just put a new one on and didn't have to worry if they matched my Nike shorts.  :)  If anyone saw me a couple days in a row they probably didn't think I was showering changing clothes.  

Alright now that you are a little more caught up on my life I will share a perfect summer recipe.  

These lemon brownies were easy and tasty.  I got the recipe from the blog {Rita's Recipe}, originally from pinterest. 

Brownie Ingredients:

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

2 eggs

1 tsp lemon zest {about 1 lemon}

1 TBSP lemon juice {same lemon}

1.  Pre heat oven to 350 and grease an 8x8 brownie pan.

2.  Using a mixer, combine all of the above ingredients.  

3.  Pour into pan and bake for 25 minutes.  Allow to cool completely before applying glaze.

 Glaze Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar 

2 TBSP lemon juice {1 lemon}

1.  Mix ingredients together and pour over cooled brownies.  

*Side note:  I doubled the glaze amount from the original recipe because I did not think I had enough glaze. 

 If you are looking for some new yummy recipe's you should check out {Rita's blog}!  Hope ya'll are having a fabulous fourth!  I made our favorite banana pudding and we're listening to country music.  This is about as exciting as it is going to get this year.  :)

{LJ}