Magnolia Charm

Friday, February 18, 2011

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Yesturday, Junior & I were in one of my favorite places, Lowes! :) & guess what I came across??? My thift store Chandelier! Remember I paid $29.99 for it. Well, I saw the same one for $154.00 at Lowes. I knew it was worth more than I paid, but I had NO IDEA it was that much! I got a DEAL! :)

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Valentines day brownie cookies! Yum!

Brownie Roll-Out Cookies*

Recipe from Deb’s mom

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup lightly salted butter, softened (Deb note: I don’t really see “lightly salted” much these days, so I used one stick salted, one stick unsalted)

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa (I used the “good” stuff–Droste or Galler–but I can assure you that my mother only used Hershey’s growing up, so your choice)

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Whisk dry flour, salt and baking powder in bowl and set aside. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and cocoa in mixer. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.

Roll out cookie dough on floured counter. Cut into desired shapes, brushing extra deposits of flour off the top. (It does disappear once baked, though, so don’t overly fret if they go into the oven looking white.) Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 8 to 11 minutes (the former for 1/8-inch thick cookies, the latter for 1/4-inch cookies) until the edges are firm and the centers are slightly soft and puffed

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

* According to my mother’s recipe, they’re called chocolate sugar cookies but I do not feel that it does them justice.

I got this recipe from: Smitten Kitchen

So Delicious! :)

You should try them.. & I am determined to make ice cream sandwiches with these cookies! I will let you know how it came out!

*** update:

ice cream sandwich! YUM! :)

Buffet project

I have been on the search for a buffet. My price range, well, let's be honest I didnot have one because we are broke..LMAO. However, I really ~~needed~~ wanted a buffet to put all of my ~~fine china~~ nice glasses, plates, decorative stuff in. I looked all over craigslist for months. I went to sooo many thrift stores for months, but I couldnot find anything that I really liked & could afford. Until, I went to one of my favorite places.. the Preservation store in the ninth ward around the corner from my grandmother's house.

I came across this very dusty piece of furniture that was in desperate need of love that I really wanted to give it, but it was WAYYYYYY out of my price range... which I didn't really have one like I said in the latter; however, I knew this wasnot in it!! lol . This is my first love.. They wanted $900 for this:

Let's just say she is pretty, but clearly not worth the price.. However in front of it was another hutch that was dirty,UGLY..etc. It also needed some tlc.. but I wasnot sure if I wanted to give it any. Plus it didnot have the character that my first love had. However, it had plenty of potential! It was 8ft long! They were asking 140 for top & bottom, but I didnot even want the top. The people did not want to sell them separately;however, me & senior have big plans for the top any ways. Well, meet big red:

It wasnot love at first sight because I went back to this store about five time before senior brought it for me for my birthday! I was so happy to begin. It turn into about a $250 project(buffet, stain, sand paper, spray paint, molding, tools, wood filler, pily wood & legs)... We sanded it, spray painted,stained it, put legs on it & put on a new back. whew! It took us about 2 weeks to finish. IT NEEDED a LOT of WORK, but thanks to my persistence & constant nagging of my husband.. Sry senior! :)

When I say I LOVE my buffet/ bar, I mean it! I L O V E it! :)

If you are thinking about trying something like this I suggest wearing protective eye wear, mouth wear & gloves! because there was so much dust still in our garage from all the sanding! Also, have a plan. If you can figure out everything you may need & buy it. because we kept having to stop because we forgot to buy something at Lowe's & because we have to do things when we actually have money for it, so we had to wait on a lot of stuff. Oh well, it was well worth the wait!