Cookies & SHOPPING!

First I'll show you my finished pillow =)



Just a quick pin and I decided to put in the stitches as a decorative fashion.



Can't wait to put it in my new apartment. I think I'll do a few more but need some more fabric. I want one that has a big "BEAUTIFUL" on it. If you know me, you know that is my favorite word. I'm waiting to hear back from my roomies if they have any requests, so definitely stay tuned for more pillow projects :).

Now onto the cookies. I asked what I could make my wonderfully handsome boyfriend for his road trip to the Lumberjack World Championships! He simply wanted some chewy chocolate chip cookies. He gave me a foodnetwork magazine and HERE you can check out the recipe. The magazine had a basic guide to how to make cookies crispy, chewy, and cakey.



On the right track with the butter and sugars, the batter looked fine. I got fresh dark brown sugar and unsalted butter just for this occasion.



Adding the dry ingredients it still looks like it's right on track. Just put the chocolate chips in and it'll be good to start baking right? NOPE!



I didn't read the entire recipe before starting the cookies. I had to refrigerate for "at least 1 hour, preferably overnight". And I wanted to make these before dinner with my man. So I packed up my batter that had been chilling for an hour already and put it on ice in a cooler and set way to his house. Once I got there and put the batter in the fridge to chill a little more. After chilling the dough and preheating the oven, I started the cookies.

Each batch took about 10-12 minutes. I set my timer for 12 because I was using chilled dough. I checked on it after 10 minutes and they looked good. Nice and fluffy, yet probably chewy. I waited until my timer went off and went to the oven to take out my perfectly chewy cookies. FALSE! These cookies were flat flat flat. I was making them when my man was distracted, so I altered the oven to 25 degrees lower and set my time for a minute less. At 10 minutes on 375 they looked perfect! This had to work. NOPE. They were still coming out flat. I tired other alterations that were all slight and still nothing really stuck.



My man wasn't distracted long once he could smell freshly baked cookies, and who would be? Well we tried troubleshooting together and still nothing would work. I finally went over the recipe again and noticed a tip up in the corner. You are supposed to SIFT the dry ingredients in order to let air get more into the batter. I felt very bad but handsome assured me they were good. I made many many cookies for him and he shared with everyone on their 15 hour drive to Wisconsin. He even sent me a text when they were a few hours away with the message "cookie love" and one of his friends at the wheel and chomping on a cookie =)

Next is my shopping trip. Oh how Tanger Outlets are fabulous. I also had a bunch of coupons for the Tanger Outlets that let me have 20% off a single item at certain stores. Well here's my loot.



Up in the corner are some lovely NINE WEST boots with a little heel. They were on super sale and just $22 and very cute for fall.

Next and right underneath is a pair of shorts and jeans with the holes from PACSUN. They are both a great fit for my tiny bum, haha.

Underneath is that lacey white top and it's lovely with the orange shorts right next to it, which are from GAP OUTLET. So are the jeans right next to the orange shorts. Again, all great fits and great prices.

Now this plaid shirt right here that is an actual button down that fits me great is from JCREW. I can't explain to you how long I've looked for a button down, and one that fits all aspects of me.

Lastly I got a romper, my true addition in clothes for the summer, from GUESS.



Didn't mean to have my head cut off but I can't take a picture of myself that well, even with a timer- haha. Rompers are such an addiction. I can't not get them. Haha-

Well I'm off to enjoy the rest of my baklava from the farmers market, until next time,

<3 Carly =)

Craft Day & Pirates

Monday was great. My banana friend and I got to craft ALL day =)

First off, we went to DORSTOP for breakfast. It's in Dormont, right on Potomac off of West Liberty. They've been on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives! We both had Bob's Specialty, which includes 2 eggs, toast, German potato pancakes and it's SO GOOD!
It's also important for my breakfast, if I'm going out to get it, is to have eggs. =)

Anyway, we've been working on our T-shirt blankets, but it is a lot of work and when it's raining out, quote pillows just seemed like the ideal project.



My pillow has "NEVER REGRET anything because at one time it was exactly what you wanted."



Banana's says, "Hope does not disappoint" and the reverse has "the ONLY thing that counts is FAITH expressing itself in LOVE."



We had to try out the letters between each word. "T" is such a common letter and there was only 1 in the stencil sets (we got a small, medium and large set). So just take the time to look at my second and third line and how time consuming that was, haha. TOTALLY worth it though!



My pillow is stuffed and just waiting to be sewn up the edge. I wanted the stuffing to set a little before sewing it up, just to also admire an unfinished, but beautiful pillow =)

Now I haven't forgotten about my knitting either. My socks are actually coming along quite quickly.



And I've knit even more since this picture =)

I also want to show off the project I will be knitting during the Olympics. Now first I must direct you to this article, but understand, I am just knitting a project during the same amount of time that the Olympics are going on. It's quite crazy how the article is so against knitters & crocheters doing projects and having teams along with the Olympics. They say things such as, it's insulting to the athletics - it distracts from the real Olympics. All in while, they are donating money to the Special Olympics. . . . Some people just want to be rude I guess.



This is the "Weekend Swoncho" from the magazine, The Love of Knitting. I don't know when I started getting this magazine but I'm glad I did. Now the yarn in the photo is from my favorite yarn stores big summer sale, Bloomin' Yarns. It is so soft and I just can't wait to knit it up. The needles are also from the summer sale and they are beautiful lantern moons. =)

After banana and I crafted all day, I dropped her off back at school and went to dinner with my handsome man. We went to the Double Wide Grill in South Side before going to the Pirates game. I had free tickets from work and I love an evening with my man ;-). I completely enjoyed the pulled pork from dinner and then we got to enjoy dipp'n dots from PNC Park.

The whole day was great. Crafting, great food, great company, great summer =)

Until next time,

<3 Carly

Favorites: knitting & tea

I offered to do a project for my favorite yarn store, Bloomin' Yarns. It was a Weekend Wrap (you should be able to finish it in a weekend). I think it's so cute and tempted to do one for myself =)



I think it went with my outfit today too ;-). I'd like to do mine in a basic cream color, so it can go with more and give a real beachy summery feel.

Now I must show my first finished sock from the flirty pair and how far along I am on the second one.



They fit like a glove :)

Lastly, my tea love. I made a Tea Wreath. Now as a crafter, I am a member of not only Ravelry, but Pinterest as well. These sites I could spend hours on just looking up great projects to do.



I'm really glad I finally did this project because I'm going back to school in just the shortest amount of time ever and I'll be in an apartment with some other tea loving friends. I'm sure we'll all enjoy using this.

Now, not listed, but all my friends know a favorite is movies. I am SO excited to see the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises. It was filmed right in front of my school, the building I live in and just my campus in general. I am so excited and I geek out when I see any previews. My handsome and I are going and I'm so excited =)

Until next time, I'll be knitting and tea drinking ;-)

<3 Carly

Cookies and CAR! =D

Oh yeah, I got a car.



it is a Honda Civic 2012 EX

=D

and I'm making cookies for a party I'm going to tomorrow. The kitchen sink ones again. They were a big hit last time with my handsome and I wanted to make them again. I'm worried because I was freezing the nuts to keep them fresh, but I don't know, I'm always very critical on my baking.

I'm also working hard on my socks and should be finishing the first one very shortly :). I'm working on a project for my favorite yarn shop as well and stuck in the one part of doing YO backwards. I'm usually not confused with my patterns, but I'm going to have to look up how to do this arm hole.

Until next time, I'll be driving around in my new car ;-)

<3 Carly

Summer Baking & Sock Knitting

Really what else do I do with my time? I love to bake and I love to knit.

My friend and I made Chocolate Chip Raspberry Crumb Cake and took pictures the entire time =)



Remy made the topping, and I made the batter.



Next we had to defrost the raspberries (yes, I used frozen. They work just as well!). Mixing them in just made the batter look lusciously pink ;-) hehe



Then the final product after cooking. . .



Now, if we were smart, we would have taken pictures after cutting into them. Well we were hungry and wanted to taste the treats =). Haha, I really don't think these made it past the first 2 days of making them. We took them down to our downtown crew and then I gave a bunch to my handsome man. Also my mom and I can't keep baked goods in the house without snacking on them, haha.

I would like to let you all know, my favorite baking cook book is The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook. It has most of the recipes that I love to bake =).

Off to my knitting now,



I've come a long way and I just keep making up this pattern. Once you learn the basics of an article in knitting you can guide your way through the process. I love that about knitting. I love that I can create what I want =). I'm just itching to start that sweater. I just want to finish these socks before hand. Which is silly, but needed because I like to have one project at a time, and not a bunch of unfinished things.

Oh, I'd like to show you a picture of my handsome man =)



I can't even explain how happy this picture makes me. Almost as happy as he makes me =)

Until next time,

<3 Carly

It's Greek to Me =)

I love Greek food, Greek cookies, just all food involving Greek or the Mediterranean in general is fabulous to me. Ask my friends, I'm kinda obsessed.

Anyway, my mother dearest is going on a vacation and the car ride is about 12 hours. Her and her friends wanted so munchies to snack on during the long car ride so I volunteered my baking time to more greek cookies. Something not too sweet, not bitter, not messy, overall a great traveling cookie. They might need glasses of milk or coffee or tea to dunk them in but that's completely irrelevant when they just want something to munch on and not starve during this long trip.

Let me tell you something about the Greeks. They have large families. Have you ever seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding? My dad's family is apparently like that. Big, loud and in each others faces. This is why a Greek cookbook will yield 7 dozen cookies. Hahaha, needless to say, I will be up a little late. Quite alright with me, I'm watching my new movie I got in the mail today, Moneyball =).

If you read up on my blog, you know I'm obsessed with the Best Picture Showcase, and Moneyball was one of my favorites =)

I also got a book in the mail today (I got to go on Amazon). It's Knit Swirl. It's pretty fantastic and I think it'll be a good summer project. I want a sweater and you've all seen my cardigan. I want a sweater. I've been craving a sweater and I think I found a yarn I like at my favorite yarn store (Bloomin' Yarns of course).

Now, I'm finally going to post pictures of my baking! It's all in action now too, currently have a batch in the oven! :)



That is the dough. Now that may not look like a lot, but believe me, it's a sh!t ton of dough. The amount of flour these cookies calls for is insane. I need a kitchen aide Santa!



Now these are just the prep cookies. Normal people would make the cookies this size, but they rise and I like big cookies. I also didn't but a beaten egg painted over the tops this time. I just like them softer.



Here they are cooking! They make the whole house smell lovely. It's mostly butter in there, not going to lie. 3 sticks worth. That's a lot of butter! And then the 5 1/2 cups of flour! Oh this recipe is simple but just tons of things.

Had to take a mini break to change out a batch, just got burned. CAREFUL WHILE BAKING FOLKS!

I already have 61 cookies made, I have 24 in the oven and then 19 left to bake. I yielded 110 cookies, which is way over the 7 dozen, but well worth it. Haha,

Until next time, I'll be eating butter ;-)

<3 Carly

Cookie Monster

So if you remember my last rant of baking, I made Coffee Toffee Bars, Kitchen Sink cookies and I never even got to tell you about my Koulourakia cookies (my favorite Greek cookies). All these cookies were made and consumed without the chance of a camera to capture their delectable looks.

I have uploaded my socks pictures though and very excited to show off my bar socks.



I call them my bar socks because the pattern is from a book for the social knitter, Pints & Purls. I have got countless compliments on them already and I mostly wear them as slippers! Haha

Now these next socks I am working on are much more basic. I just love the yarn, it is so gorgeous that a fancy pattern would just distract from the lovely yarn.



I'm calling them my flirty socks, solely because they are so pink and lovely that I wish to flirt with the yarn =)

Back to my cookie monster title. I am all out of cookies here at the house and I must make more. I've had requests from the Yaya's for their vacation plans and I must fulfill their needs. Now I had a tall handsome helper with my Greek cookies, but I want to surprise him with my next ones. I'll try to get pictures for these this time.

Until next time ;-)

<3 Carly