It's Friday!!!!

I'm very excited that Friday has finally arrived. Not for any particular reason, other than this has been a stressful week. Whenever my kids are sick, I stress, but I'm pretty sure that's normal. But sometimes I stress more than other normal people do. So, tomorrow morning I'm going to hide under the covers and be happy I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn. And my kids are not sick anymore! YAY!!

My freezer is a mess. SOMEONE (no one will own up to it) didn't put the box of ice cream away properly and the door didn't completely shut. I'm not sure how long it was like that, but long enough to create a giant mess that included several tumors of thawed and re-frozen ice cream that are now decorating the shelves....and the 3-4 inches of frost you see on everything. Now, my freezer did need to be re-organized, I'll give you that. But this.....THIS is just a mess I don't want to deal with. I would rather clean 10 gas station bathrooms than have to deal with defrosting this baby and cleaning it out.

I'll think about this tomorrow....

...but today I'd rather think about THIS!! You see that hot pink beadboard?? It's not real beadboard. It's (paintable) WALLPAPER!! haha....Isn't this the greatest thing since sliced bread!? Lowe's sells it for $15.50 a roll. Bet that's a ton cheaper (and faster to install) than real beadboard. I'm rubbing my hands in anticipation to try this stuff out real soon.

Do you have a boring old cardigan in your closet that you haven't worn for a long time because it doesn't go with anything you have, and you don't like it? I did. I dug it out today and decided to salvage it. I happen to also have a little stash of scarves that I used to wear before they went out of style (they happen to be back in style now, though......WOW...have I lived that long already!?). So, I found a scarf that I thought would look nice with the cardigan and got to work.
So, if you want to know how I did it, just keep scrolling and read the captions on the photos. I have to say I'm a lot more likely to wear it now than I was before. Hopefully it will inspire you to find something boring in your closet that needs a little facelift, too! (you can click on these photos to enlarge them if that helps to see the details better)



I don't usually decorate eggs for Easter, but I couldn't resist trying this idea that I already blogged about a few weeks ago. It was the Silk Dyed Eggs from Our Best Bites. Here are mine!
I thought they looked cute in this dish with the little birds looking at them (and each other) like, "WOW, those are some awesome eggs.....did YOU lay that?"

They didn't turn out as well as the ones on the tutorial, but still pretty. And relatively inexpensive to make as I got the ties at the VOA on 1/2 off day.
My recipe post for today is a cheater. I copied it from Our Best Bites. I haven't even made it, but man oh man....it sure looks drool worthy.

These are Peanut Butter Cup Caramel Shortbread Bars....yeah, that's a LOT of sugah! They are supposed to taste a bit like Twix. Scroll past the photo for the recipe, and have a splendid weekend!!

Peanut Butter Cup Caramel Shortbread Bars

1 c. salted butter at room temp

1 c. powdered sugar

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. caramels (one 14 oz. pkg Kraft caramel or 2 c. homemade caramel)

1-3 Tbsp. cream (1 if using Kraft caramels, 3 if using homemade)

3 c. mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (about one and a half 11 oz. bags)

Preheat oven to 300*. Spray a 9x13" pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl or the bowl of your mixer, combine the butter, sugar, flour and vanilla until the mixture comes together. Lightly press the shortbread dough into the pan. Prick with a fork to prevent the crust from bubbling. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the crust is lightly golden. Remove from oven and run a knife around the edges of the bars. Allow to cool completely.

Combine the caramels and cream in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring each minute, until the mixture is smooth. Spread evenly over the cookie crust, then place the pan in the refrigerator and chill for 30-60 minutes or until the caramel is solid.

In a microwave safe bowl, heat the unwrapped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups until melted and smooth, stirring each 45 seconds. Spread over the cooled caramel. Place in refrigerator for 1-2 hours or until the chocolate layer is solid. They can also be placed in the freezer for less time if you're in a hurry. Cut into squares and serve. Store leftovers in a cool area or the refrigerator to prevent messy disasters.