{Food} S'Mores Brownies

I don't know about you but I've been crazy about S'mores this year. I see them everywhere too, so they seem to be popular. 

Last week I decided we needed some brownies. And it was one of those needs that needed to happen right now! Or 10 minutes ago. So I got my supplies ready, tasted the batter and though "hmm… more chocolate!" so I added cocoa powder. And lots of it. 


That blue reflection? It's from my mixing bowl. I love cobalt blue! 

I cooked the brownies like normal, added chocolate chips and marshmallows while it was still warm and then baked again for a few minutes. 


But that didn't get the toasted brown perfection I was after, so I turned on the broiler. And let me tell you, our new stove does it quick! As in don't take your eyes off the oven quick! 


After this photo was taken, the s'mores weren't around very long. Well, they were, but they aren't as good once they're cold. Don't get me wrong, they didn't exactly go to waste. (Unfortunately they did go to my waist.)

Have you made s'mores brownies? I tried it once with graham crackers on the bottom but they didn't add anything to it so I prefer it just the chocolate fudge-y goodness of a great brownie recipe, extra chocolate, and marshmallows. Mmmm...

{Art} Peacock Pointillism


Visit my classroom art blog {Art and Main} to see the step by step colors of the peacock feathers! 

This was all done in tempera paint as it started out as an example for my students during our Pointillism project. I used the tempera paints the entire time, adding only one or two other paints when I was at home this summer (although I think I went over all of that because the colors were off). The tempera paints came in a set of 9 - white, black, brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. I mixed those colors to create what you see. 

{Lily's Room} Doll House Makeover

A few years ago, my awesome dad built Lily a dollhouse modeled after one from Pottery Barn. I think I wanted it more than Lily as she's never been huge into Barbies. She likes the show, she likes looking at them at the store, she says she wants them but then never plays with them. Umm..is she crazy?!?! I would have loved a house like this growing up! I had one of those kind of cardboard like ones that fell apart and then I ended up making a Barbie mansion all over the floor of our playroom. Imagination at its finest!

But, Lily doesn't play with her Barbies. And it always looked like the picture below… on a good day! The biggest spot on the bottom was the perfect spot to house the Barbie RV and the car stayed in the smaller spot, usually. But it ended up being a catch-all and then Nate would be his almost 2 year old busy self and get into everything. 


I posted a tour here to see what it looks like when I clean it up. 

When Lily mentioned not wanting the Barbies anymore and how she wanted it all for her My Little Pony dolls, I was on it. I can't get rid of the Barbies completely so they are now mixed in with mine in her toy closet (every kid needs a closet devoted to toys!). 


If you didn't notice with her room reveal I posted earlier this summer, you will know Miss Lily is all about My Little Ponies. She even knows there is a third movie coming out this fall and she wants all the ponies! She really likes the Equestria Girls version (the dolls you see above) more than the actual ponies. 


I kept the Little Pet Shop house on the top because it fits nicely and she has a lot those characters. I'm not sure if she'll continue playing with them or not, but we'll see how she plays with this now. It looks so empty but I know she'll add to it. She's such a creative little girl and she likes to make things for them. I did keep the IKEA doll furniture in the middle row for the smaller dolls to sit on. 

What do you think? Do you have little girls? Are they into Barbies or My Little Ponies? 

Well, Hello!

Where, oh where, did the summer go?!? I posted my summer recap in the last post {read it here!} but I didn't intend that to be the last post for weeks. 

One word: School. 

August sucked me in with it's rows and rows of school supplies and before long, it's Labor Day weekend, grades have been imported, and we're all wondering why time flies. And football. And pumpkin spice everything… except I don't like pumpkin spice.

Miss Lily had her first day of school and she couldn't have been more excited! 


This Keen Kutter cabinet has a great story to tell and it's just gorgeous, so I'll post more about it later. Hint: It'll be in our bathroom! 


The kids loved this tree frog visitor at my parents' house and it's sitting on a metal toy crib that Lily just had to have. 


One of my favorite flowers after a nice summer rain. We need more rain, which reminds me I need to water some plants! And do a garden tour… once I weed it all! 


Speaking of gardens… the growth this garden has seen is insane!!! The sweet potato vine in the center took off and so did those crazy yellow sunflower flowers plus the red flowers too. You can hardly see some of my flowers! 


I started back at work, teaching art to 130 middle school students. This was one of the first projects completed and this kid continues to amaze me. He's an autistic kid with the best imagination ever. 


Lily started soccer. She's one of 5 kids on her team, three girls and two boys. She loves it! 


On the way home from soccer practice, we saw this hot air balloon. Our house is on the other side of the school and I wish I could have gotten a shot of our house with the balloon but it had already disappeared by the time I got there. 


I turned 33 and my parents took us to a new (to us) restaurant in a neighboring town. Delicious! That steak?! It made the best leftovers because that was a huge piece! 


We took dessert to go from the restaurant and Nate really enjoyed the cheesecake. So did I but he's cuter. 


We spent yesterday at my parents' house, enjoying our last swim in their pool. Their cat, Mo, came to visit me while I was looking for more monarch chrysalis. Isn't that crystal rock awesome?!?! My mom has the best collection. She's been collecting her whole life. Her dad, my grandpa, was huge into rocks as well and part of his collection is even in a Harvard museum!! 


So yeah…even though it doesn't seem like I've been busy since not much is "blog worthy", I still stay crazy busy! This doesn't even include everything but has been my "highlight" reel of the past three weeks! 

We do have plans for this long weekend to work on our bathroom. My dad is making us two medicine cabinets so as soon as those are installed, I'll post about them. We have some painting to finish and then the bathroom should be done soon. We have plans this fall for some yard work (finishing our herb spiral for one!). Who knows what else will go on here! 

What's going on with you?

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