Almond Bars

Recently a student staff member brought me in these almond bars and I just about died! They are a wonderful balance of chewy and soft in the middle and have a super nice crust on them. They have a bit of an artificial almond flavoring taste at first but then I realized they are just heavenly! 

Dutch Letter Bars

Ingredients:

1 stick of margarine

1 stick of butter

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp almond flavoring (optional)

1 cup of almond paste (or 1 8-ounce can of Solo Pure Almond Paste)

2 cups flour

Directions:

Cream first 3 items together well. Then add next 2 items and mix well again. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again. Add almond paste and mix well again.

Finally add the flour. Will be very thick.

Put in a 9x13 greased pan. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or till very lightly browned (do not overbake).

Jewelry Blocks

My most recent DIY craft project is these adorably cute, cheap, and easy jewelry blocks! Snagged this idea off a blog and modified it to be a bit cheaper. I found wood blocks at hobby lobby for $.99 each and then purchased a pack of wooden dowels for $2.76. Stained the wood blocks with a stain we had around the house and spray painted the dowels bronze. A little gorilla glue and some command strips and up on the wall they went. They've stayed together so far :) 

They're fun and a super clean way to make sure you don't clutter your dresser or night stand! 

Little Man Kleffman's Baby Shower

This weekend I celebrated Little Man Kleffman in beautiful San Diego, California. I must say that the 70 degree weather and wearing shorts and flip flops sure made me miss California. Snowy Fort Collins just really didn't seem exciting to go back to, especially with 70 mile high wind advisories. Courtney's Baby Shower #2 went very smoothly, the decorations were adorable, the food was delicious and most importantly the Birthday Girl Soon to be Mama was happy :). Below are some great snap shots we got throughout the afternoon! Can't wait to meet Little k!