Sunday, February 19, 2012

healthy breakfast cookies

I saw this recipe on pinterest and thought I'd give it a try...



They're super easy to make.

Only 4 ingredients...
cranberries (about half a cup)
2-3 bananas
1.5 cups of oats
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1. Mix everything together (I mashed the bananas first, then added everything else)
2. bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes

They're pretty good assuming they are sugar and dairy free. I thought they'd be harder so I put them in the fridge and I might try freezing them. Great for a healthy snack.

After making JD his maple walnut blondie, and consuming too much valentine candy we're striving for a junk free week, starting tomorrow. We'll see how it goes.

Monday, February 13, 2012

a sweet valentine treat

or I should say an extra sweeeet treat. Think of the sweetest/richest dessert you've had...and then multiply it by 10. That's this dessert. Have you ever had the maple walnut blondie dessert from Applebee's? It's one of JD's all-time favorite desserts. When we go, most times we're going for that dessert.

Anyway, I was shocked when a homemade version of this recipe popped up in my blog reader. I knew we had to try it. Valentine's Day seemed like the perfect occasion. We never do too much of anything but why not find an excuse to eat tons of calories in one sitting?

Tomorrow [Vday] I won't be home until 9 pm, so I made it tonight. Even topped it off with homemade maple sauce, walnuts, and ice-cream. oh boy, so good yet so bad.

Pictures [at night] are not so good but you'll get the point.






Check out the recipe and better pictures here.

I think I'm off to do jumping jacks or jog in place or some kind of cardio to ease the guilt.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

some blog changes

First up, the name. I'm referring to the name of the blog as douglas duo. But after much thought I'm going to keep the same url address: highstyleonasmallbudget.blogspot.com. Reason for doing this? I have linked up a lot of my posts, commented on other blogs, networked etc. all under this name. If I change the name, a lot of these links would be dead. Perhaps I'll change it someday. If I do, I'll keep you posted.

Secondly, I will not be posting my blog links on facebook through my personal page. However, I know a lot of you come to the blog through facebook. Not to worry. I've made a douglas duo blog page on facebook. If you like the page [here] you will still be notified when I post. I will be posting the blog links onto this page. Reason for doing this? Two reasons actually...

1. I don't invest a lot of time in growing this blog. I'm not trying to get famous or earn money. I'm simply documenting our memories and sharing projects, recipes, and inspiration for those who are interested. But don't get me wrong, I do appreciate and get excited to see who's following the blog or leaving me comments. As a reader of too many blogs myself, I try to leave a comment for posts I really like or am inspired by. It only takes 10 seconds and I know it's appreciated. So if you access the blog through facebook be sure to like the new page [here] so you don't miss any posts!

2. And for those who are not interested and could care less about the blog, you're in luck. I won't be  junking your news feed with my latest recipe or project.

In Summary...
  • this will be the last post I publish on my personal facebook page
  • if you access the blog through facebook, like the new blog page [here] to get all the post notifications
  • you can also follow the blog and get notifications through a blog reader or get the posts e-mailed directly to you (just insert your e-mail in the box to the right)

Sunday, February 5, 2012

project reveal: wood artwork

I'm back with all the details on our latest project. We made some artwork. It's rustic. colorful. personal. and we love it. 
Bare with me--point and shoot camera + bad lighting=not the best pictures. You'll get the point but will have to trust me it looks sweeet in person. I edited the top photo for fun, but the rest are unedited and display the true colors. You may not be able to tell but this sign is huge. It's 40" by 28."
The hardest part was deciding what words we wanted to display. We contemplated for a while...a Bible verse? a meaningful quote? but in the end realized we wanted something simple and big, and 'douglas duo' seemed to fit the bill. 
Now for the tutorial. I got the idea and step-by-step process from here. Thanks, Ashley! We did change a few things and have a few pointers of our own to share.

Day 1: We put a rectangle of painters tape above the sofa to get an idea of how big we wanted the sign to be. Then I was off to Home Depot with measurements. I had them cut it for me. I needed 7 pieces of wood 40 inches long and when all put together 28 inches high.
I then laid two thin pieces of wood along the back (and actually added two more pieces, vertically on the sides) to attach all 7 pieces. Then took it outside for coat 1 of stain. I used this stain, Early American finish.
Then day 2, took it back outside and applied another thin coat of stain

Since I was home again from work on Monday, I kept trucking along. After debating on which font we liked, we printed the letters out and had it enlarged (4 times) at Staples. It was actually pretty cheap, $4.99. It looked pretty big in the store so just in case we got another one printed (3 times as large). We actually used the bigger letters. It was huge, just look at the tape measure for a comparison.
Next, we cut out the letters and once they were in place, we traced them onto the wood. 
Next came the most tedious aspect of the entire project...cutting the letters out of painter's tape.
We found it easiest to retrace the letter onto the tape so the tape matched the letter perfectly. But of course the tape was thin, so each letter was done in sections. Again let me say, time consuming. It took probably about 2 hours.

Then, we painted over the entire thing. I painted in between the cracks because I wanted to see the separate planks of wood. It did make me nervous to cover that pretty wood, but in the end it was worth it. Side note: we did use oil-based stain and latex paint on top and it adhered fine. Take that man at Home Depot who tried to convince me otherwise. 

Some paint did sneak through the cracks of the tape. After the paint was dry, we went back with an exacto knife to create the clean line of the letters. 
Last step, attach a picture hanging kit (we bought one that said sturdy and held up to 25 pounds). Our sign weighed 14 pounds. 

Step back and marvel at your work. We're proud of this beauty. 
Here's was our timeline:

Day 1: Purchase materials, assemble and apply 1st coat of stain
Day 2: Apply 2nd coat of stain
Day 3: Cut out letters, trace onto wood, trace and cut out "tape letters"
Day 4: Paint and remove letters
Day 5: Scrape off excess paint
Day 6: Hang and Enjoy

Oh and the best part, the price. After purchasing all the supplies, the hanging kit, paying for the enlargements it was about $50.00.

It nicely ties in both sides of the room. Remember my new print across the room?

If you decide to tackle this project and have any questions just send me an e-mail.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

project sneak peek

JD and I have been busy with our latest project. I had to do something to keep me occupied while I was red eyed and off work for 2.5 days (after a second trip to the doc, I'm finally seeing some improvement). Usually I tackle projects on my own, but this one required some back up help.

It may be our favorite project to date...we're stoked about it. Hopefully the final touches will be done this weekend for the full reveal.

Here's a sneak peek...





Any guesses???