Mason Jar Cookie Valentines and A Marvelous Mess #49 and Features!!!

I found this great idea for Mason Jar Cookie Valentines and pinned it on Pinterest. Everybody seems to love it and keeps repinning it....and I just love it too....so, I thought I would recreate it in my way. 

It's a mason jar decorated with heart doilies and filled with cookies. I wrapped antique white yarn around the top, red ribbon, and some tulle. It's such a sweet way to give a valentine!!

The cookies I filled it with were Russian Tea Cakes with a few changes....heart shaped instead of round and the confectioners sugar was mixed with red sugar crystals. 

Oh, yum. 

Such a cute combo. 

Here is what the cookies looked like on their own:

I made the round ones to show you what they usually look like. Here is the recipe:

Russian Teacakes:

1 Cup Butter (room temperature)

1/2 Cup Confectioners Sugar

1 Tsp Vanilla

2 1/4 Cup Flour

1/4 Tsp Salt

Extra bowl of Confectioners sugar  (I mixed some red sugar into it) for rolling. 

Stove to 400. Mix well the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Work in flour and salt until dough holds shape. I shaped mine into hearts....usually they are made into 1" balls. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Once out, roll warm cookies in bowl of sugar, coating them well. Wait for them to cool then roll it again. 

Makes 4 dozen cookies (in balls). 

I would credit this recipe....except it was passed down from my mom!!!!

Last weeks party was a blast. Lots of link up and so many fun ideas. I'll be pinning a lot of them. 

Speaking of pinning, check my Pinterest Board here....you might see some of your stuff!!

Also, are any of you on Google plus? I'd love to add you to my circles or follow your page (and would love it if you would follow). I'm trying to figure it all out and word has it Google Friend Connect is going away....so Google + will be how we gather followers. I've got my page HERE. Leave me a comment (either on google+ on on this blog) and I will follow you back. 

Here are my fave's from last weekes party:

Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee from Chicken Scratchny

Tin Foil Rose Tutorial from I Gotta Create.

Super Bowl Snack Extravaganza from Gluten Free from A-Z

And, the project I'm going to feature on my sidebar for a week is....

Rain Boot Re Do from Cookie and Claire. Adorable!!

Thanks to all of you that linked up!! For those that I featured in my post today, here is your button:

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Now, lets party!!

Blue Cricket Design

We Love Winter Walks

Winter walks are the best. 

The latest walk we went on was in search of animal tracks. We'd had a lot of rain the day before, which has melted a lot of snow and make it slushy, then everything froze overnight. It's a good recipe for seeing some tracks. 

Here are some that we found:

 Deer.

 Scat from a meat eating animal....see the hair?

 And yes, I just totally put poop on my blog. 

 Wild Turkey. 

Hold on a sec....I'm going to call a Striped Skunk on these tracks.

Mostly, we just played in the snow and tromped around the field. Buddy was LOVING the adventure. He couldn't stop chasing after Chloe....who was searching for mice in a very serious way. She didn't really appreciate his playful mood.

Chloe was ready to get started on her search.

 Buddy was ready to pounce on Chloe.

 So, he did.

 Chloe kept at it....diligently working to find a mouse. Until Buddy got in the way.

 Don't you just love that ears back, full-of-trouble look he has going on in this picture....
He was just looking for an excuse to run as fast as he could in circles.

We love Winter walks.

Our New House

Content by Mac Kline

Our new house is amazing and I can't believe we finally get to move in and live here as husband and wife. I've been waiting for this day my entire life and I couldn't ask for a better husband than James. I mean come on, he bought me my dream house and we're only 24 years old! I can't wait to get all of our stuff moved into the house and get the rooms painted the way I want them to be and I even got a little surprise for James once we move. I called up direct tv and I've got a guy coming out a week after we moved in to install a dish so he can get all the sports channels he's had to go to a sports bar to watch for the last two years. I wish I could afford to buy a new flastcreen TV, but because we’re going to be so house poor he's going to have to wait on the new TV!

A Marvelous Mess #48 and Features!!!

Oooo, those Valentine's Crafts are really being made now!! I hope you'll show us all up with your latest and greatest!!

Here are my fave's from last week:

Valentine Wreath from Two sides of the Rainbow

Crocheted Plarn Tote Pattern from Petals To Picots

Chocolate Chip Brownie Cookies from the Blackberry Vine

and the project I'm going to feature on my sidebar for a week....

Spring Jitters from The Generous Earth

Thanks so much to you all for linking up to my weekly party!! If I featured you in this post, feel free to grab this button:

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Now, on to the party:

Diamond Candles

I recently got the chance to review a Cinnamon Roll scented Soy candle from Diamond Candles . OOooooo, does this candle smell good. Now, not only does it smell good....it has a diamond ring inside it!! Every candle from Diamond Candles has a ring inside it with a value anywhere from $10 to $5,000!!! The candles are made of soy, which makes it last much longer than a regular candle and the scent is wonderful. Not chemically overpowering at all, which is something that bothers me about a lot of store bought candles.

The big question....how much was my ring worth???? About $10. I did see some videos on You Tube with people who won the more expensive rings. Honestly, I'm pleased as can be with this candle. And, I think you will be too!!  So, here's a nice giveaway for a candle. It ends on February 27th. Just fill out the rafflecopter form below!!

 Good Luck!!

I was given product as compensation for this review. All opinions are my own. 

Round Valentine Love Chalkboard

Here's my latest in Valentine crafts. It's also just really cute to have on your wall for little love notes....cause you don't need a special day to tell someone you love them. 

Here is how I did it:

I took a round piece of wood (in this case a small wooden table top) and spray painted it with chalkboard paint. 

Cover it with a piece of cloth (I used a rough linen that looks just like burlap) and trace the circle shape. Then trim out the circle. 

Trace a heart shape onto the circle (that is centered in the middle). I folded my linen in half and and traced out half a heart, so that is was symmetrical. Once it is trimmed, use some spray adhesive to glue the linen to the chalkboard.

Now, you can work on the trim!!!

I used a white sheer ribbon with a solid edge as the first layer. Using hot glue, a attched along the egde of the circle. Then, I pleated a pink polka dotted ribbon and attached that on top of the white one. I used white tulle and accordion folded it along the sides of the edges. I ran out of space with the pink ribbon in one spot.....

So, I had to improvise. Linen flowers ought to do it, right?????

Perfect!!!!

I shared this post at these great linky parties:
Blue Cricket Design

Zeiss Lenses

Did you know that adults and Children should have eye exams every two years? 

I never really concerned myself with my eyes because when I had been tested in my teen years I found out I had 20/20.  I think I always thought that if I was given that exam once, I would continue to have the same eye sight through the years. This is *not* the case, unfortunately.
My eyes haven't stayed at 20/20. For the fun of it, I made an appointment with a Optomotrist to have them checked out and it was confirmed that my eyes had changed. I've got glasses now, mostly for driving and reading, but I have a feeling the next time I see my Optomotrist I'll find that I need some new lenses.

Zeiss lenses have been around for a long time. They have been used in places from scientific labs to shuttles on the moon!! Zeiss is known for it's quality and dependablity. Now, they've got a great educational website to help the us all make the best choices when it comes to our vision. Here are some of the great tips I found on the site:


*Adults over 40 should have yearly eye exams to keep tabs on age related eye changes.
*Care well for lenses, don't leave them in the sun for long.
*Nearsightedness: Seeing things closer more clearly.
*Farsightedness: Seeing things further more clearly.

There are plenty more interesting facts on the site. They cover everything from vision and lenses, to how to select and eye doctor, and facts about age-related vision changes.

Consider Zeiss lenses as an option for your glasses. Ask your doctor if they carry it in their store. Zeiss customized lenses are made to fit you from your exact eye needs to the shape of your face!



I received payment in the form of a gift card for this review. All opinions are my own.