i’m listening to my “laid back beach music” pandora station this morning.

how rebellious of me, for there’s an inch of fresh snow on the ground outside reminding me that i’m in wisconsin–where march can still mean winter. WHAT THE WHAT. that’s okay, it’ll be gone before we know it, right? right. okay, now that we’ve got the weather chit-chat out of the way, make these cookies. they’re chewy, a little bit gooey, and a lot ugly. but looks aren’t everything, friends. remember that.

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mint seems to be trendy on Etsy right now. rightfully so, considering its the perfect color to welcome spring with. it’s so fresh and clean! and spring MUST be hiding around the corner somewhere because i start work this week. i can’t even believe it myself; a full 3 months has passed without me even knowing where it went. enjoy these etsy picks on this beautiful (but really really cold) monday morning.

click on any photo to be directed to its Etsy listing

pot with air plant from birdandfeatherco

necklace from lalilajewelry

hand stitched card from sarahkbenning

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i’ve been keeping something from you.

i’ve had the recipe for these delicious cookies sitting on my desk for weeks, just waiting to be shared with the world. and i ignored it. i’ve been a little preoccupied lately with the remodeling of our bathroom. like, everything is outta here– except the wonderful enamel tub that is original to our 1929 home. how cool is it to have a piece of history like that? anyone else have something special that’s maintained its beauty through the years?

mr cogs has been showering at work and i at the ymca while the tile is setting in our bathtub area. this has us thinking that we don’t even need to shower at home, or at least care so passionately about what it looks like and be the cause of a marital war. remodeling brings out the ugly in me…i’m SUCH a perfectionist. but i refuse to believe that all our tiling efforts (it ain’t easy, friends) were wasted. i’ll spend all my waking hours in that bathroom when it’s done– it’s going to be absolutely beautiful! plus, the teenage girls that hang out in the locker room at the Y are starting to annoy me. why are they hanging out in the locker room, anyway? that’s weird.

so finally, if you’ve made it this far, i want to share these cookies with you. they’re so so good, a nice twist on your traditional snickerdoodle. while you do need to refrigerate them overnight to get the ideal texture (crispy on the outside, soft in the middle) i’m sure it’s not necessary to achieve “delicious cookie” status. bake away!

white chocolate chip snickerdoodles

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/2 cup white flour
1-1/4 cup bread flour (or white flour)
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon sugar

preheat the oven. preheat your oven to 375.

mix the wet ingredients. cream the butter and shortening together until smooth. add the sugars and beat until mixed. add one egg at a time, incorporating completely.

mix the dry ingredients. in a separate bowl, mix the cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder and flours.

combine wet and dry ingredients. add flour mixture, half at a time, to the wet mixture. add the white chocolate chips.

refrigerate. cover the dough and refrigerate overnight, or up to 24 hours.

make the dough balls. mix the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. roll dough the size of a golf ball with your hands and roll them in the sugar mixture. drop them on a lined cookie sheet. press them down slightly (so they’re about 2/3 the original height) with your fingers.

bake those cookies! make the dough balls. bake at 375 for 11-13 minutes. you don’t really want them to brown at all!

recipe adapted from Heidi’s cookies at Foodie Crush

i just love christmas lights. and doilies aren’t just for your grandma anymore. that’s the moral of this story.

when i say i love lights, i mean LOVE. i really shouldn’t call them christmas lights considering i have them in various places around the house and yard…year round. they give off such a good, soft light. it makes things feel fancier. we have round bulb lights around the window in our living room and i call them the “broadway lights;” they really do make me feel like i’m on broadway.

so instead of having the same old boring lights up all year long, i thought i’d spruce ‘em up for valentine’s day. because you KNOW i love valentine’s day. this is a minimal-work project, friends. and it has a huge impact. i’m so so serious. if you don’t have a string of lights up somewhere in your house, put one up right now. plug it in tonight and you’ll know what i’m talking about. i’m going to start sounding like a crazy lady if i keep going here.

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as i begin the daunting task of sprucing up our thrifted dining table, i’m thinking pink and coral. it’s probably because i’m wishing so hard for spring. please, spring…come faster. the only thing getting me through these cold days is the forecast of temps in the 30’s (YES 30’s!!) later this week. when’s the last time we saw 30 degrees? so while we impatiently wait for our pink and coral spring flowers, let’s check out these awesome etsy finds. and check back soon for my think-spring table makeover!

click on any photo to be directed to the etsy listing

faux vintage clock from DesignAtelierArticle

flower hair pins from PiggleAndPop

heart earrings from Dariami

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we finally cleaned our basement.

does anyone else have a basement that acts as “the pit?” where things go to get out of your sight? only one day you walk down there and trip over 173 things on your way to the washing machine? it was time to take action. good thing i did, because i found a bundle of dishtowels my mother-in-law gave to me (a year ago) to screen print on. only that never happened.

and since i was in the dying mood (dye not die) from dip-dying our ombre curtains a few weeks ago, i got this idea. batik. batik is the art of using wax to create patterns or shapes on dyed fabric. where there is wax, dye will not go. simple as that.

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it’s finally february. we can legally talk about valentine’s day.

yes– heart-shaped treats and crafts have been flooding your pinterest feed for weeks, but did it feel right?

i’m glad we can openly discuss it now, because i LOVE LOVE LOVE valentine’s day. glitter? hearts? chocolate? pretty much my favorite things (maybe or maybe not in that order) (more…)

i’ve picked up knitting AND sewing again. it’s so addicting and the internet world has so many fun patterns available at the click of my mouse! today’s etsy finds are all beautiful things that inspire me. someday i’ll be good enough to make a few of these.

click on any photo to be directed to the etsy listing!

sequin party dress from ouma

knit cowl from irismint

tea towels from annajoyce

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in honor of national peanut butter day, i bring you this crazy-good bread.

you don’t even need to waste time putting anything on this. just eat it naked. it’s like a pastry with little crunchy bits of peanut buttery granola goodness (more…)

the start to a new week. a productive week, hopefully. our bedroom is officially done, so i get to move on to another yet-to-be-determined project. mr. cogs tells me his new rule is to furnish and decorate only with things made of natural, exposed materials. naturally (hehe) i turn to etsy for ideas. and i found a ton of awesome stuff. take a look!

click on any photo to be directed to the etsy listing

tapered rolling pin from INGUZstudios

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cat combs from ArtGiftStore

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geometric shelf from The807

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