Sugar Cookies

I had been anxious to try these cookies for months. They were one of my first pins. The recipe seemed a little intimidating to me at first, but they weren't hard to make. 

The cookies looked beautiful, and they smelled good, too. The taste was just...okay. They definitely didn't taste as flavorful as I had hoped, but they were really soft and airy.

What I learned: I may try a different frosting next time. The cookies were very soft and fresh, but I wanted more flavor. They tasted a little bland.

It's a decent recipe, but I wanted a little more flavor. I give it a B.

Bleaching Mold in the Bathroom

I was skeptical of this pin when I first saw it. It seemed unrealistic. My husband and I live in a college town, and we are living in a rental house. It was occupied by college students prior to us moving in...boys no less. So, you can imagine how funky the shower/bathroom tub looked. It was so bad that both my mother and I spent hours scrubbing it--with little to no improvement. 

Yesterday, I got the cotton and followed the original post's instructions found here. I soaked the cotton in bleach, put it along the top of the tub and let it set there for about 8 hours.

Warning: your whole house is going to smell like bleach.

The awful smell was worth it! The results were AMAZING. Here is an "after" picture. Trust me...it did not look like that before. (It was so bad that I was embarrassed to take a before picture.) I give this pin an A++++. 

White Chocolate Oreo Brownie

This recipe was one of my first postings from Pinterest, and I had been daydreaming about making it for weeks. I was having a blue day, so I decided to treat myself to something yummy! (I was totally ignoring my Weight Watchers points for the day... I'm such a rebel!)

The pictures and instructions on the original post are great. The original blogger's dessert came out much better than mine (as you can see):

Overall, I think it's a good recipe--just not what I was expecting. I would give it a C+. I don't necessarily think it was the recipe that was unsatisfactory--it was likely the cook. I was expecting something oreo/cookie creamy, and this was more like a bar chocolate chip cookie. 

  http://pinterest.com/karentnicholas/food/

Hill Treadmill Workout

This workout is a great treadmill workout--particularly if you are trying to get some hills in your run. I never know how to mimic hill runs when I'm on the treadmill, so this is perfect. I must confess that I made it up to minutes 24-25 before I had to stop. My hamstring was not happy with me, so rather than take myself out of the game altogether, I opted to stop and walk for a wee bit. I will try this again.

What I learned: Do not do this if you've just done a killer workout the night before (my first mistake)  or if you have any kind of lingering running injury (my second mistake). Have a great, upbeat playlist that will take you to the end...this is a must have when you are running at a 14 incline! Because you are constantly changing  speeds and inclines, the time goes by quickly. I was definitely sweating throughout the run. 

I give this a B+. I will definitely do the entire workout again when my hamstrings are up for it. (This is a great one to take when you are traveling...most hotels have treadmills.)

Red, White & Blue Sangria

This was my big 4th of July project. Two of my friends, and their little ones, were coming over for a pool party ( i.e. three baby blobs in a tiny blow up pool), so I thought we could be festive and enjoy a little cocktail.

This fabulous recipe can be found here.

My finalized sangria--not exactly like the other blog's pictures but decent:

What I learned:  Cutting stars out of pineapple is not easy. An extremely ripe pineapple is not the best--the stars fray easily and look almost yellow/brown. Your strawberries and blueberries will float, and the color of your pitcher will actually darken a bit. It's best if you serve it with a little fruit and ice in each glass:

 

Overall, I would give this a B. Good effort, but I need to perfect it a little more before bringing it to a larger party. However, I'm keeping it, and I will try it again later this summer!