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Monday, January 9, 2017

DIY Unicorn Treats | 🦄 Hot Cocoa & 🦄 Cheesecake


We all know by now my latest love for all things unicorn. One of my sweet followers on Twitter posted a unicorn cheesecake link to me and I got so inspired. I had seen the ever so fancy and very popular unicorn hot cocoa weeks before being passed around on Twitter, but hadn't attempted it myself. But then I thought... why not? You can do this! So I did. And so can you!


The first one I decided to make was the Unicorn Hot Cocoa. Both recipes I found on Delish.com and then I tweaked them a little bit to my taste. The cocoa they made was purple with a few different colored whipped creams. I stuck to pink whipped cream and blue whipped cream. Pink for us girls and blue for the boys. I also decided to make my hot cocoa mixture pink. 

Pink for Lily and I

Blue for Phoenix & Jay

See original recipe here: DELISH.COM

INGREDIENTS

RAINBOW SWIRL WHIPPED CREAM
  • 2 c. heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp. sugar
  • 3 drops red food coloring
  • 3 drops blue food coloring
UNICORN HOT CHOCOLATE
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 8 oz. white chocolate
  • 3 cups of milk
  • 2 tbsp. Pink sanding sugar
  • 3 drops red food coloring
  • Lucky Charms
  • White mini marshmallows
  • Pink crystal sprinkles
  • Pink ball sprinkles
  • Gold & White ball sprinkles
  • Pink sprinkles

DIRECTIONS

  1. Make rainbow swirl whipped cream: 
  2. Beat heavy cream and sugar until soft peaks form, about 2-3 minutes. Divide whipped cream into 2 bowls. Stir 3 drops of red food coloring into one, creating pink whipped cream. Stir 3 drops blue food coloring into the other, creating blue whipped cream. Set aside.
  3. Make unicorn hot chocolate: 
  4. In a large saucepan, combine milk, vanilla, and white chocolate over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Once dissolved, stir in pink sanding sugar, and red food coloring adjusting amounts until you get the shade of pink you want. Pour into mugs.
  5. Top with dollops of each color whipped cream. Top each drink with Lucky Charms, marshmallows and sprinkles. Enjoy!
It took a little bit for the cream to be made but other than that the recipe was easy. Of course digging out all of the charms out of the cereal box took a little while too but that's a fun job for the kids to do to help Mama out. 

 Ok! So next we move on to the incredible Unicorn Cheesecake. This was intense! It looks so beautiful and whimsical and it taste delicious. It's not overly sweet but it is very rich, so one slice was more than enough for me. I couldn't even finish it! And that is not normal for me hahaha! This was also another recipe I got from delish.com and modified it to suit my taste. You can be creative, add different sprinkles, change up the colors.... it just depends on what you want it to look like.






Original recipe here: DELISH.COM

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 8 oz blocks cream cheese, softened
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 2 c. heavy cream
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • red, green, blue food coloring
  • 1 store-bought graham cracker crust
  • Lucky charms (just the charms)
  • Same Sprinkles as hot cocoa, for decorating
  • Whipped cream, for serving

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (I used my husband because we don't have either of these) beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth and fluffy, 3 minutes.
  2. Add heavy cream and beat until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes more. Add vanilla and beat until combined.
  3. Divide mixture among 4 small bowls (or one bowl for each color you're using) and 4 drops of a different food coloring to each bowl. Mix 3 drops of red and 2 drops of blue to purple. Stir to combine, adjusting color as desired.
  4. Add spoonfuls of the dyed cheesecake mixture to graham cracker crust, alternating colors until you’ve used up all the mixture.
  5. Top all over with sprinkles and lucky charms.
  6. Refrigerate until cheesecake is firm and sliceable, 6 to 8 hours. We did 6 hours.
  7. Serve with whipped cream and more sprinkles. Enjoy!


 There are my two super fun Unicorn inspired treats I made this weekend. I hope you like how they turned out. The kids had SO much fun making them with me. It was a family affair, because I'm too weak to mix the cream cheese mixture (remind me to get a fancy mixer) and the kids are excellent at digging through cereal boxes to find charms. So thank you to my hubby Jay, for his muscles and to my kids for their amazing treasure hunting skills. Oh and they also decorated the top of the cheesecake (can't you tell)... they covered it with charms hahaha! It's such a fun way to spend a rainy day in with the kids. If you decide to recreate it and put your own snazzy spin on it, please tag on me Instagram @samschuerman or Twitter @samschuerman. I'd love to see your Unicorn creation.

Hope you enjoyed your weekend!

Here's my latest video:


Friday, January 6, 2017
Thursday, January 5, 2017

What I Do When I Can't Sleep



If you've been watching my vlogs, then you know I have a darn tooth infection. Needless to say, I'm in quite a bit of pain and I can't sleep. I've been up for the last few hours tossing and turning trying to get comfortable but it's just not happening.

Watch it here:

So instead of laying there miserably, I figured I would get up and take advantage of everyone sleeping and have some me time. I casually watched a few You Tube videos that I've been wanting to watch, but haven't had time to, and then of course, I felt guilty about enjoying myself too much and figured I'd do some work while I was at it, and so I decided to write this blog post. 

Here are the things that I end up doing at 4am when I can't sleep. Hopefully you can try some of these things too, to help pass the time next time you find yourself restless and not able to sleep.

First thing I did was check my Twitter and reply to some comments. You guys are always first on my list :)

Next I went over to my latest desk tour and replied and hearted your comments over on there.


Watch it here:

Then I head on over to my friend Kendra Atkins channel to watch her Nursery Tour and Labor/Delivery Vlog. She just had twin girls and I'm so broody right now. Everything she does it perfectio, so I knew her Nursery would be gorgeous, and of course I was right. You should go check it out. Her girls are gorgeous and their names are the best! June and Violet!! AHHH! Too cute. Be sure to subscribe to her. She's awesome!

Nursery Tour: 

Twin Labor & Delivery

Next I decided to do some online window shopping. That always makes me forget about my problems hahaha. I found this GORGEOUS pink faux fur throw from West Elm. OMG, it's gorgeous. It's on sale for $89.99 which is still a little more than I want to spend on a throw but it is gorgeous and worth sharing.


So yah, that's all I've done for now. What do you do when you can't sleep? I feel like it's no fun when you are really tired and want to sleep so badly, but can't. Hopefully I'll sleep better tonight. Wish me luck!

Here's my latest video:

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

My Perfect Morning


Hi Guys!

Today I'm going through my perfect morning with you. This is what my ideal morning would look like, so chances are slim that this happens everyday but I do try my best to start my morning of right, so that I feel my best all day!


#1. Morning kid snuggles.
Every Mom wants their kids to wake up in a good mood and have a smooth morning. I love it when the kids hop into bed with me and they are still snuggly instead of wired and full of beans. So in my perfect world, they would still be sleepy and snuggle with Mama for a few minutes before we get up. It's those little special moments that you miss from when they were smaller, that mean so much as time goes and they become big, independent kids.


#2. A good breakfast.
Sometimes this doesn't happen. I really try to sit down with the kids and have a proper breakfast, but sometimes life is hectic and if I'm running behind, I quickly grab a bar or a morning round to snack on while I'm running out. But ideally, I like to have a bowl of granola with strawberries and raspberries & a cup of hot ribena. English scones with clotted cream and jam with a cup of tea would be quite amazing too (a girl can dream).



#3. Putting my makeup on.
This is right up there with the first one. Now that the kids are in school, if I don't wake up early enough, I don't have time to put my makeup one because I'm too busy packing their lunches and snacks, giving them a bath, fixing their hair and helping to get them dressed and ready for their day. So an ideal morning includes me waking up early enough to take 20 minutes to myself and put on my makeup. It just makes me feel so much better for the rest of the day.


#4. Catching up on magazine gossip.
Now this NEVER happens. But, this blog post is about my perfect morning. So in my perfect morning world, I would have time to catch up on a little bit of gossip, fashion and beauty. I love magazines. When I used to go to work as a hair stylist, I was always up to date with all the latest celebrity gossip because in between clients or on a slow day, I'd read them all. But now I don't get a whole lot of time to do that. So in my perfect morning, I'd casually look through a magazine while eating my breakfast ha ha!



#5. Catch up on social media.
Now this does actually happen in the mornings. I try to catch up while I'm in the car when we're taking the kids to school (obviously if I'm not driving). It's the perfect time to post an Instagram pictures, check my tweets and glance at my emails to see what's in store for me once I get home. My unicorn case makes me smile, so that's always a good way to start the day!



#6. Take a nature walk.
Again, this doesn't happen at the moment because my mornings are my time to work once the kids go to school, so for now, I just don't have the time. But I'm hoping that once Lily is in Kindergarten and I have a little bit more time to get work done, I'll be able to add this to my morning routine. Before I had kids, I would always start my day with a 1 hour walk and end it with a 1 hour walk. Every day. It was amazing. It made me feel really good and my body looked nice and toned. So this is on my list of future plans to make a perfect morning. Is it bad that I'm already dreaming of Spring?


What does your perfect morning look like?

My latest video:



Monday, January 2, 2017

6 Ways to Add PINK to Your Home

First of all..... HAPPY NEW YEAR! WHOA! Can you believe we are in 2017!? Crazy right? Every year I think I say this, but where does the time go? Is it because I'm getting older? Or because I have kids? Or maybe because I have a kid in kindergarten now? I can't decide which it is or if it's just going by this quick for everyone... but either way, I'm glad we're on to a new year. New beginnings, new goals and new dreams! 

I'm starting the year off with something I love...... 

I love pink. I always have and I probably always will. There are times in my life, where I go through phases of having less of it in my home. There are times that I have more pink throughout my home. Now is that time. I'm not sure what it is, but I'm currently loving the blush tones in home decor. Those soft, subtle blush tones are the perfect way to add pops of pink to your home while still keeping it adult and elegant. 

Today I'm going to show you 6 ways to add pink to your home, and still keep it looking like an adult's home, and not like your 4 year old daughter has taken over the entire house.




#1. Throws

Throws are the perfect way to add pink, while still keeping it fab. Especially the faux fur throws. Those are my current favorites. The texture, the softness, the major cuddly, snuggly vibes it puts off. This is cozy enough for winter but can be kept into spring and summer too. It's so versatile and so chic.


#2. Pillows

Ok, I think by now it's safe to say that I can't do a home decor post without featuring pillows. I'm not sure why I love pillows so much, but I do. I find them so much fun to shop for and even more fun to place from one place to another around our home, searching for that perfect spot. It's my jam. These rose gold sequins over the soft blush background are just so pretty. I love the design too, it's especially nice if you like arrows.



Faux Fur pillows are the BEST! Not only are they super chic and fancy, but they are so soft and cuddly to lay on, snuggle with.... whatever you like to do with your pillows. The faux fur is much friendlier to lay on than the sequins, so it's probably the winner in general. The sequins are sparkly and catch the eye, but sometimes you just need to cozy up with a nice soft blanket and pillow. I love these soft blush ones. They have a good amount of shag to them and that's why I like these ones specifically. Moo (my poodle) loves this type of material. It's her absolute favorite. You'll find her on top of pillows like these just snoozing away like a little princess. 

I think the key to adding pink, is to finding the shades that are almost like a moody pink if that makes sense. They aren't too bubblegummy or too bright. They are just soft enough to where it's almost a cream color but it is in fact, pink.



#3. A Pink Sofa or Chair

I'm a sucker for pink couches/chairs/sofas. Ever since I fell in love with Kandee Johnson's bright pink sofar, years ago in one of her videos, I've always wanted one. I'm not into bright pink but a soft, pastel pink with a feminine structure is on my wishlist. This one is from Walmart and it won't break the bank. I love the shape of it and the tufted back.



#4. Faux Fur Ottomans

Ahhh my new favorite type of furniture. Faux fur ottomans. I recently fell in love with a huge pink faux fur pouf ottoman and couldn't resist the beauty, so I brought it home. It's awesome for extra seating for when friends come over and it doubles up as Moo's most favorite spot to take a snooze. The one below is gorgeous. Once again it's super soft with the faux fur, but I love the light wooden legs, which adds that more adult vibe. You'll see how pale the pink is again... it matches all sorts of tones in your home but still adds that little bit of femininity to the room.





#5. Accent Decor 

Another great way to add pops of pink is through accent decor. This gorgeous decorative coral piece is feminine and interesting at the same time. It can go with a coastal theme in your home, or it can just be a nice pink piece to sit on a dresser, table or desk. I love the tones of this pink. And the texture of it makes it extra fun.


#6. Desk Accessories

Last but not least are desk accessories. The PERFECT way to start adding little pops of pink to your office or work space. This tape dispenser has gorgeous pops of rose gold and that's always a really easy way to start adding pink tones to your home. It's still in the metallic family, but it definitely has that pink tone to it, so it's still got some femininity to the color. This is probably where you want to start if you're nervous about going full on with the pink. Plus, your work space/desk... whatever you have, should be fun, inspiring and make you feel motivated and happy when you sit down to work. So add some fun pink pens, a rose gold stapler or even little pink paperclips, to make your desk fun and feminine. 


I hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful. I've been having so much fun doing these kind of posts and I hope you like them as much as I like doing them. I hope 2017 is great for you. I have a lot of things I want to achieve in 2017 and doing more blog posts like these, is one of the many items on my list of to dos. So please share this on Pinterest, Facebook, IG, Twitter or Snapchat if you liked it or know someone who might. I'd appreciate it!!

Also, you can watch my latest video here: 

Enjoy your day!