4 Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Hello.

Are you keeping warm in this crazy winter polar vortex weather?

We are here in CO (thanks to lots of coffee, footie pajamas, and baby snuggles)!

Instead of complaining about this crazy snow and how I'm feeling a bit of cabin fever (Jax and I are used to being out and about during the day.. not gonna happen when the high is 16 degrees!), I'm going to introduce you to your new favorite dessert.

You're welcome.

I found this recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars on my girl Ruthie Hart's blog and they are seriously the most amazing thing I have ever tasted. Chocolate? Check. Cookies? Check. Cream Cheese? Ah, heck yeah!

These are so simple to make, taste amazing, and would be perfect to take to any upcoming holiday parties!

Recipe from The Chronicles of Ruthie Hart

• 1 pkg chocolate chip cookie dough
• 1 pkg cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg

1. Press 1/2 of the cookie dough in the bottom of a greased 8X8 pan.
2. Cream together the cream cheese, egg, and sugar until the mixture is a thick liquid. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the cookie dough in the pan.
3. Flatten the remaining pieces of cookie dough and place on top of the cream cheese mix.
4. Bake for approx. 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees (25-30 minutes for high altitude).
5. Let cool and enjoy!

Ikea: What a Difference a Weekday Makes

When Brandon, Jackson, and I moved to CO in January, one of the first places we HAD to check out was Ikea--we'd never been and had heard several differing opinions and had to go see it for ourselves.

Worst. Decision. Ever.

When we first pulled up to the massive store with a zip code all of it's own (I'm not sure if that's true or not but c'mon.. have you seen the size of that place?!), our jaws dropped. That place was HUGE.. what all could they be selling in there?

Yachts?

Mansions?

Cities?

We were innocent and naive and said we'd just "pop" in to see what all they had. TWO AND A HALF STINKING HOURS LATER, we broke free of Ikea's reasonably priced trenches and got out of there.

It was terrible. There was wall-to-wall people, we were hearded around like cattle, and since it was a Sunday, I was still wearing my church heels (I didn't realize you had to walk around the entire store just to leave). 1 1/2 month old Jackson wasn't having it either and screamed basically the entire time.

These selfies sum up our trip perfectly.

Fast forward to last Monday when I discovered that Ikea offers quality educational toys for next to nothing..

*heavy, confused sigh*

Was I actually considering going back to that place? The well priced Swedish made hell that I vowed to never return to?

Yes. Yes I was.

On Tuesday morning, I packed up Jackson, said my tearful goodbyes to Brandon (I fully expected to get lost in that crazy Ikea vortex and never find my way home), and made the trek down I-25 to County Line Road. Do you know what I found when I arrived?

Parking spaces right next to the entrance.

Empty escalators.

Zero lines.

What was this crazy bizzaro world? Last time we were here, we fought to find a parking space, waited in line for everything, and couldn't even turn around. This was so.. different.. I liked it.

After casually strolling around the nearly empty showrooms, I found a perfect $20 desk for my home office (whaaaaaaaat??), affordable Christmas gifts galore for Jax, crazy inexpensive decor & utensils for Jax's birthday party next month, and tasty Swedish meatballs (don't you dare make a horse meat comment!). I was smitten.

Ikea is really a magical place (if you go in the middle of a weekday)!

Haul.

Ignore my crazy eyes and Jax's "Really, mom?" face.

I'm still flying high from my Ikea stores and can't wait to go again to buy more home decor and goods! What are your thoughts on Ikea? Do you love it or hate it?

Mamma Nancy's Surprise Bachelorette Party!

Last weekend, my MIL (commonly known around these parts as "Mamma Nancy"), sister-in-law, and her family came to CO for a short visit and we had a wonderful time catching up with everyone, shopping, and showing off our new home.

Jackson LOVED spending time with his cousins--he and little Sara got along perfectly (he kept wanting to give her kisses and she loved holding "Baby")!

Nana's boy :)

One of the highlights of the weekend for me was getting to surprise Mamma Nanc with a little bachelorette party/girls evening! Nancy and her fiance are engaged and plan to be married by the end of this year so Britney (my SIL) and I wanted to make sure we got one last single lady shindig in before she tied the knot. 

Can you guess where we went/what you did?

If you answered strip club, you're wrong (though that would have been hilarious--I think Nancy was a little worried, ha!). 

We went and painted pottery at "Ceramics in the City" in LoDo!!

Our guest of honor getting her ID checked.

After we finished painting our masterpieces, we all signed the bottom of each others ceramics as a little keepsake to remember this special day. Congratulations to Mamma Nancy & Russell--we're so excited for you guys and love you very much!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

White Beans with Spinach & Sausage

You know how sometimes you see a recipe and it seems like it has a lot of potential but you're just not sure?

That's how I was with this recipe..

..and I was wrong.

This is seriously one of the simplest, most flavorful meals I've ever made--It only takes a few simple ingredients (money saver, what what?!), is light on calories but heavy on taste, and is super yummy. 

You're going to want to try this.

Like, tonight.

Adapted from My Side of Life

Anngredients:

• 1 lb. turkey sausage (evenly sliced)
• 2 cans Cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1/4 cup chicken broth 
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. garlic (minced)
• 1 tsp. dried Oregano 
• 1 cup baby spinach leaves (diced)

1. In a pan, warm olive oil, garlic, and chicken broth over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring until browned all over (approx. 5 minutes). Add beans, spinach, and oregano. Stir until spinach wilts (approx. 1 to 2 minutes). 
2. Let cool, serve, and enjoy. 

$1,000 Black Friday GIVEAWAY!!

Halloween is over which means Thanksgiving is right around the corner..

..and BLACK FRIDAY will be here before we know it!

*insert gasps/eye rolls/whatever describes how you feel about Black Friday*

Don't despair; we're here to help with a HUGE $1,000 Black Friday Giveaway!!!!

That's right folks--$1,000 in cold hard cash to spend on gifts for your family, friends, or even yourself!!

Here's the deets:

The holidays are around the corner and it's only a matter of time before we are all shopping and fulfilling those Christmas wish lists! How awesome would it be to have $1,000 to spend on Black Friday?! Awesome we know! That's why Pretty My Party teamed up with She Saved and a group of fabulous blogs and businesses to bring you the $1,000 Black Friday Shopping Spree Giveaway!

This giveaway is blog/business sponsored and would not be possible without the following: Stylist Diva, Stretching A Buck, The Coconut Head's Survival Guide, Five Heart Home, Cloudy With A Chance of Wine, Creative Juice, Catch My Party, Party With The Warriors, Morsels Party Planning, Bear Haven Boutique, I Am That Lady, Bonggamom Finds, Great Stitch, What Rose Knows, Annie One Can Cook

To view the full list of sponsors, please see the Rafflecopter entry form below.

$1,000 Black Friday Shopping Spree Giveaway!

November 5, 2014  at 12 a.m. EST to November 13, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. EST

Open Worldwide

Prize: 1 winner will receive $1,000 in Visa Gift Cards for their holiday shopping!

Eligibility and Rules: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. This giveaway is open to individuals over the age of the majority in their home country. The winner will be chosen randomly through the Rafflecopter form. It is the sole responsibility of the winner to adhere to all laws in their respective country, which includes payments to any governing tax body.

Winner Selection: The winner of the giveaway will be selected in a random drawing through Rafflecopter from among all eligible entries received throughout the promotion period. The random drawing will be conducted within 48 hours of the closing of the giveaway by Pretty My Party or its designated representatives, whose decisions are final. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. Winner will be notified by email by hello@prettymyparty.com. Potential winner must accept the prizes by email as directed by Pretty My Party within 48 hours of notification. Any winner notification not responded to or returned as undeliverable may result in prize forfeiture. The potential prize winner may be required to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility and release of liability, and a Publicity Release (collectively “the Prize Claim Documents”).

Privacy: All entrants acknowledge that if they are chosen as a winner, some of their personally identifying information may be disclosed to third parties at least as required by law, including, without limitation, on a winner’s list. All personal information submitted as part of the giveaway may be shared by and between the promotion entities, and each of the promotion entities will use such information in accordance with their respective independent online privacy policies. See Pretty My Party’s full privacy policy here.

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Disclaimer: This giveaway is blog sponsored and is in no way associated with Visa. If there are any questions please email hello@prettymyparty.com.

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Good Luck!

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Baby's 1st Halloween

As I've mentioned in years past, I've never been too big of a Halloween girl..

..however, having a child has completely changed that for me. Jackson's first Halloween couldn't have been better and I'm already making plans for next Halloween :)

My Aunt and Uncle live in the Washington Park area of Denver, so we decided to take him trick-or-treating around their neighborhood and to take in the Halloween festivities on Old South Gaylord.. it was SO much fun and the weather couldn't have been better! The shopping district of Old South Gaylord was blocked off for Halloween and all the shop owners were dressed up and handing out candy. Jax is such a huge people person and enjoyed seeing (and yelling at) all the kids in their costumes. 

After walking around OSG with my mom (who came out with my dad for the evening!), Aunt Nancy, and Jax, we headed back to my Aunt's to eat pizza and hand out candy to trick-or-treaters. Unfortunately, Brandon had to work and didn't make it to my Aunt's until after 7:30, but he still got in on the pizza and trick-or-treating action. 

We headed home at around 8:30, took baths/showers and hit the hay--it was such a low key, yet enjoyable day and I can't help but feel blessed for the awesome weather and wonderful company. I hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween as well!

Prayers for the Woods/Jimenez Family

If you live in Colorado, you might be familiar with the tragic and horrible story of Alex Jimenez and his family. If you aren't, here's what happened (via Gofundme):

On the morning of October 14th, 2014 flames engulfed the mobile home of Jennifer and her two young sons Jayden and Alex. Tragically, Alex (age 2) was unable to make it out of the home and passed away. Jennifer and other neighbors tried their best to fight their way into the burning home, but because the flames were too hot and the smoke too intense, they couldn't get inside to rescue Alex. Jennifer and her son Jayden were taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries. Once fire fighters arrived, the roof had collapsed, making it nearly impossible to enter the home. There are several other family members who resided at this mobile home and were at work when the fire started. Neighbors say that Jennifer and her family were very loving, always playing with the children outside. Leon, Alex's grandpa was always seen around the neighborhood with Alex on his shoulders or cuddled into a stroller. Alex and his family are beloved people of the Boulder Meadows Community.

This family is in need of tremendous love and support while they grieve this unimaginable loss. They will need financial support as well as household items, furniture, food, and clothing. They lost everything in this fire. The goal for funding has been set at $50,000, but any amount will go a long way. Please help in any way you can so this family can start to heal and rebuild.

This GoFundMe account is directly connected to a trust fund set up in Alex's name through Wells Fargo. Any money you donate through this site will be directly deposited into the Alex Jimenez Memorial Fund. If you feel more comfortable donating directly to Wells Fargo, or only have cash or a check, you can walk into any Wells Fargo branch to donate. The family is also working closely with The Sacred Heart of Jesus Church located off of Mapleton in Boulder and have stated that people can drop off gift cards for the family at their church. If you have physical items to donate, their is an advocate working directly with the family who can help coordinate a drop off. I will not be sharing that person's name or phone number on this website, but if you wish to donate a physical item, please send me a message and I can pass the advocate's contact information along to you privately. You are also welcome to donate items to the surrounding neighbors' homes at 4500 19th St. in Boulder, CO 80304. Their lot numbers are 4,10, and 11.

The family does need their space and time to grieve, so if you have any items to donate, it is preferred that the items be dropped off at the neighbors' home or the church they are affiliated with. Thank you so much for your time and generosity.

Brandon works with both Jennifer and her dad and says they couldn't be nicer.

Our hearts are absolutely breaking for their family.

Today, I am asking for you to pray for this family who lost literally everything; their home, their belongings.. but most importantly, their precious two-year-old Alex. If you're also able to, I'd like to ask you to consider making a donation to the family (whether it be food, clothing, or money) to help during this difficult time. If you're interested in helping, the link for the Gofundme page can be found here.

Thank you.