he gently leads those that have young. {Isaiah 40:11}
15 November 2011
Kids' Bath ... Finishing Details
If you don't remember what the kids' bath looked like when we moved in, it was a smidge yellow and bit "blah" so I painted it bright blue and added a few kid-friendly things. And recently I added another "layer" of funk to it. I originally painted the walls Sherwin Williams "Upward" in a semi-gloss. This time around, I added stripes of the same color in a flat finish.
A wonderful help was that I didn't need much so I used a sample paint that cost me $2.94 and got all the stripes done!
The result?
A very subtle but fun twist for the kiddos.
Wanna see how?
I first figured out how many lines I wanted.
I picked 7 so I divided my length {ceiling to the top of the baseboard} by 7. I ended up with a little under 13 and, to save my sanity, went with 12 and 7/8s and went from the ceiling down figuring it'd be least noticable down there .
I used a level and a pencil to get my lines straight and taped the whole thing off. {I put a few dots of tape on the lines I wasn't painting assuming momma brain would rear its ugly head.}
I made sure to put the tape under the pencil line so the paint would cover the line.
I also made the extra step of putting mod podge on the tape to create a clean line. This step is unnecessary but did get me a crisp line. I figure, if you're careful and have quality tape, you can do without it.
When pulling the tape away, pull down and away from the line otherwise you risk peeling the paint off.
{This was learned first hand.}
And there you have it!
I do need to go back and touch up a few places where the pencil wasn't covered but I love the result.
My last step is to print out a colorful word art picture I made in Picnik.
So close!
Labels:
Decor,
No-Sew Projects,
Our House,
You Can Make This
14 November 2011
Salt Dough Ornaments
I've missed you.
I've been unable to post for a couple of weeks now because our internet, until this weekend, had not fully recovered from the storm. The cable wire was hanging so low that we constantly hit out heads on it.
{You can only imagine the heart attack I had when I walked right into the low wire before realizing it was a cable wire and not our power line. I thought I had just cheated death.}
Thankfully, everything seems to be back in working order.
Tree cleanup continues all over but I expect that will go on for a few more weeks.
This past weekend was spent with hubs and I in the yard, chainsaw in hand.
So anyway, while the power was out I finally sat down with the kids and did something I have been wanting to do for a few weeks now.
I saw this idea on Pinterest, of course, and decided that if I don't actually do any of the things I've pinned than what's the point?
HA! "Point"! get it?
Anyway...
I used the recipe for salt dough which can be found at east-child-crafts.com...
1 cup salt
1 cup flour
1/2 c lukewarm water (add more if needed)
Combine salt and flour in a large bowl. Mix well. Add water. Stir until it forms a ball. Dump out on counter and knead for up to 5 minutes. More kneading means smoother dough. That's it. It can be stored in an air tight container. We made ours a week ago and its still soft in the plastic bag we kept it in.
And then comes the fun...
After the ornaments were finished, a bit of silliness followed...
You can paint these once they've dried. We let them air dry but you can dry them in the oven at a low temp for several hours.
I've been unable to post for a couple of weeks now because our internet, until this weekend, had not fully recovered from the storm. The cable wire was hanging so low that we constantly hit out heads on it.
{You can only imagine the heart attack I had when I walked right into the low wire before realizing it was a cable wire and not our power line. I thought I had just cheated death.}
Thankfully, everything seems to be back in working order.
Tree cleanup continues all over but I expect that will go on for a few more weeks.
This past weekend was spent with hubs and I in the yard, chainsaw in hand.
So anyway, while the power was out I finally sat down with the kids and did something I have been wanting to do for a few weeks now.
I saw this idea on Pinterest, of course, and decided that if I don't actually do any of the things I've pinned than what's the point?
HA! "Point"! get it?
Anyway...
I used the recipe for salt dough which can be found at east-child-crafts.com...
1 cup salt
1 cup flour
1/2 c lukewarm water (add more if needed)
Combine salt and flour in a large bowl. Mix well. Add water. Stir until it forms a ball. Dump out on counter and knead for up to 5 minutes. More kneading means smoother dough. That's it. It can be stored in an air tight container. We made ours a week ago and its still soft in the plastic bag we kept it in.
And then comes the fun...
After the ornaments were finished, a bit of silliness followed...
You can paint these once they've dried. We let them air dry but you can dry them in the oven at a low temp for several hours.
05 November 2011
So Here's What We've Been Up To...
It snowed in October this year.
It snowed a lot.
We lost power last Saturday, a week ago.
We got it back about 5 minutes ago.
We've been blessed with a generator that has been hooked up to the house so we have had heat and hot water.
I haven't been able to use the dryer.
{Our dining room has been one giant drying rack.}
I haven't been able to use the hair dryer.
{Gotta love headbands!}
I haven't been able to use the stove.
(A griddle has been awfully handy but I've had to use it sparingly.}
The grocery stores have been hit or miss.
Some places have had no meat or anything refrigerated.
Some places have only had power on their cash registers and we've had to walk through dark aisles to find what we need.
We've eaten out more than we like as places start to get their power back.
No one has been untouched by this.
It hasn't been all that bad for us.
The morning after the snowfall was amazingly beautiful.
Sometimes there is beauty in the difficulty.
We've also had a chance to have friends over whom we love dearly.
We've had a warm place to be and friends and family have joined us here.
We've hung out as a family of five too.
"Hello, family bed!"
And though the damage all around us is vast and varied, the greenhouse suffered only minimal damage.
See. it's not so bad.
BUT...
PRAISE THE LORD for electricity!!
It snowed a lot.
We lost power last Saturday, a week ago.
We got it back about 5 minutes ago.
We've been blessed with a generator that has been hooked up to the house so we have had heat and hot water.
I haven't been able to use the dryer.
{Our dining room has been one giant drying rack.}
I haven't been able to use the hair dryer.
{Gotta love headbands!}
I haven't been able to use the stove.
(A griddle has been awfully handy but I've had to use it sparingly.}
The grocery stores have been hit or miss.
Some places have had no meat or anything refrigerated.
Some places have only had power on their cash registers and we've had to walk through dark aisles to find what we need.
We've eaten out more than we like as places start to get their power back.
No one has been untouched by this.
It hasn't been all that bad for us.
The morning after the snowfall was amazingly beautiful.
Sometimes there is beauty in the difficulty.
We've also had a chance to have friends over whom we love dearly.
We've had a warm place to be and friends and family have joined us here.
We've hung out as a family of five too.
"Hello, family bed!"
And though the damage all around us is vast and varied, the greenhouse suffered only minimal damage.
See. it's not so bad.
BUT...
PRAISE THE LORD for electricity!!
Labels:
Daily Life
28 October 2011
Brunch Recipes
I had an impromptu play date this morning.
I wanted to try out some brunch recipes since my collection is a bit slim.
Based on my testing and feedback from other snackers... I consider these successes.
The Protein:
my adaptation...
4 slices of deli ham
2 Tablespoons butter - melted
1 and 1/2 cups croutons (seasoned croutons work great)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 large eggs - slightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
salt and pepper - to taste
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Prepare a medium-small baking dish (like 7x7 inch) with a light coating of cooking spray.
Layer the croutons in the bottom of the dish and drizzle evenly with melted butter.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, ham, 1/2 of the cheese, salt, and pepper. Pour this mixture over the croutons. Top the casserole with the remaining shredded cheese.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until eggs are set and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the casserole stand 10 minutes. Cut into equal portions and serve warm.
The Starch:
my adaptation...
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (32-ounce) package frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes, diced
2 tablespoons butter, melted and divided
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1 (8-ounce) carton light sour cream (such as Daisy)
Cooking spray
2 cups cornflakes, coarsely crushed
Preheat oven to 350. Combine first 4 ingredients and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large bowl; toss well. Combine soup and cheese in a medium sauce pan over medium head and stir until cheese melts. Careful not to let it burn and you don't' have to melt down all cheese, just enough to make it gooey. Stir in sour cream. Pour cheese mixture over potato mixture and stir well. Spread mixture evenly in a 13x9 greased baking dish. Combine cornflakes and remaining butter and sprinkle evenly over potato mixture. Bake for 1 hour.
The Fruit:
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
4 medium or 3 large apples, peeled and diced
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
6 slices of bread, torn
In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs, milk, cinnamon and nutmeg.Peel and dice the apples. In a smaller mixing bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Toss with diced apples {I did this is a large plastic bag}. In a greased 8×8-inch glass baking dish, tear 3 slices of bread and add to the bottom. Then add a layer of the diced caramel apples.Tear the other 3 slices of bread and spread on top of the apples. Pour egg/milk mixture into the baking dish. Cover with foil and let stand in the refrigerator for at least an hour (overnight, ideally!). Preheat oven to 350. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake another 15-20 minutes, or until eggs have cooked through.
I wanted to try out some brunch recipes since my collection is a bit slim.
Based on my testing and feedback from other snackers... I consider these successes.
The Protein:
my adaptation...
4 slices of deli ham
2 Tablespoons butter - melted
1 and 1/2 cups croutons (seasoned croutons work great)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 large eggs - slightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
salt and pepper - to taste
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Prepare a medium-small baking dish (like 7x7 inch) with a light coating of cooking spray.
Layer the croutons in the bottom of the dish and drizzle evenly with melted butter.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, ham, 1/2 of the cheese, salt, and pepper. Pour this mixture over the croutons. Top the casserole with the remaining shredded cheese.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until eggs are set and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the casserole stand 10 minutes. Cut into equal portions and serve warm.
The Starch:
my adaptation...
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (32-ounce) package frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes, diced
2 tablespoons butter, melted and divided
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1 (8-ounce) carton light sour cream (such as Daisy)
Cooking spray
2 cups cornflakes, coarsely crushed
Preheat oven to 350. Combine first 4 ingredients and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large bowl; toss well. Combine soup and cheese in a medium sauce pan over medium head and stir until cheese melts. Careful not to let it burn and you don't' have to melt down all cheese, just enough to make it gooey. Stir in sour cream. Pour cheese mixture over potato mixture and stir well. Spread mixture evenly in a 13x9 greased baking dish. Combine cornflakes and remaining butter and sprinkle evenly over potato mixture. Bake for 1 hour.
The Fruit:
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
4 medium or 3 large apples, peeled and diced
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
6 slices of bread, torn
In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs, milk, cinnamon and nutmeg.Peel and dice the apples. In a smaller mixing bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Toss with diced apples {I did this is a large plastic bag}. In a greased 8×8-inch glass baking dish, tear 3 slices of bread and add to the bottom. Then add a layer of the diced caramel apples.Tear the other 3 slices of bread and spread on top of the apples. Pour egg/milk mixture into the baking dish. Cover with foil and let stand in the refrigerator for at least an hour (overnight, ideally!). Preheat oven to 350. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake another 15-20 minutes, or until eggs have cooked through.
Labels:
Breakfast,
Main Dishes,
Recipes
26 October 2011
25 October 2011
No Rest for the Wallpaper Inflicted
Remember this?
Hubs got in on the action but I'm pretty sure it was only to get me to bed sooner.
Either way... totally worth it!
And the best part is, the paper backing just about falls off the wall.
Three cheers for easy wallpaper removal!
Only 3 more rooms to go!
Seriously, who wallpapers this much?!
Labels:
Decor
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