Thursday, February 26, 2009

I heart free stuff.

My sister and I lucked out at a garage sale awhile back. We hit the tail end of it and as they were closing up, asked if we'd mind taking the stuff off their hands to avoid making a trip to the dump.

WOULD WE MIND?! Gee, free stuff, sure we'll help you out!

So these are a few of my favorite freebies we took off their hands.

Say hello to hubby's project last weekend. It was an o.k. shelf to begin with but he took it upon himself (ahhh I love 'im) to sand and stain it for me.

This would be what the lid of the cannister set looked like before. Pretty nast-ay. I didn't even go there in taking a picture of the actual cannisters. Iiick.

Needless to say, I scrubbed, bleached, even suffocated them in a soaking bathtub of Gain to make sure they were CLEAN. Oh, and then I scrubbed and bleached them some more.

Say hello to my pretties:


And, I got a bunch of cute tops, too! This never happens, but I am about to model it for you:

Ok, I lied, because I'm now going to show you my $4.00 Target top which I used a gift card for, making it also fahreeeeee. :)

Mommy needs a tan...


Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

My husband has been doing alot of weekend grilling lately and chooses to buy the meat and the barbeque sauce himself on his way home from work.

Hey, honey, think we have enough barbeque sauce?

Seven, count em, SEVEN bottles. I think we're set ;)

For more Wordless, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Homemaker.

Homemaker, Homekeeper, Housewife, Stay at Home Mom, Home Manager, Chief Family Officer...

Whatever you wanna call it, that's me and I wear the title proudly, and I think I found the secret to making housework more enjoyable.

Did I get your attention?

Hopefully after reading this you don't think I'm a complete kook or stop reading my blog, but I found the secret, for me, to be APRONS.

First, take a minute to read this email that my mother in law sent me. It's a little long, but so worth it:

I don't think our kids know what an apron is. The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears. From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven. When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms. Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees. When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes. Send this to those who would know, and love, the story about Grandma's aprons. Or it can be a good history lesson for those that have no idea how the apron played a part in our lives.

REMEMBER: Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw. They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron. I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron...But Love !!

Whoa. I have always adored aprons, and every once in a while I'd get on my apron kick, but after reading that..

Now I wear one every. day.

In the morning, after I've had my little chat with Him, I put it on. I keep them on hooks in the laundry room, where I can see them, and I have a variety to choose from. I've gotten new, cutesy aprons on Ebay and Etsy and I've hit the thrift stores and the antique stores to get the real deal.

The thing is, whenever I put it on, I'm telling you something happens to me. Call it servant's spirit or the spirit in knowing that I am keeping tradition alive, whatever it is, it works.

I want to do more, I'm filled with more pride in my home and how I take care of it throughout the day, and I have found myself drying my daughter's tears with the end of it, wiping off my hands after washing them in the sink, as opposed to wasting another paper towel.. I just love the way it feels. I have made homemade bread all week-in my aprons-and you just can't beat that feeling. It's like I just know this is where I am meant to be and this is my uniform.

Do you feel this way or is it just me?

Try it and let me know if it changes your spirit. Oh, and try some pearls, too ;)

"Whatever it is you do, work at it with all your heart..."
Colossians 3:23-24

Sisterhood Award

April at Little April, Big World gave me this adorable award and I am so excited to pass it on! Thank you so much, April! You should really check out her blog- she has been on a nesting spree and I can barely keep up with her creativity, all of her ideas are so insanely cute!

So here's how it goes:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!

3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

So, I spread the sisterhood love to the following:

1. Donnetta @ Life in the Fast Lane

2. Elizabeth @ Small Town Blessings and Small Town Spending

3. Lori @ Mommy's Take on Things

4. Angie @ The American Homemaker

5. Sara @ Mama Craft

6. Trina @ Fabulously Frugalicious

7. Carla @ Always Kiss Me Goodnight

8. Megan @ And Baby Makes Three (Humans)

9. Beth @ Manic Mother

10. Mamarazzi at Dandelion Wishes

Have fun girls!

Show me the Green.. er.. dough.

I've been a little behind in posting due to taking on the task of making all of our bread from scratch as opposed to buying it. (And that booger of a King's Cake...Ahhh! lol) I will be posting the recipes later this evening, but wanted to let you know we are doing tons of St. Patrick's Day crafting! My goal is to have them all up soon so you have plenty of time to try them out before the actual holiday this time ;)

Ideas are on the way! Thank you so much for reading!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Happy Mardi Gras!




Go figure I couldn't find purple sprinkles and had to make my own! Also had to x-nay on the etouffee-skay.. long story but anywhoo:
Joyeux Mardi Gras!

Homemade All Purpose Cleaner

I have been making this for so long, I just can't see buying an all purpose cleaner again. Maybe because I am in control of the scent...it's like a signature and I feel so proud whenever I use it because I "made" it. Also, it's cheaper, and I feel better knowing what's in it!

You'll Need:
2 Tablespoons Vinegar
1 teaspoon Borax
Hot Water
a few drops of dish soap
10 drops of essential oil

In a spray bottle, put vinegar, borax and hot water and swish around until borax is dissolved. Add drops of soap and fill the rest of the bottle with water. Add drops of oil.

These are the essential oils I use. I mainly stick with Cassia Bark. It's a cinnamon-y scent that smells clean and sort of spicy.

I found mine at our country health food store. I live in a SMALL town and managed to find them so you should have no problem ;)

Oh, and I just keep a printed copy of the instructions taped on the inside of my cabinet under the kitchen sink so I never have to go looking for it when I'm running low.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Mardi Gras

I spent the majority of my childhood in Louisiana where we celebrated Mardi Gras. I loved it. Dressing up for the parade. Throwing candy. The masks and beads. The King's Cake. So much fun with all the bright colors! This year I'll be making the King's Cake and Crawfish etouffee for my family, but the decorating will be limited to this:
Slim pick'ins in Texas in terms of decor.


I do love to pull out the old pics though, and tonight here's what I found.

That's me on the right, and a friend, one year at a parade where the theme was career day. I wanted to be a secretary...

This one my brother is actually in, walking in front of me. :) I need to get some fleur de lis paper and frame them and bring them out each year.

Do you do anything special for Mardi Gras?

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

The Unseen

Whoa. Ok. Now The Lord is just throwing things my way in the form of Google Reader, lol. Maybe this one speaks to you. I needed both of those today!

Ephesians 5:33

I read this today at Biblical Womanhood. So simple, yet it spoke volumes to me today. Check it out... it may be just what you needed to read today.

GaGa.

I was browsing Etsy tonight and came across this.

1. I don't know where I would ever wear it.
2. It's (gasp. choke. WHAT?!) $230.00.

Nevertheless, I am so in love.

Digging for Worms



My husband got the best pictures of the kids digging for worms with Aunt Kristin yesterday. Wow, I wish I had his photography skills. Aren't they sweet?

Monday, February 16, 2009

Coffee Bean Candle. Yum.

I saw this idea in a magazine awhile back and finally got around to trying it and it is amazing! I can smell it as soon as I walk into my home and it was very inexpensive.

I found this hurricane candle holder at my love, THE GW (Goodwill, lol) and filled it with whole coffee beans. I chose a roasty Vanilla flavor. They had some interesting ones to choose from, even a dark raspberry vanilla..yummmm wonder what that smells like. Then, I just positioned a flameless candle into the beans. Just the coffee beans sitting there smell incredible, but I bet if you actually lit a candle, the heat would intensify the smell.

Man, I want a latte now.

I think it would be super pretty with a lower, more open holder, as well. Like a candle bowl or dish.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Sniff.

Are you tired of all of my Valentine's Day posts yet? In all honesty, I'm sad to have to put it all away!

although some of you may stay...
most of you have to go...
You even made your way into the bathroom this year...

and all your festive goodies...

until next year, Valentine's Day. I heart you.

xoxo,
janie (a/k/a mommy.)

ps. St. Patrick's Day, don't let me down.

Oh! and my husband decorated these too-cute-to eat cookies. Aren't they ADORABLE?

Friday, February 13, 2009

Lunch for my Valentine and a Card..

Here's how I made hubby's lunch a little special for tomorrow. (You could always do this for your kids' lunches, too!)

I set out to make little heart sandwiches, but my husband would probably be wondering where the rest the sandwich went, lol, and I would have to make a ton. So, using a heart cookie cutter, I just barely pressed it into both sides of the bread.

For an added treat, I made this:

It's a coffee filter! For the life of me I cannot remember where I saw this idea, so if it's yours, please tell me, and I will gladly give you credit!

Just stamp the filter, write a little note...

Throw in some kisses..er..hugs, and tie off with a ribbon. When he opens it, he'll see the hearts, the candy, and the note. Isn't that adorable?

Here is a very simple, yet precious card that Monkey and I are giving him. I used a white crayon on black construction paper and see those little red hearts? Those are our fingerprints! Awww, I am gonna be so sad when Valentine's Day is over :(

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Your Kid Did WHAT?

We all know kids say and do the darndest things...I have a friend whose blog is dedicated to those OH MY moments. It's called Your Kid Did What?!

Do you have a story to share? If so, she will feature your story in a post! Head on over to her blog to read others or share your own!

The submissions are hilarious. You'll either totally relate or be glad it wasn't your kid. ;)

"Hand"made wreath

Make a template of your child's hand and trace unto colored construction paper of your choice. (This was rather simple because I did most of the work while she was asleep because I had a template..)
For the wreath you could use the of a inner part of paper plate, or in my case, I used a circular piece of cardboard that came with a large apothocary jar.

Glue the hands all the way around, using hearts, or whatever else you want to decorate it with. Given our many crafts and projects, we were super low on supplies..but I think it turned out precious anyhow.

Then, let the freestyle glittering begin!


She LOVES her glitter...

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

My Spin on "Kiss Cookies"

Remember these?
Here's what I came up with:

With only 3 ingredients!
Sugar cookie dough, chocolate hearts, and sprinkles.


I used the Palmers chocolate double crisp hearts, and I think the bag was only $1.00. Can't beat that. (Also, the latest couple of inserts had Pillsbury coupons.)

When you pull the cookies out of oven, place an unwrapped candy in the center of the cookie. The trick to these is sorta pushing it into the warm cookie so it melts just the outer edge of the chocolate. Then you can sprinkle the melt-y part and the sprinkles stick.