Our First Berry Goodness!

From our very own berry patch.

And ... when we went to eat them later after Jeremy got home, I handed her one again and SQUISH!

Yeah.

A Sweet, Simple Mother's Day

Mother's day last week was sweet and simple. The best kind.

A pretty flower, a very thoughtful card ("signed" also by her, of course) and two meals cooked by Jeremy.

I love being loved. :-)

May garage sale finds (vintage edition)

I've been garage-saling this month to look for a few items we need on the cheap. And I love reusing if it's something we don't need to buy new. (If it's pillow or matress, you'll hear me singing a different tune though. Used? Ew.)

Last time I went looking I came up with several fun vintage finds!!

(1) cardboard doll suitcase - $1
(1) vintage table fan - $5
(3) doll dresses (30 cents)
(1) "the Golden Rule" - German measuring system pattern book (50 cents)

I thought the red "the Golden Rule" book just looked interesting when I picked it up. There are color pages and lots of good stuff in it. Boy was I uneducated!

I looked it up on etsy and the same edition (2nd edition - first is in German) in mint condition is $145!!! Um, holy crap!

Score.

It has black and white and some color photos. Late 60s! Love!

It has the Lutterloh system instructions, pictures, and over 200 patterns! Amazing.

If you want to see if before I sell it, feel free to let me know (Valerie?)!! If I can even make half of $145 on it, it'll be way more than worth it! So exciting.

Trash or Treasure? My newest project on the list.

So, we headed out the door to make a fun little roadtrip to Target to get us out before the girl's bedtime and got about two blocks down the road when I spotted these beauties on the side of the road (excuse the harsh sunlight).

"Jeremy, turn around! I have to have those!"

It wasn't, "Oh, go back so I can look again." It was love at first sight. I knew I needed this furniture.

Granted, when we got up close, we could see why they were sitting by the side of the road. It was actually pretty disgustingly covered with dirt and animal hair. And I'm not talking a few, I'm talking clumps of animal hair.

Jeremy was grossed out and proceeded to try to talk me out of these. "Really? Are you trying to discourage me from doing what I love? I know ladies on blogs that would DIE to have these things to re-do! Come on, just help me!!!"

I wasn't havin' any arguments. No way.

Look at those lines! Lovely. No missing legs (only 2 missing finials - easy enough fix!), no wobbly arms. Just really dirty and stinky.

Miss Mustard Seed would've been proud. And, my husband showed his love and helped me load these up in the car and drive the 2 blocks (or 5) back home.

We didn't make it to Target, but my heart was fuller with these beauties in my possession. Annie Sloan Chalk paint and new upholstery, here we come!!!

So many projects, so little time! :-)

an OWL nursery

My soon-to-be nephew, Asa, is coming in August and I've offered to help with the nursery fixin's!

J & S have decided on a yellow/gray nursery theme with owl accents. Here is their inspiration photo. Lovely, huh? I heart these colors together!!!

source

Before I knew the nursery or gender details, I did know about the owls, so I have been collecting DIY owl ideas as I came across them. So much fun! Once they found out it was a boy and that the colors were yellow and gray, I decided to make a little owl lovey for Asa.

Here's the tutorial from Make it and Love it. Hers is more plush, but I used mostly felt because I was on a budget. And it's still soft and sweet.

I found a remnant of yellow felt at JoAnns - 50% off. Score! So I used that for the main body pieces (because the squares you can buy are too small). At Hobby Lobby I picked up a 25 cent sheet of gray for the wings and orange for the beak/feet. The green came from the scrap bag.

The directions were fairly easy to follow and I stuffed him full of batting leftover from my headboard project. It was flat batting and even though I tore it into manageable pieces - I still thought he was a little lumpy. Not too bad though. Gotta use what you have!

What a loveable lovey. I can't wait for Asa to pose with him!! :-)

Finally, I'm waist deep in nursery sewing projects. Instead of sewing for the nursery over the trip, I actually sewed for Jenn (a shortened a gown and sewed in curtain linings) and brought home the chevron nursery fabric instead. It's probably for the best, so I can just take my time and not feel rushed to finish in 4 days. We're making the crib sheets, skirts and bumper all based on the inspiration photo below.

source

We're also sewing pillows and curtains. I'm finished with one sheet (thanks to MADE) and just beginning the crib skirt. Lots more sewing to do!

When the nursery sewing projects are more complete, I'll update my progress in pictures and then feature the whole nursery later this summer.

I'm psyched. Totally.

My two favorite recipes

AND ... we're back!

More on the long weekend coming soon. So, in lieu of real news, here's my two favorite recipes to make with sweet bell peppers.


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I've REALLY been struggling in the meal planning department. I don't really enjoy cooking these days (I'd much rather be thrifting or sewing) and I just get so discouraged when I have no ideas!!

The other day chicken was on sale (thank goodness!) and I stocked up and promptly made two of my favorite recipes. I price matched a three pack of peppers at (cough) Wal-mart - from Aldi - for 99 cents. Score.

source

First up...

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2 chicken breasts, cubed
1 T paprika
2 T olive oil

1/4 c. sugar
2-3 T. cornstarch
1 can pineapple chunks, juice reserved
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. soy sauce (I use reduced sodium)

1-2 bell peppers, cut into chunks
1/2 medium onion, chopped


Saute chicken breasts sprinkled with desired amount of paprika and salt in oil until cooked through. Add bell peppers and onions, steaming for a couple of minutes. In a separate bowl combine sugar, cornstarch, pineapple juice, vinegar and soy sauce. Pour over chicken and vegetables. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened.

Serve over steamed white rice and enjoy!!


((Sorry, I've tried to photograph SSC before and it never looks good. I'm really not a food photographer. So, just imagine with me.)) 


Then...
Homemade Fajitas

Seasoning:
1-1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. oregano
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. red pepper
1/4 t. black pepper
1/8 t. garlic powder (or 1 clove, minced)
1/8 t. onion powder

Cut 2 chicken breasts into strips and saute in olive oil. Add seasoning and a little water. (I usually at least double the seasoning recipe because we like it better). Once the chicken is cooked through, I add the sliced bell peppers (about 1-1/2 large ones) and 1/2 sliced onion. Cook until crisp tender and serve with warm tortillas, taco sauce and sour cream if desired.

 Mmmmm!

Do you have a go-to recipe when you are out of ideas?? Do share!! I'm in need!

On Living Cellphoneless

I have to admit, living without a cell phone has its advantages.

And disadvantages.

But all-in-all, it's been a pretty easy switch. We needed to save money, wanted to simplify and decided that giving up our cell phones was worth it.

*********


But, I'm not gonna lie. There are times I've missed having a phone...

- like when I catch Ladybug doing something funny, I'd love to snap and send a quick pic to the fam. Instead, I have to race to get the DSLR and snap it instead.

- Or when I realize that "mobile coupons" at Target are only available to those with smart phones. #societaldiscrimination.

- That time when the urgent care visit took 5 hours instead of two. Even I was really starting to worry.

- At Home Depot when I thought the 14-1/2 inch cut wasn't quite enough but couldn't call home to remeasure. Sure enough, it was 15-1/2. Bummer.

- Having to admit, "Um, I don't have a cell phone. Sorry."And being stared at like I have two heads or something.

- Missing call, after call, after call from my best friend.



Then, there are things that I haven't missed, like...


- Being called or getting a text after I've gone to bed.

- Being on my phone instead of being with my daughter.

- The temptation to answer or text in the car.

- Losing my cell or dropping it in water.

- Sticky little fingers always asking to play with it.

- I can  always text over email.

-And last, but most definitely NOT least, I do not miss the $80 bill every month. Not. One. Little. Bit.


:-) Ever thought about simplifying like this? Could you live without your cell? Or other electronics?

Body Scrubs - DIY gift idea!

I've been saving economical gift ideas to look back to when I need a birthday or Christmas gift and I've been gathering materials for this Lavender scrub and these too.

So I went all the way to Whole Foods to get sea salts and sweet almond skin care oil.

The only other thing I needed was my $15 bottle of lavender essential oil - which I stashed away somewhere after making the natural bug spray last summer.  Actually it was in my linen closet - I cleaned those shelves earlier this year and distinctly remember seeing the oils.

And now, I can't find them anywhere. I've cleaned out the linen closet again completely. Looked twice through everything on the shelf it should be on. I've looked through my kitchen cabinets, my stash of Etsy and bulk and creative stuff, my gardening stuff, the tools, even the Christmas stuff. I 've looked everywhere and I can't find it!!! Ehhhhh... these scrubs were totally based off the lavender I had and now my idea is ka-put.

So, until I find that, it's on to plan B.

I made the Peppermint Foot Scrub and Orange Vanilla Sugar Scrub instead. Not nearly as potent because they just use food extracts, but fun at least.

Sweet almond oil, sugar, and vanilla, peppermint and orange extracts.

Here they are after mixing! (I skipped the food coloring part.) Orange vanilla on the left, peppermint on the right.

I made some round labels in InDesign and printed them off and decoupaged them onto the tops of my jars. Because now, I guess, I decoupage everything. :-)

And, decidedly forgot to take pictures of the finished product. Oh well, you get the drift. I used some of the extra peppermint scrub on my hands and it made them oh-so-soft!! Love it! You should try it.


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After writing this post and at least 4 weeks of searching, I found my lavender essential oil. Right where I left it. Right where I thought it was but couldn't find it for the life of me.

*Sigh. At least it's found.

 
Goodness gracious me, and I finally made my lavender sea salt scrub.

Do you have any go-to gift ideas that you make? Or other homemade body scrub recipes you love? I want to try the honey/brown sugar body scrub too. I just need more almond oil...

'Till next time.

~Lisa

Books I've Read Lately - 4/24/12

I've been reading some lately. Most of my books are either free Kindle books or recommendations from others that I reserve at the library. This, my friends, is reading on the cheap. There is no way on this earth that I could afford reading books that weren't free, nor would I want to store books that I bought and only read once.

Free is so much more worth waiting for - even if it's a couple of months through a library hold. Of course, you do come across duds that come here and there - especially free downloads. Some of these I simply delete from my Kindle or skim through and decide, "Well, I guess that's what I get for reading free."

But every once in awhile I read a good one.


Promise Me This
**Still free if you go and download it to your Kindle!

Promise Me This is a Christian novel - most Christian stories are either too predictable, too corny or just have bad theology for me to enjoy - but this one was actually pretty good. It wasn't a super intelligent read (these days I pretty much just need a "get-away" read) but it was good. Told the story of a gardening family affected by the sinking of the Titanic, a journey of love and forgiveness, with a bit of war-time romance. I though at first it might be predictable, but in the end it kept me guessing.

If you want a "get-away" read with some history and romance and a decent story line, this is a good one.


The Language of Flowers

The Language of Flowers is a really good read, too. I got it as a recommend from my friend, Jess, and loved it. It's the story of a foster child, Victoria, who learns the meaning of family and love through the language of flowers. It was a simple read, but at the end, I cried. (And I don't cry much when I read, so that was a good sign.) I was definitely attached to the characters. Highly recommend.




The Hunger Games

And, in true reading-fad style, I finally got my reserved copy of The Hunger Games from the library this month. I read it in a day. Once you get used to the slightly strange first-person voice, the rest is a pretty easy read.

I only had one hang-up -- believing the post-apocalyptic setting of the USA. If it would've been Europe, Asia, anywhere but here, I think I could've believed the story a bit more. For some reason, the location being here in the States threw me a little bit. However, by the end I was chomping at the bit to read the second book in the trilogy. Unfortunately, I am number 420 on 81 copies, so by the end of the summer, I may have read book 2.


That's all for now!

Garden 2012: Planted!

Over Easter, my parents helped me till and plant the rest of my garden. I've decided that this is the last year I'm growing in my garden soil - if it doesn't do well, I'm going to pots next year.

So, we'll see about the experiment as the summer goes on. But as for now, here is my garden!

A few small rows of sweet corn, one row of watermelon, red onions and an egg carton full of pepper seedlings (which haven't sprouted yet...)

One row of sugar snap peas, two rows of bush green beans, parsley, dill, basil, chives, garlic, yellow onions, a cherry tomato and a roma tomato plant.

and my (free) flower garden. Lots of experiments this year!

Grow tomatoes, grow!

And on the other side, a few strawberry buds. Maybe we'll get more than 5 berries this year!

 Can't wait for the produce I am hoping for!

Shop Finds {somebody stop me!!!}

Help! I might need an intervention ... I keep finding wonderful vintage stuff for the shop, but unless it's boy or a quarter garage sale find, I really need to temper my vintage finding/buying. I have tons to list, but I just get so excited to find something!!

My friend, Sarah, is a huge garage-saler and has found some great stuff (garage sale season has started early with 70s and 80s in March this year) already. I rarely find vintage baby clothing at garage sales, but she's scored.

Here's the cutest little "cheerleader" baby shirt dress she found. 10 cents. Seriously.

Oh, so, cute!

And a Sal Army find: my German "dirndl" style baby shirt:

And, I stopped at a kids sale on the half price days and found several dresses:

(nautical!)

... and a lovely peach smocked, size 3 Orient Express toddler dress.

Gorg. *sigh*

Replacing Worn-out Elastic in Vintage Clothing

So I decided to brave an attempt at fixing some sleeves on my little vintage dresses. Two had the exact same problem: worn out elastic in the sleeves. Otherwise they are in excellent shape!

So I whipped out my trusty elastic thread and went to work.

(Excuse the bad lighting in the photos...)

After I took out the old elastic, I was left with this:

I sewed around the sleeve following the old sewing marks with some elastic thread and tada! Re-ruffled sleeves.

What a difference, right!?

Here's the other: before...

... and after! Much better.

I also took it around the waist of these pink corduroy overalls, but the effect wasn't quite as great because of how heavy the corduroy is. It worked okay, though. I'm good with how they look now.

I love elastic thread! What's your secret sewing weapon??

a Heart-shaped ... what?!

Ever seen one of these?

A perfectly heart-shaped potato at the bottom of my 5-lb sack. Gotta love a surprise every once in awhile. I mean, too bad it wasn't the face of the Virgin Mary - I'd be rich! :-)

Just teasing.


(And yes, I have graduated to wearing my old glasses because my last contact bit the dust a few weeks back. It's not my favorite thing, but I guess it's a good way to save money. Good thing my eyes haven't changed much in the last 10 years! Unfortunately, it's kind of hard to wear sunglasses when it's blazing out in March... and they may also bite the dust with the way the girl "plays"! Yikes.)

A few new shop finds for Easter.

I had some glorious hours last Friday all to myself. I got an orange pedicure... (complete with iced Passion tea from the 'bucks)...

... and went thrifting! (Totally my new favorite pastime.)

Here are some fun things I found.

a Polly Flinders size 7 smocked dress. I'm in love!

the sweetest Easter dress - complete with bunnies and daffodils

Two more 1970s jumpers!! Not nearly as sweet as the strawberry jumpsuit, but very, very cute.

I adore this polyester nautical jacket. Not very summery, but I'm listing it anyway. People are crazy for the nautical stuff.

And remember the little cowboy button-up?  I went back and found the pants that matched!! hahaha! (And sold it this week -yay!)

Thrifting. *sigh* it's so much fun.

Garden Inspiration - Link

I just ran across this link and after last week's post thought I'd share some garden inspiration - at Bleubird Vintage.

source

{And, yes, I totally garden in a dress, too.}

Happy Spring!

a Tootsie Roll birthday card

(*aaaaaand .... we're back!)

One of my piano students birthdays was last week (the same day as my mom's actually - happy birthday, Mom!) and I had sudden inspiration the day of to make her a fun card.

She said her favorite candy was tootsie rolls (or pops) so I made her a "bouquet" of tootsie pops and broke out the mad decoupaging skills and made her a Tootsie Roll card during naptime.

Super easy. I took brown, red and white cardstock and cut a brown rectangle, two red strips and then two rounded "candy ties". I made one tie and then inverted it and cut out the other so it would match. (If you look close you can see that the brown/red part is a little bigger than the white - it was already glued down, otherwise I would've trimmed it up. Oh well, perfection is not the goal.)

Then I googled the font on Tootsie Rolls and came up with Cooper Black. Thankfully, we had it in Word and I typed out a few different sizes of her name and printed it out. Size 60 was just perfect, so I painstakingly cut out the little letters (I left them connected in little spots so it would be easier to attach) and then decoupaged her name on so it would all be shiny like a real candy.

I am (slightly embarrassingly) still super excited about this card. Love it!