Reading, Leisure Time, Suggested Book Lists....

For anyone who has questions about faith, or about God...... THE SHACK...is a great book. http://www.theshackbook.com/

My brother in law wrote a poetry book recently. He is getting alot of good reviews on it. You should totally check it out if you like poetry.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Road-Happiness-Johnathon-Williams/dp/1938308018/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1366897411&sr=8-2&keywords=johnathon+williams 

FIREPROOF is a great one for married couples. I think this would even be good for engaged couples as well. Great skills for relationships and written in a way that is engaging and interesting.

 http://thelovedarebook.com/

Do you have some suggestions? Add them to the comment section.

A Web Collection Of Recipes - All From Googlers

So, lets make a recipe book. Comment below with your favorite recipe. Im going to try some of them out and let you know what I think.

Be diverse......so...I want desserts, main dishes, slow cookers, etc. You get the idea. This is going to be fun! I cant wait!!!

My favorite recipe:

Baklava

Original recipe makes 3 dozen Change Servings

• 1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
• 1 pound chopped nuts
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup honey

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.
2. Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.
3. Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.
4. Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

ITS TIME TO CLEAN ~ How to organize your house for under $100.00!

Feeling overwhelmed? Wondering where to start? Here is your "go to" place! You found it!

 



 

Rule #1. Have all of your supplies ahead of time. 

Rule #2. Work on ONE room at a time. ONE day at a time.

Rule #3. Have fun. (yes, it IS possible)

 

Supply List:

vacuum storage bags - $10.00

 

adjustable slot shelves - $20.00

 

set of 6 - storage baskets - $26.00

 

 

Majic Erasers - $5.00

Under Bed Storage - $8.00

 



Got It??? Okay, great...now lets get started.

 

Room 1 - Day One - Kitchen.

Your kitchen is a room you spend ALOT of time in, daily! So lets do that first since you will feel like you are getting somewhere. After all, you will "see" the fruits of your labor daily. Everyone has to eat!

Start with your cabinets. Pull it ALL out. Wipe your shelves down with a smell good disinfectant. Then ORGANIZE. All Tupperware together. Lids under the correct containers. Stack them, like this.



 

 

 



 

Glasses, cups, coffee cups.....glasses together, cups together, and coffee cups together. Face all handles to the same side. Like this.

 

 

Now, ready for pots and pans? Be sure to put lids with the right pots. Makes it easier to find later.

 

Now, be sure to store all appliances on your counter that you don't use very often. You will feel much better with clean, uncluttered counters. I promise.

 

 

YOUR FINISHED! GREAT! MOVING ON!

 

Room 2 - Day 2 - Bedroom

 

 Oh boy....this is one of the MOST important rooms. Why? Because this is where you should be able to relax.....unwind....and feel at PEACE. Not that way right now? Don't worry. We are going to fix that.

 

Get out those storage bins and vacuum bags. Now, go get a trash bag....lawn and garden size. Go through your drawers and closets. If you haven't worn it in the last year, put it in the bag. You can do it. NO you will not "wear it again one day". Give it to your local charity shop and MOVE ON. 8-) I say that with love I promise.

 

Now, lets organize. If its summer, lets vacuum bag your winter stuff. Then store it on your newly cleaned off shelf in your closet. If its winter, put your summer stuff away. This will free up a lot of space for you.

 

Too many blankets and quilts? Do the same. Vacuum bag it. So easy! Instant space.

 

Now, the things you need more often and need to get to quickly. Like SHOES ladies. You can put these in your under the bed storage bins you bought.

 

Now, dust off your furniture, make your bed....and voila. Clean and serene.

 

Room 3 - Day 3 - Laundry Room

 

This is where you might need your extra adjustable storage you bought. Getting your cleaning supplies off your dryer and off your floor will make a HUGE difference. This is another place that you will spend a lot of time in. (unfortunately)

 

Combine cleaners if you have three partially used windex bottles...etc. Make one full bottle, trash the rest.

 

Put cleaners on one side and laundry detergents, dryer sheets, and fabric softner on the other. This is a great place to neatly store your cleaning rags too.

 

Hint: If your dryer gets dusty or a lot of lint on the top....take a used dryer sheet and wipe it off. They work GREAT. Then just throw it away.

 

Keep a small trash can in here too. You will always have things to throw away. (Like rocks in your kids pockets, etc.)

 

Room 4 - Day 4 - Bathroom

 

Your Mr. Clean sponge works great in here. Door frames and light switches seem to always be the worst. This little sponge will wipe it away like it wasn't even there in the first place.

 

Use a scrub sponge and bleach. Its best if you can put the bleach in an empty spray bottle you have laying around and dilute it with water. I do 1/2 and 1/2. Then spray down your tub/shower and let it sit for a few hours.

 

Do the same for your base boards and around your toilet.

 

Now, take down your light fixtures and wash, wash, wash. This will make a huge difference. Don't forget to wipe off your air vent on the ceiling. They get super dirty.

 

Under your Sink is a great place to use some of your pop out cloth storage bins. Use one for towels, rags, etc. If you roll them and stand them on end....you can fit a lot into one bin.

 

Place all of your bathroom essentials in another. All of your hair care items in another. Most sinks will allow for 3 - 4 bins.

 

Okay, your shower and baseboards should be done now...scrub away.

 

Check the caulk on your tub and shower. If it looks tired and old...simply take a razor blade and cut it, then take a flat head screw driver and scrap it off. All Walmarts carry silicone caulking for bathrooms. It comes in an easy to dispense tube and costs about 3.00. Let it dry overnight before showering or using the tub though. It takes 24 hours to dry. But this will protect your walls, so its worth it.

 

Simply displaying a few decorative towels....placing some "fake flame" candles, and putting up an air freshener will go a long way in making your bathroom a great place to be.

 

 

Okay....great job! I bet you feel better now. I know I always do.

 

Need another room? Just message me and I will help you do that one too!

 

Happy Cleaning!

 





 

 



 

Got a sore throat or a cold? At home remedy that WORKS!

So a friend of mine is from Korea. She helped me out one time by telling me her moms "recipe" for a sore throat. It worked within MINUTES!!!

             (This is a ginger root. Up until I made this for the first time, I had never seen one!)

And let me be clear, my throat hurt so bad that it felt like I was swallowing knives even when I was drinking water. So, it was pretty bad which makes this sore throat brew a miracle cure in my book.

2 cups of water
1/2 cup cut and peeled ginger root (you can find it in the produce section, fresh is best)
1 whole lemon cut, not peeled
1/2 cup of honey

That's it.....just boil it for about 15 minutes, then enjoy. You can drain out the juice and then put it in the fridge for later. Will last several days in the fridge.

Let me know what you think!!

How to make an old china hutch look brand new - Part One

Hi everybody!! Do you have your piece of wood furniture yet? Okay, great! Then, here we go......

This is the piece I picked up at a garage sell. It is a vintage china cabinet (in other words, its super OLD). Ha Ha!

 

This is the top piece

 

 This is the bottom piece.

 

 

I took the glass out and wrapped it. This is best so it doesn't get broken during sanding or stained during your staining process.

 

 

Now, I wont be able to start sanding until Monday. But just to get prepared....here is what you will need.

 

 

You will want to pick out your stain color. You actually will only need the small can probably. Its less than 5.00 at most stores.

 

Then you will also want to purchase polyurethane. It protects your wood. You don't have to on an item like this. But you will if you have a coffee table, kitchen table, or anything else that is used a lot.

 

You will want an electric sander. DO not try to do it by hand. Your arm will fall off and you will end up swearing that you will "never do this again". So keep it fun and get a sander. This one was like 30.00 at Walmart. WELL, worth the money.

 

Get some el' chepo rags. These were my Father in laws garage rags. Just be aware that you will throw them away when you are done.



Now, on this project....I will also be showing you how to replace a toplight because the one in this is all messed up as you can see in the photos below.

 

Alright, well you have a few more days to get prepared if you haven't gotten everything yet. For the rest of you, patience is a virtue my friend!

 

With love,

 

Me

How to make some old tired decorative pictures look SUPER AWESOME

So, if you ever wanted to know how to make a garage sell find into an expensive boutique item...here's how for just about $1.50.

These are the pictures I picked up for a few bucks today.

 

So, its okay right? Just not fabulous and the frame is all scratched up.

 

 

 

All you will need is a paintbrush and two .88 cent bottles of craft paint that you can pick up at any Walmart. I chose a cream color and burnt umber brown. (This picture was taken with  my Cannon Rebel T3I by the way. Great camera if your looking for one)

 

 

To protect the glass, I just tore a few pages out of a magazine I had laying around that I wont ever read again. Since it was just collecting dust, I repurposed it for this.

 

This was after the one coat of the beige paint. I only did one coat because I wanted it to look antiqued.

 

Here is a closer view of it. Don't worry if you get a few paint things here and there on the glass because it wipes right off with a damp cloth.

 

 

Here are the pictures after I added the brown paint to it. I used ALOT of water and barely any brown paint. It made more of a brown wash than anything else.

 

After I did that, before it dried, I wiped off the surfaces but not the cracks. Then I pushed down hard on the paint brush to scratch off some of the paint here and there.

 

Here is a close up of the edges. I like this look.

 

So, there you go. Good luck. Post pictures of yours when you get done. I would LOVE to see it.

 

Happy painting.

Furniture Refurbishing

Okay folks, so I just bought a china hutch that will need to be stripped, sanded, stained, and sealed. Drop back by here soon to see the progress of it and a step by step of how I did it.

Its super easy and if I can do it, so can you!!!

So go buy a used piece of furniture you like at a garage sell and have it ready. We will work on it together.

Happy hunting and Ill see you soon!