Strawberry Crisp

For the two of you who wanted the recipe to this delicious Strawberry Crisp, I give you--- 

Fruit Crisp:

Cedar Chest Makeover--Chapter 6

So do you know when something is just not working, but you have an idea in your head and even though your kids poo poo the whole thing you just know hope and pray it's gonna turn out like you see it in your mind?

yeah, me too...

Cedar Chest Makeover Chapter 5 (technically)-attaching the legs

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the technology.

We can make it better than it was before.

It's the six dollar (a leg)....

Bionic Cedar Chest!

*cue bionic sounds*

Cedar Chest Makeover-Chapter...What chapter am I on?

I know I've stated before on this little blog how "frugal" I am.  Well, I hate to spend money unless it's necessary.  I was thinking about it the other day and realized that even if I had loads of the green stuff, ya know, like a money tree growing out back, I still would only spend as little as I had to and give the rest to OURRESCUE or some worthwhile non-profit like that.  (Seriously. If I had a million dollars...)

ANYway...

I found the legs I wanted for the chest makeover back when I started it and they were six dollars and some change EACH and so I just put them in the "shopping cart" and kept searching, well when I realized that they were the only legs that would do, I went back to my shopping cart and I was notified that the price jumped up to $11 and change EACH!  So I said nay nay nay nay never mind, I'm not going to spend more on the legs than I did on the chest initially. So I kept on looking.

*cue hold music*

Well, a few days ago, I found them again for the six and change price and I ordered them! Phew! And the little brackets too. Which I'm still waiting on. But look at these beautiful curvy legs...

Yes, they are painted a dark brown, yes I am going to have to make some changes and no I'm not sure exactly how to proceed, but I'm sure going to have fun figuring it out!

Camera Showdown

It's a camera showdown.

My LG Flex 13 mpxl camera vs. Nikon D3200 24.2 mpxl (new expensive) camera...

Can you tell which is which?

Flowers courtesy of my hubby courtesy of my terrible, horrible, very bad day three days ago.

Is it live, or is it Memorex?

Vulnerability TED!

Brene Brown

 has studied shame and vulnerability for years. I love her insight...

cardboard container up-do

So I'm deep into another project and no I have not finished the Cedar Chest Makeover project thank you for asking.

It's a sewing cabinet up-cycle project thing that I'll blog about later (when if I finish it).  Part of this sewing up -cycle thingy-ma-jiggy requires lot's of storage.  So I have been collecting marked down (waaaaaay down) baskets galore and re-using old storage containers and scouring the thrift store (i.e. D.I.) to find suitable (cheap) storage solutions.

Enter Exhibit A

New Beginnings--Garden Planning Time

In my Church's Young Women program they have something called New Beginnings.  The Leaders have a special program for those new "Beehives" to welcome them in and help them feel loved and valued.

The Theme for this years New Beginnings Meeting is a Garden Party.  How appropriate.  Spring and therefore gardens signal new beginnings.

This is a perfect time to start planning the garden.  Here in Swan Valley, the growing season is very short.  Most, who are serious about gardening here have a green house.  That is on the docket for us, but even with a green house, starting some plants indoors is the way to go.

Wheat Grinder Life Hack

Taking a break from the Cedar Chest Makeover because, well, I have to.  I don't have the hardware to press on so I'm baking bread today.

Because I'm a good 30 minutes--in good driving conditions--away from a grocery store and 45 minutes away from a decently priced grocery store, I decided to make bread.  Not a foreign thing for me to do, I mean, I've posted it on here how many times?  But this time I am grinding my own wheat.  Have wheat, don't have whole wheat (WW) flour.  Have white, not WW.  Also what I don't have is a room that I want covered in a fine dusting of flour.

So I had an idea.  I don't know if this qualifies as a "life hack", but it sure made my life easier.

I put a XL Space Bag over my grinder and let it roar.  I left the zip lock open partially because it needs air to work, but it worked like a charm.  A clean-kitchen-after-grinding-wheat charm.

Now you must know that I LOVE my wheat grinder and it is quiet for a grinder and it is clean for a grinder, but it still spews some fine flour dust in a two feet radius and today I just didn't want to deal with it.  My creative side of my brain has been working on ideas how to create a "space" where I can grind and not leave a Mt. St. Helen's kinda mess* because my lazy side of my brain didn't want to deal with the mess anymore...


Voila!

Hope Chest Makeover-Chapter 3.5

I took to the paint in an effort to not spend any more money on this cedar chest makeover.

Really I haven't spent any money but the original $40 it cost (5 years ago) and the cost of the stain. I'm going to have to cough up some cash for drawer pulls and new spindly legs, but that is where I want the spending to end.

 Put ME in charge of the deficit! ha!