PAINT

So here are a few things that I have re-finished. I have painted so many things in my home decorating but these are a few that I actually have before and after pics for. We have all heard it so many times that it is a cheap and easy way to change things up. It is one of my favorite things to do when I start feeling bored with my decorations. I always paint before going and buying something new. I also recovered the chair covers on the kitchen table. What a difference a fabric change will have! YAY!

LOVE these toothbrushes!

The other day we were at Wal-Mart and Bryson wanted a new toothbrush. We said sure...then we saw the ones Annie and he wanted and holey smokes! They were around $4.00 each. I think they were some Disney Princess and Toy Story type. So I looked hard and fast at the selection thinking there must be something that they will like that is cheaper. Then I saw them. $1.97 for a two pack of light up tooth brushes. They were both so excited! SCORE! I won the battle. Little did I know that these little brushes were going to change the hardships of brushing the kid’s teeth. We now turn off the light in the bathroom and they happily open their mouth and wait for the light to turn off. One full minute of tearless brushing. The entire bathroom lights up with blue or red. It is so fun! It also encourages them to brush for a proper amount of time. We have always struggled to have the kids enjoy this part of our nightly routine...hooray for these cheap little treasures! Sorry I already threw the wrappers away. But you can look at the pics to try and get the same ones.

Chicken and Dumplings- crock pot style

So you may notice that I cook a lot in the crock pot. I just really love being able to make my dinner mess at the same time as lunch. I also love that I can get things done up until the time we eat and I don’t have to spend so much time in the kitchen with crying hungry children while I cook the dinner. So here is another recipe that I have made into a crock pot recipe. My mom used to cook this for us on the stove, but I never had a recipe so I made my own.


2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 small can of corn
1 small can of cream of chicken soup
2 celery stalks
2 carrots
1 tsp. chicken bouillon
2 cups water
1 bay leaf (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste.
2 cups bisquick ( I make my own - I'll post recipe later)
1cup milk

Chop up celery and carrots. Put all ingredients except bisquick and milk in pot. Turn on high for about 3 hrs. Open and take out chicken and shred. Put back in pot and put lid on. about 1 hr before dinner mix the bisquick and milk. Open Pot and spoon little drops of this batter right into your soup. They will float on the top and start to grow. It will look like one huge blob of dough on the top when all the dumplings are dropped in-don’t let this scare you. Put the lid back on. Cook for 1 hr. When serving break dumplings apart with spoon they should look like wet biscuits. Put a few dumplings and soup mixture in each bowl. There are 5 of us in the family and this serves us all. My 5 year old son always goes back for more! Kids love this!!!!

Refrigerator Frame

Around Christmas time, I wanted to make a frame to put on my front door. I found one that I had had for a while and painted it light blue and wrapped some pretty red berries on it. I new that in my old house I used magnets to hang things on my door with so I thought this would work again. I proceeded to hot glue about 20 magnets on the back of this frame only to find that my front door is not made of metal. LOVELY! But guess what... THE FRIDGE IS! So I stuck my frame there to see if it was for sure the door and not my magnets and it stuck. It has been there ever since. I love it! I just used some little round magnets I bought either at Wal-Mart or a craft store. It looks so pretty. Who would have thought to add decor to the fridge!

Yummy Green Chille Pork! Slow Cooker

Sorry I have no pictures! We gobbled this up and I forgot to take them!

This was Dinner on Friday!

We love green Chile when we go out to Mexican restaurants. So I tried to make a recipe that I thought would be yummy! SUCCESS!!!!

I got a HUGE roast (Pork Shoulder) from COSTCO. My Husband used to be a butcher, so I had him cut it into 5 roasts. But any pork roast will do. Shoulder is super fatty but then again it adds to the delicious flavor. It also takes a bit longer to tenderize because it has to melt all the fat in order for the meat to fall apart! mmmmm.

So 1 Pork roast. (Enough to feed your family) I get one that fits in my crock Pot. Prob. around 3 lbs.
1 can of green enchilada sauce(use your favorite brand) as for me I buy the cheapest!
1 can chopped mild green chillies
2 garlic cloves
2 TBS corn starch

Put your roast in the crock pot, pour the enchilada sauce and green chillies over it. Mince the garlic, I use a press and put in pot. Salt and pepper to your liking. (a few shakes of each.) I then stab the roast with a fork and flip it over to mix it all up a little. Then cook it on HIGH for 5 hrs. I take out the roast and put it in a bowl. I take out about 2 cups of the sauce in the pot and put it in another bowl. I then empty the pot. (you can do this down your drain or save for another day) I mix the 2 Tbs. cornstarch into the 2 cups sauce and pour back into pot(don't be afraid if it is a little lumpy). I go to my roast and shred it with two forks pulling them away from each other and shredding the meat. I then put the meat in the pot and stir around. By this time I have to eat a little! heehee don't tell!

We like this on top of shredded lettuce with some avocado and ranch dressing. Or wrapped in a burrito with black beans and shredded cheese. YUM!!!!! GOOD LUCK!!!

Bathtub Cleaner Recipe

So because it is Saturday...and because that was the day that I grew up cleaning. I am going to tell you about a bathtub cleaner that you make at home and that I love!!!! Here is the recipe. In this recipe I will say 1 parts- that can be anything depending on how much you want to make. just use the same thing it could be a measuring cup or a plastic cup just know that 1 parts means 1 container ful...

1part white vinegar
1 part dish soap
1 part rubbing alcohol
2 parts Borax
2 parts baking soda

So this is important or you will have a scary volcano science experiment on your hands...
first mix your soda and vinegar. Let this settle down. I suggest mixing it in your sink as it will bubble up. The kids love this part though! Next you can add the Borax. Let that settle down. It wont be as fizzy but it bubbles a bit. After this have at it. You can mix everything together. I end up pouring it into an old Ketchup bottle and squirting it into my tub. I also use a yummy smelling dish soap so my bathroom smells good. I use a scrub brush and add a little water to the bathtub walls as I scrub. It gets really sudsy and cleans the scum right off! The alcohol also shines the metal faucet! I love this stuff!!!! If you like a more paste like/thick bathtub soap just increase your borax and soda....Good Luck... and Happy cleaning!

My Collage Wall!

In my Last home I was always trying to figure out a collage wall. It just never seemed to work! Well I am happy to say that I finally have one. I tried to use a lot of the design elements I learned in design school when creating this in hopes that it turned out and didn't drive my eyes crazy! Some of the things I kept in mind and you can too are:

Balance- While I used black and cream frames I tried to balance the amount used on both sides. I also tried to not have any empty areas that would throw the balance off. Another form of balance was keeping inside the rectangle parameter that I gave myself.

Texture and Pattern- I tried to use many types of frames and objects that had different textures and patterns to them such as, metal, wood, fabric etc.. There is a fabric fame with some bead work, as well as a black pendant that is carved to give a great source of 3D texture. Along with Pattern, I tried to add an interesting pattern with the Black and White traditional fabric. As to not make it too busy and crazy, I tried to stick to the same themed fabric for any pieces that I used. (this could also fall under repetition)

When trying this at home just remember a few things.... Nothing is wrong if you love it! So many times people are afraid to decorate or design their home thinking it will be "wrong" You can never be wrong if you LOVE it! And...Don't be afraid to change things if you don't LOVE them. In order to get this how I wanted I had to nail in a few extra holes. Don't be afraid of this. That is why they make hole filler. It is worth an extra nail hole if you end up loving where you live and what you see. It is not worth wrinkling your eyes every time you walk by just to save a hole in your wall. But shhhh, don't tell the husband or land lord!