I'm Blank Because...

Over at Little Miss Momma she has a post about what kind of person she is. I figured... 

why not?

Sounds fun. 

I have some time to myself 

Here's my list.

I'm weird because...

I love the smell of sweaty little boys hair.

I read all the time. Even when the TV is on.

I hate to empty the dishwasher. I will load it, no prob, but empty? Blah.

I can't stand sleeping with a top sheet. 

I would rather watch an entire season in 3 nights on DVD then watch a show weekly.

I hide all candy and treats in my underwear drawer.

I eat 2 scrambled eggs at least every other day for breakfast. The other days... nothing.

Whenever possible, put potato chips on my sandwiches.

I quote movies even when I am alone.

My heart always skips a beat when I see a package on my porch. 

I feel the need to feed people... all the time.

I don't babysit. Emergencies and dates only. No day in, day out babysitting.

I am 37 and still listen to my music too loud.

Anytime I am teaching or speaking in church I cry like a baby.

I wake my children on a Saturday morning by singing, very badly, Justin Beiber song Never say Never.

I can thread a needle super fast! (So the Little Lady says)

I am a bad friend because...

I avoid phone calls.

I speak my mind too much.

I will tell you the truth.

I am a good friend because...

I can keep a secret.

I can make you laugh.. HARD!

Once you are my friend you are my friend for eternity.

I will tell you the truth.

I am sad because...

Friends have moved away.

We are going to move away from friends.

My babies aren't babies anymore.

I am happy because...

My babies aren't babies anymore.

We are going to start a new adventure in our lives.

Hubby is done with school. 

The living room I started renovating 2 years ago is all but done.

I am excited for...

Our new adventure.

Real mashed potatoes

3 days with no obligations.

Card games

Crafting with the Little Lady.

Eating too much turkey.

Making each child a homemade Christmas gift.

Thanks Ashley for sharing and for making me think. This was fun! 

Leave a comment or make a list of your own!

Vicky

Sandwich Station

At about the same time I was reorganizing my daughters room I found this idea here. Little Lady's dresser was on it"s way out so... lightbulb (said in the Despicable Me voice) to make a sandwich station with the drawer.

Here's a little background:

I pack 4 lunches each school day. I was going to the pantry to get juice boxes, the fridge for jelly, the basement for chips, the corner counter for bread. It was the worse part of my morning. When I saw this idea it was manna from heaven.

 Since I had a whole dresser to work with I incorporated it all into a place to prepare lunches and into a more efficient space.

I took out the bottom drawer for the one hanging on the wall.. I covered over the hole with some particle board. I think it looks a little plain and want to put something cute there. Maybe a vinyl saying or something. Any suggestions?

I filled the drawers with all the stuff that are good for lunch. You know, chips, cornnuts, granola bars, cheese and crackers. 

The good stuff!

On the wall hanging drawer, I took a piece of particle board and cut two -2 inch holes in it. On one side I put the baggies and the other napkins. The ugly box is hidden but I can still get to the goods. I put in 3 dowels. They are attached with shower curtain rod holders I found at Home Depot. I didn't screw them in because the wood of the drawer was too thin for that so I just Gorilla wood glued them in. I did each side separately and let them sit overnight with books pressing them down. 

I have put in paper towels and wax paper. I don't know what to put on the top one. I thought about aluminum foil but the roll I have is too small to slide on. 

Again... suggestions?

On the side with the handle I hung a pair of scissors and on the back side I put up some cork squares (just hot glued and trimmed) with thumb tacks.

I added the embellishments with my Silhouette vinyl machine. It needed a pop of new color.

Here are some random pics of the whole project.

The essential peanut butter! 

A stash of butter knives in a cute glass. (the side has a cow and says absolutely pure milk)

I have had this glass cutting board for forever. I think it was a wedding present. 

I don't really like to use it because the sound of a knife hitting glass is like 

fingernails on a chalkboard. (shiver)

I put it on top so when I cut the little boys' sandwiches in 2, and I am not ruining the paint job. Plus, if finally found a use for the thing!

I have two little ones that still carry lunchboxes. I put up some command hooks so that when they get home and empty their backpacks they can just hook them up. 

Then in the morning Mom isn't going crazy yelling for lunchboxes.

Ok, looking at this picture it looks really crooked. It isn't. I promise. I leveled the thing about 3 times before I was happy. 

The picture is just screwy!  

I hope!!

I am redoing my entire dining room. Painting walls, ceilings, table, chairs. That is why the wall is blank. Come back later and see the finished product.
Soon...I hope.

Made with Love Event

Hey Everyone!

I am participating in an event featuring handmade artists and designers who are sharing their talents this week.

I am one of 29 sponsors on The Reynolds Mom. Each one of us is giving something away. I am offering a $15.00 gift certificate to my 

Etsy Shop.

Three blogs are participating in this event.

My entry is on 

The Reynolds Mom.

There is also...

Becoming Brea

and

The Not-So-Secret Confessions

Go and check them out! You can enter to win anything you find to be cute, awesome or tasty.
This is going on all week so
GO GO GO!!

Anything You Wanna Call It Casserole

 In a Relief Society Meeting last month they shared with us a recipe for 

Condensed Cream of "Something" Soup. 

It is a dry mix that, when you need some cream soup for a recipe you just add water. It is much less expensive then buying a can of soup at the market. 

Since I had everything needed to make up a batch I went a step further and made up a gallon containers worth.

Cream of "something" soup recipe

1 cup non-fat dried milk

3/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup bouillon (if you have cubes you have to smash them up)
  You can use whatever kind you like (ie, beef, veggie)

4 Tablespoons freeze dried minced onions (I used the minced onions from Sam's Club)

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried thyme (I couldn't find the thyme so I used dried parsley instead)

1 teaspoon pepper

(For the equivalent of one can of condensed cream soup, mix 1/3 cup dry mix with 1 1/4 cup water. Cook until thick)

I keep it in the pantry and as you can see the recipe is taped on the outside. (so I don't lose it...cause I will if it ain't connected!)

Anyway, the lady that showed us how to make this awesome stuff made up a sample. She just cooked up some elbow macaroni and mixed it with the soup, added a little cheese and warmed it through in the oven. 

It was GOOD!!

Last week I was in a pinch as to what to cook for dinner so I made that same recipe up but added chicken. The pan was emptied! 

That rarely happens at our house.

Tonight, after painting furniture all day.(post to come later) I didn't really want to cook all day. 

Lightbulb...

I will make that again but add something new.

Todays addition??? The ever loved, every devoured while still too hot to touch.

BACON.

I don't know about all of you but bacon is the

candy of meat for me! I have to make a few extra pieces just... well just because!

Chicken Bacon Noodle Casserole

There are no exact measurements. Make it according to your family size.

Elbow macaroni, cooked

Cream of Something soup, thickened

cheddar cheese, grated

chicken, shredded

bacon, cooked and diced

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix to combine. Pour in a 13x9 inch baking dish. Cover. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until bubbling.

Remember: You can add anything you want. I am trying to figure out a way to sneak in broccoli. Any ideas?

Birthday Shirt

My baby turned 5!

Little Dude got a party this year. Since we have 4 kids we decided that they would get big neighborhood parties on the significant years and just cake and ice cream with family all the other.

This year was a biggie!

I just got a Silhouette vinyl machine and have been using it for just about everything. 

Birthday Boy T-shirt time!

(Sorry I couldn't get any really good pics of the shirt. He wouldn't hold still)

It was fun to hunt for a cute logo and the candles added the perfect touch for the front.

 What are you supposed to do on your birthday? 

Eat Cake of course!

The face says it all! 

He is annoyed that I make him pose with his cake and yet... he loves the attention. 

Little Dude rocks and he had a great birthday with a cool shirt that all of his friends thought was "cool"!!

I did learn a few tricks when using the fusible vinyl. 

1. Wash the new shirt first. Get the sizing out of it.

2. Turn the shirt wrong side out when washing it. I did have a corner come up in the wash but a quick press with the iron fixed it.

3. Don't rub the iron on the project. Press gently and lift. I kinda goofed up the Y in birthday because I moved the iron instead of lifting it right off.

Have fun!!

I Spy: Homemade Edition

So, over at 

Little Miss Momma 

she posts an I Spy activity every week. This week is handmade edition. 

Here is the Heiner version!

I don't know when I became obsessed with "H"s but suddenly I had tons of them everywhere in the house. 

It started with this lawn chair. It is one of those metal ones that bounce. I love it. There were at least 5 coats of paint on it. I painted it green to match the house and put an H on it.

At the end of the hallway it is dark. (waiting for hubby to install a plug) so I decorated it with black and white "H"s.

It is still a work in progress. Whenever I am out I search out cool designs.

On a day when all the kids were in school, you know those times when you can actually just stroll and look at all the good stuff in the stores. I visited a local antique store. They had a bin full of real silver silverware. I tried to pick out the most unique designs. The frame is from the thrift store and the fabric is from my stash. Please ignore the wall. It has been patched but not painted...yet.

Ok, so technically the sign isn't handmade. I found it at Hobby Lobby but the letters hanging from it are handpainted :). They are the kiddos initials. I have had the wooden letters hanging around for forever and finally when I saw those 4 pegs I figured what the heck!! Now everyone who comes to the house knows where the loo is!

One of my favorite handmade projects is this Jesus and Joseph Smith cross stitches. I made these a long time ago and never had anywhere to put them. Honestly I was scared to cut them to put them in the frame. It was a lot of work and the thought of messing it up by cutting them wrong scared the crud outta me! 

This is my most recent handmade lovely. My spring wreath. It is hanging on the door and finally spring has found it's way here. I love the bright colors against the white. 

 If anyone has ideas for a patriotic something for my front door, leave a comment with a link.

Here is my handmade mess! My sewing table. I always start out clean but it very rarely stays that way.