homemade ginger

Repurposed Stretchy Headband

2012-05-15T17:00:00.000-05:00

Lula had her first soccer game last week and we decided she needed a matching headband to coordinate with her soccer shirt.

I cut up an old tshirt of mine that was the same royal blue as her soccer jersey to make a stretchy headband.

I cut about a 8 inch strip of my old t-shirt and then folded it in half lengthwise.

After stitching the long edges together and turning it inside out, I had this long tube.

Next, I folded one of the edges under

I fit the opposite end inside the folded edge and stitched closed to form a circle.

After making a flower out of some leftover felt and finding a matching button in my stash, we were done!

TUTORIAL: Etched Glass Mug

2012-05-14T11:35:00.000-05:00

Here's a quick little project that I did for the girls to give their grandmothers on mothers day. It didn't turn out perfectly, but I think it was still cute. I used the same method as the etched glass ornaments.

First, you want to print or draw out the words that you want to etch. Then, you will lay that on top of the back side of some painters tape. The girls call their grandmas "Lolly" and Gramie", so that is what we put on the mugs!

Then, take your exacto knife and carefully cut around the letters, making sure that both layers are being cut.

Next, get out your glass mug. I found mine at Target.

Place your painters tape stencil on the mug.

Now you want to get out some etching cream. It can be found at any craft store.

Use a sponge brush to apply the cream to the stencil. Apply it fairly thick.

Let it sit for a few hours and then wash off with soap and water. Here's where my mugs went wrong. I don't think I pressed the tape down enough and some of the etching cream seeped through, making the letters a little fuzzy. So, I went back with a toothpick and evened out some of the edges and let that sit for another hour or so.

Then, after you wash that off...you are done! My letters still weren't perfectly crisp, but still cute! Fill the mug with some fun little gifts and you are good to go!

Family Photo Shoot

2012-05-11T19:48:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, our friend Cari was kind enough to take some much overdue family pictures for us. I love how she captured all of the natural and little moments of the outing. It was so fun to look through all of these and see some of the funny outtakes. Here are just a few of the hundreds of beautiful pictures that Cari took. Enjoy!

Goals & Goats

2012-05-09T19:33:00.001-05:00

How are you enjoying May? May and June are my favorite months out of the year. The weather here has been perfect (aside from the normal spring tornadoes). Here's a little update on our May so far...

We've entered a new world. We have a little soccer player living at our house. Actually, she's a "blue tiger". The kids came up with the team name themselves. (Although one little boy and Reid were pulling for Tiger Werewolves, it got nixed by the coach).

So far, Lula has only a few practices. But, they will have 3 games total. It's pretty much the cutest thing ever. Lu is the only girl on her team...

But, she's not the worst player. She has some pretty sweet moves up her sleeves.

My favorite move is rolling in the grass while everyone else kicks the ball. That's my girl.

I think that's why they gave her the #1 jersey. Don't be jealous, boys.

She's still perfecting her victory dance. Hopefully she will get it down by the first game coming up!

And I can't forget to show you the cutest cheerleader for the Blue Tigers!

We have already made a few trips to the children's farm in town. It's such a great place, so many animals, play areas and best of all...free on weekdays! Wohoo! The girls love it. The baby goats are their favorite attraction. Lula picks them up and Jane plays in the dirt and goat poop. Lovely.

Don't be fooled by this picture, she's going for that nice and clean goat dirt.

The big goats are pretty cool too.

We decided to rock the side ponytail for the farm. Hipster.

There is also a little garden area that's just adorable.

Cutie.

Slides are best utilized when going down head first...fyi.

Great spring morning at the farm!

And I leave you with this random picture. Are these not the cutest little people? I want some fabric made out of these drawings.

Gallery Wall Project: Framed Polaroid Art

2012-05-08T13:13:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to create a gallery wall in my living room, and I'm finally actually doing it! Slowly, I've been collecting frames from thrift stores and garage sales and spray painting them white. That has been the easy part...the hard part is figuring out inexpensive things to put in the frames that don't look too "homemade". I will share all of my different framed things with you as I come up with them. Here is my first little project for the gallery wall. It was so quick and easy!

I have this little polaroid that my friend took of Reid and I in the hospital the day we had Lula. I decided it would be the perfect size for this little square frame that I found and spray painted white. I also snagged some leftover scrapbooking paper and cut it to size.

Then, I taped the picture on the paper and I was done! The paper coordinates perfectly with my teal shirt in the picture, love how that little detail worked out!

I can't wait to add it to the gallery when I'm done

My next little piece of artwork is going to involve these...

Better go get working on it!

Kitchen Inspiration

2012-05-04T21:10:00.000-05:00

I've been dying to update our kitchen ever since we have lived in this house. It's such an eyesore. Everything is original from 1969 and we've done nothing to update it except paint the walls and cabinets. The counters are nasty tile that are horrible to keep clean. I will share pictures of our hideous kitchen soon! We are finally ready to make some major updates now that we've saved up enough money to take the plunge. Here are some kitchens I've been loving for inspiration. As I'm comparing my favorites to post, I'm noticing a theme of lots of white with a few pops of bright color!

I love this bright white kitchen with a few pops of yellow. The island is to die for!

I LOVE these robin's egg blue cabinets. I'm not sure if I'm gutsy enough to do it, but it's so pretty!

Here's another kitchen with some fun use of color. I also love the industrial lighting.

These eclectic chairs would be amazing around an island. I wonder where I can get my hands on something like these? Or figure out a way to make them myself?

I'm determined to create a sense of open shelving somehow in our "new" kitchen. This is a great alternative to ripping out cabinets. Simply take off the doors and paint the insides of the existing cabinets.

Here's another great example of open shelving with a few bright pops of color. Love that bright green island made from random drawers!

And of course, the winner of amazing kitchen makeovers, Young House Love's recent kitchen redo. Love the open shelving, bright colors and penny tile. We are leaning towards doing the same white corian counters as well.

I can't wait to get started!! I hope to narrow down my ideas into a mood board and start actually making things happen!

RECIPE: Chicken Curry with Brown Rice

2012-05-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since I've posted a recipe. This is a good one, I've been making it for years. I originally found it in a Real Simple magazine and have since adapted it to how we like it!

Come, join us for dinner! First, you will want to dice up 1/2 of a yellow onion.

Saute it in some butter and then add 2 1/4 tsp of curry powder and 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper.

Next, add 1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt and 3/4 cup half and half. Mix it all up and it will turn a golden color.

Add a can of diced tomatoes (optional)

Get out your shredded chicken. This is a great recipe for that chicken that you shredded and divided up in the freezer. This is probably about 1 1/2 cups.

Add it to the curry mixture and let it simmer for about 10 min.

Spoon some brown rice onto your plate (I like to make it with chicken stock for more flavor)

Top it with the chicken curry mixture! This is the point where you can add fresh cilantro, but I forgot that step!

Here's the kid plate version:

It's super yummy, quick and healthy. It's also a great starter recipe if you aren't sure about curry. It's very mild!

And here's the full recipe:

Chicken Curry with Brown Rice
(adapted from Real Simple)

1 cup brown rice
1 1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
3/4 cup half and half
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained (optional)
1 1/2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Directions

Cook the rice according to the package directions, in chicken stock to add flavor
Heat the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally until translucent.
Sprinkle with the curry powder and cayenne pepper and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add the yogurt and cream and simmer gently for 3 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, and tomatoes (if desired). Add chicken and simmer for about 5-10 minutes.
Divide the rice and chicken among individual bowls, spoon the sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the cilantro.

A Cup of Tea

2012-04-30T14:29:00.000-05:00

I've been loving loose leaf tea lately. Ever since I got my teapot for my birthday, I've been on the hunt for some good tea to brew.

It's actually been a little tricky to find loose leaf tea, and some that's not super expensive. The best place I've found with a nice tea selection that doesn't cost an arm and a leg is World Market. Here are two teas that I've been in love with.

The Ginger Peach by The Republic of Tea is sooo yummy. I've had this before in tea bags, but it's even better in loose leaf. And the World Market brand Moroccan Mint is mellow and comforting. I also love that it's green tea without an overwhelming green tea flavor. I love green tea for it's health benefits, but I'm not always in the mood for it's unique flavor.

This is what the ginger peach looks like. So pretty and fragrant.

Scoop some into your pot, pour on some boiling water and let it steep.

It's a little hard to figure out how much water to pour in since there aren't any markings on the teapot...and you end up with less water in the end since some of it gets trapped in the basket.

But it usually always comes out delicious. Push down the plunger and pour away.

Perfect for a rainy day and a good book.

And, you have to drink it out of a teacup of course.

Pour yourself a cup today!

An Ordinary Day

2012-04-13T14:19:00.002-05:00

Reid had yesterday off, so we decided to go to an estate sale with the girls. First, we stopped for some donuts at a place that's been around forever.

Of course she went with sprinkles.

I love those vintage chairs outside the donut shop.

Jane agrees. Pretty cool.

Yum.

And what better family activity is there than sword fighting with swords made out of pool noodles?

Things like these are normal occurrences in the house of a youth pastor.

Lunch was a little healthier than breakfast.

Have a great weekend!!

...

Entryway Window

2012-04-11T13:09:00.001-05:00

First off, thanks so much for all of your encouraging comments, emails and texts after my last blog post. I was not expecting that much feedback! I've been so blessed by this blog and readers. I am definitely not quitting, but just needed a little time away from it to regroup. Thanks also for keeping the Nagel family in your prayers even though most of you don't know them. I know they probably appreciate it!

I do have a fun little quick project to share today. I've had this old window for awhile and have been wanting to do something with it, just never got around to it until now.

When I found some clearance knobs at Hobby Lobby and Anthropologie, I snagged them and decided to turn the window into a little wall hook/entryway functional piece.

We measured and drilled holes for the knobs and then simply screwed them in. (Reid always wants to be in my blog...here is your picture, hope you are happy.)

Then, I hung it and was done!

It's the perfect spot to drop off your scarf or bag!

I'm wanting to do a little entryway makeover, so I'll be back with more ideas!

Lets Get Real

2012-04-09T13:00:00.000-05:00

Alright people, it's about to get real up in here...get ready.

I know my blogging has been terrible lately. I'm sure I've lost a few readers and I'm sure I will lose more. But, that's ok. I went through a phase when I was really focused on readers and daily hits. I knew when I lost a reader and I would take it personally. I pressured myself to post every single day. In return, I ended up doing hasty projects that I didn't even love just so I would have something to post. That's not what I want for this blog. I have realized that lately, so I just kind of stopped posting. I guess you can call it "blogger's block". The past couple of months life has been really busy. And I decided that blogging wasn't going to be a priority. And so, I was kind of left at a loss for what to even post when I did have the time. I have received some negative comments and feedback that, to be honest, I do take personally. I started to feel un-inspired.

I had a few projects I was planning on posting last week, to start to get into the swing of things again. But, then something unimaginably terrible happened to a family that we know. A young father and husband suddenly died of a stroke. This family has already faced some horrible losses the past few years and now this happened. Although I don't know them very well, it struck me to my core. It's consumed me. Suddenly my little blog didn't seem very important anymore. In fact, it seemed pretty ridiculous.

As I sat at the funeral on Thursday, I looked around at the nearly 1000 people sitting in the sanctuary. I listened to this man's father eloquently speak to the huge mass of people just one day after his son died. He spoke of how he had no regrets in how he fathered. He spoke of the great joy he and his family have in knowing that Matt is in heaven. It doesn't take away the pain that they feel...the grief that I can't even begin to fathom. And I realized that I have that joy too. I keep going back to the verses in 1 Corinthians 15

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

“O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

And then, very fittingly, it was Easter. And it all became so real. Although death is so horrible, Christ has overcome it for us.

I know I don't post things like this on my blog, normally. I never intended for this to be a theological or personal blog because, that's just not me. But at the same time, I feel like I need to be real a little more often. I do have this blog that quite a few people read (or used to anyways!) and I don't ever want to give the impression that my life is perfect. I have flaws, my kids don't obey, my house is a mess, we eat McDonalds sometimes (gasp!), I'm unorganized, etc, etc. My life is a mess just like everyone else. I'm a mess just like everyone else. That's exactly why I desperately need Christ and the hope of the resurrection as much as anyone else. And although my blog isn't necessarily about that...in a way it is. Because the hope of Christ should spill out into everything I do.

All that to say...I don't intend on ending my blog. I needed a break from it. I needed to regroup. I have realized that I've missed blogging these past few weeks. I love doing creative things and sharing them with others. I just hope to be a little more authentic in the process. And I know that might cause others to delete me from Google Reader...but really that's ok.

I hope you were able to take time to reflect on the work of Christ on Easter. And if not, maybe you will take time out this week to do so.

And I urge everyone to remember that life is so terribly short....embrace every moment.

If you want to find out more about the life of Matt Nagel or how to help his family, you can visit his Caringbridge site. And go home and hug those you love a little tighter.

Plate Wall Collage

2012-04-02T17:44:00.003-05:00

I've been a little MIA lately. You were probably wondering where I went and if I'd come back. I'm still here, promise! I finally completed (kinda) the thing I had planned for our dining room wall. I mentioned wanting to do something with it after we painted it teal.

I've been collecting white plates for the past few months. They are mostly from thrift stores, and I don't think I paid over $3 for any of them. I did find a few at Marshalls on clearance. Once I thought I had collected enough to start a little plate collage, I tried laying them out on the ground.

Then I traced each plate onto newspaper and started taping it up on the wall.

After I came up with something I liked, I just started nailing the hangers right into the newspaper. Well, first I made a little mark with a sharpie so that I'd know where to nail.

You do have to measure down a few inches based on how your plate hanger fits onto the plate.

And here they are!

It definitely looks smaller in pictures than it does in real life. Although, I probably will still keep collecting plates and adding to it.

I love how it contrasts with the darker wall color! I've been working on a few other projects around the house that I'm excited to share!

A Spring Day

2012-03-23T13:07:00.000-05:00

We snuck outside yesterday from the first break from rain we've had all week.

All this rain and warm temps have made the grass (and weeds) grow like crazy. I kind of love dandelions and violets, though. Anything is better than dead winter grass.

Break out that sidewalk chalk and our single sad and lonely ball. The dog always pops holes in our bouncy balls.

And what is a better activity for a 3 1/2 year old girl than looking at ants?

Look at those beautiful pink buds on the tree. (and you can see Jane joining in on the ant watching fun in the background)

And everyone knows you can't fully play outside until you've made mudpies

We also stopped by the thrift store and picked up these three lovelies. I've made an executive decision to start collecting charming vintage plates for the girls to eat off of. I am sick of plastic and I figure no one will mind if a $1 plate gets broken every once in awhile.

Happy Spring!

Real Food Recipe: Cranberry Quinoa Muffins

2012-03-21T18:58:00.001-05:00

I can't take credit for the original idea behind this recipe. It all started with this healthy "cookie" recipe I found involving quinoa and cranberries. When I made them, I thought they were good, but the texture was definitely more like a muffin or scone than a cookie. I experimented with it and developed into a muffin and also added in some extra things.

It's not the prettiest thing you've ever seen. And if you are expecting to bite into a muffin that you'd buy at Panera, you'll be disappointed. But they are super healthy and packed with tons of good things. And my family thinks they are really yummy and hopefully yours will too. We store them in the freezer and just heat them up in the morning for a quick breakfast or a healthy snack in the afternoon!

You'll need to gather your ingredients. I use whole wheat flour and sucanat instead of white sugar. You could definitely make it with white flour and white sugar...but then they wouldn't really be as healthy.

Mix your dry ingredients. Whole wheat flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. (recipe below)

Next, assemble the wet ingredients and sugars

Cream the butter, honey, brown sugar and sucanat (or white sugar)

This is what sucanat (it's basically dehydrated cane juice. It's the least processed form of sugar you can buy) looks like in case you are curious. Pretty grainy.

After that's creamed, add in the eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract and milk. Then slowly incorporate the flour mixture. It will be pretty lumpy.

Next, add in your quinoa, and oats

I threw in some flax seeds

And cranberries (you could also add in some almonds at this point which is really yummy, but I left them out this time around)

Mix it all up and fill your muffin tins about 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for about 13 minutes and enjoy! (sorry for the bad picture, I was using my pop up flash)

Here's the recipe:

Cranberry Quinoa Muffins (adapted from here)

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sucanat (or white sugar)
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup slivered unsalted almonds ( optional)
1/4 cup flax seeds (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°. Grease muffin tin. Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, both sugars, and honey in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, extracts and milk; beat until pale and fluffy. Beat in flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time. Stir in quinoa, oats, cranberries, almonds and/or flax seeds. Fill muffin tins about 3/4 way full.

Bake at 375 for 13-15 minutes. Makes about 18 muffins. Store in an airtight container or freeze muffins.

Enjoy!

Omelet In A Bag

2012-03-20T13:50:00.000-05:00

We hosted a dinner with about 15 people over the weekend and decided to mix things up a bit. My family did this on Christmas day, and I thought it would be a fun and different way to cook for a crowd, so I tried it again and it was a success!

Basically it's a DIY omelet party. It's fairly cheap, mess free and fun! Everyone can customize their own omelets, so you can't be to blame if they don't end up liking their dinner...score! First, you need to find some Ziplock zip 'n steam bags. (no, Ziplock didn't pay me to say any of this). You want to use these specific bags because they are made for heating up. I wouldn't want to mess with conventional bags because it might not be safe to use at high temps.

Set out some ingredients! We did chopped onions, green peppers, mushrooms, cheddar cheese and diced ham. You could do spinach, bacon, sausage, salsa or any other yummy things that you prefer in your omelet! And don't forget to set out the salt and pepper!

Have everyone write their name on the bag with a sharpie. Then, crack 2 eggs in their bag and load up on ingredients. If you add too many toppings they take longer to cook. So, maybe just about 2 spoonfuls of each thing. Then, squish everything together.

Pop the bags into boiling water...

Put on the lid and set the timer for 13 minutes. You might want to add more minutes if you are doing 3 eggs or lots of toppings. But, for a normal size omelet, 13 minutes is perfect.

When the time is up, pull out the bags. They should now look like this

And slide them onto a plate...and eat!

Yum! I served it with fresh fruit and homemade cinnamon rolls.

Has anyone ever tried this?

**UPDATE: Some people have commented about concerns of heating up plastic bags. I wanted to point out that I DON'T recommend using conventional freezer bags for this. I know that they may work the same, but they aren't safe to use with food when being heated up. That being said, the zip 'n steam bags are a better option. However, it's probably not something you want to do daily. I personally don't heat anything up in the microwave in plastic containers because they may or may not be emitting chemicals in my food. But, I thought these omelets in a bag were a fun idea to do once or twice a year when cooking for a large crowd and using safer plastic bags.

Brush Yo Teeth

2012-03-15T14:47:00.000-05:00

I'm not the only one who likes to be creative in this household...

My ridiculous hubby Reid

...made up a rap one night when he was helping Lula brush her teeth.

He proceeded to recorded it on our computer and then sent it to our friend, Austin who has a popular YouTube channel. Austin thought the song was pretty funny, so last week he came over to make a music video of Reid and Lula singing and dancing to the rap. It turned out pretty cute.

And, my wreath even made it into some action shots.

It doesn't really need any further explanation...just watch it.

A Lovely Home Day 14: Spring Mantle

2012-03-14T14:10:00.001-05:00

I wanted to do a quick change on my mantle to make it more springy. I just grabbed stuff I had on hand and threw it up there. Remember my spring wreath from last year? Well now that my front door is adorned with something different, I decided to put last year's wreath up on the mirror.

Along with the random green and teal things I threw up there, I put some leftover potted plant party favors from the weekend to add some freshness

It's been in the 70's and 80's here this week and I'm in heaven...I love spring!

My Weekend: A Surprise Birthday Shindig

2012-03-13T13:36:00.002-05:00

Here's what I've been up to lately...

My mom turned 60 yesterday and we threw a little surprise party for her on Sunday afternoon! We pulled it off without a hitch...yay! My brother and sister-in-law were kind enough to host the party at their newly renovated house which they've barely moved into. But it looked great and was a great space for a big crowd!

As you can see from the photo, I decided to go with a yellow, gray and black theme. We wanted to use lots of old pictures, so I wanted to do something that would coordinate with all the black and white photos.

I wanted to preserve all of the old photos, so I just hung them with clothespins on ribbons

My sister-in-law had this beautiful cake made...and it tasted delicious. It was a white cake with light whipped frosting and fresh fruit in between the layers...yummy. Why would I ever make a cake myself again when I know I can buy one like this??

I came up with these little potted plants for party favors. I made little "60" flags to stick in there

I also collected "60 memories for 60 years". This was not an easy task...it involved hacking into my mom's facebook account and sending messages to her "friends"...then frantically deleting messages so she wouldn't see them. But, I received well over 60 memories. I decided to type them all up in fun fonts on gray, yellow and white paper and put them in this clear jar that I found at Target

I had so much fun reading through all of them and this way, others can randomly pull out a card and read it!

And, best of all...she was truly surprised!

It was a super fun party to pull off...but now I need a nap. :) Happy Birthday, Mom!

A Lovely Home Day 12: Thrifted Word Art

2012-03-12T09:43:00.000-05:00

I saw this tutorial on A Beautiful Mess and had to try it for myself!

I found this painting at a thrift store for $3. I liked that it was on a board instead of a canvas, plus it seemed like a good size. Then, I picked up some vinyl letters at Joann's.

Reid helped me decide what phrase to use. We decided on "it is well with my soul"...one of our favorite hymns.

I got out some flat white spray paint and started painting it in very thin coats. I probably did 10 thin coats all together.

Once it looked totally white like this...

My little helper and I started peeling off the letters...the fun part!

And we ended up with this!

Super fun and easy! I'm still deciding on where to hang it. I've been wanting to create a gallery wall, so most likely this will be a part of that.

I think I spent about $10 total on the project. Not too bad! It would be even cheaper if you already had an old painting and a leftover can of spray paint...I had to buy both of those. But, I only used about 1/4 of the can of paint, so now I have some for my next project!

A Lovely Home Day 7: Footstool Makeover

2012-03-07T14:27:00.001-06:00

I have had this footstool for about 6 years. I actually forgot I had it until recently. My mom gave it to me because she wasn't using it and I intended to recover it a long time ago. We've been deciding what to do in our living room about a coffee table/ottoman. We've been going back and forth about DIY-ing something, buying something or just leaving it an open space. I think I finally found a piece at Marshalls that I want to snag for an ottoman/coffee table/bench/extra seating. Multi-purpose pieces are the best!! But, I think this piece would be fun to go with it as well and add some extra seating/place to set your plate/put up your feet piece.

See the webbing hanging down? That needs to go! I spent an hour pulling out tiny nails and staples to uncover the top.

Isn't it lovely? I'm not quite sure what to do from here.

But, I did find some great 1/2 price fabric to use once I do figure out what I'm doing!

I know that I want to sand down the legs and stain them a darker color to set off the lighter fabric.

Can't wait to show you the finished product!!

Birthday Recap

2012-03-06T14:14:00.000-06:00

My birthday was on Monday and it was a big one. I was kind of dreading it, but I ended up feeling so special and loved on my b-day. Thanks to everyone!

I had to work at my part-time job on my big day. When I started up the car, Adele was playing. I had mentioned to Reid that I was really wanting this album.

When I arrived at work, this cake was sitting at my desk (pardon the bad phone pictures!)...

And they had decorated my space

It was so nice. I didn't tell anyone it was my birthday, but I found out that Reid called and made sure they knew. :) He surprised me with flowers and took me out to lunch.

I chose Five Guys. I needed a burger.

Then, Reid and my parents surprised me again and took me out to dinner. Our sweet roomie/renter, Jessica babysat the girls while we headed off to North, which is one of my favorite Italian places. When Reid and I got in the car to go to the restaurant, a present was sitting in my seat. It was this loose leaf teapot!

I can't wait to try it out! I was sad to find out that the grocery store and Whole Foods don't carry loose leaf tea. Looks like I'll be buying some online unless someone else has another suggestion?

After dinner, I opened my last present from both Reid and my parents. I've been hinting at this for a long time (and actually predicted that this is what I'd be getting. I even got the color right!) Can you guess what it is?

I'm sure this guy will be showing up a lot on the blog.

Thanks for a memorable birthday, everyone! I guess being 30 isn't that bad.

A Lovely Home Day 1: Cheery Door Hoop Tutorial

2012-03-01T20:30:00.000-06:00

Introducing March's 30 Days Project....31 Day of A Lovely Home. I have so many home DIY projects I've been wanting to do, but instead I've been repurposing, cooking, doing kids activities and being frugal. I'm so excited to tackle all of my ideas that have been building up. I know I haven't been as diligent in posting over the month of February. I've taken on some new things in life, so it's been a little hard to balance. But, hopefully I will be back in full blogging swing for March. I hope to post every weekday with a home project. Some projects will be 2-3 days long since they will be more involved.

Without further adeiu...here is my first Lovely Home project tutorial. Enjoy!

It's March...and I know we could still have snow here in Kansas City. But I refuse to accept winter any longer and I'm deciding it's spring. So, I needed a new door adornment to cheer things up. I love the embroidery hoop trend and decided to do one for the door instead of a wreath for something a little different!

I used a 14" embroidery hoop and an old white sheet that has been cut in pieces for various projects. I used the freezer paper method to stencil the welcome on the sheet.

If you aren't familiar with freezer paper stenciling, you simply print or draw your word or image on the dull side of a piece of freezer paper.

Cut it out with an exacto knife....(in my case, I had to save the inside of the o and the e's)

Iron it onto your fabric, shiny side down....

Then, put some newspaper under it to prevent bleeding. I mixed up a gray color in some acrylic paint. This is my first time using acrylic paint...I usually do fabric paint....

Once it's dry (I use a hairdryer to speed things up because I'm impatient) peel off the freezer paper and you're done! I wasn't too happy with the acrylic paint. It bled and wasn't as crisp as the fabric paint is. So, I'd recommend fabric paint.

Center your fabric on the embroidery hoop

I found this fun felt flower tutorial. It was pretty simple to do. I won't do a tutorial on them since you can just click on the link and follow the tutorial over there!

But, after I made my flowers and trimmed off the excess fabric. I just glued the fabric down around the back inside of the embroidery hoop and hot glued the flowers on. Done!

I love it! Fun, cheerful and modern. Plus, it could be used on a wall or mirror later.

It would also be fun to experiment with floral or chevron fabric and monochromatic flowers. Or multi-colored letters.

Right now it's just hanging on a nail, but it doesn't seem terribly secure. It's stayed up so far, but I may be hanging it from a ribbon if it falls down!

Happy Spring!!

linking up with six sisters, tatertots and jello, gingerbread
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Frugal Living Day 28: My Simple Beauty Routine

2012-02-28T13:20:00.001-06:00

I decided to do another beauty related post after my oil cleansing method post from the other day. I'm pretty minimalistic when it comes to beauty products. Over the past couple of years, I've tried to weed out the random cheapy stuff and buy just a few higher quality things to use daily. These products are probably not perfect, it's just what I use right now. It's simple, it works and it's been saving me money because these things all last a very long time, so I rarely buy makeup at all anymore.

For about 2 years now, I've been using Everyday Minerals and I've loved their products. They claim to be totally natural and organic (as opposed to many of the other "mineral" makeups out there)... I'm sure someone could find something wrong with their ingredients or products, but it's what works for me right now. There are so many differing opinions and scary articles out there! Anyway, I've had great success with Everyday Minerals. They are similar to bareMinerals , but at a fraction of the cost.

They have recently changed all of their base colors, so I had to find a new one. The great thing is that you can get 7 free color samples to try. I actually had to order 2 different sets of samples because my skin color is hard to match. I'm super fair, but have freckles...so I never know if I should match my white skin, dark freckles or somewhere in between.

I found a new color that works perfectly for me: Fair Medium in Original Glo. There are a few different finishes to choose from. And there was a sale, so it only cost me $8 (normally $12). One of these foundations usually lasts me about 6 months. But, I don't wear it everyday so it might not last as long for someone else.

I have had this same blush for almost 2 years. The color is called Summer Stroll-which I don't think they even make anymore. It's pretty sheer which is great for me.

I also have a high quality foundation brush which I love. I think this came free with one of my purchases. They are constantly having freebies and sales, so just check them out if you are interested!

The concealer I currently have is in "Aussie Perk Me Up" which I like as well. It comes in a roller applicator option which I decided to try.

I received a freebie eyeshadow and purchased another one recently also in the roller applicator...

The colors are great and the eyeshadow is high quality. I expect it will last me a really long time

In some ways I like the roller applicator, in other ways it's annoying. I guess it would just be personal preference. The color on the left is Hot Chocolate and the one on the right is Everlasting Love.

By the way, Everyday Minerals has no idea who I am and did NOT pay me to say all of this. I honestly have been using their products for a few years and just wanted to share!

I've been wanting to switch over to an organic mascara, but they are so expensive!! I saw this at the drugstore about a month ago and snatched it up! It's Physicians Formula Organic Wear Mascara and I found it at Target. I think it was about $8. Not sure how it compares ingredients-wise to the more expensive ones, but I've been happy with it so far. Maybe someday I will experiment at making my own.

Finally, I'm not a huge lipstick person, but I do like Burt's Bees Lip Shimmers . They last me forever, have a pleasant taste/smell and are very sheer. I found this one on clearance at Target. The color is Papaya and even though it looks dark, it's actually very pretty and kind of peachy on which is good for my skin tone.

So, there you have it! I know these aren't the cheapest products out there, but I think by using just a few high quality and long lasting products, you will save yourself money in the long run!

*note: this post contains affiliate links*

Frugal Living Day 23: Cheap Dates

2012-02-23T15:35:00.003-06:00

One thing we've learned in our 6 1/2 years of marriage is how important a date night is. Of course these dates were fairly frequent and easy before we had kids. Now that we have 2 young girls, weeks and months can go by without a single night to ourselves. Going on dates can be costly when you factor in babysitting...so no wonder so many couples with young kids never go on them. Reid and I made a decision that we would continue to seek out date nights even though it wouldn't be easy. Here some tips and tricks we've learned along the way!

1. Go Cheap. Very rarely do we go to pricey and fancy restaurants. Usually the only time we grace the doors of a fancy place is when we have a gift card or it's someone's birthday. Groupon is our friend. Anytime we find one for a restaurant that we might like, we jump on it. It also gives us a push to plan a date because there is a deadline to use your coupon or Groupon before it expires. Even if you don't have a Groupon or coupon, be adventerous and find a hole in the wall burger joint to explore. It will be more memorable (and less expensive) than eating at some fancy schmancy place every time.

2. Don't take your kids out to eat. A few months ago we had a giftcard to Applebees and decided to take our girls. As we sat down, we realized that Lula had only been to an actual sit-down restaurant a few times and Jane had never been to one. As the dinner at progressed, we remembered why we never take our kids. Going out to eat with kids is expensive. You have to buy kids meals that usually don't get eaten, are mostly unhealthy and are pricey for the amount of food. And secondly, it's not enjoyable (for us anyways). We spent the whole time trying to entertain our kids, force them to eat their expensive kids meals and apologize to other people next to us as toys were thrown in their direction every five minutes. Maybe your kids are very quiet and well behaved, but it's not worth it to us. Instead, why not save your money by treating going out to eat as a "date night only" experience. By eating out less frequently, you'll feel less guilty about going out with your spouse.

3. Start a babysitting co-op. This is the best thing we've done to enhance our date night frequency. We set up a babysitting co-op with another couple in our church that have kids the same ages as ours. One week, we will babysit for them while they go out for a few hours. The next week, we drop our kids off at their house and have a few hours to ourselves. FREE babysitting! And when it's our turn to "babysit" it's so fun! Our kids play great together and we get a little bit of a break because they occupy themselves...plus we know other parents are receiving a much needed date night...and it's our turn to enjoy one next time! You could set this up with one other couple, or if you are really brave...do it with a bunch of couples. Everyone can take turns having tons of kids at their house once in awhile while the parents enjoy free babysitting and much needed alone time. Win-win.

4. Have an at-home date night. There are months where we simply can't find the time to go out on a date, or maybe we just simply don't want to spend the money. So instead, we do what we call "at home dates". We will feed our kids and put them to bed. Then, we cook a new recipe together for dinner. Usually it's something that we wouldn't normally try for dinner as a family. Maybe we'll make a fun dessert as well. After we cook dinner, we will watch a movie on Netflix or rent something from Redbox and it's as good as a date!

Don't skimp on date nights if you are married. They are really important. Now you have no excuses!

Do you have any tips for creating a cheap date night? Please share!!

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Frugal Living Day 21: Oil Cleansing Method

2012-02-21T21:36:00.001-06:00

Over the past year or so, I've been slowly trying to weed out all of my personal hygiene products for a more simple, natural and frugal routine. I've recently been a convert to the "oil cleansing method" for washing my face. And I love it.

Not only is it majorly saving money, it's totally natural and healthy. I don't have to worry about anything harmful going on my face and it feels amazing!

If you don't know anything about the oil cleansing method, Simple Mom has a great post explaining it all. I won't try to re-explain everything since you can just click on that link and read it for yourself!

Basically, the principle behind it is that oil attracts oil. Most everyone believes the myths that putting oil on your face will make you break out and make your skin oilier. It's actually the opposite. Putting oil (namely castor oil and olive oil in my case) on your face will draw out the impurities in your pores and help regulate the natural oils in your skin. Using harsh and drying soaps on your face (which is what we usually do) actually makes your skin oilier because it's over-compensating to make up for the natural oils you've just dried up and washed away using the harsh soaps. Again, read the simple mom post for more info!

Here's how I do it (there are different recipes and methods) I used about 2/3 olive oil to 1/3 castor oil in my solution and it's been great. I have normal to dry skin. If you have oilier skin, you should use more castor oil. I didn't measure exactly, just filled a little squeeze container that I found at Walmart up with the oil and shake.

Apply the oil to your dry face and massage in. This does wonders at removing makeup! I also like to massage it into my neck. While I'm rubbing it in, I get a clean washcloth and run hot water on it.

Then, put the hot wash cloth on your face until it gets cool. This opens your pores and lets the oil do it's work. Rinse the washcloth off and wipe the oil off your face. Done!

I do this before bed at night and just splash cold water on my face in the morning. I have found that my face is a bit dry in the morning and needs a bit of moisturizer. Since I have fair skin, I'm on the hunt for a good natural moisturizer with a bit of SPF in it. If you have any suggestions, let me know!

I don't have an exact cost breakdown, but I did find that you can buy pre-made oil cleanser for about $25 a bottle on Amazon. The castor oil was about $3 at the drug store and the olive oil was about $4 and I'm thinking these big bottles will last me at least a year, so you are saving big bucks! Obviously regular face soap is probably less than $25 a bottle, but I think that the $7 I spent on the oil that will last me a year is still far less than buying the cheap store brand of face soap!

Here are some links to other blogs for more info on OCM:

Keeper of the Home
Sorta Crunchy
Simple Mom