Before This and After

Paleo progress

2011-08-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

Since I have started eating paleo, my body is doing some crazy stuff, like feeling GOOD and ridding itself of some of this unwanted fat. I've said before and I must repeat myself because this is the best part of it -- I'm not counting calories, measuring my portions or beating myself up at the gym!

Before I started on this diet, I was walking with a friend in the mornings a few times a week. Just as our Biggest Loser contest at work started, I stopped walking because we were having such a heatwave that I was absolutely miserable. Yet, each week I still lost weight. Granted sometimes it was only 1/2lb, but when you're not actively dieting or exercising, that's fantastic!

The paleo way of eating gets its name from our paleolithic ancestors who were hunters and gatherers. They ate meat and vegetables, nuts and fruits and berries. I am eating real foods that satisfy my hunger and nourish my body with the nutrients it craves. This is good stuff!

Although my main way of eating is the paleo plan, I still eat the other "stuff", but its a treat and not an everyday part of my meal plan. However, this week was unique with 3 birthday celebrations and a big family gathering. I dove mouth first into the flour and sugar and had birthday cake on 3 different occasions. I also had some wonderful rice krispie treats, a delicious brownie and a yummy sandwich at a family gathering. I could feel I had strayed too far off the paleo path. The Venezuelan and I were both so ready to get back on the meat and veggie wagon. The crazy thing is, after all I consumed I still lost 1/2lb this week.

If you're looking for a change in your eating habits for better health, this is one "diet" I would highly recommend. I think for me, I've found the lifestyle change I've been searching for, and it is easy, delicious and good for me!

-V-

Vanity fare

2011-08-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

Don't ask me why I felt I had to buy this piece of furniture. It's a sad little vanity, cheaply made with a horrible paint job. It wasn't an impulse buy because I stood staring at this piece a good 5 minutes. It was just something I couldn't walk away from.

As I stated in my last post I wanted to paint this for my sister. It's a little awkward offering furniture to someone, especially when they don't specifically ask for it. I knew she had been wanting a vanity, so I was pleased she accepted when I offered this piece. I think she's happy with the outcome, but a little part of me wonders if I might have been a little too pushy. "Here! Take this big piece of wood (and laminate) and put it in your home!"

It turned out okay, so even if she tires of the color, I think she'll be able to find someone who will get good use out of it.

I used quite a bit of poly on this to protect the paint. It's not exactly a craftsman's piece, and the laminate was easily scratched. I put enough shine on it that she might have to wear shades to put on her makeup.

It was a fun project. Enjoy, Sheri!

-V-

See the links menu for a list of sites I am linking to, including the following:

http://www.todayscreativeblog.net/

http://www.savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

http://www.thecharmofhome.blogspot.com

http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

www.bystephanielynn.com/

Furniture tease!

2011-07-31T05:53:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a piece of furniture I bought at a garage sale, and I'm giving this piece to one of my sisters. I think when you work on something for someone you love it takes longer, and you enjoy it more. And boy did this piece need a little time and attention.

You're probably thinking either I don't like my sister very much and that if I give her this, the feeling will be mutual, or my sister is 7 years old and omg she's going to love it becaus she's always wanted a princess desk!

I haven't had time to work on it lately, so it's still in the early painting stages. We'll have a reveal soon though!

Thursday was weigh-in day at the office's Biggest Loser contest. Eating Paleo has made losing weight a breeze. I'm doing nothing extraordinary, and this week I'm down another 2.4lbs! I'm thrilled!

Wanna know how much I lost?

2011-07-21T07:54:00.000-07:00

Today was the Biggest Loser weigh-in at work. Last week, I let you know that I was adopting the Paleo Diet and cutting out the grains and legumes in my diet for a while. I've also cut out sugar (mostly), preservatives and a lot of dairy. I still have my fancy creamer in my coffee each day, and I enjoy it immensely. It's not something I'm ready to depart with (yet).

Changing my diet was not really that difficult. I had already adopted several healthy eating habits by cooking with olive oil, eliminating fried foods and eating more fruits and vegetables. I also ate more beans, lentils, wild and brown rice.

This week was a little challenging in finding a replacement for the "filler food", which is what I believe the grains and legumes had become in my diet. My vegetable and meat portions both have grown to replace the filler food. I'm not complaining. I love meat and veggies!

On at least one occasion, I did overeat. I also ate out several times this week because of lack of planning on my part. I had grilled chicken and green beans at KFC. I had ribs at the local BBQ place. I also had an unwhich (with Mayo) from Jimmy Johns. Additionally, I've had a glass of wine at least 3 times this past week. I did not count calories or limit portions. Yeah, I'm dieting.

So this morning when I weighed in, I was not overly optimistic. To my surprise (and joy), I lost 5.8lbs! What the? Really?

This week we'll say it's water weight. Let's see what happens next week!

So easy a caveman can do it!

2011-07-12T10:50:00.000-07:00

My office is having another Biggest Loser contest. Our third this year. And I'm glad, really. It helps me to stay somewhat focused on weight-loss. But if I'm being honest, I'm tired of trying to lose weight. I've spent countless hours reading up on nutrition, counting calories, and over-exercising my arthritic hip. It's wearing me out! Losing weight should not be this darn hard!

With this attitude, I'm sure you've pegged me as a losing Loser this go-around. But this time, I'm not stressed out about what I can't have. I'm not going to count calories or focus on portion control. I'm going to eat meat, veggies, fruit, nuts and berries. I'm going to drink water, tea and coffee...and wine...yes, I'm going to have my wine. I'm going Paleo!

The Paleo Diet limits foods that were introduced post Agricultural Era. It restricts legumes, grains, dairy, preservatives, potatoes and sugars. I'm not going to go out and buy the book, and I'm not going to focus on the do's and don'ts of a strict diet. You've heard it before - "It's not a diet, but a way of life". At this point, I'm not willing to give up anything forever, but I do want to give my body a chance to adapt to the Paleo way of eating before re-introducing them back into my system (if at all). I'm so curious as to how this is going to work for me, and I'm excited to get started!

In order to be successful, there's a certain amount of planning that needs to be done. The Venezuelan did the grocery shopping, and we're stocked with the right stuff. (He's so supportive, and I'm so thankful that he's on board with this plan.) I used my reward points and bought a Dehydrator so we can make some jerky snacks. It will be here Thursday just in time for the kick-off of our office Biggest Loser weigh-in, and I'm anxious to work on some good jerky recipes.

I'll keep you all posted on the benefits I'm experiencing as a result of Paleo eating, and I'd love to hear your suggestions for grain and dairy substitutions. Those will be the hardest!

MOUNTAIN of GIVE AWAY at Robyn Story Designs

2011-07-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

I have been using (and using and using) Annie Sloan chalk paints since I ordered a few cans of it from Robyn Story Designs. The company was running a great promotion last month and offering free shipping, so I couldn't pass it up. The paint is a bit pricey, but it provides great coverage without primer, thereby stretching your dollar and making it a worthwhile purchase.

Now through the 30th of July, Robyn Story Designs is having a fantastic giveaway which includes, if you choose, 10 cans of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint! Woot!! If it's not the paint you want, check out all the other prize options here. Click on the picture link below and sign up for this really great giveaway!

A little bit country

2011-07-02T16:15:00.000-07:00

When I helped my son move from his last apartment, I was able to score this cute nightstand. He had a roommate that went back to Africa and had no plans of returning. He was going to trash it! I was having none of that, and I'm sure I went into a tirade about throwing away perfectly good items. Lucky me, I was the recipient of the big score!

I ordered some chalk paint to paint this one. I was so excited when it came in that I almost forgot to take a "before" shot.

I love Annie Sloan's chalk paint. I had heard so much about it from the blogosphere and wanted to see what the commotion was all about. AS chalk paint dries quickly and you don't have to use primer. Woot!

I decided at the last minute to re-finish the top. I stained the wood with Minwax Provencial Stain.

I found this really cute hemp-like knob at Hobby Lobby.

This cutie won't be staying around. Hopefully, it will sell before the weekend is up.

-V-

Linked up at

Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed

Made by You Monday @ Skip to My Lou

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Anything Related @ All Thingz Related

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

The Penny Pinching Party @ The Thrifty Home

Power of Paint Party @ Domestically Speaking

We Did It! @ Sew Much Ado

Transformation Thursday @ Shabby Chic Cottage

Thrifty Thursday @ Bloggeritaville

Under $100 Linky Party @ Beyond the Picket Fence

Friday Remodelaholics Anonymous @ Remodelaholic

Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous

Show and Tell Friday @ Romantic Home

Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest

Need more laundry soap?

2011-02-27T08:30:00.000-08:00

Several months ago I was over at Thriving Mama, reading a post by Sara where she had made her own powdered laundry soap. I thought it was a super idea but I'm a fan of liquid laundry soap, and I wasn't sure I wanted to go through the trouble of making it if I wasn't certain I'd use it. One of her readers had a solution, and she posted a recipe for liquid laundry soap. Yes! I'll get right on it! Well, that was about a year ago. Then stuff happened and I completely forgot that I wanted to do that, because I'm getting senile, and I don't make lists.

Fast forward to present day. The Venezuelan saw a news story recently about how much money can be saved by making your own laundry soap. Doh! I was going to do this! So with the Venezuelan's help, we whipped up a batch.

First we grated a bar of Fels-Naptha soap. You could probably choose another brand of soap, but this is a good one.

Melt the soap in a pot with 4 cups of water. Don't be silly and use a skillet like I did. It's less than ideal.

When the soap is melted, pour it into a 5 gallon bucket with a cup of washing soda.

Add a 1/2 cup of Borax and several drops of essential oil for scent. The essential oil isn't necessary, it just makes it smell nice. I used about 40 drops of Lavender.

Fill the bucket with hot tap water and stir it up until everything is dissolved. Let this sit overnight.

We used my immursion blender and smoothed out any clumps of soap that had formed while sitting. You can dillute this again by using another bucket and dividing the laundry soap evenly then filing each with water. We, instead are dilluting as we fill our soap container. We used an empty container, filled it half with water and half with the laundry soap concentrate.

The news story stated that the cost of making 10 gallons of laundry soap was about 30 cents a gallon. With the essential oil, a conservative estimate on my cost is about 50 cents a gallon. Not too shabby!

1 bar of Fels Naptha Soap

1/2 cup of Borax

1 cup of Washing Soda

Essential Oil

Hot Water

The Venezuelan's Art

2011-01-30T07:12:00.000-08:00

The Venezuelan is an amazing man. Besides being a talented musician, he is a wonderful and creative artist. When I first met him he was working on his first CD and playing at venues around town. He's into Bossa Nova--a groovy style of Brazilian music. He plays guitar and makes complicated chords seem effortless. Someone once said his voice was like liquid bronze. I tend to agree. You can hear a bit here.

He's also dabbled in electronic media. Here is one of my favorites.

Lately he's done a bit of video art and has created 3-D animation videos to some of his favorite songs. Here's a fun one to a great tune performed by Karrin Allyson. Worth noting is that kids love this particular video. It's a great way to introduce them to jazz.

This weekend, he put the finishing touches on his latest painting. I love his creativity and bold color choices. I had the privilege of painting the frame for him.

I'm so proud to hang his work in our home. The painting complements the furniture or vice versa, don't ya think?

I sure need to paint my walls.....

Been a Long Time

2011-01-15T09:12:00.000-08:00

To those of you who read my posts, I apologize for the inconsistency. Life took over and I just haven't had the energy to put into Before This. I do have a few things I've been working on, and more than a few things lined up. It's going to be an exciting year!

The one thing I am concentrating on each day is my health. My office is having a Biggest Loser Challenge and I have joined up. It's a great idea, and I wish we'd thought to do it a long time ago. The challenge lasts for 10 weeks. It cost $25 bucks to join the challenge and the winner takes all. We weigh in each week and the one with the least amount of weight lost at the end of the week has to put an additional $5 in the kitty. I love the accountability and the support. The prize isn't so shabby either.

I've also been working on some furniture, and at the Venezuelan's request, in the same style as my cabinet.

I am in love with this hardware.

I don't have any before pics of the dresser. I know, it's a shame. However, I do have another unfinished chest of drawers that will get the same treatment eventually. You can see how the hardware is hidden in the dark tones of the wood.

I picked up this little end table for $2 at a garage sale. It has an open back which is perfect for the cable, dvd and video games.

I'm excited about the projects on the horizon. I may end up buying a heater for my work space (the garage) so I am not at the mercy of Mother Nature to get something done.

I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed new year!

Look at me!

2010-11-23T07:57:00.000-08:00

My latest project was featured over at Sassy Sites! Go check out the other cool projects on parade! Thanks, Marni!

I got lucky!

2010-11-05T05:12:00.000-07:00

After completing this project I'm so glad The Venezuelan was in the right place at the right time to nab this furniture and save it from being hauled off to the landfill.

I had seen so many beautiful projects that were painted and glazed or stained, and I was anxious to try it on my own.

With an "uh-oh" here and there, you learn from your mistakes.

And sometimes these mistakes are necessary in order that something wonderful comes about. I'm so happy with my new cabinet!

Beauty, eh?

Good grief! What have I done?

2010-11-02T15:02:00.000-07:00

I sure was excited to start working on this cabinet. I started sanding, and as I worked the wood, I really fell in love with its character. It was a manufactured distressed piece. Someone did a lot of the work for me!

The Venezuelan helped me with a lot of the sanding. He sanded by hand and got in the nooks and crannies so I could do the easy parts. Thank you, Dear.

Now we're ready to paint this baby! I wanted something vibrant that would make a statement. I picked out a turquoise hue and started slapping on the paint.

Oy! That's bright! I knew the glaze would change the color a bit. I hoped the glaze would change the color a bit. I'm a newbie with this glaze and stain stuff. I wasn't going to give up hope. I figured if all else fails I'd just sand the whole thing again and start all over.

I used a turquoise stone as inspiration and bought some olive green tinted glaze to enhance the color. There are a lot of crevices on this cabinet that with the help of the glaze would somewhat imitate the lines of a real turquoise.

Or so I thought.

Not sure you can tell from this photo, but up close it looks like I smeared a dirty diaper all over the cabinet. Yep, it looks like crap! But there's hope yet. I really do have a vision....

Don't throw that away!

2010-10-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

The Venezuelan has a friend who was throwing out some old furniture he had replaced with new. There are 3 pieces each with a hutch. My hubby grabbed that up, and we are using the dresser and small chest of drawers along with their respective hutches for storage. We have a lot of stuff. Every time I try to purge our junk, the Venezuelan says "Whoa Nelly!" Which is weird, because my name is Vicki.

Anyway, this piece of loveliness has been hanging out in the garage with our other stuff. We've had it at least a year. Maybe more. I'm old and I don't remember. That's not really the point.

My hubby turned 50 this year, and one of his presents was a brand... new....TV! He loves television (he even works for a local tv station), and if he had it his way we'd have a tv in every room in the house. Fortunately, I get a say in this marriage....except when I try to purge junk we never use. But I'm working on that!

It was the consensus we would use this cabinet. The great thing about this set of furniture is that it's really sturdy. It will hold a tv and all the junk that a tv puts on its wish list like a cable box, dvd player and/or game console.

At this point I'm hoping my vision to transform this cabinet will come to fruition, and this beautiful hardware will no longer be lost in the background.

Checking In

2010-10-09T05:53:00.000-07:00

This week has zoomed by. Monday was my weigh-in. I did lose 2lbs. (Down a total of 7lbs since 9/20) I will have to be awfully good the rest of this week in order to see a deficit.

The week has been filled with good friends and family. My college roommate and friend of nearly 30 years (good grief!) gave me the privilege of cooking her traditional birthday dinner on Thursday. Spaghetti. Not exactly your typical diet food. However, it was a pleasure cooking for her and her friends.

Today, I'm off to a couple of garage sales before I head to work (ugh) for a couple of hours. We gotta do what we gotta do, don't we?

Tabletop Transformation

2010-09-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

The Venezuelan has had this table since his bachelor days. We used it for a short period of time right after we were married, but mostly it has taken up residency in our garage. It has a split down the center. Otherwise, it's a nice, sturdy piece.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my daughter doesn't have a coffee table. Visiting her, I sit my drink on the floor for lack of a functional furniture piece. Of course, I'm thinking "no no no...this won't do". It bothers her none. In her mind, the floor is a functional piece of built-in furniture.

I took the table out and gave it a good sanding. I didn't worry too much with the top because I already knew I was going cover it with fabric. I had too much fun with the filing cabinet, I just had to do it again.

I used a satin finish spray paint, and sprayed a few coats on these lovely legs. It was beautiful, I tell ya!

Our local Hancock Fabrics is having a blowout sale. This cool animal print was $1.99/yard. Woot! I love deals! I cut the fabric to fit the table top. But I didn't want to cover the entire top. I cut enough so that the fabric would have a nice wooden frame.

I slapped on some Mod Podge and glued that fabric down on the table top. Once dried I was able to use my razor and scissors to clean up the fabric edges. There is no fraying after the Mod Podge has dried.

I'm diggin' this animal print!

After the Mod Podge dried, I sprayed it with a satin polyurethane. Several times. Don't forget your dust mask! You don't want this stuff sticking to your innards!

The print is groovy and a perfect one-of-kind furniture piece for my college student's apartment.

I loaded it up and took it over to her place. She loved it, and it looked great with the furniture she's amassed over the years of being on her own. Before I had left, she had it covered with books and a laptop.

Another project coming soon!

2010-09-29T18:57:00.000-07:00

I have been working on another furniture project, and I'm pretty happy with how it's turned out. I decided my daugther needed a coffee table in her apartment. She may think otherwise, but we'll see tomorrow when I give her the table.

This is what I started out with. I'll post pictures later this week of the finished project after my daughter has seen it. I'm taking it to her tomorrow. I'll let you know what she thinks.

On another note, Monday was my weigh-in day. I lost 5lbs for the week. This, I'm sure was mostly water, but I'll take it. I'm hoping for at least 2lbs this week. We shall see!

I'm losing it!

2010-09-22T16:17:00.000-07:00

I began this blog to talk about transformations. I knew that in this blog, I would include my own personal transformations. For the last couple of weeks I have been see-sawing on a decision I would make in order that the quality of my life would be greatly improved. Thus the transformation begins.

Over the last couple of years, I have made changes in my lifestyle and eating habits trying to lose weight. Actually, I wanted to lose weight without really making much effort. I wanted my knowledge of weightloss to somehow manifest itself into actually loss of pounds. I ended up losing a few pounds, but the success wasn't weightloss. I did, however make good habits and I learned to make healthier choices. My family has reaped the benefits from this as much as I have.

After a recent doctor's visit for a hip issue, my doctor suggested I consider bariatric surgery. I've always felt like weightloss was something I was capable of acheiving on my own. Yet, I've continually fallen off the weightloss wagon or ignored it completely. I decided to consider the bariatric procedure, and I dove into one of the websites that goes through the process. I knew I could be successful with this surgery. I knew that I would have to change a lot about my eating habits whether I wanted to or not.

So here I am at the crossroads, making a decision to begin the weightloss journey. I realized that making a weightloss goal is a commitment I've been afraid of making because of the fear of failure. They say if you do the best that you can, you don't have to worry about failure. So, no more worries for me. I don't need surgery, I need perseverance, courage and accountability. It's not going to be easy, but I'm going to do it. I've put on my big girl panties (because that's all that's in the drawer), and I'll be losing weight the old fashion way with calorie counting and exercise.

I began this diet on September 20th, a day of significance in my life for another reason. My choice is to live and not be held back by the shackles of obesity. I'll give you a shout out periodically on my progress. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

Does anyone have a pen?

2010-09-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

My household can really be crazy at times. I struggle with organization, although I do try. I'm lucky to have ducks, much less have them in row. My offspring take after me in that respect. Things are constantly being used and misplaced. That includes ink pens. Until this project, I have always scrambled to find something to write with. You need a note for school? Does anyone have a pen? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Now, I can actually keep pens until their ink runs out. What a concept! I never knew it could happen. I first saw this project at my doctor's office. People are less likely to carry off a flower than they are pen. I thought it was a great idea and decided to make my own.

You need scissors, a pen, artificial flowers with stem and floral tape. I love simple!

Start by wrapping the tape around the pen. I especially like to use those promotional pens with the advertisements on them.

Start by wrapping the floral tape around the pen.

Add the flower, wrapping the stem with the pen as you go. Ignore the troll hand.

Wrap as many as you want.

Find a decorative container to keep your flowers in. No way will the men in your house carry off your pens again!

Wanna know what looks gross?

2010-08-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you can't wait for the picture. We're all a little sick aren't we? But what I'm talking about is fish in lime juice. Not a pretty site. But oh my, with a few more ingredients, it's heavenly.

My husband is a very talented cook. He is definitely the brains of this operation. I'm his underling. His "sous chef". I love chopping and slicing and pulling and dicing. But he is the idea man. So, when we had some tilapia in the fridge that needed to be cooked, I could see the light bulb come on. He said, "Ceviche".

He took the fish by the tail so to speak and cut it into bite-size pieces. Now if "squoze" was a word, that's what he did with the dozen or so limes. The fish is marinated in this citrus bath for at least 12 hours. The citrus cooks the fish while you're getting your nails done and watching Big Brother. But as for aesthetics, it's not pleasing.

After sufficient time had passed we were ready for a few more ingredients. If you have a sous chef, this is where he or she comes in. My husband threw me a list of ingredients and told me to get chopping. (Ok. I volunteered..maybe I begged. I don't remember.) I chopped some red onion, tomatoes, jalapenos, avocados and some cilantro.

He tossed it into the bowl with the fish and sprinkled it with a bit of salt. Now the lime juice will also marinate the other ingredients but it doesn't take long to get those flavors incorporated. I heard the colors say "eat me".

As this sat waiting to be devoured, my man took charge, sliced and toasted a French baguette, then spooned some of this loveliness on the toast.

Oh, yeah.

A link party and Giveaway

2010-08-27T08:29:00.000-07:00

Meg is having a link party and a $20 Target card Giveaway that ends today. Link up now!

From Fail to Fab Filing Cabinet

2010-08-23T17:14:00.000-07:00

I bought this filing cabinet at a garage sale for $5.00. We needed a filing cabinet, and it was structurally sound, but a bit ugly. Instead of buying paint for the project, I used some leftover spray paint I had in the shed. As you can see, this was a bad idea. The paint was at least two years old and had more or less been left out in the elements,

suffering the brutal cold of winters and the scorching temperatures of the Oklahoma summers. The paint was cheap to begin with, but I think leaving it in the shed actually aided in the paint's decomposition. Yes, I think it was dying (har har). Unfortunately, after a few cans, I was left with a big mess. I thought I might see improvement with several coats.

Wrong. I was just making ugly uglier. It sat like this for a few weeks...maybe a couple of months. So after I had sufficiently pouted, I decided to re-try.

I'd read several posts from DIYers who say that Krylon paint is the best. Some used primer, others insisted it wasn't necessary. I really had messed this one up so I decided to use Krylon's primer on this cabinet, then painted with Krylon Catalina Mist.

I'm a big fan of Amy at Mod Podge Rocks. She's a pro with decoupaging furniture. So that's what I did with my now not so ugly and actually quite cute filing cabinet! I cut fabric a little larger than the face of the filing cabinet, brushed on the Mod Podge and smoothed the fabric across the front. An exacto knife was the perfect tool to cut the fabric around the handles.

Another coat of Mod Podge and I have this awesome filing cabinet!

Linking to

.. How I Yard Sale Link Party @ Centsational Girl
Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop @ Homemaker on a Dime

Image Transfer on Canvas

2010-08-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

My son's girlfriend's birthday was coming up, and he wanted to make something special for her. I suggested making this artwork I'd seen by using gel medium to transfer images to canvas.

We started off by manipulating a picture in Photoshop. I heard that photocopies transfer better so we made a photocopy of the printed image. That's really as far as my services were needed. My son took over at that point.

A background was painted onto the canvas.

The gel medium was liberally applied on top of the painting. Then the photocopy was placed face down on the canvas and rubbed smooth. It's important to get all of the air bubbles out, and the back of a spoon works great for this. He let the gel medium dry about 8 hours for this project.

After the gel dried, he sprayed the paper with water and used his fingers to rub it off. (I wish I had a picture of this process, but I wasn't around for the photo op.) Once the paper was all rubbed off, the image transferred to the canvas. Such a cool piece of artwork and so simply done!

I'm just wild about saffron!

2010-08-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

My husband made Chicken Alfredo for us this week after stopping by Forward Foods in Oklahoma City. I haven't been there yet, but it is definitely on my to-do list. This place sells a variety of spices, cheese, organic foods and pasta. According to what I've been told, it's a small place and they pack a lot of yumminess in one small store. What a nice treat from the usually fare of Walmart or Homeland.

There were two ingredients that made this dinner extra special--the pasta and the saffron. The world's most expensive spice, saffron is the stigmas from the crocus sativus flower. It's hand harvested and takes over 13,000 threads to make one ounce! It has a hay-like aroma which doesn't sound appealing, but believe me, it was fantastic. I've lived a sheltered culinary life. This was the first time I'd seen it used in a dish. Ted tossed it into the alfredo sauce and let this simmer while he pan-seared the chicken and the pasta boiled.

Check out this wonderful pasta. Trenne is trangular penne pasta. I had never seen this pasta before (sheltered). It was of good size , and it was perfect for holding the sauce.

A few sprigs of saffron and voila! An extroidinary Chicken Alfredo dinner.

Toybox Turnaround

2010-07-24T17:14:00.000-07:00

I found this toybox at a yard sale for $1.00. What a find!

I guess this baby doesn't look like much, but I could see its potential. A little sand paper, a little stain, and the splintered wood and permanent marker would be history.

I used an Ace brand stain & finish that was on sale for $5.00. I probably could've gotten away with a much smaller can of stain, but I'm a newbie at staining and I didn't want to run out.

I love my new $6.00 toybox!