Etsy Shopping!

Check out my sisters Etsy shop. Laceys Little Luxuries

She will be adding additional items to it soon!

Halloween/Fall Decorations

I decided to put out all the Halloween and Fall decorations today. The living room is FAR from being done, so I just put some stuff up.

Skulls on the candles in the dining room.

See my little bird over in the corner? The first picture I took he was flipped upside down. I bought the little house at a garage sale for $2 or 3 bucks. Yes, I know there is a turkey on my couch already. It's just sooo cute I had to put him out!

WINNER!!!!!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner....Look who came in Second Place in the Sunday Showcase at Under the Table and Dreaming. ME!!!!!!!!! This is the first time I have ever won anything in Blog Land!!!!

Check out my feature here.

Cheeseburger Soup

This was a really good soup. Art really liked it. I liked it because it was easy too!

Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 chopped onion
3 stalks chopped celery
3 Cups chicken broth
3 cups diced, peeled potatoes
2 cups chopped carrots
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk
8 oz Velveeta or your favorite cheese
Salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste.


Brown 1/2 lb ground beef with 1/2 chopped onion and 3 stalks chopped celery. Drain and set aside.

Boil 3 cups chicken broth and add 3 cups diced, peeled potatoes and 2 cups chopped carrots.
Boil until tender.

Place beef back on heat and melt 1/2 stick butter into the beef. Mix 1/4 cup flour into beef and then add to potatoes and carrots.

Add 1 1/2 cups milk and 8 oz Velveeta. I used an 8oz block of cheddar cheese and cut it up in big chunks.
Stir until cheese melts. Add salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste.

Traveling Buddy

Sam rode on the center console almost the entire trip. The other times he was laying in the back seat sleeping. When we would go around corners he would put his paw on us to steady himself. Sometimes when he was getting tired he would lean his head on your shoulder. He was SUPER good and loved the adventure.

And the Torture Begins......

Isn't my mother such a dear.....Already is tormenting me with the fact I will be 30 this year. She sent me some Senior Moments breath mints, 1980 booklet, cute jar that I picked out a few months back and some oil for my oil warmer.

Spare Bedroom Make Over

Over the past couple weeks I have been working on redoing the spare bedroom. I have finished it for the most part this evening. I want to add some curtains and a few more decorations.

BEFORE

Painted White

Added Stripes

AFTER

AFTER

I spent less than $100 redoing the entire room. Furniture, decorations, paint everything was less than $100. The little white night stand I paid $.50 at a garage sale and painted it with paint I already had. The rocking chair in the corner I spent $12 plus a $7 part to fix the glider portion of the rocker. Bedding was a wedding gift, decorations on the wall $30.

DIY Projects

Cute little Create card for my craft room

Crown to hang in our master bathroom

Added love to frame in bedroom

It's been a very productive day around here!

Beach Subway Art

I created my first subway art for my beach themed living room. I read through numerous blogs trying to figure out how people made their words. I was going to use vinyl, but I decided against it. I haven't used my Cricut yet with vinyl and I am not sure how to apply it.

I used my Cricut to cut out the words on clear contact paper. I would apply the contact paper to my board, paint it and pull the contact paper right off. The longer the contact paper was left on the more it bleed. I learned half way through to take my paint bottle, rub it all over my word to get out all the air bubbles. I wanted more of a chabby chic, distressed look. I was about 3/4 through the entire project and I ran out of words. I sent some text to family and friends. The rest of the words came from them.

Once all the words were painted on the board I let everything dry. Then I took white paint, brushed it over portions of the words, took my fingers and rubbed off the paint. This help create a more distressed look.

Bedroom Makeover Continuation

Remember this FUGLY room???

Last weekend I turned it into a white room. I decided to wait a week to let the paint dry after 3 coats.
Tonight we taped off the wall and painted the stripes.

I am hoping tomorrow I don't need another coat of paint. I know I already have to do some touch up to the white portion. More to come on the spare bedroom!

Chippy Window & Vinyl Sign

A month or two ago Art and I went to Habitate for Humanity The Resale Store. I was in HEAVEN looking at all the bargains we could buy. In the same parking lot is a store called The Reuse People. They take things out of houses from remodel, houses going to be destroyed etc.

I found the chippy window below. I pulled it down from a shelf and had the biggest smile on my face. Art asked what in the world do you want with that old window? When I saw this I was thinking of numerous blogs I had seen with georgous windows hanging on people's wall. I never thought I would be able to find such a beauty! I bought the window for $10. Brought it home, washed it and hung it on the wall.

Wonderfully Wordy has a clearance sale awhile back and I purchased it for about $7. Bought a board at Lowe's for $3, painted it with paint I already had at home. Transformed my plain wall for $20 bucks.

A Post from Sam

Look what Grandma Fischer sent me! A new shirt for daycare. I can't wait to sport my new shirt tomorrow! I also got a new collar and another shirt!!!! I have the best Grammy ever!

Distressed Nautical Flag

I decided to decorate our living room in a chabby chic beach theme. I followed the Lettered Cottage tutorial found here. I looked at buying the same wood pickets at Lowe's. Art convinced me that he could bring home a pallet, tear it apart and we could use that. Art wasn't sure it was going to work after he got started. He said some of the wood had splintered and cracked. I thought well that's great becaused I want a distressed look.

I picked out the best 6 planks and lined them up. We screwed the support planks down.

Above picture is me priming the screw holes

Art putting in the screws

Me sanding the wood

I didn't take any pictures of me painting. I used the same techinue as the Lettered Cottage by dipping my paint brush in paint and then in water. The brown/taupe colored paint I bought a quart at Lowe's for $1. I still have the entire can to use. Cream color is left over from painting our bedroom. Spent $10 bucks on the starfish on ebay. Total project cost me $10. We will be hanging it in the living room this week. I love it!

Salsa

The salsa cooking

Canning the Salsa

I canned my own salsa this afternoon from the tomatoes we grew in the garden.

3/4 full of tomatoes-dutch oven
3 green peppers chopped
2 large onions
2 cloves garlic
1/4 c. brown sugar
couple teaspoons salt
hot peppers to your taste

Bring to a slow boil simmer about 20 minutes.

I then canned it in pints. I made 14 pints of salsa and one medium bowl for now. The recipe I followed is my moms. I learned though that I like it A LOT spicier than I did as a kid. In the future I will add 8 hot peppers instead of 4. I also used the food processor and chopped everything too small. I haven't canned since I lived on the farm which was about 15+ years ago.