Thirteen

I've been juggling everything lately. The full time job takes up most of my time. DH is doing double duty with all of the after school kid stuff and working around their schedules. When I get home it is time to make dinner, check homework, and pick up from practice. It seems like we're always running around to get stuff done. There is no down time until 9 or 10 at night.

Today was Pinterest Challenge day. Since I  have no time in general, I  had no time for Pinterest Challenge. I thought about it for a half of a second and immediately dropped the thought.

However busy I am, tomorrow is A's thirteenth birthday and I had to make time to make her a cake. Yes, she's have a birthday party with her twin cousin tomorrow and they will have a cake at that party, but I've always made her a cake for her birthday and I couldn't skip this one. Especially thirteen. It seems like such an important number.

I sat down at my computer and started looking for ideas for decorating the cake, and voila, I had a Pinterest Challenge project and a birthday cake all in one.



I found this pin from This Little Life of Mine.


And this pin from Cupcake Diaries.

Easy simple decorations. Just what I needed for my busy life.


Birthday cake and Pinterest Challenge done.

Check out the other hosts of the Pinterest Challenge.

Young House Love, RedBirdBlue, Sparkle Meets Pop, Bower Power. Here's to having more time for the next one.

By the numbers - Pinterest Challenge

It's Pinterest Challenge Time!!



Here is my front door. (Please ignore all the bikes, umbrellas, rakes, bike ramps, clutter.) I love my front door. I hate my house numbers. They are ugly, old-fashioned, diagonal, and very hard to see from the street, especially at night.


I've been thinking about house numbers since we moved into this house six years ago. In my mind, I've pinned house numbers out the wazoo. Tonight I only found one pin


My dream house number/mailbox combo (since I hate my mailbox too) is from an Etsy company, Steel House mfg.

I pinned some their house numbers now too.


So nice, but not affordable for me right now.

Months ago I decided something had to be done about the ugly numbers. It was after S#5's birthday party when half the guests went to the neighbor's house on accident. I started searching for options that were in my price range. I found something I liked at Home Depot. I had to wait because they didn't have all the numbers I needed. A month or two later, I bought my last number. I was ready. Except I let it sit there until tonight.

Nothing like a Pinterest Challenge to get me moving on a project. Tonight was the night.

First up, lining up the templates.

I'm anal about precision. This took a long time with rulers, tape, level and lots of re-doing and re-taping until I was satisfied.


Second, marking the template holes.

I was suppose to have a special tool to mark the holes to drill. I didn't have one, so I used a screw I found on the garage floor.


Third, drilling holes.

This part was difficult. I tried to use painter's tape to hang the board in place. It didn't work. I sweetly asked DH to help me out. He held while I drilled. I must have been too slow because he took over.


The fourth step, putting the numbers together.


Looking great so far


Now to hang it up.


So very nice!!!


They are modern. They are bigger. They are lit by the front porch light. They look fresh and new, I really love my new house numbers.

Now it is imperative that I get rid of that old mailbox and hang a new one on the other side. I might have to go shopping today.

Don't forget to check out the projects by the Pinterest Challenge hosts, Young House Love, Bower Power, The Remodeled Life, and Decor and the Dog.

Wrapping paper organization

We have some problems with linen storage in our house. We have places in both the kids' baths, but they aren't super functional. The boys' bath is narrow and shallow, the stacks of towels fall over when you try to take one out. The cabinet in A's bath is over the toilet and we've had incidents of open toilet lid while getting out fresh sheets. Not good.




I decided to do something about it. We have a linen closet in the hallway but we use it for games. I realized we have a whole second half of the closet that wasn't being put to good use. The wrapping paper and supplies are on the floor and we had holiday door decorations hanging on the rod.


I could put this space to much better use. I moved the holiday door decorations to the spare coat closet by the front door. I had to do some thinking on how to handle the wrapping paper.

I saw this pin on Pinterest.


source
I looked on the internet. I lusted after the Container Store solution, but even with the Elfa Sale discount, it was still too expensive. I finally found a ClosetMaid solution that fit my budget.

First I sorted out the mess of all our wrapping paper. I put 3 rolls of baby wrapping paper in the donation pile. We don't have friends having babies any more, and if more do, I can use the 20 baby gift bags I still have.




Once it was sorted, I figured out I needed hallow core door anchors to hold it all in place. Fast forward a week or so and I finally ended up with this.


Wrapping paper is now organized and off the floor, now I just have to figure out how to build shelves to hold the sheets and towels. I'm looking forward to that project, but honestly, it will probably take another Pinterest Challenge to get it done.


Check out the projects from the Pinterest Challenge Hosts, Sherry, Katie, Carmel, & Sarah

A Pinterest Tea Party

Last week was S#5's 30th birthday. A week or so before the birthday one of her friends contacted me about having a party for her. She wasn't going out of her way to celebrate and I was going to let her get away with it. Her friend insisted that she wouldn't plan a celebration, so we should instead.

Just as I was starting to plan for the party, YHL announced their Pinterest Challenge on their blog.


I knew what I was going to do. I used Pinterest to help select the menu and decorations. What fun!

#1. The decor

Clothes Pin Photo Display

I used this pin as my inspiration.


I emailed all the sisters and contacted her friends from high school & college through facebook requesting photos. After some issues with sending them to print at the wrong Costco (Frisco is way farther north than West Plano but they both have address on the Parkway), I had a good number of photos. On the advice of a friend I saw in Target, I ran over to the dollar store instead. I grabbed two bags of clothes pins and a clothesline.






I ended up with an lovely homage to Mims!

#2. The menu

Since S#5 loves British TV, we decided on Tea Party theme. I poured through my Food & Dessert board trying to find the food I wanted to make. Searched on Google and Pinterest for the perfect foods. Google gave me an idea of what types of food to serve, Pinterest provided the recipes.

Tea Breads

Banana Bread & Pumpkin Bread from Pinterest

 

My tea breads


I baked them in mini loaf pans and they were delicious. The pumpkin bread recipe was the best I've ever tried, not heavy or greasy, with a nice light glaze drizzled on top.

Savory Scone

Cheese Scallion Scone


My scones


The dough for the scones was very wet. I cooked them as long as the recipe said and they still weren't done. I cooked them 5 minutes longer and I still wasn't sure. I was afraid if I didn't pull them out they would be rock hard and tough. After cooling they sank down. I imagine they could have taken a few minutes longer in the oven. Despite not being the prettiest scones in the world, they were yummy.

Sandwiches

Cucumber and Arugula


Ham


My sandwiches




Wow, natural light looks so much better. Oh well. The sandwiches were both much better than their picture. Even the ham sliders. I wasn't sure on that recipe since there was mustard in the sauce, but it wasn't a heavy flavor and gave a nice tang. The arugula in the cucumber was devine. Oprah knows what she is talking about.

Savory

Mini Spinach Dip Bread Bowl


My spinach bowls


I pinned this recipe a long time ago and was very excited to try it. It was worth the wait. I think I'll make them again if I go to a Super Bowl Party or even better a Notre Dame Bowl Game party.

Fruit Salad

Mini Chop Fruit Salad


No Pinterest inspiration here and no decent photos of it either. It is in the blue bowl. Mini chop fruit salad is super easy to make, but time consuming. It is just a bowl of fruit from the grocery store chopped up into a very small dice. It is good for those who don't like to eat a whole hunk of green melon. Thanks to S#2 and the Banff Springs (or Chateau Lake Louise?) High Tea for that recipe.

Dessert

Chocolate Mocha Cake


Salted Caramel Cake


My Chocolate Mocha Cake


I planned to make Chocolate Mocha Cake, using the recipe that Mom has been making since S#1 was in high school. Unfortunately, Mom went out of town and didn't answer her phone and I couldn't find the recipe. I decided that I would find a good substitute. The Chocolate Mocha Cake seemed to fit the bill for the cream and the icing. I've made the Martha Stewart Salted Caramel Cake before and I think it is the best chocolate cake recipe ever. I added some espresso powder to the recipe because I remember that Mom's recipe called for some. Over all the cake was good. I followed the first recipe so the center cream was chocolate-y and not as espresso strong as Mom's recipe. I had another piece on Sunday and after all the flavors melding for a few days, it tasted even better.

This was a fun Pinterest Challenge and a marvelous party. I hope S#5 had a great 30th birthday.

Check out the projects from the Pinterest Challenge Hosts, Sherry, Katie, Carmel, & Sarah

Pinterest Challenge Winter Edition

One week late.

I had planned on making art.  Well, I made art.  I planned on framing the art.  Then I didn't like the frames I bought and spring break happened and we decided to go to Galveston.  Art didn't get finished.

So here is my practical Pinterest Challenge.  I have a cast iron pan.  I loved cooking in that pan until DH did dishes and scrubbed the seasoning out and let it air dry.  It got all rusty and nasty.  I've wanted to re-do the seasoning for a long time.  I pinned a how to clean your cast iron pan on my to-do board 34 weeks ago so it really has been a long time.

I finally did it.

I ended up using the original link, plus two more for reference. 


Before


Scrubbing with salt and foil (I couldn't find and hate the feel of steel wool)


Covered the pot with coconut oil (I was out of bacon grease, lard and crisco)


After 3 hours of baking in the oven


Much prettier.  First, I need to fry up some bacon or something equally greasy to set my seasoning.  Second, I need to teach DH exactly how (or how not) to clean the pan or I have to dishes on nights I use it.

I'm a week too late to link up to the Pinterest Challenge on YHL.  Darn, I liked the bump in traffic I got with my last challenge.  At least I have an almost new again pan.

Good things going on

1. A got the position of Editor of the Newspaper for her field trip to Enterprise City.  I'm not sure what that means but she is excited. 
2. B is loving flag football and I guess he's good.  I know he is fast.  He ran for 2 tds in his first game.  Now he needs to learn how to pull flags.
3. J got into Jr DECATS.  A went the past few years and loved it.  It was a competitive year for his class. If every kid who got an invite applied, there was a good chance that some of them would not get in.  Luckily, J made it and he's now praying he gets into the cartooning class. 
4. It's time for another Pinterest Challenge.  I'm having fun trying to figure out what I'm going to do.

Pinterest Challenge Times Two

I read the Young House Love blog.   Well, sometimes I read, sometimes I just look at the pictures.   They do such cool house projects.   The best part is they decide to do something and then they do it and then they finish it.  That's my problem.  I get some great ideas and I start something, it's the finishing that causes the problems.

Last week, they posted a Pinterest Challenge.  You find something on Pinterest you like, you make it and then you blog it.  This was just the motivation I needed to get moving.

About a year ago, I also started hanging out on Pinterest.  There were so many pictures on there that made me was to make/do/create something. So much so, I actually started two projects, started being the key word.  Now this weekend, I finished them.

Pinterest Challenge #1

I loved some of the cool embroidery projects I found on Pinterest.  I didn't to make something traditional or cutesy.  I wanted to make something abstract, something like this. 

I came up with the idea of embroidering my fingerprint.  I used markers to copy my fingerprints, picked one I liked (left index finger) and blew it up on our copier.  I went all the way back to art class with Sr. Joseph Marie and drew a grid on the fingerprint and grid on fabric (bought off the sale rack at JoAnn's for $1.00.)  I then copied the image to the fabric and set to chain-stitching.

I wasn't sure how to frame it and I knew I didn't want to spend a lot of money.  I came up with foam core board from the $1.00.  I used spray adhesive to glue them in a stack.  I tried taping the fabric to the foam core board, but that was a failure.  The tape kept peeling off.   I propped it up against the fireplace and left it.

The Pinterest Challenge made me pick it up after two months of sitting.  I trimmed the fabric better and used the spray adhesive to make it stick and hung it up with those command strip velcro picture hangers.  I think it looks fabulous.  And not bad for less $5.00 artwork.







Pinterest Challenge #2

DH likes to collect tree stumps.   He picks them up from bulk trash piles and puts them out by our fire pit.  I didn't think much of them until I saw tree stump tables.

I decided that I could make one of those.  I picked a stump and, using a chisel and hammer,  I knocked off some of the bark.  I had to leave it outside to dry out more.  On and off all summer long, I would hack at the tree stump a bit.   Friday I finally bit the bullet and decided that it was as good as it would get.  I stained it, decided I didn't like the top and painted it, decided I didn't like that paint and painted it again, added legs (very difficult with the slope of the bottom) and poly'd it to finish it off.









Despite the legs being a little short, I love my tree stump table.  And it holds a diet coke (or tennis balls) without falling off.  Project done!

Here are links back to the original Challenge posts.


Katie, Sherry, Erin & Ana