Thankful

A couple of months ago the hubs and I made a bulletin  board to hang in our room. 

It is a place where we can leave notes for each other...things we are thankful for or that we appreciate about each other. I enjoy looking at it everyday not only because of the notes but because we made it together.

To make it, I stopped by a thrift store and bought a picture frame for $5. I thought about just using a bulletin board like this one from Target and then decorating it...

But I couldn't really find one as big as I wanted for a reasonable price. 

So plan B was to find a cheap picture frame and cover the back with cork.

 So once I had secured the frame, I went to JoAnn's and got fabric ($12) and cork ($10) and everything else I had on hand (primer, paint, and spray glue). 

In total it was less than $30 for a custom 2 feet by 4 feet bulletin board!

Here is a before pic with all the supplies...

First step in the process was putting the hubs to work on painting the frame. First, we used a spray primer then the leftover paint from the buffet that I previously painted.

Next, I laid the back of the frame out on the counter and used the spray glue to attach the cork.

Then, I had the hubs iron the fabric (here is a secret about me...I don't iron...I never have and probably never will. Thank goodness the hubs is so willing to iron!).

Once the cork was secure and the fabric was wrinkle free, we just wrapped it around the cork and secured it with hot glue (i forgot to take a pic of this step). It was quick and easy. 

Then we made a little "thankful" pennant and covered a couple of thumb tacks with fabric and then voila'...

What a great reminder to be thankful daily!

Happy Crafting!

Baked Mozzarella Sticks

Surprise... I was on Pinterest again! 

This time, I saw a pic for baked mozzarella sticks so I had to give them a try!

Here is the site that I used...

http://everycollegegirl.com/how-to-cook-healthy-mozzarella-sticks/

They were pretty easy...freeze the cheesesticks, then dip in flour, then in an egg, then in the breadcrumbs. I used Panko breadcrumbs but if I make them again I think I would mix panko with the Italian breadcrumbs to add a little more flavor and better cover the cheesestick. 

Once they were all dipped, just place them on a baking sheet and bake for 4 minutes at 400 degrees.

Here they are all ready to eat...

The hubs gave them a 5/10 and I would agree. 

 Next time I am going to switch up the breadcrumbs and see if that does the trick.

Garden Update

Things are lookin' good in the garden!

Peanut Butter and Banana French Toast

I saw this pic on Pinterest last night and I just had to try it! 

 

 http://www.therauberhouse.com/category/breakfastbrunch/

It was delish!

And, I tried to make it as healthy as possible...with 45 calorie whole wheat bread, PB2 peanut butter powder, and skim milk...grand total, it came in around 415 calories.

Well worth it I say! 

Yum, yum, yum!

 

Mary Mary Quite Contrary...

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Well, we shall see! I enlisted the help of my very willing sister and planted a garden in our backyard. I have no idea if it will produce anything but I am keeping my fingers crossed! 

I went for a raised bed garden since our soil is pretty much clay around here but nonetheless, what I thought would be a pretty quick project turned in to more work then I expected. 

Here is the before...

A few pics of the process...

We used 7 - 4 foot long 2x4 pressure treated boards to make the frame. I stained only the outside (so the part that you see matches the deck and fence) then used 2 "L" brackets in each of the corners to build the frame.

Once the frame was together, we laid it over the section of the yard that we manually tilled (that was the worst part because of all the clay). Then we filled it in with equal parts of top soil, mushroom compost, and manure (nice right??). Once we spread out all of the soil, I laid out the vegetables paying close attention to their individual need for space. 

I planted corn, zucchini, squash, eggplant, and peppers.

Once I knew where they were going to go, I got to planting...

Now lets just see if they actually grow!

*A very big thank you to Emily who is always 

willing to help out when I have a project to do!*

Chicago

Emily and I took a roadtrip to Chicago! 

We had a lot of fun eating, shopping, and exploring. 

Here are some of the highlights from our trip...

*I got some pretty great stuff at Ikea...I will share soon!*

Peek-A-Boo

Have you heard of Toms?

 If not, allow me to introduce you by directing you to their website...www.toms.com. 

They have a mission to match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. Not only is their mission pretty incredible, but their shoes are so comfy.

 I love them so much that mine looked like this...

It appears that my big toe was trying to play peek-a-boo! Don't get me wrong, that did not stop me from wearing them but  I thought perhaps I should do something about the hole before my entire toe became visible.

So I went to one of my favorite places...Hobby Lobby and grabbed some iron on patches for jeans, fabric glue, and material and I got to work...or I mean my grandma got to work...she was around and offered to help so how could I say no? She is simply the best! 

First we covered each of the holes with iron on jean patches.  This is just to make sure that once we put the new fabric over the top that my toe is not going to pop right back through.

Then it was as easy as doing a little "nipping and tucking" until we got the fabric just how we wanted it. I pinned the fabric to hold it into place to make sure we had it just the way we wanted it before making it permanent.

Once it was laid out, I took a couple of pins out at a time and just used this glue to glue it down. Then, I replaced the pins to make sure it dried exactly how I wanted it to. 

I let the glue dry overnight and then I took all the pins out and ta-da...

My grandma asked about half way through the project why I was not just buying a new pair if I loved them so much. I told her it was because they cost between $40-60. And she responded, "I thought you just got done explaining to me what a great cause it was. Just think if you get another pair, so will another kid."

 Touche, grandma! I do love these...

Decisions, decisions!

Happy Crafting!