1 ♥ 2 ♥ 3 ...lazy susan & open cabinet

The 1, 2, 3 craze is kinda contageous...at first i kept wondering why everyone was numbering stuff...but then it kinda grew on me :)

here's a few cute inspiration pics...

(photo sources: 1st, 2nd, 3rd)

here's my twist on the 123's ...
(these trays were gifts for a special soon-to-be mom :)

 

stack of 3 trays were sold together from AC Moore painted white...all the paper is again from my new favorite...made by colorbok called flea market...mod podged into the bottoms

the other 1.2.3. project i did was in one of my kitchen cabinets...we've been working on some projects in the kitchen (painting walls/painting & staining cabinets) and i still have before & after pics to put up when were all done, but here is one of the sections of cabinets that I wanted to leave open...
this is the section BEFORE...

and this is the AFTER...

...some more pics of the 1.2.3 wire bins in the cabinet...
to make the number labels i cut the paper (again flea market) into circles to pop into mason jar lids that i spray painted white then hung them with twine...

the last thing I wanted to share was this lazy susan i found at Goodwill for $4...
i forgot to take a picture but this is sorta what it looked like before...

...and this after i was done! 

 

...how exciting to get something old and turn it into new...

Linking up ♥

Hickory Dickory Dock and Raisin Cookies

This is not what I intended to post about this week but when a funny story comes along I must share! If small, helpless rodents make you faint you may want to scroll along to the cookie recipe at the bottom...if not, get ready for the show...

It was Wednesday night, our two kids were upstairs getting ready for bed and the Mayor and I were catching up on some old episodes of House. We hear both children yelling for us...loudly and urgently. There was a mouse in Lulu's room, right in the middle of her bedroom floor! The mouse was being gently "played" with by our largest cat, Oreo, but it was still very much alive. So, in a moment of quick thinking, The Mayor grabs an empty laundry basket and flips it over the mouse, trapping it. Now, the mouse is running laps under the basket and Oreo is trying to watch through the holes in the sides of the basket...funny! We realize we need a plan, something flat to slide under the basket so we can somehow get the mouse into a box and get it outside. I grab a piece of poster board and we slide it under the basket but, as we try to tip the basket back over the mouse pops out of one of the side holes and runs! I was sitting on the floor for operation poster-board-insertion so I get up to look for Mr. Mouse and as soon as I do, I realize that Mr. Mouse had RUN UP MY PANT LEG AND WAS INSIDE MY PANTS AT THE BACK OF MY KNEE!!!! OH GOLLY, GLORY, HALLELUJAH! THERE IS NOTHING LIKE THE SENSATION OF SOMETHING RUNNING UP THE BACK OF YOUR LEG!!!

Now, let me say that mice do not bother me, I think they are adorable, I would keep one as a pet if we didn't have cats, I drew pictures of them and wrote stories about mice when I was young, basically I have always had a soft spot for them. But, I have never had a stinkin' mouse running up my leg inside my pants! So, I did what any normal girl would do, I started screaming at the top of my lungs!! So, then both kids started screaming too, good thing our next door neighbors are in Hawaii or they probably would have called the police. We were SCREAMING! And I was jumping up and down and trying to get my pants off...but they were dress pants with an inside button and two hooks and then the zipper so it wasn't happening fast enough for my liking. In the end, my jumping up and down like a mad woman dislodged the mouse and he scampered across the room and hid behind Lulu's bedside table. The Mayor got him in the box and took him outside. Both kids were on Lulu's bed hugging each other, sobbing, until they realize that I was crying but also cracking up laughing! Then we all started laughing. The Mayor said later (when my heart beat returned to a normal range) that it was one of the funniest things he has ever seen in his life...his wife jumping around, trying to get her pants off cause there's a mouse up her leg! Never a dull moment around here girls!!

Whew, did anyone pass out? If you made it through the story I have a yummy cookie recipe to share. I love trying a new recipe and having it turn out to be one that is bound to become a favorite. And this one is just that, if you like oatmeal raisin cookies, you will enjoy these. They are kinda crunchy and kinda chewy from the coconut, perfect for breakfast! They were the best thing we ate this week!

Raisin Crunch Cookies

1&1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup old fashioned or quick cooking oats

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup raisin bran cereal

1&1/4 cup coconut

1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and oats; set aside. Beat butter and sugars in large bowl, until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating after each addition. Add cereal, coconut and raisins; stir until well blended. Drop by heaping tablespoonful, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes or until slightly browned. Makes 3-4 dozen.

 

In case you were wondering...that bite was from me not the mouse!!

Garden Time!

Our first full summer in the house and the Professor and I wanted to start a garden this year.  Remember all of that old wood in the second story of our garage?  Well, we are still using it!  This time to create a small raised bed vegetable garden.  We even found and re-used an old hinge for the gate!  There was even a bucket of outdoor white paint in the basement!  We are quite proud of our pen made out of recycled materials.

We purchased some plants and soil from the local garden shop and were able to obtain some fresh manure from S's and R's family farm!  We picked up some broccoli, cauliflower, parsnips, cucumbers, eggplant, snow peas, lots of squash varieties, cucumbers and some heirloom tomato plants.  We picked these up at the local farmers market and picked out 2 unique kinds of heirloom plants that are supposed to produced a varied version of the standard tomato.  Oh!  We also picked up 1 pumpkin plant!

This raised bed was already here when we purchased the house.  We are going to fill it in with lots of strawberries and some red sunflowers (my favorite).

Our carraige house (now a garage) even has the horse hitch!

 Next week, the planting begins!  Until then, the plants are on a work-release program and if they are good, they gain outside sun-time to photosynthesize.

Summer Means Salsa...

Hello, Sisters!!

One of my favorite parts of summer is the fresh salsa that we get to make with the veggies from our garden.  My taste buds are watering already!  I thought I'd share my two favorite recipes.

SHOO PEG SALSA: (This recipe uses some store bought ingredients and some from the garden...)

1 can black-eyed peas (drained and rinsed)

1 can shoo peg corn (white corn.. drained and rinsed)

fresh diced green pepper

fresh diced onion

fresh diced red pepper

1/2 cup oil (I use olive oil... but the recipe calls for canola oil)

1/2 cup cider vinegar

3 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp tiger sauce

Mix all ingredients together and you are DONE-O.

GRAMMIE TAMI'S fRESH SALSA:

chopped beefsteak tomatoes (if you  are making the night before use Italian Plum tomatoes-- they hold up a bit better)

chopped onions

chopped green peppers

one clove of minced garlic

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

splash of white balsamic vinegar

splash of hot sauce (add more if you like it spicy)

chopped parsley

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy! :)

*I like my salsa super spicy.. so I add chopped Jalapeños to both of these recipes-- seeds and all!  The heat is in the seeds.. so if you don't want it SUPER hot, leave them out!

**During the winter, or before the veggies in our garden are ready, I have made both of these recipes with bags of chopped veggies right from the produce section of my grocery store... and they are still delish! :)

I just LOVE salsa... if you have any favorite recipes, feel free to leave them in the comment section.