Birthday Roses

Okay, so my birthday was actually yesterday.

My husband surprised me with a dozen roses and breakfast in bed yesterday morning.

Isn't that sweet?

However, I always find it hard to display them.

I'm really not a fan of the cliche roses and baby breath jammed into a run-of-the-mill vase.

It screams "cheesy Valentine's Day present" all over it.

How do you mix cheesy roses with an antique-loving country-girl-at-heart?

Cut the roses short and display them in Ball canning jars!

Too bad I don't have any antique turquoise ones.

Oh well, can't be picky, can we?

I love how flowers can brighten up any room.

I'm getting pretty excited lately.

My bearded irises just poked their heads out, so I know it's not too far off when my lilac bushes will be in full bloom.

The usually bloom in May.



Great News on top of Great News!

Can you tell that I'm having a great day?

You know my carpet glue problem?

Well, today I think I have busted through that problem. Let me explain:

1. Goo Gone = does nothing. nadda. zip.

2. Goof Off = does nothing to the glue, but turns the paint into a gummy mess as well. Double gummy! Ahhh!

3. Industrial strength adhesive remover = same as Goof Off. See above.

4. Paint stripper = same as # 2&3

5. Sand paper = works, but EXTREMELY tedious, and not worth the cost in paper.

6. Ever SoniCrafter attachment known to man = still using it! (Will explain in a second...)

7. Mineral Spirits = I may as well have spit on the stairs to clean it. It would have done a better job...

8. Steamers = a really HOT gummy mess.

My in-laws came over the day of my frustration. My mother-in-law suggested Krud Kutter.

I was very skeptical.

In my head, "All this heavy duty stuff didn't work, and you think a household cleaner would?"

It did....

Haha, isn't that great?

How To Get Carpet Glue Off:

1. Scrape as much carpet backing/glue off as you can. This is easiest done with the scraper tool on the SoniCrafter. Using a regular scraper will take you hours what the SoniCrafter can do in seconds. This is a great investment!

2. Spray a liberal amount of Krud Kutter on the glue. Let sit for about 10 minutes.

3. Wipe away (I've been wiping with a paper towel! It's that amazing!)

4. If any residue is left, repeat steps 2 & 3.

Some spots are more difficult than others, so you may want to get a good scrubber as well. The trick is to scrape away so much that only residue is left by the time you use Krud Kutter. You also have to use a lot, so don't expect to buy only 1 bottle for a large area such as mine!

 

With any luck, I will be done with these stairs soon!

Stay tuned, because I have something awesome/amazing/FREE to show you!

Madison

Guess where I'm going?

We are going to a UW Schools Studen Senate Gayla (spelled right?)

Anyways, I have never been away from my kids for more than overnight, so I'm excited/nervous about this!

I have a dress being shipped in from New York. That's how excited I am.

Beautiful Madison, I haven't seen you since I was almost too young to remember...

And do you know what they have in Madison???

Yeah yeah, sure they have the capitol...

...but I can't wait to step foot in...

...POTTERY BARN!! hehe

I've never been to one, can you tell?

So I know this place is extremely expensive. I've visited their site. It's crazy.

So I'm going to scour the place for ideas. Maybe a Clearance item or two.

I think I can make these:

Shape some steel wool, spray paint it black (dark brown?) and stick a Dollor Tree votive in it.

Thanks for the idea, Pottery Barn!

I also have my eyes set on these:

They are pretty cheap for the set of 6. I love the numbers on them!

And I'm sure that Pottery Barn must have other things not listed on their site, so we'll see what I come home with!

Bathroom Organization

Does anyone's bathroom vanity look like this?

I couldn't even change out the TP without an avalanche of magazines toppling over.

So I bought a mesh magazine rack from Walmart for $6.50, and screwed it into the cabinet door.

If you do this, just make sure that the door still closes properly. This may not work if you have a really small cabinet door.

Mmmmm....organizational bliss....

My husband, upon existing the bathroom, "Honey, I think that magazine rack is my favorite thing you've done to the house."

;)

Cookbook Scrapbook

A reader recently emailed me about the cookbook scrapbook in this post.

She wanted to make a family heirloom of her own, so I decided that I would give some tips on how to make one of your own, citing examples from the one my mother-in-law gave to me.

All recipes have been blocked out. Some are family recipes, and I can't give those out!

Asian Dishes

-------------------

This is a recipe for Oriental Braised Chicken and Vegetables.

This one features:

-Chinese (or Japanese?) lettering for the background.

-A bowl and chopsticks for an accent

(When I say "accents," these are things that you can either print from Photoshop, find clipart online, or you can buy the little do-dads from scrapbooking/hobby stores.)

The recipe is printed out, layed on another black piece of paper to create a border, pasted onto the cardstock, with the accent on the top.

Other ways to get the look:

----------------------------

-rice paper for the background.

-Chinese lettering for accents.

-fade a picture of The Great Wall of China and put your recipe right on top of the picture.

-Chinese dragon clipart accent.

Mexican Recipes

----------------------

The next recipe is for Chicken Enchilada Dip.

This one features:

-2 pieces of cardstock. 1 is bright, colored Mexican-themed. The other is a yellow to match.

-Clipart accents of a sobrero, maracas, and afghan.

The background is creating my pasting the skinnier, brighter cardstock on top (all the way to the left) of the yellow cardstock. The recipe is hand-written on a notecard and pasted on the background. Then the accent is layered on top.

This next recipe is for Taco Dip.

This one features:

-Brightly colored cardstock.

-Sticker accents of a sombrero, maracas, pepper, and a Spanish phrase

The recipe is, again, hand-written. The notecard is then placed on yellow cardstock to make a frame, then pasted to the background cardstock. The accents are scattered around the page.

Breakfast Recipes

-----------------

This is a recipe for Oven Denver Omelets.

This one features:

-a distressed-looking background cardstock.

-Chicken accents

-a cute card to print the recipe on.

The recipe is printed on the adorable blank card. That is pasted on the background cardstock, and the sticker chicken accents are scattered across the page (chickens....well....because they make the eggs for the recipe, hehe)

Other ways to get the look:

-omelet clipart

-clipart of eggs

-any country themed background cardstock

-oven accent

This next recipe is for Blueberry Brunch Cake.

This one features:

-Blue background cardstock.

-colorful ribbons of paper

-heart accents

-coffee accents

-blueberry accent

This one is one of my favorites of the book. She used that adorable blank card again. The recipe is printed out. Notice that she included who's kitchen this recipe came out of! The border of the recipe card is mimicked on the background. She made ribbons (cutting different widths!) out of the colored paper. She layed them on top of each other (obviously with the widest on the bottom and the skinniest on top). Then (I believe...) she used a paper puncher or a Cricut to make all the hearts, pasting them around the colored ribbon. Then she scattered the accents across the page.

Thanksgiving Recipe

---------------------

This is a recipe for Bread Stuffing.

This one features:

-Fall-themed cardstock

-turkey accent (this is an actual scrapbook do-dad, not clipart)

The recipe is printed out in the same color that would be used for the frame. The recipe is then pasted onto the frame, then on to the cardstock. The turkey is then pressed below the recipe.

Fairly simple, right?

Other ways to get the look:

-live turkey accents

-any fall colored cardstock (brown, orange, yellow, etc.)

Christmas Recipes

-------------------

This is a recipe for Sugar Cookies. This does NOT have to be Chrismas themed, as sugar cookies aren't only a Christmas thing. Use your imagination and do it however you please!

This one features:

-gingham cardstock with a ribbon accent already printed on it.

-a pre-made recipe card

-red cardstock for the frame

This one's pretty self-explanitory.

This is a recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls. Again, this doesn't have to be Christmas-themed. It's just that most people make these fun treats during Christmas.

This one features:

-a pre-made recipe card

-Christmas accents made from a Cricut. (the layering technique on it)

-both red and green cardstock for the frame.

-Winter-themed background cardstock

Paste the pre-made recipe card onto the smaller red cardstock, then paste that on the larger green cardstock to make the frame. Paste all of this on your background cardstock, then add your Cricut accents.

Other Fun Ideas to Use in Your Scrapbook:

----------------------------------------------

-Make the recipe, take a picture of it, print it out, then paste that in your scrapbook like the commercially printed cookbooks do. That way people know what it's supposed to look like.

-Paste in a picture of the person who originally created the recipe.

Hope this helps everyone to create their own family heirloom!

Hardware Template

Here's a cheap way to put hardware on any door or cabinet flawlessly without buying any expensive equipment.

Here's my closet door before. Note that there's already a small hole where a knob used to be. The old owners must have taken it off, because I've never seen a knob there. I bought tons of hardware on ebay for my kitchen cabinets, and still have a lot of hardware left. So I thought "why not the closet doors?".....

So I made a template...

1. Use an index card.

2.Place your card on your door/cabinet and tape it in place.

3. Decide how far you want your hardware from the egdge by placing your hardware on your index card to the desired place.

4. Mark where the hardware touches the card. Punch holes into the card in these locations.

5. Mark arrows pointing to where the egdge is. This way you don't end up using the other side of the card and get differenct distances.

Just measure down/up to the holes at a consistant measurement each time, and you will get professional-looking results without the price. Making a template also guarantees to reduce the total project time.

Here's my closet after...

Don't you love this hardware? It's classic!...

Tips from Brittany's Liquor Cabinet

I had a cute post today, but after I got done taking pictures, my SD card farted, then died. So maybe tomorrow you'll see something of interest. But for tonight....

***Tips from Brittany's Liquor Cabinet!***
It's no secret that I enjoy a good brew. So I will share a few lessons, tricks, or tips learned from my very short years of being able to consume it.

1. Don't call, text, instant message (including Facebook, Twittering, MySpace posts), after consuming large amounts of alcohol. Nothing you say will make sense, and you could make a few enemies.
2. If any mixed drink curdles (I honesly don't care if it's SUPPOSED to curdle) don't drink it.
3. If Moonshine tastes like rubbing alcohol, then it probably IS rubbing alcohol.
4. For the ladies, heels and alcohol don't mix.
5. The slogan for Budweiser is "drinkablility" and that's probably because they stick as much water into it as they can get away with.
6. Yaegar comes in so many different sizes that you can actually make a shrine.
7. At least once in your life, you need to make up a drink that people LOVE. So far I have participated in the "Snowcone" and the "Junior Mint," and it should always be done with good friends and family ;)
8. Tallcans can actually be cheaper than the regular size. Dig for bargains, people!
9. BLOW OUT YOUR FLAMING SHOT BEFORE YOU DRINK IT!!! I've never seen a lady's face catch fire like that before.....lol.
10. Packing a cooler of beer in the car so that you can be literally drinking while driving tops the stupidity chart.

10 money saving Tips

***Tips from Brittany's Pocketbook***


I'm a sucker for sales. Even worse, I'm a sucker for anything FREE. Who isn't? With this economy, I decided to share a few secrets for scoring deals:

1. Walmart.com. Click on "In stores now" and then "Free Samples" For an entire year I didn't purchase a stick of deodorant because Walmart's sample sizes generally can last over a month. Check it weekly.
2. Shop4freebies.com Another one of my favs. They have a daily list of freebies, so check it daily! I've gotten everything from kitchen gadgets to dog food to months worth of shampoo on this site.
3. Department stores. You can score tons of makeup and perfume at counters. Most places like Younkers or Macy's (the ones that have the makeup counters), the associates actually work for the makeup company. The company's worry more about making repeat customers out of you, not making a sale right away. So go up to the counter and tell them that you've been shopping for something specific (weightless foundation, anti-aging creams, etc.) but that you don't want to commit to anything until you've tested it. Sometimes they will slap some on your face right there, but much of the time they will send you home with a tube. I haven't paid for makeup in years.
4. Another Department store. Ask for a sample of a perfume that just came out. The stores usually have sample tubes. If not, spritz a complimentary card 3-4 times with the perfume that you love and stash it in a plastic bag. This can honestly last quite a few days.
5. Spring cleanup. My city sets a few days aside once a year for you to put stuff on your curb that you no longer want. People can come up and take whatever they want. After the said amount of days, city workers will haul away what's left. I got my beloved potting table that way. Just take a car ride around your neighborhood and see what you can find!
6. Hold a swap meet. This can work with basically anything. Swap clothes, split perennials and swap, DVDs. Pretty much anything can be swapped amongst friends.
7. Go to your local health department of government financial center and pick up brochures. I picked up one that is a Dolly Parton reading thing. Anyone ages 5 and under is eligible to receive a new book in the mail every month until they get too old. And it's FREE!
8. Do the same for health insurance if you aren't insured.
9. Kiosks. Oh my lord, do those people running the booths want to do some crazy things to you, but if you have the time, it can be beneficial for you to take your time and let them do it. I've gotten free massages, free pedicures, and free makeovers from those silly places.
10. Rain barrel. I haven't gotten one yet, but it's on my agenda. Half my water bill is just from watering my gardens every day. Let mother nature pay half that bill for you ;)

Update on Patio, Cottage Decor

Alright, I promised an update pic of the patio. It's a bit blurry, but whatever. You get the idea. I still need a bit more concrete, but it probably won't happen until the weekend. There will eventually be grass in between the cracks, but I can't seed it until I install all the blocks and pack the dirt. So it will be a while before it's looking really nice.

Since an update on my patio is a little boring, I thought I would spice up today's post with an idea. Here's a story:

My husband had to go to his camp to clear out some old metal things to bring to the recycling center. There happen to be an old broken wheelbarrow in the mix. He wheeled it to the side of my garage and it has since never moved. It ended up being one of my favorite yard decorations.

So I need to remind everyone: cottage style is about what you make, or what you find. It mostly involves things that other people would throw away, or plants that you split from a friend/neighbor's garden. Take a look up at your own cabin and see what you can salvage, or even head to the dumps. You would be amazed at what you can find.

Knife tips

**Tips from Brittany's Kitchen**
Today we are going to talk about knives.

Go grab your block of knives (or any that are in your house for that matter) and come read this.

Look at the handle of your knives. Can you actually see the metal going all the way down the handle? There should be little metal pegs that hold the pieces together. that means that if you fully disassemble your knife, the blade would still have a handle. A metal one. THIS IS GOOD!
If the whole handle is just plastic (or whatever) toss it! In MOST cases, this means that the metal actually only goes down less than an inch into the handle. Press down too hard, the blade will separate from the handle and you could lose an eye. No joke.
I see these things returned at the store from broken handles all the time.
So you can still buy cheap knives, just check the handle first!! Could save you ;)

Fridge magnet, Mom tips

Well, here's the HOW-TO on my son's fridge magnet.

Beaded Flower Fridge Magnet
-------------------------------
Clay
Misc beads
Mighty Putty
Super glue
magnets
cookie cutter

1. Roll out your clay until it's about 1/2 in thick.
2. Press your cookie cutter into the clay and tear off excess clay. I just used a round jar lid for mine b/c we were originally going to do this project a different way.
3. Follow the directions with drying. Some air dry, others you need to put in an oven
4. You can do the mortar/grout way, which is messier. I had Mighty Putty sitting around, so I used that. Press the putty all over the top and sides of your shape.
5. Use a large yellow bead for the center of the flower, press down.
6. Add whatever colors around the yellow bead. My son chose purple b/c it's his fav color. Make sure to get the sides of your shape.
7. Super-glue magnets on the back. I chose the heavy-duty ones b/c with the beads, this object can get pretty heavy. Wait for it to dry and put it on your fridge!

I also made a copper windchime yesterday. I'm not satisfied with all of it yet though, so once I make the changes and hang it, I will post pictures. And I will also be starting a plaster toadstool project soon, so there will be a how-to on that also.


Tips from Brittany's Bathroom
------------------------------
Yeah I know, it's pretty random considering the content above, but I just felt like it.
Anyways....do you have kids? Remember all those random products that you used when you were pregnant or you had a newborn? Why waste them?
Palmer's cocoa butter for stretcch marks---it have ingredients that boosts elastin, right? Makes it harder to get stretch marks. Well, those same ingredients are used in almost all anti-aging creams. Instead of paying $60 on a 1-oz. jar of department facial creams (yes, they are that expensive, sometimes more), just buy a tube of cocoa butter. It's cheaper and works just as well.
Lansinoh for Breastfeeding Mothers----this is a cream that you put on your.....love buttons, lol. It heals cracks fast so that it doesn't hurt next time you breastfeed. I still use mine, but for the lips. My step-son gets chapped lips all year long, and this stuff can clear it up within 24 hours. And it doesn't have the bad taste of Vaseline.
It may sound strange, but when you have sagging skin and bleeding lips, I'll be the one laughing.

Anyways, my son's dr. appt. is in an hour. Pray for him!

Cook-it-Slow Beef-Stew, Garbage Disposal Tips

Getting my hair highlighted today. As my husband quoted "because some hair is more important than others." I have a wonderful woman that does it. She will come right to your house. Excellent if you have little kids. If anyone wants in that piece of action that lives in my area, gimme a call. Help a sista out!

I also made one window's shutters yesterday. They turned out fabulous! Well, they haven't been stained yet, but they look awesome anyways. REMINDER! There will be a HOW-TO posted once I have them all done! (For problem-solving sections and what-not)

So, last night I made a simple beef stew. Used the ol' crock so that I wouldn't have to do any work during the relaxing evening hours. It was sooooo yummy. Much better than that canned crap.

SLOW-COOKED BEEF STEW
------------------------------
1. Get out your ol' crock pot. I believe I used my 4-qt one. But you should put it in a bigger one if you decide to add more stuff than I did. If you don't have a crock, head to your local Younkers (hehe) and pick up one. There's a huge selection available in assorted sizes. Some with some awesome features. Turn it on HIGH
2. You're going to need about a pound of steak. I chose leftover round steak. Cut it up and fry it first in a seperate pan. Yes, a slow-cooker will cook a steak, but I don't like the thought of it not getting to the hottest temp to kill all the bacteria. Better safe than sorry. So chop it up, cook it, and throw it in your crock.
3. I used about 5 red potatos, but you can also use 2-3 russet potatos. Eyeball it. Cut up the potatoes, leaving the skins on. Make sure you wash them first! I make pretty big chunks, b/c I wanted a chunky stew. Toss them in.
4. Throw in half a bag (however many ounces that is =P) of baby carrots. I didn't chop them. You can if you want. Again, I wanted mine chunky.
5. Chop up two stalks of celery, toss them in.
6. Add about 1/2 cup of fresh parsely. Fresh parely will taste better than the crap in your seasoning jar. You can add it to your processor if you choose. Dump it in your crock.
7. Add 4 bouillon cubes and 4 cups water. You can do more cubes and more water if you want it to be more like a soup instead of a stew.
8. Stir it all up and let that sit for about 5-6 hours. I made mine around noon and by supper time, everything was soooo tender! Serve it up with some chunks of french bread and enjoy!


****TIPS FROM BRITTANY'S KITCHEN****
Thinking of getting a garbage disposal? Sure, why not? They are kind of handy. We might be getting one, just b/c someone insists that we need on and is willing to pay for it. But.....here's the kicker. WE ALREADY HAVE ONE!
His name is Sebastian. He's an awesome hound/german shepard mix, and he LOVES table scraps. So instead of spending money on something that could potentially destroy your nice silverwear or take off someone's hand (not to mention the cost of installing the damn thing), head to your local animal shelter and adopt your own cute cuddly garbage disposal. Other great features are:
1. Cheap security alarm.
2. Cheap entertainment for kids
3. Cheap company for trips to camp.
4. Cheap workout buddy
5. Cheap bed-warmer
6. And best of all: cheap love for a lifetime.

Can your garbage disposal do all that?? Didn't think so....



My garbage disposal-----

Tenderloin, Country Couscous, Garlic mashes potatos, Tips from Brittany's kitchen

I make awesome meals, I know that. Even my MIL has commented about how well my culinary skills are, and that's saying a lot! So....why the mini brag-fest?? I am (if I'm not too lazy) going to be posting awesome recipes from meals that I had the day before. I believe it will give my boring complain blog a little zip!

And of course I will still have my random thoughts, to-do lists, and general crap.

Tenderloin
------------
1.Pick out good cuts of meat. Nobody likes gnawing on fat.
2. I like to tenderize the crap outta my meats, especially for the little ones. Take a fork and jab 1,000 holes into the meat. It will help the seasonings sink in later. Take out you're trusty meat tenderizer and beat the living crap out of it with the jagged side. By the time you are done (make sure you flip and do the other side!) it should almost double it's size. If you have an old wooden tenderizer, burn it up in your fire pit and go to your local Younkers (hehe) and buy a nice metal one. Mine's not dishwasher safe, but wood ones hold all the VERY harmful bacteria inside your uncooked meats. Don't be a douche by getting your loved ones sick, k?
3. Pick out a nice steak rub. Most grocers carry them now. I chose not to drown mine by marinating it b/c I wanted more of the steak's natural flavor to show through. So just sprinkle a bit of rub on it, and well..rub! Flip and repeat.
4. Slap that baby on your grill and slow-cook it until it gets to your perfect "done". Can't tell when it's done??? Head to your local Younkers (hehe) and buy one of the new digital grilling forks. Preset rare-well done, poke it in, and it will tell you where your meat is!

Country Couscous
-------------------
1. There are premade couscous, but what fun is that?? Go out and buy an "original" package of couscous.
2. Dump in a bag of vegetable medley. I thaw mine first so that when you dump it in the water, it has more time to soak up the juices of the water. I like the brocolli, cauliflowerl, and carrot medley.
3. Put in a couple chicken bouillon cubes to taste **. I stick in 4, but whatever.
4. Make sure you add more water than what the box of couscous says! Or you will be peeling burnt couscous off your pot! More bulk=more water!
5. Keep an eye on it, stirring, until the water is pretty much gone.
**Instead of adding water (like the box says) you can add chicken broth in a box/can. Does the same thing, but water and bouillon cubes are cheaper.

Garlic Mashed Potatos
---------------------
You can go the easy way and buy the pre-made box stuff, go the hard way and boil/mash potatos, or do an in-between. That's what I did. I didn't want to make a feast yesterday =).
1. Grab a box/bag of instant mashed potatos. Add the water/milk/butter in the amounts that it says
2. Dump a bunch of garlic powder (I just eyeball it) and parsely flakes in.
3. Once you got that sucker boiling, add your potato flakes, stir, and serve!
You CAN mince up some garlic. But if you don't have a processor (head to your local Younkers and buy the super-easy super-compact Cuisinart model, hehe) or don't feel like dirtying up any more dishes, garlic powder does just fine. Plus, no one likes to crunch on a not-well-processed chunk of garlic. Least of all vampires. (I'm funny and you know it....)

*****TIPS FROM BRITTANY'S KITCHEN*****
What kind of cutting board do YOU have??
Wood---toss it. It holds sooo much harmful bacteria. If you care about your family's health, toss it. "I don't cut meat on it." you say?? Veggies/fruit hold insane amounts of chemicals, and cheese also has bacteria. Just toss it already.
Tempered glass---woohoo. you care about your families health. good for you. Now do you care about your blades?? How can you make chef-quality meals with dull blades?? I've never seen a product chip so many knife blades. We have people trying to return QUALITY knives because of these stupid boards. Ummmm....ma'am, you just voided your warranty on these. Take it up with the company. Seriously, some companies will void your knife warranties. "Oh, but they are such pretty designs under them and they compliment my kitchen" Shut up and toss them.
Plastic/polyurethane---Still dulls knives faster than wood, but not a poor choice. Design wise, they are ugly. Don't toss it. Keep it up for a backup board, incase your good one's in the wash.
Flexible plastic---You're basically cutting on a placemat. Whoever invented this should be shot. After a while of use, you'll cut right through the thin plastic and scratch up your beautful coutertop. Don't toss it. Use it as a placemat.
SO WHAT DO I BUY??? Bamboo---Brittany's Top Pick. And since I deal with kitchen crap all the time at my job, take my advice. If you don't have one, buy one. 1. Bamboo grows faster than other woods, so it's very eco-friendly (a big plus in my house). 2. It's more dense than wood, so it doesn't hold in all that harmful bacteria. 3. It's just like wood where it won't dull your knives as fast. 4. It's very pleasing to the eye. 5. If you don't like the scratches that it will get (just like wood), pull out your sander and go to town.