Day #1- Junk Drawer (21 Day Organizing Challenge)

So, I finally started the 21 day organizing challenge yesterday.  I had found this challenge on Pinterest several, several months ago and thought it was a great idea.  It comes from the blog a bowl full of lemons.  I had original planned to start this at the beginning of the New Year but, things have been a little hectic. I also know it will take me a bit longer than 21 days to do this challenge.  I just know how I am, and for me to accomplish this I will have to do it on the weekends.  I will just do one to two challenges a weekend.

Day/Weekend # 1- Junk Drawer

 

This is what my drawer looked like before.  It was a complete mess. 

 

 

I bought these mesh bins from Bed Bath and Beyond. They have a ton of different sizes.  I figured these would be perfect to help me organize my junk.

 

This is all my junk on the kitchen counter.  I can't believe all that fit in my drawer.  More than half of it went in the trash. 

Here is my drawer nice and organized.  It looks incredible and it is such a relief to finally have it clean.  Everything has a place now so, nothing should just be thrown in there.  I can't wait to organize the rest of the house.

Here is the link to a bowl full of lemons 21 Day Organizing Challenge

http://abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com/p/21-day-challenge.html

- L -

Personalized Wooden Crate

Pallets and wooden crates are really big right now.  And I have to admit I love them.  I really want an old looking crate in my living room to hold all of DD's toy.  I just think they are so neat looking and have so much character.  I went to Jo-Ann's and found this unfinished crate for only $9.  It was perfect. 

All it needed was some stain.  Which I got at Lowe's.  I did try out a couple of stains before I found one I liked though. This one just had the most beautiful coloring to it.  It is by Rust-Oleum and is the Early American

 Next, I went to work in the garage staining away.  I just used an old paint brush and a cloth diaper to rub off the extra stain.  The cloth diaper worked perfectly for that and it gave me an excuse to use one ( I do use them when I Pledge my furniture also, they work great for that as well).

Once the stain was done drying I decided  to stencil it and give it a bit of personalization. Just as a side note, it did take several days for the crate to dry.  The one I am showing your guys is the crate I did for Whitney.  She really wanted one as well, and I did hers before mine.  Mine is still a work in process. 

 I got my stencils from the Martha Stewart line.  It's the Monogram Serif Alphabet Stencil. 

Martha Stewart Serif Alphabet Stencil

I also got this awesome tool that makes stenciling a breeze.  It's by Martha Stewart as well.  It is the Foam Pouncers Set. 

Martha Stewart Foam Pouncers



I just used some black acrylic paint that I borrowed from Whitney for the stenciling. 

 For her crate I used her last name and the year she got married.  Voila! Here is the finished product. 

Here it is in Whitney's living room holding some blankets. 

- L -

Beer in Butt Chicken (on the Grill)

This is a great recipe if you need to feed alot of people for a low price.  We made 3 large chickens that fed around 20 people for about $15!!

Not only is this recipe inexpensive, it is awesome!  Crispy outside and juicy inside.

Ingredients

whole chicken

olive oil or butter

garlic salt
onion powder (or minced onions)

black pepper

paprika
half a can of beer

Start by cleaning the chicken and removing all the insides.  Next cover the chicken in either butter or olive oil.

Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken. Then put the beer can in the chicken's bottom and adjust the legs so that it will stand sturdy.  Put the chicken on a LOW grill and cover.  After an hour check chicken for crispy outside and an internal temperature of 165 degrees. 

Cooked to perfection!

-W-

DIY Instagram Polaroid Magnets

So my friend Rhiannon is leaving to move to Frederick, Maryland and I decided to make her some homemade magnets as a going away present.  I had found these tiny DIY Polaroid magnets on Pinterest and thought this was such a cute idea.  But, I also love the Instagram program and the idea of the Stickygrams (Instagram magnets).  I just didn't love the cost of $14.99.



by Ambrosiagirl





Stickygram



So, I decided to combine the two ideas together.  I had her email me her favorite pictures and then I took those and Instagramed them.  I then used the website Picnik to edit the photos.  All I did was add the polaroid border to it and saved the finished photos to my computer. With the polaroid border you have to choose a background color.  I choose gray for mine because, you will be cutting this off and I didn't want to waste my black ink.  I then printed the photos out on 4X6 Kodak photo printing paper. 

I then cut the pictures out with the polaroid background and mod podged them onto the backing of a notebook. 

 

Once the pics were dry I cut them out and then glued the magnets onto the back of them. I used E-600 to glue the magnets on.  I also used a strip magnet that I had bought from Hobby Lobby.  The magnet does the trick but, next time I think I am going to use the circular magnets.  I just think the circular magnets will lay better and you can get some heavy duty ones from Home Depot for really cheap. 

 

 I let the magnets dry overnight and then put them up on the refrigerator for Rhiannon to find the next day.

 

This project only cost me $3.00 for the magnets.  I already had the photo paper, the mod podge, the notebook, and the glue.  And I think they came out pretty good.  They are cute and functional at the same time.  I think I will be making myself some soon. 

- L -



Getting Organized

It is a brand new year and with it comes those wonderful New Years resolutions (total sarcasm).  I already know the main things that I need to do, like lose weight, eat better, and become a healthier person in general so, I figured that those things would not be good resolutions.  Instead, I decided to try and fix one of my major issues that I have in my life and that is being organized.  It is not just one area of my life that I have issues with organization but, all areas.  This year I am going to fix it.  I am going to become a to do list kind of girl and get it together. Here are some things that I hope will help me along the way to getting organized.

A bowl full of lemons

First things first.  I have to get my house organized.  This 21 day challenge is the perfect way to do that.  Each day you clean/organize one thing.  This is perfect for me because, it is simple and you don't get overwhelmed by trying to get everything done at once. 

House of Smiths

This is a magnetic board that I want to make to have my to do list, my chores list, and my weekly menu.

I was thinking of using an old shutter to help store my mail and bills.





clean mama


This is a budget planner and a bill tracker.  I was thinking of using something like this to help get my bills in order and maybe save some money.

 

 

    I love the idea of having some nice baskets on the stairs to help carry all the stuff that I need to take upstairs.  It would also help keep everything in one spot and look nice and clean.





clean mama

  

Kamley Lane

Here are some ideas for some weekly chores.  I just need to decide on the best one for me and stick to it.  I hate having to do all my cleaning on either Saturday or Sunday.  I miss out on family time and it is just annoying trying to get it all done in one day.

scrimpalicious.blogspot.com

And last but, not least is a weekly menu planner and grocery list. 


- L -

Superbowl Party

It's about that time again.... football, food, and hilarious commercials (which is my favorite part).  So in honor of the most watched event on TV, we will be showing you some of our favorite crowd pleasing appetizers.

This is a real simple one and usually a fan favorite..........Potato Skins! 

The best homemade ones that I've ever had were made by my good friend Julie. 

She followed this recipe, from simplyrecipes.com.

Ingredients

• 6 small to medium sized russet baking potatoes (total 3 pounds)
• Olive oil
• Canola oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 6 strips of bacon
• 4 ounces grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced, including the greens of the onions

Method

1 Scrub the potatoes clean then bake the potatoes using your favorite method, either oven or microwave. If using an oven, rub with olive oil and bake in a 400°F oven for about an hour until the potatoes are cooked through and give a little when pressed. If using a microwave, rub all over with olive oil and cook on the high setting for about 5 minutes per potato. I have found that baking the potatoes in a conventional oven yields potatoes that are easier to work with (cut and scoop out), the potato seems to adhere to the skins a little better, but there is hardly a discernible difference in the final product.

2 While the potatoes are cooking, cook the bacon strips in a frying pan on medium low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Let cool. Crumble.

3 Remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool enough to handle. Cut in half horizontally. Use a spoon to carefully scoop out the insides, reserving the scooped potatoes for another use, leaving about 1/4 of an inch of potato on the skin.

Increase the heat of the oven to 450°F. Brush or rub canola oil (or another high smoke point oil) all over the potato skins, outside and in. Sprinkle with salt. Place on a baking rack in a roasting pan (don't use a cookie sheet, it will warp, use a roasting pan or broiler pan that can take the heat). Cook for 10 minutes on one side, then flip the skins over and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle.

4 Arrange the potato skins skin-side down on the roasting pan or rack. Sprinkle the insides with freshly ground black pepper, cheddar cheese, and crumbled bacon. Return to the oven. Broil for an additional 2 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven. Use tongs to place skins on a serving plate.

And because she is super crafty she pipped the sour cream on the potatos to look like football laces.

Love them!

-W-

Bacon, Cream Cheese, & Jalapeno Appetizers

I know you're probably thinking, "whats with all the jalapeno stuff?" And it's kind of funny because I don't particularly love jalapenos, but they are growing on me.  So the fact that the two recipes on here have jalapenos in them is just a coincidence.

My sister-in-law found this recipe on Pinterest and decided to try them out on Christmas.  They were such a big hit.

All you need is:

Jalapenos

Cream Cheese

Bacon (cooked and chopped)

Crescent Rolls



We cut each triangle of dough in half. Then topped with a spoonful of cream cheese, a jalapeno slice, and some bacon pieces.  

Pics from http://aisletoaloha.blogspot.com
Next we rolled them up and baked them, about 15 mins (or golden brown) at 350 degrees. 

Pics from http://aisletoaloha.blogspot.com

They were Yummy!! 

- W -