Thankful

As I have been going over events that have happened to me this past year and looking at where I am today, I have much to be thankful for.  Psalm 37:5 reads "God has a reason for allowing things to happen.  We may  never understand his wisdom, but we simply have to trust his will."   A year ago I left a relationship that I thought I would spend the rest of my life in.  I left many material items behind when I chose to leave.  However, because of this event in my life, I have learned that I am able to do many things that I would not have attempted to do had it not been for the situation I found myself in.  With the help of some very dear friends and family, I have been able to rebuild and learn more about who I am.  I have learned that I have additional talents and abilities I never knew I had. 

Several months ago I shared on this blog pictures of a home that I have rented and spent numerous hours over the past few months cleaning up.  I didn't have much to start with but a vision, and that vision has paid off.  My son, Austin, shared in my enthusiasm and spent the last few days redoing my kitchen countertops. 

This is what the kitchen looked like before ....

And this is what it looks like now ...

The color scheme or "theme" came from this fabric line by Cosmo Cricket with red, gold, green, cream and black which my dear friend Marci gave me as a gift.  I made the quilt which hangs over my kitchen door on display.  This theme is carrying into the back porch where I refinished a hutch (I will share more on it later). 

Back to my thankful story ... all of this came as a result of much of the furniture I had left was damaged  from moving or being in storage.  As I have tried to rebuild and make a "home" I have picked up various items at garage sales over the past few months, such as an entertainment center for $10.00, a bar stool or chair for a couple of dollars, or a dresser for $10.00.  I have learned through trial and error how to refinish these items and make them work for me.  I have a place that a landlord has allowed me to enhance as I see fit.  Thank you for all those who have shared my enthusiasm over my little finds and the ideas that are constantly churning through my head.  I hope to have more items finished and be able to share soon. 

I am thankful for the talents that I have and the new talents that I have found.  I love my family and appreciate all that you do for me.  Happy Thanksgiving! 

Windows ...

I am always trying to think of different ways to display quilts in my house.  I was looking at a couple of old windows I had and the idea came to me to make a quilt hanger.  The windows were washed up goo, the paint colors are the original paint.  I left the yellow and green because this one matches my room.  Although the glass is broken out of this particular window, I may still put a vinyl saying on the wall to make it appear as though there is glass or just an added touch of something.  I am quite fond of it. 

 The second window is a 3-pane window with glass intact.  A dear friend has it hanging in her home.  I am personally seeing photos displayed behind the glass! 

Refurbishing

The past few months I have been playing with some smaller items of furniture (pictures were previously posted) ... but I just finished a larger item.  Unfortunately, I didn't take a "before" picture.  However, I have a companion piece to this furniture so you can see how dark the wood and varnish is.  Hopefully this little hutch will get finished soon for my house (and I will post pictures when it is done) ....

BEFORE:

AFTER...  The dresser was painted in white, some of the old stain showed through in places, and I used a tea dyed glaze over the white.  The old hardware was broken so I found like replacements.

 and I made a little dresser quilt for the top out of some scraps.

I grew quite fond of it, but a family member of a family member is enjoying it now. 

Will I have withdrawals?

The past few days I have let several quilts go to new homes.  I know I can't keep them all, and I need to do this, but dang I love them.  The good side is they will be used and loved rather than just being put away where they aren't seen.  These two have a common theme -- fall!  Everyone must be loving this time of year and wanting something to decorate with or warm to wrap up in.  

Oak Leaves N Reel

I believe this fabric is a Sandy Gervais print "Trick or Treat"
I pieced it years ago and just got the quilting done, cottons and flannels

Look at those cute pumpkins and leaves

I will share pictures of some others in a separate post. 

The winner is ....

Jasmine Walker is the winner of the give away!  Congratulations Jasmine.  You can contact me and we will discuss what size and determine the exact colors.  Thank you for following our blog and participating.

Step Stool

With lots of little ones in our family I needed something small children could stand on to help in the kitchen, whether it's dishes (NOT) or making cookies (much more likely).  I thought this little stool would be just the right height.  It is sturdy, and just needed some scrubbing and a little paint ...

Although I have been painting with a lot of black I opted to paint the legs a dark brown with a red undercoat on the top and a mustard color over the top.  I LOVE the way it turned out.  It isn't in the way when it's in the kitchen, its' also perfect for a small seat for a little one. 

Rhonda

High Chair

I found this darling wood high chair at a local thrift shop.  It was in pretty good condition, the tray had a good size crack in it but I knew that could be fixed -- so it found itself a new home (in my garage that is for 3 or more months). ;o)

Now it has a new do so to speak -- some red peeking through under the black and now my grand daughter, or nieces and nephews have a place to eat when they come to visit.  It makes me wonder who had this chair in their home previously -- and how old it is.  It will be in my home now until the little ones are gone, but we are hoping for some more in our family.

Rhonda

It's a Give Away

I don't know about all of you, but we have a problem at our house, I am constantly finding my son's hoodies, belts, etc. strung all over the house whether it's the floor, couches, over doors ... you name it and it's there.  So I asked him about making something to hang his "stuff" on and explained to him what my ideas were about coming up with something cool for a hook/coat rack.  He went to our ever growing scrap wood pile, I had some hooks on hand -- and after playing in the garage for a while I thought he came up with something totally awesome.  The reveal ....

Since it's time for back to school and there will be more coats, back packs, and the like at your home, we are giving away a hook/coat rack.  To enter please comment on what you would use a rack for, what room you would use it in, and what colors you would like it to be painted ... and the winner will receive a custom made hook/rack (whatever you want to call it).  So get up, go look around your house and send us your comments.  And to sweeten the pot -- you need not be present to win!  Isn't this internet/blogging stuff so cool???? Have a great day. 

 Rhonda

Oh and a winner will be announced on August 10, 2012.

Velvet Banana Bread

 My mom used to make Banana Bread all of the time and it was delicious! It was the best Banana Bread recipe that I have tried, up until now. I have been on this journey, to take my favorite foods and make them healthier. So I played with this recipe and the end result is absolutely delicious. Not only does it take about 1/2 ......Yes, I said 1/2 of the calories out, it is much more moist and flavorful.

 The original recipe called for 2 cubes of butter and 2 cups of sugar! If I added up the calories from that alone, it would be a staggering 3,148! So I knew I had to make some changes, so here they are...

I changed out the 2 cubes of butter, for 1 cup of applesauce. I also took the sugar down from 2 cups to 1  1/2 cups. Not only does it save thousands of calories, it is a delicious treat that you will love. Here is the recipe:

• 5 large ripened bananas
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup applesauce
• 4 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

In a large mixer, add bananas and mix until liquefied. Stir in sugar, eggs and applesauce.. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and kosher salt and stir until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture. Mix on a low speed until the flour is incorporated. Add chopped walnuts if desired. Pour into two bread pans that have been sprayed with a Non-Stick Spray. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.

I hope you enjoy this Banana Bread as much as my family does. It is such an easy recipe and it is a healthy snack or treat!

Julie

Cancer Quilt

A while back someone asked if I would sew a quilt for a co-worker/friend who had recently been diagnosed with cancer and was starting chemotherapy.  (I hope these individuals don't mind if I share).  The co-workers/friends wrote on these hearts with pigma pens.  Some individuals cited to a scripture, others wrote a personal message, some quoted a saying -- they were all wonderful.  We didn't want the quilt to be an oversized Valentine, but instead show the recipient how much she is loved, cared for, and thought of.  I dug in my scraps and this is what I came up with -- lots of scrappy pinks, reds and whites to sew the hearts on.

To make the heart blocks stand out I used a small dot print for the posts and a creamy white solid sashing for the blocks.  Now to find a border, binding and backing to tie it all together -- off to a local fabric store to shop and this is what we came up with.  Here it is all sewn together.

This was one of the messages to the recipient of the quilt -- I just had to share.

And the final touch was the quilt label -- I am so bad about labeling my own -- but this made it even more personal. 

I need to give credit to my wonderful mother who appliqued hearts and sewed so I could do the quilting and finishing.  I believe between the two of us we finished this project in under a week.  I am thankful I was asked to be a part of this project.  A few months later I had the opportunity to meet the individual the quilt was presented to.  This was such a great idea, the recipient will have this to treasure -- and it will be a family keepsake forever.  





It's been a long time since I have posted on the blog, but it does not mean that I have not been busy -- the problem more likely is I have been too busy.  A few months ago I found the perfect little house to rent, it just needed some work, and more work, and I'm still working on it.  I spent at least 6 weeks cleaning, repairing, and painting the inside of the house (with the exception of finishing some repairs and paininting on doors and moldings).  The kitchen is large, it has the old retro gold linoleum, pink laminate countertops and backsplash, the fridge and stove took hours to get in usable condition -- but it has all paid off and we are loving it..  The good news is the cabinet doors were in good shape, some Howards Feed & Wax perked them right up. WARNING -- some of the BEFORE photos may be hazardous to your health!

BEFORE

Austin is in this picture so you can see the (before) door in the background

AFTER

Clean Stove (Thanks Mom for all your patience and help)

Walls with a new coat of paint and clean floor

Kitchen door and molding

Austin had the idea to paint the column under the counter and distress it to match the door,

the wood was in pretty rough shape

I have a theme coming into effect, since this picture was taken  I have added a black bar stool.  I have a couple more things to finish in the kitchen, and when I post my additional photos (I have imposed a personal deadline for July 31, 2012), I will snap a couple more pictures to share, it will all come together and you will see where my color choices came from.  (Hint -- my life revolves around fabric).
 

Strawberry Orange Splash

It has been a long time since I have posted on our blog. There are so many reasons for this. Before, I was posting all of these yummy recipes that were not only great, but very fattening. Well....a few months ago, my husband I decided to make a change...A BIG change! So we have spent the last few months taking all of our old recipes and improving them. We are still making all of our favorite recipes, but now, we have reduced the calories in them (some over half) and have taken the old recipes and made them, healthy and delicious! But the best part is, we have not sacrificed any of the flavor. Since we started this a few months ago, my husband has lost over 75 pounds and I have lost almost 50! So here is our first recipe..Enjoy!

• I have always loved fruit drinks. The problem, is that I would make lemonade and it had 2 cups of sugar. So here is a very delicious drink that not only tastes great, but only has a few calories per 16 ounce glass. This drink is great on a hot July day like today!

1 package Crystal Light Drink Mix. I used Wild Strawberry, but Lemonade or your favorite would be great also.
2 cups of Ice
8 cups of Cold Water
1 cup Frozen or Fresh Blueberries
1 large orange ( I cut up half for decoration in the drink and with the other half I squeeze the fresh orange juice and add it to my mixture
1 large bunch of Fresh Mint

Add all ingredients to a large pitcher and stir. Refrigerator for a couple of hours so that all of the flavors will incorporate. You can also add Fresh or Frozen Strawberries, Grapefruit, really any fruit that you like. It is very refreshing drink and the best part is that it is also a very low calorie treat!

Julie

Meatball Subs

These meatball subs are absolutely amazing! This is a family favorite and my kids ask me to make these on a weekly basis. They are very easy to make and the meatballs are great for leftovers. This is how I make them.

1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound italian sausage ( I get mine at my local butcher)
1 1/2  teaspoons kosher salt
3.4 teaspoons black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon italian herbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic minced
2 eggs
1/2 cup italian bread crumbs
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
6 hoagie rolls toasted
6 slices of provolone cheese

Mix all ingredients together. Roll meatballs to desired size ( mine are about 2 inches), put on large baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes, until meatballs reach internal temperature of 165 F.
I then open my favorite jar of pasta sauce which is either Barilla tomato and basil or Classico's carmalized onion and garlic. I add my cooked meatballs in a saute pan and pour pasta sauce over. Continue cooking 3-4 minutes until sauce is hot. Spoon meatballs into hoagie roll, add provolone cheese and then spoon desired amount of sauce onto your sub. Last, enjoy these awesome sandwiches. I call them the Friday night special.
Julie