Friday, September 26, 2014

Distressed Blue Dresser

Thank you for all your suggestions about my yard sale dresser.

Blue Distressed Dresser


 I decided that, at least for now, I'm not going to paint it. I really don't have time right now for painting.  I went back and forth a little. Then one of my google+ readers said "If you like the color I would not change it".  And I'm really starting to LOVE the color.

Blue Distressed Dresser

 Notice the new knobs? Thank you all for the tip about getting the knobs at Hobby Lobby. I was able to get them at 50% off. And I think they fit the dresser perfectly! I topped the dresser with some faux books and my upholstery tack candles. See my tutorial to make your own.

Blue Distressed Dresser
The dresser is now sitting in my living room. I haven't had many people over since I've put it there, but everyone so far has commented that they like it. So thank you all for giving me the courage to put it in my living room.

Blue Distressed Dresser - Fabric Lined Drawers
I wanted to line the drawers with some cute fabric. There's something about using someone else's drawers and not knowing what's been in there  - even though I've cleaned it and even sanded down all the drawers. I found this yellow chevron print at Joann's. I lined all the drawers and made a little runner for the top too.

A little secret - I have resisted chevron for the longest time. Can you believe that at first I didn't like it? What kind of blogger am I that doesn't gush about chevron? But it's finally grown on me. And I'm loving this yellow and white with the dresser.

Before and After Blue Distressed Dresser
 Just a quick before and after. The drawers are now full of supplies for my menu boards.

Thanks again for all of your input and suggestions! I have the best readers!




Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Tips on Running a Household: Well-Stocked Freezer


 
Tips on Running a Household - Well-Stocked Freezer

 

We love a well stocked freezer. We have a upright freezer out in the garage. Buying it was probably one of the best decisions we've made.  When we moved into our house we got it. At the time we didn't even have any kids yet and I didn't think we'd ever fill it up. But now, with four kids we have no problem.

Some of the stuff we keep in the freezer:
Wild Game - Elk burger, deer and elk steaks, elk roasts
Pork - We get a whole pig cut and wrapped at our local slaughter house. This includes pork chops, ham, roasts, ribs, bacon, and sausage.
Fruit - We freeze the strawberries, raspberries and peaches from our garden and use them in smoothies or in baked goods. Also I dry apples and keep the in zip bags in the freezer until we're ready to eat them.
Strawberry Freezer Jam - I seriously do 4-5 batches a year, so it takes up a bit of room
Veggies - Shredded zucchini, peas, carrots and broccoli - from our garden.
Juices - in the door I keep orange juice and apple juice concentrates.
Butter/Margarine - I usually buy 6 at a time and they keep well in the freezer.
Chicken - I try to keep 3-4 whole chickens in the freezer to have for Sunday dinners. We only use one a month, but I just like having a few extra. I also buy whatever type of chicken we're going to eat that month and freeze it. ex. tenderloins, drumsticks, breasts...
Bread - I buy several loaves of bread at a time. I also freeze hamburger or hot dog buns. 
Misc. - Frozen pizza, hot dogs, etc.

Most of of freezer items, are not bought with our regular monthly shopping list. The wild game, of course, gets refilled once a year, during hunting season. The pork we usually buy every 12 to 15 months. We just call them up when we're out. It takes a bit of planning with your budgeting, because it's usually around $350 for a whole pig.  The fruit and veggies get refilled each summer and don't cost us anything but time and water. I try to buy the juice 10 at a time when I find them on sale. The rest of the things on my list are usually bought on a monthly basis.


I love that I can plan my menu from my freezer. I love the peace of mind that comes with having meat, fruit and veggies on hand for my family.


Other Tips on Running a Household:
Menu Planning
Well-Stocked Pantry
Food Storage


Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Tips on Running a Household: Food Storage

Tips on Running a Household: Food Storage
Today's topic is Food Storage. Several years ago, I had the calling {or job} for our ward to be the food storage specialist. Well, I was no expert, but I did learn a lot about the value and importance of having food storage. Food storage is simply having extra food on hand to use in times of emergency - like natural disasters or, more commonly, financial hardships.  To me, although we've never had to live only on our food storage, it gives me great satisfaction and peace to know that I have food stored for times of need.


A few tips I've learned along the way:

1 - Store food that you like and eat. This will help you to rotate through it so that nothing goes bad. This is something I've had to train myself to do. When I first started storing food, I found a great deal on pork and beans. There's nothing wrong with pork and beans - however - I bought too much. We rarely eat them because the kids don't like them. So they sat there and sat there with us rarely eating any of them. On the other hand, my kids love corn. So even though it's not as cheap as the pork and beans were, we actually eat it and nothing goes to waste.

2 - Use your food storage.  I plan my meals around the food I store. And I store food around the meals we eat. For example, in the winter we like to have chili. So when the case-lot sale comes around, I stock up on chili beans and tomato paste when they are at their lowest price. Then throughout the winter when I want to make chili, I just brown up some hamburger and grab a few cans from the basement.  Other favorite food storage meals are taco soup, beef stroganoff, and spaghetti. 

3 -Take advantage of garden produce. I know that I pay for the seeds and water, but it feels like it's free since I don't have to go to the store to buy green beans, or salsa. This time of year is a great time to can or freeze produce. This year I've frozen peas, carrots, strawberries, broccoli and raspberries - all from the garden. I've canned green beans, carrots, picante sauce, spaghetti sauce, strawberry jam, strawberry syrup, apricot jam, raspberry jam, and cherry pie filling.  And I'm not done - soon the peaches, apples and grapes will be ripe. Everything has come either from our garden, or from a neighbor/family member except the cherries and some of the strawberries. Take advantage when neighbor's offer their extra produce. This year I was able to make a batch of apricot jam with apricots my neighbor gave me.

4 -When canning, start small. Don't think you have to start canning everything all at once. I would suggest borrowing a water bath canner and trying just one thing. Peaches are in season Right NOW - and they are fairly simple, so that would be a good place to start. If you decide, canning is not for you, that's ok. If you decide that you like it, then you can invest in your own water bath canner and other supplies. You can read my other canning tips here.

5 - Figure out a plan that will work for you. When we first started storing food we were just starting our family. We didn't have any extra money for food storage. So we started very small. I decided that $10 of our monthly grocery budget would go to food storage. This was not an extra $10 - it was part of the already allocated grocery money. I just had to prioritize a little more to be able to include some food storage items and forgo the chips or cookies. I would buy a few extra cans of tuna, or an extra jar of peanut butter each month. It wasn't a lot, but as we made it a priority, we seemed to be able to get a good start. From there it's blossomed. Each year my husband has a week in July where he's guaranteed a ton of overtime. We use that money for his hunting trips and school clothes, but I always make sure to save some of that money for the case-lot sale, so I can stock up on the food storage items that we're running low on. For those of you in Utah the case-lot sales are going on right NOW if you want to get started.





Do you store  extra food? What tips do you have for acquiring food storage?



Other Tips on Running a Household:
Menu Planning
Well-Stocked Pantry


Friday, September 5, 2014

Dresser - I need your opinions!

I need your opinions!  Please!
1 - Would you repaint this dresser, or would you keep the distressed look?
2 - What do you think about a dresser in a main living area such as a kitchen or living room? Is that weird?
3 - Do you know of a good place to find unique and inexpensive knobs?


This summer, I got a dresser at a yard sale for $8. It sat in the garage for a month or so and I finally got out the sander and went to town. I was originally going to just give it a quick sand so I could repaint it, but after I started sanding it I kind of like it. If I repaint it, I was thinking of doing a couple shades of blue, or blue and cream.  Here's a few pictures. Tell me what you think!!

Blue Distressed Dresser


The previous owner apparently had painted the drawers a lighter color and then painted over them to match the rest of the dresser.  I'm kind of liking the two-tone effect that the sanding brought out.


Blue Distressed Dresser

 Here's a before and after:

Blue Distressed Dresser

The green knobs had to go. The question is, what to replace them with. I had a few squareish knobs, that I was trying out, but I don't have enough for all the drawers. I'd love some advice on where to get unique, inexpensive knobs. I'd hate to pay too much for knobs when the dresser itself was only $8.

Blue Distressed Dresser
Another question I have is about where to put it in my house. I'm going to be using it to keep supplies for my menuboards that I've been selling in my shop, Bits of Sparkle and Lace. Right now everything is in a plastic tub and I have to dig everything out to get to the stuff at the bottom. I'd love to have the dresser in the living room or kitchen. That way I can easily get the stuff I need as I'm making the menu boards without having to run down to the basement. BUT... Is that weird to put a dresser in the kitchen? Or the living room? What are your thoughts???


Blue Distressed Dresser

 Please tell me your opinions and what you would do with the dresser! I really need some help with this one. 

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Tips on Running a Household: Well-Stocked Pantry


Tips on Running a Household - Well Stocked Pantry

WELL-STOCKED PANTRY

There's nothing worse than wanting to make some kind of treat and suddenly finding out that you don't have enough flour. Over the years, I've perfected the art of keeping a stocked pantry. It's super easy to do. It's something I picked up from my mom.

Throughout the month I keep a list of things that I'm running low on. It's just a slip of paper on the side of the fridge. When I'm getting low on baking powder, for example, I write it on the list. If I find a recipe for some dessert I'm dying to try, but I don't have the ingredients, I write it on the list. When the kids eat the second to last box of macaroni and cheese, we write it on the list. It's not just pantry and food items, it's also household items, like soaps and cleaners. When it's time to make my grocery list I have a start. Basically it's my reminder. And it works! I almost never run out of the basic pantry items, and items we use often.

Well Stocked Pantry List



Now, if you're just starting out, don't feel like you need a huge amount of ingredients. Just start with the basics. Then as you start figuring out what your family likes and eats often, include those items on your pantry list. Below, I've listed what I consider my basic "can't do without" pantry items.


Basic Pantry Items

Flour
Sugar
Salt
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Cocoa
Shortening
Brown Sugar
Powdered Sugar
Oats, quick and regular
Rice
Cornstarch
Yeast {I keep it in the fridge to lengthen shelf life}
Chocolate Chips
Peanut Butter
Honey



Below are some things I also like to keep on hand all the time. Tailor your list to your families needs and likes. For example, if you never make bread or rolls, there is no need for you to stock bread flour or yeast.


Expanded Pantry List

Macaroni and Cheese
Noodles {various kinds}
Koolaid
Bread Flour
Wheat Flour {or wheat to grind into flour}
Spaghetti Sauce
Pizza Sauce
Mixes - like gravy, taco, ranch, pudding etc.
Crackers {saltine, graham}
Herbs and Spices
Canned goods {veggies, fruits, cream soups, beans, etc}
Ketchup
Mustard
Mayo/Salad Dressing


Non-Food items don't go in my pantry, but they are just as important to keep on hand. I like to keep at least one extra of these items, sometimes more - depending on how quickly we go through it. When I grab the last one from the shelf, then it gets written on the list.


Non-Food Items

Bar Soap
Dish Soap/Dishwasher Soap
Hand Soap
Shampoo
Conditioner
Deoderant
Toilet Paper
Paper Towels
Bathroom Cleaners
Laundry Soap
Dryer Sheets
Lotion
Toothpaste



What have I missed? What are your "must-have" pantry items?


 You may also like:
3 steps to an organized pantry













3 Steps to an Organized Pantry


Other Tips on Running a Household:
Menu Planning
Well-Stocked Pantry
Food Storage