Eat in Month has come to an end!

Eat in Month has come to an end, and that's good because I wasn't completely successful. I failed about 4 times, but for an entire month of breakfasts, lunches and dinners, that's really not all that bad.

At the beginning of the month I cleaned out my pantry because it looked like this...

And I blogged about how I cleaned it out (http://creativeinkansas.blogspot.com/2010/01/in-honor-of-eat-in-month.html) so I could get a good start on eating in.

Unfortunately, it's time to clean the pantry out again. I guess I really should do this monthly.

The best part of eating in for the month of January, is that I wrote down what I made every night for dinner. Now I have those 31 meals for ideas when I am trying to decide on dinners for February and every month thereafter.

It really was a great experience and I appreciate Diana at 'The Chic Life' for the challenge. I love visiting her blog and she was one that inspired me to start blogging myself. Go check out her blog... 

http://www.thechiclife.com/

Yesterday's Thrift Store Finds

I don't usually shop at thrift stores but I've seen a lot of great blog postings lately with awesome finds. Yesterday, I stopped at one on a hunt for a neat frame, which I didn't find. However I did find some great things.

I found this tin box ($1.99)...

Which I decided to use as a plant holder.

This cherub, which is about 1 foot tall ($.99). The red is a reflection, it's actually solid white.

This great Hallmark card organizer, which will come in handy this week when I am organizing my stationery ($.99).

Believe it or not, this was my find of the day ($2.99). I have been on the look out for exactly this for an upcoming project, I was SO excited to finally find one at a decent price.

And for that same project I needed this (.99).

I bet you have no clue what I'm up to!

Then there was this food processor that didn't even look used ($6.99). It included all of the parts and the manual! I was super excited about this one as I've been wanting one for a while but couldn't bring myself to spending $50+ for the convenience of one.

And my oddest find (1.99).

Those are 12" tiles so this is pretty big. It's metal and I ssume it went horizontal on the wall and held votive candles. However, I plan to use it for either a scarf/ necklace holder in my walk in closet, or a piece of artwork in my teenager's room (which he already has approved of).

So all of that for under $20!

And in case you are wondering.. I tried out the food processor today on some hummus and it worked perfect!

Today we made Valentine's Day cards

Today I had a great time with one of my best friends and my soon to be mother-in-law making Valentine's Day cards. It reminded us all of being in grade school again.

My table looked like this...

Basically you could do and make anything your imagination let you. We had ribbons, buttons, stickers, papers, etc, etc. etc.

Below are a handful of the ones I made.

This one I used a vintage card on.

I want a crystal chandelier!

I want a crystal chandelier!

One like this (found at http://www.simplychandeliers.com/)...

Or this (Also found at www.simplychandeliers.com)....

Or even this (from www.lampsplus.com/)...

Okay, I may be just dreaming with that last one.  I told my soon to be husband, I want one and he asked me where I would put it. I told him I don't know, but I want one! Maybe it's the fact that I live with 3 human males and a male dog, and crystal chandeliers scream, "a woman lives here!". They are just so pretty, dainty, elegant and feminine.... Some day, I shall have one!

The things I treasure...

I try not to be a materialistic person. I do not want to need things. Unfortunately, although I may not be a materialistic person, I do tend to be a sentimental person. The items I treasure most are the ones that remind me of people, or moments in my life, that I hope never to forget. For example, this angel, it was given to me when I was 16 years old.

To me then, it was just an angel, nothing special. I said thank you, upon receiving it and didn't think any more about it. Until now, 16 years after the fact. Now this angel is non-replaceable. Is it a collectable? No, it's broken in several places and if it could talk it would surely say, "please bathe me."

So why is it so special? It's special because when I was 16, the person that gave it to me, was my 19 year old sister. My sister who is no longer with us. And now, when I look at this angel and see it's smile, I think of her. I think about how happy she must be in heaven, surrounded by the angels.

Do I need this angel, this thing that collects dust? No, because I have my sister with me in heart, every moment of every day, but I still enjoy it.

Finally tying the knot!

My honey and I were flipping through some books the other night, planning our marriage. That is after nearly 2 years of an engagement, it's about time, right? I've never been more sure about anything in my life. I love him with all my heart and am looking foward to spending the rest of my life with him. I met him nearly 4 years ago at a Starbucks and knew instantly that I was going to marry him someday. That day, is rapidly approaching.

New Project Awaiting- antique dresser refinishing

Yesterday, my soon to be mother-in-law gifted us her grandmothers old dresser that has been collecting dust in her basement. That makes it my fiance's great grandmother's dresser. It certainly has a weathered look to it, but I can still see the beauty. It's very sturdy and I plan to put it to good use after I refinish it. I'm thinking it will work great for my 15 year old son's room. Of course I wouldn't dare tell him until I transform it!

Here are the before pictures and hopefully in no time at all I will have some after photos!

Antiquing with Valentine's Day on the brain

Today I went antiquing with a girlfriend. Since I started decorating my house with Valentine's decor earlier today, I think I had it on my brain. I ended up buying some vintage Valentine's Day cards. I was just so intrigued by them.

 My two favorites were:

(approx.

1910)


















Dated
1907


Those two were post cards and the other ones were individual cards and not as old (Maybe from the 1950s).

I have a project in store for a few of them.

1 Day Closet Makeover

I've been pretty busy lately so I've been behind in keeping up a few areas of my life. Today, I decided to to spend my Saturday taking care of one of those areas, my CLOSET. It could have been an overwhelming task but I knew if I broke it into smaller tasks that I could get it done in a day. One of the reasons I told myself the closet was getting so bad was because there just wasn't enough room for all of my fiance' and my clothes. The closet is a decent size but it just seemed like it needed to be laid out different. I've been thinking for months of a way to add some more hanging place, and make the closet feel bigger. Today I accomplished that.

Step 1: Examine the situation.

Ahhh. Have I really been living like this??

Step 2: Clear out the space.

After clearing out my closet I decided to take a peak in the attic space above it and see if I could use any space up there for our luggage that keeps getting moved from one closet to another.

Sure enough.. there was plenty of space just no flooring. So... I made a trip to the hardware store and picked up some!

Perfect!

Step 3: Plan out the space.

Step 4: Create more practical space (I added a shelf and moved an existing shelf).

Step 5: Sort and get rid of what you can (unfortunately I'd already donated a bunch of clothes recently so I kept most of everything).

It's hard to believe there is a king size bed under there!

Step 6: Move back in, and organize as you go.

Step 7: Smile and pat yourself on the back, mission accomplished.

1 Day + total cost of $33. I saved money by using what I had and buying just what I needed to get the job done. If I hadn't planned I may have spent money on things that I really didn't need. I also thought long and hard about how to put all the space to good use, even looked outside the box, (or in this case, the closet) and considered the attic for additional storage.

Bierocks- a meat filled pastry orginating in Eastern Europe

My mom
used
to make
this
for
our
family
when I
was
growing up.

And of course what my mom made for us, I like to make for my kiddos.
Here is a little history about Beirocks from  wikipedia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bierock), "Bierocks are meat-filled pocket pastries originating in Eastern Europe, possibly in Germany or Russia, as the dish is very common among the Volga German community in the United States and Argentina. They were brought to the United States in the 1880s by German Russian Mennonite immigrants. In the U.S., bierocks are found in Kansas, North Dakota, Colorado, Northwest Oklahoma, and the western states of California, Utah, Montana, and Wyoming. The bierock is closely related to the Runza, primarily found in Nebraska."

I don't have my moms recipe but here is how I made mine tonight (I know she always put onion in them but my honey hates onions so they never enter our house, sad I know)

Ingredients;
1 (3 pound) package of frozen white texas size dinner rolls
1 1/2 pounds of ground beef
1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
3 cups of shredded mozzarella or about 12 slices of american cheese
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Directions:
1) Thaw out frozen rolls.
2) Brown beef, cabbage and garlic together in a large skillet. Add onion powder and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3) Roll out rolls into squares one at a time and place a spoonful of the beef/cabbage mixture onto the center of each dough square. Sprinkle with cheese (or a half slice if you use american). Fold over and pinch sides to seal. Rub a bit of oil on the outside of each pastry to keep it from drying out while cooking.
4) Place on cookie sheet and bake in preheated over at 350 degrees F for 35-45 minutes, or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

My grandmothers Pinking Shears

Today I stumbled across my grandmothers pinking shears. They have a 15 year gaurantee inside the box, but I'm pretty sure they are older than that. I'm guessing they are at least 50 years old, possibly older yet.

I honestly don't think I've ever used them. Oddly enough they have been packed away in my Valentine's Day decorations for who knows how long. I'll have to put them to work!

Yummy bread from a local bakery

Tonight for dinner we had the good ole' meat loaf, mashed potatoes, corn and bread. The best part was the bread I picked up! A 'Rosemary and Olive Oil' loaf made fresh by a Kansas City Bakery (Farm to Market Bread Co). I purchased it this evening at my local grocery store (Hen House). They have a 'buy 12 and the 13th loaf is free deal'. And no, you don't have to buy them all at once. If you use your discount card it keeps track of your purchases, and you can see how many you have purchased on your receipt.

I recommend trying some. It's great warmed up with a little butter spread! Check out their website... http://www.farmtomarketbread.com/