Frugal Accomplishments Holiday Edition

This past week was great for us in terms of frugal accomplishments.  We did splurge on family photos with a photographer, but she gave us a discount since I've taught her children.  Our focus this past week was on saving time and money in the kitchen so that we could take advantage of some holiday gatherings with friends.

• Prepared all meals at home.  Were grateful for holiday leftovers, gifted soup from friends, and everyone being healthy enough to eat this week.  We made cranberry muffins for breakfast one morning (which were a total hit since 11 of the 12 were gone by the end of the day!) and used pantry items to fill in with the leftovers.
• Welcomed gifted food from my grandmother who was cleaning out her pantry.  We acquired some fruit syrup, canned goods, baking mixes, and dried fruit.
• Washed all clothing in cold water and hung most laundry to dry inside.  Only sheets and towels were run through the dryer.
• Continued using cloth diapers for baby, saving a bundle.
• Made candied popcorn for little man's teachers using ingredients on hand.
• Opted not to purchase new glasses for myself this year, but will wait until next year.  My prescription hasn't changed much, so it wasn't a necessity.  The 14 year old glasses will serve just fine for another year!
• Began putting holiday cards up on the mantle for some festive cheer
• Listened to Pandora for Christmas music
• Wore existing clothing to a holiday party and paired green accessories with red sweaters/shirts.  Little man wore a Santa jammie shirt as his festive item.
• Participated in two holiday parties over the weekend, so were grateful for the food there and gracious hosts.  We did take pizza toppings to share at one, using green peppers and homemade pesto we had in the freezer.
• Used Christmas books as our advent calendar this year.  I had enough collected that I could wrap them, and might need to borrow a few from the library.  Little man gets to open one a day.
• Saved my supplement check to pay for car repair/maintenance work being done today.  Using a shop that is close to my school, so I can drop it off in the morning and walk to school.
• Finally located the box of 12 month winter clothing for baby, so glad to have found winter sweaters and jackets for him.  Also grateful for a cousin sharing baby clothing with us which we'll return to her.
• Intend to help little man weed through his toys some to give to other kids in need this season.  He has many (though not as many as some), and as with most kids, seems to find the most joy in simple blocks, stones, balls, and time outside.  We will keep the treasures, but need to weed out some to begin making room for more clothing storage as the boys grow.
• Accepted a small table top tree from my grandmother to decorate upstairs for the boys.

What did you do this week to live and save green?  I'd love to hear from you!

Frugal Accomplishments

This week was pretty good for us in the budget department.  It was snowy all week, so there was no school for kids, and I got to work from home most days.  We also made great use of our pantry and freezer, so we saved quite a bit on groceries.  There were a few things we "splurged" on, but they were also things we would really use in the long run.

• All meals were cooked at home.  We did two crockpot meals this week, so that saved on energy.
• Turkey stock was made from the Thanksgiving turkey carcass in the freezer.  We used the meat  and some stock to make turkey noodle soup.  The rest of the stock was frozen for later use.
• Black bean chili was made with dried black beans from the pantry, and all other ingredients were in the pantry/freezer.  We made cornbread to go with this.
• We made banana chocolate chip muffins, foccacia, and banana breakfast bars (I added raisins and nuts to these bars) for breakfast treats using ingredients we had on hand.
• Our Valentine's treat was homemade cheesecake brownies, a new recipe.
• Because of the snow, the food pantry didn't have many clients this week, so we graciously accepted extra bagels, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, and oranges.  We'll process the peppers for the freezer.  This was extra nice, since we had already used all of our frozen peppers from the CSA this summer.
• All clothes were washed in cold water, towels and sheets on warm.  Everything was hung to dry.  We continue to have success with potty training, and are doing much fewer loads of laundry because of it.
• On Thursday, little man had preschool, Benny had to work, and I had a workday.  So, we took one car out and combined trips.  I was able to drop them off, and I took the car to work.  I also combined this with a doctor's appointment and a quick grocery run for some cheese that was on sale, kefir, and bananas for our weekly fruit.  (We find that having fresh fruit around keeps little man eating healthier snacks.  Prior to little man, we made do with our frozen stash of fruit or winter veggies to eat more seasonally.)  Combining all this saved on gas.
• Little man helped to make all the Valentine's cards for his friends at school.  We saved by not having to purchase any, and didn't give any candy.  (At least in our house, this causes more grief/meltdowns than anything.  So, we chose to not give candy to others.)
• We did venture out on Friday for some errands.  We "splurged" on the cheapest birdseed to refill our bird feeders (it is fun winter entertainment).  We planned the most efficient route so we were conservative with our fuel.
• We also went to check out the new Goodwill, which had some awesome finds.  I found a new straw cup for little man (his previous one had broken), discounted egg dye for 75 cents, and some brand new fun tights for after this baby is born for five dollars (they would have normally been over $15).  They had a fabulous teal storage ottoman that I really wanted to snatch up for extra storage in the living room, but because it was still brand new, the price was more than normal Goodwill prices.  Benny and I gave it the 48 hour wait test, decided we could sell a few more things on eBay and trim grocery spending a bit more, and call it Valentine's Day present (we hadn't done anything for each other).  We picked it up this afternoon. Little man has had a ball filling it with his toys, and it emptied the smaller basket for the baby toys, and forced us to go through the current toys and weed out a few things he no longer plays with.
• Because we didn't have school, I didn't tutor this week, so no extra money from that this week.  I did manage to sell some Mary Kay, so I made about $60 from that.  It also helped to clear out some more of the closet space.  And it will help to round out the baby fund.
• We continue to advertise the upstairs rental space and hope to have that filled for the coming academic year.  Our current downstairs tenant is really sweet, and we hope she likes it enough to stick around beyond her year long lease.
• Ebay items continue to be posted, and we probably have a few more things we need to put in the mail.
• After signing up for Ebates, we received our first check in the mail.  We plan to put that toward the home equity line.
• We received our explanation of benefits from the recent round of testing for the baby.  It was more than anticipated, but maybe in the long run with other medical expenses this year, it will be a wash because it will help us reach our deductible sooner.  We'll wait for the bill from the hospital and see if there's any room for negotiation if we agree to pay it in full.
• I made another batch of orange cleaner for the bathrooms, and we mixed up some citrus vinegar cleaner to use on the floors and windows.  Little man really enjoys helping clean, so this is a cleaner we can feel ok about him using.
• I cut little man's hair at home, saving on the cost of a haircut.  
• We're beginning garden plans, thinking that we'll keep things easy this year with mostly herbs.  I may try to start some from seed, but with the baby coming, we may just opt to purchase plants this year.  We go through a lot of basil and cilantro, so we know we'll have those.  We planted our garlic in the fall, so it will be ready to pull in June.  All other herbs are perennials.  We're also looking forward to hopefully a bigger berry harvest this year, perhaps including raspberries (free from a friend) that we planted last year.

What about you?  I'd love to hear how you're living and saving green this week!

2016 Goals and Habits to Cultivate

We've never been huge on setting New Year's resolutions in our house.  It just seems like these are generally things we've put off or don't do, and then come the new year, we think we should all of the sudden change.  This year, we're taking the approach of cultivating habits that will help us achieve those goals that we're already working toward as a family.

Know Where Every Dollar Goes:  We'd like to begin using You Need a Budget to really narrow our focus on our budget and be sure that we're making the most of every dollar we earn.  This is even more important as we look toward adding baby #2 to our family in March.  Of course, we're already really frugal and try to keep close tabs on things, but the idea of You Need a Budget is to live off of last month's income, so that you've essentially already got a one month emergency fund.  We'd really like to totally pay off our home equity line this year, and have already paid off the new-to-us car, and we think this is a budgeting tool that can help us.

Invest More for Retirement:  As a part of using YNAB, we think it will allow us to see more clearly just how much more we can invest toward retirement.  Since Benny has been a SAHD, we've cut his contributions some, but we're really feeling like we could be contributing more toward his retirement.  This will of course be easier once we've paid off the HEL, but we think by using tools like Acorns or Betterment, these microinvesting tools might make the retirement contributions even easier.

Intentionally Work on our Home Improvement Projects:  This year, we've got several things on the list that we'd like to tackle.  Many of them are small projects, but they're also the type that we tend to put off just for that reason.  We'd like to be very intentional about checking these off each month so that they're done by the end of the year.  A lot of these projects will be tackled in the evenings after little man is in bed, or while he is at preschool, or on weekend afternoons.

• Paint trim in boys room, including closet doors by March.  (This includes new caulk, etc. where needed)
• Touch up trim/paint in rental spaces by end of January.
• Advertise upstairs rental through Samaratin's Purse and have rented by February, if not sooner.  Advertise both spaces for August/when lease runs out and have filled by April for upcoming season.
• Install Ecobee thermostat in apartment by January 15 (this is when our new tenant moves in).
• Organize garage space by March 15.  This includes installing some drywall and pegboard, as well as generally sorting and storing tools, etc.
• Have new mulch spread and gutters cleaned by March 15 (this is a job we will hire out).
• Paint shelving and trim in craft room downstairs by March 15.  Paint chairs to go around table in craft room.
• Move forsythia bushes to front bed and plant creeping Jenny ground cover.  Have this done around the same time as mulch is spread so that mulch and compost can go here.  (March-ish, depending on soil workability.)
• Mulch leaves with mower and add to compost by end of February.
• Have mower serviced for spring by April 30.
• Paint exterior doors in chosen new color by June 30.
• Have new front porch railings installed and bead board on the ceiling of the porch.  Maybe an outdoor ceiling fan installed over the table area?  by June 30
• Can at least two batches of peach salsa and two of berry jam for Christmas gifting and personal use.
• Have both porches re-stained (we're thinking of hiring this out to a contractor who Benny does a lot of work for at the paint store).
• Maintain garden beds with regular weeding and trimming throughout growing season.  Prepare for fall/winter by October 30.
• Make curtains for craft room shelves to hide some supply bins by November 30.
• Make reusable coffee sleeves for Christmas gifts by November 30. (And learn how to use new sewing machine)
• Make at least one batch of citrus marmalade by December 15 for Christmas gifting.

Have at least 26 dates with Benny:  This works out to be at least two a month, which I think it do-able with a newborn being around.  This might be as simple as popcorn and a movie at home one Saturday afternoon, or maybe dinner out somewhere. We're going to set a budget of $5/date, which doesn't sound like much, but I think with giftcards, coupons, and having some free at home, we'll be able to make it work.  We know that we're much better as a couple when we spend some time for just us doing something we love, so we'll make this a priority.

Read at least 26 new books this year:  Again, this works out to about one every two weeks.  It'll be a mix of adult fiction, young adult fiction, nonfiction, and devotionals.  I know that reading is one thing that feeds my soul and gives me the quiet time I crave each day.  I also know that I'll probably read more while on maternity leave than I anticipate, with many nursing sessions, and I tend to read more in the summers than during the school year, so it may not be exactly one every two weeks, but it seems like a good goal.

Try at least two new recipes a month:  We tend to get into ruts with our menus, as I know many people do.  I'm hoping that this goal will grow naturally out of my habit of reading cookbooks for pleasure, and will introduce us to some new recipes that will become family favorites.  Some may be a total flop, but I'm hoping that most will be a success.  (Do the new ones I tried for Christmas gifting count?!)

What are your habits to cultivate in the coming year?  I'd love to hear how you plan to live and save green in 2016!

Making the Sale

Last week, we were able to finally sell the desk that was in the nursery. This room used to be an "office" that was rarely used as such, but became more of a storage area. Over the summer, it was the room that our intern (and wonderful adopted family member who's home with us for Thanksgiving) used and called home, so the desk was helpful to him for working on sermons, etc. But now, the desk has finally found a new home, and we were able to find that home without the use of Craigslist.

First, let me say that we are not opposed to buying from Craigslist. There are certainly some great deals out there to be had. But we were a little uncomfortable with the idea of having someone we didn't know walking through our entire house to retrieve this desk, if they decided they wanted it at all. If it had been a smaller piece, we could have easily done the delivery through a neutral place, such as Benny's work.

So, I advertised the sale of the desk through my school. I started by writing up a brief description of the piece, including photos, and listing our suggested price. I included the fact that the buyer would need to pick up the piece, since we didn't have a truck that could haul it. I sent this out through our school email, and within a few days had a few potential buyers. One really interested party arranged to come see the desk one evening, and she liked it enough to pay our $50 price. We decided to throw in the desk chair for free, since we wouldn't need it anymore, and that seemed to sweeten the deal for her. We felt good about the whole thing, as she had recently relocated and needed the desk and is a single teacher working on a small budget.

(Thankfully, I work in a place where this is not banned, but you should definitely check company policy before sending out an email or posting flyers.)

Clearing out the desk made room for us to be able to put together the borrowed crib, which really made the room start to feel like the baby's. Once the desk was moved, we were also able to plan better for the artwork on the walls, etc. And we're hoping to put the money from the sale of the desk toward reupholstering a chair from my grandmother's house. It's a cute barrel backed chair with nice arms which should be great for the nursery. We'll have it reupholstered in a fairly neutral fabric so that it can move to a different location later in life, if it needs to, and we can punch it up with a throw pillow or two.

Have you had any success with selling items online or at work? What transformations have you made to your home in the past few months? I'd love to hear from you!

Updates and Apologies

Wow, so it's been ridiculously too long since my last post... six months?! Crazy! Not that it's an excuse, but we've had a lot going on here. So, a few quick updates:

1. We're expecting a baby boy! So, I'm just now feeling up to doing all my normal stuff now that I'm over the makes-you-feel-gross-all-day nausea (but nothing much worse than that) and the few weeks accompanied by hormone induced migraines. Now, I'm just exhausted after every day at work.

2. We hosted a wonderful Duke Divinity School intern over the summer who has become a fabulous addition to our family. He loved Lavender from the start, even if she didn't feel the same way, and he was such a blessing to us and our church family. He shared our love of cooking and good food, which was a huge plus, and helped cook meals whenever he was free. We had the pleasure of hosting his family from Washington state last week and discovered, not surprisingly, that they are just as wonderful as he is.

3. Mom's been busy with building her house and making all the decisions that go along with that, and now she's in the home stretch. So, we've been trying to be good sounding boards without putting in too much of our opinion. And of course, Benny has been the resident paint expert in that process.

So, the next several posts you read will probably have more to do with getting things ready for this wonderful baby boy and knocking things off our to-do list before he arrives on the scene. We've already tackled several projects, which I'll probably highlight in later posts, but here's the list of things we've already managed to accomplish:

1. Purchase a new washing machine with a budget goal of $800 (We managed to do it for free with gift cards--more on that in a later post)
2. Purchase and install a new storm door on the side door with a budget goal of $200 (We did this for about $70 after gift cards and coupons)
3. Purchase a new rug for the kitchen/living room to help ground the dining area a bit more with a budget goal of $80 (We bought this at the Capel sale for $99, and ended up moving the living room rug to the dining area)
4. Mosaic the dresser top of the ReStore dresser we applied the paintable wallpaper to earlier in the year for the nursery
5. Price out the cost of built-ins for the upstairs landing and have those built and installed or DIY (we opted to hire a contractor and he's in the process of doing those now)
6 Purchase and install under the cabinet lighting in the kitchen (we purchased the lights from Daily Steals, a deal website that Benny subscribes to, for much less than we saw them at Lowe's for and have been really happy with them)

Here's the list of things left to accomplish:
1. Paint kitchen chairs
2. Paint bed frames for nursery
3. Finish the stone patio we started this summer and got side tracked on
4. Purchase and install blinds on the other window in the nursery
5. Purchase and install programmable thermostats for the house (we'll probably purchase these during Energy Star weekend or from Costco)
6. Paint the upstairs closet doors that still have the factory primer on them
7. Rewire and paint wall lamps for the nursery (this should happen this week if the repair kits we ordered come in time)
8. Sell the desk that's currently in the nursery to help pay for the updates to the nursery (hopefully we can do this through word of mouth or maybe a Craigslist ad) and make room for the crib
9. Make some wall art for the nursery and figure out where to hang the art that is currently in the room (it's street art from my trip to Italy in college, so we want to keep them up somewhere)
10. Make a duvet cover that's jungle themed for the comforter that's currently on the twin bed in the nursery
11. Would be nice if the budget allows to reupholster the barrel-backed chair that we got from my grandmother's for the nursery. It will make a great nursing chair, though it's not a rocker.

Of course there's all the little stuff to do like the deep cleaning I'd like to accomplish (mopping, cleaning trim and windows, cleaning the appliances, etc.) but we'll get to that hopefully. We have some friends who have offered to help out with that over the holiday break or to come after the baby arrives to help with those projects, so at some point these will be done.

So, what about you? Are you in fall baking mode or enjoying the cooler weather to get some things done outside? I'd love to hear from you!

Burn Baby Burn

First off, apologies all around for my delinquency in blogging of late. There's no excuse aside from the general crazy life that all of us live these days. I vow to get back to a somewhat more regular routine of blogging. Frankly, I've missed the writing and "me time" that blogging affords.

Now, with that said, on to today's exciting post. We have gas logs that finally work! Woot! I know that many of you who have been to our home or seen pictures probably assumed that the lovely fireplace with the TV nook over it was probably a source of enjoyment, comfort, and maybe even romance on winter evenings. Well, not so... at least until recently.

When we built our house we chose a modular plan that had a corner fireplace with ventless gas logs. When it came close to move in time, and funds were tight, we opted to leave the fireplace as decorative for the time being and hook up the logs "sometime soon." Well, sometime soon has turned into 3+ years later, but we finally got it done, and on a budget!

We shopped around for folks who could do the hook up for us, which involved more than just bringing the tanks out since our builder didn't stub out any lines for the gas. We got several quotes, some around $1000 from major suppliers, which seemed way to steep to us, and finally settled on a locally owned operation that could easily do what we needed for around $500 including the cost of the gas and tanks. Another plus with going with them was that they wouldn't bring a big truck up our gravel driveway each time they needed to fill the tanks, they'll just pick up the tanks in their smaller work truck and bring us full ones. These folks were super nice and are family owned. We were very satisfied with the job they did; they left things very clean and did exactly what we needed without trying to convince us to get a larger tank, etc. Another example of why so often going local has more than just the warm fuzzy vibe going for it.

Now, I know those of you who have been reading for a while are thinking, "How is this green at all?" Well, it's not. But it will supply us with an alternate heat source should the power go out, which gives us some peace of mind (worth a great deal). The power doesn't go out frequently here, but when it does, it's almost always due to a bad ice storm or heavy snow, which means colder temps. It will be easy enough for us to shut off our bedroom and upstairs, set up the air mattress in front of the fireplace and camp out until the power comes back on. And it is really nice on cold days to have them so the heat pump isn't working as hard. (Not that we've had that many cold days this winter.)

How'd we pay for this? $500 is generally not in our monthly budget, but this past month I received a nice supplement since I got my National Board Certification. (This process was kind of like tackling graduate school all in one year, but so worth it for the professional experience and the pay raise.) So, we put part of that toward the logs and put the rest in savings.

I'll be back later this week with more updates and the long awaited post on the new roof and covered deck. Leave some love in the comments so I know you're still out there, readers! :)

Fabulous Sale and Date Day

On Friday, Benny and I took a trip we'd been planning for a while to Troy, NC. This tiny dot on the map is my cousin's old stomping ground and birthplace of Capel Rugs, and just down the road from Seagrove pottery country. The reason for this trip was two-fold: 1) Benny had the day off and we wanted a date day together, and 2) the annual clearance tent sale was going on at the original Capel store.

After an early, but leaisurely, breakfast of scrambled eggs with chorizo and garlic scapes (from our CSA) and homemade rolls with yummy blackberry jelly, we loaded up our picnic lunch into a cooler and loaded ourselves into the Jetta. Roadtrips are always fun times for us, and uninteruppted time to talk about things without being distracted by the "to do" list of the moment. The trip took about three hours, one way, so we had plenty of time to chat and to listen to the current book on CD (The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis for this trip).

We arrived in Troy easily (thanks to Oliver, our British accented GPS phone app), and parking was thankfully a breeze. The tent sale outside was where the best bargains were, so we pulled out our paint chips (which now live in my purse, along with my small retractable tape measure) and began sifting through. We knew our budget, $100, for a large area rug for the living room and two smaller rugs for either side of our bed. Tall order, yes, but my cousin had said the prices were so good here we could definitely make that budget work. (Did I also mention these purchases were our anniversary gift to each other?) I fully intended to snap a few pics of the sale event, just to give you an idea of the place, but I fogot in the excitement. Most of the large rugs (5 x 7 or 6 x 8) out front were under $70 and they had many small rugs for as little as $10.

The traditional braided rugs were the most deeply discounted, so these were the ones we gravitated toward. I also liked these because they are primarily wool, a natural fiber, and because they are double sided, so when one side wears out, we simply flip it over, which gives it double the life.

After much discussion, comparison, and a little haggling with another customer over a rug we both liked, we came home with a large 5 x 7 oval rug for the living room and two smaller ones for either side of the bed. With tax, the bill was slightly over $110, just barely over our budget. But for rugs that will last us a lifetime, we both felt like we'd scored a deal. We love how the rug in the living room isn't too "matchy matchy" and has a rainbow of colors, so that if we decide to paint the room a different color one day, the rug will work with practically any color scheme. The rugs beside the bed follow a similar pattern, though the colors are more muted than those in the living room rug.

Once we had our purchases securely stuffed in the back seat of the Jetta (wonder car that it is), we ate our picnic lunch on the road (pot roast sandwiches, granola bars, and water in our reusable bottles), headed for Seagrove. Along the way, we hunted for a produce stand to buy some peaches, but found none. The mission to Seagrove was really just to check out the route and collect a map or two from the visitor's center to see if it was something we'd like to come back and do some other time. (Our concensus was that it should definitely be one of the next road trips, perhaps with other family who also enjoys handmade pottery.) Leaving Seagrove, we employed the help of Oliver, our friendly GPS, since we were leaving from a different place than we started.

We managed to time our trip back so that we just made Sonic's happy hour (with two minutes to spare!), so Benny enjoyed a half price strawberry limeade (90 cents), while I enjoyed a full price (shame, no icecream things on the happy hour menu) Butterfinger blast thing. (I've always been a sucker for those!) Since there's no Sonic in our hometown, hitting the Sonic happy hour was a small big deal to us; we love cheap thrills.

Of course, when we hauled the rugs inside once we got home, Lavender had to give things her sniff of approval. She also went over the top with the all-out roll and back scratch routine once we had the rugs in place. She seems to appreciate the softer rug underfoot in the living room; it has become her new favorite spot to attack the massive rawhide bone she got for Christmas. (Pictures to come later today.)

Have you found any fabulous end-of-year (fiscal year) sales on home goods? Had a great road trip or date outing with someone special? I'd love to hear about it!

A Crafty Solution

Recently, Benny and I were discussing the state of the kitchen table. It tends to be my craft work area/landing zone for all that everyday crapola that comes in the house... junk mail, jury duty letter and parking pass (yes, I get that joy next week), recipes we want to try, etc. I tend to be a "piler" while Benny needs a space to be free of clutter. He's put up with my craft junk covering half the kitchen table because he knows I need to leave a project unfinished at times, and because I like to be in the same space with him when he's working on the computer or watching TV. But I realized that it would make him tremendously happy to have a clear kitchen table, and I'd like seeing the space neat and tidy also.


So, this past weekend, we took about an hour to organize my small collection of stamping supplies that had recently taken over one end of the kitchen table. (I forgot to get a before picture of this... sorry for all of you who love before and afters. Just imagine all your junk mail piled up with stamping supplies and a few random leftovers from Christmas decorating and you've got the general jist.) Thanks to Benny's mom, I had recently acquired some fabric covered storage crates (from Costco, where else?!) which I used to organize the paper, envelopes, and stamps.


Then we moved Benny's dresser (it had been emptied at the time that we installed the closet system last year and had never made it's way to the basement... we're hoping it'll find a new home with a friend or a food pantry client--the dresser in it's previous location is above) in front of the window for the time being. We carried the small sewing table that was getting little use in the upstairs guest room down to that corner of our bedroom. With it positioned on the wall adjacent to the window there's plenty of natural light, but I added a small desk lamp for some additional lighting for evening work. The small drawer is great for storing embossing powder, ink pads, decorative scissors, etc. and hides all that clutter well. I love the tape dispenser that's got the pre-cut tape that I can grab with one hand while holding things together with the other, and I added a coaster for the glass or water or mug of hot tea that I always seem to need when I'm in the throes of a craft extravaganza.

I'm going to add a pen/pencil holder to the desktop when I find just the right glass container, and I want to get a desk calendar/blotter to catch all the random pen scribbles and ink from the stamps. Eventually, we'll add some floating shelves above the desk for additional storage. (I'm thinking something white and clean-lined, Ikea-esque, that would blend with our trim and not seem too out of place with the traditional lines of the table. What do you think?)
Right now, I'm bringing a kitchen chair in when I want to work, but our plan is to recover one of the chairs in the basement with our tax refund and some cool striped velvety upholstery fabric my mom purchased for us a while back.

I love the fact that it's allowed me to keep the kitchen table uncluttered, which keeps hubby happy. It also means that my craft area is on the same level as the TV and kitchen, so that means that I can visit with Benny while I craft or check on whatever is baking in the oven without running up and down the stairs.

But on to what you really want to know... how much did we spend?

Table: free (originally from my house growing up, so from Mom)
Storage crates: free (thanks to my mother-in-law)
Desk lamp: free from college days
Coaster: free (it was one of a set of four picture frame coasters--I used wall paper samples instead of pictures to add some texture)
Caster cups: $2 at Wally World (these were to protect the soft bamboo flooring from dents)

Not too shabby for working with what we've got! Have you done any fabulous transformations by just shuffling things around your house? Do you have any grand ideas for the shelving we want to do one day? I'd love to hear from you!

Updated DIY List and Breakfast Baking

A few weeks ago, I was blog hopping all over the place since we had yet another snow day. I stumbled upon this in my wishful thinking of warmer weather projects and decided I'd begin the hunt for a soda crate of my own to create this living garden art. I found a few on ebay, but with shipping, they ended up being about $20, which was more than I wanted to spend for something I was going to staple to pieces and fill with dirt and plants.

Benny and I were also on the hunt for a pretty and unusual plate to hang in the kitchen to balance out a little vignette we're doing on the wall (I'll post pics when we get that finished), so we took one Saturday afternoon (after I'd had a morning of Saturday school with the kiddos to makeup a snow day)to visit our favorite local art gallery and the antique store down the street. After visiting the main and top floors in the antique store, we were about to call it quits, but decided to investigate the basement level, which is mostly where they keep the furniture. And were we glad we did... we found both things we were hunting for; a silver plated punched decorative plate and a soda crate that had seen better days. So, all told, we spent $25 for both and were pleased with our purchases. Not only did we like what we found, but we were happy that we were able to put our money into a local business, rather than sending it who knows where through ebay. (Not that ebay isn't great for some things...)

I'm super excited about my hanging garden and plan to hang it on the exterior basement wall when we finish the patio area underneath the deck this spring. I think it'll add a nice touch to the seating area under there and it should do well with the amount of sun it'll get. But I'll wait to construct it until it's a little closer to spring here, and I'll give you a step by step rundown when I tackle it.

My next project is to make a Valentine's wreath for my classroom door. I'm thinking a yarn wrapped cardboard thing, something like this. I want something that's going to be simple to make (and I can do it while I watch Arrested Development or one of our James Bond movies with Benny), but will be fun and festive for the kids.

This month has also been about using what we have around here in the kitchen as much as possible, so we've worked down the freezer and the pantry a good bit, but still have plenty of staples to spare. One of the things I had an abundance of in the freezer was bananas and berries. (The school occasionally gets donations from the local grocery, and the cafeteria can't use them, so when they sent boxes full of bananas, I stocked up.) You can freeze bananas right in the peels, no kidding, if you're planning to use them for baking. I just thaw them in the fridge overnight or in the microwave and they're ready to go. I discovered this fabulous coffee cake recipe in my Coffee Cakes cookbook by Lou Seibert Pappas that uses bananas and coconut, both of which we had on hand, and the recipe was perfect for dessert when some friends invited us over for dinner a few weeks ago. You'll find that recipe at the bottom of the page. I also plan to work some bananas and berries into these muffins, which will either get made tomorrow (if we have another snow day) or this weekend.

Banana, Macadamia Nut, and Coconut Coffee Cake

2 c all purpose flour (or substitute 1 c whole wheat and 1 c all purpose)
1/2 t salt
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
3/4 c packed brown sugar
1 1/4 c mashed bananas (about 2 1/2 large bananas)
2 large eggs
1/3 c veg or canola oil
2 T amaretto liquor (or just add some extra vanilla)
1/2 c sour cream or plain yogurt
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 c sweetened flake coconut
1/2 c chopped macadamia nuts or pecan halves
1 T granulated sugar mixed w/ 1 t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9 inch cake pan or springform pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar. Stir to blend. In a food processor, combine eggs, bananas, oil, liquor, sour cream, and vanilla. Add banana mixture to dry ingredients and stir to combine, until smooth. Stir in coconut. Pour into greased pan. Top with nuts and sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over the top.

Bake 30-35 min, or until golden on top and cake tester comes out smooth. Cool on wire rack, and then remove from pan. Serve warm or at room temp, cut into wedges. Serves 8-10 (or breakfast for two all week long).

I'd love to hear what you're up to, or if you try the recipes or project ideas!

Give Us A Hand(rail)

We've been busy these past few snowy days. We took advantage of the time stuck indoors and addressed the hand rail that was on the before Christmas list, but never quite happened amidst the holiday baking. We took the time to do it right, which meant taping, filling holes with wood filler, sanding, staining, and a coat of poly. (When I say "we", I really mean that I helped tape, and then took on the role of inspector while Benny worked. I took the time to plan out the vegetable garden for spring... who knew there were so many options for salad greens?! ... working in the stairwell is really only a one person job anyway... though Lavender tried her best to "help".)

Here's the before, with some of the lovely blue painter's tape. You can see that it's your builder's grade oak handrail with traditional spindles. (One of which popped out of place during staining... we'll address that with some finish nails before we touch up things.) We opted for a stain that would match the mantle, thinking that it would tie the room together a bit more. Benny custom matched the stain to the mantle, so it's not a stock color, otherwise, I'd let you know the actual color name/number. The stain and poly were both fairly inexpensive, thanks to Benny's store discount at Benjamin Moore, and we only needed a quart of each (really we could have done with even less, but they only sell it in quarts, and I'm sure we'll find other uses for it as we tackle other projects).

And here's the after, in all it's smooth, satiny glory!
I love how the stain brings out the wood grain, and I'm already having visions of how beautiful it will look during the next holiday season all gussied up with garland, lights, and glitzy ornaments. What do you think? Overall, a great use of two snowy days.

But we didn't stop there... we broke out the new ($15!) duvet cover we bought this summer at Ikea, which I finally got around to washing on Thursday,
and wrangled the duvet inside. I love how it lightens up the room, although it definitely needs a few accent pillows to tie the wall color and brown accents throughout the room together. Lavender seems to approve!

I love that these projects didn't cost that much, and they were a great way for us to spend some quality time together. They did a ton to revamp the look of things without breaking the bank.

What projects have you crossed off your list this weekend? What would you do for accent pillows on the bed... or just leave it as is? How have you redone things at home without much stretch to your budget? I'd love to hear from you!

After Christmas Holiday Decor Deals

I'm sure you all found your share of after-Christmas deals. This year, I was on the hunt for some pre-lit faux garland, silver ornaments to decorate the garland with, clear glass ornaments to decorate for gifts for next year, and holiday mugs to use as gifts with homemade hot cocoa for next year.

I managed to find my garland for $5 for a 9-foot section at Target, after seeing it at Michael's for more than double that. I scooped up two sections, as well as some silver ornaments for 50 cents a tube (I think there were 8 in each tube). They were a mix of sparkly glitter, matte finish, and standard shiny silver ones. I got a variety of sizes, and we'll use them to decorate the garland on the banister and the mantle next year. I also plan to use the polished silver candle sticks from my grandmother's house in the mantle decor next year, as well as some magnolia leaves spray painted silver, and some pine cones from the family tree farm.

We also had a hayday in my in-law's attic and at Goodwill finding all sorts of holiday decor that could be updated with a little spray paint. My mother-in-law had tons of 80's brassy ornamental instruments, including french horns and trumpets, which will get updated with a coat of silver or white spray paint. I'll wire them onto the banister or work them into the mantle decor. The larger ones will find a place hanging inside a wreath on the door. She also had several decorative nut crackers, of which I took one (there were four... notice the restraint on my part ;)), with plans to strip the faux fur beard and hair and spray paint him silver or white to add do the mantle, in the style of this humble blog. I'm loving that I'll be giving these things a new life with just a little paint, that they're being saved from a landfill, and that they're FREE! There were also some clear glass ornaments at Goodwill that were perfect for our DIY ornament project, though we snagged a few more at Michael's also after Christmas.

I found some of the holiday mugs I was hunting for at Goodwill, and they're super cute for $1 each... neat little snowmen. They'll be perfect for some homemade cocoa and a candy cane or two tucked in for a sweet little holiday gift for coworkers or friends. While at Goodwill, we also found two pairs of pants for Benny, one of which will be made into shorts, as well as a nice Old Navy sweater for me that's this season's style, without the big price tag. I'm still on the hunt for some skinny jeans to wear with my boots, but I'm not willing to pay retail prices, so I keep scouring the Raleigh Goodwill in hopes that I'll find some. (Goodwill, and thrift stores in general, are great places to go after the holidays, since people who didn't like their gifts and couldn't exchange/return them often donate them. It's also a great time to go since many people are doing the last minute clean-out to get the tax credit for their donations before the end of the calendar year.)

So, how about you? Any deals on holiday decor or amazing thrift store finds? I'd love to hear from you!

Holiday Favorites for 2010

We finally got the tree totally up and decorated this weekend and tidied the house on Sunday, so it looks a little less like the evergreen explosion in our home, and more like Christmas. Since I've had a few snow days on my hands this week (it started snowing on Saturday and is still coming down in small flakes today), I've had some time to blog hop, along with the beginnings of some holiday baking and online window shopping. Here's a short list of favorites:

1. A good book and a cup of hot chocolate: Who doesn't love this on a snowy day? Or maybe you're more of a movie person... either way, here's my short list of holiday reading picks.

• The Chronicles of Narnia (we love it so much we have the whole series on CD)
• The Polar Express (it's our Christmas Eve tradition to snuggle under the covers and read this one together)
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (I loved it this summer and am going back to reread parts--I want to try my hand at making some homemade mozzarella on a snowy winter day)
• Any good cookbook, especially those by Cook's Illustrated, since they're full of good factoids and how-to's.

2. Snuggly hats and scarves: I love to crochet, so I have a thing for scarves. I have them in all colors and styles. But this year, I'm noticing some super cute hats out, including this super cute one wool beret from Target, among others. There were also some fun felted wool ones in other styles in the store. Hats are a really fun way to express a sense of style without sinking a ton of cash into something that you might want to change out next year.

3. Gorgeous holiday decorations: I've been inspired this year to add to our Christmas decorations by decorating the mantle. Ours is interesting to decorate, since the TV sits in a nook above the mantle, making adding some height from candles, etc. a little interesting. But I've found this inspiring one and want to try to whip up something similar with some antique candle sticks and the PB inspired sheet music candles I'm seeing all over the blogosphere. And, I'm still working on getting that clothespin wreath just the way I want before I take a pic of it for the blog. (Right now, I'm having trouble finding all of my holiday decorating stash... does that happen to anyone else?)

4. Homebaked goodies: Inevitably, our holiday gift giving list grows each year, which means I try to find a new recipe or two to introduce into the mix. This year, it's jam thumbprint cookies and homemade peppermint hot chocolate mix. I have also been known to put a few of the slice and bake varieties on a cookie platter if I'm in a pinch for time (shh... it'll be our little secret). However, usually, we try to get most of our baking done ahead of time, and we include some chocolate dipped things (pretzels, coconut, chow mein noodles) that last for a while, so we can make them well in advance. Homemade jam is also a nice thing to add to a goodie basket, or as a small gift for a coworker or acquaintance.

5. Christmas cards in the mail: I love getting holiday cards in the mail... it's just so much more exciting than the junk we usually get, and it's fun to hear what friends and family have been up to throughout the year. We're generally slackers and don't get many cards sent out, but I think we might do an e-card this year, just to continue the sentiment. I also like to use the old Christmas cards as gift tags, so it's always fun to see what the pictures are on the front, so that I can match them up with the wrapping (is that just me being a nerd... or do other people think about that too?). Plus, it gives the card one more "life" and you know I'm all about reusing.

So, what are your holiday favorites? Do you have some new ones to add to your list this year? I'd love to hear from you! Check it out later this week and there will be a guest post on saving a bundle on a phone.

Master Bath Redo Phase 1

This afternoon, I was feeling inspired so I took advantage of a few minutes to put together the first phase of our bathroom tub area revamp. I was slack and didn't take any before pics, but here are a few after shots.

We love how the branches fill the space in that corner, while still allowing you to see through to the wall color. The original plan was to stain the branches, but when we got them home, we realized that the natural color fit right in with the shades in the tiles on the tub surround. The contrast of the organic texture of the twigs is a nice contrast with the graphic weave of the pottery basket (used to be an umbrella stand, I think).


Now, we have to figure out what to do with the little one on the opposite side. Do you have any budget-friendly or free ideas? Do you think the white frame collage will be too much with the twiggy deal in the corner? I'd love to hear from you!

Decorating Mini-Project

We've been slowly working on getting our master bathroom just the way we want it. There's this large shelf/deck around the garden tub that has been a bear to figure out what to do with, especially since we're realizing that the tub has become a large built-in hamper, rather than a tub. (We realized that we designed the bathroom for resale, not for us... we're not bath people. Dumb decision in retrospect since we see ourselves being here for the long haul.)

When we were cleaning out my grandmother's house, we found two cool white woven looking ceramic planters. So, we brought them home, cleaned them up, and they've found a nice home there behind the tub on the deck/shelf thing. They suit our taste and fill the space nicely, but there was still something missing... they needed some height and movement. Enter road trip...

On our recent trip to Charlotte to visit friends, we managed to squeeze in a visit to Ikea (our first ever... amazing). We were scoping out several things, but we stumbled upon these super cool twiggy things that suit our needs perfectly. And for $5 for a bundle, we picked up two bunches and wiggled them into the Jetta for the road trip home.

This weekend, we went to Michael's here (yes, there's one in the High Country now!), where I used a gift card to purchase some floral oasis/foam to stuff in the bottom of the planters to anchor the twigs. Putting all this together will be one of the projects this week.

But now, the wall is behind these cool things is looking a bit bland... so I hopped over to one of my favorite blogs, YHL, to find this inspiring feature. We love the collage of empty frames over the master bed and think this will be a cinch for us with some Goodwill frames (and those we've found in our basement cleanout) and some white spray paint. I think it's just the kind of textural interest we need, without detracting from our other art that's going to go in the space.

So, what're your new decorating projects? Do you have any tips for laying out the collage thing on the wall (because it seems a bit daunting to me... though I think some large newsprint and outlining the frames might be the answer)? I'd love to hear from you!

Project Update

Well, some of the projects on the earlier project post are completed or nearing completion, thanks to my dedicated and persistant husband.

The mirror that I refinished is now hanging nicely over our kitchen table and adds a great finishing touch to the space. The thing was a beast to hang because the frame was super solid wood, but we managed to add some picture wire to the back and get it centered on the wall with some drywall hangers. We found this cool tutorial to help us hang it at "museum height" (57" above floor height) so it really is the focal point of the wall.

The bathroom fixtures have all been hung and they look great! (After two years without a toilet paper holder, I think we're both grateful for the little things!) We hung the robe hook behind the door, but decided to forgo the towel bars for our bathroom due to the configuration of the space. Instead, we hung $3 stainless finish Command hooks on the back of the door. (There's plumbing in the wall that would be the obvious choice, and the other walls are too far away from the shower, so we'd end up dripping water everywhere.) Thanks to a Costco find, we were able to outfit our bathroom with all the fixtures for $30. The leftovers from that kit will go in the basement bath when we finish out that space.

We used a Lowe's card we got for our anniversary (thanks, D&D!) to purchase a set of faux wood blinds for our bathroom window. Benny and I managed to install them on a Sunday afternoon with minimal stress and no extra holes in the casing (hurray!). They look beautiful and are totally functional. I like the wide slats for easy cleaning in the bathroom, and the white color blends perfectly with the trim. I'm thinking we may add these (as the budget and gift cards allow) to the other windows downstairs for an additional layer of light and heat control.

The handrailings of the entire front deck are stained now. We're just waiting for a clear weekend day to stain the deck boards. That's how it seems to go with many of our outdoor projects... we're too exhausted during the week or don't have enough daylight, or it's raining on the weekend. The deck saga will continue...

As for the guest room furniture, it still sits in the basement. I'm hoping that perhaps over Thanksgiving I can at least get some of it primed and painted. Since it looks like we'll be staying in town for that holiday, that seems feasible.

The next projects before winter are to install a whole-house water filter (we scored a coupon for one at Lowe's and have some gift card funds squirreled away for that purchase) and a storm door for the front door. The storm door will help with heat loss in the winter, and with the screen, it will help with natural ventilation and cross-breeze in the spring/summer/fall. The whole-house filter will save our washing machine from dying a slow death due to sediment in the water from our well, as well as make the fridge filter last longer.

So, how do your projects go? Anything you're dying to refinish or revamp, but can't find the time? How do you finance your projects so they don't bust the budget? (We love the gift card and credit card points for saving the budget!) I'd love to hear from you!

Project Update

This weekend, we managed to slowly tackle a few things on the project list I posted a few weeks ago. We also found time to do some batch cooking and have a fantastic homemade pizza for date night on Friday.

Friday's pizza consisted of homemade dough made in the bread machine, using our favorite bread machine book, Bread Machine Magic. Then, we pulled and stretched the dough to form two 14 inch rounds onto which we layered several yummy toppings. These included mushrooms (re-hydrated gourmet mushrooms from Costco), bacon, onions, green pepper from our garden (which the deer did not find), and cheese. We had contemplated some fresh tomato, but the pizzas seemed to be getting overloaded, so we added those to eggs for breakfast on Saturday. We topped the pizzas off with some fresh basil from our garden and some red pepper flake, which we love on pizza. (We have some pictures, but I don't know how to get them off Benny's phone right now.) They were fantastic, and we had enough left over to have some on Saturday night also. So much better, and cheaper, than ordering delivery or pick up.

Saturday, I tackled finishing the mirror project by painting the mirror with two coats of black paint (once in the morning and again in the evening), and then dry brushed some silver acrylic paint onto the raised portions of the frame on Sunday. It looks fabulous, although it needs a bit of cleaning up with a razor blade along the interior edge, mostly because I didn't pull the tape off soon enough. I didn't get any before pictures, but I'll post some after ones soon. (This no pic thing is becoming a theme...)

Saturday morning, we also stained a portion of the deck. Really, by the time we (by we, I mean Benny) dealt with the wasp nest behind the siding (seriously... how did they get in there?!), and a quick sweeping of the deck, we got one more section of railing done. But, hey, progress is progress. The plan is to do some more staining next Saturday morning. Part of the difficult part of this project is that it's so weather dependent, and we can't do it in full sun (difficult when we face south) because the stain won't cure properly.

Yesterday evening, we made a tuna melt pie which was great, although I think it could have used some green pepper. We'll make this for our supper club this week to share with Michele. I'd definitely recommend it if you're looking for good comfort food; it totally fits the bill for that! (The link for it isn't up yet, but it's in the most recent Rachel Ray magazine.)

So, how go your last minute summer projects? Any yummy dishes you've made that you want to share? I'd love to hear from you!

Things I'm Loving

Today's post is all about things I'm loving, especially for outdoors this summer. I hope you enjoy the pictures and links and that they inspire you to think about how you can make your outdoor space more enjoyable.

Rain Barrel I'm loving this from Lowe's and think it might be the next purchase to improve our garden area. It will certainly make watering in front of the house easier and will help to recapture some rain water, rather than using our potable well water for watering the flowers.

This hammered spray paint from Rustoleum is helping us to transform some slightly rusted white iron outdoor furniture (thanks to wonderful kitchen diva Aunt Debbie and ranger Uncle David). The white would have been beautiful in the right setting, but this paint felt more in keeping with our colors and outdoor design. With some outdoor pillows, it will be perfect for relaxing on the deck in the evenings.

I'm loving having my fresh herbs this summer to use in the kitchen. The lemon balm is a great addition to cut flower arrangements. I'd love to have an herb basket, something with a nice handle and a low frame, to carry around the yard when I gather herbs and flowers to keep both hands free when I need them. I'm thinking something along these lines, with the hope that I can find one at Goodwill or a yard sale. This one came from an Etsy shop, Carol's Cupboard, but it's a bit out of my price range for a basket.

Along those lines, I'm loving our library's current collection of landscaping and gardening books. It's allowed us to get some great ideas for free, as well as providing me with resources on how to deal with some of the pruning details and soil amendments that I had questions about. I've also found some fantastic summer reads at the library, many of which come from the staff pick section, which is a nice way to pick up something quickly.

Lastly, I'm loving adding to our pottery mug collection. I found a cool one last weekend at Goodwill in Raleigh for $2.50... score! It's the perfect colors for our kitchen and living room and has a nice shape. I don't have any like this stoneware mug that I found on Etsy. I like the shape of this mug, and the handle seems to be large enough to suit our needs and taste.

So, what about you? What are you loving this summer? Had any fantastic Goodwill finds or ideas for your summer garden? Here's to living and saving green in your summer ventures!

Closet Revitalization on a Budget

A few posts back, I mentioned that Benny and I scored part of a closet system at Lowe's on the clearance table. Well, after that, Benny went to another Lowe's location to see what pieces they had, only to find that all of their pieces had been shipped to the Boone store already. What he managed to score was even better... after a little haggling, he was able to get the whole display unit from that store for $50! (We found out later that this was almost $600 worth of stuff... geez, I love a deal!)

So, the day he brought home the store display (in a friend's truck, since the Jetta definitely wouldn't hold it), this is what I came home to. That's right... a bedroom and living room full of pieces parts of closet system. Mind you, this was a weeknight and I had class that night, so I was beat! And our bed was covered in closet stuff... so, I made Benny a deal. I'd live, for up to two weeks with stuff scattered all over, if he'd get it all put up. He said it would take the weekend. Here was our closet before (after we zealously took down the wire coated stuff that previously hung in the space--to be repurposed in the laundry closet as a second shelf and in the one-day refinished basement as additional storage).

Well, after a little more than a week, I'm eating my words... (it didn't happen in a weekend or two weeks, so I guess we're both compromising) and we have a newly revamped closet for about $50! Benny had to pick up a few hardware pieces along the way, but we were able to put almost all of the purchase of the closet system onto our Lowe's gift card, which meant that the purchase was a nice extra (that we'd been drooling over for about a year), without eating into our thrifty budget. (We discovered quickly that there were more pieces than would fit into our closet, so we moved them downstairs to be used in the basement when we finish that space out in the future... hopefully near future.)

So, let me go on record saying that I'm so stinkin' proud of my husband! He did a fantastic job piecing this all together (since it was the display and was already disassembled when he bought it, there were no instructions for how to put the units back together) and it totally increases our storage space. The shelves go most of the way up the 9-foot walls, which makes use of more of the vertical space we weren't using before, and the shelves across the top will allow us to store out of season clothes in easy-to-see (and reach) baskets and bins. With the space the wrap-around corner shelf provides, we now have some storage for linens, which we were sorely lacking before. Now, there's room for all of his t-shirts, which were crowding the dresser, and we've even got space to hang my wedding dress behind the door with a hook mounted on the wall. This all means that we might be able to get rid of the dresser he doesn't like and replace it with a recovered Goodwill chair, which he's been wanting as a space to sit and tie shoes and generally make the bedroom more of a retreat by adding a reading light.

How're your budget DIY projects coming? How are you repurposing things around the house? Got a great deal to share? Please share... I'd love to hear from you!

Sharin' the green love and savings!

Afternoon DIY Project

So, we left school early today due to another incoming snowstorm. Benny picked me up, since I carpooled with my teammate today and she drove, and we headed home.

After checking email and changing clothes, I began getting things lined up to tackle my first DIY project of the week: this basket we acquired from my grandmother's basement. It had lived a sad, neglected life in a shadowy, dusty corner of the basement and desperately needed some love. I saw some promise in it as a prettier trash/recycling center than our recent plastic collection containers (yes, you can see our collection in the background there), thinking that the lid would be a nice way to hide everything inside. Here's the basket/hamper before I began working my magic (and yes, of course Lavender had to inspect it):

So, after cleaning it up with the Dustbuster, a dust rag, and some cleaner, I set to work with the stain we'd used on the counter top edging (gotta love using stuff you already have around). (I turned on the fans in the house and lined my work area with newspaper before beginning.) I began with a rag, but didn't like the dry brushed effect it was having, so Benny found an old paintbrush that I could scrub into all the crevices.

After about an hour or so of staining (it took a while to get it into all those grooves), we used some old t-shirt scraps to wipe off the excess stain. This allowed it to become more the color of our kitchen cabinets and highlights the texture of the basket more. We'll let it dry for a few days and then use some spray poly on it over the weekend to seal things in and protect the surface. (Benny has promised to do this for me on Saturday once the weather warms up over the weekend enough that he can be outside to spray paint. Such a good husband! :)) So, here's the after:

So, what do you think? Doesn't it look like a whole new lovely thing? Amazing what a little time, love, and elbow grease will do for an old, neglected piece! And it was all free, thanks to my grandmother's generous basement and some stain we already had. So, how are your low cost, redesign projects coming? I'd love to hear from you, so leave a comment!

Sharin' the green love and savings!

PS
I linked this up to The Thrifty Home's Penny Pinching Party.

Bitten by the DIY Decorating Bug

So, I've been blog hopping like crazy this evening, filling the void that HGTV won't fill in this house, since we protest paying for TV and can't get a digital network signal through all these mountains. (Just one more way we stick to our budget and keep our expenses down.) In my blog hopping, I have stumbled upon a few more favs, thanks to Elizabeth at Southern Comfort. :) Here are a few: Living with Lindsay and Centsational Girl. They both have fantastic ideas and amazing transformations. I am in love with their frugal, thrift store spirit, and their oneness with the glue gun and paint.

I'm now inspired to tackle some of the many projects that have been waiting in our basement for a rainy (or yet another snowy) day (especially since Benny arrived with more projects from my grandmother's house this week). So, this week during my anticipated snow days, I will tackle priming and painting the dresser, blanket rack, and bedside table that are crying out to be finished and taken to their new home in the guest bedroom to join the rest of their family, the bed and washstand (a small cabinet used for storing crafty junk). In doing this, I'll have to do most of the projects in the kitchen, since the basement is currently at about 40 degrees, but I can easily set up a drop cloth and set up shop in a much warmer part of the house. (We'll see if Lavender will end up with a white nose by the end of it all from curiosity.)

While I was at school (yes, Saturday school has become a necessity with 24 school days now being missed due to snow) today, Benny ventured to Winston to join his family for a Costco run and to get our much beloved, but not very snow worthy, Jetta back up the mountain. In his Costco adventures, he found ottomans that I've been eying at Target.com for almost half the price! Since I wasn't with him to "approve" them, he opted not to pick them up, but I'm hoping that perhaps I can talk him into a Costco adventure in the next few weeks. He also found a six piece set of brushed nickel bathroom fixtures (towel bar, hand towel ring, TP holder, glass shelf, etc.) for around $30, which would help us finish out our bathroom and the half bath nicely. (Yes, we're still living with the TP on the back of the toilet... we're too cheap to pay $25 for the ones we like at Lowe's and the ones we picked up at TJ Maxx ended up missing parts, even though they were in sealed packages.)

Not only did he find all of these fun goodies to go back for, but he also managed to restock our pantry, fridge, and freezer with the basics for under $100 (actually less, thanks to the his parents). The basics at Costco included a 20 lb bag of baking potatoes (which we store in the basement), celery, onions, organic fresh spinach, goat cheese (since the farmer's market isn't open this time of year for us to get it from Liza), sun dried tomatoes packed in oil (they're great in pasta, on pizza, chopped up in cream cheese, etc.), minced garlic, sharp cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, unsalted butter to restock the freezer, and Palermo's margherita pizzas (they're our frozen, prepared food weakness). Having all of these on hand means that it's easier (and cheaper) for us to make meals at home. Many wholesale stores such as Costco are now carrying organic products, especially produce, so you can often purchase these items much more inexpensively than the standard grocery store.

I'll have to share the recipe for the AMAZING stir fry we made last night... at least, I thought it was incredible, but maybe (as Benny said), I was just hungry and it's what I wanted. But, that will be another post... for now, it's time to watch some Hulu with my family and turn in for the night.