Dresser Make-Over!

I bought this old dresser for $15.00 at a second hand store. I will try to fix the chipped drawer with woody putty down the road.

Refurbishing used furniture works for me! To see more Works for Me Wednesday tips visit We Are That Family.

July 21, 2010 | Filed Under Homemaking | 1 Comment

Video Time Capsule

Videos are great for catching those special moments in our lives when our children are acting silly, during holidays or special trips. But what about those every day life moments that never get captured by the camcorder? These are really the memories of what our “day” with our children looks like. Wouldn’t it be great, 30 years down the road, to watch how we interacted with one another as a family when no one was performing for the camera? Here is an easy way to make a Day in the Life video of your family.

Start with a fresh camcorder tape

Put the camera in a spot that gets a lot of traffic such as the kitchen or living room.

Place in an obscure spot such as on a shelf or a counter.

Hit the record button and let it roll until the tape runs out.

Tip!
To capture more realistic footage, don’t tell your kids they are being
recorded; otherwise you might have a bunch of “performers” in front of
the camera. You might want to even hide the camera under a dish towel.

Do you have any great tips for capturing family videos? We’d love to hear them!

July 19, 2010 | Filed Under Homemaking | Leave a Comment

Lost Generation? (Or not!)

I saw this video posted over at The Mother Huddle and just had to share it with you. I almost got a bit teary when she started reading it backwards. Maybe I’m just hormonal. Either way, it’s worth a quick listen.

siggy-dena

July 16, 2010 | Filed Under Home Business, Homemaking, Homeschooling | 1 Comment

WFMW: Cold Water!

I’ve been in the habit of purchasing a Diet Pepsi whenever I wrapped up an “errand”, like grocery shopping, in town. “Town” is 20 miles away and I do my best to keep my visits to once a week. This generally means I’m there for several hours, making several stops; library, Home Depot, grocery store, department store, etc. Well, even though I know that spending $1.59 for a 20 oz. Diet Pepsi (when I can get an entire liter for less!) is a spendthrift move, I would still do it.

However, I’ve been on a diet lifestyle change for the last couple months and diet soda has gone out the window. Add that to the fact that I’m trying to make sure I stay well hydrated, something I’m not particularly good about. For some reason I just CANNOT convince myself to pay the same amount of $$ for a bottle of WATER. It’s WATER. Sheesh. I do bring a glass with me, but it’s usually gone and/or hot after the first stop.

So, I know this may seem more than basic to many of you, but I’ve started freezing several water bottles and each time I head for town I put one or two refrigerated bottles, along with one frozen bottle in the little soft-sided cooler I keep between the front seats. (This cooler is great for holding wipes and other misc. items) That way I’m sure to have cold water the entire time I’m in town and it costs me nothing. When I get home I refill them and stick them back in the fridge/freezer.

Cold water Works for Me! To see more WFMW tips visit We Are That Family.

siggy-dena

July 14, 2010 | Filed Under Homemaking | 1 Comment

Fun “Extras”

Summer is the time when I try and take advantage of completing some of those “extra” or fun projects that tend to get left out during the school year. If the same is true of you here are a few ideas you might want to check out.

First, check out one mom’s brilliant idea for making a Family Activity Binder. I can see where this would be a wonderful idea. A college in our area hosts an annual World Food Festival where they have lots of booths where you can taste food from different countries. It’s fun and educational and I forget when it is every year, since they don’t advertise heavily. A binder like this would keep me on track so I’d know when to watch for it.

Do you have a seamstress in your household or are you looking for inexpensive Christmas gifts to make? Check out this nifty oven hand mitt tutorial. I like them so much I’m going to make a few for myself, but they’d make a great beginning Home Ec project.

If the weather is just too hot outside and you have some bored kiddo’s on your hands, check out Canon’s papercraft projects. I have one child that will just LOVE these.This one is especially impressive.

Happy Summer!

siggy-dena

July 13, 2010 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Starbucks Espresso Mudpie in Minutes!

This recipe is quick, easy and a big hit when entertaining dinner guests. Here is how you make it.

1- package of Oreo Cookies

1/4 Cup of melted Butter

2 Tubs of Starbuck’s ice-cream (I love Java Chip but you can mix and match flavors)

1 T. Espresso (finely ground)

1 Jar of Dove Fudge (ice-cream topping)

Finely grind Oreos in a food processor. Pour ground Oreos (save about 1/4 cup for later), espresso and melted butter in a glass pie plate; mix together and then press with a spoon…just like making a graham cracker crust. Next, spoon the first tub of frozen ice-cream into pie plate. Then, smear on the Dove Fudge topping over the top. Next, spoon the second tub of ice cream on top of the fudge. Last, sprinkle the remaining Oreo grounds on top. Cover, and put back in freezer. Cut just like a pie! Can be served with hot drizzled fudge and a dab of whipping cream on top.

Starbucks Espresso Mudpie works for me! To see more Works for Me Wednesday tips (recipe theme this week) visit We Are That Family!

siggy-jennie

July 7, 2010 | Filed Under Homemaking | 2 Comments