Old Desk Make-Over
I found this old school desk at a yard sale for $2.00. My youngest soon
LOVES to play “office” and thought, with a little paint this
old desk would be perfect for him. I used a combination of
semi-gloss interior paint and for the smaller design, I used my acrylic
paints (used for painting pictures on canvas).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
“The Dad Life”
I just ran across this video and had to share it with you. Too funny!
Dad Life from Church on the Move on Vimeo.
A little laughter every day works for me! To see more Works for Me Wednesday tips visit We Are That Family.
Cheapo Blister Preventative
I have a very nice of brand name running (walking, in my case) shoes that never fail to leave a blister on one of my heels. Since a friend and I walk every morning, I have to put moleskin on my heel to prevent a blister. I usually take it off right after walking and re-use until it no longer sticks. Unfortunately, the last brand I bought (Dr. Scholl’s) was good for only one use. Sigh. I was afraid I’d need to either invest in a new pair of shoes or a never-ending supply of moleskin.
Well, this morning when I went to walk I discovered I was out of moleskin. As they say, “necessity is the mother of invention”. I grabbed a roll of duct tape and a couple of cotton balls and taped the balls into the back of my shoe where it seemed to be rubbing. Then, for good measure, I slapped a small piece of duct tape onto my heel as well.
Would you believe I arrived home with no blistering? Now I just have to figure out if the tape on the shoe fixed the problem, or if it was the piece I stuck to my heel that did the trick. Either way, it’s significantly cheaper than moleskin and equally effective.
Duct tape to prevent blisters works for me! To see more Works for Me Wednesday tips visit We Are That Family.
Yard Sale Tips!
Summer means it’s YARD SALE SEASON! Here are a few tips for both buyers AND sellers.
SELLER TIPS:
1. Be Prepared! Make sure you have lots of coins and small bills, tarps (in case of rain), and your items marked, BEFORE the customers come.
2. Keep valuables that can be pocketed (video games, jewelry, etc.) at your money table. And never, I mean NEVER leave your money box unattended.
3. Make sure to have lots of shopping bags (for your customers to put their items in), stickers, markers on hand.
4. Start marking down EVERYTHING during the last few hours of the sale. Wouldn’t you rather get something for that junk rather than having to haul it somewhere else when your done?
5. If your item is more than 10 years old, price it LOW..or give it away for free. Just because your Grandma paid $600.00 for that floral couch in the 80s, doesn’t mean it’s worth $400.00 today. With the exception of vintage items, there is little to no market for older goods (couches, drapes, lamps, etc.)
6.. And please, please, TAKE DOWN YOUR SIGNS when your yard sale is over!
BUYER TIPS
1. Early birds gets the worm! Or should I say, the early bird gets the best stuff. I personally hate getting up early, especially on Saturday morning, but if you want to get the creme of the crop, you have to rise with the sun. Most of the good stuff is gone within the first 90 minutes of yard sales.
2. Make sure you have lots of cash on hand. Most people won’t take a check.
3. Don’t be afraid to barter. If you make an offer and it’s turned down, leave your name and number with the seller. You never know, if they don’t sell their overpriced item, you might get a call at the end of the day.
4. If you see an item you are even thinking about buying, carry it around while you continue looking. You might go back to it and it will be gone!
5. Map out your sales ahead of time, so you’re not backtracking through town. This can not only save you time, but gas as well.
Happy Hunting!
Tile Right Over Old Countertop for $50.00
Are you tired of looking at that burnt-orange counter from the 1970s but don’t think you can afford a nice counter top? Well, here is an inexpensive way to add tile right over your old Formica. All it takes is a few hours, a trip to Home Depot, and about $50.00. The best part, is ANYONE can do this project, even if you have never tiled before.
The pictures are from a rental property that my husband and I recently worked on. I didn’t want to spend much money, so tiling was the best way to get a nice counter top on the cheap. All the materials (including cement board, tile, grout and screws) were just under $50.00. This project took me aprox. 5 hours to complete, over a two day period.
1. Disconnect plumbing and pull sink out.
2. Scuff up the Formica counter top with course sandpaper. It should be dull and void of any shine. This will help the thinset mortar (cement) adhere to the Formica better. Pull off the Formica strip, (exposing the plywood underneath) that goes around the edge of counter. Cut cement board to replicate the counter top (sink hole, etc), this can be done by making a template.
3. Apply thinset mortar onto the Formica using a notched trowel.
4. Lay cement board directly onto the Formica (with wet mortar). Screw cement board into the Formica, being sure to add screws every 8-12 inches. You will need a good screw gun for this, once the screw hits the Formica, it takes some strength to get it to penetrate. You might want to make pilot holes to alleviate this problem.
5. Once cement board has been secured with screws onto the Formica, you are ready to tile and grout. The sink can be placed back in the hole and the plumbing reconnected.
Most people will choose a bullnose tile for the front strips. But since budget was a consideration (bullnose cost way more than the normal tile pieces), I just cut strips of tile to make my own pieces for the edge.
Since it’s a bathroom, be sure to seal your grout before use.
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