Organizing My Spice Drawer

I like storing my spices in a drawer instead of the cabinet.  I made the change about a year ago.  I label the tops of each jar so I can put them in the drawer alphabetically.  Well, so of anyway, I find it hard to decide where to put spices like crushed red pepper.  Do you file it under c or p?  Anyway you file it, I like them in a drawer.
Target has many of their Archer Farms spices in a jar on clearance this week.  I love the jars!

<^..^> Lori

Faux Tin Ceiling Tiles

We have a room on our first floor that has needed a remodel since we moved here some 20 years ago. Actually our home has many rooms that need help from a remodel.  We do what we can do ourselves mostly.
I have loved the look of tin ceilings for many years and wanted to add one in our home.  The task seemed not only difficult and expensive but had drawbacks with the installation process because we would have to put up plywood so we could nail the tin tiles into it.  That would lower our ceilings and in some cases if the plaster gave way from the lathe, it might not support the weight.  So I had given up on real tin tiles and was looking at faux tin ceiling tiles.  I found some YouTube videos from decorativeceilingtiles.net.  They were light weight PVC tiles that were glued up on the ceiling.  I thought they were a good fit for us.  I ordered the antique gold Gothic Reims 2 foot square ceiling tiles.  They arrived in about 2 weeks.  They were out of stock on the Instant Grab glue when I ordered the tiles.  But I found it on Amazon for about half the price per tube.  It came in a full case of 24 tubes.  The estimator on the tile web site said we would need about 7-9 tubes.  Turns out we used 16 tubes to put up the ceiling tiles and the cornice pieces so I was glad we ordered the case from Amazon.
With the help of my son and daughter, we put up the ceiling tiles in about 4 1/2 hours.  I ordered the cornice you see in the pictures about a week later and it took us about 2 hours to put it up.  The results are pretty stunning.

Before:

Putting up the tiles and later we added the cornice:

The results are just stunning:

We decided to use the same treatment in the closet for this room.  I ordered a few more tiles.  We calculated that we needed 6 tiles.  We had 1 full tile left over from the first order.  The web site's tile estimator is pretty good.
The second order of tiles wanted to crack and chip when we cut them.  We had absolutely no problems with cuts on the first order of tiles.  I used my Fiskars Amplify scissors on both orders.  I thought the second shipment of tiles were possibly old or bad.  I was really concerned that the closet wouldn't get finished but the cut edges are not very noticeable in the closet.  I contacted the supplier and they suggested scoring with a cutter before using scissors to cut the tiles next time.  Perhaps they are right or perhaps it is change in humidity in our home or how they were stored in the warehouse or my scissors were duller or something else.  I don't know but the supplier sent me replacement tiles for no charge and were very nice about it all.  I am very pleased with their customer service.
We are going to use their product in two other rooms of our house and possible the upstairs hallway.  I am trying to decide if it would be okay to change to a different style of ceiling in rooms or if I need to use the same tile and color in each room.

<^..^> Lori

You can save $40 on your first box of HelloFresh

The HelloFresh team sent me this code to share with the world...so please try it!!

Hi Lori! We love that you’ve been cooking with us for a while! Know anyone else who would also love HelloFresh? Don’t forget that you can give your friends a big discount to try HelloFresh with your very own referral code.

Share this code with your friends T93CQ2 Your friends receive a $40 discount on their first box. We credit your HelloFresh account with $20 for every successful recommendation

<^..^> Lori

HelloFresh - it was love at first box...I mean bite.

I would love to give someone credit for leading me to HelloFresh.com but I really cannot remember where I got the coupon for $40 off a box.  Maybe it came in the mail or was in a bag from a store.  I don't know but I am glad that I checked it out.  Basically, they deliver nearly all the ingredients for three meals directly to my front porch every week.  It comes in a box with frozen water soluble gel packs to keep it all cold until you get it into your refrigerator.  The ingredients for each recipe are in separate boxes with labels on them so you know which recipe they match.

I only have to supply the salt, pepper, butter, olive oil and sugar.  The box includes recipe cards that tell you step by step what you need for pans, kitchen tools, etc to make the meals and how to make the recipe themselves.

I don't have to shop for anything during the week but basics which I usually get at Sam's Club.  You know the milk, bananas, cereal, coffee stuff.  Let that sink in for a minute.  I don't have to think about what to make and I will have leftovers.  It has been eye opening because the recipes are easy and fun.  All meals have been from refrigerator to dinner table in under and hour.  I like to clean up as I go so that means nearly all of the pans used are cleaned up too!  It is wonderful.

In addition to removing the stress of planning and shopping, I get to make some recipes of items I probably wouldn't normally make...it got me out of my rut.  I still have meals that I make for special occasions or for friends coming over but mostly I let HelloFresh do the weekly work involved for meals.

The cost is reasonable for us as it is just under $10 a meal.  We are not picky about food.  If the kids say no way to something, they are required to try one bite and if they still say no way, they just eat leftovers from some other meal.

Have I said that I love #HelloFresh because I do.

I had one issue in the 4 weeks we have been using them.  We were shorted the beef required for the recipe one week.  I contacted them through the website to let them know and they credited me for the beef on the next week.  I thought it was a reasonable solution.  For the recipe, I just pulled some chicken out of the freezer and made the dish with it.                

Here are a couple of pictures.  No we are not chiefs but we are certainly having fun.  My kids are learning some things too.  It is good for us to cook together.  My 17 year old son doesn't think so but it is!

I have seen lots of videos on Youtube of people subscribing to HelloFresh and they show what they get and how they cook it.  It's helpful to see them open the boxes and what to expect.  Now we are a few weeks into it and we are comfortable with the concept.

We take the classic box for 4 people and 3 meals each.  So HelloFresh sends us about a 14 lb. box of food each week.  UPS delivers to us and puts it on the front porch out of the sun.  I have Tuesdays off so I get them off the porch within an hour of delivery.  They even email me with a window of delivery and another email when it is confirmed to be on the porch.  It really works great for me!

<^..^> Lori

Father's Day Wall

I put up a wall of decorations for Father's Day at church last month.  Here are the pictures...

I cut the tools from textured Bazzill paper with my Silhouette Cameo.  I added some detail with VersaMark.  I hand wrote sayings on the tools.  All of the pictures came from the clearance rack at Hobby Lobby.  The black framed picture with the large teal brush stroke was about $13.  I cut the saying from black Oracle vinyl and applied to the top of the glass.  It's one of my favorite sayings.

<^..^> Lori

Happy Mother's Day Banner

I was inspired by

to make a banner for the wall at church.  Here is my take on this banner:

I found these sweet little birds on clothes pins at Michaels on clearance from their Easter section.  The white circle banners were on clearance from Target.  I hot glued on spring flowers that were in the clearance bins at Michaels.

<^..^> Lori

I'm Thankful for You Gift

So have you been into the stores to check out the Halloween and Fall markdowns?  I found these really neat plastic wine glasses at Michaels for 80% off.  They were originally $6.99 each.  I don't think I would pay that for a plastic glass but I would pay $1.39 each to turn them into a gift for someone I care about.  I would love to have gotten them at 90% off but I doubt any would be left.

We don't drink alcohol but the glasses were so cute with the fall leaves and the saying "I'm Thankful fo

r YOU".  I decided I could work them into a nice gift.

I used a large can of mixed nuts and some candy corn flavored M&M's to make a treat mix.  My husband thinks M&M's should not taste like candy corn.  But he agreed they were good with the nuts.  I added some to each glass and topped them with some fun pumpkin taffy and candy corn taffy from Market Fresh.  It was my first time to shop in a Market Fresh store.  It was really nice, not a lot of variety for staple basics, more of a fancy store, a bit on the expensive side.  Again I found the taffy on clearance 1/2 off because it was after Halloween so I did okay on the budget.

I put a clear treat bag over the glass and closed it around the stem to keep them fresh.

 Here is one completed.  I just need to add the name tag to each stem.

<^..^> Lori

Fall Decorations around the Church

Mostly Hobby Lobby and Michael's items that are used here to give the look of fall.  The pretty pumpkin in the first picture came from Sam's Club.  I would have loved to get it on clearance but I doubted I would be there when they marked them down so I caved and bought it.  The decor tables have 70 inch round tablecloths from Walmart on them.

<^..^> Lori

Awana October Treats

Pinterest led me to a great blog by Julie called Happyhomefairy where I found this great free printable for fall treats.

I was looking for ideas to make an Awana October treat for the kids.  The Ladies Missionary Fellowship makes something every year.  The last few years we have made a "pumpkin patch" for the kids to pick a treat so I try to find something to use as a pumpkin.  I had found these bright beautiful orange Solo cold cups at Sam's Club.  I knew I didn't want to fill it with candy so more walking around Sam's brought me to a kid's favorite, Pepperidge Farm Goldfish and Gatorade bottles.  Hmmm...what do you do with all that stuff and call it a pumpkin treat?  Well, you use a permanent marker to draw a face.  I will admit I printed a template for the mouth to trace around but the triangle nose and eyes are totally handmade.  LOL!  You print the cute witnessing stickers from the site I mentioned above.  You bring 7 friends who love Christ together to help you and...tada...pumpkin treats are made for 80 kids in less than 2 hours.

My friend, Jane, thought the kids would want some candy in them so we tucked in a couple of Tootsie Pops in each cup.

<^..^> Lori

Some Hobby Lobby Decor Ideas

So often I see pieces at Hobby Lobby that I like but I don't know what to do with them.  Same for Michaels Craft Store.  I wish they gave more ideas to work off from the decor instead of just putting it on the shelf to sell.  Here are some pieces that I bought from both of those places and how I used them at church.

The wall pieces are from Hobby Lobby.  So are the half table and the ceramic lion with the lamb.  The other pieces are from Michaels.
Hope this sparks your creative juices,
<^..^> Lori

Back to School table decor

I am starting to take down the summer decor at church.  I was going to move to fall but it is just a little too early so I set up some back to school stuff.

<^..^> Lori

Fourth of July Wall Flowers

Definitely Pinterest Inspired

I made some of the paper flowers that were everywhere on Pinterest this spring.  The first set were spring colored, pink, blue, teal, yellow.  I tried making them with Astro Bright papers.  The colors were very pretty and vibrant but they were too fragile for my taste.  Bending the ends of the paper ruins the flower's affect in my opinion.  So I moved to card stock.  They are less fragile and might even last another year to put up again if stored where they will not get humid or fade from light.  Anyway my second attempt of the flowers for summer was in red, white, and blue.  This time I added another dimension by cutting the leftover yardstick into stars and sewing them together.  I strung the stars over the flowers and let them dangle.

I had them hung on a wall at church.  I like the 3D affect.  I am trying to figure out what to replace them with for fall.  I would like to make these flowers in glittery fall  colors but the cost of the paper is prohibitive for me.  It takes about 65 of A2 size pieces of card stock to make each flower.  I cut them down to A2 (4.5 x 5.5 inches) from 12 x 12 sheets.

<^..^> Lori

Valentine Banquet

We had a Valentine Banquet, yes it was in February! I just never got anything posted for it.  Today I decided to stop and take time to post some events from church.  I hope they inspire others to get involved in serving the Lord Jesus at their church or homes.
I found the most beautiful Valentine flower arrangement at Michaels in Peoria, IL.  The florist there is really very talented.  I know other Michaels could have similar arrangements but her's always stand out somehow to me.  Look at the lovely heart shape she made with the greenery behind the twisting roses.

Just lovely!  Now the price was not so lovely.  They had it marked at $120.00.  I wouldn't spend that much on flowers in a single arrangement.  I priced the individual components and the cost was $50 not including the glue and spanish moss.  Then Michaels did what they always do as the holiday approaches, they dropped the prices by 50%.  Now I did consult with my husband as this was still pretty expensive at $60.  He agreed that I could buy it.  I know the flowers look pink in this picture but they are actually a very lovely deep red.
I put it on a table at church that sits just outside my office.  I smiled every time I went past it.  It was also the entrance where attendees for the Valentine banquet came in to hang up their coats.  I added hundreds of Christmas lights under the table cloth as I had seen on Pinterest.  I know I have a picture of it all lighted up but do you think I could find it today?  But when I do, I will post it.
We had the banquet catered and it was very fun.
We did some special napkin folding.  Again I found samples on Pinterest and we folded the guys' places with a free flowing red heart shape.  It made me think of a water color heart.  We folded the girls' places with a rose bud.  I think my daughter must have the photos on her phone.  I will check with her before I post.  I really am bad at getting pictures of the stuff we make, do, etc.  Sigh!


<^..^> Lori

Dessert Theatre 2014 Phil's Diner

This goes back to 2014...Christmas Dessert Theatre was set in Phil's Diner so it was really different from the elegant table settings we had done the previous 6 years.

Among other things, we made gum drop Christmas trees for each table.  Here is one that I brought home to use for decoration after the production ended.

<^..^> Lori

Big Lots Laundry cart has other uses

I saw this laundry cart ad for Big Lots for $24.

I decided to try it.  I have other laundry carts and they are getting worn out.  That sounds funny doesn't it.  The fabric is torn from too much laundry stuffed in them.  They have been in my basement for many years and are starting to rust a bit.  Plus I had a $5.00 off coupon from my Buzz rewards card from Big Lots to make the replacement deal even sweeter.

Turns out they have a great feature where there is a wire rack underneath the baskets that keeps them from sagging and eventually the baskets getting dragged along the floor like my old ones.  Each basket can be removed individually unlike my old one.  That is super for moving dirty clothes from the laundry cart to the clothes washer.  I am really liking this laundry cart.  I bought a second one to replace my other laundry cart...then I got crazy and bought a 3rd one.  Why?  Well, good question.  I got another Big Lot coupon in my inbox.  Coupons are a good thing in my book.  Plus, I decided that the cart would be useful to organize some other items than laundry.  I put my gift wrap into it.  I don't know how original that is but it works for me.

My old laundry carts have been washed and sewn up.  I will recycle them at church to hold gym equipment for Awana games.  I think it would work great for dodge balls or bean bags and the like.

<^..^> Lori

Whoooooooo loves you?

My son's Boy Scout Troop did some community work at a local church last night.  They helped with a Family Fun Fest that included a Trunk or Treat.  Here is our trunk!

I cannot accept credit for the idea of using owls and "Whooooo loves you?" as a very talented lady I know used a similar theme a couple of years ago at our church.  I put my own crafty cat spin on it though.

<^..^> Lori

Quick, fragrant and comforting...another delicious meal

I made ONE POT CHILI MAC AND CHEESE last night and it was very good.  Follow the link here to get the recipe.

The recipe was easy and flexible.  I used the whole can of both beans instead of having some left over.  I did add more tomatoes because I love using my garden grown tomatoes from the freezer.  And I had a 17 oz package of macaroni, so I used it and increased the liquid.  It was good and makes a pretty large pot of food.  So we have leftovers for lunches.  I love it.

<^..^> Lori

Another yummy Crockpot chicken recipe

I found some chicken tenders on manager's special pricing this week so I made WAY TOO much of this yummy recipe for Creamy Chicken from the Cozycakes Cottage blog.  In fact, I had to double the ingredients because I had so much chicken.  But that means lots of great leftovers for lunches so it is not so bad.

The weather being cool in the evening and warm in the day just compels me to use my crockpot.  Does it do that to you?

<^..^> Lori