How Will YOU Be Kind Today?

Today I am writing to give a shout out to one of my good friends who just published her first children’s book. Molly is a fellow South Eastern Minnesota girl and her & I worked together for several years, as well as had many of the same circle of friends. She is one of the sweetest gals I know & I wanted to support her new venture. And being the kind person she is, she plans on donating all of the books profits to anti-bullying campaigns in her local community.

A little bit about Molly:

Molly Trim is a native of Lewiston, Minnesota and currently resides in Trempealeau Wisconsin with her husband Nate, and their two daughters, Delaney and Gracie. When she turned 40, she added two aspirations to her bucket list: Pay it forward and write something enduring and meaningful for her little girls. With “How Will YOU be Kind Today?” Molly shares an important message of kindness and plans to donate the book’s profits to anti-bullying campaigns in her local community.

So lets do our best to support Molly & her cause.

Here is the link to order a copy of her book which is available in soft cover or hard cover! Order your copy today!

Pallet Christmas Greeting DIY

I made a bunch of these for Christmas gifts last year. They were pretty easy & very inexpensive to make. I love the rustic look!

SUPPLIES:

Pallets

Paint

Screws

Drill

Paintbrush

Stencil

Carbon Paper

I didn’t take pictures of the time consuming part which was tearing apart the pallets & then screwing them back together. I also White washed the below example, but some of the others I painted prior to the template going on. I just created the templates in Microsoft Word.

Blank Pallet

I traced the outline of the template with carbon paper behind it to get my outline to paint.

You can’t really see the outline of the template here but it’s visible enough to fill in the lines with paint.

Fill in with paint

It’s a easy & in expensive handmade gift!

Cupcake Christmas Ornament DIY

These are super easy DIY Christmas Ornaments. All my supplies I found at Hobby Lobby.

SUPPLIES:

Glitter Shatter Proof Ornaments

Cupcake Liners

Bugle Beads

Small red ornaments or Berry Picks (for cherry)

Silver Glitter

Glue Gun

Craft Glue

Craft paint brush

Ribbon or Packing String

I started out by brushing craft glue onto the top. Then I sprinkled with silver glitter (frosting) & bugel beads (sprinkles). I hot glued my ornament ball to the cupcake liner. Hot glued my ‘cherry’ on the top & tied packing string to hang. Super simple & cute DIY ornament.

Sports Button Christmas Ornaments & Magnets DIY

I am a sports Mom. My kids play Football, Basketball, Baseball & run Cross Country. When it comes to picture time for those sports, I am a sucker & always order the picture button with my order. I wear the button on my purse or jacket during the season & then those buttons collect dust in their keepsake box once the next new season rolls around & I get my new button. So instead of corralling these buttons into a box, I had a light bulb moment to make these instead. A great up cycle idea!

*I also a bunch of these laying around from when I was their age that I made as well. 🙂

SUPPLIES:

Sports Buttons

4″ Round Paper Mache Buttons (I bought mine here)

Paint

Ribbon

Stickers

Foam Brush

Hot Glue Gun

Supplies Ornament

I started by painting my ornaments in the coordinating colors.

Painted Ornament

Once dry I hot glued the buttons on to them.

I added silver ribbon around the edge with hot glue & added some glittery stickers for extra bling!

I also had some duplicate buttons so I made some refrigerator magnets with those. All I did was hot glue a magnet on the back & they were done!

Back of Magnet

Here are the ornaments on the tree! I just love how they turned out & they will be fun to decorate the tree with for years to come. I just LOVE sentimental memory ornaments! My kids really enjoyed seeing the ones of me in high school too! These would also make fun gifts for the grandparents if you have duplicates!

Side C Table DIY

I have needed a side table for some time now in my living room but didn’t want anything that took up a ton of room & I needed something that was versatile to move around whenever needed. When I started researching for DIY Side tables, the “C Table” style kept popping up & I felt it was the best fit for what I was looking for. I found this blog post & it was the inspiration for my table. I modified it a bit because Menard’s didn’t have all the parts I needed in stock. This project was super simple & took no time at all. The most time-consuming part honestly was trying to get the stickers off the pipe fittings & waiting for paint & stain to dry. The rest was a breeze!

SUPPLIES:

¾” X 12” Galvanized Steel Pipe Nipple – 4 (Menards $2.39)

¾” X ¾” X ½” Galvanized Reducing Tee – 2 (Menards $3.69)

¾” Galvanized Floor Flange – 4 (Menards $3.09 each)

½” X 5 Galvanized Steel Pipe Nipple – 1 (Menards $1.09)

Wood Board Scraps -12”W X 15”L X 1” Thick – 2 (on hand)

¾” Wood Screws – 16 (on hand)

Wood Stain – Varathane Fast Dry Wood Stain, Color: Kona (on hand)

Rust-oleum ORB Spray Paint (on hand)

Sandpaper (on hand)

Varnish Brush (on hand)

Pipe Fittings

I started by cutting my wood boards to size. Then I sanded them & stained them with wood stain I already had on hand from a previous project.

Wood Stained

Kona Wood Stain

I put my pipe fittings together (after I removed all the stubborn stickers) & spray painted them with the ORB spray paint.

Pipe Fittings painted & assembled

Once all the wood pieces & pipe pieces were dry, I used my cordless drill to screw all the pieces together. It can’t get much simpler than that. The pipe fittings cost around $31 which is all I had to buy for this project.

Close Up

C Table

I am super stoked about this easy project & it works great in my living room to hold remotes & beverages!

C Table

Finished Product

Front Door REDO

My entire house needed a updated look. I needed to take it from the 1970’s to the current in a hurry. Paint is ALWAYS to quickest way to do that on a tight budget! So once I got the interior of my house updated, I started on the doors. I really LOVE pops of bright colors & painting your front door a fun & happy color is a good way to incorporate that. I picked Benjamin Moore Admiral Blue for the color as I am a big fan of blues, aquas & other calming colors.

SUPPLIES:

Paint – Benjamin Moore Admiral Blue

Oil Rubbed Entry Knob -Menards (like this)

3M Hook – Menards (like this)

Small Paint Roller Set – Menards (like this)

Painters Tape

Front Door BEFORE

I started by prepping the door by giving it a good cleaning with vinegar & water. I then removed the hardware. I taped off the glass & hinges with painter’s tape. I used a smaller brush to get all the little nooks & cranny’s but used this foam paint roller to do the rest. I did need to go over it all twice but I LOVE the look! I bought a gallon of paint as my plan was to paint both the front door & the service entrance door to the garage as you can see here all finished & pretty. But I still have a bunch of paint left…..I love the color so much that I need to find something else to paint & use it up with. You know me & paint….nothing is safe! LOL! Then I just put all the hardware back on once it dried a few hours.

Outside Admiral Blue Door

Inside Admiral Blue Door

And added this little 3M hook for hanging my holiday wreaths! I am already thinking I need to replace the old screen door with something more like this so you can see the beauty of the blue door. ULGH….do the home projects ever end?!?! One always seems to lead to another!

Entry Credenza Redesign

I found this little gem at the Christian thrift shop that my Grandma volunteers at for $5. It was a solid piece, just not a very pretty color, can you say 1970’s. I started by cleaning it up with some vinegar & water. Then just gave it a quick sanding with some fine sandpaper for the paint to adhere too. Then I went to town with my spray paint!!!!

SUPPLIES:

Credenza Piece -Thrift Store $5

Fine Sandpaper

Rustoleum Black Spray Paint (buy it here)

Rustoleum Green Apple Spray Paint (buy it here)

Rustoleum Forged Metal Spray Paint (buy it here)

I updated the inside with a fun pop of Green Apple spray paint. Then finished the outside with glossy black spray paint. The hardware handles I spray painted with Forged Metal spray paint. Now I have a tidy spot to house our DVD collection.

Finished Product

Hardware Detail

DVD Storage Credenza

RECIPE: Simple Black Bean & Corn Salsa

RECIPE: Simple Blackbean & Corn Salsa

I was fortunate enough this past weekend to get a 5 gallon pail full of Roma tomatoes from Mr. Amazing’s parents. My kids seem to eat salsa faster than I can buy it these days so my plan was to make salsa. I have made salsa many times in the past, but have never made Black Bean & Corn salsa which seems to be my boys favorite currently. Here is the rundown of the recipe I tweaked to make it my own. This first batch made 12 quart jars & was super simple to make.

5 Gallon Bucket of Tomatoes

Simple Blackbean & Corn Salsa

I started by peeling the tomatoes using the boiling water & ice water method. Check it out here.

Ingredients:

8 Cups Tomatoes (peeled & chopped)

2 ½ Cups Onions (chopped)

2 Cups Green Peppers (chopped)

6 Garlic Cloves (minced)

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Black Pepper

2 Tbsp Canning Salt

½ Cup Sugar

1/3 Cup White Vinegar

1 Can (15 oz) Tomato Sauce

1 Can (12 oz) Tomato Paste

1 Can (15 oz) Black Beans (drained & rinsed)

1 Can (11 oz) Chopped Jalapenos

2 Cups frozen Corn

Add all ingredients to pot & simmer until hot throughout about 10-15 minutes. Ladel into your jars & add the lid & ring. Add full & sealed jars to hot bath for another 10 minutes.

Clean Tomatoes

Hot Water Boiling Method

Peeled Tomotoes

Cooked Salsa

Filling the jars

The Finished Product!

I hope your family enjoys it as much as mine did!!!

Quick Last Minute Halloween Costume

My son was invited to a Halloween party this past weekend & he procrastinated on his costume. This is what we threw together at the last minute. “When Life Gives you Lemons” was the play on words.

SUPPLIES:

White T shirt

Gray Felt

Printed Word

Hot Glue Gun

Lemons

Mesh Laundry Bag

Thankfully all the items we already had on hand for the exception of the Lemons.

I started by using Microsoft Word to print out the “L I F E” letters onto cardstock. Then we cut out the card stock letters & used it as a template to cut out the felt letters. We then just hot glued the felt letters onto his plain white t shirt. We added the Lemons to the mesh laundry bag & he hung the bag from his belt loop. Instant Costume. This costume could work for a boy or a girl.