How Many Projects Can You Start At One Time

Okay I'll admit it....I have trouble staying on task.  Anytime...but even more so now with the more bad days than good, health wise. 

We seem to be all over the place in our home projects.  Leave it up to me to start one project and decide I can only do it by starting, three, four, five or more at the same time.  Now, that's nothing new.  Even as a kid at home, when I would decide to clean my room the project would run into the wee hours of the morning because I would start buy taking everything down off the dresser etc, and then clean each drawer inside out.  The difference now is that the project may start today and end next month.  Boy, I hate that. 

So with that said, I thought I'd give you a few peeks of whats going on at our house.
 
Yep, there's a fabric project underway.  All because of a little paint project.  Ha, it's a huge paint project.

No simple recovering project here.  A complete makeover calls for foam.  Who knew foam could be so expensive.  Thank goodness for those 50% off sales.

New foam has to go on something.  So lets take a peek at the before.

I wish I had smell vision.  No, I don't.  I like you guys too much for that.  These were not my chairs.  If they were I would have never shown them.  I found them on the side of the road.  Gotta love free!  But seriously, the smell after getting them to the house (outside only) almost made me change my mind.

Time to sand them down to raw wood and start the staining process.  These need to come as close as possible to match the round pedestal game table in the first picture. Here's your sneak peek after staining and before clear coats.

Did I hear you ask "Is the paint job finish?, Are the chairs finished?" Well, no but we don't let little things like that stop us. Lets throw an art work project into the mix. I think I'll do a frame makeover and art project.

No time to stop now.  Lets throw a few more projects into the mix.  This is just some of the tile for the new kitchen back splash.  Neils laid it on the floor and surround it with wood to get some layout ideas. 

Yes, my house does look like a construction zone but I can live with it just knowing that things are moving forward.  We did get the living room, dining room, powder room, and hall way painted and the kitchen is partially done.  The windows are now framed and painted too.  No small feat in a house of windows. 

Well the list of projects goes on and on.  So stay with me for more sneak peeks and makeovers to come. 

So what projects are you working on right now?  I'd love to hear about them.  If you have one that you'd like to share, let me hear about it. I'd love to share a peek here or maybe you'd like to even guest post here.  I love sharing new blogs with my readers.

Hugs....Tracy :)

Betty Crocker Giveaway Ends Tonight. Hurry!

My Betty Crocker Gluten Free Giveaway ends at midnight.  Hurry now to enter.  Just click here and follow the directions.

Win 5 boxes of Betty Crock gluten-free mixes.  Just click here to leave your comments and enter.  Don't leave you comment on this post or it won't count.
 

Repurposing Items

When you need something garden, do you just go to the garden department?  When you need something to hold the pens on your desk, do you just go to the office supply store?  You could do that, but doesn't that kind of limit you?  

When I set up my kitchen after getting new cabinets several years back, I knew I wanted my cooking utensils to be very handy.  I also knew I never liked digging in a drawer for them.  I wanted something a little Tuscany and I didn't want a little jar or an old crock for the look I was after.  It had to be a little more unique.  When I saw this flower pot in Lowe's garden department, I immediately said that's it.  That's the one.  It's a heavy ceramic or resin pot with an old world finish.  It holds lots of utensils and best of all I don't have to fight to get them out.  I hate to be in the middle of cooking and reach for a spoon and 4 other utensils fall out with it.

Repurposing = Problem Solved

 Since I'm in the kitchen with the camera I thought I'd share what I cooked for dinner last night.  First, I had to head to the grocery store.  We both agreed steak sounded good.  Looking at the prices, I decided steak didn't look so good.  And seeing how I've really been out of sorts lately with unjustified anxiety (don't know why but it's there) I didn't think I was up to putting together a dinner from scratch.  I headed to the frozen food aisle and thought I would try Stouffer's (who I love by the way) Braised Beef and Portobello Tortelloni.  I thought it might satisfy our steak craving.  Oh' I was wrong.

I don't know if it's our simple Southern roots?   I mean really you don't hear a whole lot about tortelloni here.  Don't get me wrong we don't all eat opossum here either.  As a matter of fact, red-neck as the South may be, I don't know the first person that eats opossum (pronounced possum). hee-hee.  

Back to the real subject....We just didn't care for this at all.  And it wasn't on sale, either.  I hesitated when I picked it up.  So little for so much.  On the other hand I didn't have to feel bad about throwing the left over away.  It was a big Thumbs down.  Sorry Stouffer's but you missed the mark on this one for me.  And Stouffer's is my all time favorite in frozen meals.

So do you re-purpose items?  Do you have any special tips and tricks for decorating your house?  What about dinner tonight, what are you planning?  I sure could use some easy and yummy quick dinner tips until I'm back on solid ground again.

Have a beautiful day, ya'll!  Hugs....Tracy :)

Get Paper Creative in the Kitchen with Delightful Order

Yesterday I stopped by Delightful Order to visit DaNita.  She is a favorite blogger of mine.  Along with being one of the nicest girls you will ever find, she has a God given passion for creating a loving home for her family and sharing her thoughts, tips and creative ideas with anyone interested.


DaNita has created the cutest Personalize Recipe Box.  Now I'm just itching to do something similar.  I thought I'd start out by showing you the one I've been using for close to 10 years.  It's not a tradition file box.  I wanted something that would look pretty on my counter.  One day while shopping I saw this whatever box and was thinking there has to be a useful purpose for this.  I love things to do more than just decorate.  It dawned on me that it would probably work great as a recipe box.

I had no clue when I bought it, that my file cards from my old Great American Recipes (1988) would fit in it.  They did fit - perfectly.   See that huge stack of papers sitting on top?  I'm much better at collecting them, them filing or cooking with them.  That's probably why the velvet lined box looks as clean as it does. 

Well at least photographing the box ended with me filing all those overflowing recipes away.

Now, let me introduce you to the cutest recipe file box.  I'm sure Martha Stewart wishes she'd come up with this one.  DaNita made this starting with an unfinished box (from Craft Warehouse).  She cut and modge podged her little heart out.

Just look at the cute and oh' so useful dividers she made!  I'm so jealous envious of her.  She really took the time to decorate everything.  All the scrap paper layered is so cute and I'm totally loving the Bible verses that she used.

Not only are the divider cards super cute, check out how she amped each one up a notch with her attention to detail.  How awesome is that?  I think I'd just have to show off my file box to anyone who ate at my house.

Recipes truly are about family traditions and the heritage of our lives.  What a wonderful keepsake for you children to fight over when you've left this earth.  I mean really this says almost as much about your families as your photos do.  Right?!  Am I right here?.  Give me an AMEN on that because you know I'm right!  This is definitely going on my long "create me" list.  Even if I end up keeping my box I want to get those dividers made and some of those cute recipe cards.

 DaNita doesn't actually have a step-by-step tutorial for this since she made it before she ever started blogging but she does have a few more pictures.  You can go here to see her pics and read a little more about this.  She has a wonderful idea for a wedding shower.   But I'm warning you now....You just might not get another thing done today because it's just so danged hard to leave.

Thanks for letting me share this DaNita!!!

Have a blessed day friends.........Hugs.......Tracy :)

Quote Of The Day

Proverbs 31:14-15

14. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.

15.  She gets up while it is still night, she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.