bread making tips.

There is nothing better than freshly baked bread.  I was recently on the phone with a friend who mentioned that her bread machine is acting funny whenever she tries to make whole wheat bread. She mentioned how the top of the loaf will sometimes fall in. I have had this happen as well. I certainly do love using my bread machine, but if I am going to take the time to make homemade bread, I want multiple loaves! I often make homemade bread for our family.  Here are a few tips if the idea of making your own bread seems a little daunting.

*Find a great recipe. It may take some testing, but once you have the perfect recipe, you’ll never turn back.

*Invest in a LARGE bowl. If your mixing bowl is large enough, you can do your kneading directly in the bowl and won’t need to make another mess on the counter top!

*Make several loaves. If you are taking the time to bake, bake several and freeze the extras.  The recipe I use makes 3 loaves and is the perfect amount for about 2 weeks.

*Spice it up. Add herbs to one of the loaves, or make hamburger buns out of one loaves worth of dough.

*Revitalize it. Bring bread that has been frozen back to that fresh out of the oven taste- Pop a thawed loaf into the oven at 350 for about 10 minutes.

*Reuse. Save your store bought bread bags and reuse them to store your delicious home made bread!

Yes, I think I’m pretty darn funny

crayon box.

I am absolutely paranoid of my house looking like a day care. I am constantly trying to find clever ways of hiding things from sight.  We have two ottomans (ottomen?:)) in the living room with lids that are removable.  This is where we keep toys.  Greta is in a huge coloring phase right now. It seems that the crayons are always out on the dining room table. For my birthday this year, my friend dropped off a cookbook,  and this lovely box full of gourmet cupcakes.

This lovely, feminine box now houses our crayons!

it’s that easy.

You know that lovely,  luxurious foaming soap? I love it!  But, did you know that those foaming soap containers are reusable? You simply fill the container 1/3 full (or less!) with regular liquid soap and fill to the top with water.  Give it a little shake and there you go! I used my Dr. Bronner’s soap (you could even use antibacterial if you must).  Speaking of Dr. Bronner’s…it is pretty cool stuff. You can use it for practically anything! Just don’t try to read the label My wonderful mother-in-law was kind enough to donate 2 foaming bottles to the Lee household and we have been fabulously foamy ever since.

the ultimate grocery list.

My weekly grocery trip with Greta and Miles in tow is one of the highlights of my week. I am beginning to realize just how odd this is.  It is really an enjoyable time with the kids and usually does not take us very long. Here are my tips for the “ultimate” grocery experience!

*Make your weekly menu- go through the pantry and fridge and determine what items need to be used up. Read the weekly specials for the store you will be shopping at and plan accordingly. If you use coupons, pull the good ones. After you have made your menu, start your list.

*Make categories for your list- PRODUCE, MEAT, DAIRY, CANNED/PACKAGED, BAKING, FROZEN, and MISCELLANEOUS—or whatever categories you like

*Go through your list and estimate how much each item will be. Here is an example of what my PRODUCE category usually looks like.

PRODUCE

bananas-4

strawberries-3

other fruit-3

spinach-4

onion-1

…you get the idea. This will help you to stay within your budget.  As you shop you can keep track of how much the items actually are and then if you have any extra money you can get a few splurge items like ice cream or goldfish crackers (yes, those are splurges at our house!)

*Let little ones “help” by putting groceries into the cart or on the conveyor belt, and keep energetic little ones close by, by having them keep one hand on the cart at all times.

Making a list with categories will keep you from walking back and forth over and over in the store and estimating amounts for each item will keep your budget on track.

So,  give it a try and happy shopping!!

basic floral design.

The flowers are blooming and it is so much fun to be able to cut flowers from your own garden! Here are a few tips to insure success

*Cut your flowers in early morning or in the evening.  When it is still dark is best. The blooms will be nice and closed and will last longer once cut.

*Cut the stems at an angle with very sharp shears. The cleaner the cut the better the flowers will be able to “drink” once placed in water.

*Remove all greenery that would be under the water line on your vase.  Greenery under water encourages bacteria growth and the flowers will not last as long.

* Make sure the stems reach all the way to the bottom of the vase. This will look better and you won’t have to change the water as often.

* Add enough flowers so that the arrangement is at least 1 1/2 times the height of whatever vase or container you are using. A common mistake is to choose a vase that is too large and then just have a few flowers peeking out over the top of the vase.

* Change the water every couple of days, recutting the stems each time.

Enjoy!

exfoliate.

Most of you know, I really LOVE to make things.  A couple of days ago I made a sugar body scrub.

And I am in love with it!! I’ve heard of people (including my sister) using salt, but since I have florists’ hands, that could be very painful

SUGAR BODY SCRUB

1 1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. olive oil (or more as needed)

1/4 c. water (or more as needed)

5 drops essential oil of your choice (I used geranium)

Use any container with a lid.  Pour sugar into container. Add olive oil and essential oil.  Use knife to swirl the oil down through the sugar. Add more water or oil as needed until sugar is saturated. Store indefinitely.

menu planning.

Dorky confession- I really look forward to planning our menu each week. Not only does it save us money, and help us eat healthier, but it completely eliminates the “what are we going to eat” question.  I start my menu planning each week by looking at the weekly sale items available at our local grocery store.  Next, I find recipes that coordinate with the sale items and make a list. I always make my grocery list in sections; produce, meat, dairy, boxed/canned, baking, frozen and miscellaneous.  This way when I am shopping with 2 little ones I do not have run back and forth all over the store.  Once I get home, I write my menu on the chalk board.  I never assign certain meals to certain dates, that way we have some wiggle room to eat what we feel like (until the end of the week ).

revamp.

I have a before and after!

We had 2 framed photos in our basement bathroom that did not match our new shower curtain and rug. Rather than buy new artwork- I chose to make my own art using scrap booking paper. This is an easy and cheap way to make custom artwork to coordinate perfectly with any room!

Before:

After:

remnants.

Here is a great thing to do with your leftover fabric remnants. I used my fabric scraps to make cloth napkins. We no longer use paper towels or napkins because of the cost and the waste- so this is a great thing to have on hand for company. I just used one of my old cloth napkins as a pattern and now I have beautiful napkins that match our dining room!