Recipe Storage

I blogged about my coupon storage  a while back, and I have to report that I love it!  I keep it in my car so I always have it with me and I update and clean it out every Sunday with the paper and some coffee!  It has truly made me more organized and I am definitely saving money!  Woo hoo!

Because I do love the organization the plastic bin provides, I decided to go ahead and clean out my recipe box and apply the same principle.

My recipe box was overflowing.  I found myself throwing recipes in a cabinet, losing them, and they were getting damaged.  I decided today that I was going to do something about it, so I picked up another bin this morning and got to work while the kids were napping.

This is the worn out recipe box that was driving me nuts!



This is during the purge and sort.

This is organized bliss!  This cost me $2.50 and took about 30 minutes.



I did the same exact thing as I did for the coupons.  I cut off the flap from several envelopes, wrote a header on top of an index card, filed the recipes according to several different catergories, and alphabetized. 

Now, if I want to make cookies, I simply grab the "cookies" envelope and sift through my recipes.  Before, all my desserts were lumped in together and it took me forever to find anything.  This is obviously larger than my recipe box, so this will be stored in my pantry, where I have lots of extra space.

Here are the catergories I used in case you are interested: 
appetizers
beef
breads/bars
breakfast
cake/cupcakes
casseroles
chicken
chocolate
cookies
misc. desserts
drinks
frosting
mexican
pasta
pie
pizza
pork
salads
sandwiches
seafood
side dishes
soups/stews

I cook a lot, but I have to admit that during the summer, I throw together easy recipes or we just throw something on the grill.  This exercise has me motivated to try some new recipes that I just found!  Happy organizing!

Summer Goals

Our summer has been wonderful, but I can't believe it is a third of the way over already!  Both kids are finally at an age where I can take them anywhere and do most anything.  We have made frequent trips to the library, movies, and pool in between entertaining our many guests!  We are guest free this month and I want to be sure to sprinkle in a few new activities. 

I came across a simple, but cute idea on a blog that I read.  She sat down with her kids and they came up with a list of all the things they wanted to do this summer.  I decided to do the same thing with my kids and our goals are proudly displayed on the fridge.  Now, they can track our "fun progress"!

Thanks to www.thelarsonlingo.blogspot.com for your inspiration!  You can guess who chose "play street hockey", right??

Along with these fun family goals, I also challenged Drew to two personal goals. 

1.  Be able to write your full name by your 4th birthday (end of August).
2.  Swim underwater by the end of the summer.

Here is where he has gotten in one month's time.  Can you see the makings of "Drew"??  It gets more and more legible every day!

He has also blown me away with going underwater.  He is comfortable in the water and will swim for days with his float on and go down the waterslide, etc, but he was nervous to submerge is head underwater.  This week, he decided to start swimming in the toddler pool and retrieving dive sticks!    Hopefully by the end of the summer, he will move to the big pool and jump off the side.  Exposure and practice is the name of the game!

Hope you are all getting to be as carefree as we are this summer!

Striped Office Chair

I have been working on revamping our guest bedroom into a guest bedroom/work space.  I already purchased a chair at Goodwill a while back, and just recently decided to spruce it up a bit.  I decided to go with horizontal stripes for this one!

This chair was brand new from Target (still had the pricetag on it) when I purchased it at GW for $5.00!  It was orginially blond wood and I painted it a neutral beige.  This is the base (I used leftover paint I already had).

I used painters tape to mark where my stripes would be.  I am lazy when it comes to meausring, so I just eyeballed.  I am a really good "eyeballer"!  Please excuse the dark pictures.  I do a lot of stuff after dark when everyone else is asleep!

I think I painted 3 coats of a shade of white that I also had on hand.

I removed the tape immediately after the last coat (while the paint was still wet) to avoid any peeling.  A few coats of spray polycrylic, and I have a new, happier, shinier, more interesting office chair! 

Total cost for chair and paint:  $5

I'll take it!

Linking up with:

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

http://www.makingtheworldcuter.blogspot.com/

http://itsacraftylife.blogspot.com/

http://runwithglitter.blogspot.com/

http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/

http://www.elements-interiors.net/

http://bornagaincrafter.blogspot.com/

http://www.theshabbychiccottage.net/

http://www.atthepicketfence.com/

http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com             

http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com

http://www.houseofhepworths.com/

http://www.tipjunkie.com/

http://www.notjustahousewife.net/

http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Pancakes

I made these homemade pancakes last week, and wanted to share.  We love breakfast for dinner at the Larson house!  I got the original recipe from www.moneysavingmom.com.  Everyone enjoyed them, and I have extras in the freezer for future breakfasts! 

FYI:  This is the original recipe, but I halved it and still had leftovers for the freezer.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Pancakes
5 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup oatmeal
3 Tablespoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon salt
5 1/4 cups milk
3/4 cup butter, melted
6 eggs, beaten
9 Tablespoons sugar
1 bag chocolate chips

Combine flour, oatmeal, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.  Beat milk, butter, eggs, and sugar together, separately.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  Pour in the wet ingredients and mix together.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spray skillet with cooking spray and cook until tiny bubbles appear on the surface.  Flip and cook until brown.

To Freeze Extras:
Cool pancakes and lay on cookie sheet and flash freeze for 1 hour.  Put in a freezer bag, remove air, and seal.  Freeze.  Reheat in mircrowave for 30 seconds-1 minute or heat in oven at 350 for 5-10 minutes.

Big Girl Bed

This little gal recently moved into a big girl bed.  She transitioned like a champ and wants to tell anyone who will listen that she sleeps in a "big girl bed" now.  She has been every bit a "big girl" since she was very little, so now it all fits! 

You do know what this all means though?  No more crib.  No more baby stuff.   Just a big girl in a princess dress and cowboy boots...

Amidst all the company we have had over the last 6 weeks, I have been slowly changing Kate's room around and piecing things together.  I have a few DIY projects to post about soon, but in the meantime, this is her "big girl" twin headboard.  My friend found it for me at Goodwill for $9.99!  I love the shape and detail-perfect for Miss Kate.

Pics of the finished room and bed to come!  Let's just hope it takes her a few years to catch on to the fact that her brother sleeps in a queen bed :). . .



Recent Happenings...



We spend a lot of our time at the pool...I think he is having just a little bit of fun :).

Someone got a haircut!  She was fighting me on brushing it after baths and the pool, so I cut it myself and I couldn't be happier!  Easy and adorable! 

Our new library opened, so we have been meeting friends for storytime and attended a magic show. 

We recently did a toy and book purge.  The kids understand that these will be donated to kids who don't have a lot of books and toys, so they are pretty willing to get rid of stuff.  It always feels so good to get rid of clutter! 

We have a theater that offers $1 kids movies in the summer.  This was only their second movie at the theater, so they were loving it!

Pool fun with one of his besties!

Sweet hubby brought home these fab flowers! 

I heart summer!



An Unconventional Planter

I love pots, plants, flowers, gardens, watering things, watching things grow, etc.  I also love when flowers or plants are potted in an unconventional way.  I recently used some paint cans as planters as well as an old bar stool as a plant holder.  A little something unexpected makes you look twice.

When on a recent trip to Fredericksburg, TX, I spotted this very unconventional "pot" displayed right on the street...

And here are a few more images to get you thinking "outside the pot" when planting this summer.

image via myrustysieve.blogspot.com

image via edenmakersblog.com

 

image via greenupgrader.com

image via flickr.com

Now, if only we could order some rain in South Texas.  This drought is doing a number on all things green in our area.  Please say a little prayer or do a little rain dance for us!

Still Alive...

Yes, I am still alive!  We have been busy, had company for a week, and I found out today that my computer has a virus, so it will be in the shop for a few days. 

I have lots of pics and projects to share after my computer gets up and running again.  We are currently working on Kate's "big girl" room.  She will spend her first night in her big girl bed tonight, so wish us luck! 

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

Kitchen Paint Color: The Perfect Blue/Grey

I was sorting through some old pictures and realized I never blogged about my final paint choice for my kitchen!  A while back I asked for suggestions for the perfect blue/grey paint color.  I decided one day that I was sick of the beige walls in my kitchen and wanted to go blue, my favorite.  I thought I would just go with Silver Marlin, which I used in the master bedroom (and love), but it turned out to be way too baby boy blue for my kitchen (the lighting is a lot different). 

Silver Marlin by Benjamin Moore

Then I thought about doing Silver Sage, which I have in my half bath, guest bath, and laundry room, but that wasn't working in this space either.  This is a wonderful color and you can find pictures of rooms with this color all over blogland!

Silver Sage by Restoration Hardware

After your suggestions, tons of paint chips, and four different paint samples, I settled on Quiet Moments by Benjamin Moore.  It looks much different in my room than it did on the paint chip, so I am glad I spent the money for the small sample cans.  I always use up those samples for other projects, so there will be no waste!

Quiet Moments by Benjamin Moore

As soon as I decided on the color, I spent a day and half finishing the project and I love it!  It adds just enough color and still acts as a neutral for me. 

Here are some before pics of the beige.  We move a lot so we try to keep most of the main living spaces neutral for future buyers.  This color was a custom color from Sherwin Williams because I couldn't make up my mind.  I'm just slightly,   I mean highly indecisive :).

Here are some pics of Quiet Moments...



I also decided to paint the alcove that sits just outside the kitchen to give the hallway a bit of color and to keep it cohesive with the kitchen. 

What do you think??  I should have painted the kitchen a different color when we moved in 10 months ago, but at least it's done now!