Pinterest Hit or Miss?

Just like many of you, I have become a Pinterest fan.  Seriously there are so many smart and creative people out there! There are a few boards I love to pin to more than others. I love my fashion board. Love it. But if you know me, then you know I don’t usually pay full price for any piece of clothing.  I love to shop at Ross and the thrift stores. I always head straight to the back of a store to the sale rack. I love the idea of taking a garment and turning it into something amazing.  So the most important board I pin to is my Pretending I Can Sew board.  Here I am gathering all sorts of ideas for easy sewing projects and ideas for turning pieces of clothing into something even more awesome! This is why I asked for a sewing machine from Christmas.  I also love my household ideas, home décor, crafts, food and quote boards. 

Every weekend I find myself trying out a few things I found on pinterest and I try at least one hair style a week.  So I decided to share the things I have tried and let you know if they are a hit or a miss. I would love to share some of your pinterest experiences too so shoot me a message and we can link up. I want to know what works and what doesn’t so I can try it myself. :)

FREEZER CROCK POT MEALS ……. HIT!

Dinner time at my house is a fiasco. Some days it is 8 or 9 before we are eating dinner and I hate to admit how many nights my kids end up fending for themselves with corn dogs, ramen noodles and mac n cheese. I decided to take one day to make a bunch of freezer meals that we can throw in the crock pot in the morning and have dinner ready when we get home. I had pinned links to the following 2 blogs:

http://mamaandbabylove.com/2011/04/05/freezer-cooking-with-slow-cooker-recipes/

http://melissafallistestkitchen.blogspot.com/2011/09/freezer-cooking-slow-cooker-meals.html

I went through and chose a few recipes that sounded good: Vegetable Beef Soup, Curry Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken, Healthy BBQ Chicken and Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast. I really like that each recipe included a lot of vegetables. Each recipe filled 2 gallon bags and 1 gallon bag is enough to feed my family of 6. So 5 recipes made 10 meals. SCORE! It took me about 5 hours to chop everything up and fill all the bags.

So far we have tried the vegetable beef soup, the bbq chicken and the teriyaki chicken. The teriyaki chicken was not good. It came out smelling sour so I added brown sugar to the juice and that made it taste much better. I think the problem with that recipe was the teriyaki sauce I bought and I think the carrots may have been bad….the whole bag of baby carrots were on sale for $1. So in all fairness, that recipe might be great. The soup and bbq chicken are amazing.

I have been continually adding crockpot meals to my food board and will keep you updated on yummy meals.  I’m all about saving time and this was a definite time saver!

RE-GROW GREEN ONIONS ……. HIT!

This pin originated at this blog. http://homemadeserenity.blogspot.com/2011/03/putting-food-by-beef-onions-and-vanilla.html

I read all the way to the bottom of this post and she had revised the information about the onions – here it is so you don’t have to look for it.

***update - 2/5/12. Wow! So much traffic to this post. I had no idea that re growing scallions in water would be such a popular topic. Having grown our green onions like this now for several years, I should clarify my earlier statements. These onions most likely won't grow indefinitely, but you can get 7 - 15 new clippings from them if you're vigilant. Please empty and replace your water regularly. Every 1-2 days. Rinse off your roots when replacing your water. This keeps down on onion-y smell and possible rot. And keep that water right around root level - don't fill the jar all the way up to the green portion of your onions. That's a sure way to have green onion rot develop. Happy micro-farming!

I have since dumped out half of my water so only the roots are submerged. I am excited about this one. And I LOVE how pretty they look in that mason jar in the window. ♥

SOAP SCUM KILLER ……. UNDECIDED BECAUSE OF USER ERROR!

This pin originated on this blog http://lifecraftsandwhatever.blogspot.com/2012/01/dawn-vinegar-soap-scum-killa.html. And because we all know that no products wipes away soap scum with little effort, I was skeptical.  There are only 2 ingredients. Hot vinegar and blue Dawn.  I heated up 1 cup of vinegar in the microwave for 2 minutes and then poured it into a spray bottle. Next I added 1 cup of blue dawn.  You shake it up real good and are ready to go.

It’s really thick so it stays on the glass better than any other product I have tried. I left it on for 45 minutes and then rinsed it off. I ‘m not sure why I thought that was the time limit because now that I read the post again, she left it on for 2 hours and it recommends leaving it on OVERNIGHT for tough stains.

BEFORE

AFTER

As you can see….it did not kill my soap scum, but it did help a little and I think if I leave it on for a long time it might work.  Even on my HARD HARD HARD mountain well water stains. So next Saturday I will try again.  I would love to hear if this works for you.  And if you clean your shower doors so often that you don’t ever accumulate soap scum, I don’t want to hear about it. ;)

MASCARA EXTENDER ……. HIT!

Not sure who originally pinned this one but I tried it and it works! Which is a good thing, cause I ADORE my Mary Kay mascara, and it’s not cheap.

MAKE MASCARA LAST 3X LONGER!! A typical mascara dries out before half of it is used. When your favorite mascara starts getting dry, add 4-5 drops of saline solution or eye drops to the bottle. Insert your wand and stir and TA-DA!! Fresh mascara! This can be repeated 2 or 3 times until all you mascara is gone.

Here are some Pinterest projects I would like to finish this week. Hopefully. If I have time. ha ha ha.

Paint old vases

  31 ways to Pray for your Children! There is a PDF file you can download and then print!

After your family finishes each book they get to do a fun activity.

Refashion men's shirt to ruffle top. 

Mom? Mom. MOOOOMMMM! I know you read my blog.  Can you please pencil in a few hours to help me get started on this one? PRETTY PLEASE?  I’ll take your silence as a yes.

And then because you helped me with the first one, mom, I wont make you help me with this one.  I’ll do it all by myself! Your welcome.

T-Shirt into Skirt. The sleeves become pockets.

Teal, its my new black

I think it's interesting how tastes change.  How something I never thought about becomes something I love.  How one day I wake up and I am done with something I loved. Every time I go shopping for clothes I am into something new.  Sometimes all I pick out is black and white stripes.  Sometimes it is one color I gravitate to.  It fascinates me.  Right now I like red, gray, teal and purple.  Skinny jeans with boots, hair that is dark on top and light on the ends (color melting) long necklaces with charms, big bags and puffy coats with fur trimmed hoods.  I am sure in a month or two that will all be different.

Shopping with Kristi

I went shopping for clothes with some Christmas money. I had no intentions of redecorating my house but I found this small square painting about the size of a small book.  It is teal and red and I fell in love.  Something clicked and I decided I was done with my current color scheme.  DONE.  I couldn't wait. I needed to change it NOW.  That little painting started it and I am so excited with all the things I found. 

Those who really know me, know I am a bargain shopper.  I seldom pay full price for anything.  I favor stores like Ross and TJ Maxx and at any other store I usually head straight to the sale rack.  In fact one of the best places to shop for clothes is Goodwill. I have found some stinkin cute name brand clothes there.  You have to dig, but that's the fun of it. I love getting a good deal!  That being said, I have learned what items I won't bargain shop for....cause it's just not worth it.

All of the stuff I got I found at Ross.  Color scheme: Black, Red and Teal. Crisp, clean and minimal. LOVE!


red bowl $3.00, leather coasters $1.00, frame $4.99

 

teal ball $12.00, birdhouse and vase i had...so free



frame $4.99, Kelsey's hand impression...I made



black plate $1.99, silver balls $5.99

my younger 3 kids hands...i made, frame $4.99



black tray $7.00, silver leaves $1.99



red glass vase $8.00



white vase...i had, black mirror box $4.50




teal plate $8.99








The finished product



The other shelf, with the little painting that started it all.

painting $2.99, red vase $5.00 the rest I had around the house

teal bowl $3.00, glass plate $4.99

The other two plates $4.99 each, teal plate $3.99

I REALLY love this family tree.  I bought this over a month ago and hadn't put it up yet.

love sign $2.00

Grand Total $101.00

Not bad to redecorate your entire main living space....and I have ALOT of shelving to fill.

The dining area finished...brrrr it's cold outside!

I think my prior decor was a good 5 years old.  Its a great new look for a great new year! I love it!

(ha ha....I just realized I have a new red coat and teal purse!)

Why do I blog? Here just let Jami say it

 

I love to blog.  And I would tell you all the reasons why….but Jami said it way better.  Love her.

http://thenatos.blogspot.com/2010/12/you-have-big-job.html

Bountiful Baskets

Sometimes it takes me a while to get on board with things.  I hear about something, nod my head, think it’s great and then forget about it.  I hear about Bountiful Baskets all the time on Facebook and at church and I just never really paid attention to the AWESOMENESS that is BOUNTIFUL BASKETS!!  Hello, what was I thinking? 

My sister got me into it this week and I will totally do it again next week.  Here’s the skinny……

It’s a produce co-op.  Basically you pay $15 and get $50-$60 in fruits and vegetables.  You show up with your empty laundry basket and you leave with a full basket of fresh produce.  You never know what you are getting each week.  It’s like Christmas!  Here is what I picked up on Saturday.

8 Peaches, 1 box of concord grapes, 5 plums, 6 bananas, 7 apples, 4 Asian pears, 2 stalks of celery, 7 onions, 1 bunch leaf lettuce, 2 bunches broccoli, 2 acorn squash, 1 bag of okra….ALL FOR FIFTEEN DOLLARS!!!   There is a short 24 hour window to sign up for your basket of goodness. Check it out online at www.bountifulbaskets.org.

And who knew that okra is good raw?  Not I….because I didn’t even know what it was until someone told me.  Hey, I’m not from the south, okay?  This here is potato country.  But I like me some okra! :)

Cute Font

For those asking about the cute font change on my blog- here is an easy tutorial.  Have fun!

Heart Hair Style

I love this hair style that Kristi did in Kylie's hair.

A Confetti How To

For the throngs of women out there who are dying to learn how to make HOMEMADE CONFETTI, It's your lucky day! All you need is a 9 year old daughter, a pair of jeans, a washing machine and some Monopoly Money.

Balance

It has been a very crazy month. Both at home and at work. I have really been thinking a lot about all the things I am trying to juggle, my priorities and just my balance as a person. I can feel certain areas of my life slipping. I am so busy that months go by before I start to notice that I need to make some changes in certain areas of my life. It seems that life is racing past me. The days slip through my fingers so quickly. I am missing the part where I should live in the moment and enjoy the journey. I have not given myself the quiet personal time I need to stay focused on the most important things. I feel that my schedule is managing me instead of me managing my schedule.

I learned a really great exercise at a training class. It gives you a quick snapshot of the balance in your life. It had been a year since I last took this test and I was a little disappointed that I had not grown more in some areas...in fact, some were worse! I have decided to use this tool on a quarterly or monthly basis to help get me where I want to be....Balanced.

Here is the exercise-

Draw a circle on a piece of paper



Draw lines through it like a pizza


Label each slice with one of the following:
Family
Spiritual
Mental
Physical
Financial
Vocational
Civic
Friends


Plot a dot in each section corresponding to how you feel you are doing in each area of your life. Close to the center is- not doing well and close to the edge is- doing very well. (This is my actual chart... I am just going to put it out there. yikes!)


Draw a line to connect each dot


This gives you a really clear idea of the areas that need some TLC. Ideally we want to be well balanced. I would love to have my chart look like this in the near future.

Some of my sections can be remedied with better time management but some need some nurturing. I hope to post a better balanced circle in a few months.