There will come a time when I will stop numbering my WFMW posts, but it is still all so new and exciting I can’t contain myself.
This week’s tip is really something that has made my life a million times simpler. It took a few dollars and a cordless drill, but it was worth it.
It has to do with organizing all our crafty supplies in a way that is easy to clean up and keep clean. I have struggled for years with baskets, Tupperware containers, and other various means to keep the supplies neat, and yet still have them available to the kiddos whenever they need them. I don’t like it when they have to come to me constantly to ask for help getting something down from a high shelf. Not that I hate helping them, but that means they can’t really be spontaneous about it, which is important to me.
So, one day I was staring at my walls, at all the crayons, paintbrushes, and doodads scattered all over the place and wondering to myself if I should just burn it all. I had been looking through various catalogs and magazines for ideas and the only idea that felt worth it was the bucket system in the Pottery Barn catalog.
However, and I do mean however, there was no way I was paying those prices. No way. But regardless of the price, it was a great idea. Their buckets seemed to be a decent enough price, but the mode of storing them wasn’t so I had to think of something else.
I ended up going here to get some buckets at half the price of the catalog and continued on to a discount store for some plant hooks. After feeling cool while using the cordless drill, I was pleased with how it turned out:
So, for just a few bucks, there is a less-than-ugly solution to all the stuff.
Head over to Rocks In My Dryer for more fab tips and tricks.
And, no, I am not talking about watermelons…or tomatoes. Good though they may be.
No, it seems everyone is all agog concerning that wonderful and succulent "fruit"…the strawberry.
Ah, yes. Strawberries. Even though there is debate as to it’s efficacy as an actual fruit (it’s seeds ARE on the outside, after all), there is absolutely no debate that this little seedy, red pillow of juicy fabulousness is on everybody’s very important list of to-do’s.
My Own To-Do List for Today
*Finish spreading mulch around backyard trees
*Get all items moved and tagged for Saturday’s tag sale
*Get those tomato plants in the ground finally
*FIND SOME STRAWBERRIES…GOOD ONES
*EAT THOSE STRAWBERRIES…EAT ‘EM UP!
So, as you can see it seems like a task of some import.
A couple of blogs carrying the strawberry-licious theme: Soule Mama and Gluten Free Girl. Their pictures are making me drool.
As for strawberries in this area, I am having a very hard time finding a source of locally-grown fruit. If anyone out there in the blogosphere knows of a good strawberry farm in the Central Indiana area, please email me. I’m feeling desperate.
We are, however, not completely, totally devoid of all strawberries. Back here in our little, wooded neighborhood, wild ones grow with abandon until they take over everything. My little ones love picking them and eating them, but the one time I did, I thought I was going to die. They are horrible.
Horrible, but very, very cute. So cute that you can almost imagine they taste good. Almost.
I will, in the spirit of strawberry fever, post a recipe for today. If I actually had strawberries, I would be able to make it myself. Because it is, in my humble opinion, a very simple and satisfying way to fix this wonderous berry.
Strawberry Rhubarb Compote With Whipped Cream
1 qt. strawberries (fresh and fully ripe is best)
6 stalks rhubarb
1/3 C. sugar (or if you prefer, which sometimes I do, you can substitute Grade B maple syrup or honey in for the sugar, just make sure to reduce the amount to 1/4 C.)
1 small orange or 2-4 oz. fresh orange juice
Splash of real vanilla extract, not too much, just a taste.
*Cut the strawberries and rhubarb into large chunks and place in pot. Add the sugar and heat it over low to medium heat until it starts getting all juicy. Add in the orange juice and vanilla(optional). Basically, after that, just cover the pot and let it simmer on low for 20-30 minutes and then uncover it, turn it to medium heat and let it simmer for another 20-30 minutes until it reduces just a bit. Top it with heavy cream or whipped cream and enjoy!
Whipped Cream Topping
1 C. heavy cream
1/4 C. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
*Whip the cream ’til almost stiff. You then add in the sugar and vanilla and whip it to your desired consistency.
So, go out and find those strawberries and if you have a great, great recipe, share it! I would love to hear from you!
**Editor’s Note: This is going to seem strange, but this is actually last week’s post. Something messed up with my link on Rocks In My Dryer and my post for this week’s (June 25) WFMW post is here. Sorry for the strangeness and all. It’s just how the world turns here at my house.
Over at No End In Site, my sister-in-law has been doing Works For Me Wednesdays for awhile. I always tune in to make sure I get the tip as it’s bound to be a good one. I then hop over and visit Rocks In My Dryer to get the exhaustive list.
Goodness, ladies. It’s amazing stuff. I encourage you to check it out.
I haven’t really posted any until now because I just don’t consider myself to have many earth-shattering tips for other women. Most of the time I feel like I’m just trying to bumble through life doing the best I can and hope I don’t kill or seriously maim anyone.
Until now. Now my tip is a bit weak, I’ll admit. But when I discovered it, my little heart thrilled to have solved one of my most annoying problems in such a simple way.
We love dining alfresco. That means that plates, bowls, platters, and drinks must all be able to be brought outside, used, and taken back in without a mishap.
I used to use a fancy little tray for the drinks, but it was heavy, awkward and the drinks inevitably would spill over the course of the night, leaving us with puddles of semi-dried, sticky residue on the table.
I kept thinking, Wouldn’t it be great to keep some of those ‘to go’ drink carriers from Burger King or something?
And then it hit me.
I solved the problem by doing this:
Bottom line? Muffin tins aren’t only for muffins.
So, there you go. My very first WFMW tip. Hope it helps.
I have been reading The Nester’s blog for awhile. Her bright and optimistic writing has encouraged me not only to accept certain things about myself, but to embrace them.
( I was wanting to place her perfectly cool blinky link right here, but it ain’t workin’ for some reason. Trust me…it’s way neat.)
Namely, my tendency to ‘mistreat’ (that is her word for it…i love it.) my windows and other aspects of life in my home. It has always held a bit of shame for me, but as I read her posts, I began to wonder why? Here is a woman who openly embraces the imperfect and still audaciously labels them beautiful.
The concept was contagious and I began buying fabric and folding it, tucking it, shaping it, clipping it, and, much to my satisfaction, leaving it. I’m telling you, it’s addicting.
She’s a rebel, that one. I encourage you to join the ranks of women who are starting to understand just how beautiful certain things can be, though containing "flaws".
She is doing a bit of a carnival, or a celebration of ‘imperfect but beautiful’.
I strongly urge you to participate. It’s cathartic, taking pictures of imperfect things and seeing the beauty in them.
Here are a few of mine:
#1:: The remnants of an impromtu crafting project. It’s been sitting there, just like that for four days.
#2::My little, weed-infested piece of garden glory.
#3:: And, finally, my son and daughter’s attempt at building a tent on top of our mulch pile. I hope they figure it out. It’ll be so cool.
I’ll admit it right here and now. I am a hopeless romantic. I believe in true love and all the gushy stuff that goes along with it. I realize I may be a bit of a relic, but that is just fine with me.
I also believe in a love that is solid and iron-clad. One that isn’t allowed to languish and die from neglect. One that is nurtured and honored by those looking on.
That, my friends, is why I love weddings.
I love seeing the dresses, the flowers, the fancy food, but nothing is as riveting as the intense look in a groom’s eye and the faint blush on a bride’s cheek. The knowledge in their eyes that they are stepping out on a journey of love that, for them, is a road unseen, a journey of faith.
Sometimes, I attend a wedding where it seems extra-special. Where I know more attention has been given to the relationship than the reception flowers. Where there is an understanding of the life-long nature of a marriage covenant made before God and witnesses, and it is reflected in the beauty of the vows. The promises made that reflect a love that doesn’t rely on beauty or charm, but on the strength of the Spirit to love unto death.
So, thank you Noah and Rachel from the bottom of our hearts for your testimony of true love this weekend. We send you off with our blessings and prayers and we commit to surround you with our love as you grow together in the knowledge of Him who is Able.
We love you.
Every once in a great while life steps in and tells us to slow down or stop. I rarely listen and it’s to my detriment as I tend to be concerned with the unimportant and the urgent rather than the true-blue important things.
Like teaching my son how to crochet…he’s been bugging me forever.
Or, like letting my kids sew something on my sewing machine and not interfering.
Or, like turning on the sprinkler on a hot day, letting the kids and the dog go running through it and snapping picture after picture of their very silly antics.
Nothing quite like hot, lazy summer days to convince a body to quit moving so fast.
On a slightly (but only very slightly) different subject: He’s gone and done it. My husband, that is. He came home a week ago with a big box. Said he had a surprise. Mmmhmmm, I said (I was very self-importantly busy that morning). I figured it was some sort of garage sale stuff or maybe the results of an auction. He likes doing that, picking up stuff for me and surprising me. He knows I like unusual, thrift store doodads. So that’s what I thought it was.
It most certainly wasn’t.
I looked inside and felt my chest get heavy. My throat tightened and I couldn’t figure out what to do with my limbs. I have felt this way at different times in our relationship the first time being when he bought me my very own Pfaff sewing machine for a wedding gift. And then there was the rocking chair for me and our soon-to-be-born baby, Joshua. And a few years later, the string of pearls with matching earrings. Granted, he has given me vastly more than that over the years, but these are things he knew would make me faint-y. And I am so not the faint-y type.
Let me put you out of your anticipatory agony. It was, drum roll please…a camera: A digital SLR Nikon with a zoom lens to boot.
Oh, joy, oh. Words cannot express it. And in one week I have logged several hundred pictures already. I am in SLR heaven. Every once in awhile my family says they really do need to eat and I put it down only to pick it back up right afterwards. Or better yet, I bug them while they are eating, playing with the lighting, zoom, and focus. Sigh.
So there it is.
Anyway, all of this feels like Christmas extra, extra early. And it feels good. Extra-good, in fact. I have been wanting a digital SLR camera for probably five years and figured that with the prices and all, I would be waiting five more.
What a guy. That’s all I can say.
So, I suppose it is appropriate that my inaugural post at this new blog address would contain inaugural photos of my new Nikon. They are random and don’t exactly go as a set, but they reflect a bit of our slow-lane week and my new addiction.
Wherever you are this weekend, enjoy the rain or sunshine, the cold or warmth. Find reasons to indulge in quite a bit of the true-blue important things.
Every once in a great while life steps in and tells us to slow down or stop. I rarely listen and it’s to my detriment as I tend to be concerned with the unimportant and the urgent rather than the true-blue important things.
Like teaching my son how to crochet…he’s been bugging me forever.
Or, like letting my kids sew something on my sewing machine and not interfering.
Or, like turning on the sprinkler on a hot day, letting the kids and the dog go running through it and snapping picture after picture of their very silly antics.
Nothing quite like hot, lazy summer days to convince a body to quit moving so fast.
On a slightly (but only very slightly) different subject: He’s gone and done it. My husband, that is. He came home a week ago with a big box. Said he had a surprise. Mmmhmmm, I said (I was very self-importantly busy that morning). I figured it was some sort of garage sale stuff or maybe the results of an auction. He likes doing that, picking up stuff for me and surprising me. He knows I like unusual, thrift store doodads. So that’s what I thought it was.
It most certainly wasn’t.
I looked inside and felt my chest get heavy. My throat tightened and I couldn’t figure out what to do with my limbs. I have felt this way at different times in our relationship the first time being when he bought me my very own Pfaff sewing machine for a wedding gift. And then there was the rocking chair for me and our soon-to-be-born baby, Joshua. And a few years later, the string of pearls with matching earrings. Granted, he has given me vastly more than that over the years, but these are things he knew would make me faint-y. And I am so not the faint-y type.
Let me put you out of your anticipatory agony. It was, drum roll please…a camera: A digital SLR Nikon with a zoom lens to boot.
Oh, joy, oh. Words cannot express it. And in one week I have logged several hundred pictures already. I am in SLR heaven. Every once in awhile my family says they really do need to eat and I put it down only to pick it back up right afterwards. Or better yet, I bug them while they are eating, playing with the lighting, zoom, and focus. Sigh.
So there it is.
Anyway, all of this feels like Christmas extra, extra early. And it feels good. Extra-good, in fact. I have been wanting a digital SLR camera for probably five years and figured that with the prices and all, I would be waiting five more.
What a guy. That’s all I can say.
So, I suppose it is appropriate that my inaugural post at this new blog address would contain inaugural photos of my new Nikon. They are random and don’t exactly go as a set, but they reflect a bit of our slow-lane week and my new addiction.
Wherever you are this weekend, enjoy the rain or sunshine, the cold or warmth. Find reasons to indulge in quite a bit of the true-blue important things.