Shower spiff for the boys

I came across these Command Shower caddies on another blog, then as luck would have it, saw them on a recent trip to Target.  I thought they would be perfect to corral all of the boys' shower stuff.

 Their shower isn't messy as is, but what's not to love about a caddie large enough for all of their supplies?  And it will keep the sides of the shower a little cleaner.

Can you believe that at one point there were 4 kids using this space?  Everyone used community shampoo and soap until The Girl became a teenager.  Then it was mayhem!  

I started out by scrubbing the whole area down and washing the shower curtain and liner. 

The instructions are precise, but easy to follow.  Once you clean the area with the alcohol wipe provided and let it dry, you apply the strips of adhesive to the plastic thingies that hold the caddies up.  You use the shower once, then wait 24 hours to attach the caddies.

Here they are, full and waiting on the counter until the next day.

I also hung a hook for each bath sponge.

There is plenty of room in them and holes for drainage.  Plus, you can slide them off and run them thru the dishwasher if they become really grungy. 

A clean and organized shower space!

Gina

Mealplan Monday #98 and sewing my stash

On one our recent inclement weather days I did some sewing for the den.  See that little remote control caddy on the coffee table?  It was a Christmas gift.  Perfect since I wanted to stop using the dough bowl which was getting more wear and tear than I liked. It isn't thrifted, handmade, or upcycled - but it is handy for this table.

It's just the right size with a swivel base.  And it had that center slot that was the perfect size for some coasters.  So I made some out of my fabric stash. 

Monday - (freezer) Rosemary Chicken, rice, carrots
Tuesday - Taco Skillet, salad
Wednesday - Tilapia Tacos, cabbage slaw, black beans
Thursday - Apple and Sage Pork Chops, masheds, peas
Friday - Sloppy Joes, chips
Saturday - Dad grill
Sunday - Hamburger Helper (Bubbie cooks), corn
Dessert this week is a Chocolate cake with s'mores frosting and vanilla ice cream

No two are exactly alike, tho all of them have a natural color fabric on the back.  Go here for a short tutorial - they're really simple to make. Kinda like a tiny potholder.

Sometimes these little sewing projects help chase the boredom away on dreary days.

Gina

5 thing Friday - pillow, hair, cookies, beans, and funky days

I found a perfectly sized piece of fleece that became a toss pillow for Bubbie in about 15 minutes.  Cozy!  I don't know why I hadn't done that before - he loves that kind of stuff.

 Apparently, hair is a hot button topic in my family lately.  These two got haircuts recently and you would think something HUGE had happened.  

Stop the presses, The Girl now has bangs and Scout now has ears. 
Aren't my peeps pretty?

 Cookie Dough Oreos are straight from the Devil. 

We ate them on a day off from school, due to "inclement weather".  What a laugh.  Not a drop of precip that day.  We enjoyed laying around and doing nothing.  Thank you, AISD.

And then homemade cookie dough happened.  This was a darn tasty cookie recipe that I added Valentine M&M's to. This tub was destined to be baked for for a February Team party at work.

Well, except for a small amount that found it's way onto the pan of brownies I made that evening.  My bad.

The best dinner ever:  the ham bone from Christmas cooked with navy beans in the crock pot all day.  An aromatherapeutic welcome at the end of a long workday.  

I'm feeling weary of the drab days - even with missing blinds, there isn't enough light in here to shake the feelings that come from Winter Funk.  Is is too early to look forward to Spring?  Or at least some sun?
 Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Hubby and I plan on going out for Chinese.  
What do YOU have planned?

Gina

Burlap Valentine Treat Bags

I made some cute little burlap bags to hold treats for my peeps.

I've seen ideas for these on other people's blogs - but they always involved pre-made bags and fabric paint.  I may as well do it from scratch; it's therapeutic for me to sew anyway and it made for a frugal project.

I pulled out my burlap stash - I had some white leftover from the re-do of the memo boards, and some natural leftover from the tree skirt.  

I made a heart template out of cardboard, then ironed a bit of fusible interfacing on small squares of pretty fabric scraps before tracing and cutting out the hearts.  This made them less flimsy and easier to sew onto the burlap. 

I just eyeballed the burlap and made the bags all the same size.  I figured if they were bigger than the ones you find at the crafts store, my peeps could use them to store other things later on.

I pinned the heart about 2/3 of the way down on the crease so it would be centered in the front, and the back of the bag would have the seam - not the sides.  I just thought that would make it nicer looking, and it was easier to center the heart that way.

Then I used a tight zig zag stitch all around each heart to applique it to the burlap, and stitched up the middle of the bag, then across the bottom with right sides together.  I clipped corners, turned it outside out, and pressed.  Wa -La.  A mini burlap bag.  Sweet.

For the top pf the bag, I stitched a mini zig zag a half inch or so from the top edge,  then pulled the extra threads out of the way to make a fringe-y top.  The zig zag will keep it from raveling further.

 

They are pretty and pressed and ready to fill - but I placed the candy on a zip loc first to keep it from smelling like burlap.  I wasn't sure if that was something that could happen - but the sewing room was pretty smellyful and I want to make sure the treats stay fresh.

The one is for The Girl.  I am sending it to her with a card and lots of love and a couple of other sussies, like hopefully a winning scratch off Lotto ticket so she can take a nice vacay over Spring Break.

Gina

Mealplan Monday #97 and the 6th collection of freezer meals

I made another slew of freezer meals last week right after grocery shopping.  I find that it's the best time to do it since I know I have everything and it's all ready to use.  

Monday - Navy Beans in  crock with hambone from Christmas, corn muffins
Tuesday - Scalloped Potatoes with leftover grilled pork chops, lima beans
Wednesday - Chicken Parmesan Enchiladas, salad
Thursday - Stouffer's Meatloaf, mac and cheese, peas
Friday - Mom and Dad out - boys get Papa Johns
Saturday - Dad grill
Sunday - (Freezer) Beef and Peppers in gravy, mashed potatoes, corn
Dessert this week is Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats

For the Pulled Pork, I just followed the directions on the McCormick packet.  Will cook on low 8 hours or so.

For the Rosemary Chicken, I used a pre-packaged sauce and added boneless chicken thighs and artichoke hearts.  Will cook on low 6 hours.

For the Beef and Peppers I cut up a cheap roast and added a packet of onion soup mix, a packet of brown gravy, the rest of a bell pepper I had, some pepperoncini peppers, and 2 c. water. Will cook on low 8 hours or so.

For Chipotle Crumb Chicken, I mixed a dry chipotle seasoning I bought at Southside with crushed Ritz crumbs and coated boneless chicken thighs.  Might add a bit of grated cheese after cooking at 350 about an hour.

And the Chicken Pot Pie was 2 c. leftover cubed chicken, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, and 1 package frozen mixed veggies topped with a piecrust.

Gina

Bluberry {Birthday} Pie

Hubby is a Pie Man and requested it for his birthday (yet again) in lieu of cake.  I made a Blueberry Pie with mixed results - it tasted really great but was a bit on the juicy side.  With that being said, it was quite easy and he loved it served warm with vanilla ice cream!

Blueberry Pie
*adapted from allrecipes.com
3/4 c. white sugar
3 T cornstarch
1/4 t. salt
grated rind from one lemon
2 bags frozen blueberries (or 4 C. fresh, but they were out of my budget)
1 package Pillsbury pie crusts
1 T unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 425.  Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt, and lemon rind.  Sprinkle over blueberries.  Spray a deep dish pie pan with Pam and line with one of the crust.  Pour the berries in.  Dot with the butter. (I love this pie dish from my sister - its from Pampered Chef)

Cut the remaining crust into strips (I used a pizza wheel) to make a lattice top.  Crimp and flute the edges.  Bake on lower shelf of oven for 50 minutes, or until crust is golden.  (I let mine go a little longer to get the crust browner)

For his dinner out I took him to Saltgrass Steakhouse.  The steaks were excellent, and we were stuffed, but we managed also to visit a downtown pub for a pint, then a bakery/coffee shop for cappucinos.  Then the birthday coach turned back into into a pumpkin and we had to retrieve Bubbie from band camp at 9 p.m.

 Hubby thoroughly enjoyed all of it.

 Once home, Hubby cut into the pie

and opened his fancy new BBQ gloves.  
And we agreed we would go out again for Valentine's Day.  
Yay!

Gina

Mealplan Monday #96 and I Spy a Cat

Monday - (Freezer) Mississippi Pot Roast, masheds, steamed carrot
Tuesday - (Freezer) Cafe Rio Chicken Tacos
Wednesday - Southwestern Shrimp, Spanish rice, salad
Thursday - Chicken and Cornbread Dressing in crock pot, green beans
Friday - HEB Fully Cooked cheeseburgers, chips
Saturday - YOYO
Sunday - The Easiest Chicken Pot Pie, salad
Dessert this week is Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Gina