Pottery Barn Trundle Bed

This is the pottery barn trundle bed that is in Ellie's room. I'm looking to sell it because Ellie is getting a room makeover...yes, we are finally going to paint those wood paneled walls folks! 

I'm listing it on Craigslist tonight but I thought I'd mention it here too in case any of my local friends are interested. It's in pretty good shape but does have a little wear. 

Pottery Barn doesn't make this exact model anymore, the most similar trundle I could find on their website retails for around $900. I'm asking $400 for ours and you can take the mattress in the trundle for free if you'd like. It is stain free and has only been slept on a few dozen times when a friend sleeps over. We are keeping the top mattress.

Also, I'm kind of a fan of painting furniture and if you'd like me to patch, sand, prime, paint and seal this lovely dream machine in the color of your choice (I'm thinking persimmon would be fabulous) I'd do it for $600 total and you'd have a super well built piece of custom furniture.

Please pass this on if you know of anyone who might be interested.

Slow Cooker Scallop Potatos

I feel like my life doesn't have as many creamy potato casserole type moments as it did when  I was a young girl blissfully ignorant of fat, calories, and the dreaded cholesterol.  And it is sad, sad because I really do love a rich, creamy, delicious scalloped potato with all my heart and stomach. So when Jonathan said he wanted creamy, cheesy potatoes with his birthday dinner I decided I was going to do those tots up right! Like, if I only get to eat them once or twice a year then by golly they are going to be WORTH it!

Also we would be at church before dinner at my Mom's house so I wanted to make them in the crockpot so they'd be ready take over there as soon as we got home.

After many minutes spent looking at pinterest for the perfect recipe and being disappointed, I realized it was up to me to create the ultimate dish...one that was creamy, but not bland...and I didn't want to dump cream of anything soup in it either.

So here friends is what I came up with. It is a mash up of a few recipes I read that sounded promising, along with my own tweaks seeing as I know best when it comes to fattening potatoes. They were a hit at the birthday dinner if I do say so myself. Do as I say and you will be happy when YOU get home from church next week!

Slow Cooker Scallop Potatoes

8 russet potatoes peeled and sliced

1 onion thinly sliced

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 and 1/2 blocks of cream cheese cubed

3/4 cups milk

truffle salt and black pepper

rosemary

First I mixed the onion and garlic in a bowl. This is what onions and garlic look like together. They look happy.

Next I sliced up the potatoes like so. Hi potatoes. I'm sorry we don't get to enjoy you more often.

Then I started making layers in the crockpot. First a layer of potatoes, then sprinkle with a pinch of truffle salt, a twist or two of black pepper, and a smidge of rosemary.

Certainly I am showing off when I say that my Sel a la Truffe was a gift my daughter brought back to me from her stay in France, but you are in luck because they also sell it at World Market and Williams Sonoma. It is good on EVERY VEGETABLE. Seriously. 

Okay back to layering, so potatoes, spices, then a layer of the onion and garlic mix. And finally, some of the cream cheese cubes you made. Here is what my first layer looked like.

I fit about two more layers in and then poured the milk over the top. Cover the entire confection and cook on high for 4 hours. Enjoy the smell of garlic potatoes! Take it all in.

After four hours I stirred the whole thing gently to distribute the cream cheesiness over all the tots, put the lid back and cooked it for another 1/2 hour.

And that is all. We were so busy eating I forgot to take a beauty shot of the goodness when it was all done...but here is a plate with the little bit of leftovers so you can see how it looks.

 It was yum. I hope you like it.

Inspired by Grandmothers

Both of my grandmothers crocheted. And both of them spent time teaching me how to do it. Or trying to teach me. I recall being fairly short tempered with my mistakes and shedding tears when I couldn't get it right. Being a lefty can be hard! But I still have such fun, happy memories from both of their homes. 

My Grammy in Blissfield, Michigan did fancy, lace like pieces. One year she gave us Christmas ornaments that were crocheted snowflakes. Basically I kept asking for more every year after that until she got fed up and told me I couldn't have anymore. But I still have a TON! And they are the frosting on my Christmas tree. 

My Gram in Escondido liked to crochet afghans. They are so sweet and old fashioned; I love the ones I still have from her. 

Lately I've taken to crocheting these funny doilies when I watch television. They don't have any pattern, I just make something up as I go along. I don't know what I'll do with them; but making them makes me feel connected to my past and to the thread of womanly arts practiced by the women in my family.

Which, you know, I love me some womanly arts. Let's change that to homemaking arts, mmm-kay?
I'm linking up at The Shabby Nest! and Live Laugh Rowe and My Fabuless Life

Good Halloween Mom

Don't you love the one throwing up guts down on the bottom?

Last night we had a Halloween party that was born out of guilt. Awhile ago Ellie brought up that we hadn't carved pumpkins at Halloween in like, two years. I feel like I should get a bye for last year because we did have a bunch of kids over to go trick-or-treating, but Ellie says no.

The year before that I put off buying pumpkins until the day before Halloween and can you believe it, they were all gone (or moldy)? I know Halloween is super popular now, but I am an old fashioned Christmas girl. I can't get too worked up over Halloween because I am saving myself for the big show.

But this year I decided to make it up to the Squeak by having an actual Pumpkin Carving Party. My friend Lisa helped me.

Lisa and her beautiful girls Alex and Addie

 What I am learning from these photos is that I seriously need to let go of my iphone and use my Sony to take pictures. And I need to learn how to use my Sony.

The lovely Bain family minus Dayna who was busy with churchy duties.

Before.

After. Love both the smiles.

Here comes my crew all working hard.

Jonathan's finished creation!

And that is it. Do I get credit for being a good Halloweenie mom now?

Craigslist Secret

 

 I saw this gorgeous mid century modern buffet on Craigslist a couple of weeks ago but it was WAY out of my price range. So how is it sitting so pretty in my garage/soon-to-be-workroom you may ask? Let me share my little Craigslist secret technique with you. 

Are you ready? K. 

I politely asked for it.

That's it. When I see something I really like that I can't afford I send the seller an email that says something like, "I really love the buffet you are selling on craigslist but I am on a very tight budget. If you decide you can sell it for $ insert price you want to pay, I hope you'll email or call me.

The seller of my new buffet boyfriend had it listed for a couple of weeks but it didn't sell so they called me yesterday and asked if I still wanted it. AND I DID! 

I really think the key to this technique is being very polite and honest. I'm not trying to lowball or insult the seller, I'm assuming that they may reach a point where they just want something gone and if they do I hope they'll call me. 

Now, how should I make-over this bad boy? Love this orange!

And this white!

Via

Or green! Green is my favorite color.
Via
But this is probably my most favorite.  
via

I'm kind of in love. I wish I could get after it right now instead of cleaning...but we are having a tiny Halloween pumpkin carving soiree at our home on Sunday so I need to make things shine you know.

Have a great weekend! Good luck with your next craigslist treasure!

Ghosts in a Jar

Do you ever just sort of peruse the interwebs jumping from link to link looking at all of the amazing and creative things people are up to? I don't even know how I ended up at the blog where I saw the Ghosts in a Jar tutorial but since I had just acquired these giant mason jars from a friend it felt like fate bringing us together for a little Halloween hot (glue) romance. Thank you, Linda from Mason Jar Crafts Love; I don't know you, but what we had is beautiful...or creepy, I guess, 'cause it's for Halloween.

I pretty much followed her tutorial, using a piece of floral foam glued into my lid and sticking a twig in it. The ghosts are styrofoam balls from the dollar store covered in unfolded gauze pads from my first aid kit. I had a leftover crow from my Halloween trees so I decided to glue him on top with moss glued around his feet. And since everything benefits from glitter I sparkled up a tag for him to hold in his beak.

His Halloween message?  Well, quoth the Raven Nevermore, of course.

How to Wallpaper Stair Risers

I've been blogging here at blogspot since 2010 and somehow blogger did some fancy maths and figured out what my "most popular" posts have been. They are over there in the sidebar. It says that my post titled Wallpapered Stair Risers that I wrote in 2012 is the second most popular post. Which makes me feel SO GUILTY! You guys, that post doesn't even tell how to wallpaper stair risers! I didn't even wallpaper my stair risers until last week. Two years later. That post is a big fat lie!

I eventually did get around to doing it though and I am super loving the results! It took me forever (obviously) to settle on a wallpaper pattern, plus I was unsure how the wallpaper would hold up to foot traffic on the stairs. The varathane that we used on our painted kitchen floor has held up so well that I finally felt confident enough to go for it.  

And to make up for my decorating deception, unintentional though it was, I am going to show step by step how I did it. Buckle up, this is going to be SO EXCITING!

Begin with cleaning your stairs really well to get off all the dust and, in our case, dog hair. I used a mixture of simple green and water in a spray bottle. I really like simple green for cleaning before any furniture redo because it is a fantastic degreaser.

 My house is old and there were slight variations in the size of my risers so as annoying as this step is, it's pretty important.

 Wallpaper is meant to be hung in strips, but most stair risers are wider than a roll of wallpaper so choose one with a pattern that you like when it is horizontal.

In this photo "work surface" is a euphemism for the top of my stairs. It is a pain crawling up and down the stairs so many times and I didn't want to run back and forth to the table too, so I just taped down some paper bags on the landing at the top of my stairs and did all my glue application there. 

My wallpaper came pre-pasted, which means you're supposed to dip it in water to activate the paste. That sounded awfully messy so I was happy when I found this adhesive that said you could use it on pre-pasted paper instead of the water method.

Next, smooth the strip onto the riser.

There were a couple of strips that I put on and realized I had measured completely wrong, like I was measuring using only my sense of smell...the paste is damp long enough that I just peeled the strip back and used my scissors to trim it right there.

I let the risers dry overnight to make sure the paste was completely set, then I brushed on two coats of my beloved varathane using an old paint brush.

It dries pretty quickly but we still avoided using the stairs for 8 hours just to be sure.

 And there you have it. Here are the before and after. I love the way this tiny detail makes going up the stairs so much prettier. If you have any questions about how this went down please ask; I owe you.

I linked up at Miss Mustard Seed

Open Letter to Teenagers With ADD/ADHD

Maybe you have a teenager who is close to you who has ADD/ADHD? And maybe you want to help them...perhaps impart some of your wisdom gleaned from years of dealing with it yourself? It could be that your significant other has it too, and you've seen doctors and read books and researched articles and, I don't know, learned some things?

It could be my imagination, but maybe you've tried to talk to said teenager about steps they could take to make their life easier? But it sort of seems like they aren't listening to you...when they roll their eyes and look at their phone and loll their head back like listening to you is killing them slowly?

I mean, it could be just me. And if it is, I want to get something off my chest. It's just three things. Three things that if said indeterminate teenager did, their lives would surely be better. Obviously these are not all the things. I am not covering medication, for example, on account of I never finished med school. Or started it for that matter.

So I'm writing a letter and sending it out there into the universe and if you want to share it with the teenager in your life you have my blessing and well wishes.

Dear Teenager with ADD/ADHD,

You probably already know some of the things you should do to make your life dealing with ADD/ADHD better. But maybe the books, and lectures, and tips seem overwhelming. I mean, if you knew how to manage a calendar and organize all your assignments you wouldn't have ADD/ADHD, right?

So I'm not saying you shouldn't pay attention to all those things, but if you feel overwhelmed with where or how to start, here is a list of the three things that in my vast but not medical experience can be REALLY helpful. It's just three. You can do this.

1. Accept that having ADD/ADHD is not an excuse for anything. Sure, some things are genuinely harder for you because of your ADD/ADHD, but everyone has something that makes their life hard. Remember there are worse things, losing loved ones, being homeless, living in a war zone, not having enough to eat, etc. You know there are worse stories than yours. Also, even though you sometimes get down on yourself, deep down you have to recognize how awesome you are. The other side of ADD/ADHD is often creativity, empathy, intelligence, and innovation. Own that incredible part of yourself too! No pity parties.

2. You gots to take care of yourself. Exercising everyday helps increase attention and improve mood. It's imperative for people with ADD/ADHD. You also need to eat breakfast. And not just any breakfast, a breakfast with more protein than carbs. So choose eggs, or a protein bar or shake, or oatmeal, or cottage cheese, or toast with peanut butter. Add some fruit and you are good to go.

3. There are all kinds of techniques for improving your focus and task organization. I'm just going to give you one golden nugget here that really will make your life better. At the beginning of the day think for a minute about the things you're supposed to do today. Now jot them down. Good. Now the scary part. Look into your heart and ask yourself which ONE of those things you hate the most. That's the thing that is number one on your list. It might be the only thing. Do not pass go nor collect $200 until that thing is done! Every time you find yourself starting to wander off to check on something else you think you should do remind yourself that Numero Uno has to be done before you can move on. If you do this for a few days, or even better, a few weeks, you'll find your days getting happier and happier. Promise.

And that is it my friend. I know you are going to have an amazing  life. You're going to figure out the best ways to channel your unique strengths and cope with your challenges. Be kind and talk nice to yourself on the playground that is your brain. And try those three things. Really. It'll help.

May the Force be with You,

Make an Adorable Tiny Crocheted Pincushion

I was playing on Pinterest (fondly known by Marc as Pin Interest) the other day and stumbled on some sweet little crocheted pincushions. And I wanted some. Maybe lots? I love cute little things.

Unfortunately, the directions were all in Dutch. I think. Actually I don't know what language it was for sure. All I knew was that it was on like Donkey Kong. I would have to use my wits and cunning to figure it out. Okay, like, it's a square, but still, I did figure it out...so that's cool.

 I can't actually teach you how to crochet since I just learned from my Grandma when I was a little girl plus I'm a lefty and yarn things go wonky when I try to teach people, but if you already know or can teach yourself from watching youtube, then I can tell you how to make these little cuties. They are super easy and a little addictive.

I didn't follow a pattern, and I don't know how to write one...I guess leave a comment if you have a question about anything.

First, chain 15 for your length and then chain 3 more to be your first double crochet.

Next, double crochet 15 times and then turn your row counter clockwise to start the next row. Chain three to be your first double crochet of the next row and then double crochet 14 more back the other way.

Keep it up until you have a rectangle that is about 6 inches long. Tie off your yarn and cut it leaving a short tail.

Fold the rectangle in half, right sides out (if you can tell what the right side is, they both looked the same to me)and crochet the edges together using a simple chain stitch. This will give you even stitches to attach your scallop edge to.

Stop when you have 3 1/2 of the edges closed and stuff your little muffin with polyfill. Get it nice and plump and then finish stitching the whole thing closed.

To add the ruffle or scallop edge you're going to pick a corner as a starting place. Do a double crochet and then two more double crochets into the same hole so all three are in the same stitch. 

Then do a slip stitch into the same loop. And chain two. Skip the next two loops or spaces and then do three double crochets into the third space. Repeat the process.

I think this is hard to explain but I just found a really nice video on youtube for you to watch. This isn't exactly how I did it, but her scallop looks lovely and it's much easier to look and learn.

And there you have it! Sweet little pincushions to share with your friends. Ellie was watching me make them and asked to take one to school to use in her sewing class-I felt validated.