Create Blanket Storage with a Ladder.

Recently, I shared with you the shelving project I completed in our garage. I mentioned that the wood came from my dad's barn. I also showed you this picture that included a ladder that we'd cut in half.

The time has come to share with you my Ladder made into blanket storage!

It was very simple. My dad had a 12' ladder sitting in the barn not being used, so I had him cut it in half to make 2 - 6' ladders.

I brought them home and spray painted the ladder with a dark, almost black spray paint. And done!

Finding the right spot for it in the living room took a few minutes but I'm super happy with it. It's a piece of furniture I've been wanting to get done for quite a while. And knowing that it's from my dad's farm makes it that much better.

My cat always seems to find a way into my project photos. Most times I don't use those, but I figured this one was cute to share. She's just sniffing it out and making sure it's safe to have in the house. Cat approved!

Tips: In hindsight, I probably should have sanded the ladder. (DOH!) Every time I shifted the ladder in our living room to decide where I liked it placed I nearly splintered my hands. If I'm feeling energetic this fall or winter, I might take the ladder back into the garage and redo it so it's safer.

What do you think?

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Welcome to Facebook!

I don't consider myself technologically stupid.

I'm a graphic designer for goodness sakes! This is my forté!

However, why has it taken me so long to create a Facebook page for my Don't Worry. Be Happy. Keep Learning. blog?

Answer: I dunno (as she shrugs like a 14 year old with dumbfounded look on her face)

A friend of mine who writes a blog called Old Blue Silo (I showed you her gluten free recipe for cookie dough balls last week) suggested I do such a thing, create a page for my blog. DUH!

So, I've done it! I've finally done it!

If you click here https://www.facebook.com/dwbhkl and "like" me that would be super cool! Oh, and share the page with your friends while you're at it, eh?

Sweet! Thanks!

Happy Facebooking!

Organize a garage.

For the early part of my life, I lived on a farm. Later I moved into town, but my dad still runs a farm and has an overabundance of unused random things. But the best part when it comes to my crazy home improvement ideas is the excess of barn wood that he has! Some is from old torn down buildings, others from old wagons that fell apart, whatever!

Recently, we decided our garage needed some organization. We have a brand new home with brand new blank walls to fill!

I gathered some of the best pieces of wood I could find from dad's farm and hauled them home (note the ladder cut in half . . . that's another project I'll feature soon!)

Once we got back, I borrowed my brother-in-law's hack saw, measured the walls and started to cut my wood pieces. To put it in words sounds so simple, but I won't lie - this was a real workout!  I sweat so much! There aren't really "steps" to walk through, so instead I'll just be showing you progress photos as the shelves went up!

The basic shape of the shelves is a 2x4 with a plank of wood secured on top.

I adding the support beams cut at 45' angles. . .

The coolest part of using old reclaimed wood is that it's not perfect. While these shelf beams look uneven or not level, the 2x4s (though mildly warped) ARE level - so it's all good!

I'm so pleased with the final result. It's simple, but it holds more meaning than any shelf I could have built from wood bought from a big lumber store.

And it's OH SO FUNCTIONAL!

Here's the BEFORE photo:

Here's the AFTER!

I added extra screws along the 2x4 beams to hang tools.

I even used a 1/2" drill bit and created my own holes in handles so some of the tools would hang on said screws. I felt pretty proud of that idea!

I should mention Mike did help me by holding the 2x4 beams level so I could secure them to the wall, but beyond that this was my baby to see through beginning to end. We love having the extra space above to store things and put tools where they should be.

Happy constructing!

Cookie Dough Balls.

Cookie Dough.

Yea, tasty, huh?!

How about cookie dough that you can safely snack on as much as you want because it contains no eggs! For a pregnant lady like me (yes it's true!) that's a great combination!

I've got a recipe for you to try! I found a few online and got to work!

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[Egg-less] COOKIE DOUGH BALLS

Ingredients:
• 1 cup salted butter (2 sticks), softened
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 6 ounces mini chocolate chips

The process:

1. Cream butter and sugar together.

2. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Use your hands to get it together the best.

3. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on a sheet lined with wax paper.

4. Refrigerate until firm (about 30 minutes).

5. Dip in chocolate, drizzle with chocolate or eat as is.

6. Let stand at room temp for about 10 minutes before serving.

7. Store in the refrigerator.
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Well, I'll be honest. These weren't my favorite or Mike's favorite, but my older sister ate approx. 20 and couldn't get enough. I personally didn't feel like they tasted enough like actual raw (with the eggs) cookie dough to satisfy my taste buds. Plus they were a little dry. So, I suppose it's really up to your preference.

Mike didn't return for a second cookie dough ball, if that tells you how he liked (or didn't like) them. We pretty much agree on why we won't be making these again: taste, dryness, etc.

[Disclaimer: I've read up on the risks raw flour, as opposed to raw eggs, that can cause illness, so I'll let you use your own discretion when determining how much of these you'd like to devour. Read articles here, here and here]

UPDATE!
My friend and fellow blogger, Kelly, over at Old Blue Silo was thrilled to see this recipe, but has to eat gluten free. So she switched the recipe up and made Gluten Free Cookie Dough Bites with Almond Flour. She says they were delicious! Hop on over to her page to check out her recipe and while you're there make the wise choice to follow her blog. She's a classy lady!

Happy snacking!!

Vintage-ize a t-shirt?

If you Google or Pinterest search how to brine a t-shirt or give a shirt a vintage or worn-in feel, you'll find thousands of recipes. This has been something I've wanted to try for a long time. Then I did. And I wasn't impressed.

I followed the basic steps after first picking out which shirt I wanted to, in my terms "soften" and I got down to it!

1. Combine the salt and water.

2. Wad up the shirt and put it in the salt water mixture.

3. Let the shirt brine for 3 days.

4. Remove from mixture, wash and dry like normal.

Like I said, I wasn't impressed. My shirt felt the same, not softer, not more vintage-like. Nothing different. Soon I'm hoping to try this recipe from Men's Health. It calls for a couple different ingredients and steps, so I'm hoping for the best!

But just for fun, I thought I'd share this chart with you. Apparently, this is something most people learn in elementary school. I must have missed this day because I had never seen this before a friend of mine taught it to me. I needed it because I only had cup/ounce measuring tools and this recipe called for a quart.

You can see that 2 cups are in a pint, 2 pints are in a quart and 4 quarts are in a gallon. So for 1 quart of water, I needed 4 cups! Ha! Does everyone know about this nifty diagram?

Happy brining! (if you can find a process that works for you)

Rosemary-Garlic Honey Carrots.

Hey! Yes, I'm alive & doing well!

I've been doing some experimenting with food. Carrots are so good for you. They are loaded with anti-oxidants and heck, they just taste great! However, I've never been one to love COOKED carrots. So when it came to finding a recipe for cooking them that tasted good, I was excited.

I looked online for various recipes, but ultimately just winged it and made up my own by baking them, not boiling or steaming them. Perhaps, these aren't as healthy as simply steaming them and throwing them on a plate, but I'll tell you what . . . they're delicious. And I've made them a couple times since the first. Still love them.

What I used:
 
• bite size carrots
• rosemary and garlic seasoning
• locally grown honey (read benefits here and here)
• extra virgin olive oil
• brown sugar
• salt & pepper

The process is super easy, but I'll warn you! I didn't measure really anything. It's more of a "sprinkle of this and a drizzle of that..." so use your judgement and go by your taste/preference.

1. Spread the carrots on a cookie sheet lined with foil (for easier cleanup, of course). 

2. Drizzle the carrots lightly with the EVOO and pop the sheet into the over at 400' for about 20 minutes. (from experience, too much "drizzle" will result in really oily carrots in the end = gross!)

3. Remove the carrots from the oven, drizzle with a little EVOO and honey, sprinkle with the rosemary/garlic seasoning (to preference), brown sugar, salt & pepper and pop the sheet back in the oven for about 5-8 more minutes. 

4. Remove from the oven and let cool for just a few minutes. It might be necessary at this point to strain the carrots if your use of olive oil was a wee too much.

5. Then enjoy sweet, salty, still slightly crunchy bits of perfection.

YUM!!

Mike gave these a 6. He doesn't typically LOVE cooked carrots (he prefers them raw as a snack). He said they were a tad bit sweet for his liking and wasn't a fan of the rosemary pieces, but overall he said these tasted good. He did enjoy some leftovers a day or so later, so I'll count that as an ultimate win!

Also, I took these to a family gathering and they got eaten fast. That always makes me feel good, when people like my food. That means I don't have crazy weird taste buds and my food is suitable for others to eat, as well.  

Happy Carrot Cooking!

Petals Into Bangles.

My [2nd] cousin Christina is amazing. No, really. Not only is she gorgeous and sweet, but she is so talented! She owns a company with her husband, Greg, called Petals Into Bangles. 

Let me back up . . . When we get married, we brides spend crap loads of money on our lovely bouquets of flowers. After the wedding, however, those flowers dry up or get tossed. But what if there was a way to preserve those flowers sans the outdated "put them in a book and flatten them" or "hang them til they dry out" method? Well! The long and short of Greg & Christina's business is this: You, the bride, send your wedding bouquet to Greg & Christina, and they'll turn said bouquet into a unique, one-of-a-kind bangle. This way, your flowers are preserved forever and you can wear your bangle as jewelry. It's a win-win!

Here is Greg & Christina's story from their website:

"When we married in 2006, I wanted to preserve the memories of our special occasion by preserving my floral arrangement. The floral shop we used did not have freeze drying equipment, and neither did anyone else in town. We were told the equipment was too expensive and even more costly to maintain. 

I was forced to pack my bouquet in a cooler and haul it back to the east coast where we were living at the time. I then spent 2 days trying to find a floral preservation shop. Once I finally did, I had to drive 40 miles out of town. Really?

At the end of it, I was flabbergasted by the whole process. Aren’t other brides trying to preserve their flowers too? I started asking some of my married friends and they agreed.

So, with that in mind, I decided I was going to do something about it. I did what any American does and I started a small business to offer high-quality handcrafted bangle bracelets designed for in-press floral preservation. Our bangles are a fashionable, modern alternative to the traditional wall mounted floral bouquet.

I am giving brides a unique way of preserving wedding flowers while providing a simple approach to ensure your favorite flowers are preserved in a timely manner!"

Of course, I was interested in this after we got married 2 years ago, so I contacted my beautiful cousin to see what she could do for me. The catchy thing was that she'd never worked with synthetic flowers before (yea, I'm cheap and went to Hobby Lobby, what?) but she was up to the challenge!
This was my bouquet before I sent it off to her!

She asked me to size my wrist, what embellishments I wanted and whether I wanted dark or light wood. AND . . . this is what she sent me back!

So I opened it!!

I have to say that I'm over-joyed at the final product! It captures the colors of our wedding and is a keepsake for my wonderful day!

I genuinely recommend this to any bride (who may still have her bouquet cuz she is frugal like me) or is getting ready to get married and will want to send her fresh flowers to Greg & Christina.

Visit their website http://www.petalsintobangles.com/ and like them on Facebook (Click here)! And for clarification, I'm not being paid to tell you how awesome my cousin and her husband are or anything like that. I just think it's a great business and want everyone to know about it! 

Happy wedding planning!

I got a little time...

In all reality, the post title to this entry is a lie. I've had no time. No time to post, that is. I've made some yummy recipes, tried some new crafts and boy oh boy have I taken my shot at landscaping our new yard! However, I haven't put any of that on here yet. I promise it's on my to-do list, my forever to-do list, that is.

Until then, I wanted to post something funny I put together for my friend Annie. She loves Ryan Gosling. And I found a similar image like this but it didn't have him in the middle. So I put him there via Photoshop. Gotta love Photoshop! If you're not familiar with the "ain't nobody got time for that" lady, go here. And then it might make more sense to you.

I'll be back soon to post about all my new adventures in construction, landscaping, baking, cooking and painting! Stay tuned!

Betty's Slow Cooker Lasagna.

Confession time.

I've decided I need to take some food photography lessons. Or maybe stop using my iPhone to attempt what I pray will be food blogger quality pictures. And also maybe put the food on a fancy plate, not a paper Dixie plate. Oh, and salad. Everything looks better next to a salad.

Whatever.

Regardless of my amateur food photos, Betty Crocker's Slow Cooker Lasagna was darn good. I made it  yesterday for my woman's card club (yes, I'm 28 and in a card club). I threw it all together in the morning and let it do its thing during the day.

For Betty Crocker's Slow Cooker Lasagna original instructions, click here. Or continue reading for a somewhat abbreviated version . . .

All you need is: 
• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage

• 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

• 3 cans (15 ounces each) Italian-style tomato sauce

• 2 teaspoons dried basil leaves

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)

• 1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese

• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 15 uncooked lasagna noodles

Steps: 
1. Cook sausage and onion in a skillet sausage is no longer pink. Drain it. Stir in tomato sauce, basil and salt.

2. Combine 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese (1/2 the bag), the ricotta and the parmesan cheeses. (Refrigerate remaining mozzarella cheese while lasagna cooks.)

3. Put a fourth of the sausage mixture into a 6-quart slow cooker; top with 5 noodles, broken into pieces to fit. Spread with half of the cheese mixture and a fourth of the sausage mixture. Top with 5 noodles, remaining cheese mixture and a fourth of the sausage mixture. Top with remaining 5 noodles and remaining sausage mixture.

4. Cover and cook on Low heat setting 4 to 6 hours or until noodles are tender.

5. Sprinkle top of lasagna with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Cover and let stand about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut into pieces.

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The overall response was great! I, personally, thought it sort of tasted like Spaghetti O's or any of the Chef Boyardee canned pastas. I'm not a fan of those. So, next time I will use Prego or some sort of spaghetti sauce, rather than the canned tomato sauce that it calls for.  But otherwise, it was EASY to make and delicious to eat!

Happy lasagna making [and eating]!