365 Days of Clean

Starting yesterday, Daniel and I implemented a new strategy for dealing with clutter. We will each get rid of one thing a day for a year. We will still clear out large amounts of clutter a time when needed, this doesn't replace that. The rules are simple: each person chooses one thing a day; it can't be something that was already in the garage sale box, nor trash that just hasn't made it to the dumpster yet {like the pizza box sitting next to the trashcan because it can't fit}.

Yesterday, Daniel recycled a box of batteries and I put in the garage sale box a teapot I'm never going to finish. Today, Daniel choose of some Fake Bailey's that was nasty and I got rid of a pink cami that never fit right {thrift store find}.

I made a chart to hang on the fridge to write them down each day so we wouldn't forget.

Craft Ideas

I just requested a $50 dollar check from Opinion Outpost, a survey company! How it works: I get emailed a link to a survey almost every day. Sometimes several a day. If I qualify for the survey; don't answer to quickly, right demographic; then I get a certain number of points. This company is great because each point corresponds to 10 cents. (More then most places do! The next best one the points are a few cents each.) So to get $50, I just had to earn 500 points. And the average survey pays 20 points.

Want to sign up? Copy this link: http://OpinionOutpost.com/join/8498775

I have a long list of things to get with those fifty dollars!

Fabric to make this:

From Pottery Barn, $100

And this:

Inspired by a Anthropology duvet cover
From kojodesigns.blogspot.com

And wood to make this:

From Pottery Barn, $300

And this:From Pottery Barn, $250

And a chandelier from the thrift store to make something similar to this:

Etsy

I have been adding things to sell to my Etsy shop in hopes of making money for all my craft addictions. But in addition to selling and buying on Etsy, one can make an online inspiration board of favorite images from other sellers. I have been having so much fun doing that!

Grey Dawn

Cherry Blossoms

A Precious Piece in Pearls Bedight

Gentle Feminity

The Owl and the Pussycat Went to Sea

Homemade Gifts

Daniel may be taking a job that will be a huge reduction in salary for a while, but will be in accounting, and have lots of opportunities in a year or so. So, in the meantime, I am cutting everything extra from our budget, and planning for homemade birthday and Christmas gifts for our large families.

So while I am gathering ideas for each person, here are some things I did already: A present for my flower girl, and some baby gifts.

The doll was dressed to match the flower girl and got a little trunk to live in!

Two friends were having girls around the same time.
The onsies I dyed and embellished

The felt shoes matched a little dress I made

Sweetness of Babies

Today I had two very sweet and special moments with each of my nephews. First I held my youngest nephew, who is less then two months old, while he slept. He was happiest while held close with both arms wrapped around him. He nuzzled, smiled, and fussed a wee bit in his sleep. When he opened his eyes on occasion, he'd smile up at me as I crooned, then rub his face in my shoulder before going to sleep. I had a hard time surrendering him when he was hungry and ready to eat!

My oldest nephew, who is almost 2, has found a favorite hobby in sitting in my lap while I paint. He gently lifts the tubes of watercolors out of their box, naming the colors that he knows, and hold the tube up to me when he doesn't know the color. Today he learned white and pink! Other times he scribbles on a scrap of paper next to my painting. As a special treat, I load my brush up with paint and let him scrub it around on his drawing. Even when he is tired of art, he will still sit in my lap quietly and open and close whatever bottle I give him.

Hopechest

I am cleaning out my hopechest tonight. It brings back such a flood of memories! I started it when I was twelve with the purchase of a rolling pin for twelve dollars.

Happily, most of it I still love and it makes me smile remembering when or how I got it; and the girlish hopes I infused that purchase with. Other things I don't really care for much anymore, yet they also have strong memories attached that I cannot bear to part with it. Like some of my cow stuff: I still think its cute, but I no longer dream of decorating my house with Holstein dairy cows. I still keep it (even when some cows look angry) because that was such a big part of my life at one point. The rest of it is going in the garage sale.

Organization

I have discovered that when I organize, I enjoy it more and thus make more of an effort to stay organized when I like the tools. Even when I have to pay extra for them.

Dinner

Last night was the dinner that I was making all the food for. We ended up having SEVEN different dishes for three people!

Main dish was (a small dish of) Poppy Seed Chicken which turned out good even though I didn't have all the ingredients and had to substitue again. Christine brought Caesar salad and garlic bread, Daniel made brouchette. The other side dishes were cheesey mashed potatoes (made from at least 10 potatoes!), pasta salad, and the apple sauce that I rescued from the Chilled Apple Soup.

It was the oddest dinner for me, but Christine and Daniel seemed to enjoy it :)

Cooking

A couple friends and I (including Daniel, of course!) are going to a cheap movie tomorrow, and then coming over here for dinner. I really don't know how many will be able to stay for dinner; and since there is a variety of taste buds among those coming, I decided to make lots of things.

I popped on a pretty vintage-y apron, turned on Sinatra, and pureed, spiced, and tasted to my heart's content. First off was the Chilled Apple Soup I had posted on here. Well...I didn't have all the ingredients, so I subsituted things. And I forgot to buy 6 apples...I only bought 3. So I had to halve the recipie, too. Cranberry raspberry juice for apple juice, 2% milk for cream, and more cranberry juice for wine. Once I had it all made, it didn't taste very good: like a poorly made apple sauce. So I threw in some Redi-Whip. And some carmel sauce. perhaps not what they had in mind, but I can eat it now :) I'm not sure if I'm going to make it again ever, but I enjoyed the expeirence.

Next came pasta salad (new reciepe): again, I didn't all the ingredients, so I improvised. It turned out a lot better then the apple soup! Besides the pasta, it has salami, sundried tomatoes (the kind packaged in olive oil), and cucumber. The dressing is olive oil and red wine vinegar and basalmic vinegar. I used a little bit of the tomato's oil. it turned out very tasty, and I have to keep myself from eating it all for lunch today!

Last of all, I made real mashed potatoes. I'm used to the freeze-dried potato flakes, but Mum bought two large bags of potatoes. so I peeled, cut and boiled them. We have a potato masher, but I wanted to save time: I pulled out the imersion blender. My recipie warned me that to much whipping could turn them to glue...blenders cause too much whipping. I yanked the blender out of the pan, forgetting to let go of the button. OOOPS! Potato splattered everywhere! Even my hair! and that glutenous blob...after it got tasted, was spit straight into the sink!

Daniel wants to help me cook, so tomorrow before the movie, we'll make the Poppyseed chicken, and when we get home, I'll pop a vegtable in the microwave.

We'll have anywhere from 3-7 (unless people invite others!) for dinner tomorrow.

Summer Soups to Try

Chilled Apple Soup

2 c apple juice
1/2 c sugar
1 T lemon juice
4 sticks of cinnamon
6 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, and cut into wedges
1 c whipping cream
3 T white wine (optional: can add more apple juice instead)

Combine all the ingredients except the cream and wine in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Remove the cinnamon sticks. Puree. Stri in the cream and wine and cill before serving.

Two Melon Spoup

3 c cubed cantalope
1/4 c powdered sugar
2 T lime juice
3 c cubed honeydew

Combine one type of melon and half of the other ingredients in a blender. Puree. Chill. Repeat with the other melon. When ready to serve, ladle each flavor into one bowl; keep them seperate as possible. (you should have a bowl with green on one side and orange on the other.)

Gracefulness Strikes Again

Somehow I got dye on some favorite clothes, though I was never wearing them while I was dyeing. Oh the joy of anxiously trying to figure out ways to get the dye out!

To Microwave a Peep...

I want.