DIY Cooking at Home

I've probably tried 3 or 4 recipes for blueberry muffins and discarded them all for various reasons, the primary one being they just didn't taste blueberry-ish enough. I don't care for artificially-flavored blueberry muffins you can find prepackaged...they're horrible, IMO. And I like bakery-style ones, but they've always seemed more like dessert. And as you know, I'm always in search of baked goods that I can feed the kids for breakfast or snack-time and not feel like I'm loadin' 'em up with sugar. So finally! The search is halted...I found a recipe the whole family loved. Hearty and Healthy Blueberry Muffins In a food processor, pulse 1 ¼ c. whole wheat flour, 1 c. rolled oats, ¼ c. flaxseed meal, ¼ c. pecans, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, and ½ tsp. kosher salt. In a large bowl, whisk together 1 c. yogurt, ½ c. brown sugar, 3 T. unsalted melted butter, 1 T. orange zest plus ¼ c. orange juice, 1 egg, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Add flour m...

Remember that long list of projects I've started but not completed? Well, the good news is that I actually got one thing done. DONE, done. Nothing to touch up, nothing to add, finito! The sad news is that I thought I had another one almost completed when tragedy struck. We'll go with the nice story, first. So I had this bottle I bought at a garage sale... ...and I thought it'd make a nice lamp, so I bought a lamp wiring kit from Lowe's and had our local glass shop drill a hole at the base. I was able to follow the instructions for wiring the lamp myself and was quite pleased with little ol' me when I flipped the switch and it actually worked. The only problem I encountered was that the adapter the kit provided for fitting into the neck of the bottle wasn't at all the right size. So I MacGyvered a way to make it fit with pipe insulation. (Ahhhh, the many ways working at a hardware store through college has paid off!) I was, again, congratulating myself on...

Gardenmama offers a nice tutorial for creating this breath of spring as we get nearer the end of winter. We have fresh snow on the ground right now, but at least it's accompanied by blue sky and sunshine. A vase of tulips or daffodils would be such a pretty reminder on a day like today that warmer days are just around the corner.

I don't know about you, but kids' artwork has taken over my life. It's literally everywhere. I'd love to know your system for keeping it all organized, or at least contained. And how do you decide what to keep and what to toss (when they're not looking?) When I looked at the mess in my daughter's room...there just had to be a better way. (See pic above.) I had these buckets from Ikea out in the garage. Bought them years ago just because they were so cheap and I figured I could use them for something. Fast forward several years, and I finally found a use! We decoupaged some flowers on and hung them on the wall, and it created a handy little place to store art supplies. Now this next thing isn't a new idea. I've seen clothesline art displays several places around the web. It really is simple. The kids and I painted the clothespins, then I just screwed some tiny eye screws into the drywall, tied some string between them (pull it pretty taut), and...

Who doesn't love that movie? I've recently become a fan of the idea of creating my own printable art. As you know, I'm hugely in favor of cheap wall art, whether it's using plates, framed ephemera, or DIY framed art. It just helps create a personal space, in my opinion, and goes a long way in creating an eclectic, collected look instead of something too conventional. I'm planning a post on this for the near future, in fact. Graphic art, and word art in particular, is so popular and pretty for its simplicity and personality, that I thought I'd try making my own. Many, many thanks to Centsational Girl for getting me started! She offers this great tutorial on her fabulous blog, and now I'm hooked. I'd love to teach myself how to upload my printables to my blog so you can print them, too. But that's a project for another day. For now, here's a pic of my first attempt, framed and in our entryway with a bowl of Valentine M&Ms and some fun ...

320 Sycamore has done it again with an inexpensive and simple craft, just in time for Valentine's Day. I'm such a sucker for banners and bunting, so this caught my eye immediately. As did the mention of Target's dollar bins, which are simply irrestible. Have you found anything in those bins that you've used for a craft or decorating project? Do tell! P.S. Involve your kids with this one...they love any excuse to decorate for a holiday, right?

Hey, I'm here today showing you some of the great things popping up on Pinterest for Valentine's Day. As always, I look in awe and amazement at all of the creativity (and spare time!) out there. Nevertheless, it doesn't stop me from trying to create some semblance of this in our home. You should SEE (and you probably will at some point) the paper heart garland we made today in an effort to quell our heebie-jeebies (we are stuck at home due to a sick kid). Hilarious. Anyway, here are some of the more pulled-together ideas from our favorite inspiration place! Tissue-paper-covered votives from Homemade Serenity Anthropologie-inspired snow globes from WhipperBerry Conversation heart tree by My Heart's Desire Cookie pops from Pizzazzerie Valentine M&M blondies by Baked Perfection Paper doily garland from Are So Happy Be Mine banner from 320 Sycamore More Valentine votives (and doilies) from Crescendoh For more fun Valentine pins, or to follow my other Pinterest boa...

I love reinventing leftovers into something entirely different from what we had the night before. It's not always possible, of course, but sometimes it works, and when it does I feel so thrifty and sensible! So the other night we had Greek tacos. Never heard of 'em? Well, no recipe is required...here's how you make the swap: Greek Tacos In place of ground beef, use ground chicken In place of taco seasoning, brown the chicken with a little oregano, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper. In place of shredded cheddar, use feta In place of taco shells, use pita pockets In place of sour cream, use a dollop of Greek yogurt Sprinkle with tomatoes and cucumbers, and serve with a side of garlic and olive oil-flavored couscous. Now here's where it gets interesting. I had seen a recipe for baked couscous in a magazine, Family Circle I think, and had a mental note to serve it as a re-invented side. It called for a little mayo as the binder. But when we have Greek Tacos, there...