Recipe Box

I'm not sure if you remember my last attempt at "creating" my own recipe box but it was a flop to say the least. Well, I have mustered up the courage to try again. This time I would call it a success!

This recipe box is not perfect but it is functional unlike the other one.

I started by going to Hobby Lobby, one of my favorite stores, actually it's probably my second favorite, only to Publix. Anyways, I went to HL looking for something that could be used as a recipe box that I could decorate. I look online at etsy.com and some other sites for inspiration but was disappointed to find no inspiration whatsoever...

I found this plain cardboard box and decided that it would be the prefect canvas for decorating!

 

Of course this was another perfect opportunity for me to use my all-time favorite craft supply--MOD PODGE!

I modged podged some pretty scrapbook paper that I found, also at HL, around the body of the box and to the top of the box.

I also found some really cute scrapbook paper that had baking tools all over it! I cut out the individual "tools" and modged podged those onto the flower print! I also added some fun and sparkly baking stickers all over the top!

I decided to write out my recipes on notecards as they fit perfectly into the box! This is an ongoing task...

Here's a picture of the final product!

I'll share a recipe from my box: Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

• 3 cups canned pumpkin puree
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 4 cups white sugar
• 6 eggs
• 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; stir into the pumpkin mixture until well blended. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours. The top of the loaf should spring back when lightly pressed. 
4. There should be enough batter left over to bake at least 6 muffins too!

A Celebration of Fall

Fall! Fall! Fall! This season is a lot of people's favorite season, including mine! Scented candles, cool weather, football, football, football, good food, holidays, school....it's all so wonderful! Also, just the natural beauty of the leaves turning, fall is magnificent!

Today the weather was cool-er outside and rain was falling and I had a free day ahead! Wonderful! I decided that since the rest of my week is filled with class and doctor's appointments I would do something fun and productive. I decided to clean the apartment and bake.

I baked yummy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread and I made Chicken Pot Pie for dinner. The pumpkin bread recipe I used said it would make 3 whole loaves but it only made 2 and there wasn't enough batter left over for a full 3rd loaf plus the time it said to bake was way too short! It took a good 30 more minutes before it was ready but it was no big deal because baking was my plan for the day! 

Here are the ingredients needed for Yummy Yummy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread:

Cooling in the pans...

The final product! I wrapped one up to take to my fam...it was YUUUMY!

IF YOU WOULD LIKE THE RECIPE JUST LET ME KNOW!

HAPPY FALL!!!

The Helpful Housewife

Lately, I have come across some products that I have found very useful and I decided to share them in hopes that you too might find them useful!

First on the list: MOLD ARMOR

Ok, as we all know mold is a fairly common problem here in the south. Between high temps and extreme humidity, our showers and bathrooms really don't stand a chance. And because I live on the ground floor of an apartment complex, I feel that this factor amplifies all of my nature-induced woes...But for now I will only focus on mold. We don't have a serious outbreak or anything, just some spots that have showed up over the summer. They were on our walls & ceiling right above the shower. 

Being a skeptic I went to the store to get some spray just to feel better about at least attempting to remedy the problem and when that didn't work my next plan was to call on maintenance in hopes that they had some super-strong-commercial mold killer.

So anyways, back to when I went to the store...I went to Publix (my fav!) and found this stuff for $2! It was the cheapest they had and as I figured none of it would work, I decided to go ahead and try it. The directions told me the usual "Just spray & leave for 10-15 min. & POOF, your mold will magically be gone"..."no scrubbing required"..."yada, yada, yada"...

I sprayed the stuff, left the room and ate some lunch. I came back a little bit later and literally it was all gone! IT WAS A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!!! Just try it, you'll see!

Product #2: WHISKEY

That's right, good ol' Jack Daniels. With sinus infections, allergies and colds blossoming all around, I have felt achey, stuffy, sneezy and throat-scratchy a couple of times. Each time I made myself a hot toddy. 

This consists of boiling 1 cup of water, pouring it in a mug that has 1 Tbsp. of honey in it. Then squeeze all of the juice out of 1 lemon that you can add a 1/4 cup of Jack & stir.

Also, be ready to go to sleep. The main thing it does is make you sweat all night causing the impurities to leave your body. It's amazing & this little bottle only cost $10. That is cheaper than a bottle of Zyrtec or any of those other crazy meds that don't help overnight as this good old-fashioned remedy does.

Drink to your health! (Also, I've heard that brandy works the same, if you don't have any whiskey around)

Product 3: SALT

Now, I have naturally low blood pressure and I am not that concerned with my salt intake. Ok, let's get real, I'm not concerned at all. I love salt. I love salt way more than sugar! Whenever I eat something sweet, I have to get a little chip or a little bit of salt in my hand to stop eating as I just can't end on a sweet note. It's just too much sugar I suppose. 

Anywho, I realize that a lot of people out there are concerned with their salt intake and might have a thing of salt just lying around wasting away. Okay, maybe it's not wasting away as, after-all, salt is the great preserver.

Well, one way you can utilize your salt is to deoderize tennis shoes or probably any closed toed shoe for that matter. As salt absorbs odor, it works well when you pour a little bit inside a pair of stinky tennis shoes and just let it sit over night.

Just be sure to tell your spouse if you put salt in their shoes as they will wonder what that crunchy feeling is during their workout! (Sorry, AW)!

Final Product: PETHEAD

I feel as though this summer has been especially warm and humid. Add that to the living-on-the-ground-floor factor and you get fleas. Lots of fleas in fact. YUCK! This summer we have had to double Artie's flea treatments and limit his baths so as not to strip the medication. Now, I would much rather have a greasy pooch than a flea-filled pooch so I have sacrificed the weekly bath and now give him one every 2 weeks right before we treat him.

Well, because my little Art-Art is so small and has such thin hair he gets hot easily and his thin, old-man hair gets greasy pretty quickly. He also develops that lovely sweaty doggie smell. Delightful! 

Well, I have discovered waterless shampoo spray! And it is "Blueberry Muffin" scented! And unlike the "Tuscan Meadow" scented conditioner that never has smelled like a Tuscan Meadow (or maybe a Tuscan Meadow smells like a wet dog) this actually smells like a blueberry muffin!

It's basically food-scented febreeze for your dog! Cool! 

Now, Artie probably wouldn't endorse this product as he ran from me while I was spraying him but I am sure he now appreciates smelling like the little love muffin that he is!

Look at the Cuteness McScrufferson!

My sweet little muffin face!












 

Friday Night Lights: The Takeover

As we all know football season is under way. From high school to college to NFL, football has taken over our televisions, radios and conversations. As someone who enjoys football, I personally am happy with "the takeover". 

Football is an emotional sport with lots of passion in every game. Sometimes I am even surprised by my own emotions at a football game as someone who is naturally shy-er I can be quite outspoken at football games. Of course I do attribute this to being personally invested as I have two brothers who play on a high school football team...

For everyone that was at this past Friday night's game we all know how heated and emotional and physical it got as we watched our players on the field. I, personally, was beside myself with anger. I felt an injustice was being done towards our boys and I felt helpless as there was nothing I personally could do. That was probably the most frustrating part of it all for me.

Friday night as I rode home I was seething and angry and upset. It upset me to see those I care about so upset and when I got home I was still burned up about it all. The next morning I was still angry. 

Andrew, my wonderful husband, was unable to attend the game did not experience what I & the rest of our football family had experienced and although he wasn't there he was upset as I explained the situation however he was not affected the way I was.

He proposed we do our family devotion Saturday morning when we woke up. He had made coffee and we sat on the couch as he opened up the book that we use, Morning and Evening by Charles H. Spurgeon.

The date was September 11th and the verse was II Corinthians 6:17. He looked it up and decided to read the passage containing verses 14-17, it says:

"14Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.' 17'Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.' 'I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.'

I will also share some excerpts from the book that Andrew read:

"Whether he [the Christian] eats, or drinks, or whatever he does, he should do all to God's glory."

"In your spirit, as well as in your aim, you should differ from the world."

"And you should be separate from the world in your actions."

"-do not let those hearts which are before long to be filled with heaven and to overflow with ecstatic joy, be filled with pride and bitterness."

I was rebuked by the Holy Spirit and God's word Saturday morning. I was still angry and I did not and still do not feel rebuked for being angry as I believe the anger was justified, however I felt rebuked for the fact that on Friday night I hated the other team, the other coaches and the whole town. I hated those people. I felt bitter towards them and I definitely felt as though I was better than them. 

As those people blatantly mocked us, physically ran over us and took pride in their actions I felt nothing but contempt for them. But who am I? Was I not a mocker of Jesus Christ himself before I was a Christian? Was I not so filthy and covered in sin that God, my very Father, could not even look at me? Was I not dying and in need of a Savior? I was. 

And Friday night rather than see that this town needed Christ I saw my own elitism towards them. I saw that  I was "better" than them. I saw that they were ugly. I was wrong in my feelings of hatred and bitterness towards them. 

Now, do not misunderstand me. I am still angry. I believe that as a whole they were very wrong in their actions and I am not at a point to where I can pray for them however I am praying that the Lord changes my heart. 

I am also praying that the Lord will use our football team, coaches and fans for His glory as we continue throughout the season. I pray that as we host other teams, coaches and fans that they will experience Christ.

I am praying that we win. And I invite you to join me in prayer everyday whether it's for only ten minutes or and hour to pray for our football team, coaches and fans and pray that we will win.

And if we win, pray that we will remember:

II Timothy 2:5

"Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules."

Nature: The Great Relaxator

Relaxator, not sure if this is an actual word or not but it goes with the flow of my title and you get the point.

As we all know it's Labor Day weekend! Woohoo! An extra day of rest! Who doesn't get excited about that?

Well, I know I'm pumped. I started class this week and on top of having a sinus infection I have been exhausted! By the time Friday got here I felt like a zombie. Saturday pretty much consisted of recovering from the long week, resting and watching football. ROLL TIDE!

Well, Sunday morning while we were getting ready for church AW was watching the news and proposed a wonderful idea! When we first started dating we were both in school at Montevallo and lived down there and because we were always so busy with greek life, intramurals and a million other campus activities, going on actual "dates" was pretty much out of the question.

Also, I lived on campus on the sorority hall and he lived in an apartment with 3 other people so alone time was rare (which, by the way, was an aspect that helped to keep our relationship healthy). Anywho, AW would frequently come get me late at night and take me out to the presiden't lawn and we would look at the stars and just talk and be together.

Well, Sunday, while watching the news, he heard that the weather was going to be clear and cool. The perfect setting for star gazing and since it is a long weekend we had no reason to go to bed early!

So, around 9 o'clock we headed down to montevallo with a big blanket in tow. We walked out on the lawn and it was absolutely beautiful! We could see hundreds of stars everywhere! We were just laying there enjoying the cool night air, it was about 65 degrees--perfection, and listening to dogs bark in the distance and bugs hum in the nearby trees.

It was truly the most relaxing thing we have done in a while. I love to get a massage because it is so relaxing but this was just as nice and it was free! I definitely recommend star gazing on a cool, quiet night with your honey!

Earlier Sunday afternoon I was working on some homework, yes--I have homework and I am excited abut it! yay! Well, as part of my homework I was assigned to read some Anne Bradstreet poems and I really enjoyed them. She was one of the first people to live in America and she had incredible faith. Also, she was America's first female poet!

I want to share one of the poems with you in honor of my sweet husband and how much I love him!

"To My Dear and Loving Husband"

Anne Bradstreet

If ever two were one, then surely we.

If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee;

If ever wife was happy in a man,

Compare with me ye women if you can.

I prize thy love more than whole Mines of gold,

Or all the riches that the East doth hold.

My love is such that Rivers cannot quench,

Nor ought but love from thee, give recompence.

Thy love is such I can no way repay,

The heavens reward thee manifold I pray.

Then while we live, in love let's so persevere,

That when we live no more, we may live ever.