Thursday, January 26, 2012

Don't Worry Be Happy - Free Printable



Hi Everyone!


Such a gloomy day here in Michigan. I swear this has been such a crazy winter. Today I looked at the calender, and was reminded Ground Hogs Day was next Thursday! Usually by this time of hear I cannot wait for Spring to arrive. This year I feel like we haven't even had Winter yet. It's crazy! The warmer temperatures are sure throwing everyone off. I actually miss the snow.


Well, today I am giving away another Free Printable. This is one that brings me back to my childhood. My sister and I would play this song on our Fisher Price Record Player and jam. I should really add it to my playlist. Enjoy these words to live by. :)







Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Free Family Printable


Hello There.


Today I would like to share a special free printable. This has great meaning and is great for any part of your home.

I was thinking of printing this on burlap, but I decided against it. The room I am placing this is in is our family room. We spend a great deal of time in there, and it will be nice reminder of how important family is. My children are starting to read and my son immediately noticed the word Love. My heart melted. Anyways, print this off and place it somewhere you will often look for a guaranteed smile.


Be sure to shrink to size before printing :) You can do this in your printing options.

Happy Wednesday!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Free Printable Friday - Helen Keller Quote


Happy Friday!

Today I am sharing a beautiful quote that is perfect for anytime, but especially for Valentine's. The quote is from Helen Keller. Follow my blog and click the link to download your free printable.

The best and most beautiful things
in this world cannot be seen or even heard,
but must be felt by the heart.

 
Click Here For Your Free Download


You will need to shrink to size before you print.
Don't forget to check back soon to see how I decorated my new recessed shelving!















Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Easy And Delicious Healthy Omelet


Good Morning!


Today I am so excited to show you a super energizing breakfast. This dish is easy to prepare and packs in a ton of healthy elements.

The finished meal has 271 Calories, 9 carbs, 14g fat, and a whopping 32g of protein! This dish is sure to keep you full.

Garlic & Onion Flax Seed Omelet



 
I promise if you enjoy warm comfort food this is right up there. My husband is no fan for eggs, and he was pleasantly surprised. So take a go at it. Change the spices around and see what is good for you. I am a serious garlic lover so I do go heavy on my seasonings. :)

Prep your pan with extra virgin olive oil and heat it nice and hot on medium. I use about a tablespoon. I like to do this so the pan is ready to go when I have all my food prepped.


You will start with 3 egg whites and 1 whole egg.


 
 
If you are a beginner with flax I suggest starting with a ½ tablespoon. This will add a delightful flavor to your eggs so don't be afraid. It will also not have any weird gritty texture. I buy bulk flax seeds and grind them in my coffee grinder. Add as much flax as you like, but I go with 2 tablespoons.



I love the depth and color it adds to the eggs. Did you know that 2 tablespoons of ground flax will add 4 grams of fiber to your diet? That is nearly a quarter of your recommended daily value of 20 to 30 grams!

You will also add in a teaspoon or more or garlic powder and a teaspoon or more of onion powder. Mix well. Your pan should be ready to add your eggs. Having your pan on medium or slightly higher will heat your oil nicely. It is important having the pan hot enough or your eggs will just run everywhere. When the pan is hot they will stay together and keep your omelet in a nice round shape.



This dish cooks nice and quick. Your omelet should be ready to flip within a couple minutes.


I watch the edges as a guide. Once it looks nice and fluffy with a slightly undone center your ready to flip.



It will have a nice golden brown color. At this point you can turn your pan down and prep your cheese. I like to use 2 slices of 2% American cheese. It will turn out nice a gooey. Place your cheese on one half. Once your cheese or filling of choice is in flip the other side on top. Your Done!!!



Time to indulge! Being healthy is not so bad :)




Enjoy!








Monday, January 16, 2012

Easy Built In / Recessed Shelving With Board & Batten **Part 2** Reveal!!!


Ok, tonight I will be showing you how to complete your beautiful recessed shelving with faux board and batten. Now that your shelf and top rail are secured, the rest should be easy peasy. You will want to measure the wall that you will be applying your boards to, and figure out the spacing that you prefer. We spaced our boards 14 ½ inches apart.
Figure out your height measurements to make your cuts. After cutting the boards to length you can decided if you want to angle cut the ends that will be butted to your base trim. If you do not have a miter box I do not suggest doing this step.



This step is simply to help ease the transition into the base board.

When attaching the boards to the wall we used a combined method of the wood glue and the 2 inch finish nails. Trying to hit studs if possible.




Continue on down the wall installing your boards :) That is it for this part. I told you, it wouldn't be that bad.



A couple finishing steps and you will be ready to paint before you know it. Take your painters caulk and seal around every edge. Fill your holes and any other defects you might see. Let dry and sand off the excess.

WaaaaLA! Your done! Go ahead, and do your happy dance.

Get your painting gear because it is time to add some color. I did mine is a semi - gloss white paint. I primed the entire area twice and painted once. The entire project turned out divine. I l.o.v.e it so much!!! Thank you to my darling husband.




Go ahead give it a try. It is totally worth it and what it does for your space. I cannot wait to get it decorated!

Check back to see what ideas I come up with to spice up this extra space.

Until next time...







Sunday, January 15, 2012

Easy Built In / Recessed Shelving With Board & Batten **Part 1**

Hi Everyone!!
I hope you all are having a great weekend so far. We did indeed got some snow, but not nearly what they expected. Our bathroom is almost finished with the project I have been working hard to keep from you. Today I am going to show you the first half!! WOOTWOOT! This has become a project that has taken longer then expected. Mostly because I haven't gotten my rear in there for the final coat of paint. I am going to show you what all we did so you can do it in your home too!

We have been working on.... drum roll please.... In wall shelves with faux board and batten. I am SO EXCITED! I have been wanting to add this to my bathroom from day 1. Our bathroom is vary small and lacks counter space. I love decorating and I wanted a nice place to embellish for the seasons.

This plan is for 2x4 stud walls. If you have 2x6 stud walls you will want to use 1x6x12 boards for your shelf depth.

Materials Used:
1x4x12 for the board and batten as well as the trim around the shelves.
¼ Hardwood Plywood (your choice of wood)
Wood Glue
Painters Caulk
Primer& Paint
Sandpaper
2 inch Finish Nails

Tools Used:
Miter Saw
Table Saw
Finish Nailer
Air Compressor
Caulk/Glue Gun
Tape Measure
4 ft. Level
Paint Roller
Paint Brush
Drywall Knife

The first thing you will want to do is measure out in your bathroom where you want the shelves in consideration of the studs (because your boxes will be set between the existing studs). Make sure you also take into consideration of wiring that may be running in the wall. Check the room your working in and the room on the other side for outlets. If you do have outets on either side there will be wiring, but you should be able to adjust your measurments and tuck it in.

Once that is completed mark the height of where you are wanting your shelving. Now is time to grab your level and make sure your lines are running level. Once everything looks good and measures up go ahead and get to cutting those holes out for your boxes you will be building.

I tried to get pictures of this, but my camera battery was dead :(

Once your holes are cut for your shelving you will want to measure and draw up a cutting plan.


Measure the height, width, and depth of your holes. Measure the depth to the stud and the depth to the drywall. This only needs to be done on one inner stud of where your shelving will be. You are taking these two measurements because your interior side boards are going to be recessed compared to the exterior boards when finish. This will give you more of a custom finished look. The depth should be the same on the rest of the holes. Your bottom boards will be the same depth as your interior side boards. These measurements will be the same so you have a slight surface to attach your ledge.

I recommend measuring all of your widths as some stud spacing could be off. When you are drawing up your plan, take off the thickness of the boards. You can do this on either your side boards or top board measurements. If you do not do this step your box will be to big.

Follow your cutting plan and lay out your boxes somewhere where they can be constructed. Use your table saw to cut the 1x4 boards to the correct depth for the walls.


Once your boards are ripped to the correct depth, you will follow your cutting plan to cut your pieces for each box. If you do not have a miter box, other types of saws can be used. You do want to achieve the straightest most accurate cut.


Lay out each piece before construction.



We lightly sanded the cut edges before assembly, although you can skip this if you wish. Anytime using a pneumatic nailer make sure to oil before using. Go ahead and nail those babies together!




Now that you have your boxes together take them in and CAREFULLY make sure they fit into your holes. If you drop those bad boys into your wall they are gone forever :) or at least cause a lot of unecessary work.



Hopefully all will turn out well and you can move onto cutting your backers. This is where your plywood comes in. Simply measure your boxes and shorten them a 1/8 inch on each side. This will guarantee a nice fit with no excess.


You will also attach your backers will your nailer. Do this carefully and try not to shoot your nails through the inside of the box. If it does happen carefully rip the nails out and it can be filled once installed.



Your almost there! Once all the measurements and cutting is done I have to say it does come together pretty quickly. Now we are going to install the boxes into your wall. This is pretty easy.



Put the boxes in until they are flush with where are they suppose to be. Nail them into the studs. We used the same finish nailer for this as well.


After all your boxes are in place you will be installing your ledge. Once again we will simply nail it into place. I am going to explain a technique called toe nailing. This is when you angle your nail to attach it the anchoring pieces. We nailed into the stud as well as the boxes. Nail from the bottom and the top your shelf.

Underneath your shelf we will add the top rail to our board and batten. This will be attached by glue and nailing to the studs. Once you have this up and secure, reinforce your ledge by nailing through from the top, to secure it into your top rail.








Grab your tape measure because you will be measuring for your shelf trim. Start with the interior studs. Measure from the bottom to the exact height of where you want your top trim piece to start. Cut accordingly. Install by nailing into place.





Finish up your trim by taking proper measurements of the side pieces. Install those and continue with taking a simple measurement for your top trim piece. Install.

Well, that's it for today folks.

Check back tomorrow to see how to finish this project by adding the beautiful faux board and batten. It is amazing how much this will add to your space!!!!



See you tomorrow :)






































Saturday, January 14, 2012

Newest Winter Fashion Trends


Cute or Not So Much....You Tell Me!

So this week I have read or heard about the newest winter fashion trends. Some of them I have to say I love and some are not so cute. I am not the type of girl who can pull off any crazy looks, but if this intrigues you more power to ya. :) I put together a couple boards to show examples and you can be to judge.


This first fashion trend is something I can actually see myself being apart of. Bright Bold Nail Polish. This is a great way to liven up a drab wardrobe. Pick a nice bright color for your nails. This will add a nice pop to usual neutral colors worn during this season. The great thing about this is each color will only cost you $5-$6.




The next trend is also another one that I love. Big Beautiful Rings! Ladies, dig out that fun costume jewelry or go ahead and buy that ring you thought was a little to crazy for your style. Big, chunky and glamorous rings are in. I am super excited about this. I have always loved large funky rings. Now I have a good reason to wear them without getting funny looks. Here is a collection I put together of fun pieces.



I have to admit if I had the space and the money I would be loaded up on shoes. The coming trend of printed shoes...not so much. With shoes like these it seriously takes about fifty bad ones for me to find a pair that I actually like. The prints I am finding are all very loud and almost annoying to look at. Take a look and tell me what you think...




The final trend that is popping up are temporary lip tattoos called Violet Lips. I have to be completely honest here...They scare me and are horrifying to look at. Lips are suppose to be luscious and beautiful. These tattoos turn them into a scary image of something that should not be on your face. I laughed when I saw these and the women wearing them. They looked ridiculous! They were sitting there pouting their lips thinking it was cute. Honey, if your in your mid 20's or up don't do it, just don't. I feel this trend is one the young ones need to stick to. You know, the high school girls. What would you do??? Into it or not?



Well that's it, the latest and not always greatest fashion trends.
Until Next Time My Friends.







QMWDGY9EK8VE

Thursday, January 12, 2012

*Another* Free Valentine's Day Printable - Yay!


Happy Thursday!

Here in Michigan we are actually suppose to get some snow tonight!  I am excited because this winter has been unseasonably warm. Not really feeling like a Michigan winter. We have had a couple snow falls but nothing major. They are only calling up to six inches but Hey! I'll take it. I have a couple cute projects I want to do but we need snow! So stay posted for fun ideas to do on a snowy day. Anyways,

Today I'm giving you a link to yet another Free Valentine's Day Printable! This one is so sweet and simple. With the big day only 33 days away I am anxious to get decorating!

Enjoy!
&
Until Next Time My Friends :)


Wednesday, January 11, 2012

How To De-Fruit A Grapefruit


Happy Wednesday Everyone!


With the new year here like many others I have committed to losing weight. I have actually discovered a new found love that is making weight loss easier then ever. Grapefruit! That last time I had tried grapefruit was about 12 years ago. It was so bitter I could not enjoy it. Well I decided to try it again due to it health benefits and link with weight loss.

The first attempt to eating a grapefruit was awful. I had no idea how to eat it and it was very annoying and deterring trying to DE-fruit it. Well shortly after I figured it out. I also pair my grapefruit with Raw Stevia which is a zero calorie sweetener and I am now IN LOVE!!! I love this fruit so much I eat 2 a day. It is so succulent and satisfying.

Today I am going to show you my way of De-fruiting a Grapefruit.


Start by washing and cutting your grapefruit in half.


Gently pop out any visible seeds.


Take your knife and slice all the way around the edge of the fruit. This will separate the juicy center from the outer skin.


You will notice a thin skin separating each wedge of the fruit. Gently but firmly pierce your spoon between the fruit and the skin. This will take practice but I PROMISE you will get the hang of it the more you do it.

With a slight rotation of your wrist you will easily be able to pop the fruit wedge right out!


Continue on around the fruit.


Squeeze the remaining juice from your fruit and top with a sweetener of your choice. Your done! Enjoy this delicious fruit full of health benefits!

Until next time my friends! Enjoy.