I have been debating on what I wanted to put above our fireplace for awhile now. I knew the exact picture I wanted to put above the fireplace, but I could not decide how to hang it. I could not decide whether I wanted to frame it, or try a DIY canvas wrapped picture. Frames are so outrageous. The one I liked was from Hobby Lobby and it was $59.99. I would NEVER spend that much on a frame, unless it was marked 50% off. Of course $30 seems like a lot to me too, so I really thought a frame from a thrift shop as a Pinterest project would be more fun. It is also easier on the wallet and I love me a good Pinterest project!! I have meant to be hitting up the thrift stores lately, but things have been super crazy, so when I went to find Alex’s Beetlejuice costume for Halloween, I decided to browse the goods and see what I would find. The last few times I have looked for a frame, the have been over $15 and I need a better deal than that. While I was scanning the merchandise…
I found this beauty at Goodwill for $7.99! It was in great condition and fits a 20×28 poster print! Score!All you need to do it wipe the frame down good (I used a Clorox wipe) and gather the following items…acryclic paint, stain, paintbrush, nail file, and an old sock.Paint the frame with the acrylic paint. I did 2 coats.With the nail file, file the edges down to expose the wood.After the acrylic paint dries, use the stain to thoroughly coat the frame.Wipe the stain away. If you wipe too much away, just brush more on and so on.
Alex and I had a costume party that we went to last weekend. Beetlejuice is one of Alex’s all time favorite movies. I would say I have watched it about as many times as we have watched Dumb and Dumber! At first we thought about going as Lloyd and Harry, but the costumes were ridiculously expensive. We decided that it would be fun to dress up like Beetlejuice and Lydia Deetz. Originally, I was planning on wearing black and carrying around a camera. I figured that it would be easy to find a suit jacket to duct tape into a Beetlejuice costume. We decided on the wedding scene. I had an old bridesmaid dress hanging in the closet that was red. I just added some tool and made a veil and had an instant red wedding dress! I set off to hit up some thrift shops and hit gold in the first store I went to! I found his suit jacket at Goodwill for $5.99 and the pants for $0.99! The pants were HUGE but I told him they were $0.99 and they were the perfect color so grab a belt! We had a fun night!
Inspirational picture of Beetlejuice and his bride to be!The dress…Tool was around $6 altogether. The gloves were a $3.99 Goodwill purchase!I just pinned and gathered all the way around and sewed it by hand. I ended up doing three rows across then added some around the skirt draping down in strips.Final project 2 hours later!I think we did well!Alex was out of control all night! The best part of the entire thing was Alex acting like Beetlejuice the entire night. It was hilarious! Love you babe!Even Murphy was dressed up for the party!Chloe and Mia were not invited to the party but look at the sweet little hats that arrived for them this week! Thanks Victor & JoAnn!
Don’t you just love fall? I always think that summer is my favorite season and then comes fall! I love the cooler weather and an excuse to break out my comfy sweatpants or wrap up in a blanket. I also love my crockpot in the fall. Things get pretty crazy around my house when school starts and I usually feel like I have been hit by a bus by the time I mosey on into the house. I love cooking and it seems to make me feel good when I can set a hot plate in front of my man after a long day. After dealing with 26 second graders all day, I do not always have the energy to slave over a hot stove when I get home. This is why I love my crockpot! Throw everything in and forget about it until it is time to eat…I think so!
I have been in the mood for trying some new recipes lately. Usually I have good luck browsing Pinterest and adapting recipes the way I think would be good. Last week, I tried a butternut squash soup that sounded amazing! Then after it was finished, it was what my fellow pinners and I would consider a Pinterest Fail. Luckily the crockpot meatloaf I made turned out even better than I ever imagined! If you are looking for a mouthwatering meatloaf, you better check this one out! It was juicy and full of flavor! I am excited for leftovers!
Ingredients (minus the Oregeno…I am not sure why that made it in the shot!)
Loaf Ingredients:
2 eggs
2/3 c milk
1/4 c ketchup
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2/3 c breadcrumbs
1/4 c brown sugar
2 tablespoons parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried majoram
salt & pepper
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Sauce Ingredients:
1 c ketchup
1/2 c brown sugar
1/3 c Worcester Sauce
1/8 c red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
Whisk together eggs, milk, and Dijon mustard. Add breadcrumbs and let sit while you mix up the meat mixture. In a large bowl, combine onion, garlic, celery, parsley, thyme, majoram, salt & pepper to taste. Add the ground pork and ground beef and mix thoroughly with hands. After meat mixture is combined, add the egg mixture and finish mixing.
Place meat mixture in a large crockpot in a loaf shape. In a small bowl, whisk together ketchup, brown sugar, Worcester Sauce, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and cayenne pepper. Pour sauce over loaf and cook on low for at least 6 hours.
Make sure to let breadcrumb mixture sit for awhile while you chop up the veggies.Look at the color! Love it!I used my big crockpot for this one!The sauce is so flavorful!It was so tender and juicy! Not too bad for my first meatloaf!Final product served with a side of sautéed green beans.
I decided that it was time to get busy on my blog. Now that conferences and grade cards are over, I will hopefully have the time/energy to get back in the studio and get to crafting and blogging! I was making a list of blog posts that I just need to sit down and type up. I realized that I have not done a post on my trip to the Dominican Republic! We went for my 30th birthday and it was AMAZING! I wish we were there right now!
The Dominican Republic is a nation that shares an island with Haiti. Haiti is the poorest nation in the world. When we were visiting, a man told us that the Dominican Republic used to be poor and Haiti was rich. It has not been like that for a long time and their people want to keep it that way. I must say the Dominicans were such nice people. They wanted you to enjoy their beautiful island and keep the tourism alive. Staff of the hotel worked for as much as $100 and tips from the tourists were greatly appreciated. A $3 tip to me was a big deal for them.
Alex’s cousin Mike and his wife Stephane came with us on vacation and we had so much fun! It was the first time they had left their little girl for such a long time. I had a hard time missing my pups, so I sort of knew what they were going through. We stayed pretty busy doing excursions, eating, and had our fair share of adult beverages! We decided that this would have to become a tradition because we had such a great time!
It was so much fun to have another couple along for the fun!
I wish we would have gotten pictures of the very first night we got there. It looked as if it were going to rain at any moment and we didn’t want to get our cameras wet and ruined the first night of vacation, so we left them in the rooms. Our phones didn’t even have service, so there was no reason to risk getting them wet. So we headed out to the beach after a delicious dinner and walked the beach. It was beautiful, the weather was amazing and we couldn’t believe we were in the Caribbean! We stumbled upon the most amazing beach party. There was a DJ and these light-up cubes for seating on the sandy beach. They were serving luscious frozen drinks in coconuts and pineapples.
Mike got the party going by convincing the rest of us that we needed to start the party. We were just glad to be off that plane and on the beach so we said, “What the hell!” and started to dance the night away! And soon enough…more and more people started filling in the empty spots on the beach dance floor and we were all having the best time! It was so much fun just letting loose with Alex that night. It is a memory that I will never forget! Can I please tell you what a workout that was? It did not take too long before your calves were burning! We danced the night away! The party ended with a pretty intense game of limbo! Check out the slideshow for more pictures from our trip!
I did manage to grab a ziplock full of shells and sand for a project when I got home! I was not sure what exactly I was going to do with it, but I figured it out! I kept seeing pins for vases with layers of sand that I thought would be fun to make. Every time you go to a beach, collect some sand and you can layer it! I guess that gives us an excuse to go somewhere tropical again! I kept my eyes peeled for the perfect vase, but when I was at Goodwill, I found the PERFECT glass jug. It only cost me $1.49!
