Tuesday, July 23, 2013

What I've Been Up to Lately

Summer is winding down for those of us who are teachers in southern Mississippi. I've been cleaning and purging my house like a mad woman because I know once I set foot on campus I'll be lucky if I ever come back. Okay, just a little teacher humor. Other teachers understand how busy the first couple of weeks back at school are...organizing your room, lesson planning, and tons and tons and tons of workshops and meetings.

So, without further adieu, here is what I've been doing lately...

Homemaking this morning: homemade vapor rub cooling on the counter and peeled tomatoes waiting to be chopped for salsa. 

I made a homemade vapor rub (it's cooling in the picture above) from this recipe here. It smells so amazing! The blog author recommends making it half strength if you plan on using it with little ones.

Jason brought home a bunch of tomatoes from a coworker, so I peeled them, chopped them, and made salsa. (This is my favorite recipe!)

Made a summer bouquet for my dining table. #rhonnadesigns #heyrhonna #rhonnadesigns_app 

My mother-in-law got me this gorgeous vase, but I wasn't sure what I would put in it. Then, my sister and I were walking around Hobby Lobby and she decided she needed some flowers for an arrangement. The flowers happened to be 50% off, so I immediately grabbed different white flowers and some greenery. I'm definitely not a florist, but I think the arrangement turned out cute!

(Oh, and how awesome is Rhonna Farrer's new app? I absolutely love it!)

My burlap and lace table runner turned out great! Another Pinterest success! 

Nikki and I also came up with a great idea for a table runner. I wanted something with burlap because I love to mix rustic and pretty. She suggested adding a lace trim (as seen here). It was the perfect suggestion! The runner looks great and is a perfect mix of styles. I will warn you that burlap is a little messy when you cut it. But, overall, this was very easy to make. I found a roll of burlap in the correct width while at Hobby Lobby and used my 40% coupon. The lace trim also came from Hobby Lobby. 

I trimmed the burlap a little longer than I wanted. Then, I hemmed the burlap to keep it from fraying. After I hemmed it, I attached the lace. I covered up my stitching with the lace, but left enough of the trim hanging off. I also folded the lace over the edge and onto the back of the runner (just a tiny bit), so the trim wouldn't fray.

I'm going to help a friend make one, so leave a comment if you want an actual tutorial.

A night of jewelry making and Mulan and Pocahontas marathon. #Framatic 
We watched a marathon of Mulan and Pocahontas (yes, both the first and second of each). If you want a good laugh, watch Pocahontas II because Billy Zane sings. It's not the song during the movie that cracked me up; it's the special song as the credits roll. Anyway, while we were doing that, I made some earrings (from this tutorial here) and a bracelet (from this tutorial; swarvoski sew-on crystals from this store). I did end up added two more beads to each of the silver earrings because it didn't seem complete. 


The beginnings of the official hobby room. Still a ways to go but super excited about this!

And, the biggest project of the entire summer has been the hobby room. I used to have an entire room devoted to crafting. However, when little man came along, the craft room merged with the guest room. Now, before you get too excited, we ARE NOT expecting. However, I know eventually we would love to have another child. So, I decided to once and for all set up the hobby room in a permanent place. (I was tired of moving my stuff!) A tree fell on our house two owners prior to us, so the owners took that as an opportunity to redo a few things. They added a master bathroom and made a small room at the front of the master bedroom. It's the perfect size for a home office, reading nook, or craft nook.

The hobby room is no where near ready for a full reveal, but a few stations are set up so I can go ahead and use them.

And, that about sums up the last few weeks for me.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Menu Plan: July 22-28, 2013



This week's menu is all about using the crock pot and doing simple meals. We are working towards a Paleo eating lifestyle (no gluten, no dairy), but we are still in baby steps. And, this is also the week before I head back to school. I'm also teaching at a new school, so I know I will be extra busy this first month.  I decided to plan some easy meals that wouldn't heat up the house too much.

This Week's Menu:

Monday: LO Grilled Beef Hot Dogs; Tortilla Chips and Homemade Salsa
Tuesday: Chicken Wraps with a Rotisserie Chicken from the local butcher shop
Wednesday: Dinner at Church
Thursday: Chicken Chili Verde with Tomatillos; Cauli-Rice
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Spicy Italian Pulled Pork and Gravy; Butternut Squash Fries; Greens
Sunday: Almond Flour Coated Chicken Nuggets; LO Greens; LO Butternut Squash Fries

And, as far as breakfast and lunch are concerned, we choose from the following each day:
Breakfast: Bacon Cheddar Cauliflower Fritters, Lemon Berry Muffins, and Hard-boiled Eggs
Lunch: Leftovers, Southwest Salad, and Homemade Tomato Soup

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I'm participating in Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday link up. Find out more about MPM here.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Turning Something Bad into Something Awesome

What happens when you carelessly lean up against a painted apron one of your students has laid over a desk?


Hello, Splatter Paint!

You splatter paint your pants!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Our Family Motto for 2012

We don't do New Year's Resolutions. But, we do take time to reflect on the past year and focus on goals for the new year. So, in a way we actually do a resolution. This year we focused on a wonderful set of scriptures that embrace exactly who we want to be as a family.

The scriptures come from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. I used a free map font from A is for Ampersand to create some word art to hang up in the house as a daily reminder of our family motto.


Happy New Year!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Some baking in my future

Guess what I'm going to be doing for the next few days?


Yup, you guessed it. Blueberries. Lots of blueberries. Which means lots of yummy treats for the Sheffield household.


Jason went to a coworker's house and picked blueberries. Lots of them. Think I'm kidding?


Nope. Not kidding. But, I don't mind 'cause I love blueberries.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Enjoying Autumn

Owl

*Sigh* I absolutely adore fall. I love the crisp, cool weather. I love that it's not too hot, yet not too cold. I love the spices. I love the colors. It's my favorite time of the year.

Things I want to do this season:
  • Make a felt leaf garland and wreath for my built-in in the living room
  • Carve a pumpkin
  • Toast pumpkin seeds
  • Go to the pumpkin patch (Check! Did this today.)
  • Have a weinie roast and make smores
  • Make apple cider
  • Go to a football game
  • Start crocheting some scarves
  • Work on the play quilt for our baby room
  • Put weed carpet and mulch down
  • Plant some mums
  • Make pumpkin puree for bread, muffins, cakes, pies, scones...the list goes on and on
  • Sit outside more

There's probably so many more things I can do to enjoy the season. What things are you planning on doing this fall?

Side note: Hubby and I found a lawn mower by the side of the road and decided to bring it on home. We figured if it didn't work we would put it back by the road. Worked the first time. Score!