greek yogurt on the cheap

Greek yogurt is a fridge staple at our house. I like to feed it to the kids instead of ice cream. It’s great on cereal, baked apples, tacos and baked potatoes. It can be substituted in any recipe that calls for sour cream to lower the calorie count.  This yummy stuff has double the protein of regular yogurt and is full of calcium. The rich creamy, texture is so satisfying. I enjoy it with a packet of splenda to indulge a late night sweet tooth.

The only downer to greek yogurt is the price. It costs at least twice as much as regular yogurt… so, of course I had to figure out how to make it on the cheap. Our local discount food store usually has soon to expire pints of plain yogurt for $1.15. Plain yogurt often goes on manager's special at other grocery stores too. Yogurt is one of those foods you can eat after expires. I feel that way about most food, but yogurt really won’t begin to sour for a few weeks after the expiration date.  I take my discount store yogurt hoard and convert it to greek in a few simple steps with supplies that are already in the kitchen.

You’ll need:

- A mesh strainer

- a deep bowl or container

- a few paper towels

- 8-12 cups of plain yogurt

Simply line the strainer with a few paper towels and place over deep bowl. Pour yogurt into strainer. Place in the fridge over night and wake up to a glorious blob of pure deliciousness! 

Dump strained yogurt into another container and remove paper towels. Stir and enjoy.

The bottom of the bowl will be filled with the excess liquid from the yogurt. I use this like buttermilk as it has a similar tang to it. It makes great waffles, pancakes, and cornbread.

In addition to seeing one’s children come into this world, one of life’s greatest joys is eating cheap, healthy greek yogurt from a giant gallon bucket at 2 a.m. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Tree of Life

It occurred to me several months ago that the spaces i use the most should be the most beautiful. the laundry room, the basement, the kitchen sink, etc. I mean, if i'm going to pass by the same wall fourteen times a day, or walk up and down the same 16 steps shouldn't they be wonderful and inspiring? So, i've recently added some beauty to the basement entry by painting a whimsical tree that branches out onto two walls at the bottom of the steps. This is our main entry from the garage so i see this wall a million times a day. I mod podged a bunch of  scripture leaves that i cut from some pocket devotionals. The paper and text in the booklets was pretty, but they were just sitting on the book shelf. It was a great way to get daily use from these old devotionals. Plus, i didn't have to design or print anything out. Check it out:

I love this tree. It restores my soul every time i walk through this area. I can pause for 2-3 seconds and read from one of the leaves and feel refreshed in spirit. It's aesthetically pleasing as well and it fills what would otherwise be dead space. 

I've seen tree decals available on line and in buy everything you need and want stores. So if you don't want to paint one freehand, you could apply the decal and just add your own scripture leaves. You could also hire me to come over and paint it for you:) The leaves could also be made from any kind of brochure, greeting card, or magazine that has scripture used in it. Just cut it out in a leaf shape that suits your fancy and glue/seal it to the wall using the mod podge. Happy wall tree making!

Easy hand painted canvas pillows

One of my favorite crafting supplies is drop cloth canvas. This versatile, natural looking material can be used to make all sorts of crafty things for the nest. Of course there is the obvious canvas painting. Then there’s monogram wall hangings, cloth napkins, table runners, window treatments, totes, no-sew tie together throw rugs, and rustic pillows! It is literally a blank canvas for any design, stencil, or hand painted embellishment. You can find this material at any hardware store or in the painting section of the local buy everything you need store. It comes in a variety of large sizes. I recently purchased a 6’ x 9’ package of the canvas for @ $10! What a value.

I’ve been dressing up the front porch and needed a throw pillow for my freshly painted chartreuse wicker chair (BTW, this chair was orphaned after a tenant vacated our rental. I love finding free stuff…it kind of felt like Christmas morning that day).  I recovered an old outdoor pillow I had in the closet with come canvas. To sew up the canvas around the pillow, I used hemp twine and a darning needle.Then I finished it with a hand painted turquoise bird silhouette. 

I’m really no good with a sewing machine and I like to touch everything with my hands, so the twine worked for me. It looks very homemade. For a more finished look, you could use a needle and thread or a sewing machine.  I made one for the basement sofa that I like too. Check them out below:

Peeps Predicament

Easter is one of my favorite holidays. I celebrate it every day as I reflect on the sacrifice of my king and what that sacrifice has accomplished in my life. Isaiah 61: 1-3 is like my life’s theme scripture. It is all about the great exchange:

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. 2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory. 

I feel like one of those glory oaks. I cry when I think about how kind He is.

But with Easter, comes one of our society’s greatest wastes: the peep. These things also make me want to cry…not tears of joy, but ones of despair. I mean, is there a grosser candy? They are kind of cute with their beady little brown eyes, but mostly they are a waste of ingredients. I tried to like them once when I was 12 or so. Really I did. I thought that if I rinsed of the colored sugar dusting, the inside would be palatable. Fail. 

So what do I do with these things? I can’t throw them away (I don’t throw away edible food – it’s against my religion, lol)….and then it came to me: PEEPS TRUFFLES!

This recipe will not only utilize your leftover peeps, but also the 1lb chocolate bunny and 4 dozen waxy chocolate eggs you’ve been eating even though you don’t really like them. This recipe is a framework for your creativity. You can add candy coated chocolates, peanut butter cups, crème eggs, whatever candy you have left in your or the kid’s Easter baskets. This treat is easier to share with friends and family than leftover Easter candy. It’s unique and looks pretty so you could entertain with it or give as a gift.

Basic peeps truffles recipe:

3c chocolate (whatever is in your basket)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2tbsp butter

2 cups peeps (about 8 peeps)

½ c peanut butter

Powdered sugar, cocoa, or chopped nuts to coat truffles

Step 1

Unwrap the chocolate and place in the mircrowave on %50 power for about 2 minutes. Stir every 30 seconds so it doesn’t scorch.

Step 2

Once chocolate is melted, add sweet condensed milk and butter. Stir and microwave for another minute until the mixture is smooth and melty.

Step 3

Melt peeps and peanut butter in microwave for about 60 second. Stir this sticky mixture into melted chocolate. (you don’t have to add the peanut butter, but I like it.)

Step 4:

Let combined mixture cool. When cool enough to handle, roll into 2” balls and cover in cocoa, powdered sugar, or chopped nuts. Put them in the fridge for an hour then place in a pretty box or container. Eat, share, enjoy!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I love making my own laundry detergent. Both of my girls have very sensitive skin and eczema, so mild detergent is a must. However, commercial baby detergent is crazy expensive, especially when you do 2-3 loads of laundry each day. The recipe and method I’m going to share with you is so easy! All of the ingredients are available at the local buy everything you need and ever wanted store. The recipe yields 2 gallons of detergent for $0.75.  I did some math…ouch… and found that it cost me a half cent in laundry detergent per load. What?!! That is a great exchange right there. I love making this stuff with the kids too because there’s water measuring and stirring so they can easily participate. Plus, I’m engraining creative frugality into their little minds as wellJ

What you’ll need:

-borax ($3.38/box)

-washing soda (not baking soda…two very different things)($3.24/box)

-fels naptha laundry bar soap (you can substitute ivory bar soap) ($.97/bar)

-a few empty 1 gallon milk jugs or several old liquid detergent containers

-a large container or bucket that holds at least 2gallons (I use the top to a Rubbermaid cake plate)

-a funnel

-a mixer or immersion blender

Here is the recipe:  1/2c borax + 1/2c washing soda+ 1/3 bars fels naptha + 2gal water

I know, it sounds cheap and easy already…

Step one:

Grate 1/3 bar of soap into a pot. Add the borax, soda and 6c of water. Cook over medium heat until all ingredients are dissolved.

Step two:

Add 4c of hot water to your large bucket or container. Pour in the dissolved mixture and stir.

Step three:

Add 1 gallon plus 6 more cups of water and stir. Let sit for 24 hours.

Step four:

The mixture will turn into a solid gelatinous mass…fun to squish! Use electric mixer or immersion blender to break up the mass and achieve a “goopy liquid” consistency. It should be a little thicker than normal liquid detergent.  

Step 5:

Use the funnel to pour the detergent into washed out milk jugs or old laundry soap containers.

That’s it! Simply use ½ cup/ load or 1c for heavily soiled loads. This stuff smells wonderful, light floral and citrus notes. It makes a great gift for new moms: add a bow and a cute card with the recipe and you’ll have the most unique gift at the baby shower for less than a dollar! Happy detergent making!

around the nest

     I wanted to post some pictures of items i have created or modified around the nest.  One of my favorite pieces is my bookshelf turned "china cabinet." I own 2 pieces of actual china (one porcelain teacup that i found in a quaint french pottery store and bought for a euro, the other given to me by a dear friend of my grandmother). I feel like if i'm going to own something special like china, it should have a neat story behind it. It's all about the sentiment, you know? 

     So the evolutionary process of this "china cabinet" is as follows....received from friends when we got married - it needed a home and we had a new one.....did a fine job as a bookshelf for 5 years....moved into house with a dining room....wanted to display my sentimental pottery....didn't want to spend money. Stephen found some old wood from a dilapidated building on Whitfield road and sprayed them for bugs. Always spray for bugs when using old wood indoors. Stuff can hatch...yikes.  i painted them black and he hung them on some modern Celtic looking brackets in our living room. Looks great and fits the space much better. You can see it below. 

     We also mounted a piece of the old lumber to the wall left of the shelves. I added knobs from my dad's old kitchen cabinets and shabam, a convenient place for purses, coats, and kid paraphernalia. 

     
I then took the bookshelf, white washed and distressed it. I also painted a subtle organic design on the backboard for a little added detail. I love stamping, especially circles...i'm not sure why...it's just really gratifying. My stylized flowers are stamps from peanut butter lids and shampoo bottle tops. Stephen added some ledgers to the length of the center of the top three shelves to hold the dishes in place. He helps me a lot...i think that guy might like me or something:)

Mason jars make nice china. They also look beautiful filled with tea lights on a dinner table. My mom gave me those really interesting clay bowls on the top shelves. Thanks mom.

   So, shelves for the living room, a coat rack, and a china cabinet for around $80, which i still think is kind of expensive. I couldn't figure out how to weld metal brackets from scrap or create an aerosol can, so we had to purchase brackets and a can of black spray paint. I really like the results. 

i'm back...and more creative than ever

so, i've been gone for a while (been a little busy:) But now, i think i'm ready to be a blogger. I make stuff all of the time...i cant help it, its like breathing for me. The key is to document it so i can share it with everyone, yay! Stephen and i  purchased a foreclosed home last summer. It was in need of some creative touches, so i've spent several months making, painting, and rearranging with the goal of not spending any money...or very little. It's so fun; i've discovered the joys of spray paint and scrap lumber. I just have to make sure the wood doesn't have dog poop on it....yikes. It has also occurred to me that everyday spaces like the basement entry and the laundry room need to be beautiful and inspiring, as i spend much of my time there. Hints of scripture painted on signs and bird feeders are a gentle reminder of the Lord's sweet presence in my everyday life with Asher, HG, and new baby Canaan.