My First Sewing Project - Camping Carry-All

7:09 PM | Posted by | | Edit Post
For a very long time, I've wanted to learn how to sew.
I even bought a sewing machine. But it has sat unused for over a year now.

I think I built it up in my head that sewing would be hard. 
To be honest, I didn't even try. 
I think when I first got my sewing machine that I looked around a bit online, but never did anything.
I do know for sure that I pinned a TON of projects on Pinterest! 

Earlier this week, I went to visit my Grandma and brought my sewing machine with me. 
After less then a half hour of explanation, I was sewing!

That really was not as hard....or even hard at all. 
I really need to push myself to try more. And not be so scared to try new things. 

Although, I will admit that I thought my first project would be much bigger. I love aprons and have always wanted to make one, which is actually why I bought this sewing machine in the first place.
I soon found out that starting small is the way to go. 

Here's what I made...


My family does alot of camping and in our small camper, we don't have  bathroom - so morning walks to the restrooms are required.
This handy carry all holds everything that I'll need!


I love this project because it's simple and something I needed.
And, I kind of think it's cute too.

I'm going to make one for each of us...my only tip is to not use dollar store towels like I did. 
It kept getting snagged in my machine.

The lesson here...is to remember
I CAN DO HARD THINGS....
(and sometimes they really aren't all that hard.)

Thanks for stopping by. 

I found this idea on Etsy from Perfect Darlings.
You can buy one from her directly by clicking here. 

I'm out of town this weekend for a mini road trip - so excited!
Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Linking up to:
Sincerely, Paula, Five Days Five Ways, Truly Lovely, 504 Main, Kitchen Fun with my Three Sons



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Great Sip-and-See Baby Shower Ideas

7:08 AM | Posted by | | Edit Post
I'm going to be throwing a Sip-and-See shower for my bff, Gretchen, here in a few weeks
She's getting ready to have baby number too and really doesn't need much
but would love a reason to get all the friends together!

Here are some of the ideas I'm thinking of using, you can find them all on my Pinterest board too!

{source}

Love the simple design of these invites!
{Swanky Press}

Free paint chips cut into circles to decorate the table?
Yes, please!
{Say Yes to Hoboken}


Love this tablescape. 
Since we don't know yet what this little baby will be...this could easily be changed to match!
{Perfectly Imperfect}


Cute little party favors, cheap too.
{Crate Paper Blog}

I'll post some pictures over the next few weeks of ideas and projects that I'm working on for her shower!
Thanks so much for stopping by!

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How I Saved BIG on my Kitchen Remodel

12:00 AM | Posted by | | Edit Post

When we first moved into our house
our kitchen was 
yucky!

Way...way..way!! Out dated from the 70's
Avocado green stove and sink
Chipped up counter tops
Ugly cabinets
Paneling on the wall.

All together it was ugly.
And it needed to go.

But we didn't have the money for a complete overhaul.
So, here's what we did....
for under $700


#1 - I used found paint.
My mom had just moved into a new house that had a ton of cans of paint in the attic.
There happen to be two 3/4 full cans of this green color that I liked.
Free paint!

#2 - Peel and stick tile.
People walk into this kitchen and cannot believe that it's peel and stick.
It was so easy and cost $95 for the whole floor.

#3 - Cheap trim.
Instead of going for the upgraded trim, I went for the cheap stuff.
I trimmed this whole room for $25.


#4 - We painted the cabinets.
A borrowed paint sprayer and 1 gallon of semi-gloss off white paint.
$25

#5 - Cheap counter top.
At Home Depot, we just gave them the measurements and they delivered.
We saved even more by having a very handy neighbor help us install it.
$175 for counter top
$25 for a pizza dinner for the neighbors family





#6 - I reused everything I could.
Why buy new drawer pulls and turny-things for the cabinets?
I just bought a can of silverish spray paint and took them outside.
$6


#7 - We bought appliances off Craigslist.
The stove was $75
The microwave was $75
We did end up buying the dishwasher new, it was $125.


#8 - Don't forget the details.
The curtains? 
No...they're cloth napkins that I found on clearance at Target.
Held together by safety pins.
$4


#9 - The artwork?
Made it.
Found canvas' at a garage sale, mod podge and scrapbooking paper
That and a can of black spray paint can go along way.
$10



That's it. 
My whole kitchen remodel for about $640.
We were extremely happy with how it turned out.
Nobody can believe we spent less then $1,000 considering what our kitchen looked like when we first moved in.

I'll have to see if I can dig up some old pictures
so you can see how bad it really was.

That's it from me today - have a happy Monday!
Sam




Linking up to these AMAZING bloggers: Skip to my Lou, Mad in Crafts, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Keeping it Simple, Craft-O-Matic, It's So Very Cheri, Let Them Eat Cake, BoogieBoard Cottage, Say Not Sweet Anne, Homemaker on a Dime, Serendipity and Spice, Flour Me with Love, Marvelously Messy, Sew Can Do, Adventures of a DIY Mom, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Kathe with an E, Ladybug Blessings, Naptime Creations, Today Creative Blog, New Nostalgia, Sugar Bee Crafts, Homework Wednesday, Someday Crafts, Lil Luna, Sew Much Ado, Lady Behind the Curtain, Make Bake Create, Sugar and Dots, Gingersnap Crafts, The Trendy Treehouse, Creations by Kara, Southern Lovely, Living Well Spending Less, Five Days Five Ways, Truly Lovely, 504 Main, Kitchen Fun with my Three Sons









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Laughing Baby

12:30 AM | Posted by | | Edit Post
My little guy, Colton, loves to be tickled!


And he is really ticklish too!


I love this kid. 


Happy Friday.




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Drink Your Vitamins with EcoDrink

12:00 AM | Posted by | | Edit Post

About a month ago, while shopping at Sam's Club I came across a demo of EcoDrinks.
After hearing that I could get pretty much all of my daily vitamins in a simple drink each morning, I was really interested!

While I'm not good at remembering to take a pill each morning, I always get a drink when I wake up.
That's why I thought EcoDrink would be the perfect choice for me. 

They sell for just under $20 at Sam's Club and Costco and come with a sports bottle (that's BPA free) and 30 packets of drink mix (orange and strawberry).
 It works out nicely for Chris and I - he only likes the strawberry and I only like the orange! 
We've been drinking one each morning and both have been feeling great!



I've lost a little bit of weight - but more then that...I feel great throughout the day!
I'm more energetic and my hair and skin look great!

Here's more info from EcoDrink:
  1. • 5x More Powerful Than Leading Vitamin Water Brands
  2. • 3x More Electrolytes Than Leading Sports Drinks
  3. • 5x More Antioxidants Than Leading Immune Boosting Drinks
  4. • No Calories, No Sugar, No Sodium, No Carbs!
  5. • Reusable Eco-Friendly, BPA Free Bottle Included


Since they currently don't sell the drink mixes only, each time you buy your packets - you also get another sports bottle. After awhile, you could end up with a ton of these!
Except for EcoDrink lets you exchange your bottles for more mix!
I love that!

If you want to try a sample of EcoDrink yourself, call 1-866-599-7022 and just ask!

(This is not a sponsored post...I really buy EcoDrink at Sam's Club and use it daily...and really do love it!)

Thanks so much for stopping by!


Forourloyalcustomerswhohavemorebottlesthantheycanuse,ordonothavearecyclingprogram,pleasesendusyourbottleand,inreturn,wewillsendyou6packetsofEcoDrinkVitaminMineral(3berryand3orange).
Wewillensurethatyourbottleisproperly



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Cheesy Tuna Spaetzle

12:00 AM | Posted by | | Edit Post
My mom loves going to garage sales and picking up old church cookbooks.
She'll go through it, and rip out the recipes she wants
And then she passes it along to the next person.

This is a recipe that she found in one of those cookbooks.

Now, let me tell you that we went over to her house for supper the night she made this.
The boys come in...
"What's for supper, Grandma?"
"Tuna Spaetzle"
"Uh....what else are we having?"

The name itself doesn't give off much appeal.
Before I had even looked to see what it was,
I was almost certain that I wouldn't like it either.

But when she served this huge casserole of cheesy goodness
It was gone.
The boys ate at least two plates each
And Chris was stuffed by the end of dinner

This stuff is good.

I found spaetzle noodles at Aldi's. You can also find them here.

Here we go...

#1 - Boil the spaetzle is salted water, according to package directions - about 12 minutes.


#2 Drain noodles. Aside from noodles, make your sauce:
2 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cans of tuna 
2 cups milks
season with salt and pepper (I use Greek Seasoning)
Warm over medium heat, do not boil
#3 - Add 4 oz of shredded cheddar cheese. Mix until combined and melted
#4 - Add noodles. Mix well.


#5 - For my family, 16oz of spaetzle made two dinners - so divided this into two casserole dishes
#6 - Top with breadcrumbs
#7 - Finish off casserole with another 4oz of shredded cheddar cheese....the more, the better. 
#8 - Wrap your casserole to save in foil - make sure to label is. You'll defrost this and reheat it at 350 degrees for about a half hour.
#9 - As for the casserole you're eating today - place it in a 350 degree over (covered with foil) for 15-20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 8-10 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown. 

Yummy! This is an easy meal to make, and my family loves it!


We gobbled this whole casserole up fast!


I hope your family enjoys this as much as mine did! Thanks so much for stopping by! 
Will you stop by and read my very first review? It's of a newer product called EcoDrink that we use everyday. Thanks so much! 


THANK YOU to all these wonderful bloggers for letting me link to their sites this week! 
 Skip to my Lou, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Keeping It Simple, Mad in Crafts, Craft-o-Matic, It's So Very Cheri, Couponing and Cooking, Boogie Board Cottage, Stone Gable Blog, Serendipity and Spice, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, Homemaker on a Dime, Sew Chatty, Marvelously Messy, Sew Can Do, Say Not Sweet Anne, Sugar Bee Crafts, New Nostalgia, Funky Polka Dot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Naptime Creations, A to Z Celebrations, Ludybug Blessings, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Kathe with an E, The Winthrop Chronicles, Blessed with Grace, Adventures of a DIY Mom, Not Just a Housewife, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Someday Crafts, Lil Luna, Sew Much Ado, GingerSnap Crafts, The Trendy Treehouse, Southern Lovely, Homework Wednesday, Tidy Mom




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Friday Follow

12:30 AM | Posted by | | Edit Post
Happy Friday!

Spring sure doesn't feel like spring yet.

At the beginning of the week, it was 85.
And I turned on the A/C at night because it was 91 degrees in the house.
Yesterday it rained.
All day.
Today, I woke up to find snow on the ground.

Uuuggghh.
I just want spring to officially be here.
And stay here.

Anyways...

Here's what I've been up to this past week....make sure and check out my



And my most popular post this week....Cheesy Chicken Nuggets

Please follow me - leave a comment and I'll follow back!


Have a great week, Thanks so much for stopping by!

Sam







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