Isn't it beautiful! I have had these canister sets for SEVERAL years... it was a gift from my mother because I love collecting copper for my kitchen. Well I never actually used them for spices because I just loved the set as a decoration. Well today we bought some basil for our Sundried Tomato Penne and the basil came as a plant in the individual containers... So we thought... Why not? Let's plant them!
We didn't have any planters laying around so we were looking around to see what would work... a breeze suddenly blew through our open window and rattled my copper spice set sitting pretty on top of my wine cabinet. It was perfect! My husband got to work with a hammer and nail poking holes through the bottom of the canisters for drainage and voila! It worked out so well that we decided if these basil plants don't take then we'll just have to go get a couple more from the nursery. The basil we have outdoors in our mini garden is taking very well due to the weather not being warm enough yet but there is still hope. Now the big question is what other two herbs do I want to add to my new canister herb garden!
I love it! I just can't stop staring at it!
~ Be Magical!
As with everything else... what motivated me to begin making a monthly menu for my household was saving money. Too many vegetables had gone to waste in our refrigerator and too many times have we come home from the store, having spent $100, and still not figure out what to have for dinner. Menu planning was my solution.
I started out small... and I started out simple. I sat down with my husband... okay actually I yelled to him in the living room while I was sitting at the kitchen table... and we figured out our seven most favorite meals that I make. We divided those up throughout the week making sure to not put two of the same type of dinners back to back... for example, making sure at least one day was between dinners with chicken or pasta. Then suddenly... we had a menu for the entire month! Wait... but we only picked seven meals... how do we have a whole month's menu planned? REPETITION! Remember... I needed it to be simple so that I would stick with it and I needed it to be budget friendly.
We've been doing this so far for the whole month of April and not ONCE have we gotten sick of any dinner that I have made and in fact... each day my husband asks "What's on the menu?" and each day I actually have to look. I surely thought we'd have each day's menu memorized by the end of the month but nope... the only days we have memorized are Spaghetti Night and Pizza Night because those are our favorites. I can only imagine how much money we have saved and the amount of stress that has not even stepped over our threshold into our home by having this menu plan.
Here are the details: When I first began this it was in the middle of March... I took inventory of all that I had in the pantry and refrigerator and planned meals for the remainder of March using up all I had. Then is when we planned out April deciding between our favorite meals and went shopping. For the most part, each meal had ingredients that had good shelf life (i.e., canned goods, onions, etc) or could be frozen. I did however learn my lesson, which will come in handy in May, when I bought a huge Costco package of bell peppers and had them go bad in my fridge before I had even touched them. I won't be making that mistake again. So for the occasional fresh ingredient needed for a meal... I'll just go out that day or the day before or sometimes even send hubby after it on his way home and it's been working grandly.
May will be interesting as far as menu planning goes... it will be the first month in which we begin getting our weekly CSA deliveries! I'm so excited but it will also be quite a test run. I imagine this topic will probably come up several times so I decided to change my "Homestitched" page and dedicate it to menu planning instead. Don't worry though... I'll make sure to blog about any homestitched projects I begin.
~ Be Magical!
My wonderful mother has never stopped leaving me Easter baskets... She always puts the most adorable little goodies in there and I am going to love carrying on that motherly tradition for my children. Even from far away my mother sent me another magical apron to add to my collection... Isn't it perfect!?
This beauty helped me conjure up some delicious sugar cookies and a delicious frosting to go on top! We went out for a delicious brunch at one of our favorite restaurants and had a super fun Easter egg hunt when we got home. I would have loved making a beautiful homemade Easter dinner for my little family but we decided that going out would actually be a bit more budget friendly. I don't think I could have made a traditional Easter dinner with all the trimmings for under $40.00... considering that's usually the price I pay for the ham alone! We didn't miss out though... it was Italian and it was phenomenal!
Below are a few pictures that we took this past weekend... and don't worry... I have a few recipes to share with you this week and the sugar cookies will be one of them! I hope all of you have a perfect weekend filled with deliciousness and magic!
~ Be Magical!
As some of you might already know... when you become a Stay at Home Mom, it can be easy to forget who you once were and the things you once loved. I think that's why I prefer the term "Homemaker". The title "Stay at Home Mom" clearly states to the Nth degree exactly what it is we do and those who can relate know how hard we work and I believe this can sometimes minimize our identity to only that... being a mom. Now don't get me wrong... being a mom is a very honorable and proud thing to be and it entails a million different things. For me though... "Homemaker" says more about me than it does my job. It's a word I can make my own, specifically geared towards the things I have a passion for. It not only includes motherhood but also the cooking and baking I do and the way I clean and decorate my home. It can even define talents... those I already have and those I hope are forthcoming such as crocheting and sewing.
No matter what title you choose... find yourself a passion. Heck, find TEN passions! Keep 'em coming too... When the blues of lost identity start knocking, hang that "no solicitors" sign on your door and behold the marvelous possibilities that lay in front of you. It doesn't have to take a lot of money and it doesn't have to be all or nothing... Just one step at a time... a little bit here and there. Find your passion... discover or remember something you've always been interested in or wanted to do... research it online, check out books from the library and Do It! Spring is still in the air and it's a time for all things new. You are the enchantress of your dwelling... go conjure up something remarkable!
~ Be Magical!
If you've read my welcome page you know that I like "The Donna Reed Show". But for those who may not be familiar with this show and for everyone else, the video above shows just a clip of what I aspire to be. Yes that is my confession... some women out there may cringe at the thought but I would love to be this type of housewife! From the frocks to the kitchen... the whole nine yards. I even have "The Donna Reed Show" in my Netflix queue!
Oh I know... it might seem a tad bit crazy right? But I really don't think so... Don't get me wrong... If you ask my Chatterbox sisters they'll be the first to tell you I've had my complaints and my I've had it days. Even still... there's some type of magic that lingers from living in that era and I personally would love to travel back in time if only for a moment just to experience it. And that's exactly what I do... it motivates me and frankly it's just plain fun!
The point is... I've found my dream job and I believe I have a right to be passionate about it in whichever way I choose. There are Career Women and there are Homemakers... some were once one then the other... and let's not forget those women in between. The women who have no choice and must juggle the duties of career AND mother. To them all I say... "When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.'" -- Erma Bombeck
~ Be Magical!
Remember being in Elementary school and they made a huge deal about going to the library... they taught you had to search and find the book you were looking for and how to bookmark the spot on the shelves where you removed the book from so that you could put the book back into it's proper place. They showed you how to check a book out and put the little stamped card in the front pocket in the book so you remember what date to return it. I LOVED going to the library but over time after I got older and it stopped being something we did as a group in school, I began to forget about the magic you could find in a library. I think I stepped into the library at my high school maybe twice... Once to go to the bathroom and another time for a study group.
So yesterday I took my soon to story time at our local library. We just moved to the town we are living in so it was the first time we had gone to story time... afterward as I was walking out I paused and I decided to turn around and get a library card... I mean why not right? They're free! Once I had my card I asked the card giving lady where I could find the cookbooks. I strolled over to a corner of the library where she had directed me, with my son on my hip shushing him and telling him we're in a library and that we have to be quiet because those are the rules. I had only one cookbook on my mind... I was doing a random look over of the shelves somewhat forgetting exactly how they were set up... By author? By title? And then... there it was! It beamed.... and was sticking a little bit further out than the other books as though it had shimmied it's way forward a bit so I would not miss it.
As I was walking to the check out counter with my boy one arm and my new borrowed book in the other, I kept thinking.... This is FREE! I was going to buy this book but I hadn't yet because I was a bit hesitant as to whether I was really going to like it, so this was the perfect solution! We now have somewhere to go for both my son and myself and it gives you this satisfying shopping experience without the guilt! So find out where your local library is and pay them a visit!
~ Be Magical!
