Last minute Tackle

Wasn't planning on doing a post for Tackle It Tuesday but it occurred to me as I was cooking dinner that this recipe has been on my menu list for 2 weeks and I finally decided to...TACKLE it today! LOL

Using this recipe, I give you, my first ever attempt at making PASTA! FROM SCRATCH! *big smile*

A little too thick. A little strange looking ("It looks like snakes!" from the peanut gallery) Could use some additional spices and/or salt but overall - really good!

For other tackles this week, go here.

Repost: And, in Viking frugal news...

(Reposting for Tackle It Tuesday)

I have the coolest, most talented hubby anywhere! LOL But, I'm a little biased I guess.

With him heading back to school full time, he was interested in having his own work space/desk to do his school work. With money being what it is around here (ala Dave Ramsey) and with the hospital bills from last month starting to arrive, it wasn't really an option to *buy* a desk.

However, in my initial post-college days when money was equally tight, my dad and I conspired to locate an inexpensive desk. So, I bought two 2-drawer file cabinets and proceeded to give my dad the dimensions of the top and the drawer clearance on the front.

My dad then made a desk top with sufficient blocking underneath that it fit exactly over top of the file cabinets making my first computer desk. It's so cool and still comfy height-wise that I still have it yet it is being held up by alternative means as I've taken the file cabinets for homeschooling in another area of the house.

So, DaHubby was in a quandry - how to make a new "bottom" for the desk top.

My smart-as-a-whip wood-workin' hubby wonder scrounged around in the garage and found a stack of wonderful wood he had gotten FREE at the end of a local garage sale in June and made THIS:


And, then we added the desktop back on:

*big smile* How cool is HE!?

(For more Tackle It Tuesday conquerings, go here.)

Tackle It Tuesday

The first round of summer canning?? DONE!
About 12 quarts of tomatoes and 2 of peaches!

Before:

After:

And, now my mother-in-law wants her big canning pot back already (oh, the nerve! *wink*) so she can do her...BEETS!? Yuck! LOL

Go here to see more Tackle It Tuesdays!

Tackle It Tuesday

Well, I don't have anything completed at this point...just a list of things I'm *hoping* to get down the rest of the week. LOL

My top five tackles for the rest of this week:

1. To complete a first draft of our homeschooling yearly plan/scope and sequence/curriculum map for 2008-2009 for Flicka and Pojke

2. To make Flicka's curtains from the cool, retro sheet set I got from Goodwill Saturday for $1.99

3. To finish my step-mom's birthday present...would be nice since her birthday was YESTERDAY! *sigh*

4. To finish thinning out the carrots in the garden

5. To start getting ready for the de-cluttering challenge I'm hosting starting August 1st.

Hopefully, today my in-laws will come and scoop up the Vikings for some day-long spoilin' and I might get some traction on this list today.

Blog accountability - what a concept! LOL

Tackle It Tuesday

With thanks to DaHubby who was completely responsible for this project while I corralled his "helpers" out of his tools, the paint stripper, the primer, etc.! LOL

We have four large wonderful windows on the side of our "long-as-opposed-to-wide" ranch-style home. They run along the driveway but unfortunately are on the south side of the house. And, I say "unfortunately" since between the old single pane windows which leak miserably and the baking afternoon sun every. single. day., we can't keep the house warm in the winter OR cool in the summer with the current windows.

So, while we initially planned on spending ALL of our tax stimulus check on debt ala Dave Ramsey and our debt snowball, we have just received our new budget amounts for our gas and electric bills - both of which went up significantly. *sigh* So, we'd had it - at least one set of windows it was!

So, I give you...the before:

And, the after:

And, let me say...I am so so so so fortunate to have a crafty, talented, skilled, and handy hubby! *big smile*

For more Tackle It Tuesday, go here.

Tackle It Tuesday

I had forgotten how different a room can look with curtains! LOL And, I've been meaning to buy them for Pojke's room. We're moving from his "baby" decor to a "big boy" patriotic red-white-and-blue theme. Then, I came across an idea.

The last Saturday of March, I was taking advantage of Goodwill's "everything's 50% off" end of the month sale and found a flat sheet and a pillowcase for $1.50. And, with the sewing bug running rampant here and there lately, a few minutes with an iron and the sewing machine and *voila*! New curtains!

For more Tackle It Tuesdays, visit 5 Minutes For Mom!

Tackle It Tuesday

Remember the box of old clothes I got for free? And, the dresses I made from the some-new-some-used tossed out t-shirts? And, remember I was going to make some shorts for Pojke using this tutorial? Well, I did it!

Using four old free t-shirts, I created these: Yea, yea, yea...I know I used all white thread but I'm a rookie and it would have taken me FOR-EV-ER to thread and re-thread and do the bobbin loading and changing thing! LOL Plus, I could see what I was doing better!

And, my big challenge for this one? Learning how to make my 30+ year old machine change from the straight stitch to the t-shirt friendly zig-zag stitch! I'm so proud! *big smile*

Not bad for a notorious klutz who has a history of unfinished craft projects...if I do say so myself! LOL

For more Tackle It Tuesdays, check here.

Tackle It Tuesday

There's some backstory to this one...LOL

DaHubby noticed while driving home from a few weeks ago a house which occasionally has things set out front marked "free"! Last Friday, he IM'd me from work and said that there were a box of clothes out this morning and would I like for him to pick them up on the way home that night?! LOL

Now, a year ago, in our pre-Dave Ramsey life, I would have never thought to pick up something like this but thanks to Dave, our new-found frugalness, and my budding crafty talents, I said "sure!"

In the box was an assortment of men's and women's tops in a variety of sizes, dressy as well as some ready for the rag bin. I was thrilled to find a couple with tags still on them which I will be putting on Ebay. And, a few t-shirts that will immediately go into DaHubby's rotation.

However, there were a ton of additional t-shirts...and I don't need THAT many rags! LOL So off to the internet for ideas! And, after following this link, I took these three of Flicka's old/too small/stained t-shirts plus three of the FREE adult old/stained t-shirts which with about an hour at the sewing machine went from this:



to THIS:

and I think Her Highness is pleased.


And, for my next trick, I have a couple t-shirts remaining that appear to nearly new but aren't something any of us would wear so I will be making them into THIS!

And, Pojke will also benefit when I take another three and (hopefully) make them into THIS (if I can have someone give this rookie sewer a lesson in adding elastic!) LOL

For more tackles, stop by 5 Minutes For Mom today.

Tackle It Tuesday

Not sure if this counts since *I* didn't do the work, but can I have "partial credit" for it being on DaHubby's "honey do" list? LOL

Last summer, DaHubby tackled our crumbling brick porch and replaced it with a beautiful new deck. However, we were at a loss on what to do with the landscaping on the left side of the porch. So, it sat. With a icky pile of debris from construction being my eyesore all winter.

Then, with the help of some kind friends, we were able to acquire several pieces of 2-by-10's as well as several wheelbarrows full of rocks and, in the ultimate Dave Ramsey style, DaHubby made a clean-looking, beautiful rock garden for the cost of a $7 roll of weed barrier! LOL

Many, many thanks to DaHubby, his ingenuity, and his frugalness! Man, I love that guy! LOL

For more tackles, go here.

Tackle It Tuesday

We've been in this house for three years in May. It took me a year to figure out that the city we're in had curbside recycling (yea, I know...I'm slow). And, it took another year to call (yea, I know, shame on me). But, we fixed that!

Our recycling is picked up every other week and here's my first offering to the recycling truck in the morning!

As a post script, yea, that's what a hard Michigan winter and living in a clay/sand environment does to your lawn. *sigh* That's next after the garden prep! LOL

For more Tackle It Tuesdays, go here.

Tackle It Tuesday

I updated my personal list of goals for 2008 that I've been keeping at 43things.com. It's more of a to-do list than resolutions but it's reminder system and knowing I'm to "report in" every so ofter motivates me and keeps those goals in the forefront of my mind.

Anyway, one of the things that was on my projected list for February (the month of tax returns! LOL) was to do SOMETHING with the Vikings' closets. Flicka's started out bare - no shelves, no pole, no nothing - and has been that way since we moved in two years ago. Pitiful, I know. Then, Pojke's closet was becoming a morass of any hang-up-able clothes for both kids, boxes, old baby stuff, stuff for Freecycle, Goodwill, and Ebay, toys, you name it.

Our money situation, with living on what Dave Ramsey calls a "rice and beans and beans and rice" financial plan, has not allowed for any "extras" beyond food, shelter, utilities, and debt payments. Yet, we had one of our expected "extra"/refund from an earlier dumb financial mistake check FINALLY come in.

Now, Anita, don't worry! (*wink*) I did NOT go hog wild! LOL $300 went to our debt and the remaining $40 took us to Lowe's for the first time in FIVE months to see if we could do something with the closets!

The before (I forgot to take pics with all the junk still in them):

Flicka's:
Pojke's:

And, for LESS THAN $40 dollars, I got hand-crafted, CUSTOM shelves for both Vikings... courtesy of my wonderful, multi-talented hubby! (*smiles proudly*) The wood was our only cost and one of the poles came out of Pojke's closet and went into Flicka's.

The after:

Flicka's

Pojke's

So, now I can almost cross off two of my seventeen things to get done in 2008! I still want to change the toy storage around in Pojke's closet and I still need a hanging gadget for all of Flicka's purses! But, hey, I finished almost a month early! LOL

For more Tackle It Tuesdays, go here.

Tackle It Tuesday: small but needed

OK, this probably is the smallest tackle I've done but I find that it's made me smile everytime I've open that cabinet door since. I have a funky little sink in the corner of my kitchen. The up side? Two beautiful high windows. The down side? A deep, dark, dank space where things can be lost, fall over, etc. So, I give you....the sink!

Before:

Half these supplies came with the house 2+ years ago and I've never used them! Ugh!

And, then, the after...with two simple plastic shoeboxes. Clutter contained. Peace restored. And, I'm able to find everything without digging around in a dark under-cabinet! Yea, me! LOL

Go visit 5 Minutes For Mom today for more tackles!

Tackle It Tuesday - another kitchen project

Well, I've been looking at these potentially wonderful glass cabinets in my kitchen since we moved in in 2005. But, I've had NO idea what to do with them or what to display in them.

They had become one fo those dangerous "catch all" areas that professional organizers warn us about. So, I finally had enough. I still don't know exactly what I'm going to do with it long-term but it definitely looks better than it did this time last week! LOL

The before shot:

The after shot:

Tackle It Tuesday - the "baby" cabinet

Well, I've been in denial as well as lazy about this cupboard. This cupboard is where I've stored all of Pojke's "food gear:" a few bottles (I primarily nursed), bottle nip*les and rings, what little formula we used, spoons, baby bowls, cereal, baby food, etc. Considering he's been off jar and/or homemade baby food for over 6 months, this tackle was WAY over due! LOL

Plus, with the current "kid kitchen gear" accumulating for the two of them, it was sloppily taking over two cabinets and DaHubby couldn't tell where anything went and I was walking from one end of the kitchen to the other trying to gather dishes at the oh-so-calm time of dishing out dinner! LOL

So, I give you some before shots:

The "baby cabinet" among my cluttered "cooking supplies" and some of my spices.

Then, my "dishes cabinet" with some "kid stuff" plus some more spices.

Decided there was no need for all this stuff to be split in both areas so I purged the no-longer-needed baby stuff; all the spices and cooking stuff went in the one cabinet; and the dishes all went in the other with one shelf desginated just for the kids.

The after shots:



The cooking cabinet with the spices...yes, alphabetized! LOL And, I used a piece of scrap oak DaHubby had laying around the garage to make a "shelf" so the spices were "layered" and their labels readable.

And, finally, the dishes cabinet. Storage stuff up high. The bowls all on one shelf and all dishes on another (what a DUH! Why didn't I think of that before? LOL) And, the lower right shelf is all the Vikings' stuff!

So, visit 5 Minutes For Mom to see more Tackle It Tuesday projects today.

My First Tackle It Tuesday

And, it just a small one but I'm using Tuesdays as a deadline, an accountability, and a motivation to get some small organizing projects done around the house the next month or so.

So, I give you my first small attempt at a pile of clutter that has been SERIOUSLY bugging me! LOL

Before:

After:
Cost: $5 at our local Dollar General

If you are interested, go to 5 Minutes For Mom and see what else everyone tackled this week!