Home Made Haven

Canning Meat... Again!

2012-01-16T11:21:00.000-08:00

It's seems about once a month I find myself canning meat. This time my local Vallarta market had pork cushion meat. They also call it tamale filling. I don't make tamales... yet, but I do like to take advantage of thrifty food finds. A few months back, I bought a pressure canner so I can put up meats, and vegetables that I grow in the garden. A pressure canner is an absolute must for low acid foods and while it's a bit pricey upfront, it pays for itself over time.

I'm making sure of that. So far I've canned chicken (breast and dark meat), beef cubes and pork cubes. If you're asking why I don't just freeze the meat, well, my freezer space is limited and right now it's filled up with a combination of raspberries (red and black), cherries (sweet & sour) and a couple full turkeys!

One of the reasons for canning is to save money on the food bill, but I also can to save time. I like the idea of grabbing a "good" can of food, warming it up and having it on the table in less than 20 minutes. And I've got the canning process down so it doesn't feel like it takes a lot of time. After the prepping I monitor the canning process while I'm working on the laptop in the kitchen. While I've canned just meat pieces so far, this time I wanted to try a meal in a jar. And therein lies my dilemma.What should I make with the pork?

My first thought was shredded pork and barbeque sauce for pulled pork sandwiches. Then I though shredded pork with onions, peppers and tomatoes for tacos. I flipped back and forth until I was totally flummoxed. I can usually make a decision, but this time around... I was at a loss! UGG!

So what did I finally do? Shredded pork in broth!

Not quite what I had in mind for a handy, ready meal on the shelf, but it will still works. Now I can add the barbeque sauce or taco seasoning to the already prepared meat and still save time. I can also use it for soups, casseroles or whatever else the muse suggests.

If you're interested in finding out more about how to use a pressure cooker to can meats, take a look at my Squidoo lens on canning meat.

If It's January, It Must Be Time to Organize!

2012-01-10T07:38:00.000-08:00

Yeah, it's that time of year. Holidays are over and we all realize how much clutter and disorganization we've living with. For me... big time disorganization. I thought when I quit my job last June that I would have had the house in tip-top shape. I'm sorry to say, that didn't happen. There was some much-needed time off to veg and then getting back to being a freelance writer... what was I thinking!

Anyway, 2012 is going to be the year of decluttering and organizing (along with cleaning and decorating, I hope). I'm taking tiny steps. The first was this...

Okay, you're asking what is "this?" I write a lot of crafty, homey stuff, so I don't throw away magazines and I collect books like crazy (okay, that's my story and I'm sticking to it). They're stacked up all over because I just don't have a dedicated spot for a library (yet!). I was looking around for a small cabinet that I could stash the magazines and books inside, but still be handy when I need them. Well, you know what happens when you're looking for a specific piece of furniture. Right, you never find it.

What I did find, however, was an old rolling TV stand. So I set about to make it work. I should have taken better pictures, but that's another story. I spray painted the stand black around the edges and on the wheels and then found some pretty scrapbooking paper in blacks and whites. I decoupaged the two flat surfaces. Not well, mind you, since it was my first attempt. But since the shelves are covered with magazine bins and books, it doesn't really matter. I may look for some baskets to replace the plastic bins (or not), but for now my little project does what I need it to do... hold the books and magazine I use for inspiration. And it's step one in getting some type or organization to my office space.

My computers are also getting decluttered. I picked this up yesterday and hope it works. They're all running so sloooooow!

New on the agenda is getting the office files cleaned up (picked up file and hanging folders yesterday, too) and then working on my "craft/sewing studio." All 27 square feet of it. That will be coming up by next week (I hope). Until then,

Christmas at Home Made Haven

2011-12-23T12:47:00.000-08:00

Last year this little Charlie Brown tree was our it (with the red Christmas ball that has since been broken). No, it wasn't a sad Christmas, just a hectic one with the house torn up with a building project. Decorating just seemed to get in the way. This year, however...

I think I was making up for last year. I took the advice of Brenda at Cozy Little House and grouped all my trees together. It really does make a statement, so thanks Brenda. I had a lot of fun putting the living room together and had great ambitions to finish the rest of the house, but I have to...

Life sure gets in the way. Shopping, cleaning and of course, work have all piled up and I'm ready for Christmas to be over.

Does that happen to you? Don't get me wrong. I love Christmas, but it seems the closer I get to it, the more I want it to be over. It's not that I'm tired, it's just...

No, not joy... more like anticipation of what the new year is going to bring.

Will my stocking be stuffed with fun and exciting projects?

Or will my wings get clipped and I'll be forced to head back to the corporate world?

I guess we'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, have a wonder holiday everyone! And don't forget to...

Merry Christmas and God Bless,

Linking to:

My Romantic Home Show & Tell Friday

Country Christmas Decoration Copy Cat

2011-12-06T12:21:00.000-08:00

As I'm getting the house decorated for Christmas, I came across this little pitcher. Hmm, I wondered to myself: is this little pitcher just waiting to become part of my country Christmas decorations?

Then as I was browsing around Blogland the other night I came across Debbiedoos' Copy Cat Challenge. Great idea and enough to get me moving on an idea for that little pitcher.

But it had to be a copy cat! Hmm! Well I headed for my Gooseberry Patch Christmas book. (It never got put away after my last "inspiration!"). And what did I find! A perfectly simple idea for dressing this little homespun pitcher into it's country Christmas decorations finery!

Ta da... I added a checked bow to dress it up with a little more Christmas flair.

You could fill all types of pitchers, pots and vases with greeny and they'd look just as good. And I get to sneak in a photo of my beautiful grandbabies :)

Still working on the the rest of my country Christmas decorations between writing assignments. Should have those finished soon. In the meantime...

"It's beginning to seem a lot like Christmas..." Oh there goes that song again!

Photographs: copyright Home Made Haven 2011
Vintage Christmas Postcard: The Graphics Fairy

New Cheap Floor for the Holidays

2011-12-04T10:16:00.000-08:00

What is it about holidays that makes you want to start a remodeling or home improvement job? It seems to happen to me all too often. Last year it was enclosing the third bedroom (the original owners never finished the remodel and it was open to the living room as a den). This year is was a new floor for the living room. A cheap floor -- laminate -- but new nevertheless. I can't say it didn't need it. We've been living on concrete ever since we pulled up the nasty old carpeting. And it's taken us a while, but ta da, finally a floor...

I even splurged and bought myself a cowhide rug. Pretty nifty, huh? I wrote a little more about the cost to install laminate flooring (nothing when you do it yourself!) at Cheap Floor Diva, so hop over a take a look if you're interested. Me? I'm heading off to the barn to get the Christmas decorations.

Christmas Traditions

2011-11-30T20:35:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to seem a lot like Christmas...

LOL, that song has been playing in my head for a couple of weeks. The fact is, I'm not totally ready yet... this coming weekend is the big event, however. We'll be hauling in boxes and boxes of Christmas stuff. But I do have a few Christmas traditions that take place right after Thanksgiving. Like putting up the Christmas treasures I've accumulated this past year. The pink Christmas tree above is a recent purchase... for the girls. They decorated it the other day with the sparkly butterflies and fairies (and the CO detector is new, too, and UGLY! But what can you do!).

And I can't wait to have cookies and hot cocoa with the girls with this cute set I found at a sale last summer.

And my big find a couple weeks ago at the thrift store... these vintage-looking Santas. They're not really vintage, just resin made to look like carved wood, but nice, nevertheless. I scooped these four fellas up, plus a ceramic Santa, too. It looked like someone was getting rid of a Santa collection. Kind of sad, in a way, but I'll make them a nice home.

And then there's my Christmas coffee mugs. The morning after Thanksgiving, I pull them out. They're a mish-mash of styles and all mostly from the thrift store or gifts from office mates. There's something really comforting about pulling out those cup and sipping my coffee or tea. And that, of course, is what traditions are all about.

How about you? Do you have some favorite Christmas traditions? Or pretty finds?

Linking to:

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here

Inspirations from Gooseberry Patch

2011-11-16T07:16:00.000-08:00

Gooseberry Patch is one of those stories that inspires me on a lot of levels. Of course, the books are filled with lots of great recipes and craft ideas, but the history of the company is just as inspiring. It was started by two young moms over 25 years ago. One was an airline hostess and the other a teacher and both were looking for ways to earn money and stay home with their young families. They decided to start a mail order company selling the cute, crafty-style items they both loved.

Along the way, they started creating and selling small cookbooks. I have a couple in my library. It also started a community of readers who shared their ideas. More cookbooks lead to craft books and the mail order business fell by the wayside. Gooseberry Patch is now a major publisher and last year was bought out by a larger company. Inspiring story, yes?

Well, my inspiration starts with a Gooseberry Patch Christmas book I found a the thrift store for a couple of bucks. I love old recipe and craft books and when they're wrapped around Christmas, I love them even more.

As you can see it's Book #3. The current Christmas book is #17, so this one is about 14 years old. In publishing time, that's old, but the book is still filled with lots of cute ideas and yummy recipes that still work.

Now, like those two young mothers, I'm trying to make an income so I can stay at home, too. While I write for a variety of clients for upfront fees, I'm also trying to create my own income with other writing ventures. One of the places I've started to write is at Squidoo. It's a platform that allows you to share your writing and do a little Internet marketing on the side (or a lot of marketing depending on how good you are at it). In my case, I sell products through Amazon. The hardest part is coming up with ideas that readers might be interested in and that lend themselves to selling products.

Inspiration struck for me with this book. Why not a lens on Gooseberry Patch? So I set about writing a lens about 10 Reasons to Love Gooseberry Patch. And I wanted to re-create a couple ideas from the books.

One of them was for Nestled Bowels with Fruit. It's a very simple centerpiece idea for anytime of the time of the year, not just Christmas. And it's turned out to be a way to use some of my thrifty finds.

The problem was, my yellow bowls are waaaay too small for fruit. But I improvised.

Nuts work as well as apples and oranges. Besides, it was the first time I got to use these since I found them at the thrift store -- these two bowls plus a pie plate for $5 at the thirst store. And I picked up the red doily for a dollar at an antique mall. First time to use that, too. I added a few pieces of greenery and dried rose hips from the yard and a homespun ornament (another yard sale find) and voile... inspiration was born. And a crafty start to my Christmas decorating!

Thanks for stopping by,

Linking up with:

Coastal Charm Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Keeping Warm

2011-11-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

Last year we spend a bundle on keeping this house warm. The house leaks like a sieve and has aluminum-framed windows. Last year, for a lot of reason, it was just easier to turn up the heat. This year is different, however (as in, I'm a freelance writer now and not a corporate employee with a bi-weekly paycheck and a 401K plan.) This year we have to be thrifty and frugal. Yikes!

That's means keep the programmable thermostat set lower, wear sweaters inside (a heavy flannel shirt in my case) and live like the pioneers. Or in this case, relay on the fireplace and wood stove for more heat.

Meet my wood stove. A 1930ish Sears cook stove that was left here by the previous owners.

In fact, this wood stove was the only heat for this part of the downstairs for many, many years. The previous owners truly were of pioneer stock. While they had electric baseboard heating and the big fireplace for the original part of the house, they didn't add any type of heating for this part of the house, other than a couple of woods stoves -- this one down stairs and another small one in the bedroom upstairs.

We thought it was cute and romantic... until that first winter. Pioneer stock we are not made of and so by the second winter we had central heating. Unfortunately, adding heating after the fact is problematic and this side of the house is always cold unless you turn up the heat, which is expensive and not going to happen this year!

Luckily, this old wood stove does a pretty good job. As I write this, it's a nice toasty 71-degrees. But having to rely on the stove for more heat does cause a few problem. The biggest of which is I can't work in my upstairs office -- waaaay to cold -- and we removed the wood stove upstairs so I had room for an office. Ugg! So, guess where I've moved my new office?

And this requires I do a lot of this...

Of course, it could be worse, because I could still be making that 112 mile round trip to my corporate cube each day, being totally stressed and unhappy. It's a small price to pay... and as I think about it, sitting by the wood stove is the middle of the day is kind of romantic.

Linking to a couple of parties today:

Mockingbird Hill Cottage "Reality Shot Thursday"

My Romantic Home "Show and Tell Friday"

Rustic and Refined

2011-11-02T12:36:00.000-07:00

My neighbor Judith stopped by the other day to drop off these pretty little candlesticks. Nice and very much like Judith.

She comes across little treasures all the time and with them has created the most charming cottage for herself. She just has a way of pulling things together. I'd say her style is a little shabby chic with French elegance. Totally unlike my style, which is mostly rustic mixed with cowboy. After all, I'm the gal with a cowgirl on her wall and horse blankets on the hearth.

That happens when you live with three guys. Not that I don't like my pretties, but the overall style I've gone for here is a ranchy cabin style -- leather, woods, painted or stained and a lot of simple vintage decor. But I do love these candlesticks and how they contrast with the rest of my stuff. So onto the mantle they go, right next to log candlesticks the hubby made for me.

Well, maybe mostly rustic with a hint of refined!

Thanks for stopping by,

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T06:32:00.000-07:00

Been AWOL lately... just busy with projects (that pay), slow Internet and a camera that's not cooperating. Anyway, hope everyone has a great -- and safe -- Halloween. Especially you folks back East. Snow, oh my, on Halloween.

Keeping it Real

2011-09-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

Earlier this evening I was sitting on the front porch reading an post from Claudia over at Mockingbird Hill Cottage. She's proposing a weekly series called Reality Shots about... well, keeping it real. The blogosphere is so filled up beautiful and often staged shots that a dose of reality can be refreshing. Claudia wants to make it a weekly meme. Good idea I thought to myself as I looked up and saw my own reality.... yikes!

Inspired by Claudia, I'm sharing my a little of my reality this evening. This is what it looks like from the other side of the porch.

And this is before you even get into my house. Ack!!

Savoring Peach Pie

2011-09-15T11:24:00.000-07:00

Every year about this time I'm flush with peaches. We have old trees, new trees and they put out a lot of peaches. Except this year. A late frost right after they started to bloom did them in. Only one small tree, tucked away in a sheltered spot, managed to produce peaches. Not many, but enough for one peach pie.

Luckily, I didn't screw it up and it turned out perfect. I used this peach pie recipe here, but without the cinnamon, sugar on top and lots more peaches. It was simply "peachy" and thoroughly enjoyed.

Here's hoping to a better peach crop next year because I have whole bunch of recipes and canning I'd like to try.

Linking to the Tuesday Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage

Making Mimi Crazy

2011-09-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, Emma here. Want to play a game with me? It's called "Let's make my Mimi crazy." She wants to take a pretty picture of me today, but I say... no way.

Not gonna make me smile, uh uh!

Mimi makes a funny face when I do this, too. Hehehe!

This is fun! No, really!

She's bringing in reinforcements, but not even my sissies will make me smile today!

Uh oh! Mimi says she's going to save these pictures and show them to my first boyfriend! Okay...

Is this pretty enough for you, Mimi?

"Thank you, Emma, Mimi's happy now!"

Trying Out Table Centerpieces

2011-09-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

So many bloggers are getting ready for Fall that I'm inspired to make a change or two (even though its as hot as Hades here at the moment). Because of the heat I'm not ready to pull out all the Fall decor, so I thought I would start simple. A new centerpiece for the kitchen table.

This is the way it's been looking for a few months. A vintage style tablecloth with a yellow Bauer bowl with fruit.

Of course, I could change it out with an orange Bauer bowl... but that's not much different, huh?

A couple months ago I found a real vintage, 40's-style tablecloth on eBay. I love the blue and red and as long as you don't look too close, you won't see the tiny holes or specks of green paint. I got it cheap and I don't mind "old and used." But my table takes a lot of abuse, so I don't like to use this tablecloth too much. (See note below.)

The hubby likes to see the wood on the old table. It originally belonged to his grandmother and we spend a lot of hours stripping and refinishing it. If you look close, you'll see it's about time to do that again. Oh well.

I have a lot of dark blue in my kitchen, from the wall to the 70's floor, so blue it is. I like the blue check of the tablecloth ($2 at my favorite thrift store) and the blue vase (number #2 son gave that to me for Xmas a few years ago) and the sunflowers really say "Fall," (even though they're fake).

Note: A few hours later the tablecloth was covered in chocolate milk! Good thing it's washable! And I realize it won't be long before I do have to pull out some of my Fall decorations. The kids were talking about Halloween already. Yikes!

Linking to Tablescape Thursday at

Between Naps on the Porch

check it out because there's

some really great Fall tablescape

ideas over there

Does this Mean Fall is Here?

2011-09-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day, everyone. I guess this means we're at the start of the Fall season. For me, that means my nesting instincts are really kicking in. Maybe it's the anticipation of cooler weather or that the holidays are getting closer, but I have a lot of things around the house I want to get done.

Today's a good day to start making my plans. Although I shared my To Do List already, this one will detail the things I can actually get done. On the top of the list is laying a new laminate floor in the living room. It's my make-do floor because I'm just getting tired of looking at the concrete. Carpeting doesn't work here and as much as I would love hardwood floors, this house takes a lot of hard living. (It would take all of five minutes before the hubby would drag in a stone on the bottom of his boots). Now I have to tell the hubby we're going to be doing this before September end... Honey?!

For the rest of the day, though, it's plotting and planning. Besides my nesting projects, it's time to think about Christmas shopping, too. The girls were over yesterday and I started quizzing them on their Santa lists. They have some mighty big lists! Yikes! I better get busy.

Have a good day everyone... and take some time off to enjoy yourself today!

Vinegar is For More Than Salad Dressing

2011-08-29T06:18:00.000-07:00

I've always thought I was green, as in trying to implement all those environmentally friendly, good-for-you things to keep my family safe and healthy. But trying and doing are two different things. Take for example, cleaning projects. While I know most cleaning products are filled with a hodge-podge of chemicals that aren't good for anything, I still find myself buying them. I know there are alternatives, but I'm cheap and if a "green" product cost more than I'm already paying, well... it's ain't gonna happen.

Image: Sanja Gjenero @ sxc.hu

I know there are lots of natural products that are not only better and safer to use then those chemical filled ones -- and cheaper, too. That point was brought home to me while reading a piece by Susan over at Finding a Healthier More Vibrant & Beautiful You. She's trying to rid toxins from her life, too, and one way is using vinegar as a cleaner!

Vinegar, of course! I do use it to clean by coffee pot and to removed minerals from a few things around here (hard water). But there's so much more you can do with it, so I thought I'd put together a list of ways vinegar can be used for cleaning as a reminder for myself (and you, too). Now when I'm taking vinegar, for cleaning that usually means white vinegar.

Use vinegar to clean, remove, deodorize, disinfect...

Coffee pots
Microwave
Carpet
Bathroom fixtures
Floors
Windows
Laundry as a fabric softener
Dishwasher
Trashcans, too.
Stove top
Hard water spots for glasses
Sticky lablel and decals
Mineral deposits on faucets
Grout
Toys
Concrete
Pennies (really shines them up nice)
Pet accidents the carpet
Mini blinds
Plastic food containers

There's probably hundreds of more ways to use vinegar to clean. What about you? Do you use vinegar in you home for cleaning?

Fried Green Tomatoes Breakfast

2011-08-24T08:37:00.000-07:00

The hubby reminded me this morning I had a few tomatoes to be picked out in the garden. While I was out there picking the ripe ones, a green one caught my eye. Hmm... how about a friend green tomato for breakfast?

My great grandmother and grandmother -- both from Arkansas -- made fried green tomatoes every summer while I was growing up. The hubby and kids don't get it. Oh well, their loss! Just means more for me ;).

Now my two Southern grandmothers would be appalled that I don't fix 'em right, but I think all that flour and cornmeal just gets in the way. I just like mine fried up in a little olive oil and butter with salt and pepper.

Yes, just right. Now that's the way to start your day.

Oh yeah... just right. I love the tangy, meaty flavor of the tomatoes.

I'm thinking maybe a fried green tomato lunch. How about you? Want to join?

These are the mornings I love. No rush (at least not too much) and a chance to doing something I haven't done in long, long while. When I was working at the "job," I would have grabbed a can of protein drink to slug down while I was make that hour long commute. Maybe my muse isn't so far away after all (at least I'm hoping she close by today because I have lots of product descriptions to write).

Enjoy your day, everyone!

Linking to:

Women Living Well
Wow Us Wednesday

If Pigs Could Fly

2011-08-22T20:47:00.000-07:00

You know that old figure of speech, "when pigs fly?" It's generally used to scoff at the improbability of something. I'm a rose-colored glasses kind of girl and to me it has a different meaning. "If pigs could fly..." well, then, anything is possible. Flying pigs, therefore, hold a very special place in my heart.

Flying pigs are not easily found... real or otherwise. I've been collecting them for years. I have a small collection for inside the house, mostly packed away awaiting to be found again. So it's outside where my flying pig fantasies have to reside. And at the moment, I only have three to show.

I take my flying pigs anyway I can find them. This little guy came to me with a broken wing. Thank goodness for gorilla glue. He sits outside my front door.

This rusty fella is looking for a home. I'd think he'd like it better in some tall flowers. Maybe next year.

This little girl has the perfect spot, snuggled under a Virgina Creeper and next to a pot of inpatients.

I'm always on the look out for a new flying pig (I break for flying pigs!). Hmmm....

Maybe that's my problem. I'm always looking eye level or below for a new pig to add to my collection. Maybe I should be looking up...

Pumpkin Patch

2011-08-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

Elaine over at Sunny Simple Life is getting a yearning for Autumn. I don't know if I'm quite with her yet. I've been enjoying the mild summer we've had so far, so unlike many other folks around the country. Of course, here in Southern California the worst of summer doesn't happen until well into Autumn. Ugh!

However, Elaine will be happy to know.... the pumpkins are coming, the pumpkins are coming!

The pumpkins are turning orange... yeah!!

Our little pumpkins are turning orange. I didn't expect it yet, so maybe Autumn is closer than we know. At least pumpkin pies... pumpkin cookies... pumpkin bread... pumpkin muffins... pumpkin seeds... pumpkin cheesecake... baked pumpkin.... ahh, all delish!

In the meantime, Elaine is busy over at Sunny Simple Life with an end of summer giveaway. Stop over and take a look. The trays she found at Goodwill are sooooo cool.

Enjoy the rest of summer while you can!

Whiteboard Flea Market Makeover

2011-08-19T10:32:00.000-07:00

When I was working at the day job, a whiteboard was a mandatory piece of office equipment. In my company, every cubicle and corner office had one. And they were well used for keeping track of the 101 projects that were due or for brainstorming. Well, now that I have my own at-home corner office (in the corner of my bedroom, BTW), I need a whiteboard. But whiteboards are... no other way to put it than UGLY! Especially in a bedroom.

So what to do?

I was inspired by an article in "Where Women Create" (great magazine if you haven't seen it). One artist used French doors to cover an ugly wall in her basement studio. It was right up my alley and the inspiration for today's blog...

First, a couple of things about why I think this is such a great idea. First, whiteboard markers work better on glass than whiteboard. Really. The marker wipes right off the glass and doesn't leave those streaking, ugly marks that need a nasty smelling chemical cleaner. Then, they're just... pretty. I love old things and repurposing them. And besides, my hubby and I have hauled home a number of old windows and it doesn't look like we're going to be using them anytime soon for a studio/greenhouse/shed/??

Converting an old window into a whiteboard is a super easy Flea Market-to-treasure idea. It didn't take hubby and me more than a hour to complete and half that time was cleaning the old window.

Grubby, huh. This is the window we decided to use. Mostly because it fit in to the tight space I have in the bedroom. First thing was cleaning and that took a lot of Windex and paper towels. Next, I checked to make sure the windows were still tight in their frame. If not, I would have had to fix that with glass putty. Since you'll writing directly on the glass, you want to make sure it will stay in place.

I didn't do anything to the window, but clean it. If the paint were more chippy, I might have varnished to encase the paint (an especially good idea with lead paints). I don't have the kidlets up here that often, so I'm not worried about that.

Then it was just a matter of stapling fabric to the back of the window. I opted to go "white" with a hint of print. I don't know if you can tell from the photo, but the fabric is a paisley tone-on-tone. It's a little more than just plain white fabric, but it's doesn't distract from its purpose. I was afraid the writing wouldn't show up against dark or big prints fabric. You could use other colors, of course, or even paint the windows with whiteboard paint. There's many different options here.

I called in some support when it came time to hanging up my new whiteboard. Not only is a second pair of hands necessary, but I wanted to make sure it stays on the wall. Hubby searched for the stud locations, made all the appropriate calculations on the window and pre-drilled holes.

Then it was a matter of hanging it up. Sorry, I don't have photos of the actually hanging, because it took both of us to handle the window. It's hung with two screws at the top and two at the bottom into the wall studs. It's not going anywhere. The only thing I haven't done yet is cover of the screw heads. I just need to dab those with paint (or maybe whiteout, it is an office, after all).

I also hung up an old tin basket next to my new whiteboard to hold whiteboard markers and an eraser. Works well.

A whiteboard comes in handy for so many things when you work from home. It of course, helps me keep track of projects and tasks that are due.

Add affirmations I leave to myself (I try to change out the quotes and words often).

Or just doodle when I feel creative.

Overall, I'm happy with the way my whiteboard flea market makeover went. I repurposed an old window that was collecting dust in the bar and got a useful piece of office equipment (with a lot of style).

Let me know how you like it and what flea market makeovers you attempted.

Linking to Cindy's Show and Tell at

My Romantic Home

Deadlines

2011-08-13T12:58:00.000-07:00

Deadlines! I don't worry about no stinking deadlines!

It's good news and bad news...

On one hand I have this great writing gig. It's just right for me and I'm hoping it will turn into an permanent egg in my writing basket...

One the other... I'm already running behind (my fault) and I really want to be out playing!

Wednesday! It'll all be better on Wednesday when I turn this thing in. (that is until the next Wednesday... if I'm lucky).

Okay, take a deep breath... relax... life goes on, one word after another.

My To Do List

2011-08-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks Aaron Beall @ sxc.hu

For the past eight years I've been a good corporate citizen. Up every morning. Drive an hour to work. Spend nine or 10 hours at my desk. Then another hour's drive home. That's if I didn't hit traffic morning or night (L.A. you know). Most days I left at 7 a.m. to returned by 7 p.m.

Ugg... not a way to live.

All the time I was working, I knew someday I would be able to come back home again and resume my writing life.

So I plotted... planned... and created a gazillion "To Do" lists. There were just so many wonderful projects I was going to get done... finally!

Paint the the kitchen, including the cabinets
Add crown molding and new hardware to the cabinets
Rehab the old 50s stove and hook it up
Switch the panty refrigerator with the kitchen one
Replace the floor with black & white vinyl tiles
Paint the kitchen chairs turquoise... or or maybe ivory
Finally lay the living room floor
Paint the fireplace screen black
Find a new cabinet for the laundry/sewing room
Finish the molding around the doors
Paint the the laundry room door to the outside... red on the inside, green on the out
Get a magnetic curtain rod and make curtain for said door
Make a skirt for the folding table (that has to serve as my sewing table/laundry counter)
Secure bookcase to the wall (and maybe paint) before it falls on table
Add door to furnace niche
Finish molding on in downstairs bathroom
Paint dresser in bathroom... definitely red
Thinking a new curtains for the window and shower
Paint the mirror frame (or maybe find a new one... yeah)
Repaint the room... change it to blue with puffy white clouds
Reorganize hubby's office/guest room/exercise room/kids playroom
Sew up the new window valances
Cover the desk top with the nifty blue leather-looking fabric I found... last year!
Son's room.... don't even think of it
Install new carpeting in the master bedroom/my office
Sew the new valances for the windows (all eight of them) with the beautiful age ivory, green and red fabric I found... yeah, last year.
Install the corner shelves I got a the Goodwill store
Organize my files & bookcase
Find more storage for books and magazines
Reorganized/declutter bedroom closets!

And I haven't even gotten to the front porch, yard, garden, writing, Esty shop, websites...

So, what have I gotten done on my To Do list so far?

Nada! Zilch!! Nothing!!!

But I have hope (I just hope it doesn't take eight years!)

How about you? What's on your To Do list? And are you getting it done?

I'm Seeing Red... Decor That Is!

2011-08-06T21:38:00.000-07:00

I was passing though my living room the other day and noticed... I have a lot of red going on. I don't ever remember making a conscience decision to add red, but there it is.

In a lamp shade I made years ago and the pitcher and candle that stands next to it.

I couple months ago I spray painted some picture frames (don't you just love spray paint). It made the gaudy gold 3-D roses of two of the frames look soooo much better. (of course, my three granddaughters look great in any frame!)

I painted this mirror, too. (I know, take the paint can away from the girl!)

Then there was this really cute rusty ranch tools collage I won at a silent auction. The red background was an added plus (oops, the photographer was a little crooked there).

Then I found a great rustic looking birdhouse... in red, of course.

And I already had a few things... like my red dressed cowgirl.

This great old lantern.

Oh, and we can't forget my laptop.

Like I said, I never started out to decorate with red. Of course, my decorating style is more "as it happens" and generally is never planned too far in advance. That gets me into a lot of trouble sometimes.

It's not just red that I love, but bright colors in general. I love looking at photos and all white and soft romantic interiors, shabby chic or otherwise. One of my favorite places to blogvisit is with Cindy at My Romantic Home. As beautiful as her home is, it's color that gets me going. So, you'll find me at blogs where color is reigns supreme -- Cozy Little House and Cherry Hill Cottage are two of my favorite blog du jours at the moment.

And as you'll notice... they're seeing a lot of red over at those two blogs, too!

Oh my, I don't even feel like I'm properly dressed

(barely any posts here)

but I'm linking to

Rednesday @ It's a Very Cherry World

It's all that Redilishousness!

Back Home Again

2011-08-04T22:07:00.000-07:00

It's been over a month since I left "the job." I thought for sure I'd have this blog started. So much for best laid plans.

So what is this little blog about? Anything! Everything! Like most blogs. Mostly though, it will be about being home, finding my creative self again and sometimes about the writing that's supposed to substain this new be-at-home-again adventure.

I don't even have photos up or a header! LOL! It's a start!