Sunday, October 31, 2010

A few Kammy Kitchen Tips

STOP.  Don't throw that 'empty' jar of PB in the trash.  Put it in the microwave for a few seconds and all that yumminess stuck on the sides will melt down into an easy-to-pour little puddle.  Actually, you might be surprised at the amount of peanut butter clinging to the jar!  Can you tell we eat alot of peanut butter in our house?  That would be a 5 lb jar you're lookin' at.  We keep on hand 5 pounds of creamy, and five pounds of crunchy at all times.  Now my hubby would put this in the microwave and then pour it over his ice cream.  He eats even more ice cream than peanut butter.  How much?  You probably wouldn't believe it if I told you, so I won't.
Now I know this has been listed as one of my thrifty thoughts in a previous blog, but it's just such an awesome tip that I can't write kitchen tips without mentioning this one.  SHOWER CAPS! INSTEAD OF ANNOYING PLASTIC WRAP!  The dollar tree sells them - 8 caps for a dollar.  Oh they are wonderful.  Or, collect them when you stay at hotels.... :)
Broken blender?  Or just need a large liquid measuring cup?  My friend's blender was busted and I rescued this from the garbage.  A standard size jar lid fit on the bottom perfectly and now I have a large liquid measuring cup - perfect for when you want to make a double batch of chocolate chip oatmeal muffins.

Use the edge of stickers for labeling things to go in the freezer.  When I finish a page of stickers, or these address labels, I stick them in my kitchen drawer and when I brown up extra meat, or freeze leftovers, I have a quick label handy.  Who says it has to look pretty?  CHEEEEEEAP, I know!!!


Ever eat chinese?  Save those chopsticks for leveling off dry ingredients.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Goodwill storage bench B/A

Before

After.  The blue paint really does match the fabric, though it doesn't look like it so much, here.  Hey, would I lie to you?
The thing with redoing furniture is you always have lots of stuff to choose from if you get tired of what's in your house!  I found the bench in Goodwill for $15.  About 5 times more than I like to pay for furniture!  But I haven't come across very many of these, so I snatched it up.  The bottom of the drawer needed a little reinforcement, but otherwise it was in great shape.  I recovered the seat, painted it white and blue, and the boys used it for a reading seat and toy storage.  Until one day the boys got a workbench and it was in the perfect spot....  so to Craigslist it went.  Made a nice little profit on it, too!  Always a plus!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Meet Monique

Many of my blog posts begin "I was at a garage sale...."  This one will be no exception.  I was at a garage sale when I saw her.  Actually my brother's next door neighbor's garage sale to be exact. He had  a headless, top half of a female mannequin.  Of course, I had to buy it. I mean, you know there's going to be a day when you say to yourself "man, I sure wish I had a mannequin right now." She has been hiding out in my closet for about 2 years.  She also likes to spook everyone out who looks in my closet.  I figure they probably shouldn't be looking in my closet anyway!  The time has come to get her dressed up.  Yes, she is now hanging in my hallway upstairs, on the wall.  Monique looks quite classy hanging there, in my opinion.  I'm going through my clothes and trying to detach my emotions from each clothing item to see if I can sell the garments that are hanging in my closet simply because "I just might wear them someday...."  So since Monique's figure is much more flattering than mine, she gets the duty of modeling.  And she does a swell job, don't you think?  One of these days I'm sure my hubby will make me take her down from her place of prominence and put the mother/sons photo collage back on the wall.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins

Oatmeal Muffins
- change this recipe easily to accompany what you have on hand! (*see below)

Mix together:
1 cup buttermilk (I use milk, buttermilk makes them fluffier though)
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg

Add and stir until just moistened:
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup flour (white or whole wheat)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
chocolate chips - however many you want!  I sprinkle a few on top of each muffin, instead of mixing in the batter.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.  Makes 12 muffins.

*SUBSTITUTIONS:  Can lessen the oil and use applesauce or yogurt.  Sprinkle raisins, nuts, or chocolate chips on top.  Also, if I have ground flaxseed, I usually add a heaping spoonful of that to the batter, or sprinkle it on top with my chocolate chips. Another add in - peanut butter.  Have not tried this one, but sounds good.  If you try it, let me know how it turns out!

I am a choco-holic in every sense of the word.  Breakfast, lunch, supper, and in between.  So my muffins have to have chocolate chips!! :) I made a double batch this morning.  I Throw most of them in the freezer, then when I'm hungry, I pull one out, nuke it, and I got myself a fairly healthy snack!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

My Den

I liked my den.  But it lacked some.... coziness?  symmetry?  I dunno.  It just lacked.  So I went shopping in my barn.  Yes, I have so much furniture stashed in my barn that when I get tired of something, I head out to the barn and swap it out for something else!

The wicker storage box thingy that sat on the left side of my loveseat was hard to give up. It held all my baby's diapering needs!  And kept it well hidden too!  It's not quite as inconspicuous now, but still looks neat and tidy in the basket tucked under the end table on the right.  Jana,  from
http://www.swooninteriors.blogspot.com
, feel free to critique or offer me any more tips for this room!   It's intimidating knowing there are actual interior designers out there that I'm friends with.... haha
Now this here, is a pillow sham.  My mother-in-law came over one day and said she rescued it from my sister-in-law's garage sale because she just knew I could do something with it.  I thought, "well yeah, it's pretty cool, but I have no use for that!"  We were having guests so I tossed it over the loveseat to get it out of my way and the rest is history.
Just how cool are these lamps??  $4 is typically way more than I would ever spend at a garage sale on a lamp, but these were just so fantabulous - and they didn't need paint or ANYTHING!  That folks, is a rare find.


Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Ty's former nightstand

Can you believe I really had to barter this bad boy down?  The lady insisted it was a beautiful antique piece and was really worth something...  anyways, I bought it. :)  With lots of sanding and paint, it turned into.......
This.  It sat in my son's room for a few years.  Now it has moved into storage out in the barn since his room turned into the baby girl's nursery.  But I have a feeling it really wishes it had a little boy's love once again...........

Painted Kitchen Countertops. Again.

counter tops when we bought the house
(Click HERE for my tutorial and before and afters of my kitchen!!)
If you recall, about a month or so ago (see posting from September 19th, 2010), my mom and I decided to try something a little crazy and paint my countertops to save vookoo bucks!  Ya'll were quite freaked out about such a wild idea!  I LOVED how they turned out, except for my "oops" that I blogged about and that was that I rolled it on with too much pressure and didn't put the paint on thick enough.  It had a couple VERY TINY scratches after a month, and being able to see my roller marks was just driving me bonkers.  After being the Guinea pig, my mom now knowing what NOT to do, decided to paint hers.   It turned out A-MAZ-ING (picture below).  So while she was here visiting again last week, we redid mine.  Instead of using just a base coat and "bag tapping" another color on top, we "bag tapped" on our 2nd color, then mixed the two and did it again, then mixed in some ivory colored paint, did a 3rd time, then used some black for some dark flecks, and then lightly tapped the base on again.  The result?  A MUCH thicker paint job, with a LOT more texture and depth.   I love it!!



this was how it looked after the first paint job.  Not bad, but not as good! (Click HERE to see my 25 cent backsplash!!!)

This is my mother's.  She used brown tones.  She had three colors mixed and then made a new color by mixing each one of those together.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Mirror, mirror on the wall

That story scares the bajeebies out of my little boy by the way.  When the mirror answers the wicked witch that snow white is fairer and then she sends the hunter to take her out in the woods to kill her and bring her back Snow White's heart.... well, I just don't remember it being all that scary as a kid, but after we listened to it on storynory.com one day, he started having nightmares!  So we stick with Jack and the Beanstalk now.  And my little guy stomps around the house yelling "FEE FI FO FUM, I smell the blood of an Englishman!  Be he alive, or be he dead, I'll grind his bones to make my bread!"  Much better, right?
so 25 cents at a neighbors garage sale got me this. (Of course I forgot a before pic, so this is a similar but not exact one btw).
1. paint black  2. glue beads around the inside.  3. dig through that baggy of odd earrings you bought from an old lady for 50 cents and find one that makes you say, "mmmm, sassy!" and glue that on.  Step back and admire.  Not yourself, Silly, the mirror!  (In comes the music: "You're so vain....  you probly think this song is about you......")  (I hate misspelling words, but "probably" just doesn't fit the tune.  So you understand, right?)  (Is it okay to use this many parenthesis in a paragraph?)

Friday, October 22, 2010

Best. Apple. Dip. EEEEEEVER!!!

Okay guys, this one's a cinch.  Mom and I can sit and eat it with a spoon.  Forget the apples!

Here goes:

Package of cream cheese, softened.  Add a little shot of vanilla extract and a few heaping spoonfuls of brown sugar.  Maybe... 1/4 to a 1/2 a cup??  Ya'll know I don't measure anything.  Whip 'er up with a mixer (or a fork if you don't wanna get all that paraphernalia out) and dip in those honeycrisps.  Or, whatever apples are on sale this week of course!   And then, tell me that isn't the best apple dip you ever had.  Dare I say, better than carmel?

Disclaimer: This is not a Kammy original. I credit this to a friend who gave me the low down on this best-ever dip a few years ago, and my apple-eating habits have never been the same.  Or as healthy.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

new headbands added!

Check out the new headbands on the for sale buttons to the left!  A disclaimer about the turquoise flowers - it was a little experiment.  I didn't have any turquoise flowers so I spray painted some so they're a little "crispy" feeling, not soft like the others....  But they still look pretty awesome if I do say so myself.....  and Tori didn't seem to mind it.  Then again, she's a pretty easy goin' little sugar n' spice baby girl!  Can you tell I'm lovin' shmuvin' having a little girl?!!!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Pork, pork, & more pork. Cheap supper!

Where I do my grocery shopping, pork can be a super deal.  And I like to keep my pig farmer friend, Joe, in business.  What to do with all that pork in a huge package?  I hate it when I throw it in the freezer, only to pull it out a few weeks later and I only want 3 strips of those 10 super-frozen-together chunks - you know my dilemma.  But when it's $1.19 a pound, and cheaper than hamburger (which really isn't all that cheap!), I'm going with it!  Here's what I do:

Take a few strips and cut them with a kitchen sheers into bite-size chunks, and put them in a freezer container.

Season them real good so the meat can soak in the flavor while it sits in the freezer and dreams about the warmth of an oven.  I use seasoned meat tenderizer and onion powder.  Then in the future you can just grab it out of the freezer and dump it in a skillet for some quick stir fry!  Big time saver!!

I pull out a portion for one meal and wrap it up real good in plastic wrap and label it.  Might want to toss it into a zip lock bag too for extra insurance against freezer burn.

My hubby's favorite way to eat this pork:

I take about 3 strips of this bone-in rib meat or shoulder meat and put it in a slow cooker (not a crock pot, I use an ancient old plug-in slow cooker) and pour barbecue sauce all over the pork.  Sometimes I use ketchup and honey or brown sugar.  Cook it all day.  The bottom will get an almost crispy texture.  Mmmm.  It just melts in your mouth!  My 2 and 4 year old love it too!  I usually serve it with rice, as the extra sauce from the pan is great poured over it.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

My Little Loves in the Leaves

Okay, I got some of the most adorable shots of my kiddos in the beautiful Michigan leaves yesterday and I just can't help but share a few!  Yes, my son has some wild hair going on, and my little girls looks slightly like a boy without her hairbow in, but hey.  You get what you can get!  And I do believe Tori's new favorite food is dried maple leaves.  What do you think, add a little water to some in the blender and make some fall flavored babyfood?  Coming to a Wal-Mart shelf near you.....





4 years old, 6 months, 2 years

Sunday, October 17, 2010

bashful statues

I would hide my face too if I looked like this.  Can we say, Kitschy?!  (Maran, am I using this word properly?)

 White spray paint covered up those interesting colors, and then a good spray of stone-look textured spray paint gave them a "you belong in my flower garden" look.  Someone tell them they can uncover their faces now!   

Friday, October 15, 2010

a coffe table B/A

A paint brush + white paint + garage sale coffee table =

Yup, no need for a calculator.  A sleek looking, nice coffee table is definitely the answer.  I was at a wedding rehearsal tonight for the wedding I am in tomorrow and I need to go get some beauty sleep, hence the extremely unexciting blog post tonight!  I will try to make it up to you in the near future.  Hmmmm, maybe how we played with the last rodent we caught in the house.  Just kidding.......  maybe.....

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Glam up your Girl!

Now selling headbands on the blog!  Click on the "Headbands for Sale" button to the right of this page to see the selection! These are not limited to babies, ohhhhh no.  Tori and I fight over who gets to wear the pink and brown one. :)  These make great baby gifts!  Shoot me an email at kammyhayes@hotmail.com.  If you require shipping, your entire order will ship for just $2.50.  If you live in Iowa, I can always send them home with my mom who burns up the highway between here and Michigan quite often!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Schoolmarm Charm

Before - antique school desk where someone's Granny learned to do arithmetic.

Remember a few posts back when I discussed with you the wonders of a Goodwill As Is store??  Well here is one of the "wonders" I found chilling in said store one day.  This calls for a drum roll..... it cost me 79 cents!!!  It needed a good scrub down, and then some, and a little paint....  This is now Tobin's desk, so he can quietly color next to me while I make cards.  How often does that scenario actually happen?  I think it did once.... last year maybe....  haha.
After

Monday, October 11, 2010

Spider Table

I don't know what possessed me to paint a spider on this little table.  I have a fear larger than Hercules of spiders.  Could it be because Halloween is right around the corner?
 Not that celebrating the devil is something we uhhh celebrate (goodness, my poor deprived children haven't even experienced trick or treating!).  Seriously though, give me a mouse any day.  I catch the mice in our house and kill 'em, as long as hubby gets the spiders.  That's how we worked it out 10 years ago.


Our house seems to have many more mice than spiders, however!  But as you can see, they can provide great entertainment.


I did finally quit tormenting this mouse if you must know, and it met an untimely death outside....I will spare you the details.  Afterall, I have a hunch my audience is largely female....