July 22nd, 2010 / 11 Comments » / by admin
Hi! Welcome to The little brown house!
This week I want to show you a couple of things I did to update
our back patio. It started when I got the Pottery Barn catalog, and
realized I would have to get a 2nd (3rd) mortgage to get everything I wanted!
I saw these copper chargers, and really wished I had something like them.
I have a dozen gold chargers that I got at an after Christmas sale one year for $1 apiece.
I decided to take some ORB (oil rubbed bronze) to a couple of them.
Yeah that’s pretty gold huh!
Anyway – I sprayed it and set it out to dry while I sprayed another one -
Then all of a sudden the can of paint went postal on me.
Nice nails don’t you think? – It just spit paint all over the charger, big globs of it.
And obviously also all over my hand!
Now – Quick Topic Change-
A week ago my daughter called and told me she had seen some outdoor chairs
at the thrift store by my office. They were out in the back of the store and had just
been donated. She thought I might like them. She was right….
There were 4 of them – and I really liked the color.
I got them for $4 apiece.
I already had patio furniture that was brown, so I decided I needed to see if I could
find something that would tie the blue and brown together.
I went looking for outdoor chair pads, and there was no summer stuff
left in our town! There was, however, an abundant stock of school supplies..
which was not helpful.. but I was able to find
some pillow shams in the home section that did the trick!
I decided to put them over some old chair pads I had -
What do you think?
Now back to the charger redo!
Gotta love that ORB – when it works right anyway! With the sun shining right
on it, it even looks a little coppery!
I really like it! And yes, there is still gold around the edge – I kind of liked that too!
I bought some more ORB but haven’t had time to do more chargers
So here is my photo shoot of the patio with just one place setting out there-
But it would be a nice soothing lunch spot for one, and sometimes that is just what I need!
That is my favorite water bottle in the shot – I just thought it matched so well I should include it!
And this is the charger that the ORB went crazy on -
And sitting on it is one of my Blue Bottle Jar expeirments
You can check that out here:
Blue Bottle Jar
We are still adding more of the gray bricks to the patio to expand it. Well, I should
say my husband, not we.. although I can always be counted on to sit back with
my ice tea and watch him use his muscles!! I am really helpful like that!
So with some paint and fabric and a couple of thrift store items,
I freshened up a whole area for hardly any money. Oh, and the woven placemats
are from the dollar store!
Hope you liked it – And thanks so much for stopping by!
Come back on Tuesday when I will do a gluten-free sweet treat recipe, I promise loads more exclamation points!!
Posted in: Frugal Friday, Home Decor, Uncategorized
Tags: Decor, diy, easy, Frugal, Frugal Friday, furnishing, furniture redo, home, Home Decor, redo, Thrifty
July 20th, 2010 / 9 Comments » / by admin
I thought I would do a post where I ask you some questions. And you answer them..
Sounds like fun huh? Actually, some of the questions may be rhetorical,
but feel free to answer anyway!
There is no link between the above picture and any of my questions,
but isn’t it pretty?
Question # 1
What is my dog thinking when he see’s me come out of the shower?
What if he tells the other dogs in the neighborhood how much I weigh?
What if we get to heaven and find out what all the animals have been saying about us?
Question # 2
Where did all those lines come from?
Does anyone else remember being told not to make a silly face because it
would freeze that way? Why did I not believe that when there was still time!!
Question # 3
Will we ever finish our bathroom remodel?
Will we ever “finish” fixing up this “fixer upper” we have lived in for 20 years now?
Does anyone ever really feel “done” with their home????
Question # B
Will big hair ever come back into style?
Because it is the one thing that I was really good at..
I mean I totally excelled at big hair – totally…
Totally – like – gag me with a spoon..
Question # 5
Do I see a possible future where I could do this without Depends?
Please consider this a rhetorical question…
Question # 6
What if I am wearing Mom jeans and everyone is afraid to tell me..
Worst. Nightmare..Ever..
Question #7
When do we lose the belief that we can indeed be Super Woman?
Question # 8
Will my craft room every be organized or is that an oxymoron?
Question # 9
What would make a good can of Oil Rubbed Bronze turn on someone?
Question # 10
Why does chocolate make everything better?
And last but not least -
Question # 11
What is that spot on my picture?
No really, what is that?
Holy cow – it is on the inside of the glass!
And it is dead. How the heck did it get in there???
I can only assume that the ugly bug was reaching beyond his realm
to try and hit it off with the wooden dragonfly..
Who was way out of his league…..
He died trying to reach the object of his greatest desire..
Either that or he was just to embarrassed to stop and ask directions……..
Posted in: Just Life, Just for fun, Storytime, Uncategorized
Tags: humor, Just for fun, life, Storytime
July 19th, 2010 / 14 Comments » / by admin
Yes, that is what I am calling it – Bundt Of Sin..
I got this recipe from my good friend The Lumberjack’s Wife.
Who gives me a reason to get up every morning.. yes, her blog is that good. Read it..
She posted it the other day – but she calls it
Darn Good Chocolate Cake
She makes it for every family birthday – and she has lots of family.
It looked good enough that I decided to give it a try.
After I made it, I realized that it pretty much caused me to commit at least
one of the seven deadly sins. Gluttony. I may have commited more, I am just
not sure what the other 6 are.
So – as I hate to be alone in my suffering – I am going to offer this recipe to you-
with my friend The Lumberjack’s Wife permission of course.
Seriously – go read her blog. Umm… after you are done here of course.
Here are the ingredients – it is actually quite easy to produce all this decadence of bundt.
Notice how I am totally refraining from mentioning a certain big fat greek movie?
Anyway – you start out by spraying your bundt pan with cooking oil, then coat with flour.
Please don’t be jealous of my fancy, high quality, designer bundt pan,
I am pretty sure envy is one of the six…
Put the cake mix and pudding mix into a large bowl and …… mix.
Add 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil
And 1 cup sour cream
Beat ingredients together on low for about 1 minute
Then scrape bowl, and beat on high for about 3 minutes.
Now fold in 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.
And pour into bundt pan.
Then pop into the oven at 350 degree’s for 58-62 minutes.
“Thou shalt not lust..”
Now make some frosting while it awaits on its throne of bundt…
Put in saucepan on the stove;
5 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup whole milk (I used whipping cream as that was all I had!)
1 cup granulated sugar
Bring to a boil, then let boil for one minute
Remove from heat and add 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
stir to melt
Then frost cake -
I let my frosting cool down a little bit because I didn’t want a big puddle at the bottom of the cake.
Because of that mine was a little gloppy.. is that a word?
I just kind of dropped it on top and let it run down the sides.
Turns out gloppy frosting gets eaten just as fast..
I decided to do a photo shoot by the window so my little bundt
could catch the afternoon light -
Then I sliced into the warm chocolaty goodness and put it on a plate -
It looked good, but a little lonely…
Then I remembered…
Mama’s Homemade Ice Cream
It added the perfect touch..
So – what do you think? Want to give it a try?
Ok – stop licking the computer screen – its embarrassing..
The Lumberjacks Wife’s Chocolate Bundt Cake
Here is the list of ingredients for the cake:
Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
Flour for dusting the pan
1 pkg of devil’s food or dark chocolate fudge cake mix
1 pkg (3.9 oz) chocolate instant pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2c water
1/2 vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray the Bundt pan with the oil spray, dust with flour, shake out excess. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, place the cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, water, oil, and eggs. BLend on low for 1 minute. Stop and scrape the side. Blend on medium speed for 2-3 more minutes. The batter should look thick and well-combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepare Bundt pan, smooth it out and put it in the oven.
3. Bake cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and is just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan, 58-62 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool for 20 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto a rack to cool completely, 20 minutes more.
4. Spread with chocolate icing.
Chocolate Icing:
1 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1. Place sugar, butter, and milk in a medium sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until mixture comes to a boil, 3-4 minutes Still stirring, let the mixture boil until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
2. Stir in chocolate chips and continue to stir until mixture is smooth and chocolate has melted.
3. Spread icing over cake.
Posted in: Chocolate, Tasty Tuesday, Uncategorized, recipe
Tags: Chocolate, cooking, dessert, easy, food, recipe, Tasty Tuesday
July 17th, 2010 / 7 Comments » / by admin
I went to my daughters baby shower today.
One week from tomorrow she and her family move away from us to Tennessee,
which I am pretty sure is a continent or two away from Idaho..
But I will think about that tomorrow.
So – two of her good friends put on a baby shower for her.
A fun time was had by all. Until it the time came for..
Dun Dun Dun…..
The baby shower game…
This one was new to me.
Our hostess had us number a piece of paper from 1 to 10.
Then she brought out 10 disposable diapers, also numbered 1 through 10.
Each diaper had a … ahem… treat inside of it.
She took 10 different candy bars and microwaved them, then
put one into each of the diapers. Our challenge was to guess which
diaper held which candy bar. By examining the color, texture, and smell…….
Every one was very excited to play..
Each woman really dived into the game…
The little girls were determined to win this – they played as a team hoping for strength in numbers..
“Please ma’am, do you have a barf bag?”
I checked one diaper out before my OCD kicked in… then I decided
to put my competitive nature on the back burner..
You know, for the sake of the party and all. Wouldn’t want to make every one else feel inferior..
So I filled out my paper without looking through every diaper… I did a pretty good job just guessing.
The gal beside me won…. I’m am pretty sure she tasted them..
Cheater…….
Then it was time to open the gifts – my granddaughter wanted to help her mom open them,
It was so cute to watch her joy over everything – she can’t wait for her baby brother!
My other granddaughter was having fun too – she is on the ottoman.
She has a little sister on the way.
Both of my daughters are pregnant. Due one month apart!
Jessy is on the left, she is due the beginning of September, and is having a girl.
On the right is Melissa, she is due the beginning of October and is having a boy.
At least 12 time zones and 5 oceans away…
On the upside – I get to see Nashville in October!!
My sister got the baby a shirt that will remind him of his roots -
There is nothing like women getting together with coffee and lots of sugar, ooh-ing
and aw-ing over baby things! Most men just don’t get it do they!
My daughter wanted to try to get a group picture, so one of her friends taught me
on the spot how to work the timer on my camera- which was really fun!
Everyone had to figure out where they would stand..
Of course we all want our best side to show!
Then I set the timer and 3 - 2- 1-
CHEESE!
Posted in: Just Life, Just for fun, Storytime, Uncategorized
Tags: Just for fun, life, Storytime
July 14th, 2010 / 9 Comments » / by admin
I bet the name of this post totally drew you in..
Nothing like “take a look at my bunions” to cause people to pull the old “I’ve got an urgent phone call”
and turn around and run. But, I am determined to be transparent in this blog.. to a point.. So I am
going to share my deepest, darkest, ugliest secret.. Yes, I am announcing to the
entire world ( because you know they all read my blog) that I, Mrs. Little Brown House,
have a bunion problem. Bunions are those ugly bumps that grow out the side of your foot
right beside the big toe.. am I still drawing you in?? They are formed because idiot women
spend years with their size nine foot stuffed into a high pointy heel, because they think
it makes them look skinny.. at least that is what I have heard through the grapevine..
So every summer I see women of all ages flitting around in those adorable, simple, flip-flops,
and I feel a huge fire of envy rise up inside. You see, flip-flops would show my unsightly bunions.
Ok – I will show you one, but just once – and only in black and white because it is
way less scary that way. People with weak stomachs should scan past this..
(cue Psyco “EE” “EE” sound)
Those of you who threw up in your mouth a little are now excused..
Ok – so that pic doesn’t make them look so bad – I will show you another one later.
(That is meant to entice you to read all the way to the end of the post. Let me know if it worked..)
So today I decided to try and make flip-flops that would work for me.. As you get older
you learn that a lot of making yourself look good involves hiding or disguising things..
If you aren’t there yet I know you won’t believe me.. but it is coming
So here are some cute little white flops. They even have a tiny platform because I am still
a believer in the whole “Tall equals Thin” fantasy. Please don’t take it away from me.
I decided to use some black ribbon and a pair of broken earrings for my masterpiece.
You could just as easily do this with buttons, or flowers, or clips – use your imagination!
In fact – you could even do this if you don’t have bunions to hide and just like a cute flip-flop!
I began by tying a knot in the ribbon, onto one side of the rubber strap.
Can you honestly believe I am doing a tutorial on how to tie a bow?
Then the bunny goes under the tree and through the hole – or something like that..
So – you have a bow. Be sure it is on the same side as your bunion… I didn’t the first time.
Yep, I have obviously put one to many bunnies under the tree…
(if you figure out what that means, please share)
Now – for the exciting part!!!
I brought out the infamous
E-6000!!!
Which I first encountered in my Diy ring making post. You can read about it here:
The Secret Life Of A Crafting Blogger
I put some of the glue on the back of my earring. I think any kind of glue would work – even a hot glue gun.
Just an FYI – this glue has life threatening properties, as described on back in .05 size font..
I clamped the button to the bow as I let the glue dry.
Are these not the most adorable clamps you have ever seen! I got them at Home Depot
for .40 each! Why is everything so much cuter in miniature? Now I am looking for a mini
drill and nail gun to complete my set.
As promised – here is a picture of both my bunions – unretouched.. and my feet are even a little
swollen from my high blood pressure meds. ….
Oh my goodness just shoot me now….
So – here is the debut of my yucky bunion infested feet hidden behind
my new “Bunions Be Gone” fip-flops -
So tell me the truth,
and I am asking for extreme, unbridled, honesty here -
And I know my readers will give it to me..
Don’t you wish your Grandma was hot like me?
Posted in: Frugal Friday, Just Life, Just for fun, Storytime, Uncategorized
Tags: craft, diy, easy, humor, Just for fun, redo, Storytime
