Hello blog.  It's been a while.  After an inquiry from a friend about what was going on, I thought I'd bring you up to date on what I've been doing since February 2012.  My hope is to eventually get back on here and make somewhat regular entries again.

I decided to do some part-time work for my husband's company back in January, 2012.  Mainly marketing-oriented projects - working on his website, Facebook pages and print materials and staging properties that are on the market for sale.  Also, my son was finishing high school online and he wrapped up high school early - in April, 2012.  So, I ramped up work since high school was over, P was admitted to college and I felt like I could breathe a little on the "child educational" front.

Early this summer, my husband's company began purchasing a few properties to fix and flip.  This little project has morphed into another "pseudo-careeer" and one that I am getting a lot of personal satisfaction from.

One quick discovery...painting outdated brass fixtures!  One of the renovation houses was filled with brass fixtures.  The dining room fixture was in great condition and was a very large traditional fixture that I hated to toss.  I decided to paint it a dark bronze.  For two cans of spray paint (about $8) - the fixture was transformed.

I ended up using this fixture in the kitchen breakfast area and found another fixture for the dining room for $15 from a salvage place. (Another new discovery for me!) 

                                                           Breakfast Area (Eat-In Kitchen)

                                                        $15 salvage find for Dining Room

I also found bathroom cabinets in a salvage store including the granite tops for about $300.  The quote from the cabinet company was $1500.

                                         $300 white cabinet with "marble" look granite top

                                                         Another View of Staged Bath

In the Kitchen - we saved a TON of money by only replacing the cabinet doors.  The kitchen had dark cabs and teal and rose wallpaper.  Here is finished kitchen with cabinets painted white, new doors, granite and fixtures.  And of yeah....I painted the brass fixture over the island too!

I hope to be better organized in keeping my "before" and "afters" on projects going forward.  Working on a beach cottage now which is a renovation and decorating opportunity.  It will be sold furnished.  I have a lot of creative ideas coming about re-working some existing furniture that is currently in the cottage and have found a lot of ideas on Pinterest to incorporate.  Also working on a 1950's era house in our neighborhood that is a total gut job.  Having fun planning it now!

Thanks for inspiring me to keep writing "DP!"

Looking forward to sharing more projects soon!

De-Clutter & Make Some Bucks

2011 was a year of cleaning house....literally and figuratively!  Since leaving my incredibly stressful mortgage career, I needed to decompress and clear my mental clutter...a process that took longer than expected.  When I left work in November 2010, I rolled right into the chaos of the holidays.  Once the holidays were over and I really could relax into my new role, I wanted to find some ways to simplify my life. 

Being a lifelong sales person, I also wanted to contribute financially to my family "team."  I took stock of the things I no longer needed (work clothes) or things that didn't fit my current lifestyle (silver pieces, china) and decided to make some money from things I was no longer using or to donate them so someone else could benefit.

I cleaned out my closet and sold anything with a "label" on EBay.  EBay occasionally allows you to list items for free and I began watching for the time periods when I could take advantage of the free listing service.  I made a "sell" box, "toss" box and a "donate" box and set forth with emptying out my closet.  The donate box left my house immediately so I didn't have time for second thoughts!  The same with the toss box....gone!  The sell box was relocated to my guest room closet and I added priority mailing supplies for easy packaging.  I photographed all of the items and when the time was right for cheaper EBay selling, I began listing the items taking care to write a really good description and putting as much detail in as possible.  My teen aged son also had many things he had outgrown and there is a real market for nicer kids clothing so I sold a few of his things too.  I easily bought groceries for one week out of every month with my sales. 

Next...I evaluated my china cabinet.  It really bothered me that I have rarely or never used most of the things in it.  I had a set of china I was given at 18 that was never used plus wedding and holiday china and silver serving pieces that I occasionally polished and used once a year.  We also had untold amounts of crystal - again - never or rarely used.  I contacted Replacements in Greensboro NC and got an analysis of the value of my items.  I decided it was time to let go of the china I had never used from my 18th birthday and the silver.  Since I live close to Greensboro, I made an appointment and took my items in and left with $700.  I was thrilled!  I decided to keep my crystal because they couldn't give me much for it ($2 or so a stem) but I came home and cleaned out my butler's pantry glass cabinet and vowed to start using the crystal wine glasses.  Now I always use them...and it is a treat.

The last "clean out for money" project I completed was a re-evaluation of my jewelry.  I only wear my wedding ring and mainly silver jewelry (earrings and occasional necklace or bracelet) these days.  I organized all of my earrings into hanging bags with pouches so I could see what I had.  After seeing the ridiculous amount, I have not purchased one pair since! Next, I gathered up the old, tangled gold bracelets, necklaces, high school rings, and earrings and shopped them around to get an idea of value.  I finally decided to ship mine to an online company and was offered $800 for the lot. 

The money was great, but the feeling of accomplishment was better.  After my son goes to college, I have more clean out plans.  I want to simplify even more and enjoy life and not the stuff.  Some future plans include organizing closets and photos.  If I don't use or enjoy something, why hang on to it? 

I would love to hear your tips for organization...and Happy Valentine's Day!

My Own Road: Flowers and Dots baby shower - FREE printables!

My Own Road: Flowers and Dots baby shower - FREE printables!

Tons of great ideas on this blog!

Cottage Hill: Dog Silhouette Pillow

Cottage Hill: Dog Silhouette Pillow

TGIF (Truly Great and Inexpensive Food): Super Bowl Edition

Want to make a quick Super Bowl Appetizer?
Want to be able to use the same ingredients to make a hot or cold version?

Quick & Easy & Lowfat "Mexican" Bean Dip
Ingredients:
One 8 oz. can fat free refried beans (yes...fat free...you cannot tell the difference!)
1/2 of one packet of taco seasoning
One 8 oz. container of low fat sour cream
Low fat shredded cheese of your preference & quantity - I use cheddar and jack blend
Salsa- few tablespoons of your favorite

Start by layering refried beans on a platter in a circular pattern...

Mix 1/2 packet of taco seasoning with sour cream and layer over beans...

Top with shredded cheese and a little salsa...chill for 30 minutes or before serving.

In warm weather months, replace salsa with halved grape tomatoes, finely diced scallions and chopped olives and/or chiles....whatever fresh ingredients you like!

The cold version of this dip pairs wonderfully with Taco Stew (see previous blog for recipe).

**To make a HOT version of this dip, layer ingredients into a bake proof dish (except salsa).  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Top with salsa once dip comes out of the oven.**

Yummy!

Weekend Decorating Project: Valentine's Wreath

With Valentine's Day around the corner, I hit Michael's and Dollar Tree yesterday to find inspiration for making a Valentine's wreath for my front door.  I found a wreath at Dollar Tree and decided to wrap it in red feather boas from Michael's.  Here are the items I used:  wreath, two inexpensive boas on "cardboard paddles", two pricier ($6) fluffy boas, shiny metallic hearts on wire, ribbon for my bow and floral wire.

I began by wrapping the wreath with inexpensive boas that were on "cardboard paddles" from Michael's.  I just started out by tying the boas onto the wreath and wrapping them all the way around it.  Then I filled in the blank spaces with two fluffier, prettier boas. Just wrap and wrap and wrap!

 

 

In addition, I added red wire with hearts attached after the boas were wrapped.  (These are a little hard to see from this picture, but it adds some shine and sparkle!)  To complete the project, I added a bow to the top!  Easy, fast project that took about 10-15 minutes and the total cost was less than $20.

 Happy Valentine's Day!

Feeling Philosophical about Being Happy

Other than a few sags here and there and some wrinkles...I really do appreciate my current age and the wisdom, understanding and peace it has brought me. I understand myself better than ever and can look back on the past and understand the lessons that living my life has taught me.  

My goal now that I am in my 40's is to just BE HAPPY.  Be happy with myself (and what I see in the mirror).  Be happy with my family.  Be happy for good health, good friends and a roof over my head. In my 20's and 30's, most of my life was spent running the hamster wheel.  I look back now and wish I had savored that time.  It went so fast!  However, I don't want to GO BACK either! I want to live in the NOW and keep MOVING forward.  (Literally and figuratively!) 

Now I know that life is a LONG race and it's not just the current "sprint" you are running.  It's a marathon.  Among the most important lessons I have learned and that I hope to convey to my son are: It is OK to be yourself and to do your own thing.  Don't worry about what everyone else is doing.  This is YOUR life and it's for you to LIVE!  Accept yourself as the unique individual that you are.  You are made to be YOU for a reason.  Passing on my own life lessons to my own child is often difficult and I have realized that he has his own "race to run."  After all, I was also someone who had to learn everything by doing it on my own.  (And had to pick the pieces along the way!)

Recently, I watched an Oprah interview with Goldie Hawn and found her words to be really inspirational:  "What matters to me is giving back.  So just because you get older doesn’t mean things stop.  It’s when YOU stop...it’s when YOUR wonder stops...it’s when YOUR innovation stops...it’s when YOUR creativity stop that you allow your SELF to go asunder.  The beauty of getting older is the surprise of what else you can do to make the world a better place with the wisdom you’ve accrued over those years."  Goldie also said that when she was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she always said "To Be Happy." She said people always repeated the question expecting her to name a profession, but she persisted in her answer (as her wise parents had told her this was what was most important). 

I want to be just like Goldie when I grow up! Find the little things that make you happy and enjoy them.  Lighting a candle, putting some fresh flowers in my home, walking my dog, drinking peppermint tea and spending time with special people in my life make me happy.  Surround yourself with things and people you find beautiful and inspirational to you.  BE HAPPY!

What things in your life bring you the most joy and happiness? 

TGIF (Truly Great and Inexpensive Food): Dinner Menu Planning

Like every woman in America, I get sick of menu planning and grocery shopping. Now that my son is 18 and has his own busy schedule, it is very hard to plan dinners.  In thinking about how our weeks play out, I discovered that I only needed to plan and shop for four dinners a week.  This realization has improved my grocery bill tremendously and I am not constantly throwing food (and money) away.

Each week, I know that I will not cook something “new” on two nights - meaning that we will eat leftovers, have a dinner from pantry staples (soup, pancakes, etc.) or eat out.  When I menu plan, I prepare for a chicken or pork night, two beef nights (my men are carnivores) and one non-meat  night. 

Our week looks something like this:

Monday – Beef Night #1:  Tacos, spaghetti, meatloaf and “cheater’s” lasagna are the usual suspects.  Since these dishes usually produce leftovers, this comes in handy on Tuesday.  (Cheater’s lasagna is made from bowtie pasta instead of lasagna noodles.  When my son was little, he hated the big lasagna noodles and wouldn’t eat it.  One night, I was out of lasagna noodles and only had bowties or farfalle.  So I combined the bowties, sauce and ricotta and topped it with mozzarella and baked it off.  From that moment on, it became one of P’s favorite dishes – I think because it was easier to eat!)

Tuesday – (My Grocery Order Day) – FEND NIGHT: At our house, it’s my husband’s dart night so I do not cook.  We “fend” for ourselves.  I may eat cheese and crackers and have my own mini-cocktail party (a complete thrill for me) or we eat leftovers from Monday. 

Wednesday - Chicken or Pork Night:  Admittedly, I am not a chicken fan.  I try to find different things to do with it like put it in a chicken and rice casserole, grill it, or I may purchase a prepared Moravian chicken pie from a local shop to serve with a salad.  Pork tenderloin is our favorite “other white meat.” 

Thursday – Pasta:  In the summer, I grow basil and make my own pesto.  In the winter, I buy prepared pesto and make pesto linguine.  We also like lemon linguine made with grape tomatoes, garlic, lemon juice and basil.  My goal is to skip meat entirely on Thursdays.

Friday – It’s the end of the week – no cooking:  We order pizza occasionally or bake a frozen one.  If my son is usually out, my husband and I may have cheese and crackers and sit on the deck or we may go out.  We eat out about twice a month.  We’re also great at cleaning out leftovers on Friday nights.

Saturday – Beef Night #2:  Skirt steak is a favorite for us.  It’s inexpensive, cooks quickly and is great on top of salad, in fajitas or on its own with a potato and veggie.  Since we enjoy grilling year-round, Saturday nights are reserved for this activity.

Sunday – Soup Night:  I don’t count this in my menu plan because I make something from my pantry staples like taco stew, French onion soup or tomato soup and grilled cheese.  In the winter, we make pancakes sometimes too.  Sundays are laid back and there is always a sporting event on TV so we re-charge from the weekend and get ready for the week ahead.

What menu planning strategies do you use?  I'd love to hear about them!

Have a great weekend!  

Hump Day Tip: Simple Frame Craft Project

I did a little after-Christmas shopping at Michael's during their picture frame sale and found some cute frames with ribbon attached. I bought a couple of them figuring I would eventually think of something to do with them.


Yesterday, I got inspired. I have been slowly re-decorating one of my guest rooms. We painted it chocolate brown last year. I added white bedding to the twin beds and then painted an old chest white to serve as a nightstand between the two beds. A friend painted a brown and white zebra pattern onto some old cornice boards for me. Yes....she painted right on the fabric! So my room is slowly coming together.



I got out my little frames and decided to make a "guest room" door hanger. I had some lime green scrapbook paper and some adhesive letters that look like old typewriter keys.


I cut the paper to fit the frame and laid out the words Guest Room....


Then, I re-framed it all in the little frame!


I have moved it all around the room (as I tend to do with everything). It looks cute on the closet door, the door of the little chest (you can see it on the chest in the picture above) and on the door entering the guest room, where I think it will live.


Now I am thinking of other ways to utilize these frames! Of course, putting pictures in them would be great. For Christmas, I think red paper with "Joy" or "Be Merry" could be cute. A little (or big) girl would love a monogram door hanger in the colors of her room. For a party, you can add "Come On In" and hang on front door. The combinations are endless. I think this is pretty cute for a $5 item! The whole project took ten minutes and would be an easy craft project for a young child as well.

I would love to hear other ideas you might have for this same craft idea! Happy Hump Day!

Dollar Store Treasures

I must confess that I rarely visited a “dollar store” until I left my job. I wasn’t a snob. I just wasn’t aware of all the things that were available. Now, I don’t know how I lived without it!

I buy ALL of my cleaning supplies at the dollar store. Let’s face it… all cleaners are made from some version of ammonia, soap and water with a scent. Why pay $4.99 a bottle for a cleaning product when you can get it for a buck? I also get shampoo and liquid hand soap there as well as many other household items like batteries or aluminum foil. It is so satisfying to walk out with BAGS of items for $20.

One of my favorite dollar store buys is candy. I stock up on “movie theater” size boxes to take to the movies when we go. They carry all your favorites like Junior Mints, Starbursts, Raisinets and Twizzlers. I like to give these large boxes of candy along with a gift card or cash for children’s gifts. It is always a hit at any age! Wrap a ten-dollar bill (or whatever denomination you choose) around a box or two of candy with a pretty ribbon. For younger kids, a$10 bill wrapped around a tootsie roll bank is a favorite…so cute! Much more original and thoughtful than a card with money! And who doesn't like candy?

The stores in my area even carry popcorn boxes and bowls that are cute. You can fill one with movie candy, microwave popcorn and a movie store gift card or a DVD for a gift “bundle.” I have even given my mailman a candy “stack” for Christmas and he loved it - and I spent $5! But I digress with my candy fascination…

An easy dollar store decorating idea is to buy "fillers" for glass containers there. At the holidays, you can purchase specialty items that can be jazzed up. For example, I have a large open glass container that always sits in the middle of my dining room table. I like to buy 10-inch candles in glass cylinder containers from the dollar store and use them in the center of my larger glass container with different fillers. The wax stays in the glass candle container and doesn’t melt all over your filler. I like to change up the filler with the season. For Valentine’s Day, try old-fashioned ”message candy hearts.” Other fillers you can find include moss for spring, jelly beans for Easter and small pine cones look pretty for fall and winter. The possibilities are endless!

The dollar store glass candles are also versatile on their own. I used them on my mantle this year at Christmas with greenery from my yard. I have placed them down the length of my sidewalk for a night-time party. They look pretty tied with raffia and running the length of a table. Pretty, simple and inexpensive. $10 worth of candles can transform your home for a party.

As you can tell, I am obsessed with figuring out creative ways to use dollar store treasures. Some of my other favorite finds include: cookie sheets of all sizes, aluminum casserole "dishes" with lids to freeze casseroles (or to use for when taking a dish to a sick friend), brown paper lunch bags, plastic cups that can be personalized with a paint pen for a party, unbreakable Christmas ornaments, gift bags and tissue paper.

Share your favorite finds with me! Happy hunting!

P.S. Great new website find for glass apothecary jars and other goodies:

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/

TGIF (Truly Good and Inexpensive Food) Recipe: Taco Stew

Perfect for a cold, winter weekend! Taco Stew is a delicious soup that I make on soup nights (Sundays) at our house.

Keep the staples for this recipe in your pantry and you literally open cans and packages - pour ingredients into your large soup pot and simmer. Easy, easy, easy! Bonus: Leave out the beef for a veggie-only version.

Ingredients:

One large can of crushed tomatoes (28 oz or 32 oz OK)
One large can of tomato puree (28 oz or 32 oz OK)
Two (15-16 oz) cans of red kidney beans (drain and rinse)
One 10 oz. can of Ro-Tel (diced tomatoes and green chiles) - add entire can, liquid and all
One 8-10 oz. can of corn (drain liquid)
One packet of taco seasoning
One packet of Hidden Valley dry ranch dressing mix
Optional: One pound of cooked and drained ground beef or ground turkey - whatever your family likes

Combine all ingredients into large soup pot and simmer on low-to-medium heat for 30-40 minutes. Stir and adjust temp to make sure you don't burn ingredients on bottom of pot. This is a great make-ahead soup and is even better on days 2 and 3.

Tip: I buy store-brand canned goods except for the Ro-tel and the Hidden Valley ranch mix.

Once you are ready to serve, garnish with shredded cheese, sour cream, crushed taco chips and anything else your heart desires!

Makes about 8 generous portions.

Hump Day Tip: Online Grocery Shopping

Now that I am not working full-time OUTSIDE of the house, I have worked harder than ever to save money and stay on budget. When I worked, I did some of the same things I do now, but I have kicked things up a notch. On Wednesdays (Hump Day), I hope to share some tips on things that have helped me simplify my life, stay organized and on budget. I’d love to hear from you about your successes.

I highly recommend shopping online for groceries. Some people look at me like I have three heads when I tell them I do this. I have shopped online for YEARS for groceries. It all started when I worked like a maniac and did not have the energy to go to the store after work, nor did I want to spend my weekends trudging to the grocery store. When my grocery store (Lowe’s Foods) started their online service, I had a young son who usually went to the store with me and it was a pain! My son always wanted things he didn’t need and I was more likely to impulse buy as well. Plus, online shopping is available 24 hours a day, so I could do it when it was convenient for me. I could even order from work in a pinch. So I decided to give this new service a shot.

Believe it or not, the fee to shop online is minimal…about $5. I would spend the $5 fee or more if I walked into the store because of impulse buying! To get started, I sat down and spent an afternoon setting up a master list (via the grocery store’s website) of the things we buy most often. From there, I added things as I went along each week. It took a few tries to get things right, but it is second nature to get groceries this way now. It takes about ten minutes to place an order and the best part…I drive to the store, push a buzzer and they roll the groceries out to my car and load them! Rain or shine! And then I just drive away!

I usually submit my order on Tuesdays when the store is fully stocked from the weekend so they are more likely to have all of my items. If you forget something, you can call them and they will add it. IT IS SO EASY! I even use the service when I go to the beach and use the delivery option my store offers so I can walk into my beach vacation house and unpack (or have a cocktail) while I wait for our groceries to arrive!

I keep a list all week of the things we need on my kitchen island and have taught my guys to add to it. I menu plan (more on this topic later) before I start the order and take my laptop into the kitchen when I am ready to work on it. (This way I can look through the fridge and the pantry to make sure I am not duplicating something or to see if I am out of something.)

Another benefit of ordering online is that you can see your total cost in your virtual cart. I know my budget number and will literally remove things I think we can do without from the cart until I hit the magic number. I do not go over budget. The store calls me if they are out of something, they see if I want a substitution and they confirm when the order is ready.

For the coupon clipping folks, I think you could "rock the savings" even more. Just another opportunity to visually check what you are purchasing with your coupons. I have not taken up this cause because I am a "paper hater."

Give online grocery shopping a try. It is really worth the effort! I'd love to hear from you if you have questions about the process or if you already do this and have additional tips to share!

Preview of next week's Hump Day Tip: Weekly Dinner Menu Planning