Homemade Dryer Sheet/Scented Drawer Sheet

Ever find yourself wondering what to do with leftover used dryer sheets? Take a cue from the "frugal person's bible", The Complete Tightwad Gazette, and re-use/re-purpose them! Simply add a few drops of your favorite perfume, essential oil or even extract (such as vanilla) to the used dryer sheet. Or, you could really go DIY and cut up some of your husband's shirts he still has around from high school (I'm talking to you, Mr. S!) and apply the extract/oil/perfume. Just rub in the scent a little into the fabric/dryer sheet and voila!

Finding Our Way Again: A Review.

Book Review 1: Finding our Way Again {The Return of the Ancient Practices},

By Brian McLaren, Phyllis Tickle
Published by Thomas Nelson 

I consider myself to be a "spiritually aware" individual. I am merely a human, limited in my grasp of reality and sense of existence just like any other mortal being. That being said, I love learning about various religions and cultures, and was looking forward to receiving this book written by Brian McLaren, compliments of the Book Sneeze program via Thomas Nelson. I suppose the title should have hinted to the overall tone of the book, but this clue was lost to me initially. The title eludes to a promising and hopeful journey in which the reader can affirm, strengthen and solidify their relationship with God.

Instead, this book was a misguided mix of presumably historical "factoids" and personal anecdotes. The author conveys a "preachy" tone, and seems to ramble in most parts. Early on in the book, this blending of personal and factual seems to work. But, within ten minutes of opening the paperback, I found myself losing interest. The message is never crystal clear. Although there was a marginal degree of redemption with the intriguing Spiritual Exercises at the conclusion of each chapter, yet there was something off-putting about the author's tone.

For the most part, this book was thought-provoking (even insightful in some parts) but I feel like it fell short of its intended message. I felt bored with the author's muddled and unclear message. Reading it felt like I was being given an amateur history lesson by my old Uncle Ralph, who also likes to tell hour-long stories of his favorite fishing trips and how much a loaf of bread cost back in 1945. That is honestly how reading this book felt for the duration. I'm so disappointed, because I assumed this would be a provocative personal account of a spiritual "awakening" of sorts. 

Sadly, this missed the mark, and I have a hard time recommending this to anyone I know personally. I didn't get much from it, so I would expect the same end result for others. If you are looking for a quasi historical account of Christianity/the Jewish Jesus Christ, this might be of some interest to you. However, if you are looking for something more personal and emotive, I suggest looking elsewhere.

**I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.**

Making Over the Stairs!

Before we actually purchased the home we now live in, we shopped around for the "perfect" house...and realized there is no such thing! Thus, our house is not perfect but it works for us right now. It has so much potential to become a true gem amidst a sea of cookie-cutter homes circa 1980. Among the things I desperately wanted to change right away were the stairs. They were covered in hideous tan carpet that had seen better days. I wanted to bring in some of the architectural details and quality craftsmanship of the older homes that I salivate over love, which includes beautiful wooden staircases.

Luckily, I didn't have to wait long to take a crack at the stairs because, well, they were already cracking. Our home inspector "forgot" to mention that the stairs in our home were made of 1/2 inch-thick plywood, held together with some glue, a few staples and a pinch of tension. Oh, and the best part was the fact that the stairs were not even screwed into the studs of the walls. They were just sort of hanging out. The scary thing was that every time we walked on the stairs, we could feel them moving and shifting underfoot. Every time I think about what could have happened had we not discovered the problem in time, I cringe.  Anyway, with the help of a close friend experienced in home renovations, we got to work tearing down the old and bringing in the new. 


This is what we started with:

Hubby inspecting the stairs just before demolition.

                              

Demolition begins!

The old stairs are completely gutted! Please, I beg you- ignore the mess down stairs in the family room. At that time, we were still unpacking. But, for the record, it looks much nicer now! Okay, moving on...

Putting the red oak treads in place that we purchased from Lowe's. Gotta love that place!

Boys and their toys.

Risers and treads in place! It already looked spectacular at this point compared to the "before" condition of the stairs.

Next, it's time for the beautiful reddish brown stain! It's called Red Mahogany by Minwax. In retrospect, staining and painting should have been done prior to installing the stairs, but now we know for next time. Oh well, it's a learning process!

We chose this color as opposed to the honey color hue of our kitchen/living room/dining room floor because we initially planned to refinish said floor in this darker-colored stain. After much deliberation, we  decided to keep the honey color. We simply purchased a box of in-stock flooring at Home Depot and replaced the water-damaged planks with new ones. We like the contrast of the two tones, and plan to continue the dark color upstairs when we install the hardwood floors on the upper floor.

And for the final product (ta-da!)

I am happy to report that the stairs are not only beautiful in person, but are 100% safe! There is no more shifting and no more white-knuckled, nail-biting trips upstairs/downstairs. Beauty and function!

 

Goodbye Green Monster, Hello Beachy Beauty!

After weeks of trying trying to sell our GINORMOUS love seat and sofa on Craigslist, Lady Luck finally smiled upon us and blessed us with a young to-be-wed couple (plus a friend) looking to save a few smackeroos on furniture before their big day- they even hauled it out of here themselves (one guy and two gals, thank-you-very-much). The very next day, we found ourselves shopping for new furniture, and luckily I had a pretty good idea of what I was looking for in terms of comfort and style (Mr. S. just kind of goes with the flow and I think he'd be happy with any sofa as long as it wasn't made out of steel). 

After hours of browsing, I was about to give up. We found plenty of sofas that we thought were nice enough, but I just wasn't loving any of them (this goes back to my "if I don't love it, I don't buy it" rule). However, just as I was about to throw in the towel and call it a day, I spotted what I had been searching for in the window of yet another furniture store. I practically tore off Hubby's arm as I pulled him in the direction of the entrance! I'm happy to report that our shopping trip was MEGA successful, and we'll be receiving our new furniture by the end of next week! Yay for scoring great furniture at a great price last minute :) As always, I'll post pics of the real thing once the furniture is delivered, but for now, here's a stock photo:

They're difficult to make out, but there are tan stripes on the sofa which is great for neutral decor such as ours. I'll punch it up with some colorful pillows of course, which drives Mr. S. bonkers!

I love how neutral the color of the sofa is, yet the stripes keep it from being on the boring side. Also, it's firm but comfy enough for movie nights. The real cherry on top for me though was the style- that "slipcovered" look that many of us are familiar with thanks to Pottery Barn. The look definitely fits with my cottage-beachy-country style. I sure as sugar was not about to pay Pottery Barn prices for new furniture though, and I'm very happy with our purchase. 

Dear Cape Cod, You Are My Soulmate (Residentially Speaking).

Last weekend, Mr. S. and I packed up my new car (the ridiculously adorable Kia Soul) and hit the road for Massachusetts. My large extended Portuguese family was gathering for a family reunion, and I couldn't wait to see everyone. I have to admit though, I was excited for other reasons. 

For years, Mr. S. and I have talked about taking a long road trip along the New England coast, but it just hasn't happened yet. Since we bought a house and a new car this year, an extended vacay is just not in the cards. So, we used this reunion as an opportunity for a mini retreat and squeezed in quite a bit of sightseeing in just one day. I begged and pleaded like a whiny little girl suggested that we head toward Cape Cod because our hotel wasn't far from the Cape and I knew there would be plenty of photo ops (and I'm a sucker for a good photograph). 

We began our mini road trip with a short visit to a natural history museum. It did help pass some time, but we were pretty disappointed with how small this place actually was. Still, we got to see some cool things. Next, we searched for a place to grab lunch, and found a place called Brewster Fish House. It looked promising, so we gave it a whirl. I ordered the fried calamari and Mr. S. decided on the fried crab cake sandwich. While I enjoyed my lunch, sadly, Mr. S. was disappointed. His crab cake sandwich was...different (a nice way of saying not good). Being Cape Cod and all, you would think that a crab cake would be a signature dish here, but they just missed the mark with that. Oh well.

After lunch, we decided to drive all the way to Provincetown which is at the very tip of Cape Cod (and the entire state of MA). Unless you bring a couple of mountain bikes with you or are up for some major hiking, I don't recommend going this far. The beaches are ridiculously crowded (duh, right?) and if you bring a vehicle, you'll need to park it in one of the lots that are close to the beach. No big deal, right? Well sure, if you don't mind paying fifteen bucks just to park your car (regardless of how long you are there, FYI). 

The upside to all of this was getting to see the absurdly adorable shops, boutiques, restaurants and houses that lined the well-manicured streets and sidewalks of Cape Cod. Everything from the gray shingle-siding to the white carriage-style garage doors to the endless hydrangeas sucked me right in. If someone were to ask me what my dream home looked like, I would tell them to just go to Cape Cod and pick one out! Actually, all of Cape Cod is just so charming that I could definitely see myself living there (without the winters, though). 

While the sightseeing trip that I had fantasized for years about didn't quite turn out the way I had expected, overall it was memorable. And I'd do it all over again if it meant spending quality time with Mr. S. 

I Think I'm Gonna Like This Place...

Last week, I embarked on my very first antiquing trip with my cousin Kara, and I really cannot believe I waited so long! 

There's something truly special about browsing through hundreds of random objects that once belonged to other people, and experiencing the history behind these objects is enchanting (not to mention all of the wonderful photo ops)!

  

Tell me this isn't the cutest post office ever.

This was a staged dining room inside an antique store. Isn't it gorg? With prices rivaling Pottery Barn, though, we didn't purchase anything here- just browsed.

My dear friend/cousin Kara accompanied me on this trip, and I couldn't have asked for better company! We're two peas in a pod who appreciate the finer things in life (for a bargain, of course). I must say, the whole experience was quite productive. 

I picked up a beautiful French charcoal drawing of a mother and child, as well as a pair of vintage bird prints for a steal. Gotta love vintage artwork that's cheap!

 

Not only did I find some new/old treasures, but I also picked up a bunch of decor ideas and stored them in my memory bank for future reference. In fact, I see many more antiquing excursions in my future. Just don't tell Mr. S.  ;-)

A Slice Of Homemade Heaven.

For those of you familiar with my blog, you know that I am embarking on a new, healthy lifestyle. Not a diet, but rather a lifelong commitment to my health. For years, I purchased those store-bought granola bars thinking that they were a healthy alternative to cookies, chips or brownies. Well, they are health-ier, but most brands still load up their bars with sugar or sugar substitutes and lots of other unnecessary ingredients (high fructose corn syrup, anyone?). 

These sweet little treats contain all natural ingredients (maybe minus the vanilla extract?) and are full of fiber. As of this morning, I am proud to say that I am no longer a store-bought-granola-bar shopper! Instead, I headed to my go-to website AllRecipes.com for all things culinary and found a ridiculously simple AND healthy recipe for...wait for it.............homemade granola bars! Healthier and cheaper- can't beat it! And since I'm so generous, I want to share the recipe with all of you so that you can taste the fresh-baked awesomeness!

Oh My Gosh Granola Bars

Yields about 6-8 squares/bars

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled/quick oats
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• About 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Craisins, raisins or other dried berry (optional)
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (if desired, swap half or all of the oil with applesauce- this will change the taste and consistency slightly)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C), ignoring the crazy lady in the reflection of the cooking range.

  2. Using cooking spray, generously coat a 9x13 inch baking pan.3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the oats, wheat germ, nutmeg, brown sugar, cinnamon and flour.  Stir in Craisins or dried fruit (optional). Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. 4. Using your hands, mix well until mixture is thoroughly blended. 5. Pat the mixture into the greased pan as evenly as possible, pressing down as needed. If using chocolate chips, spread the chips over the mixture and press into the mixture as much as possible.  

6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the mixture begins to turn golden brown around the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars/squares while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, as this will make them difficult to cut.

 (I have no idea why that corner piece on the right is missing a chunk. I swear.)

Serve and enjoy!