Snow and White Trash Dip

Dear Potent Winter Snow Storm,

Please make a U-turn right away. I give you full permission. If not, I will eat myself silly on White Trash Dip. Hurry! Turn back now.

White Trash Dip
1 lb sausage
2 blocks cream cheese
1 can rotel tomatoes

Brown sausage and pour into crock pot with other ingredients. Cook on low. EAT.
(I only have a huge crock pot...so I just put everything in a pot on the stove an cook on low.) Serve with Fritos or tortilla chips.

Paralyzed with Projects

photo credit Lowes

Am I the only one who is completely paralyzed by the amount of projects I have. We moved into this house about 8 months ago...and I have about 1059 projects to do. Over the summer...i just relaxed and did a little painting of the bottom half of my home...like the bathroom and the living room and the dining room. I haven't even wanted to show you the kitchen because I freakin' hate the countertops...and then I think of Haiti and I'm grateful for my ugly counters. I can be soooo ungrateful. I want to be grateful.

And then I found a new blog...knock off wood and I just added 47 more projects to my list. I'm hoping the Valentines' Fairy will bring me a table saw. Is there such a thing as a Valentine's Fairy? Anyway...I'm hoping he or she will also bring me a Keurig Coffee Maker also. I mean really is it too much to ask? I'll need the caffeine to cut the wood to finish every project! just sayin'. I need a ladder to finish painting my stairway wall. It is ghettofied! For Real. I'm going to make a list for each room...as if I'm getting ready to sell it.


This is my list for the kitchen of things I want to do:
Kitchen:
-New countertops (not going to happen for awhile)
-Paint table
-Paint chairs and recover
-Paint & install chandelier
-window treatments
-paint bar stools
-Paint the back of the cabinets with the glass doors.

I've been paralyzed by the kitchen because I keep thinking I'll wake up one morning and have new counter tops. No more. I will work with them, not against them. Can you paint Corian?

Oh.my. That is 6 projects and I haven't even left the kitchen...and I was thinking I had nothing to blog about! yikes! Don't even get me started with the living room and it's nasty carpet...needing to get new foam cushions for the couch and I want to re-do my slipcovers. Rip the carpet off the stairs and paint 'em. And I need to paint the upstairs...blah...blah...blah...woe is me. Cry me a river.

The winner of the blog makeover is:

Emily@notionsonnesting.com said...

What a great giveaway! I could really use some graphic help on my blog.

Congrats Emily!

Valentine's Pennant Tutorial

Valentines' Pennant / Bunting...I just used the fabric I had. You really don't need that much fabric and the only sewing involved in a straight line across the binding. Easy Peasy! If you don't have binding, sew the pennant to the back of ribbon instead...or whatever you have. You can match fabrics to the season or for easy decoration for a birthday party! Endless possibilities. Just have fun.


Also, don't forget to leave a comment and enter the Blog Makeover from Sweet Faerie Designs...a.k.a. my Fairy Blog Mother!

Fairy Blog Mother & A Blog Giveaway

Yes, I have a Fairy Blog Mother. She doesn't make me ride around in a pumpkin, but she does sprinkle some pixie dust...wave her magic wand and make me look beautiful! Don't you wish you had one?

She is lovely and uber patient with me. I went to her house Saturday and spent about 3 hours being a dictator of what I wanted and what I didn't want. She's the gal pal you could sit around with talking for hours about Edward Cullen and then, together peruse the internet for some new pics of RPattz...we didn't. (well maybe just a smidge) Don't be alarmed...as some things start shifting a bit...she's still working out some kinks. i.love.my.blog.to.death. AND I love my Sweet Faerie Blog Mother.

She has enough pixie dust to go around if you need to beautify your blog at Sweet Faerie Designs. And she has agreed to do a blog makeover for one of my lovely readers.

To enter:

1. Leave any ol' comment. (1st entry)
   
2. Post to your blog or twitter your group to spread the word for a 2nd entry. You must comment again for a 2nd entry. (2nd entry)
3. Grab the Sweet Faerie button and include it in your blog post for a 3rd entry. Again, you must come back and comment that you did so. (3rd entry)
   
4. This contest runs until Wed. (1/27/2010) midnight Eastern Time.
5. Winner will be drawn via random.org and announced the next day.
6. You must be on the Blogger (blogspot) platform to win the package that includes a new template and installment.
7. Graphics can be awarded to any blog platform.
   

Blog Prize Package includes:
2-3 column template (Blogger platform)
Header (Blogger and/or graphic only)
Sidebar titles (Blogger and/or graphic only)
Blog button promoting your site (Blogger and/or graphic only)

Blog Makeover in Process

As you can see, we've been changing some things around...movin' stuff about. Come back Monday, my Fairy Blog Mother is giving away a blog makeover to one of my lovely readers!

Weekend with Pioneer Woman

Well...it's true to some degree. Today is my SIL's birthday. All she ever wants are cookbooks and more cookbooks. she.likes.to.cook. So, I got her The Pioneer Woman's Cookbook. We cooked...as in we, I mean SHE...cooked 4 recipes out of this book in 3 days. I kept begging for the cinnamon rolls. I mean it's her birthday, you'd think she'd want to make me some PW cinnamon rolls. Maybe next time. So we started with the Olive Cheese Bread, sour cream pancakes, chicken pot pie and the TO.DIE.FOR. Mocha Brownies. I swear those things are like crack in a pan. just sayin'... Sorry there are no pictures of the resultant food, but we ate it too quickly! Happy Birthday SIL!

The body just...fell off.

Last night, I had a (much-needed) girl's night out! So, this morning when my daughter got up, she said "Mom, did you see the note I left you last night?" I said, "no. why?" She said, " I broke your mannequin." I said, "It's ok." Then I found the above note and thought it was hysterical...that the body JUST Fell off...like...almost mysteriously.

She slept in the Bonus Room...which is my studio / office and I, of course, don't know how she maneuvered in that room anyway. It's a big 'ol fat mess in there! Here is my poor little broke in half mannequin. It's OK honey...nothing a little gorilla glue won't fix.

Valentine's Apron

I just listed some new aprons in my etsy shop.

I also just listed this limited BoHo Spring bag...hurry!

We've been a little under the weather and it's freezing...if you don't believe me, this is a pic I took one morning. There is frost still on the windshield! Brrrrr! 15 degrees...who lives like this? I need the warm sunshine! I'm hoping Blissdom has tanning beds.

Seller's Remorse

Seller's Remorse: ,noun. ~ one who sells and has deep painful regret for the wrongdoing.


Old Farm Table I found under an old man's shed. He gave it to me for $40 bucks. I painted it white. I loved that table and the only reason I sold it was because every time my kid's would color, draw or write, their crayons would go through the plank cracks. We were homeschooling then. We're not now. Oh, how I wish I had that table again...seller's remorse.


This is a coffee table I found all beat up at a thrift store for $20 bucks. I also painted it white. Love it! The sides fold down and extend out. I'm still not sure why I sold that table. It boggles the mind sometimes. Seller's Remorse.

I also sold an antique armoire that I can't even find a picture of. It's just as well...then I won't be able to see how beautiful it once was. Seller's Remorse.

Have you ever sold anything and had deep, painful regret for the wrongdoing? It's called seller's remorse. What did you sell?

Ballard Designs inspired pillow tutorial

Hope you enjoy the tutorial...

Ballard Designs inspired pillows

My Ballard Designs inspired pillow

Photo from Ballard Designs

I was perusing the Ballard Designs catalog over the Christmas Break and saw these adorable pillows. Having gone to Paris for a total of 48 hours once upon a time...I had to have them, but not for $49.

Photo from Ballard Designs

Je t'aime all things Parisian and French. I decided to make my own pillow, which will cost WAY less. Does anyone know how to make croissants?

Edited:: Go here for the tutorial.

I'm participating in Skip to my Lou's



Between naps on the front porch

A Soft Place to Land

Name Change

I've decided to start the new year with a new name. No...not my legal name...the name I use to sign posts. I'm no longer "do it yourselfer." I am Kristi. Nice to meet you.

A Year in Pictures 2009

Looking forward to the refreshing new-ness of 2010.