Mmmmmmm Dilled Carrots

With fall just around the corner, I am getting the itch to get my canning on!  I l-o-v-e growing/picking, preparing and enjoying my very own creations.  A couple of my favourites are pickled beets and sweet chili sauce.  To kick off the weekend I decided to start with my easiest recipe, dilled carrots.  There is minor prepping and no processing of the jars.  Truly, very simple.  You will need:

Carrots

Fresh Dill

Garlic Cloves

Vinegar

Water

Salt

Jars

I started with one bag of carrots.  Peel, cut in half, cut into strips and wash.  Place one to two gloves of garlic and a spring of dill into each jar( I did this part after the carrots:).  I managed to fill five 500ml jars for this recipe.  Then pack your carrots upright into each jar.  Next you will bring to a boil 3 cups of vinegar, 3 cups of water and 3 tsp of salt.  Once boiled pour brine over carrots in jar leaving about 1/2 space from the top.  Seal with your lids and forget about them for about one week and then enjoy!

Back to School Just Around the Corner

 It's so hard to believe just how fast this summer has passed us by.  Time flies when you're having fun so I guess that's a good sign.  Although the countdown to school has begun, so has the countdown to Disney.  Our children will attend the first day of school and off to Orlando we go.  But we still have to make the prelude to school just as exciting.

While doing my daily surf of Pinterest, it's hard not to notice all of the neat school themed ideas.  From pre-school celebrations, to printables and teacher's gifts, the ideas are endless.  I would like to share a few of my favourites.

This adorable school supply cake. 

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These school notes are great.  Check out the other neat printables

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Back to school breakfast idea

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Free checklist download

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More downloads!

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First Day of School idea.  Great for the scrapbooker

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Adorable teacher's gift

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So many wonderful ideas!  What are you waiting for, get planning!

MDF Framed Chalkboard

I am currently in the process of updating the children's playroom to make it a more brighter space. I have recently painted the room a soft blue and cannot believe the difference already.  The chalkboard that we painted on the wall a couple of years ago has been lacking a little itself.  When we initially painted it we just squared it off with painter's tape and that was it. Really, it has served it's purpose and the kid's don't even notice....but I do.  I decided to trim it out with some moulding to give it a much nicer look.  

Home Depot has a great selection of trim for a reasonable prices.  I only needed two pieces which cost about $13.  We decided to use a No More Nails product because the frame was not lined up with any studs in the wall.  By the way, it dries in 10sec;).  A few simple cuts, some glue and a couple of air nails secured everything in place.

 No More Nails on the back of MDF

 a few air nails for extra support filled in with DAP

 I used some base moulding cut on a 45 degree angle for a nice edge

The bottom includes a ledge to place chalk.

Hope you like!  I love the clean straight lines and the overall decorative look.  Parker and Avery like it as well!  Will post more pics as I complete this room.

Celebration of Love

Just dropping in with a quickie today, as my husband and I celebrate eight years of blissful marriage.  I cannot explain in words the depth of our love and support of one another.  I can honestly say that I have married  my best friend and soul mate.  Here's to many more years of "us"!

$5 Thrift Store Chandelier

This has been the week of sweet deals.   I have lucked into some items that I have been on the hunt for and have purchased these things for well under anticipated. I hit one of the local thrift stores early this week and spotted this six bulb chandelier hanging there with flashing lights all around it.  I have been looking for either a candelabra or chandelier to give us light under our gazebo.  We rely on candles to give us some light which really doesn't do the trick.  Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to see the $5 tag on this beauty.  My husband basically snipped off the extra chain, stripped the wire and re-wired with an extension cord.  We ran the extra cord along the frame of the gazebo to another extension cord that comes from within the garage.  Other than the minor wiring there were no other cosmetic changes.

End Tables-Finally Done!

It has been a long 3 months since I picked this pair up (here)and now they finally have a place to reside.  I have been on a mission this weekend to wrap up some projects that have been kind of tossed to the side and I am succeeding!  These tables did need a little tweaking, though.  We replaced the wood on the bottom and also added some small feet which were actually curtain finials that I picked up in the clearance bin at Fabricland.  Initially, I had given the tables a couple of coats of spray primer, so I just needed to prepare the bottom skirt and feet.  Once dried I applied two additional coats of Rust-Oleum Heirloom White.  I did try to glaze the front of one of the tables but did not like the effect so I repainted it white.  Some light sanding and a spray varnish nearly completes these bad boys.  I repainted the original  hardware, attached and BAM!  Complete!!  This is one project that I am so very happy to finish not to mention they are also a great addition to our family room, that is slowly starting to bloom.

 

I may consider trimming out the bottom with some moulding at some point to add an little more detail, but for now I am quite content with the outcome.

Kathryn

xoxo

Porch Patio Set

Hello Long Weekend!  What better way to kick start it than with a thrifty find.  I have been looking for a small wicker bistro style set for a couple of weeks and finally scored on Kijiji.  I wanted to add some seating to our long deck that runs along side of our house. We use this deck daily as it is our main entrance.  It is so long and narrow that we have never utilised the rest of the space.  I thought it would be great to have some small, simple seating right off the main door rather than have to venture down the stairs, along the house to the back patio.  And then, there is was on Kijiji.  Originally, they were asking $50 for three chairs and the table.  The set needed some TLC, so I thought I would low ball an offer of $30.  They accepted (insert happy dance).  On Thursday I popped into town to have a look before we sealed the deal.  One of the three chairs was really damaged so I left it behind and settled at $25!!  After a few minor repairs and reinforcements it was ready for paint.  A couple of coats of Tremclad spray paint in glossy black and a stained top brought this set back to life.  The old cushions from our patio set fit perfectly for extra cushion.  

I know where I'll be enjoying my next morning coffee!

linking up with

My Family, My Life

We recently had our family photos taken and I am so happy to share some of the great shots our photographer was able to capture.  I love my husband and my children to an extent that is indescribable and these pictures say it all!  Here is a sample

Painted Patio Carpet

A few posts ago I shared some photos of the start of our summer patio.  We had purchased some new patio cushions, a few accessories and also a rug.  Well, the rug tore the first night therefore for it made another trip back to the store.  I was unsure of the material when we purchased it and my suspicion was right.  So back to the drawing board.  I have been searching now for three weeks for another carpet however many of them are in the range of one hundred dollars and quite frankly, that is too much.  We had our old rug hanging around in the garage awaiting a trip to the dump, until a thrifty thought came to my mind.  What if I paint it?  I have nothing to lose, really.  If it fails, it's not like it's setting me back a whole lot.  So I picked up a small pint of black paint and had all of the other colours on hand.  With masking tape in hand I taped off the outer edge which was once blue and painted it black.  Once dry I randomly taped stripes across the carpet.  I had eleven stripes to fill in with paint.  My colour choice was black, green, brown and grey.  I have to say it was quite easy. What worked best for me was a mini roller from the dollar store and the end result: an inexpensive upgrade!  

Pinterest & Polyvore

As you are probably well aware, Pinterest is an amazing site of endless ideas. Truly, it can be quite addicting at times, to!  I have found some of my favourite blogs while searching for some great ideas there.  Recently,  I have found myself right in love with Polyvore.  It's a great site that offers a plethora of outfit ideas, right down to including shoes and accessories.  Whatever the season, colour palette or particular style, you are sure to find wardrobe inspiration.  Here are a few summer inspired outfits that are right up my alley.