Oh, dear,

it's been almost a month since I've last posted anything on this old blogeroo!! It's not that I don't want to post and share wonderful things with all you who stop by...there's just not anything interesting or wonderful going on during the dull, cloudy grey winter month of January.

The highlight of our month was a trip to Ohio to visit the Man of the Frumpy House's family. Well, they are my family now too, but you know...


As always it was a long and busy weekend. Trying to get around and see as many people as we could. As always on the way home the girls were fussing about not wanting to go home (some was due to knowing they were going to be going back to school ((that's another story)) some had to do with being tired!)

A wonderful tin coin bank that my FIL has....

We had the opportunity to sit and look at some wonderful family pictures...

The rest of our month has been busy with work, church, a little bit of play and some great strides in girly lessons...you know the kind, if you don't pick it up...it's going, going, GONE!! That, and Lauryn was given the responsibility of doing the dishes after dinner each night, those that are there as G and I have a penchant for doing dishes quickly so that they aren't sitting around on the counters.

It doesn't look like anyone is doing chores...Saturday morning, snowy and Shirley Temple's "Heidi"

I've been going to see the chiropractor (I worked in their office back in my hey day of early 20's) trying to get this horrible pain gone...
The good news is that the pain has subsided about 80% and I'm able to walk upright again.  Most of my problems are in the early morning after being in bed all night...whoowhee, it doesn't help that I'm not a morning person to begin with!! Pray for me, and my family!

After taking the girlies out of school for a Thursday, Friday and Monday for the trip to Ohio...they proceeded to have 2 weeks with a plethora of snow days!! If I'm remembering right they had 3 days of school in the 2 weeks. Lets just say, that those days inevitably fell on my days off. I was glad this Monday, to have the whole house to myself!!!  It was like a mini vacation (even the sun came out a few times).

We are gearing up for Valentines day...on Pinterest there are many ideas for decor and fun crafty things. I would link you to them, but then you would actually think I was going to do them, and then you would be sooo disappointed. I hate to disappoint....
I will be getting boxes and letting the girls decorate them for their school party. Lauryn will make sure of that...believe me!

What's up for you and yours during the winter months? Have you had a mild mannered winter? Or have you gotten the winter weather your region was meant to have? We've truly gotten both...& I'm now ready for spring!!

If it's spring I won't feel so guilty about putting this cutie out...allergies!! I feel bad on the nights where it gets below 0 degrees Fahrenheit & I let her in...just call me a softie!

He left me home alone...

What else was I supposed to do!?!?

Yesterday was the Girlies first day back to school after their Christmas break...the man of "The Frumpy House" was @ work...I couldn't help myself! I went thrift hunting!!

Having been on a long hiatus due to holiday spending, it was good to be back in the saddle!!

I just drove to my little town's "junk" store. I had been in there a couple weeks ago & had seen a corner fitting end table that would work good for our tv & components.

Alas, that was gone...but I found these lovelies...

They were immediately polished & set in the living room...

End of the couch and...

By the easy chair (which I also bought from this store). My new favorite place to read!!

I also picked through his Christmas things...grabbed a few bits & bobs for crafting w/ next Christmas!!

I also bought some records (my new favorite is Johnny Mathis...

Which I listened to 2 times yesterday!

Some other records for the Girlies!

Because I talked the guy down from $25 to $15 on the 2 end tables I was able to spend $18.75 on the whole kit n kaboodle!!

Yeah for thrifting!

--Jeanette using BlogPress on iPhone

Don't want You to Think...

that I went all the way through the Christmas posts and didn't mention a thing about thrifting or vintage. Cause you know that's not how I roll...

I of course mentioned in this post that I got the box for Greg at our local "junk shop". Well, I should probably state that I live about 10 miles outside of a small village (approx. 1,200 people INSIDE the village limits) & shopping is limited without a lot of travel time. There is a local family run grocery store, a Family Dollar, and a couple other specialty stores. There is one antique store that I mentioned here and next to it is a thrift/resale/junk store. Its a favorite haunt of mine...

It's owned and run by a local man who goes to estate sales on the last day and buys out the remaining items at a great price and then passes the savings on to the locals. It's not a fancy store by any means...you really want to go in there if you like digging through boxes, flipping through piles or snaking through furniture. I have bought quite a few items in my house from him...at a great price! (here, here & here) I love this store!

These are a few of the littles I got when I went there (specifically looking for a metal box and some playing cards) looking for Christmas things!

The 2 Santa mugs made in Japan. I think I paid $.25 each.  The little Angel candle holder made in Norway another $.25. They immediately got displayed on my shadow box with the other Christmassy things!

These 4 vintage ornaments...also 25 cents each. They had some bare spots where the flocking was rubbed off, but only in places that don't show if they are hanging on the tree! They were a perfect addition to the white Christmas tree this year!

I'm already planning another trip in to the junk shop. He had a large end table made specifically to set in a corner.  I'm thinking it will make a perfect entertainment center, until I come across the perfect MCM buffet (which I have yet to find in my budget)...Oh, and he probably has all his Christmas things on "clearance". He has some of the old vintage trees lights, tinsel and bulbs and I'm thinking a nice DIY project like this would be perfect for next year....

source

 I'm looking forward to a lot more fun digging for treasures as the year 2012 comes quickly upon us! How about you? Are you looking forward to doing some fun things in the next year? Share with me....It's not hard, just click the comment button and spill your guts to me!!!

Happy New Year to all my Readers (whether you comment or not)!!  May God richly bless you in all your dreams and endeavors of the new year....  jeanette

All I got for Christmas...

Was a lot of squeals & smiles from the Girlies!
I wanted to do something special forth specials in my life...the man of the Frumpy House & our Girlies! So where else would I go but Pinterest for great gift ideas...I apologize if you are fully sick of me talking about Pinterest...but not really!!

Anywhooo....to get back to the blog subject....

I made most (read all) of the gifts that I gave this year...it makes me feel good & it's fun!

I found a pin that showed some really cool "pillow/matresses" for kids. I thought about it for a bit, cause I'm not a person who sews (although I want to learn so I can hang with the "cool kids" in blogland). Then I did what any respectable woman would do & talked my mom into helping me!!

I found 4 vintage sheets that would coordinate & make two covers. Took em down to my mom's & showed her the picture on Pinterest. She did the rest.

Here's the results...

Finished project...

The girls are loving them! I'm glad I went with my gut and had my mom make these....hahaha!


The other gift I made, I made for Greg & the girls..."52 Reasons I Love You". Written out on a deck of cards (thrifted of course) & bound w/ rings...

They spent time reading through them Christmas morning...my plan is to read through them myself, reminding myself why I love 'em...especially on bad days!!

A gift I made for Greg this year actually is an idea I got from my blog/twitter friend Abbey over @ Aesthetic Outburst, she's wonderful! She and her husband just bought and are remodeling an old farmhouse in Owego, NY!! But, I digress...

I bought this metal box @ my local "junk shop"....get this .50!! Yep! I'm giving, but I'm still cheap! I picked up file folders (w/ tabs) & a pack of paper. Cut them down to fit the box...

It's now a journal...separated by months, plus a file for dreams, wants & goals @ the back! He loved it & I see him writing in it in the evenings...makes me happy!

The final 2 gifts were for the girls...they LOVE to draw/write/paint etc. So I thought it would be fun to make them a note book...you can see/read about them here...

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your family! Wether your gifts were store bought, thrifted or homemade...I hope you gave from your heart & that all was received with joy & happiness!!!

Those who know me...

know of my love for Pinterest. To say I'm addicted would be a small understatement.
For those who don't know what Pinterest is, after you crawl out from under that rock, check it out.  For those of you who know what it is, and choose not to browse/drool/dream/pin...well, you are a stronger person than I....

I have two special boards on Pinterest. One I have titled "Re-vamping My Vamp". It's all about making myself over with homemade or all natural items, or things that are low on the $$ scale. I have shared some of them with you in this post.

My other board I want to share with you here is titled "Takin' it to the Bank". It's all about ways to save money in the home...putting that extra $$ saved into our bank account, instead of the store's corporate accounts...

For the New Year I have made up my mind that I am going to do what I can to lower some of our home expenses. Mostly by making and/or eliminating some of the things we use around our home. Let me share a few with you...

#1. Cleaning supplies. Now, I'm pretty sensitive when it comes to scents/chemicals that are used in a lot of cleaners, so it's not too hard for me to want to change some things in the inventory.

I've decided (and believe me, I've been using this for the last 2-3 months so I know it works) to use basic white vinegar and baking soda as the basis for most of my cleaning supplies. I infused the white vinegar with citrus (citrus oils are also a great cleaning agent, and helps make it smell not so vinegary), by letting some orange and lemon peelings marinate in a quart of vinegar for 3 weeks.

That is now my concentrate, I mix it on a 1-4 ratio, in my spray bottle. I clean my sinks, tub, counters, table and inside the fridge with it....and so much more. The quart of concentrate is still not gone, and as I said I've been using it for 2-3 months now!
It's Wonderful!!!

For my tub/shower and toilet I add Baking soda to plain white vinegar and use it to scrub the tub and inside the toilet bowl. About 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1-2 Tablespoons of soda will clean a tub (and it's a dirty one with 2 girls bathing and leaving soap scum behind) and usually the same amount in each toilet bowl then scrub with a toilet brush. Leaves them sparkling and fresh--kid you not!

There are many blogs/websites that share many more recipes for cleaning tricks that use all natural/less expensive alternatives to expensive store bought cleaners...
check a couple out here and here!!

#2 Laundry Supplies  As I've already said, my sniffer is sensitive, so I don't like a lot of perfumes on my laundry (as opposed to the man of the Frumpy House). It gives me headaches and wheezes...so I'm looking forward to using these things in my laundry!

This past week I literally ran out of dryer sheets (I live 10 minutes away from any store, and the closest ones are not cheap big box stores by any means) and didn't want to run out and pick up a box.  Well, I remembered that I had pinned a trick on my Pinterest board about using Aluminum Foil in the dryer instead of dryer sheets. Had some foil in the cupboard so I wadded up a handful and tossed it in with my next load, which happened to be towels and jammies.
Guess what....it worked!! And the person who said that it worked on the blog said it never needs to be replaced!!!

Although, next time I have a large load of sheets and crotched afghans I may toss in another ball, there was some static in those items. I am glad to report that after 2 weeks of use, and approximately 12 loads of laundry later....it still works!! A side note, if you have a small load you will probably hear the ball thunking around in the dryer...

Then this week I ran out of laundry detergent. Not too unusual in the Frumpy House, with 6-8 loads of laundry a week! My mom had texted me wanting to know if I needed anything in the larger town...ie WalMart...since she was heading there. I had the ingredients for this recipe on my pin board, except the Borax so asked her to pick me up a box.  Voila!  Mixed it up in about 6 minutes that day and have been using it for 4 days and about 7 loads of laundry....cleans really well and it seems to brighten really well too. I should note, I didn't use the lavender essential oil that was in the linked recipe, as I don't like the scents!

I used my small food processor for grating up the soap...zip, zip and it was done! Put the ingredients in a cleaned out gallon ice cream bucket, stirred it, put the lid on and shook it around to make sure it was mixed really well.  Found an old tablespoon measure, oh, did I forget to mention you only need a Tablespoon for each load!?!?! Yep! Good to go...for a long time!!

I'm looking forward to making some more things to help out in the laundry. You can check this recipe for homemade Oxyclean out here.

I'll keep you updated and informed on any more of the cleaners/recipes I try off my "Takin' it to the Bank" pinboard on Pinterest. Please, share any great, inexpensive tricks you have for cleaning your home! I've told the husband that I'm going to start making a tally sheet and show him how much money I have been saving the household by doing all this "crazy" stuff as he calls it (although he has been very good about using the laundry detergent without making a fuss).

What are some of your "resolutions" or choices you are making for the new year? Have you decided to change something in your life to benefit you, your family, your wallet, the environment, or life in general? Share some with me...I'm always looking for something new to pin on my Pinterest boards!!

Traditions....

they are wonderful, and they come out of the wood work this time of year.
When I was a child, my mom would make cinnamon rolls for our Christmas day breakfast. She didn't just bake cinnamon rolls tho', she would lay 'em out on a cookie sheet in the shape of a Christmas tree...yep, it was fun, and special to us as kids!

So, I've been carrying on the family tradition and baking cinnamon rolls in the shape of a Christmas tree...until *gasp* this year!

This year, I've been addicted to Pinterest...and those of you who are right there with me, know what I mean...I found a recipe using cinnamon rolls that I thought would be wonderful for Christmas morning! You know what, I was right...

The recipe is from the blog "Oh! My! Sugar High", but I found in on Pinterest.

It's really quite easy, and decadent, and probably a once a year dish! But, oh, so worth it!

I prepped it all the night before, because no matter what day of the year it is...I am NOT a morning person. Never will be...

Here's the recipe:
1/4 c. melted butter, poured into the bottom of your cake pan
2-12.4 oz. can of cinnamon rolls (I used 3, because the bottom of my 9 x 11" cake pan          wasn't even covered with 2)
--Cut the cinnamon rolls up into bite size or smaller pcs.
--I used my kitchen shears & cut those buggers right on top of the butter in the cake dish

In a mixing bowl mix:
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
5 eggs
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. maple syrup
--Pour this over the top of your cinnamon rolls

I covered it and set it in the refrigerator. I'm glad to report it wasn't soggy, and it baked up wonderfully fluffy and yummy!

Add ins: You who come here often know I don't make things with out adding extra things to the recipe...here's what I did:

On the adult half only (cause you know who *cough-Lauryn-ahem* would be eating with us) I added a handful of pecan halves and snipped up some dried apples (since I had the shears out anyway)...

In the morning I set it out when I got up (at the ungodly hour of 5:30) and 40 minutes before breakfast time I turned the oven on 350 degrees. Baked that pretty thing for 20-25 minutes (it was nicely browned and bubbly on the edges). Let it sit for 10-15 minutes to get a little solid.  Opened the 3 packages of frosting that came with the cinnamon rolls and drizzled them on the top.



Can I say...DELICIOUS!!!! Add a chopped up banana to your plate & a cup of coffee. This puppy melts in your mouth, kid you not!

So much for carrying on Christmas traditions...oh, well...breaking traditions never tasted so good!!!

How about you? Do you have a traditional breakfast on Christmas day? Have you broken traditions that your family had when you were a child, all in the name of making new family traditions?

Cookies for...

Christmas Eve. Sounds delightful. I'm not a baker tho'. I do not like the mess, the baking, the time...it's all just more than I care to deal with.
Yet, Santa comes each year & expects cookies & milk for a little energy boost...although I do think a sugar high @ each house is going a little overboard...

So, after the girls informed me that we needed cookies for Santa tonight I put my thought process into gear with a cup (or 4) of coffee & got crack-a-lackin on some cookies...



Firstly, decided I was gonna make cake cookies. They are the easiest/least messy cookies I know.

Recipe:
2 lg eggs
2 T water
3 T oil
1 box of cake mix
(I used a Devil's food cake & a Yellow cake)

Drop by teaspoons on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes @ 350 degrees!

That's it. Easy peasy!! Of course since it's Christmas I wanted to make it a little fancy, so I crushed up some peppermint candy canes & mixed it into the yellow mix.



Then I carried it a little bit further & made frosting for cookie sandwiches...ummm yeah!






Mixed up peanut butter frosting & some dark chocolate frosting. For real, I don't measure when I make frosting I just add a little bit here & there til it's to my taste. If you don't want to buy you some yummy frosting here's a sorta recipe...

Recipe:
PB Frosting
1/2 c of peanut butter
1/2 c of powdered sugar
Milk (start with a tablespoon & add if it's dry)

Recipe:
Chocolate frosting
1 stick butter
1/2 c cocoa (mine was Hershey's Dark)
1/2 c powdered sugar
Milk (same as above)

Ugggg...that's the worst recipe ever written!

I scooped the cookies with a teaspoon cookie scoop, it gives you nice round evenly sized cookies which is pretty nice to have if you are making sandwiches.






They turned out great, they passed the taste testers...& we are packaging some up to give to the girl's Sunday school teachers!!












--Jeanette using BlogPress on iPhone