Recipes, projects & products that don’t suck.

This week on Facebook, my mom posted a photo of her mother and wrote, “My mom may be a little crazy, but that’s what makes her the BEST MOM!!!” The same is true of my mother. She’s a little crazy (let’s be honest, sometimes she’s a LOT crazy), but she sure can be a lot of fun. Her name is Sherry, but her alias is “Sharia Shriver” (Maria’s Shriver’s long-lost cousin). It doesn’t matter what it is, Sharia can turn just about anything (and I mean ANYTHING) into a full-blown news story. Just give her a microphone (a water bottle, hairbrush, fork, spoon, tiki torch, etc. will do) and a camera man–and prepare for drama and laughs. To say she’s entertaining is an understatement. She’s…

Several months ago, I decided to paint our entryway. Guess what color? Yup. Valspar Summer Cottage. Same color as the front door, the back of the hutch shelves and the pop of color on the living room wall. Now the entryway is bright and cheery (unlike the former dark olive green color). The only problem was that our entry table (a light blue dry sink cabinet) now blended in with the wall. Oops. Didn’t really think that through. At first, I considered painting it white. But it had never been a perfect fit anyway. It was too deep and not long enough to make efficient use of the space. I had a vision for something better. So I measured the space and drew what I…

During our mission trip in the Dominican Republic, I had the opportunity to teach an art project to some of the school children. I knew I would be doing this before we left, but I wasn’t certain what ages I would be working with. So I scoured Pinterest for ideas that would be suitable for ages 3 to 9. I finally settled on two projects – paper bag animal puppets and paper plate butterflies. Then I loaded up on art supplies to take along (and leave with the teachers). As it turned out, we only had time for one project, so I chose the animal puppets. I may share tutorial photos of the other project with you another day, though. The original source for this…

I have never once decorated for Valentine’s Day – until now. But now I have this hutch, this chalkboard, this white wreath and this centerpiece that all beg for festive adornment. It’s just so easy to add a few simple touches that I couldn’t resist. Besides, winter here in Michigan is drab and gray and depressing – who couldn’t use a little Valentine cheer? If you’re thinking it’s a little early for Valentine decorations, you might be right. But here’s the thing – if you want to make this garland, you’ll need to go to Target NOW and pick up these paper lace hearts in the dollar bin. Another week and they’ll probably be gone. The other thing is Hubs and I will be gone…

Just over eight years ago, Hubs and I were searching for a new house. He had to have a pole barn. I had to have a large walk-in closet. We got both. At the time, the house seemed huge – a big step up from what we had before. Fast-forward to today – the house seems much smaller now and my ‘must-have’ list has changed. Don’t get me wrong, the closet is still a must. But if I were looking for a house today, I would want a decent-sized (preferably fenced-in) back yard (for the dogs, which we didn’t have nor anticipate eight years ago). And I would love a big walk-in pantry. And wood floors. And white cupboards/trim (we have beautiful cherry wood work…