You can be a good neighbor only if you have good neighbors

  So I was in a bit of a bind today, and I had to get creative.  I was looking for the best way to say "Sorry my dog broke your gargoyle statue, but thank you for not making us pay for it" to our neighbor down the way.  The incident happened yesterday, and since they were not home I left a note in their mailbox explaining that our dog ran up to say hi to the mail lady and knocked over their Halloween decoration in the process.  I left them my number and offered to pay to have it replaced.  I was nervous, to say the least.  We just moved to this neighborhood about a year ago, and we had yet to really meet this family.

  Well, the lady who called me last night was super nice and understanding, and she said not to worry about a thing.  She was just thankful that I let her know what happened to it.  I was extremely relieved that she was so easy-going!  So I decided to bake her family a little something to say sorry and thank them for being so nice about it.

  This was my perfect opportunity to try out a new fall recipe: Mini Pumpkin Loaves with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting!

All you need is this...

For the loaves:

1 box Betty Crocker super moist yellow cake mix

15 oz can of pure pumpkin

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

powdered sugar (optional)

For the frosting

8 oz Philadelphia cream cheese (preferably whipped)

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

5 Tbsp brown sugar

  Start by preheating the oven to 350°

Combine cake mix and pumpkin spice in mixing bowl

Add 15 oz can of pumpkin and mix for approx. 2 minutes

Cover mini loaf pan with cooking spray

Fill pan about 2/3 full for each loaf

**Try to smooth out the batter in the pan.  Every imperfection will remain in the loaf as it cooks**

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick goes through the loaves clean

For the frosting, combine cream cheese, canned pumpkin, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and brown sugar in a medium bowl and mix until smooth

**I will say that I like using the whipped Philadelphia cream cheese because it is easier to mix**

***Also, to avoid a large mess, spray your measuring cups with some cooking spray before measuring the pumpkin.  It makes things soo much easier!!***

  Once the loaves are cooked and cool, use a sifter to sprinkle powdered sugar lightly on top.  You can pipe or spread the cream cheese onto the loaves.  I chose to keep it separate, just in case some of my neighbor's family preferred to eat it plain.

  For presentation purposes, I used a large veggie tray we had leftover from the football game yesterday.  And to hold the pumpkin cream cheese, I just cleaned out my Philadelphia container and put it in there!  Add a little tissue paper and curled ribbon, and you've got a cute container that you don't have to worry about getting back!

  The nice thing is that this made 8 loaves, so I got to give 4 to them and kept 4 to eat with my man when he got home from work.  Also, the leftover cream cheese frosting will be great to put on our bagels in the morning.  The neighbor seemed to be excited about them, and she was so nice she even let me tour her house so we could compare layouts since we have the same exterior!  All in all, I'd call that a pretty good end to the day.

If you have knowledge, let others light their candles with it.

  So I know it's been a good while since I've posted anything.  It's been a busy week with work and getting things done around the home, so there hasn't been much time to get crafty.  I did, however, recently find time to use those wax shavings from my wine bottle centerpiece to create something to brighten up our home.  For storage purposes, I used an empty, glass pepper container from our kitchen.

  Before I begin this, I also have a confession to make.  I had what is fairly well-known as a "Pintrosity."  I saw this pin about putting coffee beans around tea lights to give your home a warm, fresh-brewed scent.  I didn't have any tea lights, but I did have some small votives and glasses that had been collecting dust from last Christmas.   So anyway, long story short, surrounding votives with coffee beans in a small glass just leads to a very strong burning smell in your home when the candle gets lower than the beans...

The idea

The Pintrosity

  Since clearly I would not be using the red votives anymore, I broke them up and removed the coffee beans so that I had more wax shavings to use for my project.

  I must give credit for this idea to Delightful Country Cookin'.  I, of course, ran into the link from Pinterest.  So here's what you need to create your own upcycled candle is the following:

Half gallon milk carton

Scissors

Candle wick and wick base

Colored wax shavings

White candle wax

Medium-sized pot of water

Wax boiling bags

Decorative candle holder or serving plate

Coffee beans (optional)

Candle scent oil (optional)

  To start, fill your medium pot with water and bring to a boil.  While you are waiting for your water to warm up, clean out your milk carton and dry it thoroughly.  Then, cut off the top of the carton, as shown below.

  Next, connect your wick and wick base by pinching the walls of the wick base around your wick.  Set the wick in your milk carton, and grab your boil bag.  I use Candle Magic brand bags that I bought from Michaels, but any boil bag will work.

  Now, get your white candle wax and place a small amount in your boil bag.  You will need just enough wax to create a small layer at the bottom of your carton so that the wick will stay put.  Again, I used Candle Magic brand wax crystals from Michaels.  If you have an old white candle you'd like to melt down and reuse, that would work as well.

  Once your water is boiling, tie your boil bag shut and set in the water.  After a few minutes, the wax should be completely melted down.

  Then, take the melted wax and pour it into your carton, around the candle wick.  I used a pair of kitchen scissors to hold my wick in place while the wax hardened.

  Once the wax at the bottom is hardened (should take only a few minutes), you can place your colored wax pieces into the carton.  These shavings can help further support your wick until you are ready to add the next layer of wax.

  Once you have the colored pieces arranged to your liking, you can place more white wax in your boil bag.  You'll need a larger amount of wax this time.  The amount will depend on how tall you would like your candle to be.  Once my wax was all the way melted, I added some cinnamon scent oil from Michaels to the liquid to give it something extra.  A few drops goes a long way, but if you like strongly scented candles you can add more oil.

  After your oil has been mixed into the still boiling wax, you may pour the white wax on top of your colored pieces.  Give the carton a good tap against your counter to make sure it gets between all of the chunks of wax at the bottom.  I again used the kitchen shears to hold my wick in place.

  Once the wax has been poured to your desired height, the waiting game begins.  I let my candle dry overnight (about six hours).  Feel the top of the candle to confirm that it has hardened enough before you begin removing it from the carton.  Once it is cooled down and hard, the easiest way to remove the candle is to simply tear the carton off of it.  I had no issues with the carton sticking to the candle, so it came off very easily.

  Now that the candle is removed, you can cut down your wick to the desired length, and there you have it- your very own milk carton candle!

  I used an old serving dish and the leftover coffee beans from my failed project to give it a little something extra (and also to cover up the worn, fading design on the plate).

  I set it up in the kitchen, and when Nick came home he was so excited that now he wants to learn how to make candles, too!

As I get older, my appreciation for wine has just increased

  At our house, we are very partial to red wine, and because of this we have a lot of bottles that we've collected over the years. I always like to hold onto them for various projects and ideas, and today I put some more of them to use. We've been in need of a more updated centerpiece for our dining table, so I decided to create one using a few of our favorite bottles.

For this project, you need:

Wine bottles

Candlesticks (the more colorful the better; we made ours at the pumpkin patch last year and hadn't used them for anything yet)

Long reach lighter (you're going to want the extra distance)

Wooden skewer

Paring knife

Paper towel

Medium-sized basket

Cardboard

Tissue paper

  First thing you'll want to do is make sure that your wine bottles are completely cleaned out. You're going to have fire near them, so you don't want to get that near any alcohol.  Then lay all of your tools out on a paper towel.  This will prevent any wax from dripping onto whatever surface you're using.

  Next, take the candlesticks and the paring knife. Carve into the bottom of the candle, just enough so that it fits snugly into the wine bottle. I went up the stick a couple inches to ensure that it had a sturdy base in the bottle.

  There will be a lot of extra shavings leftover from trimming the candle down.  These could be saved to create your own candles at home!

  Once the candlestick is able to fit in the bottle, take your lighter and melt the candle around its base so that it adheres to the neck of the bottle. This will prevent it from tipping or falling out.

  Now that the candle is secured, you can light it to get it melting. You'll want to let it melt until it gets a flatter top to it. This will create a little pool of wax around the wick.

  When you start to see a flat top to the candle and the wax pooling in the middle, it's time to start creating your melted candle effect.  To get the look of the wax dripping down the side, take your wooden skewer and press down on the edge of the wax pool.  This will create a channel for your wax to drip down.

 

  After a few more seconds, the wax will pool up again.  Keep repeating this process to add more wax drippings to the side of the bottle.  Notice any areas that are more bare than others around the bottle, and make sure that you create channels to cover those areas.  As the candle melts, old channels will flatten out so that you can create new ones.

  If you ever feel like there is too much wax rushing out of one channel, use the skewer to press the surrounding wax into the channel to close it up.  And if the wax drippings start to build up, you can use your lighter to melt it down and smooth it out a little bit.

Before

After

 Continue creating channels as the candle melts until you have your desired amount of wax dripping around the bottle.  This may take a while to accomplish, so I recommend having something to do for the short times in between the wax pooling back up.  Then blow out the candle and let it sit to cool and harden.  Your end product will look something like this:

  While you are waiting for the candles to cool, you can begin preparing your basket.  For this, I used a basket that was given to us by Nick's mom.  It just so happens to be a wine basket, so it even came with nice cardboard slats to set the bottles in.  You can even cut down some thin cardboard to create your own dividers if you want.  Once you have the bottles and cardboard in case, pack them in with some colorful tissue paper.

  And there you have it!  A very versatile centerpiece that can easily be altered or switched out for other colors/candles to match the seasons.

So now that I have those extra candle shavings, I think a recycled candle is going to be an addition to my project list.  Delightful Country Cookin' has awesome instructions on how to make a nice square candle with an old milk carton.

VISUALIZE!!! See it, feel it

  So I should start off by saying that I am a huge fan of The Secret by Rhonda Byrne.  If you haven't read this book and you're looking for some clarity and positivity in your life, you must check it out!  It talks about the power of positive thinking and self-fulfillment, and it's a very motivational and inspirational book.

  In this book Byrne talks about creating a vision board.  It's basically a board that you post quotes, photos, ideas... anything and everything that you dream of having/achieving.  You can easily say, "I want a better life," or "I want a better house," but you have to try to imagine what exactly would make the things in your life better.  In The Secret, the goal is positive, specific thinking and the law of attraction.

  I decided today that I am going to create my own vision board; not only for the things in my life that I want to change, but also for the things in my home that I would like to change/create.  My goals and future projects can be posted on this board so that I am reminded of what I would like to achieve each day.  This will also help motivate me to keep myself busy to achieve these goals so that I have more to do with my free time, or what little of it I may have.

  I found a few ideas for inspiration for my board tonight, so step one for this week will be designing and creating my board so that I can begin to fill it with ideas and goals.  And as I accomplish them, I can replace them with new things!

Courtesy of Adventures in Trying

I wonder if I have enough corks saved up to create this board

Courtesy of Goodwillionaire

I really like the look of this frame and clothespin idea

Courtesy of Life as a Thrifter

This shutter is adorable

Courtesy of Create Girl

This would certainly provide a lot more space!

Courtesy of Pinterest

The ribbon on this is cute

Don't agonize - Organize!

  So since I'm on this crazy mission to better organize my life, especially at home, I thought it would be suitable to create an organization board.  Just a central HQ for all the goings on in our lives.

  To start off, I must give credit to my source of inspiration.  I found a pin on Pinterest by Girl Loves Glam for creating your own organization board.  She has all sorts of awesome ideas and styles, so check her out if you have the time!

  So once I got the idea, I adjusted the layout a little to accommodate my needs and set out to gather my supplies.

For mine I used:

2'x3' piece of plywood (found at Home Depot)

2 5"x7" frames (found at the Dollar Store)

2 8.5"x11" document frames (found at Dollar Store)

2 small wicker baskets (found at Michael's)

4 decorated clips (found at Michael's)

scrapbook paper (found at Michael's)

paper print-outs (found here)

picture hanging Command Strips

paint

12" picture hanger (found at Home Depot)

measuring tape

nails

level

  I started by painting all around my board.  I found some leftover paint in our basement from an earlier room painting project, which really helped tie the colors to our existing decor.  Then I used my measuring tape and level to set up the frames and pick my layout.

  I found a really neat collection of scrapbook paper from Michael's, so I used it as a background to my printouts.

  For the cleaning list, I created my own version.  We just bought a house last summer, so we're still learning all of the upkeep necessities.  I'm sure we will come up with many additions to this list as we go on, but for now this is what we came up with.

  I used the paper clips as hangers for my wicker baskets, grocery list and receipts.

  Then I attached my picture hanger to the back of the board.  I love this kind of hanger because you can take it down and put it up again so easily.  It's great for when you want to make changes, or if you're vertically challenged like me and you have a hard time reaching the calendar to take it down and update it!

  Next, it hung everything up on the board and checked my levels one last time.  And now it's time to sit back and appreciate all that hard work!

  And it looks like everyone in the house is ready to jump on the organization train!  Bob was immediately checking in on the To Do list.

  So there you have it - the beginning of my organization binge!  Now I just have to get Nick on board...

I do some of my best thinking while pulling weeds

   So I have to take a moment to brag...  This spring, we tried our hands in gardening, and since then our garden has taken off!

  When we bought the house last summer, this is what the backyard looked like

(courtesy of Trulia.com)

  As soon as we moved in, we started brainstorming ideas of what to do with the empty gravel pit in our yard.  We had tried doing little patio gardens previously at our apartments, but they were never as successful as we had hoped.  So when we saw this little niche in the corner of our yard we knew it'd be a great opportunity to let our thumbs grow green!

  This Spring, we got to work and dug up half of the gravel pit, all the while letting our little seedlings grow indoors.  After tilling the soil, fencing the area and sweating a few pounds off in the process, we came up with this

  On the left we have three rows of carrots, a mound of cucumbers and a mound of cantaloupe.  On the right we have two rows of Roma tomatoes, three rows of cherry tomatoes and two rows of monster tomatoes.  And last but not least, in the very back we have two rows of corn.  And the two outside pots on the left have jalapeno peppers.

  We made our fence out of chicken wire, and we lined it with metal stakes for support.  Our makeshift gate is framed with bamboo poles, and all of it is held together with zip ties.  We lined the outside of the fencing with logs from our year's tree trimmings to keep anything from digging through the gravel.  It's not the fanciest barrier, but it certainly does a good job of keeping the dog and most critters out.

  So now a few months later, this is the product of all our hard work

  And here are some of our daily gatherings

 One of our first picks

Our cantaloupe is coming! (Sorry for the poor image quality)

 We had a monster cucumber!

 Now they're starting to pick up speed

So many fruits and veggies!

 I just picked all of these this morning

  I feel so lucky to be able to grow our own produce.  It has saved us money and helped us eat at home more than going out to eat.  Plus, we've had so much food that we've even gotten to share with family and friends.  With an abundance of tomatoes and cucumbers, I've been inspired to find all sorts of new recipes to try to use them.  So gardening has also been my jump start to home cooking!  Previously Nick was the only cook in the house, but even he has been very satisfied with my kitchen experiments.

  I know that our garden can only get better from here.  It's been a summer filled with trial and error, so I can't wait for next year when we get to do it all over again!  And I'm also hoping some of our melons and corn will be ready soon so we can start enjoying that too.