A Basket Cart for Mice and Such

Going through some stuff today, I found this little basket cart.

I found it at a Salvation Army for 50 cents, and have been saving it for my niece Tessa the Besta's woodland creature's house...that I hope to complete for her birthday or Christmas this year or next.

But it was too high for them.

So I removed the basket and bent down the handle.

Now the wire part with wheels can be used for working in the garden,

or as a wagon for the kiddos to ride in...

The hay bales can also be used in the garden, the milk can in the kitchen,

and the large basket can hold their blankets and things.

I think they're pretty cute.  What do you think?

How are you making your today world beautiful?

Barbie DIY Dream Ballroom Complete...a thrifty furniture and topiary how-to

I must be in denial about my winter lay-off time coming to an end, because I'm getting silly things done and not the big, important things.  

The silly things are much more fun.

This is one project I've worked on this week.
Sara's Barbie ballroom is finally complete with furnishings and plants.

But now that I'm looking at it, should those topiaries have one more ball of green stuff on the top, or would that off-balance the room? Maybe they would just look like green snowmen.

The Wallet That Isn't Smart (Sequel to The Car With No Heart...)

This is the sequel to yesterday's post, The Car With No Heart.

Yesterday I ventured out in this southern snow storm of an inch or two, to Walmart.
Today I decided I had such luck finding deals yesterday, why not do it again?

But this time the road was 100% clear, no salt needed, all the way to Goodwill..with Sara who is yet another day out of school because of these hazardous southern conditions.

Turn This Into That: Ideas to Upcycle Toy Packaging

I'd like to invite you to play the youtube link below... to listen with me as you continue to read...

This is a song we toy-buying people can relate to...

Last night I did something productive with the toy packaging.

Some Nights I Buy a 30 Dollar Tree in 30 Minutes, Grind Flour, and Make Cheeseball

"Some nights I stay up pureeing our pumpkins.  Some nights I make wheatberry bread. Some nights I wish that I could do no laundry. Some nights I make cheeseball instead..." 

Here I am still saying goodbye to fall.

Remember our painted pumpkins?  You can see them by clicking  HERE.  Well, the good thing about painting pumpkins is they are still usable after Thanksgiving.  This also means I can take them out of the food budget instead of the house decorating budget.  yay. yay.

We lost two pumpkins this year.  My glittery, giraffe, love pumpkin and Siri's little pumpkin.   rot in peace.

The others are now pureed in the fridge.  I will freeze the pumpkin in pre-measured amounts and use them for pumpkin spice cakes, muffins,  and pies this winter.

It would also make great baby food for Siri...if we didn't pretty much already have our own baby food store in the garage.  CLICK HERE  to find out more about that story.

Did I ever tell you how I went back and bought twice that amount? I did.

Here's a pic of the wheatberry bread and local honey.

and a candle and apples.

Last night I made wheatberry bread with the wheat berries ground a week ago by moonlight. Instead of sleeping at night, I do this stuff instead. And write stories about doing these things.

 

I feel a little silly telling you how to puree pumpkins.  Do you know how?  Many of you know how. But then again, when Sara was born (almost 11 years ago...whaaaat?!!),  I remember looking up recipes for "How to puree baby food" with not much luck. 

Turns out the making baby food knowledge is instinctual for most first-time mothers, so not a lot of information available.  There were recipes for different fancy baby food combinations, like oh I don't know, mustard green beans with alpaca (I just now google-searched "do people eat alpacas"), and how to make toddler food fun, etc., but not the simple

1. put the banana in the blender.  
2. blend.   

Which was what I  needed.

Go figure.

Anyway, here's how to puree leftover, painted pumpkins.  

1. Cut them up with a big knife.

2.  Place on aluminum foil-lined cookie sheet pans.
3.  Bake for 45 minutes at 375 or until soft all the way through.

4.  Let cool until you can handle them without burning your fingers off.
5.  Peel the peelings back.  They should peel right off.  If not, use a spoon or knife to help it along a little, like filleting fish.  I don't fillet fish.  But I know about it from when I was a kid, and that's what you do.

peeeeeeel...

 

6.  Cool the now skinless pumpkin completely.  (may need to drain off excess water)

7.8.9.  Puree, Measure, Freeze.  The End.

So I may or may not have made an impulse decision to stop along the road and buy a Christmas tree with Sara.  Okay I did.  It's because there was a tree stand for 3 dollars! at the discount store. Logically we needed a real tree to go in it immediately.

THREE DOLLARS!  Half off of the half off price.  But the real tree was 30 dollars...not bad. except that we have a huge, already paid for, not as fun real tree assembled, with lights attached, sitting in our garage

 

Ta Da!  I used my superhero moving power strength.  In the house, into the only three dollar tree stand, and up it went. (You can read more about my superhero moving powers here.)   I have plans for this tree.  

And some nights, like tonight, I make Christmas cheeseball.  It is the only cheeseball I will eat.  ever. 

Now here for you is this recipe for "amazing because I said so pumpkin muffins".

They have gluten.  It's the holidays man!

AMAZING BECAUSE I SAID SO PUMPKIN MUFFIN RECIPE:

1  1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 c. packed brown sugar (or coconut sugar for strange ones like me)
1/2 c. raisins (opt)
1 egg
1/4 c. vegetable oil (or substitute applesauce for strange ones)
1/2 c. pumpkin puree
1/2 c. milk (can use almond milk)

Preheat to 375.
Grease.
Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
In another bowl, mix together egg, oil, pumpkin, milk.
Combine with dry ingredients until just blended.
Fill muffin tins (liners makes easy clean-up) 3/4 full.  
Bake 18-20 minutes. Good job.

Sara wanted to show you how the Barbie's are getting ready for Christmas...presenting to you...a youtube video by us....

Also:  I will not let you forget  Please don't forget about the ornament contest. We've had two entries already! One adult and one child entry.  Find the details HERE and win win win! 

Christmas time's a comin...

Look what's in the dough bowl.  I love the dough bowl.

My nose won't stop running.

I'm going to eat some cheeseball.

How are you making your today world beautiful?

Turn This Into That-Water Into Poop Charms and a DIY Desk Project

This summer Sara and I were shopping at a Target.  It was one of those days when we had time to go by the toy aisle.  You know what I'm talking about.  The toy aisle is the place of dreams, and when your child is along for a trip to any of the Stuffmarts, at some point you will either hear yourself say, "We don't have time for the toy aisle today," or "Okay but we can't stay long, and we're just looking!" "Yay!," they exclaim, as they bolt ahead of the sucker mom.  

This was one of her yay days, as we were out of town and had no place to go.  

Do you know what pediophobia is?

(Parents: you may want to ask your children to look away.)

What is happening here?!  This baby thing.   There could be an entire future generation suffering from pediophobia if they keep making these dolls.  The big black eyes are upsetting right? And then it has a what, a muffin hat?  And this muffin-wearing baby, Sugar Cookie, holds a mouse with equally scary buttons for eyes? And what is the mouse's hat? Oh my goodness. That's the baby's bottle!  right?  I just don't know.

The diaper is cute.

Sara and I were in the Walmart yesterday, and it. got. worse. Maybe you've seen them.This is something.

I just don't know.  The pooping/peeing dolls never did make much sense to begin with really, and now The Scary One is peeing and pooping out collectible charms for our children to pull out of a diaper, wipe down, and then keep them on a bracelet, or share them with their friends.  Sara scored two charms, since this lady, who was a very good sport, went through it two times with us.

She was lots of fun.  The diapers at the display were cute.

Moving onto a project.
We found this desk with a hutch at a yard sale. I made the desk into a desk, and the hutch into the beginnings of Sara's Barbie house. Both pieces together were 20 dollars. 

 

I scrubbed them down, and removed one of the shelves from the hutch.  This week I painted the desk drawers with a glossy paint.  

 

Sara would like the desk to be painted pink all over, but I don't really want to do it  but I think this looks pretty good like this.

If you remember this post, you know that for the past year, the Barbies have enjoyed the top floor of the hutch as their very pink ballroom. Here they are last Thanksgiving eve, preparing for Christmas while Sara was sleeping.

There is also a pool.

as seen here,

a garage,

and a horse pasture which has yet to be photographed. 

Here are some photos of the Barbies' life today. 

Ready for the ball, Sir Galahad the Pure  Ken got a new tux.

There's a new guy in town, though he doesn't seem to be trying too hard for the Barbies attention. Barbie and the Rockers Ken was found in his original box at a thrift store by brother Jason and Krystal-in-law. 

Mullet still going strong. 

He'd rather hang out with a little girl cardboard figure (a cut out from the tiki bar packaging), here at the tiki bar, than go to a formal.  He's dreamy like that.

This is how I found them today.

When the tree isn't up, the ballroom chandelier is hanging center from a Christmas tin attached to the hutch ceiling.  This way it hangs at the right height, and the batteries are easy to switch.  It's a locker magnet with a motion sensor and an on/off switch. The motion sensor works great for a dollhouse.  When Sara plays with her dolls in the ballroom, the light goes on, then turns off automatically when she's done.

Some of the ladies are relaxing on their temporary furniture. Eventually they will have couches and chairs to lounge on. Quite possibly when Sara is 17. 

I don't know.

They seem happy.

Now Barbie and the Rockers songs are going through my head. Ken didn't come with the cassette tape, and my childhood tape is long gone, but at least two of the four songs will remain forever within my heart.   "I'm dressin up....ooouuuooo I'm dressin up......"

Our generation of girls, and our brothers, despite these Jem look-a-likes gems, seemed to navigate through to adulthood well enough, so maybe the group of kids who get pooping charm babies with matching bracelets on Christmas morning 2014...well, maybe they'll push a belly button and be okay too.

How are you making your today world beautiful?

Turn This into That:A Pool Table and Swimming Pool for Ken and his Barbie Wives

If you've read yesterday's post, you've seen this amazing little dollar toy found in the grocery store.  Why so amazing?  Because it is perfect for Ken and the Barbie wives!  and because it was a dollar.  Today was the day to turn this...

Into that...

Pretty great, right?!

Click here to see how.

It's set up in the doll ballroom for now.  I taught Barbie everything I know.  She won the first game.

And since we're talking turn this into that, have you seen this?

Friend Bev posted it to my fb wall.  I kinda looked like that earlier today.  except my hair is brown.

Daughter Sara and I have been working on our little garden, but we needed more good dirt.  I was on my way home from getting that dirt, when behold....two large yard sales making me stop to buy stuff.

One of the sales was at our church.   I knew the money spent would support our youth ministry's missions trip. Also I still owed youth pastor J.P. money from their last sale. It was only right to pay off my debt...and buy more stuff.

While rooting through a box in the corner, I found this.

I attempted funniness by placing it on the counter with my other fine purchases. Friend, youth pastor, and fellow junkaholic J.P. asked if I was serious.

"Are you serious?" he said.

"Pshh," I said, "no. What could I possibly do with that?  pshh."

He said I should be able to do something with it.

Because that's what friends do.

They remind you of your greatness and potential when "facing" a challenge. 

I remembered my superpowers.

I took the headless lady who carries a bunny in her basket.

What would you do with it?
Most people would do this.

So far this is the best I've come up with...

  chore list--Sara will think it's funny.

It's not going to last, because although I don't know what it is, that's a living something on top.  Well it's dead now, but it was living, and it will rot if we don't eat it first.

At the second sale, there was a "5 dollar fill a bag" sale on clothes.  Okay.  I'll do that.  I can get all kinds of stuff into a plastic bag.  When we do "5 dollar fill a bag" at our sales, and I see people stuffing it in, I think to myself, "good job yard saler! go for it!"  5 dollar fill a bag is no time to be shy. 

So I sat down on the grass, and filled my bag.  I asked for two bags, trying not to appear too eagerly greedy, but deep in my heart I was certain one bag was going to work. I would make it work. It worked.

Some of the clothes didn't fit me, but there was a nice coat for husband Dion, and a great vintage shirt that will go well with these shoes scored at goodwill last weekend.

cheetah heels/$3...black/white heels/$5

I also put in a soft, cream-colored, winter scarf, two pair of sandals, and these vintage scarves and belts.  fantastic.

Okay, here are a few more doll house progress pics:

The new pool with real water and optional fountain is a spinach container.  The dolls can cover it with a lid when using the space for outdoor, not-pool parties.

 Check out the air plant in the seashell planter on the left.  Next-to-no maintenance, they are 3 dollars and some cents at Walgreens...or free in Florida.  :)

She doesn't want the outside of this pool painted, because it's much deeper than the last one, and she likes opening the garage door and looking underneath the water.  The light also shines down into the garage this way.

Instead we put in pretty rocks and plastic flowers.  This winter, we'll bring the fountain motor in so the water can flow all the time.  

Here the Lalaloopsys are enjoying the sun and pet/kiddie pool.  Do you know what's grosser than a kiddie pool?  A kiddie pool that's shared with family pets...or in this case a pet pool, shared by the kiddies.  Still, the other pool is too deep for Loopsys.
I like the little safety board.  The image is a temp tattoo. Reach or Throw. Don't Go.  It's made out of cardboard and duct tape.

Now I'll leave you to dream of the treasures you would squish into a 5 dollar fill a bag.  But first, see this pretty mushroom?  The humidity has been making it not-so-great for working in a garden, but it does make it great for this mushroom to grow here.  It was a gift that added beauty and happiness to this day. I hope you like it too.

How are you making your today world beautiful?

Have you turned a this into that?

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