Friday, September 13, 2013

Photographs

Photography is a long held interest that I never pursued.  I like taking pictures, don't mind being in a picture and I like looking at pictures.  Although I couldn't tell you what makes a photo great, I know what I like when I see it.  

A few years ago, my children bought me a decent hobby camera, but after a few years it bit the dust.  So here I am, with my only camera being my iPhone 4.  But you know what? I am thrilled with it.  Those with knowledge of photography will notice the flaws in my photos, but for me, it's totally awesome.




And with Instagram Instagram , the fun is endless!





Grandsons are heaven sent.


I love that I always have my phone with me, therefore a camera too.  It may not be a fancy, schmancy DSLRQTM (!), but it works for mwah.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Frozen Creamer

I love my coffee with some flavored liquid creamer. Hazelnut is my fave with a little cinnamon shaken on top when the mood strikes. For various reasons, I don't drink coffee as often as I used to. Since I'm the only coffee drinker in the house, I was throwing a lot of that expensive liquid creamer down the drain.

I knew the creamer could be frozen, so I had the bright idea of freezing it in ice cube trays. I thought after they were frozen that I could put them in a freezer bag and use as needed. Well, that didn't work so well. They are too soft and just caused a mess every time I tried to get a cube out of the bag. 

My mind wouldn't let go of the idea though. The next time I had a bottle of creamer, I froze it in a container.




I used a cookie scoop and just scooped out what I needed. It worked great!  Now, if you like really hot coffee like I do, just scoop out what you want before you get everything going in the coffeemaker.   It loses some of the chill that way and won't chill your brew.  Or zap it in the microwave for a few seconds.  This method works wonders for me and I hope it does for you too.  I love that I'm saving money and that I always have creamer when I need it. Win, win!


Monday, September 2, 2013

Wipe Off Labels for Organizing

I went searching for glass storage jars and wound up at TJ Maxx. This all started because of Pinterest and a search I did on organizing.  My kitchen has gone to the dogs since February.  With a Celiac diagnosis, I started baking all of my breads, cakes, brownies, etc. myself.  Now I have quite a collection of different flours, gums and starches.  They were everywhere...in bags, jars, plastic bowls, and canisters.  I was burning off all of the calories before I even got the brownies made! (Well, maybe not, but it was a lot of walking back and forth, searching and muttering for one pan of brownies.  That counts, right??) 

After hitting the mother lode in glass storage jars at TJ Maxx, I quickly realized that I needed a way to label my jars.  I have purchased printed labels in the past that I would use to label my Tupperware containers.  It was a love/hate relationship.  I loved the way it looked, but I hated that flour was the ONLY thing that could go in the container that was labeled flour. If I pulled the label off, then I wouldn't have another matching label for when I needed to label the flour again.  So I knew I wanted a way to change the label if I needed to.  I thought about the chalkboard paint, but wasn't sure it would stay on glass very well.  I also thought the chalk dust might be messy.  A little research and I found these great chalk pens.  



I absolutely love these pens!  They look like chalk, but with the fine writing of a marker and none of the dusty, chalk mess.  Now I just needed the something to use as the label.  I ran to my local Jo-Ann's and could not find anything like the chalkboard contact paper.  However, I did find this...


and it worked like a charm!  They come in sheets of different colors and designs.  I have lots of red in my kitchen, so red was what I chose.  I used one of my discount coupons and purchased a punch and went to town.



I am so happy with the results.  The duck tape stays stuck on really well and the chalk wipes off with a damp towel (or finger).  So if I decide I really don't like fava bean flour, I can totally use something else in that jar!



See how the "n" just wiped right off?

I am so happy to have ran across those sheets of duck tape.  The red is so much more cheerful in my kitchen and I like the white chalk against it too.  Now that I have my punch, it will be so easy to label any new jars that I get for my ever-growing flour collection.  What would you label with these?



Jelly Jars In The Bathroom

I have always loved jelly jars since I first saw my mother make crab apple jelly.  From the quilt like texture of the glass to their small, elegant size made them special in my mind.  So the other day I was at a mass retailer and bought a 12 pack of jelly jars on clearance.  My intention was to use them to make jalapeƱo jelly for the boys for Christmas.  I did this last year and it was a hit!  However, that plan went awry...here's what actually happened to those jars.


I know I should have taken a "before" picture, but I rarely think about that until after the fact.   Just the same, I would have been too embarrassed to post a picture of that mess anyway! I decided to leave the rings or bands on the tops since they mimic the nickel finish on the hardware in the bathroom. I think it gives them a finished look that I quite like.



On the top shelf is my Netti Pot and salts. (If you have not used a Netti Pot before you don't know what you are missing.  Maybe I'll post on that someday.)  I used both the lid and the ring to keep the salt from clumping.   The next shelf holds a jar with all those little over-the-counter remedies that are always loose everywhere because the box collapsed.  (I take a fine point Sharpie and transfer directions and/or expiration date on the foil back if it isn't printed there already.)  Then there is one for bandages and antibiotic ointment.




On the bottom shelf, cotton swabs and balls dispense nicely from 
the open tops of the jars.  















Toothpaste standing tall takes up much less space than laying across the shelf. 







 Eyeliner and mascara standing upright make it easy to choose what you want.
















And finally...even wide handled toothbrushes are at home in a jelly jar on the sink. Easier to clean than the old ceramic holder I had, this one can be thrown in the dishwasher to clean and sanitize.
I hope you enjoyed my medicine cabinet remake. I'm off to the store to get more jelly jars. Hopefully they will find jelly in them by Christmas!!