Valentine Mantle

I have never been one who did a lot of decorating for the holidays.  I guess I found it a little intimidating.  Thanks to Pinterest, I am no longer intimidated.  I have been inspired.  Pinterest has shown me that I can take the things I already own and put them together with some things I create (cheaply) and make something I can be proud of.  The mantle in the picture above was created by using 4 items I keep on it all the time, the red topiary, the mirror, the candle stick, and the FAMILY cutout andadding red candles that I already had for Christmas, a silk rose I had in the cabinet, a simple construction paper heart garland, and a Valentine printable I found here and placed in a frame I already had.  So I spent $0.  I am already planning what I want to do for Easter.  I have been scouring Pinterest for ideas. 

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you will come back later in the week to check out the preschool activities I will be hosting for Valentine's Day themes.  I am sure you will find something you can do with your preschooler. 

Until Next Time

Ephisians 1:16

Homemade Coffee Creamer

I don't know about you, but I am a coffee lover.  I have been drinking coffee all of my life.  I can remember being just a small child and sneaking and drinking Little Nanny's (my grandmother) coffee.  Funny thing is, she drank Nescafe instant, black and as strong as motor oil.  She could set her cup down and when she came back, it would be over half gone.  I knew better than drinking it all, she would have skinned my hide.  Why during the late 70's did people opt for instant coffee?  I can't stand it now.  Another story for another day I guess.

I still like my coffee black.  But for a special treat I like it sweetened and with cream.  My husband has never been a coffee drinker.  He will say "if it only taste as good as it smelled."  I think it does taste as good as it smells, I love it.  I am not sure when or why, but I got him to try coffee with one of those sweetened creamers like International Delight.  He loved it as long as the portions were 1/3 sweetened cream and 2/3 coffee.  I like having him drink it in the mornings with me, so I would pay the high price for those dairy creamers.  I also worried about what was in those store bought creamers.  One day as I was cruising through Pinterest, I came across a recipe for homemade coffee creamer.  I read through it and decided it would be a cheaper and healthier alternative to the store bought version we had been using. 

So....today I am going to show you just how easy it is to make.  You will need the following ingredients:  sweetened condensed milk (you can use the fat free version), milk (I use skim), and flavoring of your choice.  You will also need a jar/container.  I used an old pickle jar because a pint jar is not big enough and I though a quart jar would be too big.  Whatever jar/container you use, make sure it has a tight fitting lid.  You will need a spoon to get all the sweet sticky goodness out of the sweetened condensed milk can, and a measuring spoon.

What you will need.



Empty the sweetened condensed milk in the container of your choice.

Use the empty can to measure the milk.  Fill the can as full as possible with milk.

Then pour milk in container with sweetened condensed milk.

Add flavoring of your choice.  Today I chose almond hoping to get the amaretto flavor.  I have also used vanilla.  I am sure there are many other flavors that would be great as well.  Someone I was talking to even mentioned using one of those coffee syrups.

Add 1tsp or less to milk mixture.

Place the lid on the container and shake....

shake......

and shake some more.  It take a while to combine all everything.

Pour the mixture in a pretty cup. (I always pour the milk first. You don't have to stir)

Add the coffee.  (Isn't that a pretty cup?  I love these.  I got them and some bowls and plates to match at the Dollar Tree. :)

Enjoy!
It even has a little foam on top.



Repurposing an Old Window

In a past post I told you about redecorating my living room.  This has been an on going project.  I am very particular and get these ideas of what I want and won't settle for anything less than what I want.  That said, I still have a very large bare wall in my living room because I have not been able to find that one thing that makes me completely happy.  On a small wall I made a piece to hang.  I had an old window in the basement from a house we used to live in.  I absolutely love old windows.  I have been waiting for years to do something with this window.  So this was going to be the day that I finally did something with that old window. 

I started by adding hangers to my old window.  These I purchased at Wal-Mart.  They could also be purchased at a hardware store.  I don't remember exactly how much I paid for them, but I can promise you it wasn't a lot because my decorating budget slim to none.  They need to be placed evenly.  I used the panes in the window as my guide of where to place place them.  Then use just a screw driver to secure them.

This is the Martha Stewart Circle Cutter.  I purchased it several years ago at Micheal's.  I do remember I had a coupon so it was half off the regular price, but not real sure what that was, but would guess less than $10.  I used the circle cutter to cut circles out of turquoise, brown, and cream colored scrapbook paper.  One tip, I learned this the hard way, cut the inner circle first then the outer one or your cutter will not be resting on the paper and your circle will move making it impossible to cut the inner circle.

I placed the circles on the window where I wanted them.  Some of them I cut in half and rested along the edge of the pane.

I coated the window with Modge Podge (I make my own, you can see it in the corner of the picture.  I found the recipe on Pinterest).  Then place the circles back where I had them.

Coat the entire window with a nice layer of Modge Podge.  Be careful not to get the paper too wet because it will ripple.  You can see a couple of my circles did ripple.  If the do, just keep pressing them down with your Modge Podge applicator.

After the window was finished, I went a head and hung it on the wall.  I needed to put it somewhere to dry out of the way and this seemed like the best idea to me.

This is the finished project.  What do you think?  I am happy with it.  I would like to accent it with some smaller items.  I am thinking maybe some letters from our names, or spelling out the word FAMILY or WELCOME and painting it in coordinating colors.  I am open to suggestions. If you have an idea for something that would compliment my window, please share!!!

Y'all come back!
Renee

Black Raspberry Jelly, One of Life's Sweetest Pleasures!

All of my life there has been black raspberry jelly in the cupboards of any home I have lived.  When I was small my grandmother and mother would make many many jars of the beautiful purple spread.  It and apple butter where constants for biscuits, cornbread, toast, or peanut butter sandwiches.  We never bought jams or jelly, that is what city folk did because they were not as blessed with the bounty of fruit we country folks were blessed with.  Occasionally my grandmother and mother might mix it up and make some strawberry jam or peach jam if we had more than the freezer could hold.  There was always black raspberry jelly.  It is as much a part of me as going to church on Sunday morning.  If you have never had that sweet goodness in your mouth, you have truly missed out on one of the best of God's creations.  Just ask my middle youngan, he loves it.  He would eat it three times a day if I would let him.  He has been known to put in on ham sandwiches and if a little escapes from his biscuit he will take his sausage and sop it up, no joke.  After Little Nanny (that is what I called my grandmother) went home to be with the Lord, and my mom became too sick to make jelly any longer, I had to become the family jelly maker.  This tradition could not die.  God blessed me with a property that had wild black raspberry briers all along the edges and an aunt who used to run a berry farm.  So with my Aunt Betty's recipe and my God given berries I embarked on making jelly. 

This year my crop was very small.  So with a tip my aunt gave me, "freeze them until you have enough to make a run of jelly."  I squirrelled away all my berries in the freezer and left them until this week.  They freeze beautifully.  I didn't even wash them.  They are about as organic as you can get, no pesticides, no fertilizers.  I simply picked them and placed them in a gallon freezer bag.

Black Raspberries frozen in summer of 2011.

So after removing the berries from the freezer

I placed the berries in a large pot and poured 1 cup of water on them and let them thaw and warm so that I would be able to rob them of their delicious juice.

 After the berries were thawed and even a little on the warm side I put mashed them through a colander.



Other ingredients you will need:  6 cups of sugar and one box of fruit pectin.  You will also need about 6-8 small jelly jars.



I placed a measuring bowl under the berries to catch the juice.  This helps because you need 4 cups of juice to make the jelly.

If you are a little short of 4 cups of juice, you can make up the difference by adding water.  Does not effect the taste or out come of the jelly at all.  Next I strained the juice through another colander that was lined with paper toweling (I couldn't find my cheesecloth) to take out any stray seeds.

Next you will let the juice come to a full rolling boil and let it boil for 2 minutes.



While you are waiting for the juice to boil, you need to sterilize you jars and lids.  I always wash my jars in the dishwasher so they are really clean and then put them in the oven at 200 degrees to get them warm so they won't crack when you put the hot jelly in them and to kill any germs that could possibly still be on them. 

Clean Jars

Jars Warming in a 200 degree oven

You will need to place seals for you jars in a warm water bath.  DO NOT BOIL THEM!

You can also take this time to start your hot water bath that you will process your jelly in once it is in the jars.

You need to make sure you have something between the bottom of your jelly jars and the bottom of the pot, I have heard of them breaking from getting too hot.  I have just used a dish rag in the bottom before I bought this rack, works just as good.

You can also be getting your sugar measure out and ready to go in.

When the juice has come to a full rolling boil and boiled for 2 minutes, it is time to add the fruit pectin (Sure-Jel).

After add pectin, the juice needs to come back to a full rolling boil and boil for 2 minutes.

Then it is time to add  6 cups of sugar.

Stir the sugar in to the juice until it is completely dissolved.  Then you let it return to a full rolling boil for you guessed it, 2 minutes.

Now it is finally time to put this beautiful molten sugary goodness into jars.  I have pictured a couple of tools that really help in this process.  The one is a special funnel than helps you fill the jars without getting jelly all over the outside of the jar.  The blue one is a magnet on a stick pretty much.  This allows you to retrieve the jar seals out of the hot water without burning your fingers.

    Time to fill the jars.

Ad the seals.

Now the rings and tighten them down as tight as you can.

Into the hot water bath.

Cover and process for 5-10 minutes.

Let the jars cool in a draft free area.  You will hear this crazy ping, ping.  That is your jars sealing.  After 24 hours and they have completely cooled, press on each lid.  If it moves in and out, the jar did not seal.  This jar will need to go in the fridge to be used over the next couple of weeks.  Those that did seal are shelf stable for a year to eighteen months.

Now for the best part!!!! Bake you up a big old pan of biscuits (by the way, I already shown you how to do that), and ENJOY!!!

Couponing Troubles

Does anyone else have this problem?  There are two Sunday papers that have coupons in our area.  Neither are local, but do deliver to this remote area.  One paper has the Smart Source insert and the other paper has the Red Plum insert.  Do they call each other up and say "OK, you do this insert and I do will do the other that way we have those crazy coupon ladies over a barrel, they have to buy us both?"  I can drive 30 minutes away and buy a Sunday paper from a neighboring town that doesn't deliver to this area for a fraction of what these guys charge and it will have both inserts.  Let me know if anyone else has this problem.