I Didn't Have A Pantry, So I Got One

All of you, you super-terrific readers, have heard that we rent.  We really like where we live and would like to buy a home soon, but for now, we're pretty happy.

But, as it happens with renting, if there is something you don't like, you pretty much have to deal with it.  For example, we don't have a dishwasher.  So, we weep nightly over our dish-pan hands wash the dishes.  For today's project, there was something we could do.

Cabinet space is at a premium and I don't think I've ever confessed to all of you that the husband is a gadget-hoarder.  For reals.  This doesn't limit itself and so we have more kitchen gadgets than an entire state needs.  Since I prefer cabinet space for actual FOOD, we had a problem.

I found a multi-purpose cabinet at Lowe's.

Source

While I was at the store picking this thing up, someone was saying, "Oh, $108? What a good price!" and I, being the eternal cheapskate Thrifty Girl said, "Really? Do you know what else I have to spend $108 on?"  It's possible that since there was no coupon to use, I was a cranky-pants.  At any rate, I spent the money (while silently sobbing) and hauled that sucker out of the store.

The assembly was easy and I put some pretty fabric on the back, as per usual...

And I set about filling up the new cabinet-turned-pantry.  Am I the only one who was keeping the spices in the cabinet above the stove?  I kept it there because that's where my mother kept it... but I am not tall enough to reach up there and when I ask the hubs to help, he starts bragging about how tall he is and I want to smack him with the parsley.

I've gotten off-topic.

I used the tiered shelves I got at Walmart a bazillion years ago and put the spices right where I can see them.

SO MUCH EASIER TO REACH.

I made a shelf for salty snacks...

And a shelf for cereals (no judgement, we have a high-fructose corn syrup deficiency in our house)...

I stuck a cheap little dry erase board on the inside of the door for writing stuff to stick on the grocery list.  I have another project lined up to replace this that will be so much cuter and organized, but this will do for now.

And I even put a command hook on the top of the inside for wreath-hanging.  I have a cute wreath hanging on it now, but I have a tutorial for it so I won't show it just now.

Look, it hurt to spend the $108.  I'm not saying it didn't... but I freed up a small cabinet and one large one, which really makes the cost hurt less.  And I can reach the seasonings without certain bragging husbands WHO SHALL REMAIN NAMELESS.

Thanks for all your well-wishes last week... I was so miserably sick but getting emails from my most awesome readers was really uplifting.  I love all of you bunches!

I Have Not Perished.

Oh, you.

Would you believe than since I've been sick, I've had emails from literally SEVERAL of you, asking how I'm doing?

I have the best readers in the world.

I have not perished.  I did not have pneumonia, which I'm told is a good thing.  I did have a case of strep throat that was so bad, they photographed it for medical journals.  OK, well they didn't but they could have.  It was really gross-looking.

But, after a nice round of antibiotics, I am feeling like my old self again.  In keeping with my true style, I'm going to detail for you all of the thoughts I had during my prolonged fever state.

If we started naming our snack foods and giving them a life history, we might snack less.  Like, I thought I would start naming Pringles individually and give them Pringle family members, so that I wouldn't eat them.

Someone should make socks attached to mittens.  During my fever state, there was a real reason for this, but it has escaped me.

Reality shows should not play on TV late at night.  If you've fallen asleep with the TV on and have incorporated the dialogue into your dream, you might wake up trying to scale the bookcase.  Much like I did.  I totally won, though.

If you're suffering with strep throat or any other respiratory illness, the worst possible book to be reading is "The Stand", a book about a plague that starts like a respiratory illness and then kills most of humanity.

During my fever, I envisioned a purse I could wear on my head.  Let's make that happen.

When I am beset with fever, I am a jeopardy master.  When I am extremely beset with fever, Alex Trebek tells me so.

During my fevered-state, I figured out that since I can't ever get to anything under the bed, the 'under the bed' should be over the bed.  I'll have to contact NASA to make this happen, though.

There you have it, my dear friends: proof-positive that even when you're stone-sober, you can make absolutely no sense.  I'll be back tomorrow with another project! Thanks for hanging in there with me!

My Important Board. For Important Things.

I showed you last week how I turned my scrapbooking cubes into a desk.  Which is working out great so far... but in order to make the desk seem more desk-like, I wanted to make a little something for the wall over it.

I painted some canvas in a pretty pink color and used the Silhouette to cut out a pretty design and the word 'Important' in vinyl...

I took some metal (that was magnetic, I'll never make that mistake again) and cut it to fit in the back.

And I hung it up. Easy-breezy.

 I took some magnets and mod podged some pretty scrapbook paper on top to give me a little extra decoration... and then I hung my most important things up.

That's right... the most important things in my life are my children, my crafting grocery list and my 50% off Michael's coupons. Priorities, people.

The Cutest Little Desk Lamp On My Desk

I'm not saying that this lamp is the cutest ever... but it's the cutest one on my desk and that title is not being challenged at the moment.

I took a lamp and shade from Walmart and set about making the lampshade pretty.  I have learned since my last lampshade cover, that there is a right way to do this: trace the lampshade onto paper first.

You have to roll the lampshade along the paper and trace as you go.  It's all very complicated and I think I slipped a disc in my back while doing it, but I survived.  When you're done, cut out your tracing and you'll have something like this (that is, if you have this same shaped lamp shade):

Do you see the picture at the bottom there? That is actually a city councilwoman in a 'Super Grover' costume. I wish I was making that up.

Now, if you are super-talented, you just cut out the fabric using this as a template.  I did not do this exactly, and here's why: If I cut out the fabric using this, I would waste a lot of fabric for the cut.  It's a wonky shape and since my fabric was cut in straight lines when I bought it, I would have scraps after this project to work with. Scraps make me sad.  So here's what I did: I folded this pattern in half and cut my fabric.  That way, I would be able to use less fabric from the roll.

Did any of that make sense? Probably not.  Ah well, at least I'm still gorgeous.

See? I folded it in half and cut two of them.  This gave me seams in my lamp, but they don't bother me at all and I didn't waste any fabric.

I ironed the fabric and used heat bond tape to get a good folded edge for my seams.

And then I hot glued the fabric to the lampshade, tucking and gluing the edges as I went.

Once that was done, I had a covered lamp... too cute!

Oh, but I didn't stop there... I added some beads to the bottom. Oh, yes I did.  I love the beaded trim you can get at Hobby Lobby, it is cuter than a bucket of kittens sleeping on top of a bucket of puppies.  'Cause that is cute.

I told you, it's the cutest lamp on my desk... hands down.

What Has Two Thumbs And Pneumonia?

This girl!

At least, they think it's pneumonia... I have to go in for a chest x-ray.

I've got posts already scheduled for the week... I just want you to think of your poor bloggy friend as she is suffocated by her own mucus.

Cheesy Bread. Sweet Fancy Moses.

First, I have to talk about a couple of things... numero uno, the hubster had his cholesterol level checked.  The doctor's office called him to come in because the results were... the opposite of good.  So, hubster, if you are reading: LOOK AWAY. NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF YOUR WIFE'S BLOGGING.  IT WILL ONLY HURT YOU.

Next, I've lost ten pounds since the beginning of the year! Painstaking exercise and diligent calorie counting? Nope... I switched to drinking only water and eating less sweets.  So apparently, I just need to put down the dessert spoon every once in a while.

On to our post!

I found this recipe on Pinterest.  I have so many things pinned and have actually made only a handful of them... so I'm promising to make good on those pins this year.  Dear readers, I give to you: homemade cheesy bread.

Here are the ingredients, all ready to take a delicious leap of deliciousness:

So few ingredients. Pizza crust (or the mix if you're like me), fresh mozzerella, minced garlic, Italian spices and olive oil.

I prepared the crust as it says on the package and then brushed some olive oil on top.

I shredded the mozzerella into some manageable-sized pieces.  (The original creator used the fresh mozzerella because the shredded stuff has a different consistency when melting.)

I put the cheese on top of the crust.

I put some minced garlic on top of the cheese.  I didn't use too much, maybe a teaspoon or so? I also took the creator's advice and put some of the oil from the garlic jar on top.

I sprinkled some Italian seasoning on the top...

And I baked it at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes.  I caught up on the celebrity gossip webpages, which I think should be required for this recipe.  After I found out that Jennifer Aniston is still not pregnant, despite what every tabloid says, my cheesy bread was ready.  And man, oh man... was it good.

If you like cheese and cheesy things, this is right up your alley... and super easy.

Hubsy, if you're still reading DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU.  Also, could you take out the trash? Thanks a bundle.


Linking up at...

The Next Domino, The Desk

I blogged last week about the crafting domino effect.  I needed a desk and figured I could use the scrapbooking storage cubes I had, but I had to free them from their current station in the bathroom.  I found an armoire that is working out splendidly, so now I'm on to the desk.

This was pretty simple... I had four scrapbooking storage cubes (I bought them so many years ago, I can't even remember when) that were being used in different rooms for different purposes.  I gathered them up, stacked them, and bought a small sheet of wood for the top.  After covering the wood with some pretty fabric, I had myself a desk.

I was watching "The Tudors" on Netflix.

 There is no outlet on this wall, so the hubbeldy-bubbelty found a power strip to give me some juice.  I'm still making peace with the cords.

 So, as you can see, there are four cubes and they're all working as a team.  Before, they were quite divided and bickering constantly.  This is better.

This is my high-tech method for storing my fabric.  It's dowels cut to fit the drawer.  Totally high-tech.  I have so much more fabric, but I have to move slowly or I get cranky.  That's just how I roll.

This is such an improvement for my workspace: previously I was working at the kitchen table.  Which is fine and all, but when gravy is getting all over your keyboard, you need to re-evaluate.  Mostly about why every meal has gravy on it.

The next step in the domino is the make-shift pantry.  Stay tuned!

Curse You, Internet Hackers.

ATTENTION TO ALL THE AWESOME PEOPLE WHO READ MY BLOG:

I had my blog professionally designed by Kimberly over at seven thirty three. She is amazing.  I just wanted to alert you all in case you thought you were on the wrong blog. You're in the right place. You are safe now.

As I recently blogged, my computer came down with a nasty little virus.  And can I just say, I wasn't even looking at bad stuff on my computer?  Like, it wasn't from downloading some less-than-appropriate video or something... I was totally innocent and they found me and poisoned my computer.  And for that, they must be punished.

{source}

In honor of the hackers who have hurt my sweet little computer so, I have thought of the following punishments that await you if in fact karma is real:

May you never again find a pair of pants that fit well.

May you always feel like there is a pebble in your shoe but never be able to find it.

May they always put extra onions on your burger when you have an important meeting.

May you always hear your cell phone chirping that you have a text, but you never have a text.

May you always have something in your eye that makes your vision just blurry enough to be annoying.

May you be the only one in the group that never gets the joke.

May the joke mostly be about you.

May there never be enough toilet paper on the roll when you really, really need it.

May you always have something stuck in your teeth but never know it.

May you never be able to afford to move out of your mother's basement.

That's right folks, I pulled out the big guns. Be afraid... be very afraid.

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's Valentine's Day! A day when eating vast amounts of chocolate out of a heart-shaped box is not only acceptable, it's pretty much required.  That's my kind of holiday.

Have you guys seen tagxedo? It's the best little website.  I made this festive little Valentine's day decoration over there:

You can make these for any holiday and in just about every shape.  I made all kinds of stuff for Valentine's day, but this is the cutest... you need to head over and try it out.

They didn't pay me to say this.  I just needed to share the love.

My Computer Has the Measles.

Seriously, people who create computer viruses have a very warm spot in hell reserved for them.

Until my computer is back from the computer doctor, I am on strike.  That's right, I'm punishing the internet for poisoning my computer.

Of course, most of the internet is unaware of my presence... NEVERTHELESS, I'm on strike.

Quasi-California Rolls

I love sushi.  Really.  Not all of it, there are things that are a bit too... sophisticated for my tastes.  Also, too chewy.

California rolls are my favorite.  I love them.  A lot.  A real lot.  So much in fact, that I insisted the hubs and I learn to make them at home.  WARNING: This post is most likely offensive to sushi chefs.  If you are one, let me first say that is an awesome job, and secondly, so super sorry.

Grab some sushi rice (different than regular rice), crab (real would be awesome but I always get the imitation stuff), mayonnaise, nori, and avocado.

To make two hand rolls, use 3/4 cup of sushi rice and one cup of water.  Put them into a saucepan and stir them up a bit.  Turn the heat to high and wait for them to boil.

Once it's boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer and cover it.  Set the timer for 20 minutes and stir it a few times during the cooking process.

Take about 1/3 of the package of crab and chop it up.

Throw it in a bowl and add a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise.  Mix 'er up.

Add just a pinch of kosher salt. CAUTION: Using kosher salt makes you feel like a real chef.  Use only if you are talking to an imaginary camera for your imaginary cooking show.  I call mine 'Crafty Girl Cooks'.

Mix it well and then set it in the fridge to chill out while we're waiting for the timer to ring.  Once it does, check on your rice.

Sushi rice is sticky, so don't panic if it seems to be stuck together.  Let your rice cool for a few minutes while you cut your avocado in half.

I only use half an avocado for two rolls, so use the one without the pit.  Throw the one with the pit in the fridge.  If the pit is in it, it won't brown as quickly. (When you're ready to use it, smack the pit with a good knife and twist it to get it out easily.)  Slice your avocado. (I'm not sure how many people use avocados, so I'll tell you that the easy way to do it is to slice it and then use a spoon to scoop it out.)

Lay out your nori.

This should be done on a bamboo mat, which I do have... but I find it's just easier for me to do it this way.  Remember, I gave all you sushi chefs fair warning.

Spoon a layer of sushi rice on top of the nori, no more than half of the cooked rice (remember, this makes two).

Spoon half the crab mixture in a line in the middle of the rice.  If you were feeling adventurous, a true California roll has the rice on the outside.  Feel free to flip it over... for me, it tastes the same if I don't and it's easier.  I WARNED YOU, SUSHI CHEFS.

Roll the roll up gently and try to make it fairly snug.

Once you're here, all that's left is for you to cut it up!  Use a sharp knife and keep some water handy... give the knife a rinse between cuts and it won't stick to the roll.

I put a little soy sauce on the plate and devour at my leisure.  You could omit the mayonnaise, add a little cucumber and make it healthier... but my body rejects all healthy things.

Have you tried making your own sushi?  Please do and tell me all about it!