More Pallet Creations

We finally finished our coffee table and dog house made from repurposed pallets. These both cost us $0!
I hope these inspire you to create upcycled treasures of your own!(:

Freezer Portions Bags

 So, the other day I was talking with my Mom about these neat perfect portions freezer bags that I had been wanting to try. I mean, it's a great idea!
 While trying to describe them to my Mom I said, " you know, they're just like those sandwich baggies" . DING! A little light bulb illuminated above my head. Why pay $7 for 45 baggies from the store with a fancy label when I can pay $2 for 150 sandwich baggies?

    They work GREAT! It's so nice to be able to freeze lots of chicken thighs or whatever needs freezing in one big freezer bag. Whenever I need to thaw them out they thaw MUCH faster when they can be separated. I love this idea and hope you will too!(:

{Simply}Humidify

 Aaahhhhh...There's nothing better to bring you into Fall like the aroma of Oranges and Cinnamon in the air. I remember as a kid this smell gave me the urge to curl up by the fireplace all day!

 This cooler weather has had us running our heater some nights. It's nice to stay warm, but the dry air takes a tole on us! Sure, we could buy a fancy schmancy air humidifier, but I like this trick better, and I think you will too. (:
 My Mom always had a small pot of water with orange peel and a cinnamon stick simmering on the stove at home during the fall and winter. As a kid, I thought she did this to make the entire house smell yummy and cozy! Those two are a huge plus, but it really helps to put moisture back into the air. It wasn't until I had my own place and went an entire winter without our "humidifier" that I realized how great this little trick works.Now, I've made it sort of a tradition to simmer orange or apple peel and a cinnamon stick and sometimes a few whole cloves when fall comes around. Try it! You might find that you love it too. (:

Be Re purposful!

 OK, I'll admit it....I've gone a little overboard with up cycling nowadays. But I just can't help myself. The thought of using something that has retired from its original purpose for something new is so exciting!
 Because re purposing is becoming such a popular trend, it's so much fun to share ideas. With Pinterest and Google, it makes it so easy to find great tutorials and recipes for neat things just by typing in one word. The ideas people come up with are amazing! My most recent obsession is with wooden pallets. My husband gets them for free from his work, so there's no money being wasted on my experiments if they turn out to be a flop.
 So far, I've had a few successful creations!
A spice rack


Pallet Garden


Garden Boxes


Our Tortoise Pen



I'm working on a coffee table now. {When I say "I'm", I mean MY vision and my Husbands handy work) (:

There is so much you can do with wooden pallets. Just use your imagination!

Freezer Biscuits

Here lately I've found myself jonesin' for a hot homemade biscuit with butter and syrup. Growing up we had lots of these! Too many biscuits for dinner promised yummy snacks the next day. My Mom would cut them in half, top with a pat of butter and broil until their golden and crispy....Y-U-M-M! Or, my husbands favorite..topped with homemade sausage gravy. The possibilities are endless.
  Sure, it's easier to grab a can from the fridge, pop it open and put them on a pan (I can't say I don't do it from time to time). But there just isn't anything quite like a warm homemade biscuit (:
Once you've made biscuits from scratch, you might wonder how on earth the canned biscuits get fluffy and buttery after sitting in a can for who knows how long. I haven't got a clue.
So, I thought I would share an easy way to have biscuits on hand for half the cost... Freezer biscuits!

Find your favorite recipe for homemade biscuits. I love this recipe. After many attempts(and many failures!) I finally found a recipe that I love. 

All you need to do:
~Prepare your biscuit dough
~Cut out biscuits
~Place them on a lightly floured cookie sheet
~Put them in the freezer for abut 1 1/2 hours or until they are firm.
~Take them off of the pan
~Toss them in a freezer bag and there you go!

Now, you have biscuits when you need them without all of the mess.
When your ready to use them, just take them from the freezer and bake as the recipe says.

*(Depending on your recipe and the size of your biscuits, you may have to change the cooking time. With the recipe I use it says to bake for 12-14 minutes. But for the biscuits straight from the freezer, I usually bake them for about 20-22 minutes)*

I hope you enjoy them!

Plant Terrariums(:

Lately, I've been in a planting mood. I'd say I've gone a little crazy for plant containers.
I have jars and canisters that I have been meaning to toss but never got around to it. I'm glad I put it off! I did my best to re-use them for indoor planters. They're great for indoors because they don't leak water and the plants I have in them can tolerate being inside without direct sunlight.
Here is my adventure! (These are awesome for succulent plants and cacti)
I used an old canning jar that is missing a lid and one of my canisters that I don't use.

What you need to get started:
~Pebbles or rocks(I used fishtank pebbles)
~Some sort of container like a glass bowl or a fish bowl
~Soil(use soil that's reccomended for the plants you choose. (For succulents, make sure you use substrate or soil that stays well drained)
~ Plants!(be sure to pick plants that do well with well drained soil and filtered sunlight.)

1.Take the container of your choosing and fill the bottom  with a layer of pebbles. {The pebbles allow the water to drain from the soil and prevent root rot}
2.On top of the pebbles, layer your soil/substrate. If you like, do a few layers of soil and pebbles.(I did this with my canister.)
3.Plant. Try not to over plant your container(you want to give the little guys room to grow!)
4. For a jazzy look, you can lay a layer of pebbles on the top layer around the plants.

I did my research and got a lot of ideas from these sites!

The Chicks Are Here!(:

Ahhh! The anticipation is over! I've turned the eggs twice every day, monitored the temperature at a steady 100 degrees, kept a water dish filled for moisture and just been plain thrilled to watch this proccess! A few days ago I put an egg to my ear and was so excited to hear a "cheep cheep" from the inside. Our chicks are hatching as we speak. (:

A few days ago (21 days to be exact) we started up an incubator and have slowly been filling it up. We've been gathering fertile eggs from family for weeks now and are finally seeing success.
It's hard to believe these eggs develope a little chick inside in just 21 days!

We decided to incubate eggs so we'll have a new flock of laying hens ready by next spring. There are coco marans, barred rock, silkies, americaunas and more in the incubator. I'm hoping they ALL hatch! It's so much fun to gather eggs of different color and size from a coop. I just can't wait to cook up a miniature egg. (: My Mom used to boil miniature chicken eggs for me when I was a kid and I can't wait to do the same for my Lilly Mae!