Natural Homemade Living

I have had this framed mirror hanging around my house in different rooms for years. Most recently it's been in the Dining Room. I really like the size of it, but I wanted to give it a new look. I used Black Acrylic paint with just a little water added, a brush, taped off the mirror. I put paper on the wall around the edges and painted it-right on the wall!  It took less than 30 minutes! Now my mirror...and my room, have a whole new look!  ~ Angie

Wow - what a crazy busy week! I'm not sure if it's just me but it seems that the summer days are flying by! Busy schedules means projects are piling up! So I have decided I needed to get back on track. I started with a suggestion from my husband, food! I guess in retrospect I can't really remember what we ate for supper last week, but I'm sure we ate! During the summer, I'm sure I could live on yogurt, granola, veggies, and fruit, but it seems that my husband is asking for a little more than that - haha!! Here are a few of my tips: For the grill: I always grill a few types of meat, fish or poultry at the same time. My usual routine includes 3-4 chicken breasts (enough for 3-5 meals), 2 buffalo burgers (enough for 1 meal), and a pound of cod wrapped in foil (enough for 2-3 meals).  My favorite side grilled dish: Wrap in foil: baby potatoes, zucchini cut in 1 inch chunks, red onions cut in 1/2 inch chunks, 2 garlic cloves diced, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle...

The other day the Farmer's Market had pickling cucumbers and fresh dill available and I just couldn't resist, I ended up buying 4 pounds of cucumbers and a couple bunches of dill.  I found several recipes that I had used in the past and adapted a little from all of them to make these refrigerator dills. They were ready to eat about 2-3 days later. This recipe made 6 quarts of crunchy, delicious pickles! What you need: Jars, I used Quart size 4 pounds pickling cucumbers or you can use regular cucumbers if that's what you have fresh dill, I used about 3 heads per jar(2 on bottom and 1 on top) fresh garlic, I used one clove in each jar one large onion sliced 1 Tablespoon of sugar per quart jar For the brine: 12 cups water 5 cups white vinegar 1 cup salt, I used sea salt but you can use pickling salt also Bring brine to a boil. In each quart jar: add 1 slice of onion, 1 clove of garlic and 2 sprigs of dill on the bottom, then put in the sliced cucumbers...

Blueberries and lemons are a great combination! I found this recipe (and made a few minor changes) at www.mybakingaddiction.com .  I served them warm...and yes, they are so YUMMY!  Ingredients: zest of 2 lemons (about 1/2 cup) 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 1/4 cup canola oil 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp baking soda 3/4 tsp sea salt 1 cup milk 1 1/3 cups fresh blueberries Glaze : 3 T unsalted butter, melted 1 cup powdered sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla 2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice Directions : Preheat oven to 325F, line muffin pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, mix lemon zest and sugars together. I used a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and creamed together the sugars, butter, oil then added the eggs and vanilla, until all ingredients were mixed. Add flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk to your butter...

My garden cucumbers are finally ready - yay!! I love to use cucumbers in summer salads, but one of my other favorites is to make a creamy sauce for them.  I like to serve these within a couple of days when I make them in the sauce otherwise they will get a little soggy. I like my sauce on the sweet side, but you may experiment with the amount of sweetener you use. Ingredients : 4 cucumbers 1/3 cup mayonnaise 1/3 cup plain yogurt, Greek style works great 2 T white vinegar 2-3 T agave or sugar to taste 2 tsp diced shallots or onions (optional) Salt and pepper to taste Peel cucumbers if the outsides are thick, otherwise slice them without peeling.  In a medium bowl, whisk mayonnaise and vinegar together until creamy. Add sweetener to taste. Add diced shallots or onion.  Add sliced cucumbers, cover and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.    Love and peace, ~ Simply Tammi

If you have some scrap material that you don't know what to do with, I have the perfect, simple project for you! During the hot summer months, cold drinks are a must but you might notice that your beverage glasses will sweat and leave a ring of water on your desk or table. I was tired of the papers on my desk getting wet, so I decided to make some mug and glass mats based on a place mat idea but smaller. And now, no more rings of water! The mat absorbs the water and it dries rather quickly. I gave a few to my daughter, so I guess they could be used as gifts too! I started with 2 kinds of material. The first was quilted material and the second was denim from old jeans (that holds some sentimental value for our family). I used denim with pockets for a few mats because I thought it was kind of cute! My daughter had a great idea with the jeans pocket, she said she could use that one for a remote control holder. I like that idea too! These are my steps: First, I cut my material i...

With the weather here in the midwest being so hot lately(100 degrees) today and last week in the high 90's, I was really looking for something cool and refreshing. I had been wanting to make this recipe for a while but hadn't had time, there is a little planning involved...and I'm not really much of a planner.  It's really not hard to make but you do need a little time.   Here's what you need: 4 small packages (3 oz size) of jell-o, I picked 4 different flavors but you can use any combination of 4. 2 packets of unflavored gelatin(I used Knox brand) 1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk  1/2 c. cold water 1 1/2 c. boiling water  So here is the planning part- you need to make this a couple days before you want to eat it.  Make the 4 packages of jello (use the directions on the box) I made mine in these small 3 and 4 cup containers. You don't want the jello to be too thin.  After the jell-o is set up(about 4 hours) cut it up into sm...

Try this simple DIY project for a gift idea using tile squares for coasters or displaying as a plaque. For a special occasion gift, I decorated a tile using decals and a rubber stamp for my grandson's baptism. I used metal beads with the date of his baptism on the side. I also decorated the back with scrapbook paper and a special quote. You can make a tile for any special occasion. The possibilities are endless! You could use a wedding invitation, your favorite scrap booking paper then decoupage it on the tiles, you can use decals and stickers, you can paint your own design with acrylic paint. You can also use colored tiles and place a quote on another material, such as metal and decorate the coaster with beads, etc. If I am making coasters for gifts, I usually make 4 coasters and wrap a ribbon around them for an extra touch. For special occasions, I like to give one coaster with an easel for display purposes. What I Used For My Coasters: Tile squares, I bought the field sto...

My sister shared this recipe with me a few years ago and I have been making it ever since! Even though I have to bend my rules with packaged foods, it's worth it once in awhile! I have substituted homemade or organic ingredients for this also, such as the yogurt, pudding, and whipped topping. But for today, I am going to give you the version we use most often, especially if we're in a hurry! It's easy to put together, it's pretty, and of course...it's so yummy! Ingredients : 32 oz carton (4 cups) strawberry yogurt, I use Dannon Light-n-Fit 2 small packages instant cheesecake pudding (you can use sugar-free pudding, white chocolate or vanilla flavor if you don't like the cheesecake flavor) 2-3 cups fresh, sliced strawberries (I like to use 3 cups) 1 8 oz carton whipped topping (Cool-Whip) Whisk the yogurt and pudding together in a large bowl, fold in the strawberries with a spatula, then gently stir in the whipped topping. Refrigerate at least an hour befo...

Another family favorite, this time it's a cookie recipe - m&m cookies! I usually buy the organic chips, but I wanted to be frugal, I had leftover m&m candies from our graduation party (in the freezer), so I used those. These cookies are colorful, chewy on the inside, and a little crunchy with the chocolate candies in them, a great treat for big and little kids! Ingredients : 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup coconut oil (you could use 1 c butter if you don't have coconut oil) 1 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 eggs 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp sea salt 1 tsp baking soda 2 3/4 cups unbleached, all purpose flour 1 cup M&Ms Mix the butter, coconut oil, and sugars until they are creamy.  Add eggs and vanilla, mix well until your dough is on the "fluffy" side.  Add salt, soda, and flour, mix well.    Stir in the m&m candies with a spatula or wooden spoon. * Tip: I...

Add these awesome beans to your next picnic! These take more time than opening a can, but they are sweet and delicious! You can also add meat such as bacon, Canadian bacon, ham or hamburger to this recipe. I cook these on the stove but you can also make them in a crock pot (after step 3). You will need to cook them on high for about 4 hours or 8 hours on low, if you are using a crock pot. Ingredients : 1 bag dried navy beans (1 pound) 1 shallot, diced 3 garlic cloves, diced 1 T cumin 1/4 cup oil 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce or 1 c tomato sauce (homemade sauce works great) 2 tsp kosher salt 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1-2 T honey mustard or Dijon mustard 2 1/2 cups water Rinse and drain your navy beans then put them into a medium size pan. Cover the beans with water (about an inch above the beans) and heat them until they boil. Turn off the heat, cover and let them sit for 2 hours. (Another option for this step, if you have the time you can let...

I have recovered my favorite old chair for the second time. I left the bright pink fabric underneath just in case I want to bring it back, but for now I wanted a softer look in my living room. I had leftover material (an old comforter) from my shabby chic ottoman project so I decided to use that, here is that project Shabby Chic Ottoman Project. I simply removed the seat from the chair, laid it on my fabric and added about 4 inches all around, enough to be able to fold over the wood piece on the bottom. Use a staple gun to secure the fabric and just keep pulling the material as you work around the seat. I folded the corners and gathered them a little. This project took about 30 minutes from start to finish. My favorite part is that I can take off the material and return to my bright color when I get tired of the soft look. Softer look that matches the ottoman Love and peace, ~ Simply Tammi

Banana pudding is a favorite at our house and today I just had to make some! I have used this recipe for a long time but just recently I started using vanilla beans instead of vanilla extract because I love, love vanilla beans! I have a little friendly advice before you start cooking, if you're in a hurry, you should wait until you have some time to stand by the stove, it'll take about 15 minutes of stirring. It'll be worth it, I promise! My taste-testers call this very yummy-licious! Ingredients: 2 cups milk (I used 2%) 3 egg yolks 1/3 cup flour or cornstarch (I used flour this time) 1/2 cup white sugar 1/8 tsp sea salt 1/2 vanilla bean (scraped) or 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 bananas, sliced 20-30 vanilla wafers Before you start cooking your pudding, line the bottom and sides of a medium size bowl or pan with vanilla wafers. Slice your bananas and place over the vanilla wafers. Then repeat, I make 2 layers and end with bananas on the top....

Do you ever have something that you really like but it doesn't quite go with your decor or you can't find the right place for it? I had this tray and turntable tucked in a closet, they were useful but didn't go with my decor. So I got my "go to" contact paper and covered them. Then when my decorating colors change I can just peel it off and do something different! It took less than 10 minutes to update! ~Simply Angie

After endless shopping trips (ok maybe only 2) I could not find anything to hang on my bathroom wall. All I needed was one picture or a cute little combination of "something" to hang on the wall, I found nothing! My friend and I saw a DIY idea on pinterest, so she tried it. It turned out really cute so I decided that I would try it. She used spray paint for hers, but since I still have spray paint on my deck railing and table from my last spray paint project, I decided to use acrylic paint with a brush! This was a much safer method for me and it worked great! What You Need: 2 artist canvases, I used the 8x10 size but choose the size(s) that works for your space acrylic paint or spray paint, color of your choice, I used light pink wood letters glue, I used E6000 (it's my favorite but a little stinky at first) I painted my canvases and let them dry. I found some wood words at our local craft store, so I used those instead of separate letters. I painted the word...