Natural Homemade Living

    I was inspired for my DIY indoor hallway sign project by Destiny at Just Destiny when I saw her on the Nate Berkus show a few years ago. I absolutely love her projects and decorating ideas and I think the indoor hallway signs are adorable. I had to adapt my signs a little because I don't have any long hallways. I decided to make my signs and rather than having them face sideways, I would hang them with the front side showing. They worked perfectly in my house of no halls! I also used smaller plant hangers due to the size of my space. I do have tall ceilings so it worked perfectly but if you are limited on the space above your doors, they look very cute mounted by the side of the door toward the top. Make sure you hang them on the side opposite the door opening or the door will hit the signs when you open it. I have one sign left to make for my pantry, then I have some orders to fill! Materials: wooden plaques (I bought mine at Micheal's) cup hoo...

Everyone in our family loves these little cookies! I remember helping my Grandma and Mom make these delicious cookies! I have seen different names for them, but we have always called them Peanut Butter Blossom cookies. They are yummy-licious! Ingredients: 1/2 c softened butter or shortening 1/2 c creamy peanut butter  1/2 c white sugar 1/2 c brown sugar 1 egg 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 3/4 c flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 bag of chocolate kisses (unwrapped) or you can use chocolate star candies. Mix the butter, peanut butter and sugars together with a mixer on medium speed  Add egg and vanilla and mix until blended. Add the dry ingredients and mix only until the dough sticks together. With your hands, roll dough into one inch balls then roll in white sugar until lightly coated. Place on parchment covered baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes in a 325° oven. Carefully remove baking sheet from the oven and add a chocolate candy kiss on top of each cookie. Place ...

This little DIY project started because my daughter wanted some Easter egg garland for her fireplace mantle. I found a cute little wreath on Pinterest and thought I would make the eggs and string them on ribbon for Easter garland. So the project began. I enjoy working on DIY projects but this one almost took me to the edge - haha!! It seemed so easy and I thought the eggs were cute but this was a more time consuming than I had planned and so messy that I almost gave up! My family made fun of me for a whole weekend because I would not stop until I got these little eggs done. I admit some of the issues were my own fault and I don't like getting my fingers sticky unless I'm making bread, so it'll be awhile before I work on another project like this! To make matters worse, I made my own liquid starch using cornstarch and water. The first batch was too thin, so I had to add more cornstarch and start over with my messing fingers, dipping and wrapping. Happ...

My good friend, Jennifer, shared this recipe a few years ago and I've been making it ever since! I like it because it is simple to make and I usually have all of the ingredients on hand. My taste testers love this! Marinade Ingredients : 4 T soy sauce 2 T corn starch 3 cloves garlic (minced or chopped) or garlic powder (to taste) Veggies, Pasta and Chicken: 2 chicken breasts, sliced or cut into pieces (remove bones and skin) 1/2 package or 2 cups low mein noodles or your favorite pasta (linguine, fettuccine, spaghetti, or egg noodles) 1 package of frozen Oriental stir fry vegetables or 4 cups if you use fresh ingredients Directions : Mix marinade ingredients together and place in a baggie, add the chicken (uncooked) and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes cook chicken and marinade in a large frying pan for about 5-7 minutes.  While chicken is cooking, boil noodles and veggies together about 8-10 minutes. (I use my pasta pan). Drain veggies/noo...

I am so excited that winter is leaving us! I started spring housecleaning last week and I am still working  on too many projects! My husband painted our powder room (guest bathroom) last weekend so I decided to cover the switch plate and outlet cover. I had originally planned to paint them but I decided to use some of my favorite vintage material scraps and Mod Podge. I thought this would be the perfect material for my Shabby Chic theme. You only need a couple of items for this little project, Mod Podge and material of your choice. I started by placing my covers upside down on the material, then using a scissors, I cut the material around them, leaving about 1/4 inch around the outside. I used an x-acto knife to cut out the sections for the switches. Leave a little extra material so you can tuck the edges inside. Using a small paint brush, apply Mod Podge onto the covers then place the material over the top. Start to smooth the material using your fingers and pr...

Simply homemade banana muffins I must apologize if you've been looking for a new post. It has been a busy couple of weeks around our house. We have been quilting, sewing birthday dresses for the twins, sewing some new spring clothes for ourselves and chalk painting some old furniture! I've also been working on a new Easter wreath so keep checking back for that fun DIY project. I'm attempting to make some freezer food this weekend so I am starting with banana muffins, although I have a feeling they won't make it into the freezer! Maybe a double batch would have been a better idea! Ingredients: 1/4 c applesauce 2/3 c milk Egg whites from 2 eggs or 1 whole egg 1 1/2 tsp vanilla 2 c flour 3/4 c sugar 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon 1/8 tsp cloves 1/8 tsp nutmeg 2 ripe, mashed bananas I mix all of the ingredients with a wooden spoon rather than an electric mixer. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the applesauce, milk, eggs and vanilla t...

We love this idea, eating a whole meal with your fingers! You can start off with some homemade chicken strips or chicken tenders! These are a favorite for kids of all ages! My family likes to sprinkle a little hot sauce over them at meal time and a few of them dip them in ranch dressing. Yummy! Ingredients : 2-4 chicken breasts, cut into strips or you can buy the chicken tenderloins already cut 2 c corn flakes cereal (I use gluten-free or organic), crushed 1 c buttermilk or milk of your choice 1 egg Directions: I start by placing my corn flakes in a plastic bag and crushing them using a rolling pin. If you roll it back and forth a few times, your cereal will be crushed. I rinse my chicken pieces with some water and place them on a paper towel to dry off. In a pie plate, I add an egg and the milk. Using a fork, I whisk them for a few seconds. Dip the chicken pieces in the egg and milk mixture. Place your chicken strips (about 2 at a time) in the cereal bag and shake t...