Decorating on Canvas

 

My daughter and I were looking for an easy, cheap project for some dorm decor, when we saw these cool vinyl words and quotes in the craft store. We found some white canvas frames on clearance, grabbed a couple other things, came home and got busy crafting!  Of course, I had to make one for the house too!

Here's what you need:

• canvas, any size you want (ours were between $3-$5)
• vinyl letters or phrases
• acrylic paint
• Mod Podge, or white glue with a little water added
• foam brushes

If you want your canvas a color, paint it first, let it dry between coats. When you have the background the color you want, then paint a layer of Mod Podge. This will help the letters stick better. We are both impatient, so we waited a few hours while they were propped up in the window sill drying. Once they are dry, follow the directions on your vinyl letters, ours said to use a credit card or Popsicle stick and rub over the letters to make sure they stick to the right side of the adhesive. Peel away the sticky side and then position the letters on your canvas, we just eyeballed it but if you want to be sure it's centered you can measure. Then put a book under the canvas so you can put pressure on the letters to rub them onto it. Peel off the paper slowly and make sure your letters stay on the canvas. 

This is the first one, before I painted over it

**After I thought mine was done, I looked at it for a couple more days...because I'm never really done with a project..I had to try something else.  It just didn't quite look right, I wanted it to look a little old and worn, so..to my sons horror, I painted over the whole thing, yep..letters and all, with gray paint, then I slowly peeled off the letters(that I had so carefully rubbed on!) to reveal the yellow paint underneath...now it's how I want it...I'm pretty sure!
The whole project was around $15.

~Simply Angie

Make Your Own Ginger Tea

Do you ever have those days that you just don't feel your usual great self? Yep, me too! I notice it when my diet changes or if I try to add something that my body doesn't like. I have always had a touchy tummy and it seems to react with different types of unpleasantness, including nausea. For a few days last week I was feeling kind of yucky and remembered I had read that ginger helps relieve nausea. I got busy and researched several web sites and articles that said ginger has many health benefits, but also precautions with usage (if you're pregnant, diabetic or have heart problems). As always, do your research and check with your doctor if you have questions.
With no obvious health issues, this is how I made my ginger tea.

 
Directions:

• Ginger root - I washed mine rather than peeling it, then broke off a couple of the roots.

• Slice into 12-15 pieces, place it into a pan with 3 cups of water. Boil for 20 minutes over medium heat. Turn the stove off and let it sit for about 5 minutes. I strained the tea so I wouldn't have any ginger pieces in it.

• I poured my tea into a very special cup, added a small amount of honey (less than a teaspoon), a squirt of lemon juice and let it sit for a couple of minutes. I poured the leftover tea into a Ball jar and am keeping it in the refrigerator until next time.

I sat in my favorite chair with my feet up, sipped my ginger tea and my nausea disappeared! For real!
 

Added bonus!
I put the ginger back into the pan, added water almost to the top and 20-25 whole cloves. I simmered this over low heat for a few hours. The house smelled so yummy!

 Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

No Bake Oatmeal Bars

I haven't ever had an "Oh Henry" candy bar so I'm not sure if this tastes like the real thing or not, but it is still a yummy treat, it's easy to make, and I usually have the ingredients on hand.  I got this recipe years ago from a friend of mine. 

Here's what you need:

• 1/2 c butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 c Karo syrup, I have always used the light corn syrup, but I'm guessing you could use either
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 c. oatmeal, I use "old fashioned oats" but the recipe says "quick cook" 

For the topping:

• 1/2 c peanut butter
• 1 c. chocolate chips 

Heat butter on low heat, add Karo syrup and brown sugar. Heat and stir on med-high until it boils. Boil and stir for 1 minute, remove from heat and add vanilla and stir in oatmeal. Depending how thick you want the bars, you can put in an 8x8 or 9x13 pan. For the "frosting" melt 1/2 c peanut butter and 1 c. chocolate chips in the microwave, in 30 second intervals, stirring until chips melt. Pour and spread over bars, refrigerate until set, then cut and store in refrigerator. Enjoy!

~Simply Angie

Crescent Taco Hotdish

Since my family has moved from MN to Washington state, we are in a temporary apartment until we find a house, we left most of our things (including my homemade and canned food). I have had to do a little more grocery shopping to re-stock my pantry. I realize again how much the cost of groceries add up. It didn't seem like much, but the homemade laundry soap, seasonings, jellies, yogurt, etc. really seem to make a difference in the budget. Even if you only make a few small changes, it adds up to big changes in the checkout lane! This recipe is one of our favorites, I actually got it from Tammi but since I left my homemade seasoning..and my cookbooks in MN, I have adapted it a little to the ingredients I had on hand.

Here's what you need:

• one tube of crescent roll (Pillsbury or store brand)
• 1 lb. of ground beef or turkey
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 14oz can tomato sauce
• I substituted both the seasoning and sauce with about 2 cups of salsa
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, or the kind and amount you like
• a few handfuls of broken up Doritos (or nacho flavored chips)

Toppings: shredded lettuce, onion, tomato, sour cream, salsa, etc.
In a greased 9x13 pan, roll out the crescent roll dough and lay it on the bottom, gently pushing it down and pressing the seams together. In a separate pan, cook the ground meat then add seasoning and tomato sauce (or salsa) to the meat. Pour onto the dough, top with cheese and crunched up chips.
Bake 375 about 25 minutes, check the bottom to make sure it's not burning, you might have to adjust your bake time.
When it's done baking you can add the other toppings or serve them on the side for everyone to top with what  they like.
~Simply Angie