Nesting

I am nesting this week.  You might ask "why in the world is she nesting, is she going to have a baby or something?" Well yes, to answer your question  I am.... sort of. ..  I am going to have a baby come to visit; One of my babies I should say. One of the 29 year olds... who no matter the age is still in the same category to me.  She is bringing her two precious babies... my precious grandbabies... to visit. , and it has set me to nesting... I am so excited.  Steve is too. We are cleaning, rearranging, preparing, planning birthday parties,  buying toys at the second hand store... and anything else that seems needed.  It has been two years since Marie and the babies have been home.

Today I have cleaned out the pantry... really well.  I have cleaned out the fridge, cleaned out the kitchen cabinets,  and vacuumed; now I am taking a break to type this post and find a favorite applesauce muffin recipe, because  I have some applesauce in the fridge (that I just cleaned out) that needs eating up: muffins is what I am thinking.  I am on the verge of cooking up a storm as I nest, because well, I am cleaning out... and nesting (which I think always includes food).

I have been wanting to re-organize my pantry for quite a while, so this "nesting instinct" has helped get it done.  I had wanted to buy big organizing jars, but decided it was too much money, so used up all my spare canning jars instead.  I love how organized I feel.  I got the pantry, baking cabinet, spice cabinet, completely done over with my jars.  I had some things in jars already,  but this time I did much more.

I marked everything with a Sharpie, because I sometimes forget what in the world is in that jar.... especially since I am prone to experimenting, and well, you get the picture.  I have a longing to become really amazing and buy some of the chalk board paint, and paint part of the jars with it, so that I can mark each jar with chalk, and erase when I need to... but I don't think I am going to become amazing after all.. no time or strenght; I will just have to settle for Sharpie directly onto glass.  It works well enough and washes off when scrubbed hard.  

 So if you would have come over to my house this morning, this is what you would have found if you would have opened my pantry door (its like this often, because as I have mentioned in the past, I clean it every other week I think, but  in no time it is a mess again...   sigh... oh well, what's a mother to do?)

 .... and if you would have come a little later, it would have looked like this....

 and this...

.... and this.

 Because it always gets worse before it gets better doesn't it?  I hope you're not thinking "what a slob"... but really,  it didn't start out looking like this; it became like this as I pulled everything out.  

If you had stayed and had a cup of coffee and chatted with me while I worked, you would have seen it slowly improve.

Almost everything put into jars, or containers.

 Why does that look so pretty?  I don't know either, but it does.

Baking cabinet organized

 Everything washed and cleaned and put away...

 My sweet hubby knows how enchanted I am with the red appliances/accessories for the kitchen lately.

So he has bought them for me... our blender was a must, and I just got it yesterday; I am remembering a disaster I had a couple of weeks ago with the old one...what a mess we  had.  The toaster wasn't a must, but my other toaster really was so, so ugly, and I have had it long enough not to feel too frivolous at the thought of getting a new one.  Same goes for the crockpot (the lid was broken on it).  The toaster is like a little red sports car don't you think.   You would be amazed at how often I shine it up.

 I'm fond of blue dishes.  My Mom, my girls, my friend Roxy, and my friend Shari, are all blue dish collectors; its fun to share that with them.   Red and blue; I love them, but mostly just in the kitchen for me.

 Ah, now its time for a cup of coffee while I look for that recipe.

Oh, P.S., Marie and the boys will be in Sunday night.

Iced Tea With Mint

Iced Tea With Mint

In the summertime, I drink gallons of Iced Tea with Mint. The mint adds such a refreshing aspect to the tea that is addicting to me when it is so hot.

Steve's grandparents used to serve mint tea with every dinner time meal.  They used to put mint extract into the tea. It  tasted good, and made a happy memory for us.  Now its what we do ... only with fresh mint.  I like to serve it in the cowboy glasses... the way they did.  You may not have cowboy glasses, but this ice tea is bound to quench the thirst of any cowboy or cowgirl.

Ingredients

1 gallon sized glass  jar

1 family sized tea bag (or  8-10 small bags)

7 or 8  stem and leaf cuttings of fresh mint
Good water

Simple Instructions

Put all ingredients into a gallon sized glass jar, fill up with water and brew 2-4 hours  in the sun.  Sometimes I just fill the jar half full of hot water, add the tea bag or bags and steep for  10 minutes or until I have a nice strong brew,  remove the tea bags and add cold water to fill to the top.  Add mint and allow to sit for an hour or two to develop the mint flavor before serving.  I leave the mint leaves in the jar until the tea is gone, I  rinse them and re-use them in a second batch... they don't wilt, and are still fresh for at least two batches.

Refreshment

 The last week and a half we have been blessed with rain... more than just a few drops.  It filled up our creek, which has been dry for 2 years now... it filled up the ponds and the rivers, saturated our ground and resurged our well (which was beginning to worry us).  We are so thankful.

There is a little waterfall on the left of the picture... it spills over from the irrigation ditch above it.  Every spring we look forward to hearing it rush and over flow.  But we haven't enjoyed it the last two years.  Look at it now.

The frogs are croaking away.  I like to hear them at night.  They need to be refreshed just like we do.  Thank you Lord for refreshing us.

 "....To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.." Revelation 21:6

Tiny Tin Treasure Boxes

Steve has gone to visit  our kids and grandkids this week.  It is his turn.  It makes me so happy that he is getting to go and be with Elizabeth  and Nathan and their families.  Eddie and I are home holding down the fort.  I made these little tin treasure boxes to send with Steve to the grandsons as a present for them.  I have seen Altoid tin makeovers on Pinterest, and was enthralled with them.  I can't resist "little" things..... I have a longing to touch, feel, collect, create with little things all the time.  So it is nice to have grandsons and a granddaughter to be able to make things for, and share my fun with them.

To make these, for all the grandsons, I need 5 Altoid tins.... and since we rarely ever buy Altoids, I had to go to Sams Club and get a big pack of them.... Eddie was delighted to oblige in eating all the mints for us.  He got one of the tins that he kept refilling with mints as he ran low.  Now he feels a little gypped when there are no more mints to be found in the house. The mints are meant to help with good breath... but I'm not sure how good they are for the teeth... so, hopefully the grandkids will appreciate the sacrifice that Uncle Eddie made to  his teeth in order to get these. Ha, ha; I do believe you can order un-labled tins just like these online if you would prefer.

Supplies

Altoid tins

Scrapbook paper

Stencil paint (for an antique look)
Paintbrush

Mod Podge

Decorations to glue outside and in such as:

Steampunk metal parts found in jewelry or scrapbooking area of craft store,

or check your hubby's shop

Old Monopoly, scrabble or any vintage game pieces

E-6000 glue

Designer tape (scrapbook supply store)

Ribbon 

 Scrapbooking Decorations

Stickers with quotes or scriptures (scrapbook supply store)

Worn out children's books you can cut up

Stencil paint and brush to antique tins

Any "little" thing works... buttons, trinkets, game pieces, beads, scrapbook and jewelry  trinkets, old or foreign coins or keys and so on.

I antiqued the little monopoly playing pieces to match.

This E 6000 is great for gluing the ribbon around the box, and the decorations on top and inside.  When you use it, you don't have to worry about things just falling off or popping off like you do with other glue.

Love this "Designer tape".  It can be found in Scrapbook supply stores, and like the ribbon,  is great for decorating the outside edges.

Instructions

Sorry I didn't think to take pictures of the beginning of this... but the first couple of steps are 
easy peasy,and so much of this is really just "serendipity" 
  It will come together easily for you.

1.    To begin, cut pieces of scrapbooking paper to go on top, inside lid, and inside bottom; you 
could also   cut one out for the underneath bottom if you like (I didn't decorate the
 bottoms... you could  and  it would look wonderful. Use the tin itself as a stencil. 
  Glue them on with Mod Podge,  then paint the outside of the paper
and tin with Mod Podge.

2.    Once the Mod Podge is dry to the touch (Give it 24 hours), check and make sure you
 can shut the lids of the boxes easily... if you got too much Mod Podge 
on inner corners or outer corners or  edges,   sand, pick, or peel it down until
 the lid shuts easily.   

3.    Glue  metal elements on such as keys or locks etc.

4.    Put scriptures on from Scripture sticker pack.

5.    Using your stencil paint and brush, paint edges inside and out to create an antique effect.

       You can blend it with the brush, or even smudge it with your fingers.

6.    Allow Paint to dry about 24 hours.

7.    Glue ribbon on outer edge of tin, or put designer tape around edge.

8.    Glue on final decorations.

               Antiqued around the metal elements  to keep the continuity of the aged look....

 as well as the inside edges, and outside lip of the tin

 Put the Mod Podge and paint on the outer edges of the red paint on the tin, to tone down the "new"  look, and make it look very old. Try not to Mod Podge the hinges, for this will cause a little problem with closing, and don't get the Mod Podge too thick inside the corners of the lid, or the outer edges of the tin, because it will make it difficult to close.. and take one guess why I know this.

 If you do get too much Mod Podge in places you don't want it, you can pick, peel, and sand it down,

so that you don't have any problem closing your lid... I did this and it worked.  Remember this is supposed to look old, so imperfections work into that look perfectly.

Ribbon or designer tape around the outer edge is nice.

 I gave a theme to each tin, and worked around it with tags, scriptures and decorations.

This one has an angel's wing;  I used the scripture "For He shall give His Angels charge concerning you", from Psalm 91 and put the wing on a  peg which I glued to the lid.  I then put  a little glue on the top and outer edge of the top  of the peg to keep the wing from coming off when it was  closed.  I was careful not to put too much glue on though, because I still want it to move back and forth.

 When you slide the wing, you can see a little friend hiding behind it.

 When I was little, I loved hearing about how Jesus and the Angels watched over me.  It made me feel safe.  I like to remind the little ones about that.

This one has a treasure chest pendant I got in the jewelry making supplies of the craft store.

It opens up.  

I put little tiny golden beads in it.  The top stays closed with a magnet, so those little tiny beads won't fall out.  Of course little grandson fingers might want to get them out... but that's okay.

The stickers are sheer except for the lettering; I put them all over the tin.  I also made  cards with scriptures and pictures for memory verses, and fun.

 Each Scripture card had a different element to it, and had something on both sides of the card to look at and read.

I  cut out pictures from an old torn up Richard Scarry book,  Mod Podged  it to a piece of scrapbook paper, and then mod podged both sides.  Once dry, I cut them out for little cards to play with and keep in their  tins.  I thought they might be fun to play with in Church, or somewhere they needed to sit quietly.

                        Glow in the dark stars and a few little toys added to the final treasures.

I hope these will give you some ideas of something fun to make with those Altoid Tins...I'm still thinking up ideas with them.. I think I might have to make some "girly ones" next.

Have a great week.