Things I love.

As promised, more pictures of the kitchen renovation will be coming shortly. It's quite the record for our family, but the project was finished in under a week and now, much like humpty dumpty, the kitchen is put back together again. Mom can now rest easy knowing her house is clean and complete, which is the most important thing. (Cuz if mama ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy. So true). Now it's on to the REALLY fun part-redecorating. We'd definitely like to use some of the antiques we already have but also incorporate new and nifty things that fit within the color scheme we've chosen, which is light blue, light green and light yellow. Example:

I love the vintage feel of this kitchen, which is perfect for our kitchen. We have a beautiful stove from the 1940s, which my dad loves to showcase whenever someone comes to visit the house (pictures to come.) The reason we're also incorporating light blue is because of the existing flour and sugar containers my mom has. Luckily we found a beautiful fabric at Hobby Lobby that has ALL of these colors, which I used to recover a chair seat that was looking more than a little rough. It was my first time doing so, but with a little help from a video I found on Youtube and my friend Deanna, I was able to do it with little difficulty. We have a bolt of fabric left over and had no idea what to do with it until last night. We thought a little pillow would be nice, but really, what place do pillows have in the kitchen? It occurred to me, after looking at an abandoned french memo board on top of my closet, that we should make one of those instead. Mom is really excited about not using the refrigerator as a memo board and all I have to get now is a little bit of foam, some ribbon and a few buttons. I've found various templates online and should have no problem putting my creativity to work to make something she'll love.

Crafting and cooking have both been loves of mine for quite some time and I love the freedom that comes with both. Sure, you can follow a template or recipe to a T, or you can change it up to make it SO completely yours, to fit your needs and wants. With recipes, I tend to do that a lot. Once upon a time I was a timid baker, always following the recipe and measuring everything out carefully. Now a days, I'm more of a spirit baker, and I love it. Basically if my spirit says to add a bit more cinnamon, I do it. If it says to add 1/2 c. of nuts instead of 1/4, then I do it. All of that being said, I love to use great resources like Allrecipes.com as a springboard for my spirit baking. There are SO many wonderful tried and true recipes out there that make it easy to vary.

One such recipe is one that I found here:
http://enlightenedcooking.blogspot.com/2008/06/homemade-cliff-bars-no-bake.html

(Note: I in NO way take credit for her recipes). I was wanting to make some sort of Clif bar/adult granola bar one day and came upon this little gem. Who wants to pay $3 per bar when you can make your own, without all of the added ingredients the Clif company puts in there? I sure do. I started making these bars about a month ago and both my boyfriend and I have enjoyed them very much. The recipe calls for brown rice syrup and I have yet to find that (except online) so I substitute half molasses (NOT blackstrap) and half honey when it calls for the B.S. syrup. I never have any other nut butter on hand except for natural creamy peanut butter and that works just fine. Let me tell you, if you like Clif bars and are looking for an easy and healthy post workout or midday snack, you will LOVE these. I also think it's a great idea to cut them up into individual squares and have them ready to go whenever you need them. I'd love to try some of her variations too and post some of my own. YUM.

Right now I'm working on some sort of blueberry/lemon breakfast bar for my family to take up to the lake this weekend. We'll be doing some Extreme Makeover: Aunt Kay's House Edition, so please pray for the sanity of my mom and I as I'm sure my dad will be going crazy with all of the work we have to do. I'll just have to remember patience, and the art of breathing in and out.

Happy baking/creating/whatever it is you love to do, and I'll be back soon to update you on my latest and greatest endeavors.

:)