Reviving and what are we doing with these in food still....

Recently received a request about old refurbish or remodeling jobs we had done in the past. 

Thought now is a good time to resurrect the old blog and create new content and traffic from the chaoti world we are living in right now. 

Here is a very interesting article. Enjoy!

11 Banned Foods Americans Should Stop Eating https://foodrevolution.org/blog/banned-ingredients-in-other-countries/ via @afoodrevolution

Tile Entry Way

Here was a small job Johan finished for a neighbor. The entry way was not to his liking and he wanted Johan to tile the entry way.
Here is the final look. The other photos are the beginning and while in progress.

Finished Look

Before

 

In Progress

 

Antique Chair Repair continued

Today now that the plywood is removed. The chairs will be cleaned and sanded.
The legs and arms will be reinforced for sturdiness and strength.
Measurements will be taken to order the correct size caning and other materials needed for the chair bottoms and backs.
If time permits the chairs will be stained today.

Antique Chair Repair

Now that the repairs for the last job are complete, the next project is fixing some chairs.

Antique chair repair is being started today. Yesterday the chairs below were acquired for repair from a neighbor. The chairs had some plywood over the areas where there were original caning weaved bottom and back. These chairs were a gift from the the mother of the neighbor. They are handmade from Mexico.

Rag Quilt

Quilting..... Have lots of tshirts from your children? Saved gabric scraps from relatives? How about make a nice quilt with the to display them and use them.
This article shows an easy way to do just that.

How to make a rag quilt

Trying things new all the time.... So thrifty we are.
Newest thing is Johan's Ebay store and the Ebay Partner Network. So much to learn.
In the meantime, check out this Firewall.

SonicWALL PRO 5060C Firewall

Wood Furniture Cleaner

Out of Murphy's Oil and needing to clean some wooden furniture.....

Try this mixture....
3/4 cup of Oil (We tried with Olive Oil.)
1/4 cup of Vinegar
Mix together the oil and vinegar in a jar. Then use to rub on wooden shelves trunks etc.
Works similar to Murphy's Oil.

Creamy Cotija Cilantro Dressing

This is one delicious dressing or sauce for dipping vegetables!!!
Creamy Cotija Cilantro Dressing

Goes great with Fish and Chicken too!

Mission today: Free PR for blog and etsy store!
First one seems real promising. 
http://www.freerankdirectory.com/blogs_diaries/technology/
Second one: how-to-find-good-deals freecouponslisting

Saving Money using gift cards

I always forget about gift cards or forget to use them when a good opportunity comes up.
Researching that topic and stumbled across some really good sites about buying and selling gift cards. Check them out.
http://www.giftcardgranny.com/
https://www.raise.com/

I also stumbled across some frugal living sites, that had some great articles! Loved the one about alternative living.
http://www.threethriftyguys.com/
http://www.frugal-retirement-living.com/
Happy reading! Stay frugal and thrifty!

Come on new year 2015!!!

I don't know about all of you, but this year has been one thing after another for me health wise. With kids that is like a show stopper because life keeps moving no matter what even if mom is out of commission and not feeling up to par. I have found some really cool sites while reading about my own health issues. So interesting to know that others feel just like you with the general feeling of malaise and blah everyday. Combine that with other infections and meds that make you feel worse than the actual symptoms one may have in the first place and it just astounds me more and more why the health system is not about a holistic approach. I guess every one has to make the $$ someway right. Just wonder how doctor's who take the oath to help people sell out to the pharmaceutical vendors and what not instead of the well being of the patients.

One of the websites I really liked was http://hypothyroidmom.com/ There is also a corresponding facebook page.  Check hers out. Enjoy!

Conquer Emails

Really trying to reduce the amount of wasted time this year. Email is a big one for me.
Always overflowing at both work and home with emails and more than half are usually just time consumers. Setting aside a specific time to address the emails and automate organization of the others into folders step one!

Some have neat ideas like the following Winter Crafts link:
Winter Crafts

Freezing Vegetables

I thought this was a great article and so I'm going to share a link to it.
Freezing vegetables

Love this site!!  So many ideas and how to!
http://ana-white.com/
Also, http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/

What a cool idea! A DIY bathroom mirror storage case.  This could be a project for 2015!
http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2014/02/bathroom-storage-diy.html

Raised Garden Beds

Out of many hobbies, gardening is one of my favorites.
I signed up for emails on http://mikesbackyardnursery.com.
He always puts up some really great ideas and tips.

This week there was one about raised garden beds and how to make your own. This is awesome!
Double the square foot for those with yards too.

http://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2014/12/build-raised-garden-bed/

Weeknight Meals - Spaghetti

Our kids love spaghetti, but since regular noodles and sauce are full of phosphates, we have made some modifications.

We used ground turkey instead of beef. Here in Texas beef of any sort is expensive and ground organic well your could buy a whole chicken for that price.  This Gluten free Brown Rice Spaghetti pasta and the organic Tomato Basil Sauce were a hit. Add a slice of our homemade bread and some salad and dinner is server in under 30 minutes.

Salad: 1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar, 1 Tbsp Olive Oil, 1/2 tsp salt, mixed well and tossed with chopped tomatoes and any sliced or chopped lettuce.

Super Laundry Sauce

Recently, I came across this article for Super Laundry Sauce. We made our first batch and I'm proud to say that the results were awesome! Laundry came out clean and fresh. These two jars will last for a while!

Check out the recipe here at this link:
http://www.budget101.com/myo-household-items/5-minute-no-cook-laundry-detergent-recipe-4075.html

Natural Furniture Cleaners tips

While cleaning out my emails, I ran across the following tips about Natural Furniture Cleaners.

• White Vinegar will clean furniture without destroying the finish. 
• Rub store-brought toothpaste gently over water rings on wood to remove them.
• Use black tea to clean and fill in tiny scratches. Use brown crayon for large scratches.

The water ring idea we will definitely have to try!

ThriftyMota eStore is up and running. Slow start but excited about getting started nonetheless.
Check it out. 
http://thriftymota.ecrater.com/

One downfall of eCrater, pictures have to be uploaded one at a time.
Makes for timely uploads unless things have one or two pictures only.