Not so Lazy Tuesday

I think if the range could go on strike if would have last night. I made baked mac and cheese, boiled some eggs, baked a couple layers of chocolate cake and monkey bread. I cooked from 6:00-9:45, only taking a break to go to my parents' house to pick up a spring-form pan.

A little aside here... I understand that when you buy a package of spring-form pans, you get three different sizes. That makes sense. But it's also inconvenient when trying to make a layer cake because the layers won't match. You either have to cut the extra inch off the bigger layer OR buy two sets of the same size pans. Instead of packages of three they should be sold in packages of six.

Ok. Moving on.

Tonight Jen and I are going to use the cake to practice our fondant skills. My big mouth got me stuck making an "Ace of Cakes" style birthday cake for my friend in July. Needless to say, that is something that I am in no way qualified to do. It's going to take a little bit of practice.

Step One - Learn how to use fondant.

Step Two - Learn how to make fondant because OMG, that garbage is expensive.

My Chairs - With a Quick Tutorial

I have been working and working and working on these stupid chairs for weeks. I had grand plans of doing a really awesome tutorial about refinishing chairs (because you obviously can't figure it out on your own). But, plans sometimes change...

I started out with this. Or rather "these." There are two of them.



I took the frames and sanded, primed and spray painted them. Easy enough...



...and then noticed that, gee, the seats are metal too.



It's kind of hard to staple fabric onto a metal chair seat. I spent a couple weeks contemplating it before I decided that heavy-duty industrial adhesives were the answer. I bought a sheet of quilt batting and adhered it to three sides of the seat. Then I frankensteined an old cushion into filling for a new one.



And glued the fourth side down.



Then stretched my fabric over the new seat and cushion I made.



Wow! How great do those look!



Oh, but wait. One small problem. I can't screw the seat back onto the frame. The fabric is stretched over the groove that needs to be touching the frame. If I try to screw it on, the fabric is going to rip. So, right now the seat is just perched there on top of the chair. I wouldn't recommend sitting on it, but doesn't it look nice?



Remember how there are two chairs? Here's what became of chair number two:



DUH! A freaking chair cushion! The obvious (and easy) solution from the beginning. I could have just put a damn chair cushion on it and been done with it. This one just happens to match everything in the house. Imagine that. It even unintentionally matched the paint on the chair. It was kismet, me and that cushion.

In summary, here is how my tutorial for refinishing chairs goes:

1. Take the seat off the frame and paint the frame.
2. Put the seat back on the frame and slap a cushion on it.
3. Go have a beer because you're done.

Easy Recipe: Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

I made this last night. It was really, really easy. And delicious. I didn't take a picture of it because you probably wouldn't want to make it if I had. Beige colored food does not photograph well.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

Package of 2 refrigerated pie shells
12 oz. bag of frozen mixed vegetables
1 pound of chicken
1/2 an onion
Small can of mushrooms
Can of cream of mushroom soup (or whatever kind you want)
Can of turkey gravy
Garlic
Salt and pepper
Cheese (if you so desire)

Cut the chicken into strips and season it however you'd like. I sprinkled mine with Lawry's and chicken seasoning. Creative, I know... Boil it in water for 5-10 minutes (until it's white inside) and shred. Throw it in a pot with the veggies, mushrooms, onion, gravy and soup. Cook over medium heat (you're really just warming it up before it goes in the oven). Add garlic, salt and pepper to taste. It actually needs a decent amount of salt. I never add salt to anything I cook but I thought this recipe definitely needed a sprinkle. I think I also threw in some bay leaf and worshishtershirerer worcestershire for some extra help.

Press the first pie shell in the bottom of a pie pan. Add the filling. Cover it with cheese if you choose to. Press the second pie shell down over the top and trim off excess if there is any. Pop it in the oven at 425° for 20-25 minutes or until the top turns a nice golden color. You can also brush the top with a little melted butter before sticking it in the oven to give it a nicer color.

Easy. Delicious. What else can you ask for?

On a side note... Can you believe how expensive meat is? It's outrageous! Why is chicken so expensive? They're rotten little birds that are born by the dozen. Farmers should be giving them away for free! I often make several vegetarian meals a week because grocery shopping is insane otherwise. We tried to buy a hunk of roast beef for Easter dinner and a 5 pounder was nearly $20.

For beef?

In Nebraska?

Is that a joke?

My Issue With Home Decorating Recources

I love to read home decorating blogs but I'm becoming increasingly annoyed with them. First off, home bloggers and magazine editors must think that everyone lives in an architecturally stunning home. I do not have twelve foot ceilings. I do not have 100 year old wood floors. I to not have a patio that overlooks hills and mountains, nor do I have columns or archways.

I have this:




This is a home. This is what the vast majority of Americans live in. Houses. Average, everyday, affordable to the other 95% of us, houses. Of course I wish I was living in something Frank Lloyd Wright designed or a townhouse on Park Avenue, but let's get real. I'm 25, recently married, and a first-time home owner. I do not have the resources to afford such a home.

This lady knows what I'm talking about.

Which brings me to my second issue. Money. I want to have a great, personal looking house but I don't want to spend thousands of dollars on furnishings. If I had thousands of dollars to spend I'd make major home renovations, not buy some crazy ass sofa that my dog or morning coffee spills are going to ruin. I love good deals and cheap crap. I think it's possible to make a lovely home with next to no budget but it's hard to find the resources sometimes. And yes, that $300 lamp on sale for $99 might be a steal, but it's still $99. I want to make my own lamp with fabric scraps and $4 in supplies. But I need someone to show me how!!!

You know one person who really gets what I'm talking about? Martha Stewart. Martha gets it sometimes. I just read on her website how to create a faux wood looking table using paint and some weird roller brush. YES! Cheap! Awesome! Creative! Leave it to one of the richest women in the world to show us how to pinch pennies in style.

That's why she's Martha.

I'm trying to come up with some of my own ideas and plans for cheapo home decorating. I bought all the furniture and big stuff I can afford and now I want to make the room look full and cheery and personal without spending an arm and a leg that I don't currently have. This is a recession people. And I am certainly recessing with the frivolous spending in my life. Starting with this. I will not buy that. Even though it's on sale for $199, it's still $199. Maybe Martha can show me how to weave my own peace sign rug with old unraveled sweaters.