Here’s one of my favorite recipes for using up over ripe bananas, courtesy of my Grandma Hazel. Ingredients: 2 cups sifted all-purpose flower 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 teaspoon salt 1  and 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup shortening 1/2 cup sour milk […]

We were back working on this little three bedroom ranch at the Jersey shore that we first blogged about here.  I wanted to create a gallery wall in the living room to add some  interest to what is largely a very plain square room with […]

We love to read other blogs for inspiration. One blog that we’ve enjoyed recently is Sutton Place Designs.  Since Debra and I both sew, we’ve paid particular attention to Ann’s beautiful sewing projects.  Her lavender sachets caught our attention. Due to our frequent thrifting excursions, […]

I was all set to work on our weekly blog post last week but ended up coming down with Walking Pneumonia.  I’m not sure how I managed to stay healthy all winter but come down with Pneumonia right as the weather gets beautiful but that’s […]

When we were planning our new kitchen, one element  I thought I was sure about was classic white subway tile for the backsplash.  But when my husband and I scanned the tile options at Lowe’s, we were intrigued by these concrete beveled edge subway tiles: […]

In a previous post I shared how we used Ikea cabinets in our new home  in order to keep costs down.  When I was planning this kitchen and looking at pictures on Pinterest and in magazines, those that were outfitted in head to toe Ikea often […]

After reviewing my May calendar, I realize that Mother’s Day is less than two weeks away!  May is always a crazy-end-of-school-wrap-up month for me so now’s my chance to start thinking about a thoughtful gift for mom. This month I get the opportunity to lead […]

2013 was spent building our new home while we hunkered down in a small rental that my son Jack referred to as “the cozy house.”  The challenge of building a house during a recession is that the home we sold had lost 25 percent of […]

Over the past few years, Debra and I have organized several bake sales.  Along the way, we’ve discovered a few tips that help boost profit and make the sale run more smoothly.  This past Saturday, our local MOPS (Mother’s of Preschoolers) group hosted a community […]

I recently used Miss Mustard Seed’s milk paint to give my kitchen counter stools a makeover.  In my old kitchen the black stools contrasted nicely with the all white cabinetry. But 12 years and 3 kids later, my stools were showing a lot of wear. […]