Jewelry Box Makeover: Personalized Gift

For my niece’s 6th birthday I wanted to make her something special.  Because she is glamorous, I figured anything related to jewelry would be a good fit.  At the GW Boutique (ahem, Goodwill), I found the perfect starting point- a child sized jewelry box for $4.  Score!  With a little bit of paint and time, I ended up with a gift she really loved.

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Teach Your Spouse (Or Yourself) to Cook – Lesson 1: Chicken Parmigiana

Originally this post was going to be “Teach Your Hubby to Cook” but I didn’t want to add to a stereotype – I know many husbands that are the primary users of the kitchen in their household.  In my case, this isn’t true and not because I am a great cook, it is just that I have more kitchen experience than my husband.  After being together for over 10 years, I just now came to the realization that if my husband had some easy go to recipes, he would volunteer to make dinner more often because he wouldn’t have to ask me what to do each step of the way.  I think this idea is so perfect it has spawned a new series: “Teach Your Spouse (Or Yourself) to Cook”.  Recently my husband ordered Chicken Parmigiana at one of our favorite restaurants (that we were able to frequent much thanks to a Christmas gift card – Thank you Grandma Betty!).  While there he proclaimed, “I bet I can make this myself!”.  Of course I encouraged my husbands proclamation, and this is what he came up with.  Random spousal cooking lesson tip – start with a meal your significant other loves.  Of course, you can make this meal too!

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Repticon Revisited

I might be a bit more loving of reptiles than the average person.  I have a pet leopard gecko and sand boa who I affectionately call Gizmo and Mr. Snake respectively.  Adam and I have been to Repticon in the past and were excited to visit again.  If it comes to your area, I suggest going even if you are not in the business of buying a new pet.  It is like a cool reptile zoo and is perfect for the kiddos. Here are some highlights of the visit.

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No Bake Loveliness: Tips for Making Oreo Truffles

Oreo truffles are divine goodness for your mouth.  There are a million recipes for Oreo truffles on the internet and now there is a million in one (but this one is the best).  For a quick and easy dessert you won’t want to share, here are  some tips I learned when making Oreo Truffles.

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$4 Kitchen Makeover

I have big kitchen plans.  I want to put in tile flooring, stain the cabinets darker (or paint them if I can get the hubby to jump on board), replace the counter top, put in a tile backsplash, and install a new sink.  Sometimes things in life aren’t the right time, and right now it is not the right time to invest that much time and money into my kitchen.  To tide myself over, I implemented a mini makeover that cost $4.00, an hour of my time, and required only scissors and shelf liner.

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