Homemade Coffee Creamer

WELL....

Sawn over at Life Is A Journey wanted the homemade coffee creamer recipe.

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups milk (about)

1 Tbsp. any extract, (almond, vanilla, your choice)

In a jar combine all ingredients, stir till mixed.

I mix mine up in a tall wide mouth jar, then pour/funnel some into a smaller narrow mouth bottle.

(Easier to pour from the narrow mouth)

Feel free to experiment, I like mine more sweet so I use less milk.

This lasts me about 2 weeks.

Another idea for flavored coffee is to add spices to the coffee grounds, then brew.

A little cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander whatever you want.

Hope you like!

Bonjour

Virgin Mary

SO.....

I like to read other blogs just to see what everyone else is doing/thinking.

Fresh eyes, fresh opinions, fresh ideas, I think I know it all but maybe I don't.

If I find a blog I think I might like I scroll through, reading their posts. Then I check out who the're  following. If I like them, then I 'll probably like who they like. Working so far!!

On  a completely different subject

We live some what rural & when I'm out & about I like to travel roads unknown. (I have The Roads of Texas Atlas, I shouldn't probably won't get lost.)     Anyway, this is what I found today!

I think this is The Virgin of Guadalupe. (We have a lot of Hispanic influence here.)

I was raised Catholic & this looks like The Virgin Mary to me! These people are erecting a shrine on their property. It's not finished yet so I will be following their progress. I remember as a kid my Mom having a statue of The Virgin in our yard.

Seeing this brought back some memories.

Hope this touches you, as it did me.

          Bonjour

Projects



Stick Corral



SO...

My grandson Nate stays at our place on the weekends.
He is an avid stick collector, sticks in the toy box, sticks under the bed, sticks at the computer.... We needed a stick corral.



Cores wanting to be something

 

I work at a label Co., some of the paper arrives on big, round, heavy duty cores. Humm... I can do something with those soon to be in the dumpster cores.



I gathered up those puppies along with that square thingie with the hole in it. (square thingie was a divider in a box of paper) I intended to use those tuna fish cans as feet. (didn't work out) Well, with a little duct tape, a staple gun, glue, some fabric & ribbon & an old floor lamp, I got to work.                     



A little duct tape action



  I duck taped the cores together, varying the heights, stapled the fabric on & started the assembling. (Glued the fabric on the square thingie) The floor lamp acted as the base, next I slid the square thingie down the lamp pole. Now for the cores, I positioned them around the lamp pole then stapled some ribbon around to hold everything together. The floor lamp gave the whole thing stability.

VIOLA



Shelf riser

 The fabric used to be my sofa cushion covers & the lamp was here when we bought the place. The tuna cans got covered with fabric & now hold various things. I've also used this endless supply of cores for shelf risers on my desk. Used wallpaper from the thrift shop to cover them & added  a covered piece of plywood on top. 

Many possibilities for other projects.... These are really heavy duty, thick walled cores. Stacked up they remind me of pillars, if I had a need for a pillar.

I'm thinking..... cheese cloth dipped in plaster of paris applied to the outside, round wooden base screwed on, drawer knobs attached as feet, paint, pretty plate hot glued on top, some candles.... Maybe I have a need for a pillar after all.



Till next time...

Bonjour

I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours!!!

WELL.....

The cooking is finished & I'm back at the computer.

I like to have an espresso on Fridays just to get a chance to use my Fiesta Ware cup & saucer. I cook every Friday, making the meals for the week, that way I only have to turn on the oven once a week. Today I made sour cream chicken enchiladas, chicken & dressing, foccacia bread & DRUM ROLL PLEASE

RUNZA!  Well sort of.    Nancy, of El Vigilante posted a recipe for runza which sounded good but alas, I didn't have the proper ingredients so I improvised!

I used diced chicken that was sautéed in olive oil & oregano, diced, sautéed onion, garlic, celery, patti pan squash & poblano pepper with drained diced tomatoes thrown in for good measure. Didn't have mozzarella, used colby jack instead. Made foccacia bread dough in my super duper handy bread machine then proceeded on. I rolled out the dough like she said (sprinkled some herbs on the rolling board first) then filled & folded, COOL. Into the oven they went along with everything else & VIOLA, these really cool, hot pocket kind of thingies. Typically when I do a meat pie I use a pie dough recipe, this was way easier. (Just tasted, I say yummy!!) I want to try it the Italianio way too.

This recipe has all kind of possibilities, thanks El Vigilante, you are my new best friend.

OK, time to share! AKA things I do to be frugal,

1. make my own coffee creamer (found the recipe on another blog)

2. keep a 5 gal. bucket in the shower to capture water for reuse

3. Heat the water in a tea kettle to wash my dishes (no running the water till it gets hot)

4. wash my dishes in a dish pan (reuse the water outside to put in the flower/herb beds)

5. put my washed dishes in another dish pan till I'm done, then rinse (reuse the water outside to put in the flower/herb beds)

6. use a clothes line & indoor drying rack for laundry

7. have my computer, TV/stereo, microwave, cell phone charger, ETC on  power strips, turn off when not in use (sneaky little energy stealers)

8. make my own flavored instant oatmeal (thank you Backwoods Home Magazine)

9. take my breakfast & lunch to work (we leave at 6:30 so breakfast is in the break room at work)

10. grow herbs, fruits & nuts. (some times we even get veggies)

11. use a slow cooker, bread machine to save using the oven

12. try to never buy food in a box or can

13. buy meat on sale

14. cook from scratch

15. don't eat meat as a main course

16.cook for the dogs (they like human food mixed in with the dry, I add water to make a gravy)

17. wash & reuse ziploc bags

18. sew curtains, potholders, coasters, pillowcases, quilts and anything else I can think of

19. buy used, get free (my sewing machine cabinet was in the trash at my local thrift shop, a little sanding & paint made her beautiful again.

20. repurpose, the coffee cans hold zippers, elastic, ribbon ETC.

21. use fans to help keep the house cool (it's freaking hot in Texas)

22. close the blinds in summer (again, it's freaking hot in Texas)

23. buy white paint in the 5 gal. bucket, (way cheaper) buy a small can of the color in the darkest shade of your color choice & mix the 2 in a coffee can till it's the shade you want. (great for coordinating wall & trim color)

24. use diluted ammonia for any purpose cleaning

25. use the price per ounce listed on the shelf tag at the market to compare prices ( not always applicable, especially on spices, get out the calculator)

26. use a calculator to price per ounce everything else such as dish soap, laundry soap, cleaning products, (just because the bottle looks bigger doesn't mean it has more in it)

27. try to stay away from Wally World (they're the worst at marketing their product in larger containers with less product)

28. if you do eat out & it's not up to snuff, so to speak, go online, complain, state the facts, they want your business, they will make it right

29. before I purchase anything I consider how many hours I had to work to purchase said item, then I decide

Lets make it an ever 30.

30. save glass containers, lots of uses for those, buttons, salt, dried herbs....

OK, I shared, now it's your turn, do you have any frugal things that you do?

Hope to hear from you!

Bonjour

Life is short

WELL......

I got a call from my sister Carol, her husband, Marty died of a heart attack.

I've been mulling this over all week, feeling this way, feeling that way, not knowing how to feel.

The last time I saw them was about 2 years ago. I'm not the best at keeping in touch.

I won't be able to go up there for the memorial, but my heart will be with my sister.

I think about how far apart we all are and that's a shame. Life takes us on this crazy journey

throwing this and that in our path, giving us one challenge after another and before you know it you're dead.

All I can take away from this is, appreciate your family, your friends, hug your kids and grandkids, because tomorrow it may be you that's dead.

C'est la vie

My New Shop

OK....

I know I haven't posted in awhile but I have an excuse, really I do!

I've been working on a new shop at Etsy, a vintage shop. Which required me to learn photo editing, taking good photos ETC, lots of ETC. Still working on taking good photos!

Anyone that knows me, knows I love to collect things, all manner of things!

Shoes, handbags, dishes, hats, tins, lamps, you name it I collect it.

Why, you may ask? I don't know, I just do.



GORGEOUS COFFEE POT



My abode is over run with things, things, things & more things. Albeit beautiful things!

So, I decided to collect beautiful things for others VIA my Etsy Shop.

COOL HAT

Like this really Cool Hat.  Or this Gorgeous Coffee Pot.

That's what I've been up to, how about you guys, anything exciting going on?

Visit my Etsy shop if you get the time,  http://www.bluemoonvintagecafe.etsy.com/

Till next time.

Bonjour