Packer Parties

Yes, I realize it's Christmas.  But in our household we also have PACKERS on the brain.  Nothing goes together better than football and food!    I'm a huge Packer fan going back to the days of Lynn Dickie.  Lucky me, I got to meet him this year thanks to my friend Denise. 

To start with, I made this yummy Packer Parfait. 

Packer Parfait

I layered pistachio pudding, and granola and it's delicious!

Of course, I like to serve green and gold vegetables with hummus.  Believe it or not, the veggies are usually a hit.

Packer Vegetables

If we have veggies, we must have fruit.  So, I like to serve green apples, pears and pineapple. 

Packer Fruit and Popcorn in my Grandma's Bowls

For dessert, we like to serve Packer Ice Cream which is chocolate mint ice cream with candy jelly rings on the side.  This bowl was my Grandma Johnson's too.  Love this bowl!

Greta with Packer Ice Cream

OK,  I gotta' admit this next recipe is not very healthy, but this green popcorn is always a hit with the kids.
It's basically like popcorn balls, but the lime gelatin gives it a different flavor.  Here's the recipe:  Packer Popcorn

Graham with Green Bay Popcorn

And, I do have a recipe for a Packer punch, but Chad makes a mean bloody mary.  They are superb and perfect for a Packer Party.  

Here's his coveted recipe:

Chad's Bloody Mary's
Clamato (he swears this is the ticket)
1 ounce vodka
Silver Springs Horseradish (another secret)
Pickle juice
Worchestire
Salt, pepper and Tabasco

Add one ounce of vodka to a mug.  Fill almost to the top with clamato.  Add a dash of horseradish, a dash of Worchestire, a tinge pickle juice, salt, pepper and a dash of Tabasco.   Of course, the more you can garnish the better the bloody mary!

Chad's Bloody Mary

Santa brought me a Packer ticket to the Lions game at Lambeau one week from today.  I hope Santa brings the Packers a win today against the bears!

Merry Christmas to All.  And, go Packers!!!

Kristin

P.S.   For the Vikings fans, I would serve purple cauliflower and yellow peppers, plums and bananas, and black cherry ice cream with gold candy accents.

Frane's Holiday Baking Extravagenza

The kids and I bake a few things every year so we have something for Santa.  This year we made 6 different goodies with 3 considered a complete success - 50/50, not bad.  To be honest, I'm not much of a baker-type.  Baking requires precision and great attention to detail, which is something I lack.  I'm more of a broad vision, big picture type person.    Here's the low-down:

• Snowflake Cookies looked beautiful but lacked great taste.  I had 3 teenage boys over and they ate one pan and our dog ate the other pan.  My taste buds may have been whacked from all the sugar. 

Cocounut Snowflake Cookies

• Sugar cut-out cookies were the hit!  We made 10 dozen cookies.  Gus made 2 special ones for Santa and Greta made 2 special ones to put on her Great Grandma and Great Grandpa's grave when we are in Osseo on the 23rd.  She thought Santa might come by to say hi to them.  For my Grandma, she made an angel decorated with yellow and blue frosting because she thought those were her favorite colors. For my Grandpa, she made a tree cut-out.  The rest of the cookies have been packed up and sent onward.  That's right, we made over 100 cookies and we're out and I'm glad (they are so good). 

Gus concentrating on his cutouts

• Almond-dipped pretzels tasted great!  But, I forgot to put wax paper down on the pan so they stuck and I couldn't get them off.  Funny!

Almond Bark Dipped Pretzels

• Super easy fudge was awesome!  It literally took 5 minutes and tasted great!

Super Easy Fudge

• Popcorn balls were fun and delicious.  But they didn't stick together.  We ate them anyway, but couldn't give them away because they did not stick. 

• Crock Pot White Hot Cocoa turned out fabulous!  I'm going to make this again.  Actually, I was going to enter it into a hot chocolate competition, but I had to stand outside for 3 hours and dish it out, so I decided to skip it.  I wasn't mentally prepared for that part of it.

White Hot Chocolate

All of our recipes were used with my Grandma's bowls, rolling pin, cut-outs, 65 year old Cuisinart, crockpot, and spoons.  We felt like she must've been there in spirit making cookies with us.  Here's a picture of some of my Grandma's supplies, all antiques I'm sure, being put to good use.

Grandma Johnson's Bowls, Cuisinart, Rolling Pin, Cutouts

Below you will find the 3 recipes I recommend!

Easy Fudge:

Microwave 1 package of semi-sweet chocolate chips for 45 seconds.  Stir and add 1 can of sweetened condensed milk.  Heat for another 30 seconds.  Add in 1 cup of walnuts and stir.  Refrigerate overnight.  Delish!

Crockpot White Hot Cocoa:

In a crockpot add 12 ounces of white chocolate chips, 1 cup of whipping cream, 6 cups of milk and 1 tablespoon of vanilla.  Heat on low until warm.  Yum!

Sugar Cut-out Cookies:

Click on the link for the recipe:  Sugar Cut Out Cookies

Here's a picture of my kids making cookies at the Frane's just 2 years ago.  I can't believe how much they've grown.  Yikes!

Gus, Greta and Graham Frane

Gus and Greta before they made deliveries to our neighbors

Despite our 50% success rate, we had a total blast.  I couldn't count how many times I heard Gus tell Greta "I love you" and vice versa or Greta tell me how much fun she was having.  Makes my heart feel like it could burst with love.  How cool is that at Christmas time? 

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Kristin

Winter Squash

Winter is here!    And guess what, I just discovered 10 winter squash that were laying around.  Lucky for me my friend Susan Buchman gave me some great squash recipes at the end of the growing season so I was able to try a few out!  Unfortunately (or fortunately) I'm the only one at this time that will eat squash.  I guess that's a sign I over-did it a month ago. 

Susan Buchman's Winter Squash and Tomato Bisque

1 small winter squash
6 cups of diced squash
4 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 t paprika
1 t cayenne
4 cups tomatoes (I used a jar of my canned tomatoes)
3 cups of broth
1 cup cream or 1/2 cup sour cream

Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds.  Rub the cavities with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Bake at 425 for 20 minutes and scoop out when cooled.  Saute onions and garlic.  While cooking onions and garlic, blend squash and tomatoes.  Add to dutch oven along with the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes.  Yum!!

Squash Soup

Next I made an AWESOME Squash Bake from Susan Buchman.

3 cups mashed squash or yams
Blend
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup milk
After you blend, add squash.  Add to greased 9 x 13 pan.

Top with:  3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 cup pecans, 1/2 cup four/ 1/3 cup cold butter.  Mix together and put on top of squash.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes until hop and topping makes a crust.  Yum!

Squash Bake

Susan also gave me some recipes for squash pie and for home-made squash ravioli, but I've been a little busy trying to keep up with the holiday season, so the recipes will have to wait until next September!
Finally, I had some banana's that were beyond the point of normal consumption (meaning, pretty brown), so I made an easy banana bread from an old church cookbook.

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour milk
1 1/2 tsp soda
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp. sat
3 bananas mashed
1/2 cup nuts

Mix in order given.  Add soda to sour milk.  Mash bananas before adding to mixture.  Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.  Double yum!

Banana Bread

Tomorrow the kids and I will be doing our annual cookie baking.  Expect a blog on our Three G Cooking Baking Traditions soon!  Honestly, our baking day is all about the kids and we do not even try anything complex.  We get really messy and have fun.  Good thing Chad is out of town (just kidding Chad). 
Kristin :)

Six Tips for Staying Healthy

I remain relatively healthy throughout the year and I've been wondering, "why do I stay healthy when the majority of people around me need to use sick days throughout the year?"  I have not missed a day of work for ions and I plan on staying healthy for ions to come.  Here's my tips for avoiding the cold and flu:

1.  EAT HEALTHY:

As I said in my last blog, I start my day with a healthy breakfast.  Once a year I might have a doughnut or cinnamon roll, but 99.9% of the time I will start my day off right.  My all time favorite breakfast is a fruit smoothie.

Fruit Smoothies for Breakfast

Combine 1 cup of kefir, 1 cup of berries, and 1 tablespoon of flax seed.  Sometimes I blend it, sometimes I just eat it with a spoon, either way, it's DELISH!!  Kefir is full of probiotics and helps boosts my immune system.

I really try to avoid processed foods if I can.  If I eat a cookie, it's made with real sugar, eggs, butter, and flour versus the overly processed oreo cookie (for example) that is made with crazy chemicals leading you to intense cravings causing you to eat the whole bag of Oreos.  Here's a good article about the Oreo cookie:  Death By Oreos  I can go on and on about the chemicals in processed foods, but I won't bore you.  When you eat good food you feel good.  Period.

I also try and eat at least 4-6 servings of vegetables a day.  When I get home from work and the kids get home from school I serve raw, organic veggies of some sort.  There are five of us, and we consume a mixed bag of organic raw vegetables daily.  In the growing season, we snack on whatever is in season.  This is our snack before supper and I like the fact that my kids are eating raw vegetables.  That's right.  All of my children eat and like raw vegetables and I bet not every mom can say that!  

2.  STAY HYDRATED

Yes, we all know the importance of staying hydrated.  I spent years drinking 64 ounces of water every day until newer studies indicated we should be drinking only when we are thirsty.  I still try to stick to 8 glasses of liquid, but I'm not nearly as rigid as I used to be.    You may think I'm weird, but this is what I drink nearly EVERY single day.

Kombucha Tea is a bottled fermented mushroom drink that I swear keeps me healthy and happy.  I've tried many different kinds but GT's Kombucha ROCKS.  When there was a recall on GT's for about 2 months, I thought I was going to die.   Kombucha tea is full of 1 million probiotics and makes me feel fantastic!  Yes, it's an acquired taste, but if you can drink it I guarantee you will be hooked.  Not to mention the fact that if you drink one that's close to the expiration date, you feel as if you have a slight beer buzz (the fermentation.....shhhh!).

My FAVORITE Drink, Kombucha

Read this article, and I think you'll understand why I'm TOTALLY hooked on Kombucha:  Health Benefits of Kombucha

I also drink chia seeds daily.   I add 1 tablespoon of chia seeds to my water daily and I have a days worth of omega 3 fatty acids, some added fiber, and it helps maintain blood sugar levels.  Here's the website with all the benefits of drinking chia seeds:  Benefits of Chia Seeds

Last but not least, I drink 2 cups of green tea a day which is full of antioxidants.  My cousin Erinn bought me a two cup tea maker and I use it daily.  Greta also loves green tea, so we drink it frequently drink out of my Grandma's tea cups.   As with most foods, all tea's are not created equal so I try and stick with organic green tea varieties 

As you can see, my days of only drinking water are long gone, and these beverages keep me hydrated and healthy!

3.  SLEEP

I manage to get 9 hours of sleep most nights.  Over the years, I've found that with 9 hours of sleep I feel my best.  Eight hours is fine, 10 is too many, but 9 is the magic number.  And yes, that means I have to go to bed early, but I'm convinced that's why I can ward off the bugs.  I exercise daily and limit caffeine after noon, so 99% of the time I have no problem falling asleep.

I also believe in the power of a cat nap.   My naps are no longer than 20 minutes (if I sleep longer I don't feel refreshed), and I take about 2 naps a week.  Afterwards, I feel like a million bucks!   

This Thanksgiving when I wasn't feeling 100%, I slept for 12 hours and then took a 2 hour nap on Black Friday.  By Saturday I was back to normal.  My body just needed a little extra sleep to get back on track.  Had I pushed myself, it may have turned into something.


4.  MANAGE STRESS

We all have stress, who doesn't right?   First and foremost, I'm the mother of 3 busy and active children and I have a full-time job as CEO of a medium size multi-million dollar company with 60 staff.   Despite these responsibilities, I rarely feel overly stressed.  There are 3 ways I manage my stress:  exercising daily, brief daily meditation (5 minutes), and I use the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT / tapping) as needed to deal with my unresolved issues.    EFT is a blog onto itself, but here's some information:  Benefits of Tapping

When I first heard of tapping, I thought it sounded very weird.  Now I use it daily and I was able to work through issues that had bothered me for years and now I just tap on current events.  How cool is that?


5.  KEEP FIT

I am a cardio junky.   I try and exercise daily and I believe it has boosted my immune system.  Even on the days when I'm not feeling up to it, I go at it and ALWAYS feel better afterwards.  If I feel a cold coming on and I exercise, I swear I sweat it out of my system and I'm back to normal. 

Working Out With Friends

6.  FOCUS YOUR MIND ON YOUR HEALTH

I have a day or two throughout the year where I may not feel not up to par, but if I feel "feverish" I take Tylenol and if my joints ache I take Ibuprofen and most importantly I DO NOT GIVE ANY MENTAL ENERGY TO ACHES, PAINS, or SICKNESS!  If I wake up and I'm not 100%, I'll take something and go to work and if someone says, "how are you?", I say, "great" and usually within hours I feel great.  A lot of sickness could be avoided by focusing the mind on feeling healthy.  Sounds crazy, but it works for me.  I'm also grateful for my immune system that keeps me on track. 
And finally, if you do find yourself unheatlhy, here's my favorite chicken soup recipe to get you back at it:

Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup

What's your tip for staying healthy? 

Here's Wishing You A Healthy, Healthy Holiday Season!

Kristin

Quick, Easy, Healthy Breakfasts

A good start is half the battle!  I have my favorite breakfasts down to a science.
I typically leave the house at 5:30 a.m. so I make my breakfasts the night before and I have a different healthy quick breakfast for every day of the week.

Monday, I start out with home-made granola.  My friend Kristie Weber shared this recipe with me this summer, and I started making it in the Fall once I did not have access to fresh berries for breakfast daily.  This granola is soooo delicious and I stores well in glass canning jars.   We all love it.

Kristie's Granola and Me

Look at my messy kitchen.  Gus picked home-made pizza for supper that night and I was still working on the mess.  Then there's the homework on the table, iPad, camera.  Oh well!! 

Kristie Weber's Granola Recipe
3 1/2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
1 cup steel cut oats
1 cup nuts (I use walnuts)
1 cup shredded coconut (I skip this)
1/2 cup flax
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 tsp. cinnamon

Bake at 325 in a jelly roll pan for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
On Tuesdays I make smoothies.  Sometimes if I'm too busy Monday night, I'll throw the ingredients for the smoothies into a glass Pyrex bowl and eat it with the spoon.  But either way, this smoothie is a great way to start off with the right amount of protein and fiber.  Yumm-o!

Fruit Smoothies

To make the smoothies, I blend 1 cup of kefir, 1 cup of berries, 1 tablespoon of flax seed, and 1 tablespoon of wheat germ.  Again, another hit in our house.


Wednesdays, I make steel cut oats in the crock pot.  I can purchase bulk organic steel cut oats at the Hayward Northern Lake Co-op.  I add 1/4 cup of steel cut oats to the crock pot and one cup of water.  I cook overnight and have some awesome steel cut oats.  It's so nice to wake up to a warm breakfast.  Some days I add an ounce of walnuts or craisins, but most of the time I just add a little milk and cinnamon.  This is one of my favorites. 

Steel Cut Oats Set before bed

Here I am in my pajama's, make-up off, getting ready for bed and making my breakfast for the morning.

Perfect Oats - Too bad I ended up dropping them

This morning my oats turned out PERFECT!  Too bad I was balancing it on my computer on the way out the door and dropped it breaking my favorite Pyrex and losing my perfect breakfast.  Oh well, thank goodness my day got better after that.

On Thursday, I will have my citrus fix for the week.  I cut up grapefruit, oranges, add some blueberries from this summers harvest along with 1 tablespoon of flax seed, and 1 tablespoon of wheat germ.  Again, delicious and I always feel great when I start out with a fruit based breakfast with some healthy omega 3 fats to boot.  If you live in the area, organic grapefruits are on sale at the Northern Lakes Co-op this week.

Citrus Blend

Fridays, I do not leave the house until a little bit later, so I make the perfect egg sandwich for the kids and me.  I poach some eggs, add cheese, to an English Muffin.  This breakfast is about 300 calories and starts one out with about 20 grams of protein.  And, it's delicious!

Egg Sandwich

Saturdays and Sundays our breakfasts vary depending on what we have going on.  But, the family loves my biscuits and gravy (which I won't eat), pancakes, omelets, eggs benedict, or nothing if we have morning plans.  My favorite breakfast cereal is Kashi Crunch.  It's one of the few cereals that is not full of processed crap. 

There you have it, my easy healthy breakfast meal plan.  Now if the rest of the meals were as simple as breakfasts!

Happy Cooking,

Kristin

The Surprise Party

One fateful night in early October, some of my friends and I got together and decided to throw a surprise 40th birthday party for my dear friend Tali (the last one to turn 40).   The key to the successful party was that everyone would make a firm commitment to show up and they all came through with their promise.  We decided to have everyone come up to Hayward where Tali would be visiting the weekend of her birthday.  We also rented a Famous Dave's Villa, because Tali mentioned how much she loved staying at the Famous Dave's Villa.

October, the planning begins!

The afternoon of the party, we frantically labeled all the beer, wine, set-up the food and decorated.  Here's the wine labels:

Personalized Wine Bottles

Personalized Beer Labels

The hardest part was waiting for the birthday girl to arrive.  We rented Famous Dave's Villa #1, so we were 4 houses down from the Famous Dave's restaraunt, but it seemed like forever for them to arrive.  Here we are waiting:

Patiently Waiting

We hid in the bedroom and did a practice Skype run with Susanne from NY before they arrived.

I left Tali, Jodi Gullucksrud, and my old college roommate Val Pederstuden at my house while I was supposedly delivering boy scout popcorn.  I asked them to meet me at Famous Dave's at 4 p.m.  When they got their, my friend Angie Beckman who manages Famous Dave's gave Tali and the girls a beer with a "Happy 40th Birthday" label on it along with a red balloon.  Tali and the girls were told to follow the trail of red and orange balloons (her favorite colors).

The Balloon Trail from Famous Dave's to the Villa

Did I mention there was a mini-blizzard outside?  Eventually, they found the path of balloons and we were able to surprise our long-time friend Tali.

Angie reads her letter to Tali

When she arrived and the shock and excitement wore off, we played "Tali, this is your life".  Before the party, we made a photo book with pictures and letters written to Tali.  We each read what we wrote, and each one of us cried as we recounted our Tali memories.  We've been friends for a super long time (27 years?), so sometimes we get sentimental.

And then, it was time for some bevies and food.

The Beverage Table

Let the festivities begin!

Let's Eat!!

We had an awesome pot-luck of chili, hot beefs, cranberry salsa, veggies and dip, and oatmeal chocolate bars.  My favorite treat of the night was Angie's oatmeal chocolate chip bars.  They were so moist and delicious, and I'm just sorry I didn't take a picture.  Here's the recipe:  Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

After we ate, Tamara lead us in a game of sculpting soft fruit with our teeth. Needless to say, we all enjoyed it and shared in a good many laughs.  I'm afraid the pictures might look a little too x-rated for a food blog, so I'm keeping them locked in the vault.

Let the Scavenger Hunt Begin

Next, the 40th Birthday Scavenger Hunt began.  Here's what the girls were looking or:

• Have your picture taken with someone with a mullet
• Play the tambourine on stage
• Get a phone number from a stranger
• Have a picture taken with an outrageous belt buckle
• Collect a business card from someone
• Get a kiss that leaves lipstick on your cheek
• Find a coin with the year 1971 on it
• Find a lettered tattoo with your initials in it
• Get your picture taken with someone dressed in all blaze orange
• Drink a shot with a stranger
• Find a person with a concert tee
• Request a Motley Crue song
• Find someone with a piercing (not ear)

Tamara Performing with Westlake

 

Here's Tamara checking the "tambourine on stage" off her Scavenger Hunt.  Let me tell you something about this woman.  Number 1, we spent a LOT of time traveling because the roads were horrible, but Tamara had us rolling with laughter for hours.  Ask her to do her Norwegian accent sometime, OMG, hilarious!  She's also a gifted psychic / hypno chick who found my lost phone in a snow bank in Stone Lake.  Wow, I was so grateful. But, I digress.

The only picture with the whole crew

The sober mini-van driver (me) drove us to Anglers, Wild River, Stone Lake, and then to the LCO Casino to hear the most amazing band (Westgate) perform.   If you get a chance, I'd recommend checking them out.  Wow!

Here's the band singing Happy Birthday to Tali.  She went to bed early, so poor ol' Tammy had to stand in.

So, I pulled off my first surprise party.  I've been planning this for so long, that I almost feel a sense of disappointment that it's over.  Have you over thrown a surprise party?  OMG, I had so much fun and hope everyone else did too!  After I finish putting everything away, I'm going to bed.

Kristin

Farm Fresh Eggs Here

I believe every one should be eating eggs from happy, healthy chickens.  I mean everyone.  The taste difference between a store-bought egg and a farm fresh egg is unbelievable.  A farm fresh egg has a bright, thick, delicious yoke, and a store bought egg has a runny pale yellow yoke.  Eggs straight from a real farm have more omega-3 fatty acids and are lower in cholesterol.  In my community, I can get eggs from farmers anywhere between $2 and $4, and if I buy them in the store they are around $1.79.

Eggs from Debi Defoe-Greene

These eggs I got from Debi Defoe-Greene (thanks Debi!).  One day I ran out of eggs and my usual chicken farmers were out, so I was brainstorming on where to get my next batch.  The kids listed off about 4 farmers for me to contact, but they never said, "mom, why don't you just go to the store?"  They know that eggs come from real chickens and real farmers, and I'm grateful for that!!    And by the way, I'd rather starve than eat eggs from a chicken factory, and I'm a hungry girl.  That's how strongly I feel about buying eggs from a local farmer.

I make egg sandwiches for breakfast for the family about once a week.  An egg sandwich has 300 calories and gives you a great start on your protein for the day (17 grams).

Egg Sandwich - a staple in our house

My family LOVES this next quiche recipe that I received from my mother-in-law about 20 years ago.  I'm such a good wife and mom (not really...lol), that I got up at 5 a.m. today and made it for everyone for breakfast.

Bonnie's Cheese Sausage Quiche

Greta loves quiche too

Cheese Sausage Quiche

9 inch baked pie shell

3/4 lb sausage

1/2 cup onion

1 1/2 cup shredded cheese

2 eggs

2 T four

1 T parsley flakes

2 t. seasoning salt

1/2 garlic salt and pepper

1 cup evaporated milk

Brown sausage and onion.  Place in bottom of pie shell.  Top with cheese.  Mix remaining ingredients and pour over meat.  Bake at 350 for 30 - 40 minutes.

And last but not least, I must admit that I make a killer omelet.  The ONLY reason I can make a killer omelet is because of this antique omelet maker I found at a thrift shop.  I'm serious.  Perfect every time.  Until I got this thing.......well, let's just say I didn't make them.

My antique omelet maker

Simple Ingredients for omelets

To make omelets, I stir eggs with a little bit of milk.  I let them cook a bit, stir, add in the cheese, and then flip the lid of the omelet pan.  They look so beautiful when they are done!!  Too bad I don't have a good picture to show you!

Kerry Rothgeb's Chicken - picture by Kerry

I LOVE chickens!  This is a picture of Kerry Rothgeb's chicken TAKEN by her too.  I just think it's an amazing picture.  I experimented with chicken farming once, but I was not successful.  Between the full-time job and the 3 kids, I had a full plate.  Then Chad was deployed to Iraq and the chickens had to go.  I learned a lot though.  Mostly, that I'm not a skilled farmer.

If you don't already, I hope you will consider buying your eggs from a local farmer.

Peace,

Kristin

P.S.  The picture of the eggs on the side of my blog this week were taken by Kerry too.  She's a great photographer!

My Weekend of Upcycling and the G Project

Instead of cooking this weekend I did some upcycling.  My son Gus is the king of upcycling.  He is always digging in the recycling and creating ships, cars, missile's, you name it.  Here is one of  his three creations from just today:

Gus - king of recyclable building

My Grandma and Grandpa Lundberg had an awesome sun porch at their house on the farm.  They moved and didn't have a use for the furniture, so I somewhat inherited it (ok, I actually begged and pleaded).  My Grandma told me her parents had this furniture, so I'm guessing it's a good 100 years old .  She's 83 and still plays organ in church every Sunday, how awesome is that?   I digress.  I spray painted the furniture tan, but it still looks rustic.  I looked online for new cushions but they were $250....a piece!   My friend Debi and I picked up $26 worth of tablecloths, and she sewed cushion covers for me within 24 hours (now, that's a true friend).  Thanks Debi!  Doesn't it look great?

Upcycled Screened In Porch

It looks a little Christmass-y right now, so I'm going to add some different throw pillows, but I struck out in Hayward so I need to go shopping.  The table I found a thrift shop and I just repainted.  The kids helped me with the pine cone centerpiece. 

More of the porch

The table in the middle also came from a thrift shop.  It's o-l-d and it matches the wicker PERFECTLY.  My interior-designer-friend-extraordinare Angie placed it there and instructed me not to paint.  Great advice, because I'm really happy with it.  The glass decorative items are also old and also came from a thrift shop!

Upcycled Porch

Here I have an old shelf from a thrift shop, the chair from the Grandma and Grandpa Lundberg, and I found the retro chair on the side of the road marked free.  Oh, I just love it too!

Grandpa Johnson's Rocker

This chair I inherited from my Grandpa Johnson (need an updated cushion) and the bench I had the kids repaint this weekend (another thrift shop find).

Grandma Evelyn's Jelly Cupboard, Grandpa's Coat rack

This jelly jar cupboard I inherited from my Grandma Evelyn.  I so love it.   It's right by our front door, so I keep all the kids sports gear in there.  Baseball game, soccer, you name it and you'll find their stuff ready to go. 

Now for the outside, I added some tractor wheels (again from a thrift shop). 

Wagon Wheel and Gus with another project

The kids paint



The Upcycled Step Stool

This step stool I found in our woods (I know, right?) and I painted and added some decorative "stuff" to it and it ties in with our window boxes which are also full of pine boughs now too!

Chair outside garage

This chair was in my Grandma Johnson's basement.  We painted it red today and added some pines.  The chair ties together the space between the garage and the house.

G-PROJECT

I have an idea, and I'm calling it the G-Project.   The focus of the G-Project is to promote the use of cloth bags at the grocery store versus plastic bags.  Today at the grocery store I looked around and I was the only one with cloth bags.  No judgement here, because I honestly forget 50% of the time.  What would happen if we made plastic bags in the Town of Hayward illegal?  From there, Wisconsin could be the first state to go plastic-bag-free.  I believe this way of life is on our future, and since the idea popped in my head I feel that I need to move forward.  More on this on a future blog.  In the meantime, I hope you were able to enjoy the AWESOME fall weather.

Kristin :)