Guest Post: Stupid Easy Peach Dump Cobbler

Hey, y'all!

{This is my real-life BFF Jenn...guest-posting while I'm on bloggy-maternity-leave. Take it away, Jenn!}

When I first started “cooking” (if you can even call it that) for my then-boyfriend-now-husband, he mentioned that he loooooved cobblers. Me, with my unyielding need to impress him...I couldn’t keep my fat mouth shut and blurted out “Oh, cobblers are sooo easy! I can do that!”

Aaaand then I proceeded to call my mom in a complete panic. I'd never made a cobbler in my entire stinking life! What was I thinking?!?! Well, mom came to the rescue as always with a no-frills, easy-prep recipe I couldn’t screw up.

Guess who screwed it up anyway? It’s a long story that involves me brazenly (insanely) believing that it was ok not to have an egg to put in it…what on earth could it possibly do for a cobbler anyway? Ugh. I had so much to learn.

Anyway, the successful version (now a favorite both to eat AND make) goes like this.

Grab these:

1 stick butter

1 29 oz can of peaches

1 c sugar

1 c milk

1 c self-rising flour (I used bisquick)

1 egg

1/2 tsp almond extract

And do it like this:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8x8 casserole dish with Pam or other non-stick spray. Put the stick of butter in the dish and melt it in the oven while you're preheating. In a separate bowl combine flour, egg, milk, sugar, and almond extract. Pour this mixture around in the dish--make swirls, crisscrosses, lattice work, initials, cuss words--whatever your creative mind desires…just get it all over the dish. Drop the peaches down through the batter, being sure to evenly distribute the fruit throughout the dish. (They should sink like juicy little bricks but if they don't, the crust will bake up over them. It's ok either way.) Bake 30-45 minutes, or until top is brown and sticky.

This should serve 6 (if you’re reasonable, 4 if it’s been a really bad day...but don't be alone with this. Seriously. After midnight, it starts calling you, and then things get ugly.)

***One of the great things about this recipe is that it’s versatile. You can make pretty much any fruit cobbler this way, just by swapping the fruit and the extract. Great flavor combos include: blueberry, blackberry, or cherry with vanilla extract, or apple with apple pie spice (in this case, use 2 tsp of the spice). The instructions are the same regardless of the fruit you use, and the results are just as delicious!

before baking:

close up fresh from the oven:

ta-da! Yumminess:

Enjoy!!!

Wood Scrap Lamp...we did it!

For those of you who follow Stacy over at Not Just a Housewife, you have probably seen her awesome lamp creations, such as this or this.

When I first saw Stacy's tutorial for this particular scrap wood lamp, I immediately knew I wanted the hubby & me to make it for Baby C's nursery.

James and I wanted it to be a little "off" with the design--not all lined up, not all the "pretty" edges showing...unique and different and in the end, it is sort of Dr. Seuss-ish in my mind (which I love!).

Here's some pictures through our process (and check out Stacy's tutorial here).

I bought a plain white lamp shade at Lowe's, and a packet of minky fabric scraps from Etsy in colors coordinating to the bedding in Baby C's room.

We stained all of the wood pieces a dark walnut and began randomly stacking them.

We used wood glue as well as drilling screws in to make it sturdy...well, the hubby did :)

The lamp kit was also purchased at Lowe's, and was inexpensive although we did have to buy a longer cord because the one that came with it was too short for a floor lamp of this height.

Tada!

Here is the base all finished and in it's home beside my fab green chair :)

We trimmed the minky pieces and alternated colors all the way around. I used hot glue to secure the edges over the top and bottom edges of the shade.

And here it is!

All finished and ready in the nursery. I love the way it turned out!

I hope Baby C will love it too! James and I really loved making this, and the best part is, it can grow with him just by changing out the lamp shade as he gets older.

Guest Post: Kielbasa & 'Kraut

{a fave pic of mine--Jenn back in the day}

{My BFF is so awesome, she's guest-posting for me today while I do baby things. Maybe even have one :) Jenn is hilarious and needs her own blog. Please tell her so in your comments hehehe. Take it away, Jenn!}

So my best friend asks me to do a guest post while she takes "maternity leave" from her blog (Who DOES she think she's kidding anyway? Like she could keep her craft-happy little paws off the keyboard for long. I'm telling you, this girl is going to be making up-cycled formal wear out of hospital gowns and latex gloves before this is over.) So anyway, I get propositioned to do this guest spot and and I think "Ok, Betty (Crocker) (Martha) Stewart (June)Meat-Cleaver, what's in the arsenal that's a good fit for this spot?" Something that goes with the girly, crafty, upcycle-y atmosphere of this blog...and I got nothin'. I start getting the stage fright (blog fright? web fright? Whatever, I'm antsy as heck because I can't come up with anything).

And then it hits me: I'm good at cheap, and I'm good at easy. What's cheap and easy? A meal that I typically refer to as Man Food: Kielbasa and sauerkraut, cooked in beer, served on a bun with mustard. Pardon me if I accidentally grunt a la Tim the Toolman Taylor before this post is through. I kinda get it honest.

I'll freely admit that I don't cook as much as I used to, and when I do, I'm typically baking. This, however? This is an easy, tasty, bad-for-the-arteries favorite in my house. It didn't come by its "favorite" status easily, though. My husband gets full credit for introducing me to this dish–I grew up hating sauerkraut, though I can’t recall ever actually tasting it, so I think I just hated it because my mother did. She proved it by never forcing me to even take “just one bite.” Regardless, he convinced me I hadn’t lived until I’d eaten Kielbasa and Kraut his way–and he was right!

Grab these:

1 lb kielbasa

1 can/bag sauerkraut

1 bottle beer (we used Coors Light this time, but we’ve used an amber brew before and it worked just great too!)

And do it like this:
Slice the kielbasa in whatever shape you want--coins, halves or quarters (make these about the length of a hot dog bun), and cook them in a skillet over medium heat until it starts to brown. *Grunt* Dump the kraut over the sausage and half the beer over the whole mess. Stir until you’ve got a fairly consistent mixture and all of the kraut has been mixed through the beer (except for the little kraut-lets that fling themselves screaming from the pan and all over your stove. They really do this, it's a fact).

{this is the hubby's big hairy arm, not mine...promise}

(I sincerely hope I don’t have to tell you what you’re supposed to be doing with the OTHER half of the beer. Waste not, want not, my friends!) *Grunt* Increase the heat to medium high and let it brew, stirring occasionally, until most of the beer has cooked out–about 15 minutes or so.
When the beer in the pan has mostly cooked out and the beer in the bottle has been appropriately disposed of, grab a giant spoon and throw enough of the mess into a hot dog bun that the bottom of the bun almost splits. Top with mustard. *Grunt* Bite. Resist urge to scratch privates and burp.

This works great for lazy weekends or small gatherings (read: football game, race, poker night–not so much for baby showers and proper Southern tea parties though...unless you've got *quite* a group of ladies.)

do you sketch?

Hey y'all!

With any of your projects...or in the course of your crafty-ness...

...do you sketch?

I am not an "arteest"--I cannot paint or draw or even really sketch...my stick people aren't even very good!

But the other day, an idea came to me for a new necklace, so I grabbed paper and a pencil and drew a little sketch of what I wanted to make.

Here is the sketch:

And here is the final product:

What do you think? Do you sketch your ideas? Do they turn out the same as you drew them, or completely different?

I'm officially on "bloggy maternity leave", in preparation for my little guy's arrival...he is officially due Saturday the 30th...so any time now!

There are several great posts scheduled for you to enjoy though, from my real-life BFF Jenn and my bloggy-BFF Melanie.

Please show them lots of love; they both worked super hard putting together posts to help me out while I'm away!

easy name wall art on canvas

Hey y'all!

So the hubs & I did a crazy overhaul in our kitchen...which, as I type this (and schedule it hehe), may or may not get it's reveal published before my son is born...

But this is one aspect of the make-over I really enjoyed doing and wanted to share with y'all.

I got the awesome canvases at Michael's for a couple bucks each. I used black craft paint I had on hand and a stencil set I found a Hobby Lobby to put one letter of our last name on each canvas...as you can see, we have a long name, 9 letters in all.

James and I had a lot of fun doing this, and it was super quick and easy to do, with little room for error. I had not done any stenciling on canvas before, and found that a 20-30 second blast of low heat from my hair dryer helped a lot--both with drying and preventing the paint from bleeding.

So here it is on our sweet new gray walls (I'm in love with the color, I cannot seem to get a pic that does it justice). The arrangement was initially vetoed by my hubby but then after seeing it like this, we both thought it looked pretty neat!

A bit closer...I really do love it! The detail on the canvas has a flocked, velvet feel so in person you can really see the texture. Not bad for under $20!

easy-peasy baked peaches

Hey y'all!

I wanted to share this recipe with y'all...it is SO easy, and so yummy...but if you're looking for super healthy, avert your eyes and your tastebuds ;)

I got this recipe from a lady I used to work with...she made them alongside her Chicken Divan (which is totally fab, I'll share that with you sometime). I was hesitant about these peaches though, because I'm not usually a huge cinnamon fan...but trust me--yummmmmy!

Here's what you need:

1 can peach halves (don't drain!)

brown sugar

cinnamon

butter

Here's what you do:

~Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

~Place your peach halves in a small baking dish, face up. Put at least half of the syrup in the dish as well. I use a glass Pyrex.

~Sprinkle each peach with 1 tsp of brown sugar. Top each with a slice of butter, then sprinkle cinnamon (to your liking) over all.

~Bake @ 350 for 30-40 minutes.

~Enjoy!!!

These are fabulous on their own, but it occurred to me the last time I made them they'd be fabulous with some ice cream as well! The beauty in this is that it's simple, the ingredients are things you probably have on hand, and it would be super easy and inexpensive to double or triple this for a crowd!

Tigger's Big 'Kill'

Some of you may remember Tigger from my blog post about my zoo--I mean--pets.

If not, meet Tigger.

22 pounds of sheer terror--er, terrier.

Tigger has a love affair with toys and all things that can be perceived as such (empty plastic water bottles, socks)...especially if they squeak. He even has his own toy box--a basket just off the living room full of what looks like the de-stuffed carcasses from an epic battle.

The object of his battle?

Must. Remove. Squeaker.

After hours upon hours of cleaning the house, in preparation for both Colston's pending arrival and Stanley Steemer to clean our carpet (God bless my mother-in-law, she's paying lol)...we enter the living room and discover a massacre had taken place.

Tigger=1 Elephant=0

what a haul!!!

Hey y'all!!!

So this totally isn't craft related...but...I wanted to share!

My hubby has been helping his dad haul some trees off and split the wood. We decided that since our woodstove has never really worked properly, we'd take it out and get doors to have a regular wood-burning fireplace come this winter. Sooo...my father-in-law offered us "some" wood. I knew it would be coming in huge logs, needing to be split and chopped...but this is far more than I expected us to get--and for free!

This is the stack that has been split & chopped:

This madness is what my poor hubby still has to do:

And this is one of the pieces that rolled off the pile--mondo big!

*linking up with Kimberly @ Bugaboo*

"Go Big or Go Home"

Friday Happy Dance!

Hey y'all!

Happy Friday!

I'm doing a little happy dance...

I reached ~20~ sales in my shop this morning!!!

I am so excited...wanna join me in my happy dance?

{don't forget to take advantage of my super sale}

coming soon & sale!!!

Hey y'all!!!

Well...I had a doctor's appointment today and it's looking like my due date of April 30th is pretty accurate :) Don't want to over share *but* I'm hoping Baby C is going to be making an appearance soon!

I'll be taking a little bloggy maternity leave in about 2 weeks...but I have some awesome posts planned for you!!!

In addition to a couple of posts I have scheduled by yours truly (yay! nursery reveal, for one!), you will get to enjoy guest posts by my real-life BFF, Jenn--you're in for some YUMMY recipes...

~and~

My bloggy BFF Melanie @ Lucky 7 Design will also be stopping by with some awesome posts and reveals as well!

I'll leave you with a reminder of my fabulous sale going on in my Etsy shop!!!

--now through Saturday at midnight EST, take 25% off your purchase (before shipping) with the code LMS25 (it's all set up on Etsy and ready to go)!

--all purchases totaling $5 or more (after discount, before shipping) will receive a free flower brooch in color of your choice (specify blue, pink, yellow, green or purple at checkout)!

SHOP NOW! :)

{here's a sneak peek at my newest wreath made from *eight* repurposed red shirts, not yet listed, so y'all get to see it first!}

ShenanAgains Super Sale!

~SALE~SALE~SALE~

Hey, y'all!

I'll keep this short & sweet! My entire shop is on sale! Here's the details:

--sale is open now through midnight Saturday, EST

--enter code LMS25 at checkout to receive 25% off your purchase total (excluding shipping)

--all purchases totaling $5 or more (after discount, before shipping) will receive a free flower brooch in color of your choice (please specify color at checkout: blue, pink, yellow, green, purple)

~in my shop~

{pins/brooches}

{upcycled spoon & fork accessories}

{door decor}

{hair accessories}

{jewelry}

...and more!

a little stress relieving craft

...what do you do when your BFF is having one of "those" weeks and needs a pick-me-up???

...something giggle-inducing and fun and free...

...you make this:

yes...that IS in fact a voodoo doll...made from yarn, a styrofoam ball, 2 buttons, and some glue...

seriously...

that's it.

...I went with pearl-tipped pins because that somehow seemed funnier...

get the tutorial here:

Dollar Store Crafts

a few of my favorite things...

I 'met' Joy @ Momma's Kinda Crafty through the fab Spring Fling...and now, together with Amy @ Nap Time Crafters, they'll be hosting this fab linky party:

If you're not familiar with my shop, or what I do...to simplify it: upcycle, repurpose, recycle...everything!

I use repurposed everything as much as possible in each of my creations...from clothing, to buttons (who doesn't have tons of buttons from clothing?!), broken pieces of jewelry, ribbon leftover from gifts, magazines...nothing is off limits! :)

In my shop you'll find everything from necklaces (spoon necklace, anyone?) and earrings, to wreaths, picture frames, hair clips and head bands, and magazine bowls!

A few of my favorite current listings:

{Bloom}

{Safari}

{Athena}

{Piper}

{Yellow Shirt Bracelets}

{Multi Shirt Bracelet Set}

I hope you'll visit my shop and take a look around! Custom orders are always welcome!

~AND~

In honor of this fab linky party, I'll be offering a special discount to all of you! Simply enter the code "FAV15" at checkout to receive 15% off your purchase!

Come see me!!!

(*discount valid on total excluding shipping, cannot be combined with other coupons or codes*)

"Like" me on Facebook for exclusive sneak peeks & discounts!!!