Homemade Vanilla...

I am trying my hand at homemade vanilla....it takes 2-3 months to sit but hopefully it should turn out...
Here are the EASY directions:
Homemade Vanilla
1 glass bottle of Vodka (750ml)
8 vanilla beans split in half (I ordered at Azure Standard co-op)

Pour out about a capful out of the vodka and stick the vanilla beans into
the jar. Put somewhere cool and dark, for 2-3 months and then use.. Leave
the beans in the jar while using so it will continue to get more vanilla
flavor or pour into smaller glass bottles and give as christmas gifts...

Will post pics in a month or so to show how it is doing....
~Fawn

A dresser reborn.....

Before:



This is the dresser I have been saying I would post.... It involved sanding, priming, painting, distressing, polyurethane spray and new knobs.....
Cost breakdown:
Dresser $10
Paint/Primer FREE stuff I had laying around
New Knobs .89 x 8 $7.12
Can of Polyurethane Spray $4.00
Total Cost: $21.12

What do you think?
~Fawn

More projects.....

Ok, Have you ever heard the saying "finish one project before you start the next."
Well, it is a good idea, but I have a really hard time accomplishing it... :) I did finish the dresser redo (and I do have pics and will post as soon as I can get my sister to email me her before pic from her camera) and have started primering the bathroom closet doors and vanity... BUT I found today on CL an awesome 4 poster pineapple twin bed for $30 and a HUGE Heavy mirror for $25... I am going to prime and paint the bed and mirror... My son wants the bed to be Blue, but I am not sure yet...I will see, I'll prime it and then see if maybe an antiqued blue bed might work... The mirror I want to antique the frame and have some awesome vinyl I want to put on it, for our front entry.. sooooo hopefully soon I'll be back with some before and after pics!! :)
~Fawn

Projects, Company and progress

Well, I have been gone awhile but don't worry we have been busy!! :) Not a ton done on the house BUT we had our first official company at our home for 12 days, it was Grandma and Grandpa from North Carolina!!! WE had a great time!!! and took a couple days to recover...
We tried to get our downstairs bathroom done in time, but alas it just didn't get finished so that is now our fall project, along with taking all the garden in, fertilizing our 2 acre yard, cleaning up the yard for snow, and selling some more things on craigslist...(oh and I am sure a couple more projects...as in my secret project of painting our kitchen cabinets!!) Yep, I am going to try and paint our ugly mismatached kitchen cabinets without my hubby's knowledge....We will see how it goes....(I already got the TSP, primer and sanding paper...)
Oh and I got a dresser off Craigslist for $10 that I am ALMOST finished, as in I should be done tomorrow!! I will post some pics for you all :) I think it turned out great and I got it done for $5 (the spray polyurethane can) and $5 for the drawer knobs so plus the $10 dresser it ended up being $20....
~Fawn

3 monkeys in a room

Ok, so I really don't have "literally" 3 monkeys but I do have all 3 kids right now in one room!! Thank God it is a big room with 2 closets (1 is for their clothes, the other is a walk-in called "reading room" though I don't know how much reading goes on in there.. mainly playing...) It is actually working, they go to sleep at night and the girls will take a nap at naptime. They all love sharing a room, yes they are 6 and under but hopefully they will enjoy this for a few more years until our oldest is ready to move downstairs to his own room...
I am linking this up with Cottage Instincts.

the never ending bathroom.....

Do you ever have a project that you feel are never are going to get done???? I do and it my
upstairs bathroom.....I found a deal on craigslist for a vanity and my hubby and I took a look at it this morning and we bought it..$55, it white with beadboard trim and with the new top we bought at Lowes a couple weeks ago it should be beautiful!! (now just got to convince the hubby to help install it sooner rather than later.....)
We are enjoying summer around here and enjoying the garden (I have eaten atleast a dozen cherry tomatoes in the past couple days) and even have the radio playing day and night to keep the MOOSE out of it!! The moose came in and wiped out my cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprout and collard plants...some of them are going to survive some are not!! :( Oh, well guess maybe my hubby will get the electric fence up next year....
We had a wonderful evening, night and morning all to ourselves courtesy of my Mom/Dad and sister, they took all the kids overnight so we could celebrate our 9 year wedding anniversary!! It was lovely to go out to dinner and then to B/N for a couple hours then head home..it was especially nice to sleep into almost 10 am this morning!! :)
Hopefully soon I will have some more pictures to show of the never ending bathroom and maybe a couple of our gold claim (we are headed out for a day trip tomorrow) .........
~Fawn

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY WEEKEND

We have a very exciting weekend planned!!!
1st-My sister who just graduated from nursing school in Virginia and just drove for a month back to Alaska will be here!!!!
2nd- My brother and his wife and two kids are driving down
3rd- The whole family is renting a campground with pond, cabins, firepit, etc....and we are all hanging out all weekend together!!! YEAH!!!!!!!! (11 adults and 9 kids)
4th- can you tell we are excited!!!!!
The kids have been sooo excited that it wasn't too difficult to get them to help me clean the house so we can leave the house in some sort of order :)
So Happy Independence Day to Everyone and Thank you to all who have, are or going to Serve our Country!!!
Love
~Fawn