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Mini Bucket for a Mini Farmer

 

I love miniature versions of Bart’s farm “gear.”

Like mini Carharts.

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And mini boots.

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And mini buckets.

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Thanks to the folks at Red Hill General Store, Adam has a bucket to carry feed in.  It is the PERFECT size for him – he can carry it even when it’s full and it doesn’t drag on the ground.  img_9084img_9087

He LOVES helping Bart chore the baby turkeys, and really is starting to be helpful!  He can fill the feeders in one ring in the same amount of time Bart does 7 or 8 rings.  It may just be a “drop in the bucket” but every little bit counts!!img_9090

 

The Real Farmwives of America & Friends are having a give-a-way on their website and one lucky reader will win a Galvanized Embossed Tub from Red Hill General Store.  Go over to The Real Farmwives of America to enter! 

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Red Hill General Store did provide me with a bucket to blog about for this post the pictures, ideas and opinions shared here are my own.

Wordless Wednesday: Karen and the Boys

(Wasn’t that a Babysitter’s Club book?)

 

When my best friend Karen was here last week, we did a lot of fun “girls only” things, like playing with power tools and building custom storage systems.  But I also let her hang out with my boys a little. 

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It’s safe to say that Adam is quite smitten, and I don’t think Isaac minded the extra cuddling, either.

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Miss you, Karen!

DIY Pull-Out Pantry Tutorial


When we remodeled our kitchen, we left space for a bigger refrigerator, in case we ever upgrade.  That space has just collected clutter for the past 3 years, until now.
Last week, Karen and I spent one day (and a couple margarita filled hours of painting) and built this pull out pantry. 
DIY pull-out pantry
That’s right.  WE did it. 
By ourselves.  No men involved.
We think we’re pretty awesome.

Want to build your own pull out pantry?

Supplies:
Wood – we used cheap pine (6 1x8x6 ft boards)
1-1/2 Inch Wood Screws
3/8 inch wood dowels – 2 per shelf
cordless drill
drill bits to predrill holes
3/8-Inch Drill Bit for dowel “pockets”
4 2-Inch Casters
carpenter's square
pencil
primer
paint
margaritas (optional)

1.  Measure and determine how big you want your cabinet to be.  We decided it would be as deep and tall as the fridge – 30 inches deep and 64 1/2 inches tall.  My space was 9 inches wide, so we used 1x8s (which are actually 3/4 inch by 7 1/2 inch, roughly.)  Then, we took an inch off the height because we didn’t want the front/back boards to drag on the floor.
2.  Measure and cut the boards.  We used a compound miter saw to make our cuts.  This was our first time using one.  My dad supervised the first cut and then we did the rest on our own.  Pretty awesome.  Had my dad not stopped by, we probably would have used the jigsaw.  Not ideal, but I’m comfortable using it, and it would have worked.  A table saw would have worked, too, but that’s not in our repertoire.

Our measurements:
2: 63 1/2 in boards (64 1/2 – 1 inch)
8: 28 1/2 in boards (30 minus the width of the front and back boards)
14: 29 inch dowels (the dowels need to be slightly longer than the shelves so they will stay in their little “pockets.”)

3.  Pour margaritas.  Prime and paint.
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4.  Mark holes for screws and dowels.  (Best to do this the next morning, after the margaritas have worn off.)
I actually laid the back board on the floor, and laid groceries on top of it to decide the spacing of the shelves.  We wanted heavier things at the bottom, so that the finished cabinet would be less likely to tip.  I’m writing this post with a sleeping baby on my lap, and I don’t have the exact measurements, but we ended up with something like two 15 inch shelves, two 10 inch shelves, two 8 inch shelves and a 6 inch shelf.  Or something.

5.  We predrilled the holes for the screws, and made the holes for the dowels.  The holes for the dowels are 2 inches up from the shelf, and 3/4 inch from the edge.  They are 1/4 inch deep. (We put blue tape on the drill bit at 1/4 in so we knew how deep to go.)

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6.  Assemble:
We put two screws per shelf, although if it were wider, we would have used more.  And we totally would have just used the nail gun, but again, not in our repertoire.

build a custom DIY pull-out pantry

That’s Karen, popping in the dowels.

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7.  Screw casters to the bottom, and pack with groceries!!!

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how to build a DIY custom pull-out pantry
(See how that front board hangs in front of the caster, but doesn’t touch the floor?  That way, you don’t see the casters from the front.)

Left to do: 
1.  Finish the front.  I’m thinking about putting a nicer piece of wood on the front, or some molding, and a handle.  Not sure yet. 
2.  Figure out a way to stop it from being pulled too far.  I don’t want it to come farther than the wall/fridge, because that way it won’t tip on my babies.
3.  Deal with the uneven floors that come with 100 year old farmhouses.  When you push the shelf in all the way, it tips, and that drives me nuts. I may install a drawer glide thingy along the top shelf that will help with both #2 and #3.
4.  My dad thinks it needs a “back.”  I think maybe a diagonal brace across the back.  eh.  We’ll see.

What do you think?  Have you ever built something without the aid of menfolk?  We had a blast doing it, and we’re giddily proud of ourselves!







Piece of Work Wednesday 
The Lettered CottagePhotobucket PhotobucketFunky Junk's Saturday Nite SpecialA Little Knick KnackWeekend Bloggy ReadingJoin  us Saturdays at tatertotsandjello.com for the weekend wrap <br /> up           party!



Turkey Tuesday: Mess Hall to Bistro

 

Jen, from Mess Hall to Bistro, is an amazing cook.  In fact, she hosts a recipe link party every week, Made From Scratch Tuesday

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She’s also raising four step kids, and in addition to working full time, she helps her husband run his business, too.  She says, “No matter how busy we are, his stomach rules the house! I love to cook which is a perfect match to his love of eating.”

These Taco Burgers that she recently posted look amazing…And you could EASILY substitute ground turkey!

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Jen also submitted a recipe to the National Turkey Federation’s contest that I posted about last week.  Here is her entry:

I followed the recipe below from www.leftoverchicken.com, with my changes in italics.

Turkey Tetrazzini

Note: May be made 1 day ahead.
1 T. flour
1 T. butter
1 c milk
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
¼ t paprika (sometimes my stomach doesn't like paprika, so I cut this out)
¼ t sage
¼ t dry mustard
Few drops onion juice (onion juice? I diced one small onion and sauteed it with the mushrooms)
1 t. lemon juice
2 c. cooked chicken, cut in pieces (I used turkey, chopped into pieces, didn't measure, but it was enough to serve 5 in the end)
¾ c cooked spaghetti (I cooked some angel hair pasta, again didn't measure)
½ c chopped fresh mushrooms (I used 2 portebella mushroom caps)
2 T. butter
¼ lb. grated Parmesan cheese (I used about 1/4 c.)
2 c. chopped spinach
Sliced, fresh mozzarella
¾ c butter bread crumbs
Make a medium white sauce of the flour, butter, milk and salt. Add the pepper, paprika sage, mustard and onion & lemon juices to the white sauce and heat to the boiling point. Add chicken turkey, spaghetti, spinach, parmesan cheese, and mushrooms and onions which have been sautéed in the butter. Fill 2 individual greased casseroles or one larger casserole with the mixture and top with mozzarella cheese and bread crumbs. Bake in 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until the crumbs are very brown and ingredients are warmed through.

Doesn’t it look delicious?!?!   Thanks for letting me post it, Jen!

 

Check out From Mess Hall to Bistro for more amazing recipes and a weekly linky party, going on NOW!

Turkey Tuesday: Recipe Contest!

My BFF is here to visit, and we’ve got lots of decorating/crafting/shopping/playing to do, so I’m going to make this quick. 

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(That was her, on her last visit here, with her husband.  This time, we have her all to ourselves!)

 

The National Turkey Federation is hosting a recipe contest and the grand prize is an all-expense paid weekend for you and a guest to meet, cook and dine with Chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother’s Bistro & Bar in Portland, Ore.

The winning recipe and blogger will be featured on the Meal Upgrade Calculator.

The winner may also be used in media appearances (local broadcast segments, print media interviews, etc.) as the blogger spokesperson for the national Upgrade It! campaign.

The contest ends July 31, so get cooking!  For more info, visit mealupgrade.com

Inspiration Station: Color

Here are some fun, COLORFUL pictures for my friend, Amy.
Source: overstock.com via Katie on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Katie on Pinterest


Okay, Amy…I guess you’re right.  Even my “colorful” pictures have a pretty big dose of neutral, huh?  Can’t help it!  That’s just the way I roll!

Happy Father’s Day tomorrow!

The Handmade Home

The Cinderella Diaries

 

My aunt decided, at the age of 40, to write a book.

And she did.

And I read it.

And it’s gooood.

 

THE TIP TOP CAFE' (on submission)
YA/Romantic Women's Fiction Crossover
One month shy of her eighteenth birthday, a small-town waitress’ self-proclaimed oath of spinsterhood comes to an unexpected end when her meddling sisters do a bit of matchmaking at the family cafĂ©. But when the love of her life is convinced by his parish priest and overbearing mother that he should enter the priesthood, her dreams of a future with him vanish as quickly as he can get his truck packed. After all, who can compete with a call from God? Four long years, three doomed relationships, and one passionate, chance encounter later, she learns that this call from God was just a sham based on a clever concoction of lies, manipulations, and one whopper of a secret. But now, the young woman has a secret of her own, and it may cost her more than just the love of her life.

You can’t read it yet, but you can read her blog where she talks about the process she went through with the book, as well as some real life stuff written in her very entertaining style!

 

Go visit her here, and someday you’ll be able to say, “We were imaginary internet buddies way back before….”

Things I learned the hard way...

The fact that your couch cushion covers are removable does NOT necessarily mean that you should put them in the washing machine.


I may have to trim the foam on the cushions a bit to get these babies back in here.  Oops.
(And, as cute as she is, Sally’s not really very helpful.)

Wordless Wednesday: Pick a Color

 

My living room generally feels dark and gloomy.  (Or maybe it’s the rainy, cloudy weather from the past week?)

I got a wild hair and painted one wall white on Sunday.

But it’s too bright.  So I started mixing colors I had at home and trying out some new ones.

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Thoughts?

Linking up at:

Pinke Post

Tatertots and Jello

Live and Love...Out Loud image