Wow, do I have a project for you. I can truly say that I have never seen a book clock, let alone made one, until now. This project looks overwhelming, but it was fairly easy to do. If you can glue and paint, you can create this beautiful book clock. I am so excited about this project that I want to jump right in.
Here is what you will need to get started:

1 Paper mache book box
Scrapbook papers: Brick Red, Musical notes (or anything you choose)
A clock kit
Acrylic paints: Barn red, Yellow-tan
A ½ inch flat paintbrush
A glue stick
Paper trimmer
Scissors
Black pen, or computer-generated text

Start by …read more

If you have kids who won’t eat their veggies, one of the best things you can do is hide vegetables in sauces, meats and other dishes. They’ll never know that this tasty mac and cheese recipe harbors a car of carrots! Recipes and image provided by Mealtime.org.
In addition to the base recipe, this mac and cheese dish has three recipe variations for adventurous eaters — Pasta Florentine adds some garlic, spinach and Parmesan cheese; there’s a hint of spicy brown mustard in the Ham and Cheese variation; and Shrimp Parmesan is enhanced with a can of baby shrimp and the …read more

Female friendships. Aren’t they the most complicated, wonderful, confusing things around? Most women have a collection of friends that vary from being supportive and fabulous to vindictive and negative. So how do you get true friends who will lift you up and treat you well?

In her book Toxic Friends, Susan Shapiro Barash seeks to answer that question. She starts by identifying ten different types of female friends. In addition, she provides some detail on her website as to how she did research, why she decided to write the book, and even offers a quiz that …read more

When it is time to get ready to decorate for Christmas, what’s the first thing you do? Some people pull out decorations and put them in prearranged spots. Others buy new decorations and display them between their knick knacks that are already on shelves and cabinets. I prefer to start by packing up some of my year round knick knacks and putting them away until the new year so I have plenty of space for all my Christmas decorations.

Once I pack some of the clutter away, I give everything else an extra good dusting and polishing to make …read more

You may not guess this tough Atlanta Falcons starting fullback has a soft spot for the environment, but Ovie Mughelli does. He started the the Ovie Mughelli Foundation last year to encourage kids to focus on caring for the environment. Their motto is “Our Future is Green.”
As someone who cares about the environment, Ovie also focuses on organic ingredients with his cooking. And what’s a better cool-weather, tailgating dish than chili? More specifically, Ovie has a great chili recipe to share with you! Maybe you can even make it for a game soon.

Chili with Charleston Spice, The Ultimate Tailgate …read more

We recently looked at one homemade gardening gift you can make for the holidays – a reusable garden tote. However, there are plenty of homemade gifts you can make for friends or family. Before it gets too late to plan we’ll be looking at some more, starting today with a small roundup of gifts that can be used for growing plants.

Large tin cans look surprisingly professional and modern with a fresh coat of paint. Remember to drill a few drainage holes in the bottom. If you’re giving these as a gift, make it nicer by filling the can with seed …read more

I tend to use traditional bed frames in my rooms. I have too many cool antique beds that I absolutely adore to just make a funky headboard instead. However, it doesn’t keep me from dreaming. I fantasize about building a really cool bookshelf/cupboard/table around my mattress so I have room for all the books, magazines, tissue boxes notebooks and other stuff I realize I want after I am cozily tucked under the covers. Failing that, here are a few ideas for creating a headboard:

Cutting a shape from plywood and upholstering it. So eighties, but I hear the clothes are …read more

The baked sausage and veggie omelet is definitely something that I am willing to give a shot.  I love omelets!  I’ve actually been know to eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but I rarely put meat in them.  For me omelets need to be light.  But this recipe from the American Meat Institute and American Hot Dog & Sausage Council still appeals to me because the sausage is baked, not fried and they have incorporated a huge variety of delicious veggies.
Can’t wait to sink my teeth into this one!
Ingredients

1 pound breakfast sausage
1 cup chopped button mushrooms, stems removed …read more

Yesterday, I shared a few reasons to re-think buying a house. Today, I went to look at a few handyman specials and have a few more reasons to add to the list. And by the way…When they say handyman special? I think it is code for “This house should be condemned due to mold, structural and hazardous waste issues.” Wow.

A scribbled sign on the door that says “Don’t drink the water.” After I read the sign, which the realtor pulled down because it was unauthorized, I took a closer look at the surrounding houses and saw that a lot of …read more

I’m all for something that can lift us up. If a book or action can have us behave and think more positively, hey, why not? So that’s why I was particularly happy to read Think Confident, Be Confident by Leslie Sokol and Marci Fox.

For those that have read “self help” books before, you’ll find more of the same motivating speech in this book. Where the book differs, however, is in a 4-step approach to conquering doubt. They take you through a series of steps (Label It, Question It, Rethink It, and Take Action.) …read more