Create: vintage mason jar decor

One of my most favorite things to decorate with are vintage Ball mason jars.

I recently picked up an antique metal jar canner at my most favorite shop in all the land, The Vintage Garden.

Instantly, I knew that it would be the most perfect piece to display some of my vintage canning jars.

I have such a weakness for vintage Ball canning jars & I've accumulated quite a few over the years, mostly from my grandma, but a few from antique stores as well.

I cut some fresh flowers from our garden, and I think they look lovely (though they kind of scream spring/summer, and it's basically fall, but oh well).

This could be used as a centerpiece on a table, it could sit nicely on a book shelf, or would look great on a coffee table.

Right now, it's sitting in my kitchen atop a lovely, vintage Cosco fold out step stool high chair (also from my grandma).

How would you style this piece in your home?

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Linking up at:

Elizabeth & Co | Adventures of Mel | Thrifty Decor Chick

Happy Sunday.

How to harvest & store onions -- something that we will need to brush up on very soon as our garden is exploding with onions!

Kelle did a Back to School theme party, and it turned out adorable, per usual :)

Reasons to use a slow cooker overnight vs. all day while your at work.

Does anyone have an orchard rack?  I'm thinking about putting one one my wish list to store said onions & other garden veggies.  Or maybe this kitchen cart organizer -- it's cheaper & basically the same thing? Or is this hanging apparatus better?  Ahhh, the possibilities.

Frozen strawberry peach sangria -- sign me up!

What's for Supper? | Menu Planning #3

Welcome to another round of Menu Planning Sunday, where I share what's been on our menu, to help inspire others to get cookin' & get some fresh ideas.

BBQ Chicken Tostadas

Pic via Cupcakes & Kale Chips

These are a new fav!

A tip regarding the chicken breasts, I usually put 2 frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot with 1 cup of water, a chicken bouillon cube, season salt, pepper, garlic power, and chives, and then cook on low for 8 hours.  This makes for perfectly seasoned & easily shreddable chicken to use in whatever dish you want.

Ham & Cauliflower Casserole Au Gratin

Pic via Kalyn's Kitchen 

A yummy casserole that's low carb & keto friendly!  And, Ellis loves this one too.  Win/win!

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

A super easy crowd-pleasing comfort food.  I'm not a fan of store-bought tomato soup though.  We use this recipe with whatever kind of tomatoes we planted from our garden.  It cans well, too!

Bon Appetit!

What's for Supper? | Menu Planning #2

I received a great response to my post last week, so it's confirmed that I'm not the only crazy person who likes to know what everyone else is eating these days.

On our menu this week:

Baked Chicken Fajitas

A tried & true favorite.  I've posted about them on my blog before, with some time saving tips to make this a great week-night meal that's easy to throw together in a pinch.

Chili

Everyone has a different version of chili, but any version is fall/winter comfort food, am I right?  With these cooler temp, a pot of chili sounds yummy.  I don't have a recipe to link you to but I'll tell ya how I make mine.  I use 1 lb. ground venison or elk sauteed with onion and 2 jars of chili sauce that Zac's mom makes & cans from the tomatoes in our garden (ask Char for the recipe, it's sooo good!)   Then I just use an Essential Everyday Chili packet seasoning mix, throw in some beans & elbow noodles and bam...  Chili.  Sometimes I will sneak in shredded zucchini too, because you can't taste it and we've got zucchini coming out of our ears.

Muffin-Tin Pizzas

Pic via Taste of Home

We had leftover pizza sauce from last week, so I scoured the internet & landed on these muffin-tin pizzas.  I will use frozen bread dough instead of canned pizza crust, and omit the first 6 ingredients to use my left over pizza sauce.  I will also add in Canadian bacon because, I love it.  Aren't these a fun spin on regular ol' pizza?


What's on your menu this week?

Baby's Nursery

We're on the cusp of switching Ellis from his crib to a "big boy bed", and so I figured it was time I shared his nursery, before it goes in another direction.

We started with white walls (thank you to my dad for that fresh coat of paint!), wood tones, grays & a pop of color here and there.  We didn't know the gender of our babe, so we kept it fairly neutral in the beginning.  But kinda a bold neutral... if that makes any sense at all (I wanted vivid color, not pastels).

The room kind of took shape more and more as Ellis grew; we added things here & there along the way, and it kind of inadvertently became a "Travel/Explore" theme.

The room certainly isn't "magazine-worthy" but one of my most favorite elements about the room, are all the handmade pieces, and all the meaningful, gifted pieces as well.

Ready to take a look at his nursery?  I suppose I can no longer really call it his "nursery," since there is no nursing going on in there any more. 

So, his bedroom... at age 2:

 

And that pretty much sums it up! lol  It's a small room...

Now, for the details -- I'll link to anything that I can (these are not affiliate links -- I'm just sharing so that if you're interested in the item, you can see the source.)

- Changing table is a 35 year old hand-me-down, used first by my sister & I, made by my Grandpa Annoye

- Triangle shelves on the wall were made by Zac

- Rocker & ottoman were gifted by my parents, from Walmart

- Throw Pillow: Target

- Diaper Genie: Target, gifted from my baby shower

- Humidifier: Target

- Small stool: thrifted

- ELLIS word frame was a gift from Uncle Buck & Aunt Vicki, and I added the scrap book paper in

- Dream Big artwork is a printable from here that I just put in a Hobby Lobby frame

- Blue round chalk board: Target Dollar Spot

- Heart banner: shop_celebratelife

- Artwork on the hanger was made by Ellis. Vintage hanger is from The Vintage Garden

- The cloud & raining hearts mobile was made by me, with the help of my niece Elena

- "Explore Imagine Dream" sign: gifted by our friends, Dustin & Bethany

- Growth Ruler: made by me at Board & Brush

- "Now I lay you down to sleep" wood sign was made by Grandma Sue & Papa Poogie

- Crib metal: gifted by Auntie Jacki & Uncle Lance

- Cross #1: gifted by Grandma Char & Papa Randy

- Rosary: gifted by Great Grandma Bero

- "Baby cross" (as Ellis calls it): gifted by Auntie Becky & Uncle Brad

- Ellis was lucky to receive a bunch of hand-crocheted blankets at my baby shower, made by our sweet family & friends (and I cherish them dearly!)

- Shelves: (again) made by Zac

- Yarn wrapped "E": made by me

- "Ellis James" blocks: Target dollar spot

- Cross: gifted from Uncle Buck & Aunt Vicki

- Deer horn: found by Zac in the woods

- Wooden blocks: gifted by Grandma Sue & Paper Poogie, from Little Sapling Toys (we love their stuff!)

- Lamb: mine when I was a baby

- Ducks & Trucks sign: gifted from Grandma Sue & Papa Poogie, from Hobby Lobby

-  Birthday Sign: gifted by Grandma Sue & Papa Poogie

- World Map: gifted by Grandma Sue & Papa Poogie, from Odd Nerd Vintage

- Postive affirmations sign: made by me.

- Bookcase: made by Zac

- Piggy Bank: gifted by Auntie Becky & Uncle Brad, from Messy Closet Crafts

- Metal marquee "E": gifted by Grandma Sue & Papa Poogie, from Target

- Books: almost all of them were gifts from my baby shower, from family & friends

- Little Bear: gifted by Aunt Jane

- Puppy pillow play mat: gifted by Grandma Char & Papa Randy, from Walmart (Mary Meyer Bestever Baby Mat)

- Crib: gifted by Grandma Char & Papa Randy (from Toys R Us, which is no longer in business)

- Rug: Target

- Toy crate: Homegoods

- Scout the Deer: gifted from Grandma Sue & Papa Poogie, from Cuddle+Kind

- Little Puppy (as Ellis calls him): gifted from Grandma Char & Papa Randy

- Penny, Ellis's beloved giraffe: gifted by Dustin & Bethany


And finally, I can't finish the post without a pic of our sweet babe:

An Ode to Grace.

Yesterday, we said our final goodbye to Gracie Lou.  Our beloved pup, of almost 15 years.

And I say puppy, because anyone who knew Grace knows that she never really grew out of "the puppy stage"... one of the many things about her that was so unique.

She's the only dog I knew who loved garden vegetables, became "fake pregnant" -- lactating and all -- not once but twice, and who had a LOVE for us the size of Texas.

If you're not a dog person (or pet person), I don't expect you to understand... but if you are, then you know that a dog is part of the family.  That's why saying "goodbye" is so hard... you are losing a part of your family.   And the funny thing is, Grace was never really intended to be "my" dog.  Zac and Lance bought her together...  a bird dog, to hunt with them and retrieve waterfowl.  But when Zac & I got married and bought a house, she needed to be rescued from her outdoor kennel life and given some love, and so she moved in with us.

I've combed through my computer and found over ONE THOUSAND photos that I've taken of Grace from the last 15 years.  And somehow, I don't have a single photo of her as a puppy... but I've got plenty of others to share...

If you've never had the pleasure, meet Grace:

a dog of many expressions.

a LOVER, always in your face and at your feet.

a helper, always by your side, for any and all projects.

playful; she would spend hours playing fetch with her duck.

an adventurer... she loved wood walks in the winter & water play in the summer.

my walking buddy.

a protector, especially of small children, and a FRIEND.

She was alwayyyys hungry.

And her most favorite thing to do in all the land, was to drink water straight from the facet.

Grace has been with us through the best of times, and through the worst of times.

We will miss this pup something fierce, but I am so thankful for all the joy she brought us, and all the precious memories that we've made with her.

Give your pup an extra squeeze today.