Be My Guest!

Come on in and be our guest!  The room is finally done, it only took me about 4 days to finish it.  I ran into a few problems that still need to be addressed, one is a lamp and the other is the draperies.  The draperies are 96 inches long and I needed 108 inches.  So what I am going to do is sew a coordinating fabric to the bottom of each panel, because I fell in love with them and don't want to give them up.  My lamp I think is too small, I need a little more drama on the table. These problems will be fixed next week as we have guests staying with us for the next four days, so I can't do it while they are here.  Whew, I got the room done, just in time!

I made this little chalkboard sign from an old vanity mirror I found at the thrift store.  It had a gold frame, so I painted it silver.  I reversed a removable hook on the other side of the door to attach the sign with some cute ribbon.

I recycled some artwork, that my daughter didn't want in her newly painted room, for the wall above the bed.  The grate I had so I just painted it black.  The star was hanging in the room before, so I reused that too.  New bedding from IKEA along with the floral pillow, the other two pillows are from Target.  The gray  "SMILE" pillow was $16.99 and the dark teal flower one was on clearance for $7.98, had to scoop that one up.  The white matelasse shams and blanket I already  had, so I reused them in this room.  The luggage rack at the bottom of the bed is old.  It was brown, I painted that black too, the cotton webbing on it is black and white.

This is the lamp that was in the room.  I used one of my favorite sample colors from Valspar to paint it white.  Lowe's sells these in a variety of colors for $2.98.  I scoop them up when I see them to use for craft projects instead of buying a quart of paint that I don't need.  

 This is the newly painted lamp with a shade from IKEA.  Although it's cute I think It's too small.

The black metal frame bed was from IKEA a few years back.

 I also found this trio of canvas artwork at IKEA.

Door leading to the full bath on the first floor....

And the entry door too the room.  I picked up the keyhole medallion at JoAnn Fabric for $7.99 they had a few different kind, and the typewriter picture for $3.49 on clearance at Ross, the quote on it reads "A moment lasts all of a second, but the memory lives on forever".

 Hobnail floral vase at Marshall's for $6.99, Paris boxes were recycled, as was the rooster lamp, silver tray and metal scrolled tissue box.

Have to make the guest(s) comfortable while they are here, so I stock up on toiletries they may need as well as soft fluffy towels.  I hung this ornate, wrought iron towel rack in the room, so they have fresh towels, hand towels and washcloths, at their fingertips at all times, extras are in the basket.

Here are those curtains that I am not happy with, but I will fix them, because like I said I fell in love with them!  They are a soft yellow and light gray with a white background.

Glass canisters at TJMaxx $7.99 for a set of three.  I had the shells and sea glass stones.

The gray and white rug at IKEA for $19.99.  So the complete redo cost about $240 dollars with the draperies, of course, being the most expensive at $59.98 for both pair.

Painting, Painting, Painting!

So the guest bedroom redo is underway.  This room has not been painted in 6 years!  That's a long time for me.  It's winter here and very cold outside, so I wanted to get all these projects done now, so when the warmer weather gets here I can spend it on the outside of the house, I love being outside.  

The room was a very light sea green color.  I used alot of red, cream and burlap to decorate the room.
I found some painting tricks along the way over the years, and I discovered that old fitted queen bedsheets work well to use as cover ups.  I piled things on the bed, I had nowhere else to put them, and stretched the sheet bed post to bed post, works great!

      

Nice size room but the ceilings are 9 ft. high, so alot of up and down the ladder. I am really getting too old for this stuff!

Alot of trim to do around the ceiling and walls....

And the doors and windows.  The double doors are a big closet, and the closed door is access to a full bath on the first floor, the opened door is the entry to the room.

This is my "go to" paint for all the ceilings in my home - Behr Premium Plus Flat in Popped Corn.  I think it works well in light and dark rooms, it's not too bright although it is a white, and not too dull and flat.

My secret tool for doing the ceilings, paint doesn't splatter everywhere.

This is the Lowe's Valspar Paint that I used to paint the room.

 I covered the fan blades with newspaper so I don't get paint all over it.

Ceiling done, now trimming all the walls.

I also freshened up the wood trim, my painter left me extra paint, he's a good guy.  I hire him when the job becomes too big for me to do.   Check back tomorrow for the completed redo!

Eat Your Bran! - Homemade Bran Muffins

Eat your bran, that's the scream of the day.  It's healthy, it has a ton of fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals, it plays a big part in helping with your digestive health, so it's all good for you.  Eat healthier, do this for your health, do that for your health, studies show that eating more fiber is better for your health.  Every time you turn the TV on, see or read the news, everything is bad for you so eat more of this or take that.  It's annoying, especially if you like all the bad stuff, like me.  I try to eat healthy, it doesn't always work out, I have a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other.  I do give it my best shot when I walk into the kitchen though.  But I have to say, I may not be eating that bad, all my health reports come back great, so I must be doing something good, right?

This recipe is one of those foods I make to keep me on track.  Many years ago, a woman I worked with, would bake and bring into the office these bran muffins that were to die for.  I was skeptical to try them at first, eeewww! bran muffins, who eats those? Gross, dry, no taste bran muffins.  Give me some chocolate chip or blueberry muffins or something all sugared up, that's the muffin I want!  Well let me tell you, they are the best bran muffins around and you can't eat just one.  I begged for her recipe, she relented and finally gave it to me.  I pulled it out again the other day and made a batch.  They're like a dessert, heavy so they fill you up, but moist.  They are full of raisins, nuts if you want them in there, and flavorful my friends.  They are that good!  OK, I already ate two of them right from the oven, I need to stop!

  Recipe below.

To print recipe, click on it, highlight and print.

These are my ingredients, as always I pull them out first.

  This recipe has a few tricks up it's sleeve, you have to mix the baking soda with hot water, but be careful, it's like a science experiment, do it over the sink for sure! I didn't and it bubbled up all over the place and down the kitchen cabinets!  BE CAREFUL, DO IT OVER OR IN THE SINK.  Then set it aside and let it cool.

Toss together the bran flakes and buds, set aside.

Coat raisins with flour, set aside

Cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs. 

 Flour and buttermilk.

 Alternately add the flour and buttermilk and mix, the recipe calls for a whole quart of buttermilk, then add the water and mix to combine.

Add bran then the raisins.  Mix it all up with a spatula, the batter will be somewhat thin, until the next day.  The bran will soak it up.

  I divided the batter into 2 bowls, it does expand overnight.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap.

This recipe makes a lot of muffins, but I only baked 12.  I lined my muffin pan with foil liners.  If you are brave just grease the pan, I'm not!

 Baked and out of the oven!

Chock full of  yummy-ness.  They are good for you and you don't even know it because they are so delicious.  Add butter, jam, marmalade or just all by themselves, a darn good muffin!

 HOMEMADE BRAN MUFFINS

THIS MIX HAS TO SIT FOR 24 HOURS IN THE REFRIGERATOR BEFORE USING

Ingredients

2 cups boiling water

5 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups bran flakes
4 cups all bran original or buds (buds have more RDA of fiber in them)
1 1/2 cups raisins
2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 quart buttermilk

5 cups unbleached flour

(walnuts, pecans, optional, toss with flour if you add them in)

Directions

Mix the 2 cups of hot water with the 5 teaspoons of baking soda.  Do this over the sink, it will bubble up and you may get burned!  Once bubbling stops, whisk together to combine.  Set aside and let it cool. In a large bowl, mix the bran flakes and all bran/buds together, set aside.  In a small bowl, toss the raisins with the 2 tablespoons of flour, set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream butter and sugar together.  Add the eggs, one at a time and beat after each. Alternately add the flour and buttermilk, ending with flour.  Mix well scraping the sides of the bowl as you mix. Add the water mixture and blend well.  Turn the mixer off and fold in the bran with a spatula or wooden spoon, until all is combined.  Add the raisins by folding them in.  Don't work the batter to much it will make for tough muffins.  Divide the batter into 2 mixing bowls, it will expand overnight.  Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin tin or line with foil liners.  Stir the batter lightly with a spatula.  Spoon batter into muffin cups, or use an ice cream scoop for more even filled muffin cups.  Bake for 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out with a few crumbs on it.  Do not over bake, it will make the muffins dry! Although these won't last long because they're that good, the batter will keep in the refrigerator for 6 weeks, keep it tightly covered. The buttermilk acts as the preservative, so you can bake a few muffins or as many muffins as you want. Makes 36 muffins.