Laundry Room Complete!

After about 8 weekends of work (with a few other projects in between) my laundry room expansion is complete!

So incase you've forgotten what this laundry space was before, I'll link you to my first blog entry - It all comes out in the wash - to refresh your memory.

I have plenty of space for storage in the craigslist cabinets I got. And lots of space for doing laundry, I even moved a dresser in there for folding and even more storage!

I'm so pleased with our work!  We took a completely underutilized space (and a broken bathroom) and created a nearly 10' x 10' room!  This room is probably better made and insulated than the rest of my home!

Stay tuned for our next great outdoors project - vinyl siding!

Every Southern Girl needs a front porch

When I bought my house last year, I knew from the outside it would be ugly for a while.  The inside was my first priority, so I could move in and work on the exterior over time.

Finally, last weekend we started on the first project of the exterior:  My Front Porch.  Originally, the house just had cement stairs leading to the front door.  I think this cheapened the look of the home, it needed a decent front porch to help balance the house.

There wasn't much room to build a proper southern porch, but we created a nice landing and stairs.  We added two columns for balance and some railings.  

I have to wait 30 days for the lumber to acclimate to the weather before I can paint.  But eventually it will be navy blue and white.  I will have my address numbers on the left column.

We are all decorated for Halloween, so hopefully I will get many Trick-or-treators to try out my new porch!

Here is a side by side comparison before and after.

 I know it doesn't look like much now, but after we vinyl side the house things will be looking good.

A is for Apples

This past weekend I was bit by the baking bug.  I just can't help it!  Fall is here and it's time to start perfecting some recipes for all the holidays!  Last year I was on a quest to find the perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie reciepe, and I've found a pretty good one.  

I decided to bake an apple cobbler this weekend.  I was hoping to find a quick and easy recipe using Bisquick so I would be able to make it often.  Since my dad is a diabetic, I used Splenda for baking in these recipes. Not only does this make them basically sugar free, but it also lowers the calories by a ton!

My first attempt was very easy, it had just a few ingredients.  It was basically like a pot pie with apples and cinnamon inside. 

While everyone said this was tastey, I was not impressed.  The topping was kinda soft and basically flavorless.  

In my second attempt, I decided to try an Apple Crisp.  I thought a crispy topping would taste better.  So I made Aunt Lillian's Apple Crisp Recipe.  Again I used both Splenda Blend and Splenda Brown Sugar for this.   

 

This was a hit!  Everyone loved it and it was gone in a day!  I can promise you it doesn't taste "sugar free" or "healtly".

Here is the Nutrition facts break down per serving (1/8 sized portions):

Calories 223

Carbs 40

Fat 7

Protein  2 

Fiber  3

Sodium  391

Fall Garden

The first weekend of October we planted our fall garden.  Since we did so well with our summer crops we decided to double our garden area.

We planted Cabbage, Brocolli, Cauliflower, Lettuce, Brussel Sprouts and Carrots.  I am so excited about these veggies, they are all so delicious and I could eat them everyday.  Hopefully they will yield as much as our summer garden did.

We started the Carrots from seed, and after a little over a week they have started sprouting!  I'm hoping this is a good sign!

I think most of these veggies will be ready for picking at the end of November, right in time for Thanksgiving! Hopefully I can cook some cabbage for New Years to instill some good luck for 2012!