SECRETS

Sometimes they are hard to keep.

Getting advice from
Everyone in your circle
Responding to questions that
Make those decisions you that have to make in a day's notice exceptionally tough,
Although they generate much excitement. 
Never minding the change that had already occured in the last four
Years. 

And because we all share the same platform of communication, share similiar friends and family members, and nearly everyone has been told.

We will be moving the FALL of 2014.

{and if you are really clever, you've already figured out to where it will be.}

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers. And as more details become available, we will be sharing those with you, too. 

Much Love!

Miss T

Kiel, Germany

The Weekend Is Here!

Hello! Hello!

Glad to see that you made it through the week! I heard that it's supposed to be in the UPPER 70's here! I hate to keep saying that, but WOOHOO! All of you in the heartland of this country, stay safe and warm as your weather hits!

We are going to VA this weekend to see our friends who live on the water. There will be some crafting and I have a new recipe that I will share if it turns out. We are bound to have a fantastic time because we are also taking our Mexican Train Dominoes game. J's mom gave it to him many moons ago. Have you played this?


You can pick it up from Amazon for about $15. It is a wonderful strategy game. Our family loves it and I hope yours does too! 

My Goodwill Hunting Chalkboard decided that it wasn't quite ready to display "Happy Happy Happy" a quote from Phil Robertson. J came home Wednesday and it had apparently fallen of the window ledge and broke. I will re-purpose the frame somehow.

I said on Facebook that I am busting at the seams with news. Sorry, you will have to have some patience on that one. I will let you know that it isn't BAD news.

Hope you're doing something fun this weekend whether it's shoveling snow, or basking in the sun. Whatever it is, make it count with who you're with.

Have a great one!

Miss T

Peanut Butter, Banana, & Nutella Smoothie

Hey there! I hope you had a great weekend! It seemed like it went by so fast. We de-decorated the office, taking down all the Christmas stuff. J made it known that the room now looks really boring. I would have to agree. With just the two desks, the large chalkboard, and a couple decorative suitcases it is BORING. Thankfully, I spent ALL that time on pinterest this weekend, cleaning out my like files, and found a tutorial on how to make subway art on my own. I'll mess around with that later this week. For now, I've got a scrumdiddlyumptious smoothie recipe for you.

Yesterday afternoon I was feeling a bit hungry. It wasn't because I was bored. (I was on pinterest, remember.)  And I'd already had a glass of water to see if that would satisfy this nagging feeling in my stomach. After rummaging through the cupboards to see if I could round anything up that was halfway healthy, I was reminded of my cousin, Kate, who told me about a smoothie she had.  If you can operate a blender, this one is for you!

Peanut Butter, Banana, & Nutella Smoothie

1 c of whichever Milk product you prefer. I used 2%, but would consider Silk Coconut
1 frozen banana
1.5 tbs of peanut butter - I used Skippy Natural
1.5 tbs of Nutella
1 handful of frozen grapes

I put the ingredients into the Vitamix in that exact order. (We have a Vitamix, but I have used a regular blender, Ninja, and Magic Bullet for most of the smoothies we have made.)

I started on 1 and slowly cranked it up to 10, blending for about 30 seconds. For those of you that have a vitamix, you won't want to go much longer than that.

When it starts to fold in on all sides, I usually let it go for about 4 seconds more and turn it back down to 1 and shut off the machine.

  YUM!! So rich and creamy!

Now, mind you... I said halfway healthy, not calorie free. It does have about 400 calories, but for a breakfast, lunch or dinner meal that isn't too bad. I had it again for breakfast this morning. If you try it out, let me know how you liked it. {And thanks, Kate, for the great idea!}

I'm outta here. Have a great week!

Miss T  

Goodwill Hunting (chalkboards)

It was a fantastic movie.

But that's really not what I am talking about here. I am talking about finds at your local Goodwill. Have you ever been to your local Goodwill? OR have you ever donated to one? I was first introduced when I lived in a small town in Nebraska while I was going to school. Then I moved away, and that was the end of that. I was reacquainted with Goodwill when I moved to Hawaii. There was one about a mile from our house. I found some pretty cool stuff there, including a pub-style table and a couple stools. SUPER CHEAP.

And so the love of Goodwill brings this post to you. If you happen to pop over to my other blog, you know that I have a love for chalkboards and chalkboard writings. I found a couple of old picture frames right away when we moved to North Carolina. They have been sitting in our dining room since about September.

Since deciding to keep up with the projects I already have going, I began the taking apart one of the pictures I had picked up. It had a photo that was printed in the 70's of a cross. Unfortunately, the backing on the picture was truly disgusting, so it was removed.

I lightly sanded the frame to give it some texture. Next, I put a coat of Valspar's Mystique on the frame with a sponge brush. It's a color sample I picked up at the big blue hardware store. I didn't paint it completely solid because I knew I was going to sand it again after it was dry. I took it outside and gave it light scuff here and there.

With the frame done, I cleaned the glass that was inside of it and painted it with Rust-Oleum chalkboard paint, rolling it on with a small roller. It took about 3 coats, and says you need to wait 3 days for it to cure. After the glass was all dry, I put it back together with the frame.  (The other chalkboard you see in the photo on the right is the back to another project I will post next week.)

{We received this pretty little container from J's auntie for Christmas. Isn't it awesome?!}

And there she is. Standing so tall and proud to be in our kitchen, for now. I am not quite sure where I will be putting her, but until she is completely cured, she will stay here.

If you are wondering about Chalkboard paint, it's really the simplest thing to use. I got mine at the five and dime store last spring. You can usually find coupons for 40%-50% on a single item at those kind of stores. With a good stir, and sponge brush you can be on your way in no time. If you do paint something, let me know, won't you?

So what do you think?

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Miss T

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta

Coming up with new ideas for dinner seems to be a challenge for me, especially when we are talking about dealing with weight management, or semi glutten free. I say that because you can get glutten free pasta nearly everywhere, and if you don't have access to it in your town, you can order from Amazon. Also, you can use any other nut flour, like almond, coconut, or flax seed.

 

This is a dish that was a huge hit last night with the boys guys. I found the link on Pinterest. You can find the recipe that we adapted from here. She got hers from BHG. Maybe you will add your own twist and hopefully let me know what you did so we can try it too.

 

 

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta

adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

1 pound short penne

 

1 tbs of EVOO

 

8 strips of bacon, diced

 

2 tablespoon butter

 

3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces (I apparently MISSED this part, so do yourself a favor, and cut BEFORE cooking!)

 

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 packet ranch dressing mix

2 cups milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

shredded parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions in boiling salted water; drain, return to pot. Toss with a bit of left over water or EVOO.

2. Meanwhile, cook bacon on a griddle over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Save 2 TBS and set aside. (We save the rest of the drippings and add them to the stock in the fridge.)

3. To a cast iron skillet, add the butter and bacon fat, and turn on med-hi. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the skillet and give another pinch of salt and pepper on top for good measure. Cook until tender, no longer pink, and slightly browned.

4. Mix together the packet ranch mix and the flour in a measuring cup. Sprinkle the flour and ranch dressing mix over the chicken, coating evenly.

5. Stir in the milk, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and bubbly. Stir in the cheddar cheese and half of the reserved bacon; cook and stir until the cheese is melted. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

6. Add the pasta to the chicken/cheese sauce and stir to combine. Then add remaining crumbled bacon to top of dish.

7. Serve with shredded parmesan cheese on top.

 

YUM!!

 

If you try it out, let me know how you like it! I've got to get back working on my project I started yesterday so I can post it later today.

 

Come back soon won't you?

 

Miss T

 

Making Trash Pretty

Okay, at least the trash bin can be a pretty color.

As I stated yesterday, there are many projects that I would like to get done. Getting our home put together means completing projects I've started instead of having J think it's just crap stuff hanging out around the house. I have been pretty busy already. Let's take a look at the first thing that was on my plate today.

On New Years Day, we decided to finally stack the washer and dryer. When we were in the process of building the house, I had specifically requested that the laundry area be built to accommodate such an idea. Instead, this is what we were given.



Pretty unsightly, yes?

We will be putting cupboards up at some point, but for now, at least they are stacked and we have so much more room for crap bargains I find at Goodwill or online community sales. Joking, of course! I did have this nifty red garbage can that I picked up at the big dot super store awhile ago for only $2! We had been using it in the laundry room, but it's quite UGLY. Hot tamale red just isn't doing it for me.

I decided to spruce it up a bit with all the energy I seem to have today. Maybe I shouldn't have taken that Hydroxy-Cut MAX this morning.

I used some left over spray paint that I got at the big blue hardware store last fall. Looks pretty good, doesn't it?

I also added three felt sticky circles to the bottom so it would no longer scratch up the floor. I don't know if it was ACTUALLY scratching the floor, but every time I would hear someone move it, I cringed. It was like nails on a chalk board.

And that, my friends, is a hint to what my next project is that I will be working on. So come back tomorrow and see what I came up with!

Until then, thanks for stopping by!

Miss T

 

Welcome 2013!

Welcome to Pigtails & Sassyfras!

It's a brand new year, and a fresh start in blogging. It's my intention to cover various things from DIY projects to personal growth with you all. I am a Pinterest fan, and just recently found Craftgawker. AH-MAY-ZING! Love all of the creativity!

I've blogged on another space, and you can check that out right here.

So first things first.... What do you think about my title?

The idea came from reminscing about my grandpa last night and the things he would say. Boy, do I miss him. He sure didn't put up with much sassyfras from us kids. Some stories will surely be told about that.

Here's what I've been working on lately. It's vinyl lettering cut out by my Cricut. Having the cricut makes me want to vinyl the whole house! (Don't worry, J... I won't. ) I originally posted this here. Of course, I got the idea from a pin from pinterest. I don't have a silhoute or whatever the other machine is that they were using, so it took me a bit to create the various fonts and size cutouts.



But there she is... waiting for the next go round. I gotta get crackin on my sister's now.

Thanks again for stopping by.

May your year be truly blessed!

Miss T