Adventure Time Friday: Coast Date

This past Friday, I decided that I wanted to watch the sun set over the ocean. So I picked the husband up from work, picnic dinner in tow, and we headed toward the coast. We went to the same beach that we did when our friends were here, but this time we found a SECRET BEACH! O. M. G. Here's a ton of pictures:

SL JL <3 Pie. 

The tunnel to the 'secret beach' is at the base of this hill. 

 I have some nice Ace Ventura hair here. 

Booze Thursday: Recycle

With our Colorado visit coming up--TOMORROW!!! EEK!--I needed to figure out how to keep my plants alive without bugging someone to come over all the time. Enter the used beer/booze bottles! Is it just me, or does your glass recycle bin make you feel like a lush? Anyway, I grabbed some bottles from the recycle bin and rinsed them out. 

I filled them with water and then stuck them in the plants. I made sure to SOAK the plants before I did this, otherwise they will just gulp the water right down. But I did this the week before to see if it would work, and so far so good! Stick them deep, near the roots, and do it fast and with confidence. You can do it! 

I like it because all my plants look hilarious to me now. Giggle. 

Good Eats Wednesday: The Magical Fruit

Let's make a TON of delicious, cheap, spicy beans! 

Cast: 

2 lbs pinto beans

3 jalapenos, chopped

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 ham hock

1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

2 chipolte peppers in adobo sauce, chopped

water

1 beer--cheaper is better

1 frozen package of bell peppers and onions--size is variable, choose a reasonable size!

1 tsp olive oil

In a LARGE pot, saute the bag of bell peppers and onions until soft. Throw in the spices, salt, jalapenos, chipolte peppers, cilantro and ham hock. Stir for 2 minutes. 

Then rinse your pinto beans. Throw them into the pot, sorting as you go. Do not skip the sorting, as I found two rocks today when I was sorting. 

Pour in the beer, then cover the whole she-bang with water by about 2 inches. 

Bring a to a boil, then simmer for 4-6 hours. You should have a nice thick bean gravy substance that makes them delectable to eat. 

I like to eat a bowl topped with fresh cilantro, sour cream, and some cheese. De-lish! 

DIY Tuesday: L is for Luxurious

My front door was looking a little plain, and it was getting on my nerves. I decided to make a quick letter craft to announce who's house this was. People NEED to know that. 

I picked a type that I liked (High Tower) and typed an L. I made it as big as I could without running off the page, then I printed it. 

It still wasn't as big as I wanted, so I cut it out leaving about a 1/2 inch around the black edge. Then I traced it onto cardboard and cut it out. 

I LOVE felt. It's cheap, easy to work with, doesn't fray, and comes in great colors. I had some gray felt left over from a craft. I cut strips from the felt. Then I spread glue on the cardboard letter and glued the felt on, cutting the strips so that they were about 1/2 inch too long on either side of the letter. 

When I had the letter covered, I glued the ends of the felt to the back of the letter. 

Then I cut some petals out of mustard felt. (This part is lacking in pictures. My memory card was pretty full of sunset pics--coming later) I glued them in a flower shape and then stuck a button on the middle. I grabbed some leftover ribbon and glued the center of the strip on the back of the letter. 

When all was said and done, it looked like this: 

MUCH BETTER THAN A PLAIN DOOR.  

Inspiration Monday: Thrift Store Shopping

I do basically all my clothes shopping at Goodwill. You might be intimidated, but I want to INSPIRE you to take the plunge. There are a lot of great clothes with a lot of wear left. Also, Target takes all of their final clearance clothes that don't sell to Goodwill, and I have bought a lot of NEW Target clothes at Goodwill with tags still on. Here are some things that I look for at Goodwill: 

1) Jeans. Lots of people donate jeans that don't fit. You are guaranteed to have a large selection in your size that are almost new. Recently, I found a pair of jeans that I have bought new from Old Navy many times before. 

2) Dresses. I love dresses, and Goodwill has a lot. I have found a Columbia dress, a Gap dress, and a Target Dress at Goodwill. Grab anything that might fit you and go for it! 

3) Accessories. Purses and belts are in abundance at Goodwill and are often very new. Great place to update a look on the cheap. 

4) Costumes. 'Nuf Said. 

I stay away from t-shirts and stretch tops, as they tend to look faded and stretched out to me. I have bought some wool sweaters and cardigans there, so keep your eye open. 

Set aside some time to shop at Goodwill, as it is considerably slower shopping than a place like Target that has clothes on easy display. Some days you will have tons of luck and some days you will be frustrated. But check back AT LEAST once a week and do some shopping.

If you have a Goodwill alternative in your area like ARC, check it out. I only have Goodwill around here, so that's what I'm stuck with! 

If you are grossed out by thrift store shopping, follow this rule: 

When you get home, throw all the clothes you bought, as well as the clothes you are wearing, into the washer. Then take a shower. Good to go! 


UPDATE: I JUST went to ye old Goodwill and snagged a new target skirt with pockets and a belt AND I found a great pair of Cole Haan penny loafers. What a steal! 

Adventure Time Friday: Elowah Falls DOS

When our friends were in town we took them to the Elowah falls hike that we love so much. You've seen that, but here's some new pictures from the most recent hike. 

On the way back, we decided to take the upper falls hike as well, as it wasn't that much farther. It was so worth it. The hike is not a very steep climb, but we managed to gain a lot of elevation in that time. The falls at the top weren't that amazing, but the VIEW was great. 

That's the Columbia river, and it's a biggun. 

Have a great weekend! See you on Monday!