Smelling Sea

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Today the memories of my childhood are wrapping my own babes in salty sea breeze.

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Mariage on Wheels ~ Part Two

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Tonight we leave for a three week westward adventure. Four kids and trailer in tow!

Do you remember my post about a ‘Marriage on Wheels’, if not click and get filled in on the drama.

I went to work on figuring out a way to mix our trailer dreams with a very thrifty budget!

Such Fun

Upon completion Roger kissed and complimented me, sweet rewards...

I bought curtains on sale from Ikea and recovered all the hideous trailer upholstery.

Then nic-knacked from thrift shops and garage sales.

The bedding I mostly had stored in my linen closet (all previously found from thrift shops), the duvet on the master bed was a large table cloth I bought at a garage sale, now sewn into a duvet cover.

The ‘Flower for Sale’ sign above the door was the best find. For reasons unknown to me trailer designers put a slab of fabric above the door, which is tacky and unmovable!  Amazing I found the sign at a speciality shop on sale and it was light enough for Roger to hang it in his beloved trailer.

I did have to put my style desires aside for the bathroom which has now been converted into a fortified fortress all in hopes of keeping our two-year-old-Lachlan trapped… for nights at least!

All’s Well that Ends Well

I am thrilled to say we will be one Happy Marriage on Wheels after all!

Before

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Something Lovely

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There is something lovely about my kitchen today

It may be bushels of beauty delicately filling the room with spring's scent

Or that my doors are opened to the forest fresh flowing through my home

Fresh eggs catching mornings light

Glittering of my thrifted treasures

My work space humming with my contentment.

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'For the homeliest tasks get beautified if loving hands do them.'

Little Women Married

LouisaM. Alcott

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Sixty Versions of Crazy!

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This way of cooking seems to be all the rave, and of course wanting to keep up with all the rave, I decided to join the brilliant craziness! I followed links from pinterest to three or four different web sites each  posting of the genius of putting up a life supply of crockpot meals. Wanting to join the madness I printed a slew of recipes went shopping and burrowed into the kitchen for one solid day of chopping, mixing and storing sixty meals. Preparing large amounts of meals on one day is not foreign to me, growing up in a large family putting 12-30 meals in the freezer in one day was pretty common. Crock pot meals are taking this concept to a whole new economic direction. There is no pre-cooking needed, just chop, mix, assemble, and freeze, wonderful!    

It took two ladies (myself and a very sweet young lady I hired to help grocery shop, chop, mix, assemble, and wash dishes)  

It took two ladies seven hours

We accomplished 60 freezer meals

Menu

12 Beef Soup

8 Chile

8Teriyaki Chicken

8 Healthy BBQ Chicken

6 Galosh

6 Curry Chicken

6 Savory Chicken

6 Walnut Cranberry Chicken

Ah… now I can sit back and enjoy these summer months!

Here are the links I fallowed to gather my recipes

Ring Around the Rosie

Test Kitchen

Mama and Baby Love

I used my own recipes for:

 Teriyaki Chicken

3/4 Cup Apple Juice

2TBSP Honey

2TBSP Soya Sauce

1TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar

1 TSP Ginger

1/4 TSP Garlic

2 1/2 TBSP Cornstarch

3 TBSP Water

1/2 Small Onion

1/2 Bag Baby Carrots

8 Chicken Breasts

Layer in Large Zip-Lock Bag

Cook in Crock-Pot 8 Hours Low or 4 Hours High.

Chili

1 TBSP Oil

1 Cup Chopped Onion

1/2 Cup Green Pepper

1/2 Cup Yellow Pepper

2 Cloves Crushed Garlic

1 TBSP Honey

1 1/2 TBSP Chili Powder

1 TSP Cumin

1 TBSP Italian Spice Mix

32 Ounces Stewed Tomatoes

30 Ounces Black Beans

15 Ounces Kidney Beans

15 Ounces Pinto Beans

Layer in Zip-Lock Bag Cook in Crock Pot on High for 4 Hours or Low for 8 Hours.

Well ladies I am tired after all that Cooking and am thinking I might just reward myself by putting up my feet, out doors in the glistening evening sun with a glass of chilled white French wine and enjoy the satisfaction of having a deep freeze full of healthy meals!

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