DIY Faux Brick Backsplash

Last summer after a spur-of-the-moment kitchen upgrade I asked you guys what color you thought would look good on my new faux brick backsplash. Remember that? Yeah, it was like 8 months ago.

There were votes for a dark gray or navy, but the number one response was a nice clean white... so we went with it!

I'm so happy with how it turned out. It adds a bit of character to our kitchen and the white really brightens things up. And although it was a bit time consuming to make sure it fit, it was really pretty easy to pull off. Here's all you need to make one:

• a sheet of faux brick paneling (it came in a 4' x 8' sheet at Lowe's)
• reciprocating saw (or jig saw or whatever you can use to make cuts around outlets and windows)
• adhesive
• finishing nails
• paint & primer
• paintable caulk

The hardest part of this was measuring where to make all the cuts. I sketched the backsplash area, complete with outlets & bump-outs around the window and sink, and measured measured measured to make sure everything would fit exactly. Then I measured again. Then we used the measurements to draw out the backsplash on our sheet of paneling. We used our reciprocating saw to cut the pieces the right height, then to cut out any notches and holes (for the cut-outs, like for outlets, we used a large drill bit to make a hole inside the outlet space as a starting point for the saw).

PlayDoh Busy Bag

Big Brother has been loving our busy bags (see them all here) while we've been cooped up this winter. And this play dough bag is no exception! This one was so easy to make and he loves it. I picked a few printable pages from this site, ran them through our handy laminator, then punched holes on the top edge and used binder rings to hold them all together. I keep it in our busy bag bin with a couple jars of play dough.

There are tons of pages to choose from and I picked out something like 18 of them. After I printed them I lined up two pages back to back when I laminated them to make reversible sheets so I didn't waste any of the laminating pouches.

Some of the sheets I printed were the numbers, making eggs for the chicken (and giving it a nose), teeth for the crocodile, apples for the tree, carrots for the bunnies, and making faces. I LOVE watching him do the face one. It is so stinking funny how he interprets faces and what parts he thinks are important. Like mustaches. And sometimes he just needs eyebrows and we forget the eyes.

I'm pretty sure he said this is a big mustache. And the small dot above it is the tiny mouth. He may not be totally clear on where a mustache goes.

So that was a fun and easy busy bag to make. And I'm really glad we don't have carpet when he uses it. :) Now for extra cutes, Big Brother last summer playing with the Cranium play dough:

He always needs a knife for playdough.

Warming up.

Sometimes it helps to stand up. Better leverage?

How do you keep the kiddos entertained when you're stuck indoors?

Easy & Yummy Homemade Bread

I mentioned that one of my goals this year was to learn to bake a good loaf of bread. I'm hoping to save a little money buy baking vs. buying, but more importantly I want to make the healthiest choices I can for my family. When I make it myself I know it contains just a few simple, healthy ingredients. But I didn't just want a healthier loaf of bread, because I've tried that before and ended up with breads that were dense or crumbly or just not very good. So if I was going to actually replace store-bought bread I would need something light and yummy that held together well for sandwiches or toast. And then I made this:

I searched around for recipes and finally decided to try this simple Everyday Whole Wheat Bread recipe. And just like that, it was everything I hoped for. Easy to make, yummy, and light yet sturdy.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 7 cups whole wheat flour (I use white whole wheat)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast (I buy in bulk and it keeps great in the freezer)
• 1 tablespoon salt

Melt the butter. Add warm water, 3 cups flour, honey and yeast (I use a large glass bowl). Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel and let it rise 30 minutes. I turn my oven on low and set the bowl on the stovetop so it stays warm enough to rise.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Uncover the bowl and add the salt and remaining 4 cups of flour and stir to combine (I find things tend to turn out dense for me when I use the full amount of flour so I start by adding 3 cups and then add more as I do it. I've had the best results when the dough is soft and almost sticky, and definitely not too firm). Knead on a floured surface for 1 minute, adding more flour if you need it.

Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a 12x9" rectangle. Roll the rectangle up and tuck the ends under to make a loaf shape. Put each loaf into a greased loaf pan (mine are from dollar tree and going strong!). Cover the loaves and let rise about 30 minutes until doubled in size (I set them on the stove top while the oven preheats). Place loaves in the center of the oven (be careful not to shake or drop the pans or your loaf will deflate. That means you, Beffy.) and bake 20 minutes until golden brown. It should sound hollow when you thump it with your finger.
Devour with butter & honey. 

The original recipe called for making a more free-form loaf. I tried one loaf that way but made the second in a loaf pan and it turned out great so I'll probably be sticking with that most of the time.

Patio Table Makeover

I'm still thinking about spring and all the fun things we can do when it warms up a little. Anyone else? I'm planning what to do in the garden, figuring out how to convince my husband the boys need a swingset, and thinking about how I can spiff up the patio some more... which reminded me we did a little face lift last year that I forgot to share. We gave our little patio table a face lift! This was the before, which I got at a yard sale for $3:

It used to have casters that had broken off before it came to me. But at another yard sale I found a pack for $0.25 and grabbed them just in case... and they fit perfectly! It just took a little tap with the hammer to drive them into the existing holes.

I wiped the table down, roughed it up a little with some sandpaper, and hit it with a light and uneven coat of spray primer. I ran out and didn't want to go buy more, so I rolled with it.

Once that dried I hit it with two coats of paint leftover from our from our front door makeover.

And it was done. Okay, the pictures didn't turn out so good, but it's a much happier table now and it really brightened up the patio!

That paired with a new planter from my mother-in-law had our patio looking fresh new. I can't wait to see it looking like that again! But for now I'm just trying to be thankful for our warm house, the amazing way the seasons work together, and yes, even all the snow (which I'm sure we'll be grateful for later, and for now Big Brother is loving it!).

What are you planning in the Spring? Patio makeover? Garden? Let me hear it!