DIY Fever: Upgrading Your Home On A Budget

I'm completely and uncharacteristically obsessed with fixing up my house right now.  Actually, I am completely obsessed with moving a little further out of town and getting a few acres where my daughter and I could have a hobby farm ... BUT that's not happening anytime soon.  It must be spring fever.  I detest gardening, but each spring when there's a little green on the hills and some blossoms on the tree, I find myself pruning or edging the lawn or shaping the tree while the kids play outside.  But this year I've got the itch to remodel.  I've got it bad.  We can't afford to buy a charming little ranchette nestled in the foothills, so I decided to turn the house we have into something fantastic.  Besides, even if we could afford to move right now, I realized how much we would have to do just to sell this house and thought, we might as well enjoy the upgrades, too!

Kid-Friendly Piña-Colada Smoothie

I just wanted to share something I've been making at my house lately... I admit I bought some of that nasty (delicious) sticky, sugar-and-preservative-laden mixer Coco Real to make piña-coladas for me and the hubby.  For fun I tried making a somewhat healthy, kid-friendly version without the mixer and it turned out fab.  

Etching With Silhouette Cameo + A Troubleshooting Tip

I finally got to have some fun with my Silhouette tonight!  I tried something new and made vinyl stencils to etch glass.  My mom gave me these ramekins that came with a frozen creme brulée from Costco (yes, it was delish).  I wanted to put a cute message on the bottoms, sort of a little surprise when you finish your treat.