Girl Gone Goodwilling

Why not start this post off with a cute picture? :)

Happy New Year Everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed your holidays with family and friends!

We're now back to real life once again. After 10 days off - Ben has hit the road (not literally) and is now back to the long commute to work. We enjoyed having him home and all to ourselves so it's quite a switch to have him vanished all of the sudden. Landon has been saying "Papa...Papa...Papa..." all day today and he doesn't quite understand where he disappeared to. So we are trying to keep occupied so we don't notice it as much!

Maybe some packing could be good considering we're moving in March...
But there's lots of time for that right???  (Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh)
Oh the procrastination begins - story of our lives;)

Speaking of procrastination : I have a few projects that I've been working on since the summer that still are not complete. But I know I'll get there eventually. I'm a Goodwill gal. I love searching for bargains and "little treasures." Over the months I've found some pretty great stuff and thought I'd share some of the findings with you. I definitely wouldn't consider myself an expert when it comes to refinishing things - but I like to give it a whirl anyway! For Landon we always used the ANTILOP Ikea highchair and got the tray for the top that comes separately. It was super cheap and very durable which we loved! It was awesome to wipe up any messes and spills too without dealing with a cloth highchair that always needs to be washed. But even though we purchased our Ikea highchair, I've always been on the lookout for an antique wooden one that I can refinish into something trendy with a more modern touch.

I hit the jackpot when I found this highchair at our local Goodwill for 10 bucks. Can you believe that??? Underneath the tray it has metal brackets that you can slide out to remove the tray. I have a vision of this chair being a bright fun color to stand out in any kitchen. After finding these pictures online - I was inspired!

Once it's sanded, primed, and painted it will have a completely new look. 

I can't wait to get started on this project. I still haven't decided what color it'll end up yet...That's always the hard part for me. But I will make a separate post on this so you can see the finished product!

I love big frames with dramatic detailing. That's why I was drawn to this one that I used to make the cork board in our kitchen.

My next goodwill find was this picture frame that I purchased for $4.00. I always seem to browse past the frame sections of second hand stores to see if anything catches my eye. I noticed this frame with a wicker border affect. I think it has something special to it.

Of course my first thought when I looked at this picture was "Hmm, no wonder someone dropped this off at Goodwill - Yikes!"

But I know I can do something with this. I'm leaning towards a jewellery holder this time. Some cork board in the center with some elegant fabric over it and cute pins to hold the necklaces in place. I've got some work cut out for me...

This cookie jar is my little treasure. Can a cookie jar be that out of the ordinary? You bet it can. For years I was looking for an old fashioned (round) cookie car with a cork top lid. I would always look at Target or Canadian Tire and never have much luck. They all either had glass or plastic lids.

 I was walking quickly through (you guessed it) my local Goodwill store to the checkout - completely frazzled - I was sick of trying on a cart full of clothes and coming up empty handed. I walked by in a hurry and I saw it out of the corner of my eye. My cookie jar! I grabbed it off the shelf so fast I think a few people gave me some funny looking stares - or was that when I was actually hugging it? Hmm I can't quite remember. 

I have nightmares about my children (or myself  my husband) breaking it one day. So as weird as it sounds I'm always on the lookout for another one as a backup. Haha. 

I really wouldn't say I'm a hard person to please...this $5.00 cookie jar made me the happiest short freckled brunette girl alive!

This was a find for our sweet little boy. It is honestly the cutest book ever and I love reading it together. If you ever see this book when you're out and about you shouldn't think twice about getting it. I'd say it's a must have for any children's bookshelf!

And if the price is right - well that's an even better reason to pick it up! Gotta love thrift stores. 

Landon calls it the "RaRa book". When translated from toddler talk that actually means "Rabbit Book". 

I'm still trying to decide if finding this dresser was a score or a curse. When I first bought this dresser at Goodwill for $15 in the summer I had huge plans for it...

Well the summer has been long gone for awhile now and I still have not yet fully completed this project. So I need to start using my evenings wiser and get to work on it again. 

The sanding and the priming I got done pretty quickly. 

Thank you Landon for being such a good napper!

I was actually thinking about keeping it white since it looks so purdy!

Even with just a fresh coat of primer I think it looks so much fresher! I picked out 2 paint colors for it but once I started painting it I noticed the 1 color wasn't exactly what I thought it would be and I just wasn't completely happy with the way it turned out. So I ended up ditching that plan and went a different route. 

It still needs a final coat (which I will hopefully get around to finishing up soon) and once it's complete I will post pictures of the finished dresser! Goodwill is so fun. You really can find some unique treasures - and for such great deals! 

Does anyone else have a treasure they've found at a thrift store? Feel free to share it with us! 

Have a great night everyone!

S

A Walk One Winter Night

This year we are looking at winter differently.

We've decided to not complain about the snow, the cold, and how long winter lasts. We are embracing every moment of it! Bundling up and braving the cold. 

And so far we have no regrets. 

Mom's Homemade Chicken Soup

I don't know what I'd do without my husband and my mom. They're truly amazing. I've been sick in bed for the past 3 days with a wicked cold and they both completely took over and had everything under control. The combination of a sore throat + sinus pain, along with morning sickness hasn't been the most pleasant - so I've been so thankful to have this extra help the past few days. 

One thing I thought about instantly when I heard Mom was coming to stay with us was her Homemade Chicken Soup. It's just one of those comfort foods for me that has the smells and flavors of my childhood. Mom made this soup often in the winter months and anytime one of her kiddos had the sniffles. 

Of course the last thing any of us ever want to think about is this part of the future - but I know there will come a time when my parents will no longer be around. This is a sad and scary thought - but there are certain comforts, habits, and traditions that my parents (and their parents) seemed to have started for our family that I will always want to carry on afterwards. I told my mom awhile back that one of the things I wanted her to teach me the most was how to make this soup. So while she was staying here I made sure to watch closely and study her every move so I can be able to make it just like her. And I thought snapping some pictures might help me out for when I try to make it myself...I get so excited when I can smell it cooking away on the stove! 

It was so nice to enjoy this hot bowl of soup on such a blustery day and to spend some time with my mom. I'm already looking forward to tomorrow's lunch. 

But this gal needs some beauty sleep. Oh boy, do I need it. Goodnight all!

Mom's Homemade Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

1 Whole Chicken (we used the cooked BBQ chicken from the grocery store but you can always use a whole uncooked chicken as well)

4 Carrots, diced

1 Onion, diced

1/2 Broccoli head (and also part of the stem) diced

2 Cups of Tomato Juice

1/2 cup of Rice (or pasta if you prefer)

1. Put whole chicken in a soup pot and fill the pot half way full with water. 

2. Chop up one onion. 

3. Add onion to the soup pot. 

4. Cut the chicken into pieces with chicken shears and boil on medium heat for 1 1/2 hours.

5. Once boiled - remove the chicken from the pot

6. Add tomato juice to the stock.

7. Add chopped veggies and rice to the stock and boil for 20-30 minutes. 

8. Pull the chicken off of the bones, dice, and add half of it to soup. (My least favorite part!.)

**Mom usually adds most of the brown meat and would save the breast for chicken sandwiches. YUM!)

And it's ready to serve!

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

I love it when family and friends associate me with food. It’s nice because it makes you feel good knowing how much people enjoy what you make and to have them admire your passion. These White Chocolate Cranberry cookies were a huge hit with family and friends and hearing that from them all is always so heartwarming. So I thought I'd post the recipe for those that might be interested.

 I think since Christmas is fast approaching I was in the mood to bake something that reminded me of the holidays - and these are perfect for this time of year! The sweetness of the white chocolate balances the tartness of the cranberries so the combination of the 2 is just divine. I knew I had to give most of these away and just save a few for us, otherwise the whole jar would of been gone in just a few short days! So for those of you that took some off our hands - THANK YOU! :) I hope you enjoy them as much as we did! Man...I guess I should of kept a few more. I could really go for one right now with a big glass of milk!

If you'd like to try this recipe out here is everything you'll need:

Ingredients:

2 ¼ cups All Purpose Flour

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Soda

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Cup unsalted butter at room temperature

¾ Cup of Granulated Sugar

¾ of a Cup of Brown Sugar

1 Cup of white chocolate chips

1 Cup of dried cranberries

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Combine together the first 3 ingredients and set aside.

2. In a mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars. Mix together. 

3. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix together until all creamy and combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is mixed well.

4. Add the dry ingredients and mix just to combine. Add the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries. Mix just to distribute them through the batter.

5. Using a small ice cream scoop, drop the cookie dough 2 inches apart onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly golden brown around the edges.

6. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet then remove onto wire rack and cool completely.

And Enjoy!

Why not try out this festive cookie recipe so you can snack on them while wrapping presents this year? I think I might have to make a new batch next week...

My little picky eater sure enjoyed them! 

Have a great night everyone!