Nuts and Bolts

Christmas is here! And I haven't really been in the kitchen a whole lot!  So I decided that it was time to make a batch of home made nuts and bolts.  This is my favourite recipe that has been passed down from my mom.  Christmas time was always the season in which we made these and they really are a great snack.  The problem is that you can't stop once you start eating!  We decided that today we would create a video of myself and my little helper mixing up a new batch.  You can find the recipe below.

Our yummy ingredients!!

Nuts and Bolts

Put in a large roasting pan and mix:

1 box of Crispix (350g)

1 box of Shreddies (500g)

1 box of Cheerios (

1 box of Cheese Bits

2 lbs of mixed salted nuts

2 bags of Pretzels

In a pot on the stove melt: 

1/3 cup butter

1/2 cup margarine

1 cup vegetable oil

2 tbsp Worchestershire Sauce

1 to 2 tbsp Garlic Powder

1 tbsp Seasoning Salt

Pour over the dry mix in the roasting pan and stir.

Bake at 250 degrees F in the oven for 2 hours.  Stir every 20 minutes.

Store in glass jars.

Anna-Grace decided that she wanted to help out!

The finished product.  Delicious!

And voila!  There you have it.  We'll have these gone in no time!  So from our home to yours, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!!!

Tricia

Count Up the Cost

Living the dream!  Oh how good it can look on paper, on Facebook, or in a photo!  But reality is what happens before and after that photo, post, or inspirational quote.  Yikes!  When posting pictures for a blog or Facebook post I do my best to make them happy pictures!  But somedays if you could see what really happens around here while we're trying to live life, I think it would make a far more interesting post and add a little comic relief at the same time.  It kind of reminds me of the times we have taken a family vacation and you get to see all the nice photos of our time at the beach, laughing, and having fun.  But somehow the 5 hour car ride that turned into 10 hours isn't photographed, with all three kids screaming in the back seat.  It's like one meltdown triggers the next.  Well, that's how it can seem when you go after your dreams!

If someone gave you an option to take an old plough and start breaking up extremely hard soil, who would be eager to start?  It might be to some, but it's not really inviting to me at all.  However, it's easy to start strong.  You have lots of energy, a vision for this field, and picture a huge harvest coming!  So yeah let's start!!  You know it's going to be a lot of work and quite hard at times, but that doesn't stop you from starting.  But let me just say, it's after you have been ploughing for a while and you begin to grow tired,  the fact is that you can start to lose sight of how good this field is going to look when done.  You can begin to doubt it and what you once saw you begin to wonder if it really is possible?  Snapping a few pictures of yourself with a big grin on your face and a plough in your hand, you choose to keep going.  You thought for sure by now you would have had your field ploughed, but the ground is harder then you thought...actually a lot harder.  The slight breaks in the ground can bring more satisfaction to you then you ever thought possible and it's what keeps you moving forward.  But the cost you have had to pay in the meantime isn't always what you expect.  Your plough has broken numerous times because of the hardness of the soil.  You open your wallet again even though you said you're not spending another dime on this field!  Your physical body is aching in ways you've never experienced, triggered by hard work, but also the stresses of battling harsh elements.  Not every day has perfect weather!!  Doubt and disbelief seem to be nasty storm clouds hanging out over your field.  You're faced with giving up more than you even know...and for what?? A dream????  I know, it sounds so inviting!!

So why keep going?  Well, it's because a God given dream won't give up!  It's in you and as hard as it is and even the cost that happens isn't enough to stop what God has put in you to do!  Even if you take a rest and walk away, the dream is still in you, longing to be released into this world so that you can make a difference that is good.  Yes, you have the choice to keep going or to stop and it is good to count up the cost before you begin (just know you won't know all the cost up front).

So, is my field ploughed?  No!  I wish it was.  Many times I feel like, 'what I have gotten myself into?'  My dream still lives in my heart though.  So forward I go, another day at the plough, depending on the strength and help from the one who put the dream in my heart.

Here are some photos to show a parallel to how stepping into your dreams may look on the outside but may be a little different on the inside ........It's good to laugh!

Living the dream!

Still living the dream

It's a brand new Day!!!

Still a brand new day!

Me trying to dig frozen ground. The reality is it's winter and I don't walk around my backyard digging my garden up but I don't have plough for this picture.  Yes, in case your unsure... this photo is staged. Was I happy in it? UMMM somewhat I had to drag Stevie out in the cold from his warm bed to take a picture while my make-up was still fresh. And you have seen his morning look.

Stevie's big dig! He really is a good guy! Willing to have his photo taken even when he thinks it doesn't make any sense with my blog....Well Stevie it's winter and I know you don't plough in the winter but were still ploughing!

So be encouraged!  In due season you shall reap a harvest if you don't give up!!!

Tricia

A Picture Tells A Story

Lately I have been inspired to paint a lot, which I love to do!  I have lots of projects that I need to get done, but none in which I have been doing.  I have tried, but it just feels like striving.  So I decided to take a load off and just paint what was coming to mind and I am so glad I did.  It brought much joy to me and I now feel more inspired to get at the projects that I have waiting me.  So here are two new paintings I did the past 2 weeks.  As I painted them a little story came to mind and I decided to make that part of the finished product.  Steve of course took the time to rhyme the stories.  So for your enjoyment, here they are!

Myron the Snow Owl

Myron the snow owl

Was wise as could be.

Watching the world go by

Sitting on his Fun-a-doodle tree.

From way up high

He saw so many wonders, 

That so many people

Seemed to pass by down under.

If only they could see

The fun and adventure galore

That was there for the taking

Waiting to be explored.

The Fun-a-doodle tree

In the season of cold

All was frozen and void.

Nothing green ever grew

And no colour enjoyed.

All the birds of the air

They were white as the snow,

And their tails were all frozen

And their breath wouldn't blow.

But one day a seed,

An unusual kind,

Fell in a fox hole 

And the ground it did find.

It began to grow

Through the snow and the ice,

And it grew and it branched out

Not once, and not twice.

There were lots of branches

That turned out to be,

The wonderful, colourful

Fun-a-doodle tree.

The birds they all flocked

To look at this tree,

And as they landed on it's branches

They all chirped with glee.

For as their feet came and touched 

The branches up high,

The birds true colours came out

And they began to fly.

Their frozen tails wiggled

As the ice it did thaw,

And their feathers turned purple

Blue green, and colours of all.

The Fun-a-doodle's purpose

Let the story be told,

Was to grow in the void

Bringing life to the season of cold

And that's exactly what happened

In this wintery land,

When the Fun-a-doodle tree grew

And the birds became grand.

Steve and Tricia's Funtasical Studios

Painting Furniture

On today's blog I thought I would go through step by step how to paint a piece of furniture.  This is something I really love to do!  However, getting the piece of furniture ready for painting is another story and I can't say I love the prep works that goes into this.  But I do have an amazing husband who does an amazing job prepping the furniture for me!  He actually likes it!  Go team!
So I am going to share with you the process of taking two already used stools and giving them a facelift into something much different!

Old stool about to get a facelift.

Step One: Sand the surface with fine grit sandpaper.

Step Two:  Spray the surface with spray paint.  I like to use spray paint that is self priming as well, and it is better than brushing as you won't get brushstrokes to deal with.  I find you get a much smoother finish.  Just keep in mind to use light coats, and you'll have to do at least 3-5 coats for good coverage.

Step Three:  Pick my colours!  I use acrylic paints because they are durable and will last well.  I needed to do multiple coats of each colour so that it didn't appear streaky.



Step Four:  I then begin to doodle on my stools.  Sometimes I plan something out in advance, but things seem to be better proportioned for me when I just use my stool as a blank canvas and begin doodling with my black paint pen.

Step Five:  I outline everything I have painted in my trusty black paint pen.  I love using the Molotow One4All paint pens.  I have found them to be some of the best I've used.  If any of you are interested in trying them, you can purchase them on Amazon.

Step Six:  I then seal the whole piece with Varathane.

I should mention that it isn't me that does this, but my very particular husband Steve!  Where I am weak, he is strong and vice versa!

Again more than one coat is needed.  Please allow drying time.

And Voila!  There you have it.  Two totally transformed stools!

And voila! Two totally transformed stools.

Most important step: have FUN! Is there a piece of furniture in your home that is calling out for a facelift? Go for it and enjoy the process!

Brought to you by Tricia Preston's Funtastical Studios.