I'm So Excited!

I will post my completed chandelier on Monday.  It's the first project I've posted in a loooooong time and hopefully it won't be a total let down.  Warning:  it may be a total let down, but I'm just so happy to be finished with something that I could scream.

I also listed my first non-birth stats print in my Etsy Shop last night.  Everybody loves owls right now, right?

Remember, Thrifty Abode readers get 20% off and free shipping with the codes THRIFTY and FREESHIP.

Happy Friday!

Gettin' It Together (Changes)

*****  I made some changes.  The picture above is the new printable.  *****

Still not pretty, but more functional.

It's not pretty because I didn't have any extra space for cutesy stuff.

I'm hoping that it'll help me get on track.  Click here if you would like to partake.

Currently Having Some Time Management Issues

via

Have you ever sat down to work on a project that you thought would take about an hour and the next time you check the clock three hours of gone by?

I know I'm getting repetitive and those of you that are super organized and on the ball probably think I'm crazy, but I still haven't figured out my new not-leaving-the-house-to-work schedule.  I'll get the hang of it, hopefully sooner rather than later.  Any tips are welcome!

Cheap Eats: Oven Fried Eggplant Parmesan

I haven't posted a recipe in a loooong time.  I got in the bad habit of not cooking real dinners because my husband worked in the evenings (4pm-12am) and I usually just threw a meal together for Little Man and myself.  We ate a lot of stir fry vegetables with rice, veggie burgers, and pasta with various sauces and more vegetables.

Well, yesterday was the fist day of a big change that's happening at our house.  My husband started a new job with normal hours!  (Yesterday was also the day I would have been back in a classroom teaching.)  I cooked a real meal to celebrate our family being able to eat dinner together on a Monday.

This recipe is really easy, really delicious, and has the potential to be really low calorie depending on how you prepare it.

Here's what you'll need:
1 Large Eggplant
1 Cup of Panko Bread Crumbs
1/2 Cup of Parmesan Cheese (exclude for low cal version)
2 Eggs (use egg whites only for low cal version)
1 Jar of Tomato Sauce
1 Cup of Shredded Mozzarella (use less for low cal version)
3 Cups of Pasta (nix the pasta for low cal version)

1.  Slice the eggplant and lay it out on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil.  Cover the slices in salt and let it sit for half an hour.  This pulls out a lot moisture and gets rid of any bitterness.

2.  While you're waiting, pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and get the crumb mixture and eggs ready.  Mix the panko crumbs and Parmesan cheese together and put them in a shallow dish like a pie pan.  Lightly beat the two eggs together and put them in another shallow dish.

3.  Pat the eggplant slices with a paper towel to remove the water.  Stack the slices somewhere else and place a cooling rack on the foil lined cookie sheet.  Spray the cooling rack with canola oil so the breaded eggplant won't stick.

4.  Dip each slice into the egg then cover with the crumbs. Place it onto the cooling rack and spray the eggplant with canola oil.

5.  Bake the eggplant for 30 minutes.  Flip it once at the 15 minute mark and spray the eggplant with canola oil again.  When it's done, both sides should be browned.

6.  Layer the sauce, eggplant, and cheese in a dish. (I used an 11x7).  Start by covering the bottom of the dish with sauce.  Put a layer of cheese between the layers of eggplant.  Cover the top layer of eggplant with sauce and cheese.

7.  Bake until the cheese is brown and bubbling.  Cook the pasta while the eggplant is baking.

Put the eggplant parm and pasta together and enjoy!

Home Again, Home Again

We made it home!  We had a great week with family, but we were sooooo happy to be back after our 15 hour drive turned into an 18 hour drive due to a wreck on I-85.  Thank goodness we had a portable DVD player and many, many episodes of Nick Jr. shows.  The Wonder Pets theme song is currently playing on a loop in my head.  Count yourself lucky if you don't know what I'm talking about.

The pictures above are from some of the highlights of our trip.  Little Man had a great time playing with his sweet cousin and posing for pictures with his grandparents and aunt outside of the old Louisiana state capital building.  He also had fun at a Little Gym class and visiting LSU's campus.

I'm going to be settling back in and hopefully getting that stinkin' chandelier in our dining area done today (no promises though). 

Before I get workin' I want to thank those of y'all who voted for my nursery over at Project Nursery.  You helped meet my goal of not finishing last!  Woo Hoo!  Fourth out of six 'aint bad.

Vote!

Hey everyone!  I'm taking a quick break from my vacation to let you know that my son's nursery is one of this month's finalists over at Project Nursery.  Voting has been going on since the 18th and I didn't realize that I was in the running until the 22nd and this is the first time I've been able to sit down and ask y'all to vote.  I have a pretty unambitious goal and that's to not finish last.  Right now that's where I am.  While I don't think I should win (there are way cuter nurseries), I definitely don't think I deserve to be dead last.  Help me out.  I only need a few more votes and I have until the 31st.  Thanks and click HERE!

15 Hours...

via

that's how long I'm going to be in a car today....with a toddler.  Oh, how I wish we were traveling in a renovated airstream trailer like the one above.  It looks so comfy.

We're going to spend a week with my husband's family in Louisiana and it's actually supposed to be cooler there than in North Carolina, thank goodness.  I'm looking forward to some down time and fun with family.

I'll see y'all back here on August 1st.  Enjoy what's left of July!

Randomness

via

1.  Isn't that a cute white kitchen?

2.  I will get my act together sometime soon, get into a routine and stop posting at odd times and skipping days (like yesterday).  You'd think that I wouldn't have a problem with all this "extra" time on my hands since I stopped teaching, but some how the hours just fill up and slip away.

3.  I still cannot find the shades I'm looking for or any that are similar for less than $5 each.  I'm about to get $25 from some things I'm selling on Craigslist and I really don't want to spend it all on little shades.  Any other tips on where I can find some are still very welcome.

4.  I'm offering free shipping and 20% off at my Etsy shop for Thrifty Abode readers.  Use the codes FREESHIP and THRIFTY.

Y'all have a fantastic Thursday.

Wanted: 3 Ugly Mini Lamp Shades

I know!  The lampshade pictured above is soooo ugly, but I'm planning on covering it with fabric.  The problem is that I can only find two of the five that I already own.  Those missing shades are the only thing holding up this little chandelier project now.  There were a lot more hold ups, but I'll spare you most of the boring details and just say that I've had to make two trips to Lowe's and a can of spray paint back-fired and then broke on me and I've been walking around with little black splatters all over me me for two days.

I've also spent more money than I had planned, but I haven't broken my rule and dipped into our checking account.  I spent $10 of my store credit at Jo Ann for a can of spray paint and fabric to cover the shades, and I sold a pair of candle holders and used that $10 to buy parts that I needed to hang the chandelier. 

I've spent $20 and I really don't want to spend another $25 on five new shades.  I'm afraid that during one of my organizing/purging frenzies, I threw out three of the mini lampshades.  I got them at Michael's years ago, but I checked yesterday and they didn't have them.  If you've seen these shades or shades that are very similar for about $5 a pop please let me know.  I'd love to only have to buy three instead of five if I absolutely can't find the ones that are missing.

I changed my mind...

...I'm going to try and make my builder grade chandy look a little more like this:

via

I'm going to do shades with a neutral fabric instead of wicker.

Since I changed my mind at the last minute, I didn't get very far over the weekend.  I'm going to try and get it done today and have pics up by tonight or tomorrow morning.

Happy Monday!

p.s.  Have you seen this beautiful capiz pendant from Pottery Barn?  I hadn't until  I came across it while I was looking for the picture above.  Gorgeous!