Scrabble Valentine's Tiles

I wish I could find the blog that gave me this idea, but a quick trip through my Pinterest boards didn't reveal a pin, so it is going uncredited.  Still, just know I didn't think of this on my own.

Aren't these cool?

Anyway, bought these giant Scrabble tiles for family friends for Christmas and when Superman saw them, he said he could have made them.  Well, yes, he could have, but we don't have a router set up to route the individual letters, and besides, I'd already purchased the gift.

See the slightly routered edge?  I love how the grain of the pine is so clear.

Turned out, Superman was right.  These were a quick and easy project.  He made quick work of cutting "tiles" out of 1 x 6 pine board, finished the edges with his router, sprayed on a few thin coats of lacquer and handed them off to me.  



Since they were specifically for Valentine's, I decided to use
a font with more flourish than the actual Scrabble font.

(I think I actually spent more time playing with fonts on the Silhouette machine than he spent prepping the tiles!)  I applied the vinyl letters (with their appropriate points value, of course) and they were done.



Scrap wood and a little time gave us a really cool decoration!

Love them!   Best of all, we used scrap wood, had the lacquer, and the vinyl, so they were a free project!

Costco...not the problem it used to be...

Over the last year, Superman and I have not only revamped our spending patterns, but also revamped our eating habits. The truth is that we love to go out to eat...fast food, mid-range, it doesn't matter, we love to go out. The other truth is, we can't afford it any more. We spent a small fortune turning our new house into our home as quickly as possible, because we felt under the gun. We moved here in September 2005 and we knew that by September 2008, Charming would be on his own, either in dorms or in an apartment. We wanted Charming to truly feel that this "new" house was his home...and it worked. All of us feel that this is our home. Now, however, it is time to pay for all that accelerated progress and that is what we've been doing.

I've been joking that I'm done with the house, so now I need to learn to cook. Another truth? It wasn't a joke. I've spent the last 2 years learning how to cook things from scratch. I haven't even begun to feel like a "cook", but, wow, have things changed. I cook tons of things from scratch...and the side benefit is that I feel more accomplished, more skilled, and better about what I feed my family. I am a far cry from the girl who was seriously stunned that you didn't need a box of pancake mix to make pancakes. (Yes, I really did express shock at that!)

So, how does that tie in to Costco? Well, this is how: I just spent $180.75 at Costco and the only things I bought that were made for me were vanilla ice cream and Nacho Cheese Doritos. What did I get: 50 lbs of bread flour, 50 lbs of all purpose flour, 25 lbs of sugar, one bunch of bananas, 20 lbs of ground turkey, 11 pork chops, 4 lbs butter, 2 gals milk, a huge block of mozzarella cheese (6 lbs) , a huge corn tortillas, 44 uncooked flour tortillas, 5 lbs of frozen organic corn, 5 lbs frozen organic green beans, 6 cans Comet and a 6 lb box of Bisquick. Do you know how many meals I will be making out of all these staples? A lot! It is so much more satisfying to know what goes in our food and NOT pay someone else to make it for me. The $180 I spent will go so much further than it would have with prepackaged food and it will feed my family so much better. So, that is why Costco is not the problem it used to be. I'm not tempted by the conveniences it offers...I see it as a way to feed my family better for less. It is the ultimate frugal store for me...how awesome is that!

Christmas Wrap Up...

As New Year's Day fast approaches, Christmas is already becoming a memory. As the deSantafication process continues (oh, come on, didn't you watch the Santa Clause 2?), I'm putting things away and wrapping things up...and filled with warm memories of another terrific holiday. I thought I'd share some of the high points!

On Christmas Eve, the kids decided the three cats needed Christmas presents, too. So, lead by Valiant, they went downstairs and sewed up cat toys on Buttercup's sewing machine. As you can see, Tuck definitely appreciates his. (Notice the little embellishment added to the toy...no plain jane toy for these cats!) Oh, did I mention his little toy is infused with cat nip?

Poor Superman made the mistake of "pinky promising" that he'd make these cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning. I found this recipe a few years ago and it is amazing. The recipe is actually called Clone of a Cinnabon and, trust me, they are that good! As you can see, he made enough to share with the neighborhood. (Yep, Superman can save the world and COOK! Is it any wonder I thought he was a keeper?)

I made these towels for some friends after seeing this tutorial at Sew, Mama, Sew and finding some inexpensive "bar" towels. (What are "bar" towels, anyway?) I wasn't up to the patchwork part, but I did love the fabrics I found, so gave it a go. Didn't they turn out well? Now, picture cute little oven mitts to match, doesn't that sound terrific? Unfortunately, those didn't turn out so well, so they stayed home. Maybe I'll have better luck next year!

Finally, the snow kept us in until Christmas day, so these goodie plates (including those cool Christmas trees) were put together Christmas Eve for Christmas Day delivery. This year's goodie plates were very simple and included these Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies I found via The Mother Load, and these simple vanilla cookies I found in a little holiday cookie book I have. After I snapped this picture, I attached the cinnamon-applesauce gingerbread ornaments we made and we were off. (The cinnamon-applesauce ornaments also have 2 T of white glue and were "iced" with fabric paints, so they last for years!)

Best Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup melted unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until blended. Stir in chips with a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough by 1/4 cups at a time onto the prepared sheets. Cookies should be at least 3 inches apart. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until edges are lightly

Buttery Almond Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar - divided
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla * (oh, please! Use at least a tablespoon)
3/4 cup chopped almonds (Um, we truly dislike nuts in our baked goods, so I leave these out!)

In a small mixing bow, cream butter and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. Add the flour and vanilla nd mix well. Stir in almonds. Shape into 1-in balls. (Again, I used my Pampered Chef scoop.)

Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 13-16 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown and cookies are set. Cool for 1-2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Sprinkle with remaining confectioners' sugar. (I used my shaker.)

There you have it, some of the odds and ends from my first attempt at doing more a bit more of a home-made Christmas. I know I'll do better next year, but I was pretty pleased with what I did do.