How to Freeze Berries

When I lived in Oregon there were berry field super close by. The berries were super delicious and super cheap. One time I picked over 50 pounds of berries. What did I do with all those berries? I made jam and I also froze them. Frozen berries are perfect for smoothies, shakes, making jams and syrups later, adding to a recipe, toppings on ice cream etc. The possibilities are endless.  My son prefers frozen berries to fresh berries. There are some important tips to follow when freezing berries, they are not complicated, but can make life a lot easier when pulling berries out. The secret is freezing the berries individually so they do not stick to each other.

1. Wash the berries in the container they came in first. 
This step is super important. If the berries are not washed the dirt and everything else will freeze to it in the freezer.

2. Freeze or use the berries immediately after washing.
Berries ripen even faster when they are washed. I made the mistake of washing and storing berries. They get all mushy and do not taste very good.

3. Slice strawberries. There is no need to slice raspberries or blue berries because they are small. 
Raspberries and blueberries are super easy to eat the size they are. Strawberries however are hard to eat whole. I sliced mine up and they turned out super delicious.

4. Use wax or parchment paper to freeze the berries.
It is super important to put something under the berries so they will not stick to the cookie sheet or whatever is used to freeze them.

5. Space the berries out. 
Spacing the berries is the most important part and something I could have done better with the above strawberries. It enables individual berries to be pulled out/measured etc.

6. Flash freeze for 1-2 hours on a cookie sheet or over night.
Flash freezing is important because it again makes sure the berries are frozen before putting them in a bag. I sometimes forget and take the berries out the next day. They can sometimes be a little harder to get off the tray.

7. Take berries off the tray/Put berries in a bag and label the bag with the date.
Now the berries can be stored together and they will not freeze together! Save and enjoy the berries at a later date.

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Whole House versus Room By Room Renovation

Whole house or room by room renovation? Do you have a fixer upper? Are you trying to figure out how to tackle it? Look no further. I will guide you through the different approaches to home renovations and give the advantages and disadvantages to each.

First I want to explain that the difference between a renovation and redecoration. Redecoration is changing color and design elements of a room (paint, curtains), and a renovation changing the structure, ie flooring, structures etc. I will use the term renovation in this article, but redecorating can apply as well.
What is a room by room renovation?
A room by room renovation is when individual rooms are tackled. ie this summer the bedroom is done, next summer the kitchen, next winter the master bathroom. I personally do not like room by room renovations because they end up looking super choppy and disrupt the flow of the home. It feels too completely different when going from one area to another.
What is a whole house renovation?
A whole house renovation is one that is usually seen on the HGTV shows. They look at the big picture and gather a vision for the house. Elements from each room are tied in with one another and everything is done at once.  I prefer whole house renovations because they really tie a home together, create a sense of coziness and can add that extra wow factor to a home.
Why do either one? 
A whole house renovation can be EXPENSIVE and needs to be done in order...ie If the floors are being redone then the baseboard needs to be removed. Painting the baseboards before removing would be a mistake, trust me I did this one.

A room by room renovation can be less expensive, but it may cost more in the long run and may not make the house as cohesive.

I suggest PLANNING a whole house renovation for the major items, but making a plan and focusing on various elements one at a time. Here are some elements to focus on to plan a whole house renovation:

1. Find a color scheme for the house. This will help out soooooo much with so many decisions. When we moved to our house we decided to make it light and airy by painting our kitchen and bathroom cabinets and bathrooms, our walls gray,  a white wash wood flooring, gray laminate and gray carpet. We decided to do elements of green and blue throughout the house. While doing painting our kitchen cabinets our appliances were black. *PICTURE OF KITCHEN*We did not want to invest the money to change them out because they were in good working order. We antagonized over changing the hardware in the kitchen, they were old and starting to rust. We settled on black. Because we made that decision we are going to change all our door handles, hinges, lighting, towel racks, shower curtains and so on black. It makes it super easy. When we were looking for rugs, shower curtains, window hinges etc for our home we knew what colors we wanted. It is coming nicely and looks super cohesive.



This was my inspiration color scheme for my home.

2. Make a plan. Plan out each step of the project and make sure things are done in order. Do not make a mistake and paint the baseboards just to have them ripped off and looking terrible the next week.
3. Take it one step at a time. We have slowly replaced/renovated one step at a time. We focused on flooring one month replacing the flooring in most of the house. We were super lucky to do this before we moved our household goods in. Another month we worked on painting the entire house. Another month we found rugs for the whole house. Another month I focused on bathroom shower rods and curtains. Another month door hinges. Another month baseboard heaters. Another month we focused on mold in the basement and fixing the entire basement up. And I want to add that finding a good shower rod is next to impossible!!! Target finally had the winner. In the coming months or years we will replace doors, replace door handles, pick out drapes and paint our trim inside our house. Every little step brings us closer to our dream house. It can be cheaper overall this way because items can be bought in bulk, a contractor can come out and do the job all at once instead of for each room, sometimes items can not be bought except in large quantities.
4. Be patient. Whole house renovations can be antagonizing especially if everything can not be done at once. But keep a head up because they will get done eventually.

For bathrooms and kitchens I would love to recommend a whole house renovation, but this is not always possible. These areas can be soooo expensive to renovate especially if major changes are being made. Small changes such as light fixtures, mirrors, towels and decor are easy, but changing layouts, cabinetry, flooring and such can be so expensive and hard to do all at once.

For these reasons bathroom and kitchens I recommend room by room renovations with a few caveats.

1. Still make a plan and a color scheme. Even if the bathrooms and kitchens will be done in different years make a plan. Create a cohesive element for the home. Look at matching or complimentary cabinet styles, tiles for the bathroom, countertops etc.
2. If there is an element desired in both or many places buy extra and save it for the other location. For example if there is an amazing tile for a backsplash but also for an accent in a bathroom, just buy extra and save for the other location. If there is a flooring desired for both rooms buy extra of the flooring and save it for the other location. Trust me if it is not bought at the time there is a very good likely it will be gone when doing the other location. Trends change sooo  much. Buy those matching handles and save them.
3. If it is affordable do the renovations at the same time. This can help save money on time and materials.

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EASY 4th of July Cupcake Toppers

Do you want to give your cupcakes that extra pizzazz? Look no further. I have the solution and it is super easy.

Want to know why the cupcakes in the bakery look so much better for some reason? They do not necessarily taste better, but many times they have cupcake toppers. These toppers add a little extra decor to the cupcakes to make them look like a star.  These took me 5 minutes to make and will for sure be a big hit on whatever cupcakes you make. I have put toppers on my cupcakes, along with sprinkles for years and people always say they look professionally done.

The supplies for this project include:

• Glue (I used school glue because it was the closest thing I could find, but other glue would work too and would probably be better leaving no residue or warping)
• Cardstock-Red and Blue
• Skewer sticks
• Scissors
• Tape
• Cricut or two different sized stars

Here are the steps:

1. Make and cut two different sized stars with a Cricut machine.
2. Glue the small star to the big star.
3. Cut the skewer sticks to length leaving the pointy end for the cupcake.
4. Tape the skewer stick to the back of the star.
5. Put them in the cupcakes! and it is done!

What did I tell you? Super easy right, but these little toppers will dress up any cupcake in a flash and be the hit of the party. The stars could also be covered in glitter to add that even extra pizzazz.

See these other amazing DIY craft projects to make your 4th of July stunning!

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Renovating Our Home

When we were looking for a house we could not find anything that was perfect, especially where we were looking, upstate New York. The winters are super hard on houses up here. There is soooo much snow. Then the summers are super humid. It can cause a lot of problems like; roof damage, mold, rotting wood, flooding...the list goes on an on. Every house we looked at had some of these problems. This house we found had the least amount of problems, but we still had a lot of work to do.

Follow along on our adventures as I share everything we have done. I will be updating this blog post with all of your adventures. Follow along to see the transformation.

Here are our before pictures. What would you change?

Kitchen

Family Room

Den

Hallways

Front Door

Bathroom

Living Room and Dining Room

Fireplace

Foyer

Bathroom

Master Bedroom

Master Bath

Bedroom

Bedroom

Bathroom

Laundry

Bedroom

Bedroom

Entertainment Room

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The Best Snickerdoodles

Do you like Snickerdoodle cookies? We love them here at our house. They are the perfect blend of cinnamon and sugar with chewy cookie goodness. They are one of my sons and daughters favorite cookies. They make it all the time.

Here is the recipe, I hope you enjoy!

The Best Snickerdoodles

Super Soft Delicious Flavorful Cookies

Author: Jennifer Crowther

Yield: 36

Prep Time: 10 Min Cook time: 14 Minutes 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cream of tarter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Take the butter and egg out of the fridge 1 hour before starting the cookie batter to bring to room temperature
2. Make sure the butter is soft, cream the butter.
3. Add the sugars and cream the mixture.
4. Beat in the egg. Mix until fluffy.
5. Add vanilla and mix.
6. Combine the dry ingredients, flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tarter.
7. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix until they are mixed in.
8. Store in fridge for 30-60 minutes before baking.
9. Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-14 minutes. Remove before they appear golden brown, they will be overbaked at that time.

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