Wordless Wednesday: NYC!

BANANAS!

What do you do when you get a really great deal on a big bunch of too brown to eat baby bananas? Make banana bread of course:)
Banana Banana Bread
from allrecipes.com
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas
chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2.In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
3.Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.


I have also used this recipe{Banana Crumb Muffins} and it is really yummy too!

Wordless Wednesday: Milk Bubbles

Crafty Way to Organize for School 2

Last year in an attempt to get a little organized for school, I made these SUPER easy folders. I planned to keep track of all the important papers and notes that came home with the boys from school...and the folders actually did their job really well! I think I only lost maybe two papers all year:)

This year, Henry is participating in his school Accelerated Reader program. The kids read books, take tests on the books, and earn points. At the end of the year there is a celebration for all the kids who earned 100 AR points. I knew that in order to stay organized, we needed a place to keep all our library books and the master list of AR books.

I picked up a pack of magazine boxes at Ikea this summer. I got five boxes for $3, which is an awesome deal...I really wish there was an Ikea closer to us!

Anyway, I knew these magazine boxes would be great for holding library books, they were just a little too plain. So, I got out the Mod Podge and some scrapbook paper and got busy making the boys some SUPER cute library book holders!

I measured the paper and cut it to size. I also traced the little circle on the front of the box so that it could be cut out.

Using my circle cutter, I cut out the circle in the paper to just the right size.
I added a layer of Mod Podge to the box with a foam brush.
I adhered the paper to the boxes and the coated the paper with a thin layer of Mod Podge.
After the first layer of Mod Podge was dry, I added the boys' initials to the bottom of the book holder. I used my Cricut to cut the letters, but any chipboard or scrapbook letter would work too. I added another layer of Mod Podge and made sure to coat the letter well.
I also added a little bit of paper to the top just to emphasize my color coding system:)

Now the boys have a great organized place to keep their library books, and hopefully this will help Henry met and exceed his AR goal for the year!

Simple Lamp Redo

I finally {after 3 months of looking} decided on a new lamp for the end table in my living room. I found this beauty on clearance at TJ Maxx for $20. Not bad considering I had seen the exact same lamp {except the base was lime green} a few months back for $35. I love the square shade and the geometric pattern on the base....but I was not really in love with the color. So, I grabbed a roll of tape and masked off the areas I didn't want painted...mainly the hardware and the cord.
Then I got busy with my black glossy spray paint.

I even remembered to paint the finial that goes on top of the lamp:)

Half a can of spray paint and ten minutes later, I have a pretty awesome lamp that matches my living room wonderfully!

Have you spray painted anything lately?