Saw It. Pinned It. Did It.

THIS PROJECT!!! I am SO excited about it! 

Ok, first things first. I am linking up with Steph and Katie for the weekly Saw It. Pinned It. Did It. There are always so many things I see on Pinterest that I want to do, and this is a great excuse to show them off!

One of my goals this year was to decorate my home with some of my photography from around the farm. Once I saw this original pin, I knew what I wanted to do:

First, I had to find an old window...which, was actually not that hard to do when you live on a farm that's been around for years and years, with lots of old buildings. I actually found one on accident, while getting something out of the old garage at my in-laws' house. I was looking for something and happened to glance in the very back behind some old wood. I found this old window frame from their house. I have no idea how old it is, but didn't care! It was perfect!

Some of the paint was chipped off, it was dirty and covered in dead bugs and cobwebs, so I cleaned it up a little bit. But not too much, because I think it adds to the charm :)

Next, I printed a bunch of my pictures that I've taken over the past couple of years, and laid them out how I wanted them in the frame. I used a mixture of fields, sunsets and machinery.

 

This step was very important: I took a picture, so I knew what order I wanted them to go in when I flipped the thing over, since I was going to apply the pictures behind the glass.

After I made sure all of the pictures matched up where I wanted them, I started in with the Mod Podge. I want to stress to put a VERY SMALL amount on there, or else the pictures will dry with funny bubbles in the front of them. This happened on several of my pictures. I would also recommend firmly pressing down evenly on the back of the picture from top to bottom-with the grain of the mod podge-so there are no air bubbles and everything is going the same direction. This will ensure you get all of the air bubbles out. (You could probably also just mod podge around the edge of the pictures and in the blank space, but I wanted the weathered effect in front of my pictures, so I put mod podge on the whole thing and then put my pictures down).

Let it dry, and then I sprayed a clear coat of spray paint on the back to seal everything really well.

And this is my final product! (Sorry for the glare behind it-it was a sunny day!)

It looks kind of funny in the pictures, but it looks a lot better in person, I promise! And I think with things like these, I don't want perfection-I want something a little more rustic looking! Overall I'm happy with it, and can't wait to hang it in our master bedroom!

Saw It. Pinned It. Did It.

Linking up this week with Steph and Katie for:

When I saw this idea for a "Man's Easter Basket" I thought it was too cute. I often try to do small things for my hubby to show him I love him. Whether it's getting him a nice card, making his favorite dinner, or buying him a small gift, I like to do little stuff like that.

So when I came across this idea on Pinterest, I thought it was too cute!

When I was at the store getting all of my food for Easter dinner, I picked up some of his favorite snacks. We happened to have an empty Coors Light box at home, so I just cut off the top and stuffed everything inside. It was super easy, and I was SO excited to give it to him!

Easter morning it was the first thing I did. I woke up, wished him a Happy Easter, and went and grabbed his Easter basket from the other room where I had it hiding. Well, he loved it! He's been enjoying his little snacks and treats all week.

Here is my final product:

Did you guys do anything fun for an Easter basket?

Sorry I've been MIA all week! Work has been busy, and I've had to help a couple times with the cows and calves! Plus we're getting ready to head to the PBR rodeo in Billings this weekend!

Saw It. Pinned It. Did It.

I have a couple little things I saw on Pinterest and tried to accomplish, so I'm linking up today with Steph and Katie.

So the first thing I did was a cool idea...or so I thought.

 
Using shower curtain rings on a hanger to keep all of your scarves organized. Awesome, right?!


WRONG

You see how the weight of the scarves is making the hanger bend in the middle? Well I swear in the picture above, those shower curtain rings must be glued in place. Because when I put my scarves on the hanger, they started to weigh down the middle, and one side or the other of the hanger...and then alllll of the other scarves would slide with it. 

And then while trying to get the scarves off of the rings, some of the rings came open, then broke. And some of my scarves that were knitted or had any sort of fringe or threads hanging off of it would get snagged in the clasp of the shower curtain ring. 

I eventually gave up, took the rings off of the hanger, and just put my scarves back on the hanger by themselves. MUCH less of a headache, and when I want one scarf I just grab it off of there without each of the other scarves sliding down to one side.

PINTEREST FAIL!

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This other one however...turned out amazing!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

INGREDIENTS:
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 small onion, diced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, preferably sharp or extra sharp
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
2 1/2 to 3 cups chopped, lightly steamed or blanched broccoli

DIRECTIONS:
Simmer chicken broth and chopped onion for 15-20 minutes in a covered small saucepan, until onions are soft. Heat milk in microwave for 1-2 minutes. In a separate medium-sized stockpot, melt butter then add flour, salt and pepper. Cook together, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, then whisk in warmed milk. Stir and heat together on medium heat until soup starts to thicken, about 5-8 minutes. Add warmed chicken broth and continue to stir until well blended. Add cheeses and stir until completely melted. Stir in seamed broccoli. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Serve immediately in bowls or bread bowls.


I made this for my family while I was with them, and my dad actually said it was in the top 3 soups he's ever eaten in his life. His LIFE people. And my dad loves food. Especially things that involve cheese. 

This recipe is SOUPER (haha!) easy, and really good. Give it a try!