Valentine Wreath

Miss Lori heard my request (more like plea) if anyone wanted to guest blog and sent me this project she did for Valentines Day wreaths - what a great idea, crafty and thrifty = love it!  As always - thanks for sharing, Miss Lori! Here's what she did to make store-bought hearts into something really special, in her words: 

As usual, when it gets crazy cold here I do some crafts! I picked up two hearts and two rolls of ribbon from the Dollar Tree, added a couple things from my stash and whipped these up for my front doors! I had the beautiful wreaths from LeDonna up for the holidays and decided to change to Valentine decor for a bit.💗I love my pink all year long!

(before) decorated for the winter holidays...doesn't her front porch look pretty?!

after - all set for Valentines!

1.31.21: 🔥week 5

1.31.20: napa (cabbage) salad

1.31.19: wire scottie overhaul

1.31.18: Tesha's Texas Caviar 

1.31.17: hair bump trick

 
1.31.16: pretzel hugs 

🔥 Around the Campfire (week 5)

Dear Campers ~

Here's the recap for the last week of 'rerun-uary' posts - the longest stretch I've ever done repeats but let me tell ya', sometimes life gets crazy and there is just no time to be creative. I've had a January. 

Every day this past week I did a post of other posts that were posted on the same day thru the years (how many times can I use the word 'post' in one sentence you ask?):

1/23: 🔥 week 4 recap

1/24: candy cane hearts, avocado toast, changing up a side table, lamb stew, body wash

1/25: beaded mask leash, cauli parm, spirit gloves, anniversary card, stuffed squash, stamped floor mat

1/26: cabbage leaves, Ron's moms dinner, heart garland, gemstone soap, honey lime dressing

1/27: galumpkis, diy not dui craft, words, slime, displaying recipes

1/28: ham salad, micro tip, mimosas, guest room prep, glass cleaner, enchilada casserole

1/29: air fryer avocado, lemon rosemary chicken, curly willow, paper pouch, roasted tomato soup

Thanks for being good sports about reading all my repeat posts (or if you haven't been a good sport then thanks for not telling me that you haven't been hahha). Coming up this week I have a couple good Valentine crafts from Miss Lori to show you so stay tuned! 

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor

1.30.21: creamy chicken soup

1.30.20: tbt cardinal salad

1.30.19: chocolate mint crackles

1.30.18: baked ham and cheese sliders (and other Super Bowl ideas)

1.30.17: heart cork wreath or trivet

1.30.16: sweet sunrise mocktail

Thru the years: January 29

Last re-run for the month - what was posted on January 29th thru the (camping) years:

1.29.21: air fryer avocado

1.29.20: lemon rosemary chicken (starting with a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, easy!)

1.29.19: curly willow branches

1.29.18: folded paper pouch

1.29.17: creamy roasted tomato soup

1.29.16: homemade playdough

Thru the years: January 28

Continuing with the theme of posts posted on this date in past years:

1.28.21: old fashioned ham salad

1.28.20: TT microwaving tip

1.28.19: DIY glass cleaner

1.28.18: salsa verde pork enchilada casserole

1/28/17: mimosas

1/28/16: guest room tips (organizing and getting ready for guests)

Thru the years: January 27

Ever wondered what was posted on this date in 2016? Gotcha covered: 

1.27.21: galumpkis (stuffed cabbage rolls)

1.27.20: Mason jar cork jar (DIY not DUI)

1.27.19: 🔥week 4

1.27.18: words ~ your story

1.27.17: slime

1.27.16: displaying recipes

Thru the years: January 26

Enjoying the trip down camp memory lane? Here's what happened on January 26th in years past:

1.26.21: TT separating cabbage leaves

1.26.20: 🔥week 4

1.26.19: Ron's Mom's dinner (aka 'the okra dish')

1.26.18: Brooke made gemstone soap

1.26.17: Valentine heart garland

1.26.16: honey lime dressing

Thru the Years: January 25

What happened on this date in past years at Make My Day Camp? 

1.25.21: beaded mask leash

1.25.20: cauliflower parmesan 

1.25.19: spirit gloves (sew pompoms onto glove fingertips)

1.25.18: anniversary card

1.25.17: Kyle's sausage stuffed acorn squash

1.25.16: stamped floor mat

Thru the years: January 24

It only took 3 weeks of combing thru old posts trying to find ones I wanted to use as re-runs this month to come up with the idea to just share posts from this day in past years! Duh. I'm slow but eventually I get there hahahah. 

Today - posts from 1/24 thru the years:

1.24.21: 🔥week 4

1.24.20: candy cane hearts

1.24.19: DIY body wash

1.24.18: side table re-do

1.24.17: egg and avocado toast

1.24.16: citrus scented lamb stew

🔥 Around the Campfire (week 4)

Dear Campers ~

Here's a quick recap of what happened at camp last week ('healthy' re-runs are what happened but hopefully they were fun and helpful to re-visit):

Posts ~

1/16: 🔥 week 3

1/17: sliding leg lunge

1/18: healthier potato soup

1/19: 12 week workout at home plan

1/20: smoothie tips and treats

1/21: mushroom potato soup (a nice name for an ugly - but delish - soup)

1/22: whiskey sours (lightened up)

Since we had a week of healthy posts, I thought I'd leave you with this gem 😂:

Hope everyone had a great week - stop back next week for potentially another week of re-runs depending how much I get done today hahaha. At this point I might as well finish the month...I've heard of 'dry January' and 'veganuary' - I'm making up a new one for my doing repeat posts all month trying to catch myself up, it's called 'rerun-uary' hahahahha. Made myself laugh. Happy Sunday!

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor 

1.23.21: cord mask leash

1.23.20: tbt southern spoon bread

1.23.19: buttermilk drop biscuits 

1.23.18: attempting to organize my life

1.23.17: heart and Scottie string art

1.23.16: Dave's cosmopolitans

Whiskey Sour 'lite' re-run

The last of 'healthy' re-runs for the week - this originally posted 6/16 and I completely forgot about this recipe for whiskey sours using Crystal light as a mixer:

I found this recipe for whiskey sours made with Crystal Light so it saves some calories - that counts for my new healthier category, right? HA! Not sure about that...

I really like these, but I'll warn you that they are really sour. Everyone else who tried them didn't enjoy how sour they are but I like sweet/tart so they are fine with me. The recipe calls for 3/4 cup of lemon juice, next time I will start with less and add more to taste. My mouth is watering and doing that puckering thing and I'm wincing just thinking about the sourness haha - love it!

I found the recipe on Kraftrecipes website, click here to see the full article.

Mix 1/3 cup water with 1 packet (the one that makes 2 quarts, not individual packet) of Crystal Light lemonade until it's dissolved. Stir in 1.5 cups whiskey and 3/4 cups (or less!) lemon juice. Serve over ice, garnish with maraschino cherries if desired. Makes 8 servings, 110 calories each.

1.22.21: cauliflower crust pizza

1.22.20: jam crumb cake

1.22.19: kale salad

1.22.18: skillet chicken and veggie pot pie

1.22.17: reserved signs

1.22.16: pencil holder by B

Mushroom Potato Soup (re-run)

I stumbled on this post from 4/19 while looking for re-run ideas to share with you while I'm in a 'too busy to make' phase and it made me laugh out loud at my stupid self so thought I'd share again. It doesn't exactly fit my 'healthy' week re-posts, but really other than some potatoes it's not 'bad' for us - it's just ugly (as you'll hear me repeat 50 times in the following original post):

Wild Mushroom and Thyme Soup, sounds delicious right? Well here's the scoop peeps - it's just about the nastiest, most un-appetizing thing I've ever made (or even seen, for that matter) but it does taste good. It tastes really good. IF you can get past how awful it looks it is definitely worth it flavor-wise. I might suggest not blending it up as much, it looked way better before I blended it - once blended it looks like mushroom soup, only replace the word mushroom with a word that rhymes with 'goop' but starts with a p - I'd use another word if I could think of one that rhymes with diarrhea other than maybe gonorrhea, so I'm going with "goop" if ya get my drift...

...and I can't believe I just wrote both diarrhea and gonorrhea in a post about soup. Sorry. I know I just lost everyone and no one is now going to continue reading this post and actually make the soup. My bad. However; for you die hards that still have an appetite, here's the recipe:

• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 1/3 cup minced shallots
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh wild mushrooms (such as stemmed shiitake, oyster and crimini), coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 cups (approx) canned low-salt chicken broth
• 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 2 inch chunks
• 1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms, brushed clean of any grit
• 5 tablespoons Madeira

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add shallots, saute 1 minute. Add fresh mushrooms, saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add thyme and garlic, saute until mushrooms are golden, about 8 minutes. Stir in 6 cups broth, potatoes and porcini. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until potatoes are very tender, about 25 minutes.

looks good before blending it!

but after blending - yuck. 

Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Return soup to pot. Mix in Madeira and enough chicken broth to thin soup to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Refrigerate.)

Bring soup to simmer before serving. Makes 12 servings.

*notes: I followed this recipe other than substituting white wine for the Madeira, and I didn't peel the potatoes.  I think substituting vegetable broth would be fine if you want to make this vegetarian.

For the record, I know I didn't do a good job selling this one, but it does taste really good - I wouldn't share an ugly dish that didn't at least taste good!

PS: backstory if you're still reading - I found this recipe in a brochure selling cabinets that I found when cleaning out some old files. Don't ask why I decided to make a recipe from a cabinet brochure instead of one I found online that has a million reviews. Possibly a life lesson right there.

1.21.21: Natalie's butter curry chicken 

1.21.20: making plarn

1.21.18: greek pork, lemon rice pilar, tzatziki sauce

1.21.17: Jen's stuffed spaghetti squash

1.21.16: painting a side table

Smoothie Tips and Treats (re-run)

Originally posted 3/17:

I used to make smoothies every morning for breakfast but got out of that habit for some reason - probably cuz I'm lazy and got tired of washing the blender afterwards ;). Talking to Cathy the other day has inspired me to get the blender back out (it's been so long it's got dust on it!) and whip one up this morning. There are SO many recipes and ways to make smoothies, I bet you already have your favorites and don't need more suggestions - but I do love these tips from Cathy that I'm going to start doing, and want to share them with you.

She makes her smoothies with flavored yogurt, frozen fruit, protein powder, and a splash of milk. First tip is that she keeps bananas (cut in half or chunks) and berries frozen ahead of time so they're ready to toss into the blender and she doesn't have to add ice. I do frozen berries but have only frozen over-ripe whole bananas to use for banana bread in the future - love the idea of cutting them up so they're ready for smoothies. Second tip is if she has leftover smoothie she pours it into popsicle molds and freezes them, then if she wants a sweet treat later in the day or before bed she has these on hand. Great idea right? I don't have popsicle molds but am going to try this in an ice cube tray, don't see why that won't work! Thanks Cathy :)

1.20.21: mixed fruit crisp

1.20.20: transplanting from pot to ground

1.20.19: 🔥week 3

1.20.18: broccoli apple salad with creamy Italian dressing 

1.20.17: loaded cauliflower

1.20.16: dry erase message frame

12 week workout plan (re-run)

This was originally posted 3/19, no I did not follow it for all 12 weeks but am going to start it again right now - gotta go do the Wednesday workout before I lose incentive and eat lunch instead HAH! 

3/22/19:

Guys. Summer is coming. I'm realistic enough to know I probably won't follow this workout plan exactly, but will give it a go. 12 weeks is just about long enough before it's time to put a swimsuit on (I'm making Jaws scary movie sound track sounds right now - duunnn dunnn...duuuunnnn duun...dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dunnnnnnnn dunnnnn....), I'm not wearing a suit like the one in this picture (yikes) but just the thought of my plain old one-piece is making me nervous...saw this plan online, it's a little hard to read so I'll type it out for you in case you want to join in.

Monday:                                                

20 squats                                                
15 second plank                                     
25 crunches                                            
35 jumping jacks                                   
15 lunges                                               
25 second wall sit                                  
10 sit ups                                                
10 butt kicks                                           
5 push ups   

Tuesday:

10 squats

30 second plank

25 crunches

10 jumping jacks

25 lunges

45 second wall sit

35 sit ups

20 butt kicks

10 push ups

Wednesday: 

15 squats

40 second plank

30 crunches

50 jumping jacks

25 lunges

35 second wall sit

30 sit ups 

25 butt kicks

10 push ups

Thursday:                                              

35 squats                                               
30 second plank                                    
20 crunches                                           
25 jumping jacks                                   
15 lunges                                               
60 second wall sit                                 
55 sit ups                                               
35 butt kicks                                          
20 push ups   

Friday:

25 squats

60 second plank

30 crunches

55 jumping jacks

60 lunges

45 second wall sit

40 sit ups

50 butt kicks

30 push ups   

Saturday and Sunday: REST! (yay)                                    


They have sprint/jogging intervals for weekly cardio listed at the bottom of this plan which I'm not going to do. I'll get my cardio by power walking, biking, and tap classes.

PS: it should go without saying, but I'll say it anyway - don't do any of these exercises if they hurt or you shouldn't be doing them for some reason! I'm just sharing what I'm hoping to do, you do what you need and are capable of - listen to your body.


Happy moment ~ thinking ahead to Saturday and Sunday rest days!

1.19.21: TT Teri's baked chicken tenderloins

1.19.20: 🔥 week 3

1.19.19: tri-color veggie saute 

1.19.18: carved watermelon helmet

1.19.17: color coded keys

1.19.16: chopping vegetables (and not your fingers) 

Healthy (er) Potato Soup (re-run)

This was originally posted 4.18.19:

Even though it's spring, it's still a little chilly and feels like soup weather. Since I have 2 pounds of baby potatoes left over from a giant bag I bought at Costco and I've made enough roasted potatoes lately, potato soup it is! I didn't want to make it the traditional way with lots of cream and butter (and bacon!); Tesha shared a healthy potato soup (click here for that post) but it's made in the crock pot and I wanted to eat the soup quicker than that - hers also uses light cream cheese and I don't have any - this soup needed to be made from whatever I could scrounge in the fridge, be on the healthy side, and be done in a short amount of time. So I winged it, and got lucky - this turned out so good! So good that Dave even had it for lunch and he isn't a big potato lover. And the house smells yummy, which is a bonus.

I know I said I wanted healthy, and the above picture might not look it - but I only garnished with a tiny bit of shredded cheese, small spoonful of sour cream, and sprinkled on a bit of bacon. It's not nearly as much as it looks like!

POTATO SOUP

• 2 pounds baby potatoes (mine are a mix of different colors), diced
• 1 cup baby carrots, chopped
• 1/4 cup onion, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• chicken broth or stock (enough to cover the potatoes)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups milk (I used 1 cup whole milk, 1 cup skim milk)
• pinch of dill weed (I stole that idea from Tesha's recipe)
• 1 teaspoon Emeril's Essence seasoning (it's a creole spice blend; you could use any type of chili or pepper seasoning, or omit all together), to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil and butter in a pot on the stove (I used my favorite enameled cast iron dutch oven - today's happy moment is definitely that pot), saute onion for a couple minutes until translucent. Add the carrots for another 2-3 minutes, then add the potatoes and mix everything together. Cover the veggies with chicken broth, if you don't have enough broth just add water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook until the potatoes are tender. Turn heat off. In a bowl, whisk together 1/4 flour and 2 cups milk - incorporate the milk slowly into the flour to avoid lumps. Stir the milk mixture into the cooked veggies and broth. Turn the stove back on low, cook for a few minutes stirring frequently until the mixture is thickened and hot. Add seasonings, adjust to taste - if the soup is a little bland just increase the amount of creole seasoning and salt/pepper. If it's too thick stir in more broth or water.

note the cool bowl cozy - we really do use them every day!

1.18.21: chain mask leash

1.18.20: avocado fries 

1.18.19: meat lovers pasta sauce
1.18.18: birthday card gift box
1.18.17: cinnamon roll fail
1.18.16: parachute cord dog collar

 

Sliding Side Lunge (re-run)

This is from 2017 and since I haven't done this exercise since 2017 it seems fitting to post it again to remind myself hahha!! 

From 2.7.17: 

As promised (or threatened depending how you look at it haha) here is a leg and butt exercise to try and negate some of those calories from Super Bowl Sunday! I don't have these slider things so I just use paper plates instead. Be careful to not let your knee go past your toes when you lunge, if you push your butt back like you are going to sit in a chair it helps keep your knee from coming too far forward (and be careful to not slip while standing on the sliders...um, not that it happened to me or anything LOL). Obviously don't do this if it hurts or is uncomfortable, I'm not a trainer people so don't get mad or sue me if it doesn't work for you (!) but this is a good move (in addition to other types of lunges and squats) for your quads and booty! 

Oh, and if you aren't into today's post just wait for tomorrow's - mini bundt brownies! I'm such a hypocrite hahahahahahah.......

Slider Side Lunge

Sculpts outer booty and quads!

Begin with your weight shifted into your left leg, right foot on a slider. As you lower your booty down, push the slider out with your right leg so that you’re in a side lunge position. Make sure your left knee doesn’t go past your toes. Drag the slider back as you return to start.

Complete 14 reps, then switch sides x3

1.17.21: 🔥 week 3

1.17.20: fried cabbage with bacon

1.17.19: how to clean a fan

1.17.18: baked eggs in avocado

1.17.17: tuna-egg salad

1.17.16: best meatballs ever

🔥 Around the Campfire (week 3)

Dear Campers ~

Here's a quick recap of another week of re-runs, after posting every day for the past 6 years I have quite a few choices to show you for a second (and sometimes a third haha) time around! Hope you enjoyed :)

Posts ~

1/9: 🔥 week 2

1/10: car air fresheners

1/11: tip-sy tuesday: more past tips

1/12: chocolate caramel tart

1/13: chicken parm stuffed mushrooms

1/14: t-shirt rag quilt

1/15: Dave's cosmopolitans 

A few recipes for meal planning inspirations if you're looking for ideas:

• chicken with baked vegetables and white beans
• stuffed cabbage rolls
• cornmeal crusted chicken
• Missy's seafood gumbo
• grilled ahi tuna with 2 sauces
• easy parmesan risotto
• crock pot beef stew

Hope you had a great week - stop back often to see more of what's happening at MMDC. Bye!

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor

1.16.21: crochet cat basket version 2

1.16.20: TBT: potted ham

1.16.19: removable wallpaper

1.16.18: beading basics

1.16.17: unfinished projects

1.16.16: whiskey sours

Dave's Cosmos (re-run)

This was originally posted in 2016, 6 years later I still haven't had a cosmo in forever and have no idea why - they're SO good! I'm thinking we should bring these back in style :) Sorry if you're doing dry January and I'm flaunting cocktails in your face! 

Here's the post from 2/16:

Mary sent me a picture the other day of her drinking a cosmo with friends, and it reminded me of the good old days when we drank them all the time! For whatever reason they haven't been on my radar in forever, guess after Sex & The City ended I just forgot about them ;).

We call these "Dave's Cosmos" because even tho he didn't make up the recipe (have no idea where it came from of course), he makes them the best. Or maybe they are the best because he makes them for us while we just sit around waiting to be served? Either way, I asked him to make one for us for old times sake.

Put some ice in a shaker (check out the shaker that our friends gave us, so cute!) then add:
4 ounces cranberry juice
3 ounces orange liquer (we use Triple Sec)
2 ounces vodka
1 ounce lime juice

Shake for 30 seconds to mix well and get it nice and cold. Pour into pretty glasses. Enjoy!

*I'm sure you could make this non-alcoholic by substituting orange juice for the triple sec, omit the vodka and add a splash of club soda or sprite.

1.15.21: skinny chicken parmesan

1.15.20: spinach salad with warm bacon dressing

1.15.19: chocolate chip marshmallow cookies (the worlds ugliest cookies!)

1.15.18: bird cage slipcover

1.15.17: Mimi's neighbor's fish tacos 

1.15.16: dipped shortbread cookies