This past Monday I started a project that ended up taking 4 days to complete. Yikes, that's getting to be the norm around here! I used to have placemats lining my cupboards, but they got so dirty that they became permanently stained. So I found two kinds of liners at the Dollar Store.

The first kind of liner kept sliding everytime someone got a glass. The second kind, shown in the pictures, works like a dream. It looks like a tablecloth but has a sticky runner on the bottom. No more shifting liners!I really like the color. There were lots of colors to choose from, including nice florals. I bought some extra to do the bathroom drawers. Anna helped me finish this project last night. It felt so good to put everything back in its place.
Today I took Anna, Maggie and Lizzie shopping at Michaels. They have all their picture frames on sale at 55% off! Maggie and I both bought these large frames for $6.56. What a deal! These make wonderful gifts, so stock up now. Nine years ago, I bought one of these toilet paper holders to put in our bathroom. I only bought one because I wasn't sure I'd like it. Well, I really like it, but when I went to order four more for the rest of our bathrooms, they were out of stock. That was nine years ago.
So last week I was looking at my new Lehmans catalog and found them again. I wasted no time in ordering three online (Mike made an oak one for our main bathroom). I was disappointed when they came...they are off-cast and the paint is chipped. One of the screw-holes is off center. I have to say, I have been buying things from Lehmans for years, but this is the first item that is not up to their standards.

I wrote to Lehmans to let them know that the picture in their catalog does not match the actual item, and sure enough, they offered me a refund. That is the kind of service that endears folks to them! I declined since I've already bought white spray paint to cover the paint chips. I am still very thankful to have found these.
This week I went to my friend, Heather's, home to help unload the truck for our co-op. I got to see Heather's latest project, her woodstove. The hearth is beautiful! Heather and her hubby did the hearth themselves to save a bundle of money. And her living room was wonderfully toasty.

Heather has two blogs, Slice of Heaven (where you can see more pictures of her woodstove projects) and Goin' Stir Crazy, a blog about her cooking experiences. Well, Heather has motivated me to start using my new slow cooker. My old crockpot was 25 years old and gave up, so I bought this new Hamilton Beach crockpot. I love it. Today I diced 3 chicken breasts, and added 12 cups of mixed veggies (some frozen, some leftovers), 1/2 cup of chicken broth, and one box of Lipton's Savory Herb with Garlic Soup Mix. The smell is tantalizing.

Every night I mix 2 cups of milk (we use ricemilk), 2 cups of water, and 1-1/2 cups of steel cut oats, and put it in the slowcooker. I set the timer for 4 am and let the oats cook until 9 am on the low setting. Yummy! My children love it. Most mornings they eat it with Maple Buds, but some mornings they add dates, raisins, nuts or shredded coconut. I just bought a 50# bag of oats for $26, so this is definitely a cheap meal.

For those of you from church: This January 30th is Mr. Joe's one year anniversary of living in glory. If you can, please send Mrs. Jane a note letting her know that you love her. I talked to her this morning, and she is suffering terribly from her arthritis. Thank you so much.

Enjoy your weekend. We hope to use Mike's new chainsaw to cut more firewood for our woodpile. Hopefully we will get several other projects finished as well.

Many blessings ~ Kathie