A well-read woman is a dangerous creature.

When you're expecting a child, you start to think about things that may not have crossed your mind before. Of course, many people think of how many children they might want to have, what they'd like to name those said children or what kinds of sports and activities they'd like them to partake in. Additionally, if you're anything like me, you will be awoken from a deep slumber with anxious thoughts such as “what if my child doesn't like to read”. It’s a real fear if you, yourself, grew up an avid bookworm.

I know that we won’t have complete control over whether our first born daughter is a literary prophet or if she frequents sparknotes to complete her half-assed book reports, partially because I think that enjoying to read is both a mix of nature as well as nurture. You can lead a horse to water, but, you know the rest. However, we do plan on doing everything in our power to pave the way for her to read and to love reading.  What better place to start than by making sure she has her very own bookshelf? Which leads me to share this week’s post – our simple, DIY bookshelf refurbish.

We bought the shelf for $10 at our local Goodwill. Correction, the bookshelf was on sale for $10 at our local Goodwill and my mother, being who she is, went on Senior’s Discount Day and got it for us for $8. The lady is a bargain vulture; she circles far above your average bargain hunter, watching... waiting. Anyways, we got the bookshelf for 8 bucks and being the theme whore that I am, I knew it needed that extra ‘something’ to make it perfect for the nursery (which is, grey and white in colour with pops of yellow accents everywhere I can fit them). Note: Grey and Yellow is my absolute favourite colour combo of all time. It was also the colour theme for our wedding. When I like something, I really, really, really like it.

This DIY was an easy one, partially because it was my first attempt at refurbishing a bookshelf, and partially because I didn't want to spend too much time or energy on an intricate, detailed design when 90% of the shelf is going to be covered in books for the remainder of its life.

So, the steps are as follows.
1. We popped the back of the bookshelf off
2. We spray painted the back of the bookshelf
3.We nailed the back of the bookshelf back on

I thought, momentarily, about using painters tape to tape up a pattern which I could then paint over before removing. I also shopped around a bit for a nice fabric or paper that I could modge podge to the back of the bookshelf, but, I ended up taking the simpler route this time and I don’t regret it!

Whether she ends up using it to store her most favourite dog-eared, escapes from reality, or not, at least I will be able to sleep easier knowing that we are doing our part to give her the best start possible. If nothing else, the bookshelf makes a super cute feature piece in the corner of the nursery. 

God Bless Tonatiuh and Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Today's post shares with you one of my trusty go-to's when it comes to potluck dishes:

Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts
 

Not only are they cheap, quick and easy, but they are always a hit. I feel a high percentage of human beings don't listen beyond the words "bacon-wrapped, so the potential for fellow attendees to pass on sampling your dish (which I always take as a devastating blow and personal insult) remains low.
Now, I had to prep these bad boys in advance as they were being cooked off-site at my nephew, Tonatiuh's, baptism.

Once you whip up the BBQ sauce, manually open the cans of chestnuts and slice the bacon into halves, you're still only looking at a 5 minute prep-time.

So, here she is:

Ingredients:
Maple Bacon (you can use any ol' bacon, really, but going with maple cuts back on the sugars you'd need to use in the BBQ sauce without sacrificing any of the sweetness).

Whole Water Chestnuts (I use DYNASTY brand, canned chestnuts because they tend to hold their moisture best, but, they're going to be wrapped in bacon and drenched in a sweet/savoury BBQ sauce, so let's be real - the nugget of water chestnut really isn't the highlight of the dish and you shouldn't waste your valuable time searching for one brand or another. If it's whole and it's a water chestnut, it'll do!)

BBQ Sauce (makes about a cup) :

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar (splurge for 2 tablespoons if you're not going with Maple Bacon)
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup molasses (I use Grandma's "Fancy" Molasses, but I'm sure any would do)
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• Garlic Powder (to taste)
• Salt (to taste)

Note: I often adjust my seasoning based on the audience. For instance, if my Dad is present, I add more salt (which he will then, in turn, add more salt to, before tasting, regardless and without fail) If my Brother-in-Law (who is from Mexico City and has the heat tolerance of a man who was force-fed suicide hot wing sauce as an infant) is present, I will throw in a dash or two of cayenne or chili powder. Basically, what I'm getting at, is that seasoning is 100% flexible in the world of BBQ sauce. And what a wonderful world it is!

Cook time: Throw these little pieces of deliciousness in the oven (375) for 30-40 minutes based on how crisp you'd like your bacon and voila. Serves a whack-load of people, on the lower end of the carb spectrum, you can be cute and use different coloured toothpicks based on your theme... the perks are endless).

God Bless Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts and God Bless Tonatiuh!

Nice to meet you.

My name is Caress Lee Carpenter and I do not regret to inform you that I am, indeed, as country as the name would lead you to believe. I was born 'Caress Lee' but in October of 2012 I married my love, Kev. (I'll post a wedding photo album later so you can have a tiny insight into just how DIY obsessive I am, and believe me, it has only grown since then.) Together, we've spent over half a decade building this little life we have.

Kev is my guinea pig when I'm trying out new, never-before-attempted, don't-try-this-at-home, from-scratch recipes. Actually, not recipes. In fact, if the word 'recipe' had an antonym, that's what these concoctions would be. I am my Mother's daughter when it comes to "a dash of this and an ounce of that". Sometimes, Kev is the fortunate first taster of an incredible culinary masterpiece and sometimes ... he is not. Let's just say that, on the rare occasion, I have been guilty of over-seasoning. Blame it on my aversion to moderation. Regardless, I promise that this blog will showcase both ends of the spectrum - it's only fair.

Kev is also my go-to when it comes to carrying out the many, many, many around-the-house, do-it-yourself projects that I dream up. I tend to lean towards the country, rustic, shabby and chic of things when it comes to decorating our home. I am forever armed with mason jars, burlap and twine and, as of recent, I have taken a liking to refurbishing old, junky, throw away furniture into pretty, unique pieces. Kev helps me with pick-ups and unloads. I'm currently just over 6 months pregnant, so I am temporarily rendered useless when it comes to the heavy lifting.I'm also trying hard to keep my distance when it comes to using paint removers, wood stains, and all of the other goodies that scare-you-shitless parenting articles strongly advise against.

Much of what I want for my own home - and my own life, really - was inspired by the way I was raised. I am one of my parents 4 daughters and we all grew up on our family's Century Farm - a hundred acres on the outside of town. It was that very property that Kev and I got married on and the same property that, eventually, we want to build our 'forever home' on. In many ways, my upbringing on the farm was one that most country kids can relate to. My Dad spent long hours in the field and my mom spent equally as many hours keeping up the home - both of which are no easy tasks when you are perfectionist, over-achievers with no hired help. In every way they are different they are just as many ways the same and I can thank both of them for many of the little habits that I have in terms of caring for my own home and my own family. For instance, I do tradition. I do family dinner at the kitchen table. I do back roads. I do natural. I do it because for a very long time I didn't know there was any other way and after learning there were and then faced with the opportunity to choose other ways, I realized there was no better way. There are a million little things that I carry with me from my childhood, as most people do, but I never realized how home-grown I was until I left the farm.

I chose to start this blog, partially, so that I could document all of the little home grown, do-it-yourself, and from-scratch moments of my little life. I also started this blog because I’ve always been fascinated by other lifestyle blogs and how other women have been able to share the triumphs and tragedies that come along with being working wives and mothers (amongst other things) in one, neat, little, organized place with a catchy font and pretty matching side panels. Another reason I started this blog is because so many of my friends and family members have told me that I should keep track of my recipes, house projects and decorating ideas and compile a book. Well, it’s 2014 and starting an online blog is the next best thing. I figure if a handful of people around here find the things that I do on a daily basis inspiring, maybe there is another handful out there somewhere. Lastly, I started this blog because I, too, am an over-achiever.  The thought of being a brand new, first time mom, chairing a couple of community fundraising campaigns, actively volunteering for a few local organizations that I hold close to heart, keeping up our home , coaching a local sports team and taking part in a number of professional development courses once September's maternity leave rolls around just wasn’t enough.

I came to the conclusion, long ago, that the absolute best and most beautiful things that have happened in my life have come from less-than-ideal, overwhelming and messy places.

This is the little life I've built, From Scratch.