The glimpse in the past...

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One of the most favorite moments from my childhood was when Mom and I baked together. It didn't happen very often... She was always busy, always working. Even though she was technically a stay-at-home Mom, her sewing business sometimes required up to 12 hours of her attention every day. She's an amazing seamstress (made both mine and my sister's wedding dresses) - not a talent I picked up from her...

She is no Paula Deen but when I was younger, the overpowering aroma of our baked creations made me the most proud daughter... I still remember her old, stained, ripped kitchen apron. Ironically, somebody who could sew anything from a swimsuit to a fur coat, could never find time to make a new apron for herself...

She rarely baked pies. The only one I really remember was her famous sharlotka (apple pie) made with foraged apples. We always looked forward to the apple season. Occasionally, once in a blue moon, she would make a berry pie of some sort but most of the time we just couldn't afford it.

I remember more "practical" meals like pelmeni (meat-filled raviolis), blini (crepes, often with delicious fillings also) or pirojkis (filled hand pies):

Pirojkis were always my favorite. We made them with a variety of fillings - meat, eggs and rice, sweet cinnamon apples, chicken, potatoes or potatoes with mushrooms, and my first choice forever - cabbage:

We would spend hours in the kitchen making fillings, assembling them all together, giggling and gossiping... Those precious moments were rare and that's why I treasure them even more.

And now I'm building memories with my boys...

What are your valuable and treasured memories about the most influential women in your life?

The Pinterest-inpsired "aha" moment...

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Our house has a semi-open plan. We don't have one big room but there is a small hall that connects the living room and the kitchen. On the right in this hall there is half-bath (the one we remodeled on a super-low budget last year). It's very convenient for guests:

And yes, next to the door is our new command center that we still love and use it every single day. On the left we have a tiny coat closet:

I can't tell you how many times somebody tried to go in there instead of the bathroom! Just ask my best friend :)

The other day I saw this cute idea on Pinterest, and a light bulb lit in my head. Candice found those wooden figures in Michaels. You can imagine that I immediately sprinted there and spent good 40 minutes fruitlessly looking for the "boy" and the "girl". I guess, it wasn't their stellar item because they don't carry it any more.

My crafty soul felt dissatisfied... And then I had another "aha" moment when I saw a black foam sheet... For only 89c. I grabbed it and ran home...

I printed the outlines of the icons off of mister Google Image and traced and cut them with an exacto knife. I can't drag the explanation any further :) It really took me about 10 minutes tops. The best part is that the foam paper has a sticky side, so all I had to do was trace-cut-attach. They are easy to remove and not gonna bother the next family when we decide to sell this place. But for now I love them:

I do sacrifice some entertainment here watching my best friend trying to break into our closet every time but I think she and some other people will appreciate this new addition to the bathroom door:)

Thrifty Decor Chick       DIY Show Off       By Stephanie Lynn

A very simple and inexpensive gift idea.

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Remember, I told you that we decided not to exchange gifts with Hubby's siblings this year? Well, I couldn't completely go without presents, mainly because I was preparing for them since late summer:) I decided to share it with all of you because it's a very simple idea. You know, one of those that anybody can do :)

I made some homemade Italian spice mixes for them:

There are so easy to make! It took me since summer only because I was preserving herbs from our garden:) But you could buy your spices in bulk to make this an inexpensive last-minute gift or just for everyday use.

I got these jars from Walmart for a little over $4:

There are 4 4 oz jars with shaker cups and removable labels in the pack. I got mine in the same area where they have canning supplies.

And for the actual mixture you will need (in proportion):

2 TB dry parsley
2 TB oregano
2 TB basil
1 TB marjoram
1/2 TB crushed thyme

Just mix them together and you are done:) But I also like to pulsate the mixture a few times in a blender to make it a little more unified:

And that's it!:)

Are you giving any easy and inexpensive homemade gifts this year?