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Pasta e Fagioli (Bidigare style)
Pasta e fagioli literally means “pasta and beans”. Most people tend to associate it with minestrone but there are many variations. It often ends up being the kind of dish where you throw in whatever you have on hand in the kitchen when you make it. One of the main differences between this and minestrone, which I love, is that the beans are mashed up, making it thicker and heartier. Here is the version I grew up eating but feel free to substitute and/or add whatever sounds good to you. I love this dish because it’s quick and easy (and full of beans, which I’m always trying to sneak in…
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Mudroom Makeover: Part 2
Supply closet and cabinets above lockers Now that you’ve had a rest after reading the last post about how we made our mudroom bench and lockers, it’s time for the next step. Here’s where we left off: If you haven’t seen the first post in this series, check out how we got from a cluttered mess to this bench and lockers here: Laundry Room Makeover: Part 1 Today I’m going to show you how we added a small supply closet at the end of our lockers and then added cabinets above the coat lockers. We will finish it all off by adding crown molding to the top to make the…
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Mudroom Makeover: Part 1
Mudroom bench and lockers When we moved into our house we had six people and no place to hang our coats. You can see how this was a recipe for disaster. This was our laundry room. Not enough storage and the youngest couldn’t reach the hooks, which meant coats on the floor. Mudroom locker idea We needed a change. I found this awesome mudroom locker idea from Ana White. Her ideas are great and her instructions are clear and well thought-out. I know if I follow a plan from her site, I’ll end up with a project I’m happy with in the end. Customization of mudroom lockers We decided to…
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DIY Aquarium Divider
So our water babies had arrived and we thought we were ready to go, when we realized that they were different sizes and couldn’t be housed together. You can read about our axolotl tank set-up here. The other thing we learned was that they were too young to have even fine-grained sand in their tank. This was a simple, if not easy fix. We took out the sand and are saving it for future. In terms of keeping the larger axolotl from the smaller two, our options were to have two separate tanks, or to install a divider to keep them apart. We opted for the divider, since we had…
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Build Your Own Lego Table
Can you have too many Legos? No. Not if you have four kids who love them. What you can have, however, is the problem of figuring out how to manage them all. Without a space to corral them, they can get out of hand fast! When our youngest was a baby, we encouraged our older kids to use our pool table for their building. They loved having a large space to create and we loved keeping small pieces of plastic out of the baby’s mouth. We left the pool table behind with our move, and ever since, we’ve been doing this: Once we started unpacking the boxes and boxes (and…
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Axolotl Tank Setup
Our son had been waiting for his axolotls for months. You could even say he’d been waiting for years, since that’s how long he had been asking to get them. He did his research on habitats, feeding, and care. He reminded us often how cute they were by sharing photos. He even formed an argument about how we could help a species survive extinction by keeping them since their natural habitat in the wild is all but gone. Finally, when we decided to move, we made an agreement that once we were settled he could get them. Axolotls? What are axolotls you may ask? (I did). They are salamanders. Unlike…
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How to Set Up Your Raspberry Pi 4
What is a Raspberry Pi, you may be wondering? It’s a tiny, inexpensive computer that you can hook up to a screen of your choice and any other peripherals you might use with a regular desktop computer. We used ours to run our Digital Family Command Center, but there are limitless fun projects you can do with these little babies. You can check out more project ideas on my Pinterest board: Supplies: Are you setting up a Raspberry Pi for the first time? Here’s what you need to get you started. I used the Labists Starter Kit for Raspberry Pi 4, which contains: Raspberry Pi 4 Computer Model B with…
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How We Made a Digital Family Command Center
With six people in our family our calendar is FULL. If we don’t have an organized method to keep track of events, things will get missed. We have tried many different family command center variations. Wall calendars, clipboards with lists, chalkboard and dry erase weekly planners. You name it and we’ve probably tried it. It’s easy to get lost in the many beautiful command center ideas you find on Pinterest. One aspect of the typical family command centers that has been our downfall in the past is that our schedules often change throughout the week. This involves a lot of erasing and re-writing, which often doesn’t get done. It’s hard…
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DIY RSG Metalworks Rock Slider Painting and Install
How to prepare, paint, and install RSG Metalworks rock sliders for the 5th Gen Toyota 4Runner (without KDSS) One of the projects we worked on this week was 4Runner protection. I’d like to say a huge thank you to my amazing husband, Brad, who helped with the install. I don’t think I would have been able to get it done without his using a chunk of his day off to help. I also should thank our dog, Hadley, who attempted to help. She kept trying to crawl under the car with us and give moral support. I ordered the RSG rock sliders about a month ago after a lot of…
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4Runner Dash Mount Install by ICS Fab
I have some exciting news to share. I got a new (to me) 4Runner! This is my first non-minivan in a LONG time. Too long. Don’t get me wrong- minivans are great. They can haul a lot of people, animals, and gear. They’re also great for bringing lumber home for DIY projects. You can fit 8-ft boards inside with the doors closed, longer if you’re willing to be that crazy woman driving with boards hanging out her window. It’s just that I’ve really missed driving a “fun” vehicle that that can handle a little off-road and towing. One of the first to-do’s on my new car mod list was to…
