{diy growth ruler}

So I know I said that I was going to do a whole big blog post with tutorials when we finished our new apartment's makeover but I think I'll just post tutorials as I finish them : )

Today I finished making Anders a growth ruler! I have seen these for sale on Etsy for $50 plus $15+ shipping. Whoa! But I really love them! Therefore I decided make it myself.

Here's what you need:

- a plank of wood; I used a board that was 9in x 6ft x 1in - $6
- stain - already had some but you can get it @ Lowe's $6
- paint brush - already had one but you can get one for $3 @ Lowe's
- vinyl or black paint - $7.80
- measuring tape
- picture hanging hardware - $1.50

Total for Me: $15.30      Total if you don't have everything: $24.30

I went to Lowe's and got a 9in x 6ft x 1in plank of wood. I am not sure what type of wood I just looked for the cheapest one : ) But make sure it is pretty straight and lies flats! When you hang it up you want it to lay flat along the wall. You'll also need to pick out a stain you like and a paint brush. This is the stain that I used. I only did one coat and it was the perfect color.

In a well ventilated area stain the wood (I only did the front and sides since no one will see the back) and let it dry. I let mine dry for a couple days.

Next you will mark the inch and foot marks on the board. I am fairly certain my children will be over 6 foot tall as their father is 6'5" and I'm no shorty either. That being said I wanted my ruler to reach at least 6'5". So I decided to have my board hang 9 inches above the floor; which would allow my board to reach a height of 6'8". Find what works for you! After you figure out what inch you want your ruler to start on take a measuring tape and lay it along the edge of the board and with a Sharpie mark each inch and foot marks. Like so.

This next step requires choosing whether you want to use vinyl or black paint or Sharpie. I chose vinyl because I don't trust my painting skills and the Sharpie doesn't look as good in my opinion. I had some black vinyl already that I cut the dashes out of. My inch dashes are 1 inch long and 1/4 inch thick and my foot dashes are 3 inches long and 1/4 inch thick. Then on Etsy I found a lady that makes vinyl numbers 1-6 that are 4 inches tall. So I ordered them for $7.79. Here's the link. She has a lot of other cute vinyl wall decals too! I just ordered a bunch from her....you'll see them in our new apartment! Anyway, next you will lay the vinyl dashes over your marks you made with the Sharpie and press them down really good. Then I decided to put my numbers in front of the foot dash mark but you can put them where ever you want. 

The last step is to add hanging hardware. I haven't decided which to use yet but both will work!

               

Here is the finished product! I LOVE it and I can't wait to show you what I have planned for this!

Tweet

{best cafe rio sweet pork salad copycat recipe}

I have been meaning to try this copycat Cafe Rio recipe since I pinned it over a year ago. Friday night I finally did it! Lots of work but so worth it! Here is a link to the whole Sweet Pork salad/burrito recipe courtesy of Favorite Family Recipes.

It tastes just like the real deal. I found a really good deal on pork ($0.99/lb) so I bought 7 pounds (recipe only calls for 2). But I thought that since I was going to be going through all the work might as well make lots. I get the "If some is good, more is better" mentally from my husband. : ) So I tripled all of her recipes. I am so glad I did. We invited two couples over to join in the feast. Even then we had so much left over! I played in a soccer game that night and was starving again after so I made myself another huge sweet pork salad. Then Saturday Garett and I had it for lunch. And there is still enough left for at least two more sweet pork salads after church tomorrow! It has been an awesome weekend. What's better than Cafe Rio everyday?! Not much.

A Few Suggestions:

- I would suggest making the salad dressing the night before you want to use it. I am finding that the longer it sits the better it tastes.
- Let the pork sit in the marinade for as long as possible too!
- Lastly, like the ladies at Favorite Family Recipes say you have to get the aluminum foil bowls for the full effect. They said they got theirs at a grocery store but all the grocery stores I went to wanted an arm and a leg for them....weird I know. But I found them at the dollar store!!! A pack of 3 for a buck (they even came with the to-go lids!). Swa-eet!

My favorite part is the cilantro-lime vinaigrette! I still have over half a mason jar left! Can you say delicious salads?! 

I think I used every dish I own....twice! This is only a small portion of the mess. But again, it was so worth it!

Tweet

{awesome cupcake frosting}

Want the best cupcake frosting I have ever used?! Check out this link. It is delicious (tastes kind of like marshmallow creme), easy to make and looks so good. Below is a picture of some cupcakes I made for a baby shower. I tinted the frosting blue and printed out a bunch of "Oh Boy!"s and used my cloud punch to punch them out. I think they add a nice simple touch. I have pictures of other cupcakes with this frosting that I'll post as soon as I find them...I think they are on my old phone :-)

Tweet

{moving}

Important tips to follow when moving.

Tweet