 Spaghetti with meatballs baked. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. Spaghetti is one of the cheapest meals you can make—and I love it for that—but my family has become utterly sick of it! This “cost-effective” meal has become a waste of money, as 75% of it generally ends up in the trash…after a couple of days sitting in the fridge in quiet desperation. So much for saving money, right?! And then I brainstormed a way to ensure my poor spaghetti and meatballs got eaten…Add cheese and bake them in a casserole! This has been a game-changer! The ingredients are essentially all the same, with the addition of one ingredient— mozzarella cheese. It’s as simple as layering all the ingredients in a baking pan and cooking in the oven for 30-40 minutes. So here’s my simple (and cheap) Baked Spaghetti with Meatballs recipe…
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 Gold ornament on my tree. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. I had many trendy ideas for decorating my Christmas tree this year…and until I checked my bank balance! Lol! Jokes aside, this year has been tough financially, and there isn’t enough money left in the pot to handle gifts, food, bills, Christmas dinner, AND expensive holiday decor. So, we scaled things back a little… This year, I have challenged myself to work with what I have on hand for all my holiday decor…and it WAS a challenge. Some areas could use more “stuff”—if I wanted to go out and buy extra decor—but for this year, it has to be what it is.  DIY wreath berries and faux greens. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. If you’ve read any of my previous blogs—or follow me on social media—chances are you’ve seen this wreath base before. The vine wreath base with the “Welcome” sign has become a decor staple, providing the perfect template for an ever-changing assortment of seasonal faux floral arrangements.  Closeup of ivy, gold poinsettia, and berries on this DIY wreath. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. This holiday decorating season has seen a lot of DIY projects, including this super simple ivy vine wreath! As with another recent DIY wreath project (see below), I started with a twisted vine wreath base stripped of all its old faux florals.  Wiry garland with faux greens, pinecone, and red berries. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. This year’s holiday season has been devastated by the current chaotic economy. It’s turning out to be a very lean holiday season indeed! This year—in particular—the festive decorations have become a beacon of light in the darkness, at least for me.
But what do you do if you can’t afford to indulge in the latest trends in Christmas decorations? What if all you have to work with is cheap, wiry—and obviously fake—garland? This year, I have three cheap garlands, two hung over the top of my windows and one wrapped around the staircase railing. In this DIY, I'll share how I dressed them up to make them look festive.  Festive vegetable bake dish. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. Are you tired of having green bean casserole during the holidays? I have been using a recipe for several years now that is a variation of the green bean casserole using mixed vegetables, and it has been a hit at my holiday dinners! And since we are on the doorstep of the winter holiday season, why not change things up a little bit with a new recipe with that same home-cooked goodness? This is the easiest recipe ever…just FOUR main ingredients! But of course, you can play with the recipe and make it your own! I usually double the ingredients to feed more people, but here is the basic recipe…  Chili cooking in a crockpot. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. Each year when the weather turns cold, the anticipation in my household runs high, everyone eagerly waiting for me to bust out one of our favorite meals—belly-warming chili! Nothing is better than warm, spicy food on a cold, wintry day! And when I say spicy, I mean spicy!!! We’re talking “make your family cry” spicy…and yet they all go back for seconds and thirds! I know, we’re sick people! Today, I’ll share the recipe for my homemade spicy chili. The recipe you will find below is a general one--I make it less or more spicy, depending on my mood. Once in a while, other spicy ingredients make their way into the pot, my sinister way of experimenting on my family to see just how much they can take!  Homemade rosemary muffins with eggs and sausage. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. For some crazy reason, the fall weather has awakened a craving for breakfast muffins! After weeks of brainstorming, this recipe on Epicurious for rosemary muffins came to my attention, and the proverbial lightbulb went off. I have this wily-looking rosemary plant that needs to be pruned and harvested…But what to do with all of that herbal goodness?!  Celtic knot painted on a decorative tray. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. Welcome to part two of my DIY chalk-painted tray project! In part one, I chalk-painted a decorative tray using a “chippy” weathered effect. Now, let's go through the steps I took to design and paint a border around the vertical exterior sides of the tray. This will not be a tutorial on creating Celtic knots—that would turn this blog post into a book (which is in the works, by the way)! The goal is to help you create a simple design that can be traced onto the newly painted decorative tray for a bit more pizzazz. 
Finished diy weathered tray with some fall decor. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022.
This month, I tackled a simple DIY project using an unfinished wooden tray, furniture stain, and chalk paint. The tray was one of those items that kept getting moved from cabinet to cabinet…because "someday" I would come up with an idea for a DIY project!  Apple crumble dessert with vanilla ice cream. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. Something about the crisp fall air triggers the inner baker in me! In my household, apple and pumpkin pies appear in October and become staple desserts throughout the holiday season. And even though it’s a heck of a lot of work, I usually insist on making my apple pie crusts from scratch using the good old-fashioned flour and rolling pin. Sometimes, I even take it to a whole new level of insanity by creating a two-crust pie (one bottom crust and crust for the top), but on those occasions when I need a shortcut, the crumble topping makes a delicious sugary substitute. (If you’d like to see my homemade apple pie recipe, you can find it here in an older blog post from a few years back.)  Succulents and coleus planted in my outdoor fairy garden. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2020. As a child, I loved everything related to castles and fairy tales. The irresistible pull of the unseen world wormed its way into my psyche and never let go. The sense of wonder I felt when I imagined worlds full of magical folk like fairies, elves, gnomes, and talking animals was perhaps a way to escape a troubled childhood.  Closeup of bonsai ficus leaves. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. If you have a small bonsai ficus that has become a little unruly or has over grown its pot, today’s blog has a few tips that may help you repot that burgeoning bonsai tree! Last year I purchased a bonsai ficus retusa and over the past year it has become side heavy, leaning to one side and pulling itself out of the soil. The tree leaves themselves are flourishing and look amazing, drinking in the warm sunlight from its tranquil spot in front of my south facing window. The severe lean that is causing the roots to be exposed, however, has me concerned that this tree may soon find itself in distress. An intervention is needed!  Peace lilies in my living room. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021. This blog article has been a long time in the making. My whole business model is based on the notion of “nature-inspired”! But does having natural and organic elements in the home make a difference in how we feel? Does it improve our mood? And why do I have such a passion for creating nature-inspired home decor?
 Homamde lavender, chamomile, and lemon potpourri. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. Nothing speaks to being calm and relaxed like the aromatic floral scent of lavender. Retail stores are filled with essential oils, incense, candles, and potpourri with the lavender scent.  My chamomile has a ladybug visitor. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. I’ll let you in on a little secret—chamomile is my favorite herb! I have to tell you, I have developed quite an infatuation with this gorgeous little flower. Two years ago, I planted chamomile in pots that eventually ended up on my back patio.
 Doorway of my fairy cottage. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2019. So, fairy gardens…Where did this charming gardening trend come from? I asked myself this very question as I worked on my annual spring gardening and faux floral projects. For the past few years, I’ve been experimenting with fairy houses and fairy gardens—both for indoor and outdoor use—but until now, it never occurred to me to consider the origins and the meaning behind the miniature garden trend. So I did a little digging (no pun intended), and here’s what I learned…  Mint growing in my garden. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021. A few years back, I bought this packet of mint seeds to plant in my yard for fresh mint. Not only did I have no idea how to grow mint, but there was no thought given to how I would use the stuff when it started to grow…and grow it did! So, the first thing you should know is that mint is prolific! No, seriously, you'll have to keep on top of it so this plant doesn’t spread all over your yard. But it needs little care to keep it alive, and you get a lot of it for whatever uses you have in mind. Which brings me to my second point…What can you do with fresh mint?
 My cherry tomatoes from last year. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021. Last year, I grew tomato and cucumber seedlings in styrofoam cups on my kitchen's southwest windowsill. After a couple of weeks, they were a couple of inches tall! My cucumbers are once again rapidly growing. This year's cucumber and tomato seedlings (along with other herb seedlings) are sitting on my living room windowsill, which roughly faces southwest.  This year's seedlings growing on my windowsill. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2022. So this year, I'm sharing my gardening journey, pitfalls, mistakes, triumphs, and tips. This will probably be the first in a series of articles following my journey from planting the seeds to using my homegrown vegetables in recipes.  Mint in my back garden. Photo by Diane M. Lilly, 2021. Herbs…They are fun to grow AND useful for many things! This spring's goal is to increase the variety of my existing indoor and outdoor herbs. A second—but equally important—goal is to learn more about the care of these plants so I can get the most out of the growing experience. |
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