Blackberry Cobbler

If I haven’t yet convinced you to get yourself a cast iron skillet, this Blackberry Cobbler recipe just might do it.

This family favorite tastes even more delicious in a cast iron skillet.  But what doesn’t taste more delicious than something cooked in a pan coated in bacon grease?  Nothing is the correct answer.

The photography isn’t our finest. We made this for Nate’s dad’s birthday.  We made him sit and smell the deliciousness while we snapped photos. Happy birthday!!!

Start by mixing up the dough portion of this recipe.  In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 2 teaspoon baking powder and a teaspoon of salt.  Cut in butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. I used my hands.  Therefor there is no photo.  Stir in 1/4 cup boiling water just until moist.

In a separate bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup cold water.  Mix in 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 4 cups of blackberries.  Transfer to your cast iron skillet and bring to a boil.  (We use our skillet on the side burner of our grill.)  Stir frequently.  You will get this.  Mmm, blackberries.

Drop dough into the skillet by spoonfuls.

Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for ~25 minutes or until dough is golden brown.

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.  Take a generous portion.  It’s fruit. It’s good for you. And then go for a run.  Because that’s healthy too.

Click the recipe below to download!

Are you a cobbler fan?  Are you a cast iron skillet fan?

DIY Outdoor Patio Table Tutorial

On Monday, I shared with you our newly built outdoor patio table.

Today we’re back with a tutorial so you can make your very own.  The tutorial is wordy but we tried to include as many descriptions/instructions as possible.  We hate starting projects to find that the tutorial left out an important step or isn’t quite clear.  Feel free to ask any questions. We’ll answer them in the comment section below.

The table cost us about $150 to build.  Pressure treated wood is more expensive.  You could choose a less expensive wood.  We’re hoping that the pressure treated will better withstand the elements.  Do take proper precautions when working with pressure treated wood.  Wear a mask when cutting and sanding.  Wash hands well after handling the wood.  There are some concerns about pressure treated wood not being safe to eat from.  After much reading, we determined that it was the right choice for us.  We sealed the table and have no plans to eat directly off it.  It’s also not a table that we eat at every day so we feel the benefits of the pressure treated wood outweighed the risks for us. You choose what’s best for you!

Also, please excuse our disgusting hot mess of a garage in the photos below. Cleaning it is on our to-do list. We are two of the neatest and tidiest people but for some reason, our garage can never stay clean.  Ever.  There is some kind of law against it.  And it won’t stop raining in Iowa so all of our pictures are taken in our disgusting/poorly lit garage.  At least there are pretty sketch-up drawings?  Carry on.

Material List

• All boards pressure treated
  • 2"x4"x8' – 2
  • 1"x4"x8' – 3
  • 1"x6"x8' – 7
  • 6"x6"x8" - 3
  • 1 1/4" outdoor screws (if you can find them for the kreg jig they are blue coated, otherwise any other outdoor screws will work)
  • kreg jig
  • Outdoor wood glue (we used Titebond III)
  • 3" outdoor screws

Cut List

• 1x4
  • 94.5" - 2
  •    38.5" - 2
  • 2x4
    • 37" – 4
    • 5" inside tapered out at 45 degrees for corner supports (can be approximate)
    • 6x6
      • 30" - 8

Directions

Glue one side of a 6x6 to another 6x6 to make one leg that is 11"x5.5"x30".  It is best to clamp these together overnight.  If you do not have clamps big enough for these, I think putting something heavy on it will work just fine.  Once dried overnight, sand smooth.

Using pocket hole screws, attach the 94.5" 1x4 to the 38.5” with the 1 1/4" outdoor screws and wood glue (do not use the regular kreg screws as they will rust with the pressure treated wood/weather conditions).  If you just have deck screws like I did, just make sure not to screw them too far as they will pop out the other side of the board.

Put the 37" center supports in at 19" intervals using glue, 1 1/4" screws and pocket holes.

Drill straight down on the long sides of the corner supports so the hole comes out the middle of the 45 degree cut.  Using wood glue and 1 1/4" screws put in all 4 corners.

Put pocket holes in each center support (I did 3) and in the center supports and on the edges.

Check to make sure the 1x6 boards are 96" (mine were all uneven lengths longer than 96").  Place 4-5 pocket holes in each board, besides the last one, and using 1 1/4" screws and glue attach boards together for the table top.  I found it helpful to have a large clamp to help pull uneven boards together. Flip so top is up, sand out any unevenness. (Ignore the legs in the following photo.)

Flip top back over.  Put glue on top of the structure built earlier, flip down on top of the table top, screw together to top.

While it still upside-down, on the outside 2x4 supports, measure 18" from each side, this is where the insides of the legs will go.  Make sure to mark the side of the board that is closest to the middle.

Put pocket holes on the 3 sides of the legs that will not be touching the 2x4 support.  Using glue place on the upside down table, using 1 1/4 screws in the pocket holes, and after drilling pilot holes in the 2x4 support (I did 4 in each 6x6, or 8 in each leg) attach with the 3" screws.  It might be best to stain the inside of the legs before attaching them as there is only 1" in between, we were able to get it stained with brushes after, but would be much easier before.

Once all legs are attached, it is time to flip it back over.  You will want friends for this as it is heavy and awkward.  We had four of us (one on each corner).

Stain with a outdoor stain/sealant or stain and outdoor poly.  We used Olympic Maximum (Stain + Sealant in One) in Oxford Brown.  We liked the fact that it was one coat and we were done.  Let dry and then you are ready to enjoy your new table.

See the full reveal here!

Any big outdoor patio plans this summer?  I need to get to hosting an outdoor gathering soon!

DIY Outdoor Patio Table

How was your weekend?  Nate and I were busy kids.  That’s what the old dude at the hardware store called us anyways. I’m going with it.

We put the finishing touches on our outdoor patio table that Nate built last weekend.  We enlisted the help of Nate’s parents to help us carry it from the garage.  Our patio now has a table and my car can go back in the garage. Double win.

This patio has been neglected for the 4 years that we have lived in the house.  We were holding off until we figured out how we wanted to use the space.  We are also cheap.  We aren’t done with the patio yet but we now have a good start.  We’ll probably finish the rest in another four years.  We don’t want to rush things.

Nate and I both liked this table.  Unfortunately $2000 wasn’t exactly in our outdoor budget range.  Or our indoor budget range for that matter. We were having a hard time shelling out hundreds of dollars (let alone thousands) for furniture that would end up eventually being covered in bird poo and insect guts.

Nate thought he could build a similar table.  I said go for it.  $150 and a few hours later, we had ourselves an outdoor table. 

I found the outdoor chairs for $8/chair at a local antique store.  $220 isn’t exactly pocket change but we’re happy with it beings that we have a heavy/sturdy outdoor table with seating for eight.

Ike hasn’t been down to check out the table but he appeared to approve from his perch in the living room.

We’ll be back on Wednesday with a tutorial on how to make the table.  In the mean time, I have to continue to make the neighbors question why I’m setting a table for a fake dinner party outside.  We were actually going to use this setup yesterday until the gnats carried me back into the house.  You think I’m joking.  They are that bad.  Guess they dig the new outdoor table too.

May Monthly Recap + Other Important Business

I don’t know about you but I am pumped that tomorrow is the first day of June.  I’m a big fan of Summer.  Now if only the weather would catch on.  That is my first order of business.

Second order of business.  Ike is cute.  His current bandana is extra large.  We keep calling it his cape.  We’ve also renamed him Super Ike.  His super powers include fly catching and getting into the dishwasher.  His kryptonite is thunder.



Third order of business.  The fine folks over at The Home Depot would like me to encourage you to sign up for the Garden Club.  I joined over a month ago.  I totally cashed in the $5 off $50 coupon.  They don’t send out a ton of e-mails and the ones I have received have been helpful.  What’s in it for you? Well, there is:

• $5 off their your $50 lawn & garden purchase, just for signing up
• Over $300 in annual email savings
• Project ideas, how-to videos
• Expert advice from the team at The Home Depot, customized to your region of the country

The other extra bonus.  If The Home Depot hits their sign-up goal of 500 email addresses, they will choose one participating blogger at random to receive (2) $1,000 gift cards - one for the blogger to keep and one to giveaway!  So, let’s help them reach their goal and hopefully help each of us win $1000.

Sign up for the Garden Club email list here using the code GCSweeps!

Let’s end this meeting with a recap of the month of May.  Did you miss a post?  Are you new?  Get caught up here!

Updates on Blog Projects Vertical Garden Part 1 Chevron Stenciled Wall CB2 Giveaway Vertical Garden Part 2 Vertical Garden Part 3 Vlogging Tips Vertical Garden Part 4 Weekend Road Trip Tile Shop Shopping Apartment Therapy Feature Antique Folding Chairs Sunset Photogrpahy Tips

InLinkz.com

January February March April

Big week-end plans?  Is Super Ike your new favorite super hero? Who's signing up for the Garden Club?

Sunset Photography Tips

As we were finishing up editing our Siesta Key vacation photos, I realized that I should share some sunset photography tips.

 

Watching the sunset is one of our favorite things to do on vacation.  (We’re party animals.)  Watching the sun set is a very peaceful activity.  We should do it more at home.

My tips for sunset photos are to be quiet and be the least amount of annoying as possible.  Nate’s tips are a little more complicated because he’s a camera hog.  I mean, he’s in charge of the DSLR and he doesn’t trust others to take precious sunset photos. I did ask him to explain to me what he was doing while taking the photos. I think I learned something.

Equipment (*affiliate links):

• DSLR (We have a Nikon D5000)
• Optional:
  • Graduated Neutral Density Filter (Cokin Graduated Neutral Filter)
  • Tripod  (Manfrotto)
  • Remote (Nikon ML-L3 Wireless Remote Control)  

Tip #1: Set your camera on aperture priority. 

You should have a low ISO (~100, or higher if you do not have a tripod) and an F-stop of ~8 (for expanded depth of field). A tripod and remote will reduce camera shake, which would result in blurry photos.  If you don’t have a remote, you can set your self time for 2 seconds.

Tip #2:  Plan ahead and arrive early.

The sun sets quickly.  Scope out places during the day that will lend themselves to great sunset photos.  Look for interesting places where you will be able to see the sun track all the way down and where there will also be opportunities for shots that include foreground objects (ex. sail boats, trees, rocks, mountains) and silhouettes.

Arrive about a half hour before sunset.  This will give you time to set up your camera and allow you to be able to capture the entire sunset.  Take lots of photos.  The higher quantity of photos, the higher probability that you’ll get some great shots.

Always have your camera on you at sunset. It’s hard to tell if it will be a good one or not.  We left our camera behind on our last night in Florida and missed capturing the best sunset of the week. Womp, womp. 

Tip #3: Consider the Weather

Clear days can produce some awesome color but clouds increase the types of patterns and lights in the sky.

Tip #4: Composition is key.

The horizon should not be in the middle of the photo. Shoot for the upper 1/3 or lower 1/3.

This is also where your filter will come in handy.  The filter darkens the sky to even out the exposure (otherwise the sky will be bright and the ground will be dark).

Remember those foreground objects we mentioned in Tip #1.  Use them to add visual interest to your photo.  Sunsets are pretty on their own but photograph best with a focal point.

Tip #5:  Stick around after the sunset. 

Some of the best light can come just after the sun sets.

Do you prefer watching the sun rise or the sun set?  Or do you prefer to watch New Girl instead?

Linking up to: Home Stories A to Z

Outdoor Folding Chairs

How was your Memorial Day week-end (U.S. readers)?  How was your Monday (non-U.S. readers)?

Our long holiday week-end was a wet one.  It was cold and gloomy.  The only positive was that we could blame our lack of productivity on the weather and not on laziness.  Thanks, Mother Nature.

We did get some stuff done.  Nate finished building our outdoor patio table (more on that next week).  Ike napped and barked at the poodle across the street.  I did some housewife stuff and a little painting.  I also did some successful thrifting.

A new antique store opened in town, The Antique Cartel.  The store has great displays, isn’t crammed with stuff and the items are priced well.  I shouldn’t be telling you all about this.  Don’t steal my bargains. My first visit didn’t disappoint.  I instantly fell in love with these chairs.

I have had my eye on some West Elm outdoor folding chairs.  The West Elm chairs are $98 per chair.  Yeah.  $100 to sit outside.  Did I mention that I also need eight of them?  Yeah.  Dream big, Michelle.

The antique chairs above were $8 per chair. Are they in perfect condition?  No. Are they sturdy? Yes. Do they have some awesome charm and character?  Yes.  And they were $90 cheaper than the ones I had been drooling over.  Think I’ll take that $720 and do something fun.  Like pay off the mortgage. (Being married to an accountant is hard.)

Speaking of the mutant, I sent Nate a text to stop and check them out.  He approved without hesitation.  Amazing.  That never happens.

We loaded eight of them up and hauled them home.  (I only drug four out of the garage for blog photo purposes.  I’ll blame it on the potential for a downpour and not laziness.)

I am currently working on cleaning them up. I’m also going to give them a quick coat of poly to help them hold up against the elements.  We don’t use our back patio a ton so I think we’ll store them inside beings they fold up easily.

Man, I love a good bargain.

How was your week-end?  Any great finds lately?

Weekend DIY

Who’s ready for a 3 day weekend?

Ike and I have a five day weekend.  We’re lucky kids.  We squandered most of yesterday with a side of cleaning.  Today we are going to be super productive.  Well, I am. I don’t know about Ike.  He looks pretty sleepy.  (As you can tell, he worked his way back into the bedroom.)

Speaking of luck, yesterday Apartment Therapy featured my little brother’s kitchen in a post of Weekend DIYs: 10 Wood Molding Projects for the Home.

Last Memorial Day Nate and I helped him add molding and paint his kitchen cabinets.  It was quite the upgrade.

This Memorial Day week-end will be a little more relaxed.  We do plan on busting out the saw and Kreg jig.  We’re going to mix the building with some hiking, thrifting, movie watching and a birthday party for a cool blogger's kid.  Should be fun!

What are your week-end plans?  Do tell.

Shopping at The Tile Shop

On Saturday, Nate and I headed to Des Moines to pick out some tile at The Tile Shop.



This is our second shopping experience at The Tile Shop.  Our first round of shopping was to pick out tile for our kitchen backsplash.  For the backsplash, we chose the Imperial Bone Gloss 3x6 subway tile. We had a tough time finding tile that would match our not quite white but not quite ivory cabinets.  The Tile Shop came to our rescue.

This trip was to pick out tile for our master bathroom.  We were super happy with the customer service/quality of tile/selection from our first round of tile shopping that we decided to make the 2 1/2 drive for our next project!

We had a good idea of the type of tile we wanted when we headed into the store but it never hurts to look.  I started by drooling over the display bathrooms in the store.



I loved both of these displays but Nate tried to get me to focus on our bathroom.  Always the voice of reason that husband of mine.
 
I then became obsessed with hex tile.  It’s just so quirky and pretty.  Nate had his work cut out for him.



We decided that blogland was clouding my judgment.  That hex tile is b-e-a-utiful but doesn’t fit well with our home’s style.  It’s really easy to get sucked into the trends of blogland and not remember what you actually like versus what is popular amongst home decor bloggers.

We ultimately decided on a super brave and daring option.  The Imperial Blanco Gloss 2x12 subway tile.



Subway tile is such a classic choice. We liked the 2x12 size.  The size was part of our daring side coming out. It’s totally not that traditional 3x6 stuff. Subway tile fits well with the modern/country/industrial hot mess vibe that we have going on in our home.  We chose the dark grout (charcoal) shown at the bottom.  We do have plans to do a little twist with this tile.  I just don’t want to fully commit on decision on the blog because we aren’t sure if it will work.  I told you we were brave and adventurous. 

The manager of the store was super helpful.  He was able to answer questions about what tools and supplies we would need to complete the project.  He pointed out tiles that may work well in our space. The only problem I had with The Tile Shop was that there were too many awesome types of tile to choose from.  I’m glad we went into the store with a good idea of what we wanted because I might still be there.  I wonder if those showers are functioning…

We can’t wait to get started. I need to get to picking out some new mirrors (And possibly lights, if I can convince Nate that they are a need and not a want.) during the long week-end. Sounds like a good way to spend the holiday week-end!

Are you a fan of The Tile Shop?  Are you a subway tile fan or do you prefer that hipster hex stuff?

This is not a sponsored post. The Tile Shop is providing me with free tiles and supplies. They aren’t requiring me to post about their awesomeness.  I’m just a really big fan!

Week-end Road Trip and Stuff

Happy Monday, Decor and the Dog readers!  I hope your week-end was a good one.

We were busy.  Shopping.  Birthday celebrating.  Sleeping.  Yard working.  Intense, I tell you.

On Saturday, Nate and I headed to Des Moines.  It’s about 2 1/2 hours from our house.  I really like Des Moines.  They have civilized stores like World Market, Trader Joes and The Tile Shop.

Our first stop in civilization was at The Tile Shop.  It’s a REALLY good thing I didn’t know about The Tile Shop when we were building.  Our lot would be a hole in the ground because I would still be trying to decide on tile.  So many beautiful tile options. We did pick out some tile for our master bathroom.  I’ll share more later this week. I’m pretty darn excited about it. Until then, drool over this beautiful display from the store.  Me likey.  It’s not exactly our style but I still likey.  A lotey.

We made a quick stop at World Market. I was looking for a drink dispenser.  They were out-of-stock.  Lame.  I need to order it on-line.  We then headed to Smashburger for lunch.  Nate and I love a tasty burger.  During the week, we have been doing very well at eating things made only from scratch/not processed.  We’re not quite there on the week-end.  Mmm, burger grease.

Our next stop was our darling niece’s 4th birthday party. 

We played outside, opened gifts and ate cake.  We also dissected Ariel’s brain.  (If you’re in the Des Moines area and looking for someone to bake you a tasty cake, I recommend my sister-in-law!)

While we were there, Nate built me a castle.

Wait, that’s a lie.  We did, however, both shower on Saturday so that was totally worthy of a photograph.  And Nate wasn’t wearing a nerdy t-shirt.  Double win.

Yesterday, Ike woke us up demanding belly rubs.  It’s a good thing he’s ridiculously cute. 

We spent most of yesterday dodging thunderstorms and trying to get fresh mulch put around the house.

Yard work is no joke.  Plus we had a heat index of 86. I like how I was wearing a winter coat last week-end to finish up our vertical garden.  Yesterday I was covered in sweat. Good work, Iowa.  Keep up the warmth!

I’ll share more about our yard progress later this week.  If I get my act together.  Yard work also bores me so I might skip it.  You just never know around here.

What was the best part of your week-end?

Planting and Caring for a Vertical Garden {Part 4: #DigIn}

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

On Monday, I shared with you our tutorial on how to build a vertical garden.

In today’s post (the last post in the series), I will show you how to plant the flowers in your vertical garden and how to care for the garden after completing the build.

We left off with our completed box.  You will want to grab the flowers that you chose.  (Read our tips on choosing flowers for a vertical garden here.)

You will now need to cut a small “X” in the weed block with a utility knife or razor.  (Be careful, kids!)  You want the “X” to be big enough to allow the plant to fit through but not so large that the plant falls out.

Move the dirt around a little to make room for your plant.  Grab your first plant and place it in the hole you just created.

Be gentle with the plant.  Try to keep the roots intact.  The plant should fit snuggly in the vertical garden but it shouldn’t be super hard to push in.  I caught the hang of it after planting a couple of the flowers.  Continue to plant the flowers until your vertical garden bed is full.  I placed one to two plants in each section of lattice.  It’s a little bare now but should fill in nicely as we head into summer.

Once the flowers were planted, I gave them a big ol’ drink of H2O.

Nate and I were both pleased at how well the Behr Weather Proofing Stain repelled the water.  (As you can see in the photo above.)  Long live the vertical garden!

Now comes the hard part.  You need to keep your vertical garden horizontal for about 3 weeks.  Why?  You need to allow the soil to settle and to allow the roots to take hold.

Unless you are an impatient blogger on a deadline.  A blogger who thinks it is lame to post a vertical garden horizontally for reveal photos.  We attached some ladder hooks to the back of the garden bed with screws and hung the garden on the deck for a quick photo op.

The flowers were beginning to get a bit droopy by the end of our 5 minute shoot.  We quickly returned the bed to the horizontal position where it will stay for the next couple of weeks.  We will water the bed as needed and apply fertilizer every month or two.  We should be able to use the bed again next year.  We will just need to apply new weed block and soil to ensure the growth of healthy plants.

This impatient blogger can’t wait to get the vertical garden hung back up and for the flowers to fill in.  Ike, on the other hand, is more concerned about sunbathing.

This vertical garden project has inspired me to tackle a Flower Tower, another #DigIn project from the Home Depot Garden Club.  And that project totally isn’t sponsored.  I’m just pumped to tackle it.

Part 1: 

Vertical Garden Inspiration

Part 2: 

Choosing Flowers for Your Vertical Garden

Part 3:

How to Build a Vertical Garden (A Tutorial)

Part 4:

Planting and Caring for Your Vertical Garden

Who’s ready to tackle a vertical garden of their own?  What outdoor projects are you tackling this week-end?