Last weekend, my dad took the kids out to pick muscadines. They came back with two gallon buckets full. (There were even a few pears thrown in for good measure!) We are big jelly-eaters, so I knew I would use some of those “southern grapes” to make a few jars of muscadine jelly.

Muscadine jelly is one of the easiest jellies to make.  You will need about 7 cups of fruit.  Rinse these off and remove any stems.  Place the muscadines in a large pot and cover with water.  Boil on high for about 10 minutes.  This is where the fun part starts!

Grab a meat press or big spoon and smash those muscadines.  Relieve all the stress from your day–you want them mashed really good.  Work those berries over for about 10 more minutes. (They will need to boil for 15-20 minutes, total.)

Pour the mixture through a wire-mesh strainer into a large bowl.  (This is definitely a two-person job!)  Mash the muscadines down into the strainer to get all the good juice out.

Combine 5 cups muscadine juice, 1 box pectin (SureJell), and 6 cups sugar into the pot.  Drop 1 teaspoon of butter into mixture to prevent bubbles.  Bring mixture to a roiling boil for 5 minutes.  Stir continuously to prevent burning.

Pour hot mixture into jelly jars.

I like to use the inversion method for canning.  (Note:  This only works when canning hot jellies or jams.)  As soon as the the jelly is poured into the jars, put the rings and lids on tightly.  Turn the jars upside down for 4-5 minutes.  Flip them over and allow them to cool.  As they are cooling, they will pop and seal off.

All that’s left to do after that is enjoy!

 

Hiding out in our shop, we have this massive stack of scrap wood.  My husband is a hoarder, and most of the time I am annoyed that he keeps all this crap old stuff, but this time his hoarding ways are paying off.  

I give you Exhibit A.  Most of this is leftover fence panels from a fence we replaced at the old house.  There is an occasional 2X4 in there and even a few 4X4’s, but all of it is still good, usable wood.

We’ve tackled a few projects using this pile already and it’s been really fun (and cheap!).  I thought it would be exciting to round up more super cute ideas on how to reuse scrap wood.  You know, in case you are like me and have a hoarder husband.  So without further rambling on my part, here are the 7 best ways to reuse scrap wood that I’ve found.

Vintage Map Coasters

Rustic Wood Crate

Rustic Table

Reclaimed Wood Headboard

Reclaimed Wood Wall

Picture Frames

Planter Boxes

I can’t wait to get busy using up all that scrap wood for some super cute projects.  The hardest part is just deciding which one to tackle first!

{On a sidenote, I have a recently discovered love affair with the electric sander.  Have y’all ever used one of those babies?  The work is calming and the whir of the sander covers up any background noise.  Super stress-relieving for this mama whose life is surrounded by background noise!  Helpful, too, because all of that scrap wood will definitely need to be sanded to prevent splinters!}

How about you guys?  Have you seen any awesome uses of scrap wood lately?  I’d love to hear about them!

Oh, our current space.  It’s a haphazard mash-up, work in progress right now.  We are working on building our forever home and living in the future garage while we do it, oh my!  I had great intentions of doing an entire current home tour via video today, but my schedule just hasn’t allowed it.  So instead, I’m going to show and tell a little bit of our current space PLUS an overview of our future new home–YAY!

Right now, the exterior of our house looks a little like this:

I say “a little” because since this photo, they have begun the foundation for our new home and there are blocks and rock everywhere in front of our house!

On the inside, it’s just a really big square.  Downstairs, we have a kitchen on one side and the living room on the other.  Along the back wall there is a half-bath, laundry nook, and pantry.  Upstairs, we have two bedrooms and a full bathroom.  If you were to see this area right now, you would be appalled.  Two walls are stacked chest-high with unpacked boxes.  There are dirty dishes in my sink and clean clothes on my table.  (Because what’s the point of unpacking and then moving it again in a few months?  And I have no excuse for the dirty dishes and clothes on the table other than, life.)

{To see unfurnished pictures of our current space, check out this post.  Or this one, when we installed our own laminate flooring.}  The upstairs will become a guest bedroom and bonus room and the downstairs will all be garage once the new house is complete.  That back porch area will be my new laundry room.  The block room that you see on the porch is a storm shelter.  Along the front of that area we are putting mudroom lockers.

Our new home will look like this:

{To see the entire future floor plan, check out this post.}

It’s going to be the white farmhouse of my dreams!  I just know that God has great plans for that guest bedroom.  I have visions of sitting on that front porch with Justin when I am 80 and grandchildren are running around the front yard.  Heck, I have visions of sitting on that front porch with Justin next fall and drinking coffee while my own kids run around and play.  We will host Easter egg hunts, church fellowships, Halloween Hayrides and more at this home and I CAN NOT WAIT, I tell you.

 

In all honestly, I love all the things, all the time.  It would be extremely difficult for me to make a list of things I don’t love. {I’m a picky eater, so if I had to make that list, it would probably be full of foods!} Thankfully, today I’m joining in with Bailey’s Blog-Tember prompt to share a list of 5 things I’m loving, right now.

(As a lover of all the things, I would be so excited if you would join in the conversation and leave a comment about something you are loving right now!)

5 Things I’m Loving, Right Now:

1. My skin care routine.  I’m using this exfoliator, this serum, and as always, my Oil of Olay lotion.  I’m also taking these vitamins, which I think is helping.  I have seriously seen such an improvement of the skin on my face.
2. My Happy Planner.  If you have followed this blog for any length of time, you know I am so big on planning/planners.  I have tried Erin Condren, Plum Paper Designs, and the little Blue Sky ones from Target.  After years of searching for the perfect planner, for the perfect price, I have landed on this one.  It has all the design elements I love with a price tag that is on point.
3. Falling Free: Rescued From The Life I Always Wanted by Shannan Martin.  I have read Shannan’s blog for years.  She was actually FlowerPatch Farmgirl when I first fell in love with her writing and I’ve been a virtual eye-witness as God has stepped in and turned her life upside down.
4. House progress.  There are things happening at our forever home and I could not be more ecstatic if I tried.  We have workers, we have space.  Hopefully, I’ll have an update with all our foundation progress to share with you soon.  (Please know that I get super, over-the-top excited about every single little detail and I will try to tone it down for the sake of this blog.  And amen.)
5. The My Fitness Pal app.  Over the last few weeks, my jeans have gotten remarkably tighter.  (Insert sob story here.)  When this happens, I always resort to My Fitness Pal to help get me back on track. It’s super easy and convenient to log your foods and count your nutrition.

What are you loving right now?

{Disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links.  Using these links will result in a few extra pennies for me at no extra cost to you.  As always, thank you for supporting Our Alabama Life.}

When I was younger, my granddad had a house on Lewis Smith Lake. We would spend a large part of our summer there, riding the jet ski and being pulled behind the boat on an inner-tube or knee-board or skis.

When Justin and I met, we built our relationship at the lake. Justin was an avid wake-boarder and I instantly fell in love with the sport. Every weekend, we would go out on our friend’s boat from sun-up til sun-down.

Justin proposed at Smith Lake on one such weekend, on a little island we now refer to as ours.  (Please excuse the graininess of the above photo, but I got a little nostalgic for a minute.  I found this old picture in an album and just had to include it.  You know it’s true love when you wakeboard together, right?)

Fast forward a few years and kids later and we still love the lake. Our kids love the lake. It’s just not nearly as easy to get out there now. My granddad sold his house and we didn’t have a boat. We had a jet-ski, but it’s hard to share a single jet-ski between nine people!

For years, my mom has begged my dad to buy a boat. For years, my dad has been searching for THE boat. One that had everything he wanted on a boat for the price that he wanted. Two weeks ago, his patience paid off.

He bought a Bentley pontoon that seats 16 people. It runs fast enough to pull an inner-tube and knee-board.

We have spent the last two Saturdays running up and down the lake. The kids have inner-tubed for hours. We’ve jumped off tall rocks into deep water. We’ve rode around, checking out all the big houses and pretty land and just relaxing.  Everyone has taken turns driving the boat.

We’ve installed a love for water and the lake into our kids and I couldn’t be more proud.  Lake life is THE life, yo. 🙂

Happy Labor Day, friends!

Today, I’m starting the week off with a list of things I’m doing, currently.  (I love these lists and was so excited when I saw that Bailey had included this as one of her Blog-tember topics!)

CURRENTLY

Reading… Falling Free:  Rescued From the Life I Always Wanted by Shannan Martin.  I’ve followed Shannan’s writing for years (back when she was actually Flowerpatch Farmgirl) and I’ve always been inspired by her live-on-mission lifestyle.  When I heard she was writing a book, I jumped at the chance to be on the launch team.  Just like her blog posts, her book does not disappoint.

Playing… Pokemon Go.  Yes, me too.  I am safe about it though, if that makes it any better?

Watching… Church of the Highlands online.  Every single time I watch, I feel like God is speaking directly to me.

Trying… Whole30 for the first time, ever.  My current diet is really, really sad.  I know eating healthier would make me feel better, it’s just so hard.  I have zero will power.  I’m joining in on the #SeptemberWhole30 Challenge and hoping that the accountability gives me strength!

Cooking… lots of meats plus veggies.  My attempt (I sound confident, don’t I?) at Whole30 starts tomorrow, so I’m doing lots of prep-work today!

Eating… All the junk that’s in my house that I won’t be allowed to eat, beginning tomorrow.  I know that’s not the way this Whole30 thing is supposed to work, but that’s the way I roll.

Texting… Justin, about gazillions of house ideas/decisions; Lisa, Anna, Emily; Mama and Mallory.

Drinking… La Croix water.

Pinning… house everything.  Farm tables, lighting ideas, paint colors–you name it, I’m pinning it!

Tweeting… not much.  My Twitter game is weak, y’all.

Going… ninety miles an hour.  Late summer/fall is our busy season with back-to-school and soccer and dance, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Loving… this weather!  Hello FALL!

 

Listening… Trust in You by Lauren Daigle, Thy Will by Hillary Scott, Just Breathe by Jonny Diaz.

Celebrating… blog partnerships.  I love connecting with new brands and beginning/fostering blog partnerships.

 

What is one thing you are up to currently?