Wrapping Up October: 2016

Ok, I just really wanted to start the post off with a cute puppy picture. Mission accomplished 😁🐶❤️

Can you believe it's November already? In 6 short weeks, the hubby and I will be leaving for Oregon! I'm in shock. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was telling the hubby it was time for a Christmas in Oregon. And now it's almost here! Unbelievable. 

But for now, now it's time to wrap up October! In October...

From New Construction to 3 Years

December 2012

3 years.

Well, technically it's been almost 3.5 years. But I digress. Can you believe it's been almost 3.5 years since I've done an update on the state of the homestead? Mercy. I thought we'd take some time today to remedy that. 

In case you were wondering, you can find the link to that old update here.

But for now, let's talk 3 years in!

The Ultimate Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich

-with a legit moist-maker!

Calling all "Friends" fans! I've taken on Monica's Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich, complete with a moist-maker! For those of you not in the know, a moist-maker is an extra piece of gravy-soaked bread in the middle of the sandwich. I know all kinds of people hate the word moist, but I'm sorry. It's word that must be used, and used often, by foodies. You don't want your chicken to be dry, you want it to be... moist. Same with cake. And brownies. And steak. And all kinds of meats. So peeps, I apologize, but the word must be used.

Lately: Fall 2015

Oh my gosh y'all. It's been forever, 2 months, 3 weeks, and 5 days since I did a Sunday post. In fact, my last "Lately" post was February 1st. Holy Superbowl Sunday Batman! I've got lots of pictures to share, you know, cause I haven't in a million years. Let's dive right in-

Oh, and if you don't like pictures of things like puppies and Chihuahuas, you may want to skip this post :)

Master Bedroom Update

It's done, it's finally done!

A funny thing happens to those who like to take pictures, and take them often. You start to lose any patience with bad pictures. You start to become a little bit of a perfectionist, not wanting to share any pictures that are less than perfect. That's exactly how I've been with this project. Taking and re-taking. Re-taking and taking more pictures. Moaning over shadows and light and angles, and a million other things that I'm sure I'm the only one who cares about.

I'm done. I've decided that the layout of the master bedroom and the location, size, etc. of the windows in the room are always going to produce lighting and angles that are not pleasing to me. Enough is enough, and it's time to share the update.

Home Decor: Window Box Centerpiece

I thought I would take a quick break from food blogging today to share my new spring-y centerpiece. I mentioned (more than a month ago, BTW) that I'd purchased a new runner and I was planning on over-hauling my dining room table centerpiece. It's now complete, so I wanted to share it with everyone!

Christmas Pirouettes

This is not a recipe.

Well, it kind of is. It's more of a Christmas craft, I'd say. Here's why:

I keep a couple of different sized glass jars on my island counter in the kitchen. Most of the year they have fruit in them. However, at Christmas time, I fill them with candy, christmas ornaments, and in general, red and green decor. In one of the glass jars last year, I put these Christmas decorated pretzel sticks-

I bought these decorated pretzel rods at the craft store last year. My favorite part of those sticks was that they were individually wrapped. Not so good for the environment, but definitely good for whoever wanted to stick a grubby hand in the jar for a treat. I really wanted to do the same thing this year, but they were no where to be found. I was disappointed. My first thought was to fill my jar with Christmas M&M's or other Christmas candy. Luckily, I had my problem-solving hubby with me while I was at the store. He suggested buying what he called "those long, thin wafer cookies" and decorating those. I had no idea what he meant by "long, thin wafer cookies" when he said it, but I immediately recognized the cookie upon seeing it on the shelf. All I would have to do is buy some vanilla melting candy and sprinkles. I loved this idea way more than Christmas M&M's, so I went for it. 

Not only did they turn out super-cute, but these are way more tasty than the pretzel sticks I bought last year. And they are super-easy to make. After melting the vanilla candy, simply dip one half of the pirouette in the candy, place on a piece of parchment paper (this is an important step!), and sprinkle at will.

A jar of these would make a very pretty hostess gift this holiday season. Or maybe a gift for a foodie, or for kids. All I know is, these are not going to make it the whole month that I keep Christmas decorations out :)

These are only the first of Christmas sweets to come. Next week I start baking, and then you all will be inundated with cookie goodness. I can't wait! I have yet to perfect my pie crust and pies, so you can expect pie postings soon as well. It's going to be a very sweet month on the blog, so you can expect to discover a January full of salads, fruit, and vegetables. As for tomorrow, it's still a toss up between another pumpkin recipe or a jarred foodie gift. I guess you'll have to tune in tomorrow to see what I pick :)

Happy Thursday!

Ingredients (makes 22-24 pirouette's):

1 (13.5 oz) tin of Pepperidge Farms Pirouette cookies

1 (16 oz) package of vanilla melting candy

Christmas sprinkles

Directions:

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Remove cookies from tin, place on an empty plate.

2. Melt candy according to package directions.

3. Dip one end of cookie into melted candy. Let excess drip off, then place cookie on parchment paper. You can dip about 4 cookies before you need to put sprinkles on the cookies. If you wait too long, however, the candy will dry and the sprinkles won't stick. So sprinkle while the candy is still wet. 

4. Allow cookies to set for about 30 minutes before removing from parchment paper. Store in an airtight container. 

Printable Recipe

If you like this recipe, you may enjoy these:

Iced Sugar Cookies

Christmas Crunch Popcorn

Dipped S'mores

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday, Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party, Snickerdoodle Sunday, Treasure Box Tuesday

Home Decor: Coffee Bar

It's finally time to unveil my latest project, the coffee bar!

I have been wanting a coffee bar since before I had a house. Since before I even knew one would work in my house. Since the day I joined Pinterest, basically. An idea for a coffee bar was one of the first pins I ever "pinned". And now I have one!

I'm really happy with how it turned out. The hubby and I have been talking for over a year about doing this, we just kept putting it off. Well, now that my brother is coming to visit (did I mention my brother will be here in about a week and a half???) the hubby really wanted to get this put in. I put up a half-hearted argument, that we didn't need the coffee bar right now. But I just so happened to be at the now-unnamed craft store that I should be boycotting but I can't seem to stay away from, and I saw that shelf. The shelf ruined all my self-control and frugalness. I saw it, and I went nuts. I had to have it, and before we knew it, we had a coffee bar. Thankfully, the shelf was on sale and the buffet table was actually fairly economical. I picked up a few decor items to complete the bar, but we already owned both coffee machines and all the cups. Lets take a closer look, shall we?

One thing I love about the coffee bar is how much extra storage we've obtained. We've obtained counter space, where the machines used to be. I've gained storage space in my cupboards, where all the miscellaneous coffee items were, and where all the coffee cups used to be. I haven't figured out what I'm going to do with the extra space, but something tells I won't have empty space long!

I picked up these cute containers at the previously unmentioned craft store, and found the coffee cutting board on Amazon.

Same with these items. I picked up the tea container at the craft store, and found this cute teapot on Amazon as well.

If you know me, you know I love word art. You can find it all over my house.

I've got an eclectic mix of coffee cups, which I think makes the shelf look more interesting.

I couldn't decide on just one dish towel. I picked up this colorful one, and...

A couple of less colorful, more standard dish towels that still scream, "COFFEE!!!" A towel for every mood, if you will.

As you can see, lots more storage! I haven't even filled the baskets at the bottom yet, which is even more storage. I've got plenty of room to add more coffee cups to my collection.

And there you have it! I'm so thrilled with my latest addition. I've already gotten to the point where I can't remember what that corner of the dining room looked like without it. I also still find myself gravitating that way to stare at it. Pretty, pretty!

Something tells me when my dad comes to visit, the coffee bar is where you'll find him :)

I hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend! 

Home Decor: Holiday Decorating

Happy Wednesday!

I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm 30 years old, and I'm just starting to accumulate holiday decorations. This is my first home, and we've been in it for 1 year as of yesterday (side note- I can't believe it's been a year already!). While the hubby and I have had our Christmas tree for a couple of years now, I've never had any other holiday decor. I never really cared. Call it getting older, or whatever you want, but the list of things that interest me has changed wildly from when I was younger. I am now ravenous about decor. So weird. Anyhoo, building a home full of decor takes time and mucho dinero. A little at a time has always been my motto. Here's what I added to my collection this year:

I already have a house full of hurricanes, because I'm a candle nut. I'm finding that switching the material in my hurricanes is one of the cheapest and easiest decor changes I can make. I removed the sand from my dining room table hurricanes, and replaced it with cranberries. Very festive!

I'm also crazy about flowers, I love a poinsettia for the holidays. I also couldn't resist this little snowman snow globe.

I usually keep fruit in these glass jars I keep on the island. Again, it's super easy to switch out the material. I filled one with ornaments, one with decorative pretzel sticks, and one with Christmas lights (the glass jar in the back, it's hard to see). 

Glass full o' Christmas lights. 

Our tree! We've had it for 4 years, but I still love it. The hubby has to fight me every year to take it down. 2 weeks into January :)

I love this rustic, country holiday sign. I placed this on the entryway table. 

Another update-

I did the unthinkable. I joined a gym. Dun..dun...DUN. I hate gyms, but I've determined I hate running when it's under 40º. After a 5 day rest from running and a complete case of cabin fever, I knew something had to be done. I never realized how much I took my elliptical for granted before it kicked the bucket! Yesterday was the first day I went, and it actually wasn't too bad. I don't think the gym membership will last once the weather is nice again, but it will do for the winter. I gotta move, or I go nutty cuckoo.

I hope everyone's having a good week, I can't believe how fast time flies during the holidays. Pretty soon I'm going to have to start baking!

No complaints there :)

Home Decor: Living Room Wall Collage

I have finally decorated this gigantic wall in my living room! 

It has been the bane of my existence for the last couple of months. It was the biggest, blankest wall in the house, and it really made the house look like we had just moved in. It's one of the first walls you see when you walk in the house, and it was just so... so... empty.

I have a list of priorities of what I want to get done in the house, and my top 3 at that moment was:

1. Living Room Wall
2. Living Room Curtains
3. Coffee Bar in the Kitchen

In my mind, I just knew that decorating the wall and putting curtains in the living room would pull the house together immensely. I had originally wanted to put 1 large piece of art on that wall, but have since come to reconsider. I was having a abysmal time trying to find a piece of art. And every time I got on Pinterest, I saw all these beautiful wall arrangements. So of course, Pinterest came to change my mind. Last weekend, we trekked to Target and I picked up a floating shelf and some round mirrors. The first pieces to be collected for my eclectic wall.

Once I put my mind to it, I began to pick up pieces like crazy. I had everything picked out and by Thursday, I was waiting for one piece I'd ordered off Amazon. Of course, it arrived that day! The whole course of the day was altered, and I forced the hubby to hang up my wall collage.

I'm so glad I did, I can't stop staring at it!

This is the piece I ordered from Amazon. I'm always hesitant to order stuff like this online, because you never know how it's going to look in person. Thankfully, I think I love this piece even more now that I have it in front of me.

I got 5 differently sized circle mirrors at Target. I loved that I could place them anywhere, they didn't have to stay together. I didn't realize you could see me until after I took the picture. Hehe.

I was a sucker for these birds.

This was a little wink-wink to the hubby and I, being such huge Oregon Duck fans :)

Decorating the wall has really given the living room some new life. I'm so pleased with how it turned out.

And you can see how different it makes the room look! Ahh, bliss :)

Next up, curtains!

Weekend Wrap-up: 4/21/13

Spring is in full bloom!

Pretty tree in our yard.

The traditional Red Velvet Cupcakes for my mother-in-law's birthday.

Bros.

What Gizmo has 99% of the time- the Blue Monkey :)

Me and the Giz.

Couponing haul for 4/21/13.

One of the hubby's crafty projects- A non-headboard headboard.

New products I'm currently testing.

Fun, purple Springtime pedi.

Currently

Flowers I chose to put in the entryway. Major spring fever over here!

Stealing a page from Jenna over at Eat, Live, Run with this post!

I'm currently...

Watching... A "Sex and The City" marathon. Whaaaat? It's Sunday, the hubby's working, and I ate too much pizza last night. Everybody needs a lazy Sunday once in awhile!

Eating... Garlic Shrimp in Coconut Milk, Tomatoes, and Cilantro, tweaked minimally from this recipe over at SkinnyTaste. I don't usually cook with coconut milk, but this recipe peaked my interest when I saw it. Post on the recipe soon to follow!

Planning... My couponing haul for tomorrow, along with next week's meal plan. Meals next week include Spicy Bean and Rice Burritos, Chicken with Mushrooms and Asparagus, Asian Glazed Drumsticks, Pasta Fagoli, and more. Hmmm, getting hungry again...

Reading... Catching Fire. All right, so I'm a wee bit behind the times. Lately, it seems like I have so much other stuff to do that I don't find time for reading. I really need to work on that.

Inspired by... Pinterest. I've gotten so many ideas from Pinterest, from food to decorating ideas, fashion to makeup, cute animals to the latest manicure colors. I'm fully planning on wasting some time skulking around the site today.

Excited for... My family is coming to visit! My parents will be here in 9 days, and my aunt will be here in 10 days! I'm so excited for some great food, amazing cocktails, and (what I'm sure to be) abundant laughs.

-Headed to the great outdoors now. It's a beautiful, sunny, 72 degree day here in Kentucky, which means the dogs are constantly sitting by the door, trying to escape. Oh, fur-babies :)

House, Week 12: Decor

The hubby and I have been in the house for 12 weeks now! I can't believe how time has flown. It really does seem like we moved in just yesterday. I'm still so thankful every morning when I wake up here. It was a long journey that at times seemed like it would never end, but it was well worth the wait.

We are mostly unpacked, and have started to concentrate on decorating the house. Man alive, is decor expensive! I honestly had no idea. None. We've been picking up things here and there, waiting for sales, making lists, and doing tons of budgeting. Here's a few things we've worked on so far:

I finally have a place to put my perfume collection, which hasn't been out of the box since we lived in Portland!

Master bath.

I heart flowers.

One of many ideas stolen from Pinterest.

Master bath counter.

Master bedroom dresser. Like my perfume, the mirror hasn't been on the dresser since Portland :)

Picture wall, master bedroom.

Bed side table, master bedroom.

Main bath

Main bath art.

Bookshelf in the entryway.

Living room decor.

Dining nook.

Dining room table centerpiece.