I know, I know. I dropped off the face of the Earth.
To say things have been busy around our house is an understatement. I have lots of fun projects that I’ll hopefully get to share with you guys in the near future, but for now here’s what I found on a recent shopping trip…
Marshall’s, $39.99
Marshall’s, $12.99
Marshall’s, $19.99
Target
Target
Target, $69.99
Priceless.
Juuust Kidding. Wanted to see if you were still reading, hehe.
We had a fun delivery yesterday at the Smith house….
You know you’re old when getting a new dishwasher is THE event of the week, ha! I’ve been stalking this beauty for months now, waiting to hit the perfect storm of sale, coupon, plus extra money off and it finally hit!
We tested it out last night with a bunch of dirty dishes and I’m happy to say that not only did it do a great job of getting everything clean, it’s also SUPER quiet. Like, are you sure it’s on quiet. That was one of the most important features to us since our kitchen is open to the rest of the house. A quiet dishwasher is a beautiful thing I tell ya.
Oh and if you’re wondering, it’s { this model }.
What about you guys? Any fun deliveries this week?
This weekend I had a sick husband. Most of my time was spent curled up on the couch with occasional trips to the kitchen to heat up soup or dish out meds. Sounds fun, right? On Sunday I decided to take a quick trip to Target and came back with these babies.
We’ve been wanting adirondack chairs for our patio for a while and at $18 a pop (on sale), these were a pretty affordable option. They’re comfortable and since they’re plastic, they can easily be hosed down once the pollen fairy comes out in full force.
I still want to get a few throw pillows to add a bit more color, but I think it’s looking pretty dang relaxing just as it is. All I need now is a well husband to help me test them out…
Hope your weekend was more exciting than ours!
I’m 100% a grain girl. I love pasta almost as much as I love my husband, and rice comes in at a close second. For years, not a day went by that I didn’t have one or the other. I’m talking serious dedication.
As I get older, I’ve realized the need for more variety in my diet. There were hundreds of delicious vegetables out there just waiting to be tried. At first, I thought I would have severe withdrawals from my daily bowl of pasta, but honestly I’ve enjoyed trying new things. If I had never branched out, I wouldn’t have tried dishes like { mashed cauliflower } or { kale salad } (which I could honestly eat every day of my life!).
I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything, but rather gaining an appreciation for our ability to choose what we eat, in a world where not as many people are that lucky. It’s a daily goal to find new-to-me foods to try or to find new ways to enjoy old favorites. The latter is exactly how this recipe came about. I’d seen cauliflower “rice” recipes floating around on the internet and was skeptical at first. Could anything taste as good as my beloved rice?
Yep. It can. Does it taste exactly like rice? No, afterall, it is cauliflower. But, it’s also a delicious alternative and a great way to introduce kids to a new vegetable in a familiar form.
My challenge this week is to find one vegetable you’ve never tried and give it a whirl. Chances are it’s no more difficult to prepare than anything you’ve had before, and it’ll make you feel great for branching out. After all, you don’t usually find anything amazing in life if you don’t set out on an adventure first.
Cauliflower “Rice” with Leeks and Parmesan
{ Serves 3-4 as a side }
1 head cauliflower
*1 leek, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBS coconut oil
salt + pepper
1 lemon
2 TBS Parmesan
Take the head of cauliflower and cut off the stalk. Cut the remaining cauliflower into large chunks. Process in a food processor at 2 second intervals until the cauliflower resembles large chunks of rice.
Add processed cauliflower to large bowl along with the sliced leek and minced garlic. Drizzle with coconut oil, a few pinches of sea salt and black pepper and toss well to combine.
Spread mixture on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 10-15 minutes until mixture begins to brown, stirring mixture halfway through.
Remove from oven, add juice from 1 lemon and Parmesan and toss well. Taste to adjust seasonings and serve.
* Here’s a { great tutorial } for how to clean and slice leeks.
Hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend!
And what a beautiful weekend it was! We spend most of the weekend outside working on the yard, except for a break on Saturday night to see { these guys } in concert. Loved them!
Anyway, remember last week when I mentioned we were working on re-doing our yard? Well here’s the before and during pics! It’s not really an “after” since we still have more to do, but it’s a heck of a lot better than it was. Let’s just say I have a newfound respect for landscape architects. Hard. Work.
Here’s the beginning of the walkway to our front door before…
And here it is now! We still have more mulching to do and hopefully everything will start to grow. Fingers crossed.
The before for the area to the right of the driveway…ugly right?
Currently!
Here’s the other area by the garage. It was perhaps the most pitiful.
Not anymore! Oh and all those potted plants are mums that my Grandfather rooted for me. That man is amazing.
And the most dramatic change goes to the area down by the curb. We had three HUGE trees removed because the roots were damaging the driveway. Just ignore the men, um, climbing up the tree in the picture. That’s what you get when you forget to take a true before pic.
There’s something to be said for yard work. It’s hard and you work for hours and hours on a tiny little space, but man is it rewarding to step back and see what you’ve done. So many people overlook the outside of their homes, but it’s just as important as decorating the inside. It’s the first glimpse people have of your home. Even if you live in a condo or apartment, a cute doormat will do wonders to make your home look inviting.
Now’s the perfect time time to spruce up your exterior. Start with a rug or a hard-to-kill pot of succulents if you’re thumb is more purple than green. Trust me, if I can do it, you can too.
How is it already Monday again? I somehow feel like this weekend was both incredibly long and incredibly short. Is that even possible?
We spent most of the weekend outside trying to whip our yard into shape. It’s bad, y’all. I mean this is what we started with…
Evidently the previous homeowners didn’t believe in raking or putting plants and trees in proper places. We currently have an apple tree, a Japanese Maple and a cherry blossom tree all growing under our deck. Yep, under. As big of an undertaking as it’s been, it’s really rewarding to see things start to come together. It didn’t hurt either that Justin surprised me with a fancy date night on Saturday to break up the hours of digging and hauling. I love surprises.
We’re hoping to keep moving along with our outdoor projects this week so I’ll share more about that later. Today, I want to show you a quick and easy project that can help to add value to your home.
Take a minute to think about your door knobs in your home. If you live in an older home, chances are they are brass, scratched or just plain ugly. In our case, it was all three. Here’s what we were dealing with…
Ugly right? Well the fix is easy and affordable! After searching around for inexpensive door knobs, I discovered Lowe’s has them for around $10. Not bad considering similar ones online were at least $15. That $5 can add up quickly! I used a coupon (of course!) and bought enough doorknobs to replace the one on every bedroom and closet door. The best part of this project was that you can slowly do it over time. Buy a few each month and soon you’ll have them all replaced!
As far as installation goes, it’s a piece of cake. If you can use a screwdriver, you can install a new doorknob. We installed 10 of them in under an hour so quick is an understatement. Here’s a { great video } to show you how to install one. And finally, here’s our before and after.
What a difference! We chose to go with a darker bronze doorknob that really pops against the white door. A silver satin finish would look great as well! Whenever you do a home improvement, you have to think about what a potential buyer will think down the road. Updated hardware on your doors is an easy way to add a modern touch to an older home. Here’s a close up,
We’re really happy with the change and loved it even more because of how budget and time friendly it was. What about you guys? Any ugly doorknobs in your home or were we just the lucky ones?
Today’s post doesn’t have much to do with design. Or even food.
In fact, it’s completely, 100% random. And hilarious.
Several months ago I was introduced to Beyonce. Before you go thinking Beyonce, Beyonce, let me tell you that Beyonce is actually a 5ft. tall chicken. Yep, a chicken.
When we were in San Diego, I even found Baby Beyonce. Cute isn’t she?
Confused? Read all about Beyonce { here }. Be warned, there is language and you will laugh.
If I wasn’t so cheap I’d totally do this to Justin. (Cue evil laugh.)
Enjoy!
For the past couple years, I’ve tried to get on the quinoa bandwagon. It seems quinoa keeps popping up everywhere! As a side dish, in meatloaf, as a coating for fried or baked meats…you name it. If you’ve never had it before, it’s a small grain similar to cous cous and is a great source of dietary fiber as well as being gluten-free.
I’ve had it prepared numerous ways–some I liked and some I didn’t like. A few weeks ago I was in Whole Foods and noticed an interesting quinoa salad full of mango, cilantro, peppers and raisins. I decided to grab a small container to go, not really sure if I would like it.
Oh, my word. It was delicious!
I now realize that I really enjoy quinoa when it takes a backseat to bigger, bolder flavors. And let me tell you, this dish is not lacking in flavor! It’s a great source of protein, Vitamin C and healthy fats. It’s also gluten free and diabetic friendly. It’s a dish that just about anyone can enjoy!
Try serving it alongside grilled fish or add diced chicken to make it a one dish meal. Enjoy!
Quinoa with Mango and Raisins
Inspired by Whole Foods
{ Serves 4-6 }
1 TBS cilantro
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. coarse sea salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
few cracks of fresh black pepper
Juice from 2 limes
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 mango, diced
1 small red onion, diced
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup raw, toasted nuts
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Blend first 6 ingredients together. Slowly drizzle in olive oil until well incorporated. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Add half of the dressing mixture to the quinoa. Stir well and let sit for a few minutes.
Add remaining ingredients to the quinoa mixture, along with the remaining dressing. Toss well to combine and serve!
Well, not so much a chicken dinner, but they did win a gift-card to TJ Maxx!
Congrats to Meghan McFarlin who said,
“I would use it to help pay for a rug in JoJo’s nursery!”
You’ll have to let me know what you find!
And speaking of finds, I’ve been looking for an old ladder for the past few months. I want to do something similar to { this } in our guestroom, but every time I found a ladder it was actually pretty expensive (at least $30). Yesterday I snagged one at an estate sale for $10! Cue excitement.
Our guestroom technically doesn’t even have a bed, BUT it does have an awesome old ladder and cute bedding. Baby steps, my friends.
What about you guys–any fun buys this weekend?
