1960s Kitchen/Bath Remodel- part 1

In case you thought I fell off the face of the earth, I haven’t. I just had a baby that didn’t sleep through the night until he was 10.5 months old. I have lots of wrinkles to prove it. Thus the reason blogging took a back burner was that I had very few brain cells to spare.

But we have a new exciting development in our lives so it was time to get on the interwebs and shout it from our the rooftop. We are currently completing a MAJOR home renovation project.

Here is the house as we purchased it 17 months ago. It was built in 1960 and sits on two acres. And while the house was in great condition most of the interior had never been updated. Since then we have done some painting, and a few touches here and there, but having a baby made most home renovations few and far between.

To be continued…

Easy Holiday Treats

I am keeping the holidays pretty low key at our house this year.

Presents, some Christmas Day nachos, and lots of family time.

But I have been making some fun treats for a few get togethers we are attending.

These recipes are low-maintenance yet so delicious.

(click the recipe name for the link to the recipe)

Pomegranate jeweled white cheddar, toasted almond and crispy sage cheeseball

So yummy. The crispy sage and pomegranate arils are a fun twist on this traditional appetizer.

Reeses Pretzel Bites

I have posted about these before but they are so easy and well liked I thought they deserved another mention.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Stacks

And these are so fun. Lots of ways to decorate them. I actually used the snowflake shaped Ritz but they didn’t turn out as pretty as I had hoped. Next time I will just use the round shaped Ritz crackers. I think this recipe would also work well with clubhouse crackers.

For lots of other fun fool-proof appetizer recipes go to my appetizer Pinterest board.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Weekly Grocery Shopping and Meal Planning in 10 Minutes

Y’all, some weeks this motherhood gig just kicks me in the butt (bottom, sorry Mom). I am just being frank.

During those weeks I am so thankful I have started simplifying my meal planning and grocery shopping.

Because sometimes the thought of taking yet another 6pm trip to the Chickfila with a 4 month old makes me want to die.

I have made meal planning easier by organizing my recipe Pinterest boards with only things I will actually make for dinner. Because who am I kidding? I am not making pecan goat cheese encrusted salmon for dinner with a baby on my hip. Then I open up the recipes in my browser that I plan to make that week. I quickly scan the ingredients making note of the things I need from the store in order to prepare it.

Then I open up a Walmart grocery pick up tab.

Which means I am shopping at Walmart which I never thought I would say.

Well I am not actually shopping at Walmart. I am taking advantage of their free grocery pick-up. I order all my groceries online, and then schedule a pickup the next day.

On pick up day I pull up to the store, give them a call and an attendant brings everything to my car.

No hauling of a 16.5 lb baby through the store to find what I need.

Seriously, it could not be easier. I have even done it while the baby was napping in the car.

Could anything be better? I think not.

And the bonus is I am not making impulse purchases so I am spending less. Cue that multi-pack of underwear that seems like a good idea at the time. #grannypanties

And lastly, the Walmart website remembers what you ordered last time so it makes  the items you buy weekly even easier to order.

If you want to try it here is a $10 off coupon that you can use with your purchase. Just click the link and start shopping. :)

http://r.wmt.co/eA8WW 

The Tale of Two Nightstands

We are finally settled into our new house with our new baby. And I am finally getting around to re-do our master bedroom. I had not liked the furniture arrangement when we first moved in. Plus the rug, curtains and bedding just didn’t look right in the new room.

We also needed larger nightstands as I am forever knocking things off mine. Anyway in my normal fashion I didn’t want to pay full price for new ones.

So I have been on a hunt for several months. This is the style I was looking for.

I spotted these solid oak nightstands at a local antique shop near my home. I thought they had potential, and I liked the fact that they were solid wood.

So I purchased them. And then promptly cut the legs off.

 

Yall, at this point I was so tickled that they looked so much better already. But just wait! 

Once I got to this point I painted the furniture with my new favorite paint, Fusion Mineral Paint in Coal Black to match my bed.

Next I went on a search for an inexpensive leg option. I found several that I liked on Amazon in the $15 each range, but since I needed 8 of them I kept looking.

Amazon came to the rescue with these sofa legs with steel hardware for $5.00 each.

So I grabbed 8 and a can of oil rubbed bronze spray paint for the metal foot.

I also ordered cup pulls from Amazon that fit the holes already drilled in the drawers, $2.19 each.

Once they were all painted my husband cut some simple 2×4 supports to hold the new furniture legs.

Viola! Can you even believe the difference?

This is hands down my favorite furniture project I have ever worked on.

I think they will pair so well with my other bedroom furniture, new rug and bedding.

Thanks for reading!

*this post contains affiliate links to Amazon

A Picky Eater’s Scrambled Eggs

I am a picky egg eater.

Basically I don’t eat them unless I make them or my mom does.

I like them scrambled, fluffy, super flavorful, and cheesy just like my mom made them when I was growing up.

AKA not like my dad made them with chocolate chips. See this post for that story.

A Picky Eater’s Scrambled Eggs

serves 2-3

• 2 slices bacon, cut into small strips
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk or half and half
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese, cheddar or Monterrey jack
• dash of salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• dash of garlic powder
• dash of dried parsley

 

In a non-stick skillet over medium high heat fry the bacon strips. Once crispy, remove the bacon and most of the grease from the pan.

In a small bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients. Return the skillet with the remaining bacon grease to the heat, and pour in the egg mixture. Using a rubber spatula slowly fold the eggs until cooked through. Top with cooked bacon and serve.

Highchair Makeover- Part 2

Thanks for all your design opinions on social media for this makeover. I decided to go green with a stained tray, but I used a very brown, almost distressed looking stain and a lighter green than the kelly in the inspiration photo.

Here is the used Graco highchair before:

 

My sister-in-law Holly recommended I use Fusion Paint. It’s called mineral paint, kinda like chalk paint, but needs minimal prep and no waxing is required.

I really liked working with it, and you can’t beat the price for specialty paint.

The color options are beautiful!

Click here for the Fusion Paint website.  

Disassembled, thanks to my husband.

After one coat.

Sanding, sanding and more sanding. It look quite a while to get that faux cherry finish off of the tray.

For the tray I went with a brown stain with no red in it. It took about four coats to get it good and dark. But I love the finished product. I do plan to seal the tray with a kid-safe food-safe sealer.

The tray finish didn’t turn out perfectly, but I am kinda glad it didn’t because then when Parker bangs on it with a fork and sippy cup I won’t be worried about the finish :)

All done and put back together! 

Highchair Makeover- Part 1

I scored a used Graco highchair on one of those local yard sale Facebook pages. The highchair is super sturdy and sound, but the finish is rough looking/not my style.

So I need help picking a new finish. What would you do?

Green paint with stained top.

Painted with place setting.

Painted with “dipped” legs.

Navy paint with distressing.

Or a blue stain similar to the TV stand I refinished a few years ago.

My sleep deprived brain needs some assistance on this makeover!

The Ultimate Dark Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

Since having a baby, I have been craving chocolate and oats. The first two weeks I was home from the hospital I am pretty sure I survived on Quaker Oats chocolate chip granola bars.

And since then I have made chocolate chip oatmeal banana bread and a couple batches of no-bake cookies (so much for getting the baby weight off quickly).

Anyway this is my favorite version of no-bakes. It is delicious! I use old fashion oats instead of the instant kind for a lot more fiber. And the coconut oil in place of the butter makes it a much healthier version.

The Ultimate No-Bake Cookies

makes 16

• 1 3/4 cups white sugar
• 3 heaping tbsp Hershey’s Special Dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup half and half or whole milk
• pinch of salt
• 3 cups old fashion oats
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup Nutella or similar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• optional: handful of chopped nuts, peanuts or almonds

In a saucepan, bring the sugar, cocoa, oil, and half and half to a rapid boil for 60 seconds. Remove from heat and add the oats, coconut, nut butters and vanilla. Combine thoroughly.

Place spoonfuls onto wax paper using an ice cream scoop and let cool completely.

Tip: Melt the coconut oil in a liquid measuring cup before adding it to the recipe. Then use the same cup to measure out the nut butters. The butters will slide right out of the cup when it time to add them to the sugar mixture.

Month One of Mommyhood and Postpartum Survival

I can’t believe we have had Parker for a month already. He wowed us at his first month check-up by being at the top of the charts for weight, height, and head circumference. He is going to be a big boy. His feeding schedule averages every 2.5 hours during the day; and thankfully, he sleeps like a champ at night (we are working on nap times :).

My recovery after labor and delivery took a lot longer than I expected. But I am happy that I finally am feeling stronger and more like my old self, sort of. If my old self was sleep deprived and more saggy than normal.:) Although I have been told I won’t completely feel normal again until after I am done breastfeeding. I plan to go back to work in September part time again. I have 4 decorating projects already lined up. I am really looking forward to having something to keep my mind busy and creative. I like being a mom, but I really NEED a creative outlet.

There are a few things that I wanted to share that have really made my life easier and more enjoyable these past few weeks.

Washable Memory Foam Body Pillow– My husband bought me one of these for Christmas. I used it during my pregnancy. But I have also found that I LOVE it now too. I use it to prop myself up in bed when I hold the baby, and it also helps elevate me during the night if I have engorgement (TMI?) pain. I have never been a huge fan of body pillows, but this one made me a convert. I really do LOVE it.

Glamourmom Nursing Tank – I have purchased numerous nursing tanks, and this one is the best! I actually purchased it at the breastfeeding center at my pediatrican’s office. The tanks are not cheap, but they are super high quality. If you purchase through their outlet online you can get them 50% off.

Playtex Nursing Bra– My favorite nursing bras have been several that I purchased from Soma a few months back. But like most good products…they discontinued the style I liked. But this style by Playtex is my 2nd favorite, and it is much more budget friendly.

Yummy breakfast– This may seem like a dumb survival tip, but especially when we were still doing the every 2 hr feedings all night, knowing that there was something good to eat for breakfast really helped my mental state. Several sweet people brought me breakfast stuff, and I made a couple loaves of my favorite banana bread (I just use regular chocolate chips). 

Nutella Swirled Peanut Butter Banana Bread- Sally’s Baking Addiction

Binge Watch TV series– My sister Annie gave me this tip. Binge TV shows during those early weeks when you are just in survival mode (mentally and physically)…but only the funny shows. And boy was she right. I tried watching one drama series, and it put me over the edge. My anxiety went through the roof. So watch the funny shows. Keep things as light as possible. Laughing is good for the soul, especially when you just pushed a baby out of your body.