Yummy Appetizer Recipe

To switch things up a little, I would like to share an appetizer recipe that is a standby in my kitchen.  I don't have any prep pictures or final product pics, only the recipe.  Next time I make this I will take pics and post the process.  It is so simple and super yummy!

You can microwave this for about 3 minutes, but I prefer to bake it at 350 for 20-30 minutes.  I think the consistency is better.  No, it's not healthy, but is any good appetizer ever really healthy? :)  Serve with tortilla or pita chips and you have a quick and delicious appetizer ready to go!  Enjoy!

Sara

Organizing the Kitchen Office Area

When we were designing our kitchen, I knew that I wanted a small corner to be dedicated to an office space/mail hub.  I am so glad we have this in our kitchen and it is an area of our home that is always getting tweaked and organized. 

After living here for almost a year, I finally decided to organize the cabinets so I could easily find anything I needed.  One side was organized for office supplies and the other for small tools, meds, and basically junk drawer material that needed a home.  I hit up the dollar store and found cute little blue and green containers - 4 for $1.00! You can't beat that!  I love the dollar store for organizational containers, and they have so many fun cute colors and shapes!  Perfect for an organizing freak like myself.  No before picture, because I am so impatient and just jump right into a task.  So, here is the after! 

This is the office side - extra envelopes, pens, markers, pencils, sticky notes, etc.  are all stored in the left-side cabinet.  I didn't get a picture, but I also have greeting cards and blank stationary in the top cabinet. 

I printed out sticker labels and used a cute font from this website - Fonts for Peas .  Amanda is super talented and so sweet to share all of these cool fonts.  You can download them in a zip file - there are so many to choose from!  She also has great tips for customizing your blog.  I love her site!

Here is the right side of the cabinet.  Nothing super exciting, just neater and organized...

Thanks for stopping by!  I am going to be posting a couple of my favorite yummy appetizer recipes tomorrow!

Sara

Changes Coming to Our Blog...

In an effort to make our blog more interesting, and have more to blog about, my mom and I have decided to broaden the topics we blog about and add in the occasional recipe, cleaning/organizational tips, posts on fashion, books, and more of our favorite things.  While we love "playing house" and blogging about our decorating on a dime, it feels as though sticking to one topic is limiting us in the blog world.   And let's be honest, being a mom of a 2 year old and running a household, decorating my house is not always on the top of my to-do list! I have a family to feed and a house to keep clean!   In the next few days, the blog will change to reflect the different styles my mom and I have and you will start reading about other topics than just "house stuff".  This mother/daughter duo loves to decorate, cook, clean, read, and find new outfits on the cheap!  So, stick around (all two of you) and keep reading because this blog is getting a makeover!   

Sara

Touches of Spring...Playing House...

We have had a few warmer days lately and with that I have had a renewed energy to "play house".  I have been hitting up the thrift stores more lately and changing up some things in the house here and there.  Yesterday, I went to TJ Maxx and spent the good part of the afternoon perusing the store.  They had a lot of spring items and some cute pictures (for cheap!).  Here are some of my finds...

This picture was $14.99, which I thought was a steal for the beautiful frame and mat alone! The bluish green color goes perfect with my color scheme in my kitchen. 

This print was only $12.99 and the mat is burlap (hard to tell in the picture).  Can't wait to find a spot for it!

Found this straw pot a few weeks ago for $12.99.  I had a heavy metal container here before and I liked the airy and lighter texture of the straw basket.  The front has a silver tag on it that reads 'Fleurs". 

And two more great TJ Maxx finds - some yummy smelling handsoap for the kitchen sink and this candle that smells like Spring.  Little touches like this just make me happy.  Yes, it's the little things...

I have also had the urge to put fresh flowers and plants everywhere.  You can't beat a bunch of flowers in a pretty container for $4.00.  These flowers last forever and my mom gave me the pitcher that I spray painted a glossy white.  It instantly adds happiness to my kitchen...

A small pot of ivy was put in a basket I already had, along with a thrift store milk glass lamp and a platter from my everyday china.  Can't believe my husband hasn't commented on the fact that there is now another lamp in our kitchen.  I'm a lamp queen...

I have a small bookcase in my kitchen that I am always playing around with.  I changed it up this time with a cloche that my mother in law gave me, a silver shell platter, and one of my birds.  I found the silverware graphic from The Graphics Fairy and just tucked it inside the cloche. 

So Spring is just around the corner and these are some of the changes going on around here.  I can't resist opening the french doors and letting the fresh breeze blow through the house...

And on a completely "non-house" related note, these cute shoes were calling my name at TJ Maxx yesterday and I had to have them...

No, they have nothing to do with Spring - it just felt right...

Sara

Newly Painted Sideboard

I FINALLY finished the sideboard on Friday night and was able to get some pretty good pictures yesterday afternoon and this morning so you can see the transformation!  Before, it was painted red, which was nice but too dark for the dining room and a little too formal for my taste.

Here is a before picture of the dining room...

Red sideboard and red on the curtains with dark lamps.  After repainting the furniture and putting the living room curtains in this room, and two new lamps from TJ Maxx, here is the after...

 

The rug isn't staying.  I am hoping to find a cheap sisal rug to replace it and use this outside on our deck for the spring and summer.  Here are some more after shots...

I love the bright white in here! It really helps to lighten up the room and is a great contrast to the dark table and chairs.  If you read my previous post about painting the sideboard, I had decided to paint it blue.  Well, after 4 coats of blue paint (2 different shades) I lived with it for a couple of days and decided to just prime it and paint it white.  That way I can use it in different rooms if I decide to, and I am not stuck with a specific color scheme in the dining room. 

Now I am going to start tackling my laundry room by adding shelves and painting the room a buttery yellow.  Stay tuned and thanks for stopping by!

Linking up!

Sara

Gahhh...And Some Changes in the Laundry Room

Ok, so the dining room sideboard transformation is not going as planned.  The blue does not look like I want it to and now I am second guessing even wanting it to be blue.  Gahhhhh!  So, today I went to Home Depot and bought some primer and white paint.  I am painting it white and that's gonna be that.  Not sure about distressing it yet - am a little scared of staining and feel out of my element doing it.  Any tips would be appreciated!  So, no pics of the sideboard, but I do have some changes to my laundry room! 

Here is a before picture...

This room is sooooo bare.  I had a major mistreatment (The Nester's term) on these windows for the first 6 months we have lived here while I have been deciding what color to paint this room, and whether I want to go ahead and just buy open shelves or wait (patiently) for cabinets.  I am not patient so I think I am going to go ahead, paint the room, and just put up shelves.  Cabinets can always come later...

The color is a toss-up between a creamy yellow or a pale gray.  Yet again, can't make up my mind.  On a positive note, I have been eyeing a pretty quilted sham at TJ Maxx for a couple of weeks and I knew I could make it into a window treatment for the room.  Here she is...

I love the colors and pattern.  Creamy yellow, pale gray, a little tan, and some white.  Perfect.  Especially considering my tile floors have tan and gray in them.  For $9.99 you can't beat it.  I cut the back panel off and am going to use that fabric for little touches around the room. I love the pattern!

I cut a slit in each end of the sham and slid it on the cheap-o rod. 

For now I have just put it on the rod that is already up there but I am going to by a pretty brushed nickel curtain rod and hang it up so it looks classy - this is just temporary, and ugly on the sides...

 I also pinned the bottom to the molding around the window so it look more like a roman type shade.  Not sure if it does, though, but I like it.

 I also bought a twin sheet set at TJ Maxx for $9.99 and used the flat sheet to make a skirt to go around my laundry tub sink, since (let's be honest) they are functional, but hideous.  Added bonus - storage underneath.  All I did was turn the sheet sideways and hot glue it around - gluing a little pleat every now and then.  No measuring - measuring is for patient folks. Before...

Here is the after, once I cut off the extra fabric on the bottom...

 

I don't even care about hemming it.  You can't see that it has a raw edge and it's the laundry room.  I am the only one who usually even steps foot (practically lives) in there. But I probably should steam out the wrinkles...later.

I just took the mirror down from above the sink and am spray painting it silver to put some color on the walls, and then I need to pick out my paint and get to rolling!

I also bought a pretty yellow rug at TJ Maxx for $25.00 and it is so cushy underfoot that I had to have it!  You can see it in the first picture, but it will look so much better in the final after shot!

So, there is the laundry room progress for now.  Now, going to go attack my sideboard with the 4th coat of paint.  Ugh...

Sara

Painting the Dining Room Sideboard

Here is a picture of the dresser I painted red at my old house and am now using as a sideboard in my dining room in the new house.  The full post is here...

I love the red and I thought I would love red in my dining room, but after living with it like this for 8 months, I realize I don't really like it for the space.  My living room, dining room, and kitchen are all open with columns separating the rooms.  Since I have mainly creams and blues in the kitchen and living room I decided to paint this dresser a dark blue.  I started painting this weekend and used Benjamin Moore's Tranquil Blue.

I am not very happy with the color, so during my son's naptime today I am putting on another (and hopefully final) coat of blue that is a shade darker - Majestic Blue.

I can't wait to show off the final product! I got TJ Maxx gift cards for Christmas and used some of the money to buy two new lamps to go on the sideboard and brighten up the space.  We use our dining room for dinner during the week so taking it from red to blue should cut down on the formality of the space, since we don't use it like a formal dining room.  

Stay tuned for new pictures that I can hopefully post tomorrow, since it is oil-based paint and takes 24 hours to dry completely. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Sara