Homemade Guacamole

Over the weekend my husband and I went to Arkansas for his cousin's college graduation.  Among all of the family and food time, we all ended up at a local Mexican restaurant for some chips, dips and drinks before dinner.  One of the dips we got was guacamole.  At this particular place (I wish I could remember the name... grr!), they brought out the avocado and other ingredients and made it fresh right at our table.  Now let me tell you, I'm not a huge guacamole fan, but this was DELICIOUS!!  So fresh like pico de gallo, yet creamy from the avocado.  

So... how is this homemade, you ask?  Well, of course this meant we had to find a way to make it at home ourselves....

Not only is making at home more fresh than the restaurants or little packets and cheaper than buying pre-made or at a restaurant, but it's also way healthier as we can control what we put in it.

Here's our recipe:

Homemade Guacamole

3 small avocados

1/2 medium white onion

1 large tomato

2 jalapenos (or to taste)

2 tablespoons lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Hollow out the avocado, mash up a bit and set to the side.  Chop up the onion, tomato and jalapenos and mix with the avocados.  Toss in the lime juice and stir until consistency of avocado is smooth.  Crack in some salt and pepper to taste and stir one last time.  

Serve immediately or chilled with tortilla chips.  Enjoy!!!!

 

Chopped

It's been so long.  It was time.  A refreshing start was what I needed.

So what did I do??

Chopped my hair off!

*gasp*

For awhile I'd been going back and forth about chopping it.  I went in a couple of months ago for a haircut and was going to do it, but sissied out since I went to a new lady.  After getting the ends just barely trimmed, I decided it was time.  I found a handful of pictures online that I liked and asked for the chop.

I was so, so, SO happy that I was able to donate my hair somewhere.  Given, since I'd just trimmed it, I didn't have the 10 required inches to donate to Locks of Love.  But honestly, since I've donated to them in the past, I decided it was nice to actually donate to another charity.  So I decided to donate my hair to Pantene, since they only have an 8 inch minimum.

I'm so glad I'm able to donate and do something for someone else.  Life is all about what you can do for others.  I love knowing that my hair is going towards someone's wig and can help to put a little pep in their step.  Something that is so easy and simple to me, can potentially mean the world to someone else.  So often, we don't really consider the other side of the coin.

Here's the before/after...... whatcha think? :)

Cheap, Healthy, Veggie Loaded Breakfast for Dinner

One night last week my hubby and I were really wanting something quick and easy for dinner, so we decided to have breakfast for dinner.  Josh sautéed some veggies and lunch meat, then tossed in some egg whites for me.  I haven't had something new that's been so hot and yummmmm in a long time.  And the best thing, we used leftover veggies we had in the house, so we really were just using up what we already had.  Money saved and kept food from going bad and being wasted, and a delicious, fast dinner.  Win, win, win!!

Here's what we used:

-1 cup broccoli

-1/2 cup cauliflower

-1 cup mushroom

-3 slices turkey or ham

-4 egg whites scrambled

Dining Room - 95% Done

I know, I'm horrible. The house has taken ALL of my free time.

However, this also means I have a done, but not decorated dining room.  

Just to recap, below is everything we did in the dining room....

-Pulled up the carpet and laid hardwoods throughout the first floor

-Painted the top half with grey and white stripes

-Put up waynescotting/framing on the bottom half below the chair rail

-Swapped out the fan in the dining room with the chandelier in the eat in kitchen, since the fan/light didn't fit our vision for the room and was very dim

-Stripped and re-stained the table we inherited from my grandpa (my dad did 95% of this as a gift to us. how awesome  is he?!?!)

My dad staining the legs after sanding down and removing all the existing paint.  The top is bare wood at this point.

So here we go.... 

The finished room (minus decorations)....

****DRUMROLL****

Isn't it pretty?!?  Love, love, love it!  

I (we) couldn't be happier with how it turned out.  I love the classic and contemporary mix in the room.  The clean modern lines of the walls and framing, and the classic style and color of the table.  Originally I wanted to do a dark, dark, dark table, but was worried that it would match the floors too much since they're so dark.  We decided on a medium walnut color.  I don't remember the exact name of the stain though.  Also, with the dark and dingy fan out of there and the light, bright and modern brushed nickel chandelier in there, it looks tremendously better.  I'm so glad I thought about switching those.  Plus, who wants a fan on while eating?  It will just make your food cold.

So as far as decorating, I plan on sticking to the original plan......



Ideally, I want to hang a cluster of pictures on the far wall.  I'm thinking probably 9.  I love the idea of sticking with black and white photos in large white frames, just like my design board.  I also still plan on getting a couple of large comfy chairs for the head of the table.

At some point we'd also like to purchase or redo a buffet or have some type of storage in there.  The goal with the buffet would be to store extra serving dishes and my grandmother's china that I inherited.  Plus with having the buffet, the top can serve as additional space for large platters or drinks during big parties or get togethers.

The only big change we made from the original design board above is the rug.  Though technically we did still buy a a jute rug, we just bought it for the living room, and got the grey damask rug for the dining room.  All in all, we're super happy with the change and how it all has turned out.  

Dining Room Framing

As you saw in my previous post, we painted stripes on the top half of the dining room walls.  Since there was already a chair rail on the wall, we decided against removing it, for fear that it would ruin the wall and cause more work in the long run.  So, that's where the idea came to do some wainscoting or framing on the bottom half of the wall.

After a bit of research and calculating, we decided on framing.  The one thing I learned, is all the frames won't necessarily be equally spaced apart. I measured each wall and drew up a map of how far apart they should each be. However, when we started putting them up we had to adjust slightly because of outlets. The key thing I learned, was to be sure they are all equal distance from the chair rail and all the same height. Oh.... And measure, measure, measure and check with the level, level, level.

All the frames were 3 inches from the chair rail and baseboard, and approximately 3-4 inches apart, depending on the wall.

The above picture is my dad and I putting up the first set of frames. As I said, measure and level like crazy!  It may not be perfect, but it looks dang good. :)

What the walls look like with the paint and framing. Whatcha think?!? :))) I'm in love!!  Just waiting for my dad to finish my grandpas table so I can finish the dining room. Can't wait to decorate it. :)

Dining Room Striped Walls

As you all saw on my dining room design board, we planned on doing some large stripes on the top half of the wall in the dining room. We love, love, love grey so we contemplated on doing grey/white or light grey/dark grey stripes. I've also heard about doing all the stripes the same color but different sheens, like one glossy and one flat paint.  After a lot of debating and testing color samples, we eventually decided on doing large grey/white vertical stripes. Originally I thought about horizontal stripes but once my husband showed me a pic of vertical stripes, I was hooked.

Below is the tutorial on how we did the stripes on the wall..

1). Paint the wall white, or one of the two colors. 

2). I had to figure out how wide to make the stripes. I did a bit of research and calculations, and decided on a 12 inch stripe. 

3). Measure and tape off each section.  We started in one corner and measured 12", then taped a line. Then measured 10" from that line and repeated until we were all the way around the room. We used 1" tape so all the stripes that were to be painted grey were 12" and the ones that were staying white we're in the sections with the tape since it wasn't being painted again. 

4). Once everything was all taped off, we started painting all the grey stripes. 

Almost done....

So there ya have it.  Striped dining room.  The framing on the bottom half of the dining room will be coming soon, too, so keep checking back. 

Getting to be Fall...

What a wonderfully crisp fall morning today!!  I stepped outside with my dog and didn't want to come in. I threw on a sweatshirt and enjoyed the weather for a minute. 

This also makes me realize moreso that we need to finish to house so I can decorate it.  AND decorate for fall and the upcoming winter. I've always wanted to have a cute fall setup on the doorstep, too. Something like a nice big planter with mums and a cute pumpkin or 2.  Hmm... I think I'm gonna have to do that soon. And maybe bake something with pumpkin, too. YUMMM!! Nothing beats the smell of fresh baked pumpkin in the fall. 

Any fun fall decorating or baking plans in your future?I love hearing all the ideas. 

Design Board - Office

Unlike the living and dining rooms, I haven't even started the office. However, I do still have tons of ideas and created a design board based on them. Right now I figured it was best to get the downstairs in order before addressing the upstairs rooms and bathrooms. If I only had more time and money, I'd have it all done ASAP. Oh well...slowly but surely, right? :)

As for the office, my biggest goal is to have TWO desks. My husband stole the only desk we have since we works from home. I've always liked having a desk to pay bills and write blogs, or just to have a space to do crafts upstairs. Unfortunately we haven't had the space (until now) to even consider that option. 

Ideally what I want to do is to use two tables as desks. I've seen a couple that have been fancied up with some woodwork and think that would be a good idea. Then for storage, I'm going to get an Expedit shelf from Ikea. I've been wanting one for years and haven't had the space, so I'm pretty excited for the possibility. Plus the great thing about the desk is the organization!!  I love that it gives a room so much storage and can easily hide all the "stuff" with cute baskets and bins, and you all know organization is key in my household. LOL!

Other than the desks and Expedit shelf, I'd like to put up a floating shelf above each desk with a bulletin board or something fun hung below it. Then I may possibly add some floating corner shelves if space allows for it. 

Overall, tons of great ideas (probably too many), really, just have to find the tables to get the room essentials started. 

I'm contemplating a fun color for my desk. Pink? Turquoise? Grey?  What are your thoughts?

Morning Moon Pictures

Check out my photo blog for some pictures of a morning moon I shot the other day.

Love!!!! 

Design Board - Dining Room

As I mentioned before, I have created or am working on design boards for each room in the house that I  plan to make changes to. Below is the design board for the dining room.

The one thing I knew I wanted was striped walls, so that was the first thing we did.  Since there was already a chair rail on the wall, we didn't want to remove it for fear of damaging the wall, we decided to do framing on the bottom half of the wall.  Now, we've had a hundred projects going on so the framing just got started last weekend, thanks to my dad.  We have a couple left to do, then hopefully, I can post a tutorial and before/afters. 

The other hold up on completing the dining room is the lack of a dining room table.  My grandpa recently sold his house and downsized. When he did, the one thing my dad said he wanted was his childhood dining room table. It's the only table he remembers having throughout his childhood. It's a super sturdy large wooden table. Now... My dad was one of eight kids,so the tablet is HUGE and expands up to 10 feet long. Seems like I can have a huge family gathering anytime. Lol!!  Anyways, my dad is currently sanding it down and reinforcing some things so it will last me another 60+ years. I can't wait to get it and have it in our house!!!

As with the living room, there have been some minor changes in the grand plan, which you will see in the finished room. Can't wait for it to be done!!!! :))

Design Board - Living Room

Below is the design board I created for our living room. I've been searching like crazy to find good deals, and still get fun and modern stuff. I'd say I did a darn good job. Once we get everything put together and decorated, I'll post some before/after pics. 

Overall, I wanted clean, yet comfy. I think this board encompasses my ideas... Though I have been seeing some great beach themed stuff on Pinterest lately and have always loved that too, so I may add some beach textures to the room. I cant wait to be finished!!! :))

SOLD!!

As of a couple weeks ago, we closed on the new house and moved in. We have been so extremely busy that I haven't had enough time to sleep, let alone write blog posts. Sorry, y'all!  But I'm sure you can understand.

We have been busy trying to get the hardwoods down, floors painted, and general maintenance done. Then add to that, moving and unpacking. One thing I can say for sure, I definitely wouldn't recommend living in a construction zone. Boy, it's been rough, especially since we have only been able to live in the kitchen and our bedroom. Everything else is chaos.

I'll have pictures coming soon of the design boards and before/after.

I Know... I've Been MIA. There's a Reason....

Horrible picture, compliments of the MLS site listing ;)

Wow, have things been busy lately!  So sorry, folks!  Those of you who I’m friends with on Facebook probably already know…. We’re under contract and buying our first house!  Oh yes… the day is almost here!!!  We close next week.  Is this for real?!  Someone pinch me.  I couldn’t be any happier!! : )))))))

Of course this means our time has been consumed with dealing with sellers and realtors, shopping for flooring, making general house decisions etc.

Once we get into the house, I’ll post some pictures.  And of COURSE, I’ll put the before and after pictures up once we start working on the house.  We have tons of plans for the house.

Check back often for updates….

 

Homemade Almond Butter

Typically, I don't eat much meat, so I'm always looking for other food options that contain a lot of protein.  I really like peanut butter, but it gets old eating it nearly every day on apples, bananas and other foods.  So I decided to try almond butter.  I looked around at a few different stores, but the cheapest one I found was $5 or $6.  So... per typical cheapo mentality, I decided to make it myself at home.  According to my Vitamix recipe for peanut butter, you just add a couple cups of peanuts and grind... and grind.... then grind some more.  After 15 minutes, if it's still not creamy enough, you can add a little bit of olive oil to help it get creamier.  

I decided to try making almond butter with the Vitamix peanut butter recipe.....which as I said, is as simple as a couple cups of nuts and mix, mix, mix... then add a bit of olive oil to help it be extra creamy (but you don't have to).

Once done mixing, just spoon it into a container and stick in the fridge to cool off.

Of course nothing goes better than nut butter and apple, especially knowing that the only ingredients in it are nuts and a bit of olive oil.  Nothing else.  No preservatives.

Mmmm yum!!!

Have you tried making any kind of nut butters?  If so, what kind?

Easy, Cheap, DIY Upholstered Headboard

Oops, didn't realize the pillows weren't centered.

My husband and I have been eyeing upholstered headboards for quite some time, and have been searching for something in a reasonable price range.  Unfortunately we haven't found anything worth spending our hard earned money on....

So where does that lead us?

We decided to make our own.

Once we decided to make one, I started keeping an eye out on Pinterest (follow me) and searching online for the best DIY version.  I found a few I liked bits and pieces of, but more so just decided to make it my own way.  

Here's the how to......

Since we have a queen size bed, we decided to get a piece of plywood that's 60"x32", which is the same width as the bed and gave us the height that we wanted.

Once I sanded off the rough edges (so we didn't get splinters why we did our project), we covered the front with a layer of foam --- now, let me tell you my SECRET.... I used a twin size foam mattress pad.  Oh yes.. It was $10 compared to a whopping $40!!  I about had a heart attack when the craft store priced theirs at $17.99/yard.

We used some tacky glue (the only kind of glue we had other than hot glue that didn't stick) and then pressed the foam down on the board.  Hense, the hilarious picture of us pressing it :) 

After the foam, we covered it with a double layer of batting.  We secured this to the back with a staple gun, being sure to secure it tightly all the way around, then trimmed the edges up since there was a lot of spillover.

Next, we secured the fabric.  We decided we wanted a linen/tweed type fabric, which is super popular right now and easy to find at Hobby Lobby or Joann Fabrics (don't forget your 40% off coupon with that!).  We secured the fabric with the staple gun as well.  Since the linen/tweed fabric is so thin, we wanted to be sure the staples didn't pull right out, so we folded the edges over.  Plus, this gave it a much smoother look.

Lastly, we folded all the corners nicely and trimmed excess fabric to make it look much nicer on the backside.

Once we had the actual headboard built, we decided to add some nail head trim.  Love, love, love the lock of this!!
After we completed the entire headboard, we built the stand out of leftover plywood.  Just made an upsidedown double "T," so it secures to the metal frame and attaches to the back of the headboard.  

I'm sure you're wondering how much all this cost.....

Here's the breakdown:
-Plywood (purchased 4'8' and cut at Home Depot for FREE) $25
-Foam $10
-Batting from Joann's with a 40% off coupon $15
-2 yd fabric from Joann's on sale for $2.99/yard
    -Nail head trim from Joann's with 40% off coupon    
      $12

                         Total Spent: only $68.

Compare that to the $1000+ Pottery Barn style or the $200 Target one (which is the cheapest I could find online)