It has been quite a while since Hubs and I had a project going. In fact...I'm not even sure what the last one was. But, this next one is going to be a lot of fun!
If you've seen pictures of our backyard, you know we do not have a large covered patio. It leaves a lot to be desired, so we're doing something about it: We're building a deck and a pergola!
It only took a year and a half...better late than never, right?!If you have been a guest at our house since we moved into it exactly 18 months ago, you probably noticed the lack of effort we put into furnishing the guest bedrooms. After all, what was the rush? We don't have kids; We don't have overnight guests very often. I thought as long as the guest bathroom was usable, the other rooms didn't have to be fit for overnight visitors, right?
Wow! It's been almost a month since I've posted anything! Time flies when you're having fun, right? :)
The weather has been awesome here on the edge of the Southern plains, and Hubs and I have been taking major advantage of it. A couple weeks ago, we finally found a place to ride his 4-wheeler by the river south of Norman and we have been trying to go back, but we have both fallen victim to Spring fever.
The weather has been awesome here on the edge of the Southern plains, and Hubs and I have been taking major advantage of it. A couple weeks ago, we finally found a place to ride his 4-wheeler by the river south of Norman and we have been trying to go back, but we have both fallen victim to Spring fever.
Technically, it is still winter. That's why I had my snowman centerpiece on our dining room table until today. Apparently, winter has decided to skip over us this year, possibly paying us back for the last few winters, which have been just awful. And that is a-okay with me. As I was putting away the last of my winter decor, I realized I did not have any spring decor. So, where do I go? Pinterest of course!
Here is what I came up with after putting ideas from different pins together:
Here is what I came up with after putting ideas from different pins together:
Can I just say, "WOW!" The response to my last post was off the hook! It quickly became my # 1 most popular post since starting this blog, which is amazing knowing how long it took other posts to get where they are. We love sharing our home projects with you and we're glad you're still interested too!
With that being said, I can FINALLY tell you that Hershey is complete!! Remember in this post from August when I painted that lonely wall chocolate brown before we moved in without the slightest idea of what to do with it? (If you read what my plans were for it back then, you'll see that it has turned out exactly like I said I wanted it to. Cool huh? :) )
I must say, Hubs and I make a pretty good team. We have been hard at it finishing up the furniture for our living room and it could not have turned out any better.
(You should make it a point not to leave this page without scrolling down to the very bottom for the most awesome shrimp recipe you will ever eat. Guaranteed :) )
(You should make it a point not to leave this page without scrolling down to the very bottom for the most awesome shrimp recipe you will ever eat. Guaranteed :) )
As you saw in yesterday's sneak peek, we have completely redone the guest bath. Here's what it looked like before. Brown, brown and more brown, which usually isn't a problem, as long as it's chocolate. One day I was on Pinterest, and I got a hankering for redecorating, even though 70% of our house has yet to be decorated. I had been thinking about redoing the guest bath for a while, so I started with that. It's a small space; it wouldn't cost much.
Last week, I showed you our re-painted guest bath. As usual, I was no where near finished with that little space :) Let's just say Pinterest, LED candles & I have become best friends :) (You can click here to see my pins.) Here is a sneak peek of what I did with that once-lonely wall.
Wow! It's been forever since I've written a blog post! This time of year always sneaks up on us, then it gets real hectic with work Christmas parties and shopping, etc. We've done a few things around the house that I wanted to show you. Not much...yet. Just a couple little changes we've made, and some bigger projects in the works.
Well, we've been at it again.
Corey was looking for another project to work on, and boy do I have those lined up. I told him he could build the dining room table, which he was excited about because then he would have a reason to not watch Dancing with the Stars with me. :)
Corey was looking for another project to work on, and boy do I have those lined up. I told him he could build the dining room table, which he was excited about because then he would have a reason to not watch Dancing with the Stars with me. :)
Well, the 100+ degree temperatures are FINALLY gone for good; I'm bound to get a speeding ticket after watching Fast Five a few times, now that it's finally out on DVD; and my SOONERS beat the crap out of those nasty longhorns to stay at # 1 in the country. Life is good.
Oh, and did I mention that in less than a month, Corey & I will be on our way to Destin for a much-needed vacation right on the beach? Ahhhh....can't wait!
With the fall has come some gorgeous sunsets that we get to enjoy right outside our back window...:
...And the sunflowers are in bloom:
And if you remember from this post when I planted the mums, they are now in full bloom too!
I've got the wonderful Bath & Body Works fall candles out (my favorite this season is "Leaves." If you haven't tried yet, you need to), and after a short panic attack, I found my fall table settings that I was scared didn't make the move:
This week was the busiest I've been in a while, so I didn't get to enjoy my kitchen any :( I'll be making a chocolate cheesecake w/ peanut butter cookie dough tomorrow though for a birthday at work on Monday. Yumm!! Nothing like gaining a few pounds at the beginning of the week :) If it's any good, I'll post it on my Recipes page. Also, you can check out the House Pics page for some more fall decor pics. It's not much, but just wait until Christmas :)
Halloween is coming up soon, and I genuinely cannot wait to have trick-or-treaters come to our door! We've never been where anyone can come to our door; not in Stigler, where we lived on the highway, or in Norman, where we lived in apartments. So I want to decorate our front porch and dress up in a costume and hand out candy. Back in '05, I convinced Corey to dress up for Halloween! Of course we had to coordinate. Our costumes? Al & Peggy Bundy! I have a picture in my senior book but I can't find a digital copy. :(
Not much else going on around here. I'll let you know when there is :)
Boomer Sooner!!!
Wow! It's been over a week since I have posted anything. Oops! Corey & I have been pretty busy lately. He has built a frame for our master king-size bed, but some changes are going to be made and he is going to build a headboard; then I'll post some pics. We've painted & glazed it the same color as our kitchen cabinets, so it's neutral. My mind changes pretty often when it comes to decor & color schemes, so if we ever want to change it up any, we won't have to repaint the bed.
Last Wednesday was my birthday, and I was on a mission to find a painting to go above our mantle. I knew the wall was 7 ft. wide, so I knew we needed something pretty large to go up there. I found what I thought was the perfect painting. It has a dark red background with white flowers and the prettiest bronze frame. It was about 60% off, so we got it. Well, it turns out it was almost the size of the wall! It's huge! I'm still not 100% sure if I'm keeping it. What do you think? Too big?
I thought about just sitting it on the mantle itself and leaning it up against the wall, but the ever-so-diligent husband said, "I'll just hang it up on the wall because come time to decorate for Christmas, you'll want to put that dang light-up village on this mantle." So thoughtful :) I also splurged a little and treated myself to a mini-shopping spree at the Outlet Shoppes at OKC, along with a salon trip to give my hair a fresh new 'do:
Hubs & Big Sis took me to Zio's for dinner where I got a free entree (one of the perks of signing up for their e-mails), a free Amaretto sour (courtesy of our waiter) and a free dessert! I told Corey since he didn't have to pay for my dinner at all, he will have to take me out again! :) And the fact that my birthday happened to fall on my day off wasn't too bad either :)
This weekend was great too! I got up at 5 am Saturday morning to go up to the Warren theatre to wait on Breaking Dawn tickets to go on sale. I know what you're thinking...and yes, I'm aware of my craziness (Hubs never lets me forget :) ), but my friends and I got all the tickets we needed and we are in the perfect seats! Now, I can't wait for Nov. 18!
Dad's birthday was yesterday, so we went home Saturday and spent Saturday & Sunday with him. They just moved into their gorgeous new house; it felt like we had gone to a resort and spent the weekend! The only thing that was missing was mom, who was gone on a work trip.
I made dad a coconut creme pie for his birthday. After I made the meringue and poured it on top of the pie, I noticed it was runnier than usual and the pretty little peaks would not stay up. I didn't know what the problem was...until I found an egg that had rolled away from its group while I was making the meringue. I guess it was one egg short! Oops! Happens to the best of us :) I bet dad will still have that pie gone by the end of the week....egg or no egg.
I have a busy week ahead of me so I'm not sure when I'll be back. Probably when something interesting happens (if it does). :)
Oh...and we only have 33 more days before we go on a long-awaited vacation to Destin, FL!! Can't WAIT!
<3
Last Wednesday was my birthday, and I was on a mission to find a painting to go above our mantle. I knew the wall was 7 ft. wide, so I knew we needed something pretty large to go up there. I found what I thought was the perfect painting. It has a dark red background with white flowers and the prettiest bronze frame. It was about 60% off, so we got it. Well, it turns out it was almost the size of the wall! It's huge! I'm still not 100% sure if I'm keeping it. What do you think? Too big?
I thought about just sitting it on the mantle itself and leaning it up against the wall, but the ever-so-diligent husband said, "I'll just hang it up on the wall because come time to decorate for Christmas, you'll want to put that dang light-up village on this mantle." So thoughtful :) I also splurged a little and treated myself to a mini-shopping spree at the Outlet Shoppes at OKC, along with a salon trip to give my hair a fresh new 'do:
Hubs & Big Sis took me to Zio's for dinner where I got a free entree (one of the perks of signing up for their e-mails), a free Amaretto sour (courtesy of our waiter) and a free dessert! I told Corey since he didn't have to pay for my dinner at all, he will have to take me out again! :) And the fact that my birthday happened to fall on my day off wasn't too bad either :)
This weekend was great too! I got up at 5 am Saturday morning to go up to the Warren theatre to wait on Breaking Dawn tickets to go on sale. I know what you're thinking...and yes, I'm aware of my craziness (Hubs never lets me forget :) ), but my friends and I got all the tickets we needed and we are in the perfect seats! Now, I can't wait for Nov. 18!
Dad's birthday was yesterday, so we went home Saturday and spent Saturday & Sunday with him. They just moved into their gorgeous new house; it felt like we had gone to a resort and spent the weekend! The only thing that was missing was mom, who was gone on a work trip.
I made dad a coconut creme pie for his birthday. After I made the meringue and poured it on top of the pie, I noticed it was runnier than usual and the pretty little peaks would not stay up. I didn't know what the problem was...until I found an egg that had rolled away from its group while I was making the meringue. I guess it was one egg short! Oops! Happens to the best of us :) I bet dad will still have that pie gone by the end of the week....egg or no egg.
I have a busy week ahead of me so I'm not sure when I'll be back. Probably when something interesting happens (if it does). :)
Oh...and we only have 33 more days before we go on a long-awaited vacation to Destin, FL!! Can't WAIT!
<3
When I first told Hubs that I wanted red living room tables, he said I was crazy. I told him we needed some color because everything in the living room is brown or tan and that red would be perfect because it would tie the living room in with the kitchen and the dining room. He gave me that look where he raises one eyebrow and says "You've lost it" without actually saying it. I get that look a lot. :) I have always known that he is anti-color. When we first started dating, it was all I could do to get him to wear a shirt that was something other than gray or white. Now, I've got him wearing bright green, turquoise, yellow and red. He's come a long way :). So, I knew that it wouldn't take much to change his mind. I told him, "You build it, and I'll take it from there," which probably scared him a little because he knows I'm capable of painting it lime green if I'm in the mood.
I went to class last Saturday morning, and I came back to this a few hours later:
Wow! I was impressed! He had went to Lowe's and bought some red oak wood so it would match our cabinets throughout our house after I painted it. And look! He even had me space on top to put some decor. Yes! While he was out in the garage building this, I was in my sanctuary...the kitchen...making these bad boys:
Yep. Homemade Cinnabuns! (As always, check the Recipes page for this latest awesome recipe.) Then I caught up on the week's episodes of General Hospital. By the time that was over, HandyHubs (hehe) had finished the cabinet doors that would go on our TV console, so I brought them in and slapped some red paint on them. I found some antiquing glaze, so after the paint dried, I slapped that on too. Here's a picture of the difference it makes. Wow!
HandyHubs would sure approve of this! And guess what? He loved it! I think at that moment, I was a little less crazy in his eyes, which is always a plus. That eyebrow will be permanently raised if I keep coming up with these wacky ideas.
A red-filled-paintbrush-on-new-carpet scare and two mysteriously-disappearing cinnamon rolls later, and we have this:
Finally! A place to somewhat hide that hideous black box that supposedly makes the sound good! (Or whatever it does...I'm not real sure what it's there for.) And, another item to have to buy new decorations for! I am loving this!
Here are some closer-ups of the details HandyHubs and I added to make this unique piece of furniture; the first of many for our house.
These are the same pulls we used for our master bathroom doors.
Here's a full shot of what it looks like under our TV. I told HandyHubs to build it big enough to fit under a hopefully-much-larger TV someday, so that's why it kinda dwarfs the TV. But wait! Is that my Sam Bradford on the TV?! It is! And this was a touchdown pass! Woo hoo!
Something else HandyHubs did was put some chair rail up in our dining room! He's been hard at work!
Next up will be the rest of the living room tables, which we will hopefully get started on tomorrow since we will both be off work. I love days off work with my sweet hubby :) THEN, the dining room table! I'm pretty excited about that because I will get to shop around for some chairs! What color should the table be?? Hmmm?? With my crazy mind, who knows what it will end up looking like. Do you think I am crazy for wanting some not-so-traditional furniture? I sure don't think I am, but then again, admitting you have a problem is the hardest part, right? :)
On another note, I wanted to ask: do you plan your meals in advance? Like a week or so? We did that last week and this week, and it's actually turning out really well. On Sunday, we make a list of what we want for dinner all week, then if there is anything we need, we get it. Our favorite meals are Italian, so we stay stocked up on pasta and other things like spaghetti sauce, heavy cream & white wine (for alfredo sauces), red bell pepper, parsley, and parmesan cheese. Lots of parmesan cheese. We know what we're having the next day, so if I need to thaw any meat the night before or the morning of while I'm getting ready, I can do that. And it gives us something to look forward to. If you do that, does it work for you? So far so good for us! We're having our first over-night guests this weekend (my parents) so I'm pretty excited to cook something for them! I told mom that if they're good, they might even get some homemade cinnabuns. Haha!
Well, that's about it for now! Hopefully we'll finish up the living room tables this week and/or weekend and move onto the dining room!
<3
P.S. Today is National Punch Day. Someone clarify: does that mean I should make punch today? Or does it mean I can finally get started on my People-to-Punch list? :)
Of course I am referencing a Kenny Chesney song, which can only do one thing: make your day better! You know it does ;). Anyway, I ran across a couple of photos on my phone from last night I wanted to share with you.
See husband move water sprinkler in the back yard:
See water sprinkler attack husband.
Hahaha! If this doesn't make you laugh, I don't know what will. What's even funnier? The look he's getting from Gus & Rufus:
Gus: What's he running from? Maybe he's running TO a beggin' strip?!
Rufus: Mom, I know you have the beggin' strip. I'm not going to sit or lay for it, so just give it to me already.
Aren't they just the cutest? Every time I get home, if sister has the dogs, I honk my horn, and this is what I see a few seconds later:
They really know how to make someone's day better. Who needs a kid when you have these 2 little furballs who will forever weigh 5 pounds and can feed themselves? <3
Okay, now I HAVE to tell you about the stuffed pizza sticks I made yesterday. The recipe (which can be found here) calls for a loaf of frozen bread dough. Corey & I looked everywhere and could not find this, so I used the same brand (Rhode's) frozen dinner rolls. Once I thawed those puppies out, they formed into one huge ball of dough. Next, I got to use my roller for the first time! I was pretty excited about that. I laid down some wax paper and some flour, and all it did was cause me to make an ever bigger mess than I was already making. If you know me, then you know I make a HUGE mess out of whatever I'm doing; whether it's eating m&m's, drinking a chocolate milkshake, making a PB&J. So you can imagine me working with flour. It. Was. Everywhere. Anyway, I finally got tired of messing with the wax paper, so I threw it away and used what flour was already on the countertops and rolled the dough out on that. MUCH easier. It's granite countertop, so it shouldn't have hurt anything. So this makes a massive rectangle, and I only need about 14"x9", so I slice off what I don't need and throw it back in the fridge. I spread the pizza sauce on the dough, placed the pepperonis & canadian bacon on, and smothered it with mozzarella cheese. I. LOVE. Cheese. The more, the better. Then I folded the ends in and rolled it up. This sucker was stuffed plum full; not sure it was supposed to be like that. Anyway, the recipe said to "cover w/ plastic wrap & place somewhere warm for 1 to 2 hours to rise." So I put it in our study, which tends to be warmer throughout the day. Then I ran to Norman with Brittany & Jonathan for a few hours. Well over 2 hours. What I did not expect when I got home was for the thing (loaf?) to literally be the size of the cookie sheet. I should've taken a picture of it, it was ginormous, and more than a little funny. The clear plastic wrap was not even covering it anymore, it was beyond that. So I take it into the kitchen and luckily I'm able to shrink it a little bit. This is where I added my own spin: I sprinkled some parmesan cheese on top of the entire loaf along with some rosemary and Italian seasoning and threw it in the oven. Oh. My. Goodness. The smell of that kitchen/living room after being outside for a few seconds was unbelieveable. I didn't know if I was going to be able to wait the 25 minutes it took to bake. It seemed like an eternity! It finally finished and I sliced 'em up and served them with some warm marinara sauce and (of course) Ranch dressing. Between the four of us, we ate every last bit of them. I couldn't even take a picture to show you how good they turned out! I was impressed!
I do, however, have a picture of our Tuscan Garlic Chicken from the other night that I was raving about:
Gosh I sure love to cook in that kitchen! I can't wait to be finished with the decor & furniture so you can all come visit!
<3
Still a little warm tonight, but I just couldn't wait any longer; I must blog from the back porch. :) Judging from the weather forecast, it looks like tomorrow night may be a back porch/blanket/hot chocolate night. But, for now, I'll take my sweet tea to drink while the sprinkler runs across my feet and enjoy what could very well be the last summer-feeling night. I love Tuesday nights. It means I can stay up a little later because I don't work on Wednesdays. So I may just stay out here with the flittering bugs and creepy crawlers all night. Okay, not really. Bugs aren't my bag. :P
So I'm looking through the living room window to the inside of our living room & kitchen, and a feeling of contentment comes over me. Have you ever just felt 100% content with every aspect of your life? That's how I feel. I have the best husband in the entire world that would do anything for me (and I for him), we have a roof over our heads, the best neighbors we could ask for right across the street from us, the cutest, most lovable dogs always so happy to see us when we get home, the BEST family a few hours away that would be here in a heartbeat if we needed them, and I just made seriously the best dinner I think I've ever had. And I'm really not saying that just because I made it; it really was awesome. I found the recipe from the Olive Garden web site. YUM.MEE. I posted it over on my Recipes page so you can try it too. You HAVE to try it. If I can make it, you know you can. Anyway, we are truly blessed, and the feeling you get when you genuinely realize that is awesome. Here is a literal description of what I saw when I was on the back porch lookin' in: We had eaten dinner, the dishes were washed, Hubs had just mowed the lawn and was sitting down to relax on the couch. What's that? The History Channel on TV? I better go in before things get out of hand :) I see sweet Rufus & Gus laying on my leopard print blanket thrown over the couch. They're asleep. Awwww. I see some furniture that needs to be built and some walls that need decor on them. All will come with time :)
In the meantime, here are the first things we have planted: yellow mums!
I am by no means wishing the fall away, but the next big thing I'm looking forward to is landscaping in the spring. I want lots of bright colorful flowers and bushes. But until then, these beautiful mums will work just fine :). I can't wait to see them in full bloom! Maybe next fall I will have a maple tree that will turn all shades of red.
So I'm looking through the living room window to the inside of our living room & kitchen, and a feeling of contentment comes over me. Have you ever just felt 100% content with every aspect of your life? That's how I feel. I have the best husband in the entire world that would do anything for me (and I for him), we have a roof over our heads, the best neighbors we could ask for right across the street from us, the cutest, most lovable dogs always so happy to see us when we get home, the BEST family a few hours away that would be here in a heartbeat if we needed them, and I just made seriously the best dinner I think I've ever had. And I'm really not saying that just because I made it; it really was awesome. I found the recipe from the Olive Garden web site. YUM.MEE. I posted it over on my Recipes page so you can try it too. You HAVE to try it. If I can make it, you know you can. Anyway, we are truly blessed, and the feeling you get when you genuinely realize that is awesome. Here is a literal description of what I saw when I was on the back porch lookin' in: We had eaten dinner, the dishes were washed, Hubs had just mowed the lawn and was sitting down to relax on the couch. What's that? The History Channel on TV? I better go in before things get out of hand :) I see sweet Rufus & Gus laying on my leopard print blanket thrown over the couch. They're asleep. Awwww. I see some furniture that needs to be built and some walls that need decor on them. All will come with time :)
In the meantime, here are the first things we have planted: yellow mums!
I am by no means wishing the fall away, but the next big thing I'm looking forward to is landscaping in the spring. I want lots of bright colorful flowers and bushes. But until then, these beautiful mums will work just fine :). I can't wait to see them in full bloom! Maybe next fall I will have a maple tree that will turn all shades of red.
Ahh, this is the life :)
The last few days I've been sitting out some decor around the house, hanging things on the walls and baking cookies :) Corey has been hanging some blinds among other things too, so here are some pics of what we've been up to:
This pond usually has water in it.
This pond usually has water in it.
