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Showing posts from March, 2014

The Trim Project Gets Underway!

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The trim is biege. I dislike biege. Especially in trim. Plus, they needed a new coat of paint after 15 years and two owners. Hence, the Trim Project of 2014! I declared open season on painting last weekend, so the work begins!  There is miles and miles of baseboards and doors to do in this house, so I'm expecting this to go well into the summer months.  Little by little -- we'll just chip away at it.  P.S. Benny says Hi. 

My New Cabinet of Joy

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The Original Spot for Fabrics. A Mess Although I'm not at all focused on decorating our office, I was DONE digging for fabric in the corner cabinet. It was a dark spot and my little collection had outgrown it. So while searching for the dining room cabinet of my dreams -- that just doesn't exist, sigh -- I stumbled on this little yellow cabinet from Martha Stewart. I have always aspired to have a place where my pretty (and growing) fabric collection could be stored and displayed. This cabinet just happened to the be the perfect dimension for this corner of the office and the glass doors can be closed up while the pretty fabrics can still be seen. Sure, it's veneer and wobbles a little, but it's cute and I could probably cover the glass at some point with frosted contact paper or pretty decorative paper. Bonus! Yellow Cabinet Filled With Crafts and Games A place for all the lovely fabric, crafts and some games?! Oh be still my heart. I'm falling de

The Jewelry of the Kitchen

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I've finally had it. Grabbing around the drawers and cabinets to open them is getting awfully annoying. And there are two drawers that need both hands to open -- or, at least, knowledge of where on the drawer to pull.  Seriously?! Make it stop. So, on our last trip to Home Depot I did a survey of brushed nickel hardware and easily narrowed it down to one pull.  This one ...  Pull Here to Open Dave and I had that all-important conversation about pulls versus knobs. And we agreed to stick with the same pulls everywhere. And testing them out, it's really going to class up the kitchen. Don't they say that cabinet hardware are the "jewelry of the kitchen"? Also, we decided to contract out the job to a handyman, because 42 cabinets is 84 holes all in the same place and I'll KNOW, and it will bug me everyday, if any of them is a teeny bit off center. I can't take that pressure. Call in the professional! Stay tuned.

Unprocess My Girls - It's a Start

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The grocery rule of thumb is: if you can't pronounce it, you shouldn't eat it. Or, put simply, stop eating over-processed, chemical-laden foods. For Pete's sake! But in reality, that's not totally possible. Especially with the kiddos. Their reliance on fruit bars and cheese crackers (albeit organic and mostly all-natural) is a convenience I can't deny. Working Moms don't have oodles of time to bake granola mini-muffins, weekly sandwich bread and stumble upon veggies picky kids will actually eat. (This mom did it and is now making a living off helping others do it ... 100 Days of Real Food .) Hey, I'm trying! So this weekend I decided to find a granola bar recipe the girls would like -- one less unprocessed snack food for them. Of course, I went right to the cereal bar recipe from Alana's The Homemade Pantry -- mostly because I'm in the middle of a passionate love affair with that cookbook. And her two daughters eat them. That's kid test

Phase 1 Entryway Complete

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Phase 1 in my multi-phase plan to board-and-battan the foyer is complete! The walls are a lovely shade of white. The color I have dreamed of. Non-beige, people! Once I get the tarp put away, David gets all excited. Let's just do it all now! I layout some grids and start taking some measurements -- because someone's gotta go out the next day and buy all the wood and supplies. Then, I realize .... It's only 30 degrees out. And do I really want to jog outside to cut pieces of wood in such inhospitable weather? No. No and No. So, we'll wait. Sure, there's snow in the forecast for the week but spring is gotta come to Illinois at some point, right? Right!? Grids to Test Some Spacing Options We Bought a Circular Saw; Be Afraid! 

Sunday Morning Done Right

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Post workout, but still in my stinky workout clothes and slippers. Curled under a blanket. Reading the New York Times (there's a great story in Vows this week). The dog is curled up in the sun just out of frame. Beginning to contemplate the agenda for the day.

Open Season on Painting!

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Today I decree that painting season is officially open! First day of spring was this week. And, hey, it's the first Saturday all year that it's above freezing (a balmy 43*) and not snowing. So I packed my crew into the car and headed off to Home Depot for supplies. Painting the foyer white is Step 1 in my framing/molding project . I taped to the top of the current framing schematics and laid down the base coat of glorious white. (And got rid of that awful blue-green sample I didn't like one bit.) BEFORE: The Foyer Prepped for Paint ... And, while I had the white paint out, I said "why not paint the arch and wall that leads to the back hallway..."   The Back Hallway: The Arch was Soooo Dirty From Hauling Stuff in From the Garage But, once we got started, it was impossible to stop -- and we went around the corner and across to the basement stairs. I kept thinking, the more we do ourselves, the less the professional painters (who we'll need

My Homemade Pizza

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Every week for the last few years I've been making pizza for Pizza Thursday. Occasionally, it's from a box. But usually it's homemade. At first, I was focused on perfecting the dough . If I have time, I'll make the dough from scratch the night before. I have a no-fail recipe that uses half whole wheat flour and sits in the oven (turned off) where it will rise until the next night, when I'm ready to bake it. My backup is the whole wheat dough from Trader Joe's -- which I consider a staple. There's always a bag of dough in my freezer. It's pretty delicious. And I pre-cook it, so it's extra crispy once we top and cook it. Lately I've focused on toppings and adding a lot of veggies. I've read there's nothing you can't put on a pizza and I'm starting to test that theory. Most recently, baby spinach. Delicious! And this week I threw on sliced tomatoes. I love when they get all soft and juicy. Fantastic. The experimentation conti

The Quilting Plan - Supplies

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Slowly, over the course of several years, I've been collecting supplies and fabric to assemble my first quilt. It's a goal I've had for quite a while. And being the granddaughter of one of THE BEST quilters in the state of Florida, the skills are in my DNA! On my last trip to Jo-Ann's I found the last puzzle piece: quilt batting. Of course, it's the smallest size I could find ("crib size") and made from recycled fibers -- supper soft! So I've got my book and my fabric pieces and a plan. Now, I just need a free afternoon to tackle it. Quilt Supplies: Ready When I Am

The 10 Week Challenge - A Retrospective in Pictures

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What a difference 10 weeks can make. As I strategize what I'll be doing for the next few weeks, to shed a few more pounds/inches, here's a review in pictures: The Chart! I Kept Track of Weight (Too Much) And How I Was Feeling/Doing. I'm a Note-Taker.  My Favorite 10am Snack: Homemade Yogurt and Fruit A Post-Workout Selfie. I Stayed on the Floor for a Long Time Every Dinner Should Start With Chopped Up Veg, Right?  My Post 10-Week Pic: That Muscle? I Can Do Better! I'm going to try to take the best and favorite parts of the last 10 weeks and continue them. Dare I dream of a two-piece for our Disney vacation!?!?

Cleaning Up the Kitchen Ledge

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When we first looked at this house I remember standing at the kitchen sink, imagining myself doing dishes and watching the girls play in the backyard. Then, I noticed the windowsill over the sink, at the cracked beige paint that was peeling away, oh no! "The first thing I'll do in this house is fix up that window sill!" I thought. And it went on a list. Two and a half years later ... I finally fixed it! Last weekend, I scrapped the paint off, used some nontoxic stripper and scrapped again. Then I sanded down what remained. Most of this done at night, while watching "Catching Fire." (Which was an awesome movie!) During: The Window Will  The next day I painted it BRIGHT WHITE ... the first white windowsill in the house! That's one down, 16 to go! And it looks fantastic and clean.  After: A Cleaned-up Window Sill Now, I just need to push the girls out to play in the snow.

White or White or White?

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The time has come. I can no longer deal with the beige. It's bringing me down. And after three months of being stuck in the house it's time for aggressive action. Step 1. Pick a White. You'd think this was simple. White is white, right? Nope. Go to the Home Depot and have a look around. There's a large variety of white.  Which White is Right? I picked Polar Bear, the top color. I've picked a small wall and it's going up tomorrow for a test run. I'm pretty excited to see the results. Beige, beware! Your days are numbers.  

Mission Accomplished!

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Guys! I reached my 10-Week Challenge goal in just 8 weeks. Ten pounds gone. And they ain't coming back. Happy dance! Silly in the Pool Locker Room

Our Weekend in the Sun

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If you have a family member who lives in a warm-weather destination -- or the means to travel to one -- always, always book a trip in February to said location. In January I booked a trip to visit my big sister in Florida for the end of February, knowing how much I loath that month. I packed up my girls (poorly -- where are all the shorts?), kissed the husband and dog goodbye and jumped a flight south. What a difference 2 hours on a plane and 4 days in the sun makes! We returned sunburned, refreshed and ready for the never-ending end of winter. And I got to spend a fun-filled weekend with my favorite big sister and my hilariously adorable nieces. Four kids under 7 and only two Moms? Nooooo problem. Nothing stopped us from venturing out to the beach, a pizza place and Legoland! Plus, an afternoon of just sister time getting pedis, antiquing and lunch. Perfection! So Funny That Leah Was the BIG Girl for the Weekend! Yeah, I Forgot Ample Sunscreen. We Burned. We're Over