Playroom Inspiration

It rained on Sunday. That meant no concrete! But they showed up bright and early Monday morning, and by 10 am the concrete was poured! *happy dance* The walls go up this Saturday! Woo-hoo!!!

I'm so excited for this remodel to be finished because I get to design the new rooms from scratch! The walls will all be white, since the room is actually a pre-fab addition, and the carpet will be a dark gray/black combo. I'm thinking white for the furniture, since the toys themselves are pretty colorful!

I've been busy scouring blogs for some playroom inspiration, and wanted to share some of what I've found.

One of my favorite ideas we've had is to put up a magnetic wall that we could stick the kids to.

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Love this...I see a printable design in my future...

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A great idea for additional wall art:

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Loving all the cubbies with colorful bins.

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I really love these from IKEA. Too bad I hate IKEA.

And what child wouldn't love their very own stage to perform on?

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How about galvanized metal buckets for toy storage?

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I might know someone who has some of these...ahem...and she might be reading this...

This is just the beginning...I've never had the opportunity to design a room from start to finish, choosing every bit of furniture and decor and even though I'm limited for the actual structure and can't paint the walls, the rest is all up to me so I'm so excited! I can't wait to be able to show you the finished product!!!

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Playroom/Laundry Room Remodeling

We started a new project this weekend. A big project. Huge.

On the back of our home, we have an enclosed patio. It's really spacious, measuring 36 feet by 12 feet. The majority of the room is a playroom, and the other part is our laundry room, and we separated them with a curtain and the couch.

The structure was built 28 years ago, and has suffered a lot of damage from heavy rain over the years, where the concrete sloped slightly and the water would pool. The water would come into the room several feet, even with towels trying to soak it up.

You could also see mold along the baseboard.
 

When my son was recently diagnosed with allergies, including dust and mold, I knew it was time to take action.

So today, we had it torn down!

 

The whole project will take about a week. They will pour concrete tomorrow (we're hoping it doesn't rain!) and then the new structure will go up next week.

it's gone!

It was a little emotional seeing this structure come down, since it was a part of my grandparents home, the home I knew and loved and was at home in as a child. But it's a new era, and time to make new memories.

prepped for the concrete

Now, I can't wait for it to be finished, so I can start decorating the playroom. And I'm especially excited for my new laundry room, because these babies are on their way!!

I'll be posting on the progress more later in the week, and then the finished product next week. Hopefully we will all still have our sanity in tact!
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Homemade Egg (Mc)Muffin

I'm always looking for ways to make our morning routine go smoother, and breakfast seems to be the thing we never have time for. Soooo...drive-thru it is!

I LOVE McDonald's Egg McMuffins, but I also know that they aren't the healthiest thing we could be eating for breakfast (or the cheapest). So what to do when you want something quick and easy and inexpensive for breakfast? You make them at home! It's so easy...you cook the egg right in the microwave!

Try it for yourself.

Breakfast Sandwich
One whole wheat english muffin, toasted
One slice of cheese
One egg

Spray a coffee mug with cooking spray. Crack the egg in a coffee mug and scramble with a fork. Cover with a wet paper towel and microwave for about 40 seconds. Place the cheese slice on one side of the english muffin, top with the egg, and the other muffin half and enjoy! You could also add Canadian bacon, a sausage patty, or bacon...although those don't exactly make it "healthier."
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Chewy Oatmeal Yogurt Bars & A Special Blog Makeover

It's amazing how in the blog world, things can so unexpectedly touch your heart. I just completed a blog design makeover, that Kate of Salvage Dior had given away, for Deanna of It's Just Me. The day after she won, Deanna was diagnosed with Stage 1 Cervical Cancer. She has a husband and two girls, and for her eight year old daughter, this will be especially frightening. She is ready to fight, but could really use positive thoughts and prayers. I was blessed this week by meeting her, and I was thrilled to be able to give her something fresh and new, amidst the pain of her diagnosis. If you have a moment, please go by and check out Deanna's blog and make sure to show a little love while you're there.

Click on her button to visit Deanna's blog.

I tried out a new recipe the other day. It's satisfying for the sweet tooth and good for you and filling too!

Chewy Oatmeal Yogurt Bars
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 (8-ounce) carton yogurt (vanilla or fruit flavored)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups oats
1 cup add-ins (diced dried fruit, raisins, cranberries, chocolate chips)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine sugars, yogurt, egg, oil, milk, and vanilla; mix well. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add to yogurt mixture; mix well. Stir in oats and add-ins of your choice (I used cranberries and chocolate chips; 1/2 cup of each).
3. Spread dough onto bottom of ungreased 9x13 baking pan.
4. Bake 28-30 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack. Or just do what we do and cut into them as soon as they don't burn your fingers when you touch them.
5. Store tightly covered.

Makes about 24 bars.

I have more recipes to share later this week as time permits...we are beginning a remodel of our enclosed patio on Friday...which happens to be the playroom and laundry room, so we will be living for two weeks without either. Pray for me.
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I Got Motivated!!!

I had a burst of motivation last night to finally get my pantry organized.


And I did!


It's not 100% where I want it to be, but it's a good solid start to getting my kitchen into an organized kitchen that will work with me instead of against me.


If you've been following for a while, you know that my home belonged to my grandparents before they died. So I basically grew up in this house. My grandmother was the kind of person who had a place for everything, and everything in it's place, even if it made no sense to anyone else.


When I moved in, I had a hard time visualizing any other way of storage and organization. Cereal was in the bottom cabinet to the right of the stove. Pasta and spices in the top cabinet to the left of the stove. Canned soup and veggies in the top right. Even my drawers were the same. But after three years of living in this house, I decided it was time to make some changes. Now, they may not seem major to anyone else, but they are huge to me.

Here's the pantry before:

And here are the other cabinets that are going to be organized. A lot of what's in them will be moving to the pantry.

I have a very large pantry, but it really wasn't set up in a way that made the best use of the space, so I moved some of the shelving around. It's so deep that it's hard to see what you really have. Perhaps the reason I have eight bags of chocolate chips, five of them half empty.

I took everything out of the pantry and the cabinets, and set it on the kitchen counters.


The cabinet is somewhat custom, as my grandfather installed it and didn't glue in or tack down any of the shelving. So it was all very easy to move around.


Here's what it looks like now:

I have a ton of Tupperware (I used to be a consultant), and I love my Modular Mates. I also used a bunch of $1 shoeboxes that were on sale at Target last week.


I still need to make labels, and I would really love to get rid of that ugly shelf paper and paint it...but I think that may be a little too ambitious for me right now. I'm just happy everything is in one place. I'm considering taking the doors off, since this is just a former laundry and it's closed off from the other rooms in the house. What do you think? Doors? or No doors?

Tomorrow I will be working on the rest of the kitchen. If I'm still motivated!

Special thanks to my bloggy buddy Gwen, who, even though she doesn't know it, inspired me to get busy with her sewing closet makeover. It's seriously awesome. I just finished Gwen's blog makeover, so stop by and check it out!
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Simple As It Gets Garlic Chicken

We're trying to eat healthier, and that means no butter, and no fancy sauces. This recipe is not only healthier, and tasty, it's an easy one.

Garlic Chicken
Boneless chicken breasts/thighs
Olive Oil (or just enough to coat the bottom of the pan)
Lots of minced garlic
Salt & pepper

Pour olive oil in a 9" x 15" pan. Add the garlic and spread to evenly. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and place the pan in the oven as it heats to warm the oil & garlic and help blend the flavors. When the temp is set, pull the pan out of the oven and dredge each chicken piece in the oil/garlic, coating both sides. Season with salt & pepper. Bake for about 25 minutes, turning halfway through, until juices run clear.

I didn't include measurements, because it's really based on your liking and needs.

This chicken was so flavorful and moist. This is a real keeper, and it would be easy to make and freeze for chicken tacos, enchiladas, soup, or anything else you can think of!
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A Valentine's Printable and Vignette

I was playing around with my new nightstands, trying to decide if I would keep them the way they are or paint them. In the process, I put together a little vignette for Valentine's Day.

I had a vision for this a while back, and decided it would make a great printable for Valentine's day.

It has 1 Corinthians 13 (the love chapter) in the background, and the word LOVE in a transparent red. If you like it, it's free for the taking.

For PERSONAL USE ONLY. Not to be claimed as your own or sold for profit. Thank you.

Size is 5"x7" (I actually reduced mine a bit to fit in a 4"x6" frame I had). As always, just right click and save. 

Enjoy!

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Smoky Tri Tip & Vegetable Soup

Last weekend, I had a Tri Tip roast that I had to cook. I had planned to BBQ but it rained (poured actually) all day, so that wasn't happening. I was going to put it in the crockpot, but forgot. At 4:00 I figured I'd better decide what to do with it and started to search my pantry and fridge and came up with beef broth, onion soup mix, carrots and potatoes.

One of my favorite restaurants is Wood Ranch Grill in Yorba Linda, CA. They have amazing tri-tip soup. I searched for the recipe and couldn't find one, so I made one up. (Sorry, I totally forgot to take a photo of this one!)

Tri Tip Soup
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 lbs trimmed Tri Tip, cut into small chunks
2 cans beef broth
1 package Onion Soup Mix
3 cups water
2 cups potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2-3 cup raw vegetable (carrots, green beans, mushrooms, etc)
2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1 tsp Liquid Smoke

1. Heat olive oil in a 5-6 quart pot; add Tri Tip and brown on all sides. Drain.
2. To the meat, add beef broth, water and onion soup mix. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about an hour, covered.
3. Add vegetables, garlic, and Liquid Smoke. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
4. Serve and enjoy!
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Decorating with Vintage Cameras

Once the Christmas decor came down, the top of my dining room hutch, which was filled with poinsettias just a few days ago, was looking mighty empty. It was time to change things up a bit.

I became inspired after seeing this photo in the latest Pottery Barn catalog (I'm really bummed, because you can't really see the top, but trust me, those are cameras).

Rick had a couple of old cameras, and I had some camera equipment that belonged to my grandparents in the 50s, so we thought there was enough to fill up the space above the hutch.

I added some old photographs and an old Disney movie reel (the only thing we purchased - found at Country Roads in Old Towne Orange for $9) and the vignette was complete.

(Clockwise from the left - my grandparents wedding photo from 1949, a baby photo of my dad from 1938, a photo of my dad and my grandmother from 1940, and my parents wedding photo from 1974)

From the left: Kodak movie projector & movie camera from the 50s, stack of film reels with old movies, including family trips to Knott's Berry Farm and Disneyland in the mid-50s, movie reel with old photographs, vintage cameras, and a 1940s vintage camera from Germany on a tripod.

The hutch belonged to my grandparents, too. It kind of came with the house. Mostly because it's just too dang big to get rid of. And I kind of like it.

Because of the ceiling fan, and the fact that it was 11:00 at night, made photographing very difficult, but I am so pleased with how it turned out, that I just had to share.

What do you think?
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A Printable for the New Year

The Christmas decorations have come down and it's time to start thinking about a little redecorating and organizing in our home.

I'm still totally lovin' this new printable craze, and I've been enjoying coming up with new ideas for the coming months. Like this Bible verse I saw over at Just Devine Style. I thought it would be a great quote for a new printable for the New Year.

"You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance." Psalm 65:11

My friend had just given me a beautiful Pottery Barn frame, and this printable was a perfect match.

I've been told by several people that I should start selling my printable art on etsy. I don't know, I kind of like offering them to others for free. You know, when you start getting paid for what you enjoy it starts to be not as fun. What do you think?

Since I'm not quite ready to open up an etsy shop just yet, I'm still offering the printable for anyone who might be interested. Just click to enlarge, then right click and save. Size is 8"x10".

For PERSONAL USE ONLY. Not to be claimed as your own or sold for profit. Thank you.


I hope you like it as much as I do.

Happy New Year!
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