Sunday Dinner

I love cooking.

Sunday is my "make up for nothing special during the week" day to cook.

Today it was Pork Chops on the Barbie ala Carne Asada style.

Or if that doesn't make your fancy, Boar Chops with a panko and romano/parmesan crust

A little zucchinni baked with fontana cheese

And glazed carrots

Mmmm...... let's eat!

Did your Mother ever do this?

Mine did.

I know the pic is not too clear. It is a paper bag folded over for neatness with other paper bags in it.

See.... that is one of my "things".

Shopping bags.

I LOVE shopping bags.

I don't know what the fascination is with them.

I got them from all over too.

Victoria Secret, American Girl, lots of Pier One.

I don't know why I save them either.

If you come over to my house and I give you something to take home with you, don't even think of taking one of my shopping bags.

Plastic is for passing out willynilly.

My Saturday Project

Now that it has a makeover I can post pics of this closet.

It was a mess!

It's right by the backdoor and if you don't know where something goes, it seems to go in here.

I didn't even know 5 people required sooo many coats. We only wear one at a time!

You would not beleive what I pulled out of here!

With all the cleaning products I pulled out you would think my house was spotless! Not one but 2 broken flag poles. I realized that I shop waaay too much with all the shopping bags stashed in here.

Look! I even found a small child in there!

Just kidding!

A little leftover paint....

I even dug up some leftover shelving paper from my "nesting stage" when I was pregnant and redid the kitchen cabinets to do the shelf.

A little labeling to (hopefully with fingers crossed) help things get in their right place.

A place for everything and everything in it's place.

Ta Daa!

Do you think a closet can smile?

Not bad for a $1.99. I had to buy 2 new hooks for the mop and broom.

Still have to find a container for the 50lb bag of dog food we go through every two weeks.

Sorry, WE don't eat that much food the DOG does!

Bits and Pieces

Yesterday I spent the day shopping with my sister.

She's such a bad influence!

Lucy and Ethel came home with me today! They are sitting right next to my puter.

This cutesy sign is hanging in the newly painted mudroom.

Some of my babies decided to show off today!

This is the first time that the white irises have bloomed.

The red and yellow are making an appearance also. There are alot of these around.

These purples are from our old house. We bought my husband's grandparents house, so these are some of his grandmother's flowers. My neighbor told me when we were moving that it is good luck to take something that belonged to your old house and put it in your new house. So I snagged some of these since we had alot of bushes at this house and not alot of flowers.

The bushes bit the dust to make room for the flowers.

Wait til you see the blacks I have. They are gorgeous!

My latest acquisition

Like my newest find?

I got it at the antique mall in Howell.

One of my favorite haunts.

I also got it at my favorite booth.

I snuck over there today to see if there was anything I couldn't live without.

There wasn't.

But the lady that has my favorite booth was there. I told her I like the stuff she has in her booth. I also told her that I got that sign last week. She told me that that sign came from a covered bridge in Massachuesettes.

Now it is even cooler.

The old man doesn't like it any more than he did though.

This weekend...

I started by just painting by the back door.....

I asked for a simple little coatrack/shelf for my husband to build.

He stated that he needed a space to do these projects.

And I would be allowed to use it too.

For now, since it doesn't exist.

That lead to a trip out to the garage.

Which lead to us cleaning the garage.

And organizing the garage.

Then it lead to we need to put the stuff that was in the shed in the garage.

Which lead to we need an access to the garage so we can put bikes and 4 wheelers and the lawnmower in the garage.

The wind blew down the shed.

No..... not quite true.....

The wind picked up the shed and dumped it upside down on it's roof smashing it.

Atleast it landed in our yard this time.

So that lead to a big hole in the back of the garage.

With a sliding door over it.

Which leads to what we will be doing next weekend.

Putting the siding we pulled off on the door and making a ramp so the kids don't have to jump the 2-1/2' drop off with their bikes.

I bet the boy could do it.

Welcome Carole!

A big welcome to Carole!

All of you vintage lovers should check out her blog! It has some beautiful pics on it.

And mouth watering recipes!

How could you go wrong?

I sat here almost all afternoon just reading her posts.

It brought so many great childhood memories.....

Psssst!

I got a secret!

Don't tell my husband.

I had the boy working on cleaning his room so I can get in there and paint his trim.

I got bored......

I needed something to do

Except for the fact that I kept the dog, this room looks totally different.

I'm not done yet so you will just have to wait to see the final result.

Mwahahaha!

It's a good thing he is cute.....

Cause he is not the sharpest tool in the shed sometimes.

This is the face of the boy who drives me nuts.

Looks innocent huh?!

The other day he told me he needs inserts for his shoes cause he runs too much and his feet hurt.

Ooookay.....

Later, he told me he found some so I didn't need to bother.

Again, ooookay.....

Later that night when I was cleaning up the bathroom after the kids baths I found his fix.

IN HIS SHOES!

I really tried to keep a straight face when I asked him about why

Obviously, he thought I was mad cause he told me "I didn't think you would mind, you got a whole bag of them!"

He said they worked awesome. Made his shoes really comfy. And his feet didn't sweat or stink all day!

I hope he didn't share this "tip" with anyone at school.

A Cute Idea

Isn't this just the cutest idea?

I found it while meandering through blogs since Tara has decided to be quiet lately. (Hint hint Tara!)

I found it here.

Now where to put it?

I was thinking of the bathroom since I am going to put beadboard in the kitchen.

See?! Therein lies my problem. I don't even have one room complete and I start plotting and scheming on how to destroy another one.

Yeesh!

But.... how could you NOT love it after seeing it done in this bathroom?

Parenting Test

Here is a fun test to see how you rate as a parent

Parent Test

I got......

Sgt Strict

coulddn't get the image to upload though.

Boys Room is Painted!

Phew! That's done!

The walls are one shade lighter than my room. The closet doors in the pic are painted with black chalkboard paint. The back of his entry door is painted black, not chalkboard though. The trim is pure white.

I told the boy that he would have to clean his room this weekend now.

Do you know what he said to me?

Why? You messed it up.

I guess the dumbfounded deer in the headlight look scared him more than one of my clever mom quips.

Or maybe the fact that when I regained my senses I calmly told him ok and went outside and brought in a trash can and snow shovel.

But he is now cleaning!

Bad Day

I forgot to set the alarm last night

I tripped over the dog in the dark cause who can see a black dog in the dark

The coffeemaker refuses to make coffee

Blondie 'N' SC didn't post anything new

I had to battle the traffic at the Junior High cause they don't know how to use the parking lot if they are not just dumping and going

My husband filled up the laundry hamper after I spent all day yesterday catching up on laundry

This is not starting off good!

I Love My Husky Vera!

Meet my girl, Husky Vera!

Isn't she a beauty?

I got her for Mother's Day 3 years ago. I know you are wishing your husband was also such a wonderful gift thinker upper.

NOT!

Actually, I wanted her. Ever try to mow 2 acres with a push mower. Not fun.

Don't tell anyone but I like mowing the grass. I'm the only one in the neighborhood who does it. Everyone else has a lawn service. This weekend is the big annual lawn clean up. Just in time for summer!

A Perfect Weekend

This was such a perfect weekend.

The weather even cooperated. Well, Saturday morning was a little wet. We took the kids and the dog to Kensington Park by the house for a little fishing.

A little windy. We didn't catch anything but the kids had a ball just casting.

The dog overcame her fear of water and ended up a smelly mess.

Sunday morning we got up early and shooed the kids off to Jeff's sisters for the day.

We jumped on his Harley and went on a bike run. We had a ball! I didn't gets pics at the bike run since it is hard to take pics when you are holding on for dear life. Just kidding!

There were about 150 bikes in the run. This one was a benefit for the Axemen, a motorcycle group that's members are Michigan Firefighters. They use the money to help families that are in need.

On the run you get a map and an envelope. On the outside of the envelope are numbers. Inside the envelope is a paper with all 52 cards from a d eck listed. You follow the map and at each stop on the map you draw a chip with a number. They punch the number on the outside of the envelope.

Each stop is a bar!

Try staying on a bike after a dozen Tequila Roses!

It's not a pretty picture.

Anyways the last stop you have dinner and the best and worst poker hands out of the envelopes get a prize. Even though we didn't win, we had a ball! What a great way to kick off the bike riding season!

The lady who won the best hand had such an uncommon last name I had to ask her if she was related to my Godfather. It turns out her husband is his nephew. What a small world!

I also met the most incredible and inspirational person. Her name is Jenna. She came on the run with her Dad. She laughed and smiled the whole time. It would be impossible to be in a bad mood around her. She is 18 and graduated from High School last year. She was class valedictorian and made the commencement speech. She has just been accepted to U of M on a full scholarship. She is studying to be a social worker for handicapped people. Her and her family have raised over 250,000.00 for Muscular Dystrophy. She is very active in the fight against MD since she was born with it. Her Dad says they have yet to find something she can't or won't do.

I think the best part of the whole day was meeting and spending time with Jenna!

And how was your weekend?

The Ongoing Saga of Dumb Ideas - Part 5

I just have one word

TA - DAA!

or is that two words?

I'm in love!

I keep thinking of this

Is that the most beautiful work area you ever saw? It's Tara's and you can read it's wonderful story here. I obsessed about this desk. I was a Craigslist virgin until this desk. I scoured tons of desk postings looking for one similar. I even went to out of state listings. I cried and whined and threw a good old 3 year old tantrum when I didn't find one.

But... you know what they say about love. Sometimes it is right under your nose.

I turned the corner at the antique mall the other day and squealed with delight. Yes, I squealed. Squealed like I have never squealed before. The poor worker guy came running over. I think he thought I hurt myself.

It doesn't have the sexy curvy legs like Tara's, but neither do I. Can't hold that against someone right?

Tomorrow is the day. I am going to march right in there and proclaim my love for this desk to everything listening. We will be together!

Birthday Present

In anticipation of my "new" wall, I got it a little birthday present.

Don't think I will be offended by thinking I am weird. My husband has been telling me that for years. I have been looking at these frames at other stores for the last few weeks. They run about $25 - 30 dollars. I got this one for $12 at Walmart!

$12.00 is good!

To Do List

I got a busy week planned ahead. Okay, maybe a week and a half.

1. Finish the wall

2. Make dresser scarves for the girls room.

3. Finish painting Jeffy's room.

4. Find bed and dresser for our bedroom.

5. Find lights for the girls room.

6. Make new dog bed.

Doesn't seem so much now that it is all written down. I may even be able to get this done.

My Favorite Place

This is the Livingston Antique Mall here in Howell. Even a dreary day can be brightened here.

This is one of my favorite booths here. I can always find something.

This is the little something I have my eye on lately. It's a Hoosier cabinet. It was used for baking. It has a table that extends out also. I just imagine this little beauty in my kitchen. Painted too. Ahhh......

A cute little sideboard that I think would go great in the girls room for Syrina's clothes.


LOVE these chairs!



This was absolutely love at first sight! This is exactly what I want for the puter area.

A camera that I may get for my little vinette of old photos. How cute would this look tucked away among some old photos and some new photos in sepia?


Some old kitchen chairs and a bargain too at $18.00 apiece.


The table I am considering for our kitchen. I think it would add alot of room to the space instead of the round one we have now. Make more room for that Hoosier cabinet too!

One of these days I want to go when my little "friend" is working. He is so nice and puts up with my crazy "can you move this piece clear to the other end of the store so I can see how it goes with something else". I am thinking that this bench would be great for the other side of the table instead of chairs for the kids. Put some burlap coffee bag pillows on it. Hmmmm......

If that isn't bad enough, you should see the stuff I found after my camera died!

Oi vey!

My favorite Un-comfort food

I call this un-comfort food cause when I make it I try to hog as much as I can for me. I usually eat so much of this I sit all night being uncomfortable.

The recipe is from Giada DeLaurentiis

1 lb elbow macaroni

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 lb mushrooms

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 - 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 bag spinach (or 1 - 10 oz frozen)

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 & 1/3 cup each Parmesan and Romano cheese, grated

4 tablespoons butter

12 oz mozzarella cheese, cubed

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook macaroni in a large pot til tender but firm to bite. Drain.

In a large skillet heat olive oil. Add mushrooms, onion and garlic. Cook til mushrooms are tender. Stir in tomatoes, spinach and pepper flakes. Cook til spinach is done.

In a small bowl combine bread crumbs, 1/4 cup of Parmesan and Romano cheese. Coat a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Coat the bottom only with half of the bread crumb mixture.

In a large bowl combine the veggie mix, macaroni, mozzarella cheese, remaining Parmesan and Romano cheeses and nutmeg. Spoon into the baking dish. Dot the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the other half of the bread crumb mix.

Bake til the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Posted @ Southern Hospitality Recipe Party

While the puter is away.....

I thought that I would make it's home a little better.

My husband did not like the look of the desk so in his decorating genius he threw this piece of fabric over it.

Now you know why he is not allowed to decorate.

Anywho's..... since the puter is gone I thought I would work on making the desk prettier. This desk used to be in my daughters room BLS (Before Little Sister). Ah, the days when she did not have to share her room!

I used the rest of the paint from the wall that is still ongoing.

I painted the knobs black. Then I decided that I did not like them on the desk. So I swapped out the knobs from my closet doors and they look great.

My husband thinks I am done with it, but don't tell him, I plan on distressing it still.