Mar9

ReBath

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ReBath

We consider ourselves pretty fortunate to have two bathrooms in our house.  Our first home only featured one, our second had three, our rental had one, and now we find ourselves with two.  With three people vying to get ready in the mornings, having multiple showers/baths/etc. has become a necessity.   That being said, the upstairs bathroom in our home was a tad dated (read: 80′s!) when we moved in.  It featured the hollywood lights-style fixture, big vanity mirror, and boheameth of a vanity.

First things first, the mirror and light fixture had to go.  I promptly put Aaron on the task and breathed a sigh of relief to have them tossed to the curb.  The paint color on the walls was my next issue to remedy.  It’s not that I didn’t like the color,  but it was chipping in places, I didn’t know the brand or color so I could touch up, and it made the room feel small and dark.  Solution?  Paint!

I decided to use the same off-white (Valspar Honeymilk) as I used in the front entry.  When this was done, there was still a major problem/eyesore that had to be dealt with.  The vanity.

 I didn’t feel like going to purchase more paint so opted to use random colors I already had on hand for a bohemian feel.  After applying two coats and allowing ample time for drying, I scuffed up the finish for a distressed look.

The only thing left to do now is to get Aaron to make my driftwood drawer pulls and I will consider this room much improved.  Nothing like a little paint to transform a room!

Mar7

Homemade Pita Pockets

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Homemade Pita Pockets

Being on maternity leave is both a necessity as we adjust to a new baby, particularly their sleeping/eating patterns, and a bit of an indulgence since I actually have time to devote to tasks I would otherwise be too harried to undertake.  One such task that I’ve been interested in giving a go is making pita bread.  Word on the street is that they are actually rather easy to make and after having giving it a go, I full heartedly agree.  They are also much tastier than the store bought version!

My first step was to find a recipe online. I went with Food Network’s version since it was easy and I already had all the necessary ingredients on hand.  It does require some time to prepare the dough since it has to rise twice over a several hour period, but other than that it is way too easy to make these.  Even when I return to work I can guarantee these pitas will certainly be a frequently made item in our kitchen.  Without further ado, here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon dry yeast (I used Fleischman’s)
  • 2 1/2 cups warm water
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • About 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a large bread bowl. Stir to dissolve. Add whole wheat flour, one cup at a time, then 1 cup white flour. Stir 100 times (one minute). Let rest for at least 10 minutes, but up to 2 hours.

Sprinkle salt over the mix and stir in the olive oil. Mix well. Add white flour, one cup at a time. When the dough is too stiff to stir, turn it out onto a lightly floured bread board and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. Return the dough to a lightly oiled bread bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until at least double in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours. Gently punch down.

The dough will make approximately 16 pitas if rolled out into circles approximately 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4-inch thick.  Size and shape all depend on you, but for breads of this dimension the following baking tips apply:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Divide dough in half, then set half aside, covered, while you work with the rest. Divide dough into eight equal pieces and flatten each piece with floured hands.  Roll flat with rolling pin to 8-9″ diameter.

Bake 2 at a time (or more if your oven is larger) directly on baking stone or baking sheets. Bake each bread for 3 or 4 minutes, until the bread has gone into a full “balloon” or until it is starting to turn lightly golden, whichever happens first.

When baked, remove, place on a rack for about five minutes to let cool slightly, then wrap breads in a large kitchen towel (this will keep the breads soft).

 

Aaron loved the pitas as much as I did and agree they are tastier than store bought.  I never cease to be amazed how homemade trumps machine made/store bought almost every time!

Mar5

Nursery Tour

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Nursery Tour

When we moved into our new place we had a bit of a dilemma.  It’s a three bedroom house, but the master and one bedroom are upstairs while the other bedroom is on the first floor.  With a young child under 5 and a newborn, I felt uncomfortable with us not being all on the same floor.  Call me neurotic, OCD, or helicopter mom, but I want to be steps away from my babies when they need me in the middle of the night.  To remedy this predicament, Aaron and I put our heads together and came up with a workable solution: sacrifice our walk in closet by transforming it into a nursery.

Here’s the closet before we removed all the shelves, clothes bars, etc.

The first step in converting this space was of course removing everything so we had a blank canvas.  I then painted the room the same charcoal gray I had painted the downstairs den/office/sitting room.

Once the paint dried it was time for the fun part: decorating! My originally planned color scheme was either red/turquoise or turquoise/green, but that morphed over time into green/charcoal.  Why the change?  Entirely due to an attempt to use up what paint I already had on hand.

After painting, Aaron pin nailed the chip board letters I covered in scrapbook paper (although I have to get the ‘Y’- we didn’t know at the time whether we were having a “Charley” or a “Charles), hung the shelf I painted green, and the mobile I made.

It’s a small space for sure, but plenty of room for a crib and chair.  Given that it is tiny we knew we had to make the most of the space.  To that end, Aaron built shelves in a the little nook and otherwise used what we had to make the room work for Charley.   My favorite item is the mobile I made using a round wood piece salvaged from an old chair, paper medallions Roscoe helped me make, fishing line, and ribbon.

So anyhoo- that’s it!  Even though it’s a small space it’s perfect for Charley and allows everyone to be on the same floor.  Who knows what we’ll do when she gets old enough to need a real room, but for now we consider this a problem solved.

Mar1

The New Chick

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The New Chick

It would be an understatement to say that our lives have changed dramatically in a week’s time.  Seven days ago our little girl Charley Reed Randall made her entrance into this world and brought a feeling of joy to our hearts that is impossible to describe.  I realize that not everyone is into reading about a birth story so *warning* you may want to scroll through most of this post.  For those of you that do, I will keep it brief.

At midnight on Thursday night/Wednesday morning, I started having latent contractions.  This basically means that the contractions have irregular frequency and length, but I knew that these were no Braxton Hicks- the baby was getting ready to make their entrance into this world.  By noon the next day the contractions were coming regularly every 15 minutes.  I kept myself busy most of the morning by working from home on the computer, doing last minute cleaning and laundry, and concentrating on getting through the contractions.  By 2:30 my contractions were five minutes apart and I thought it time to tell Aaron to come home.

Upon the advice of my ob/gyn, we went to the doctor’s office first to check my progress.  I was already 4 centimeters and 80% effaced- basically halfway there!  By the time I was checked into the hospital and settled in a birthing room it was 5:00 pm, contractions 3 minutes apart and STRONG!  Since I had given natural birth to Roscoe, I knew I was going to do it with this child.  Let’s just say that contractions hurt like the Dickens, but the benefits of no pain killers is that you feel amazing after birth.  Anyhoo, by 6:15 I knew baby was coming and it was time to push!  At 6:25 our baby girl made her debut and filled my heart with love as soon as she was placed in my arms. 6 pounds, 14 ounces, 20 inches long.

She is beyond perfect.

And she is so lucky to have such an excited, loving older brother!

I am still in disbelief that we have been blessed with this gorgeous girl to raise and to share our lives. God is indeed good.

Feb22

Warning: This Post Will Clog Your Arteries

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Warning: This Post Will Clog Your Arteries

I’ve been debating whether or not to rehash a recent breakfast we enjoyed with our Wilmington houseguests.  It was certainly delicious and hearty, but I didn’t want to be responsible for anyone going into cardiac arrest.  With that being said, the following recipe actually came from another set of friends who enjoy this protein-rich dish quite frequently.  Seeing as how they still remain in good health, I’ve decided it’s safe to spread on the blogosphere: Scottish Eggs.

What exactly are Scottish Eggs?  Its a softboiled egg wrapped in sausage, dipped in yolk wash, dipped in panko bread crumbs.  The most redeeming quality of this dish is that at least it is baked, although I’ve since learned that they can be fried as well.

In reality, they are quite tasty. I was skeptical at first (to say the least), but gave it a whirl with a little dollop of whole grain mustard.  Suprisingly good! If you want to give it a go yourself, here’s how you do it:

Ingredients:

  • Soft boiled eggs, shell(s) removed
  •  Ground sausage (like Neese’s)
  • Egg yolk wash
  • Panko bread crumbs

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375 to 400 (mine was on 375 since it’s gas).

First and foremost, if you’ve never soft boiled an egg before all you have to do is place your raw eggs in a pot covered by enough cold/room temperature water to cover the eggs.  Bring it to a boil, boiling for only 2-3 minutes.  Immediately drain the water and cover the eggs with ice to stop the cooking process.  Once cool peel the shells off carefully.  Pack the sausage around the eggs and then dip in the egg yolk and then the panko bread crumbs.  Place on a cookie sheet lined in aluminum foil (to prevent staining of your pan) and cook for 35 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve with whole grain mustard. Enjoy! (and be sure to go for a long walk afterwards)

Feb21

Utterly Pink

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Utterly Pink

I am not a “pink” kind of gal.  In fact, I’ve always had a bit of an aversion to the color.  When I was a kid my parents asked me what color I wanted my room painted. My answer? Blue.  It’s not that I think that all shades of pink are horrendous and I certainly don’t judge folks who think it’s the cat’s pajamas.  I just don’t want it in my house.  That is until I had a kid (soon to be kids).

Now that we’re mostly settled into the new place I figured it was high time to get Roscoe’s room in order.  Of course I asked him the same question my parents asked me at his age: what color do you want your room?  His answer(s)?  Pink and purple.  Seriously.  I don’t buy into that whole gender specific color theme junk so it’s not like I cared that he likes those colors, but why pink?  My least favorite color and that’s what you want?  My response was that he could pick one of those two and that purple sure was nice.  He insisted on the pink.  Of course.

 Luckily for me Roscoe was willing to compromise.  We decided that one wall would be pink and then the others blue, although even this plan got modified in the end.  Here’s the room before (complete with plaster repairs to fix all the previous resident’s nail holes).

So what exactly was the end result?  One wall ended up pink as planned.

 

One wall stayed the original green upon Roscoe’s request.

The last two walls were painted turquoise (left over from another project) and blue.

I stencilled the walls using orange and white paint in order to tie all the disparate colors together.  All in all, it turned out better than I imagined when Roscoe insisted all walls be different.  I don’t even think the pink looks that bad! I suppose the saying that anything in moderation really holds true…even for pink.

Feb16

Full Bellies, Warm Hearts

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Full Bellies, Warm Hearts

We had a wonderful Valentine’s Day on Tuesday although a bit more low key than in years past- I suppose that happens when you have a kids?  Anyhoo, our celebration plans weren’t extravagant by any means; a card exchange, smooches and hugs, and a decadent meal we planned to cook up ourselves.

As I mentioned yesterday, we scored a major deal at the local farmer’s market this past Saturday: two for one grass-fed rack of lamb!  For only $14 buckaroos, we could eat the equivalent of a meal that would easily be $70 for us in a restaurant.  Aaron and I got down to business with our rubs/glazes, with Aaron opting for a garlic dijon mustard blend and me going with a mint/olive oil/sal and pepper blend.

With Aaron manning the grill preparations, I got the sides ready: baked potatoes and Tom Ka Gai (Coconut and Chicken Soup).  I found my recipe for the soup here, and subsituted light coconut milk for the full throttle version.  With Roscoe on table setting duty we all contributed to making an excellent meal.

It was, to say the very least, absolutely delicious.  All the flavors melded wonderfully together and Aaron cooked the racks to perfection.  And for dessert?  Homemade creme brulee of course!

 It was a superb lover’s day meal if I may say so, better than going out to celebrate not just because of the food but rather because of the company of my family and the intimacy of our own home.  Cheers!

Feb14

Love Is In the Air

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Love Is In the Air

Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s time once again to overindugle in conversation hearts, confessions of affection, and googly eyed adoration.  While I wouldn’t qualify this day as my favorite holiday of the year, it is nice to have an annual reminder that we should vocalize and express our love for the special persons in our lives.  We can too easily get caught up in daily doldrums and stresses and  fail to adequately display our care and concern for our friends, family, and significant others.   With that being said, lots of kisses and hugs to my wonderful husband, son, family, and friends- without you life would not be as magical or meaningful!

Mushiness and gushiness aside, I do have a rather appropriate recap to share.  This past weekend we hosted our housewarming party for the new pad, complete with a vday theme.  We called it our housewarming/lovefest and certainly felt the love from everyone who attended. (While I realize hosting a housewarming two weeks prior to my anticipated delivery date was risky, the good news is that the party did not have to move to the hospital.)

The Invite

A quick shot of the decorations (although minus the tissue paper pom-poms we made)

We were also very fortunate to have some very special folks as visitors this weekend- our wonderful friends The Pohlman’s who came from Wilmington, North Carolina to celebrate with us.   They made the weekend quite memorable with good conversation and company.

As for celebrating today, Aaron and I are going to enjoy a quiet night in with a planned feast of grass-fed rack of lamb, creme brulee, and a good bottle of wine (confession: I will be indulging in one glass).  Roscoe has his own celebration at school and will likely come home wired from all the sugar and sweets.  His valentine’s for his classmates are of course homemade (surprise!), but I thought they turned out rather cute.

But enough rambling about love for one day!  I hope everyone has a wonderful day and takes time to show appreciation for the special people in their lives. xoxo

Feb8

Sheets & skirts- Exciting!

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Sheets & skirts- Exciting!

This past weekend Aaron and I not only created a reading nook for Roscoe, we also worked on the nursery for baby.  While I am not ready for the big reveal yet, I will share a super duper easy project: making your own crib sheets.  You may be asking yourself why I would even bother making them, but I do have my reasons.  For starters, crib sheets ar $15 a piece and they aren’t even organic!  To me, that’s highway robbery when I can make my own for roughly $7 a sheet and 30 minutes of my time.  The other factor is that I have a specific color scheme and vision for the nursery which the crib sheets I found online and in stores don’t do justice.

After a little perusing on the ole web, I decided to follow the tutorial on the blog ”Everything Your Momma Made & More“.  It was easy to follow and, better yet, offered lots of pictures so I could verify I was doing the right thing.  In all honesty, it really was insanely easy to make a crib sheet.  Here’s how mine turned out:

Since I am already on the topic of crib bedding, I’ll also share with you pics of the crib skirt I made.  I picked up the fabric for a bargain at $4/yard.  It wasn’t at all what I was looking for, but when I saw it I knew it was perfect.

 When I began measuring the crib dimensions so I could make my skirt, I quickly realized that a traditional skirt made to drop on all sides wasn’t going to work as expected.  The reason being is that the mattress springs left no place for fabric to slip through on two of the four sides.  Behold Exhibit A.

While I could have just as easily given the old heave ho to the idea of crib skirt, I knew I needed the extra storage space under the crib minus the eye sore it would cause.  After all of 40 seconds of deliberation, Plan B was hatched.  I’d just sew two additional panels and tie them on to the sides.

Turned out pretty well in my opinion.  But enough sneak peaks at the nursery!  It’s time to get on with the day with the promise I’ll be back soon to show off the nursery in it’s entirety.

Feb6

Nookie Time

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Nookie Time

No, not that type of nookie- get your mind out of the gutter! I am instead referring to the the nook where wholesome activities such as reading and quiet time can be indulged.  That’s much more exciting than any hanky panky, right? *crickets*  Anyhoo, Aaron and I worked dilligently this weekend to transform an awkward spaced into something that was not only useable, but rather funky cool as well.

The space in question is at the bottom of the stairway and one where we believe used to be a seperate entrance to the home many years ago.

Whatever it’s purpose was at one time, now it was just a bizarre little alcove that was pointless as it was.  So what does a gal do?  Jump on the ‘net of course and begin googling/binging the heck out of small space/nook/alcove ideas.  Lo and behold, after a few queries and clicks of the button I found an idea I was smitten with: a reading nook!

 My first thought was cute! My second was more considerate: how perfect a spot for Roscoe (particularly with a baby on the way who is about to shake up life as he knows it)!  So I enlisted Aaron’s help and we got to work this weekend.  First steps included taping off/painting the area with paint leftover from the front sitting room.  Then I used a concentric circle design circle to add a little pizazz (not the best photo, however).

Next, it time to put Aaron to work and bring the landing level with a piece of plywood.

I won’t bore you with the next steps other than to say that it involved installing a seat, upholserting said seat in some remnant fabric, hanging curtains, etc.  Before I reveal let me first say that one of my favorite aspects of the inspiration photo was the word “Nook”.  I am rather giddy lately over letters/words so, of course, had to incorporate this element.  Lucky for us, the antique shop literally right up the road sells a bunch of old marquee letters.  We snatched up the letters for a steal at $29 at hung them up as the crowning glory of our project.  Behold:

 Did you notice the bent spoon at the bottom of the picture? That was my clever husband’s idea to provide Roscoe a spot to hang his jacket(s).

Now it’s time for the big reveal!  Woot woot, here it:

 

I don’t feel like these shots really do the space justice, but 1) my camera is just a point and click, and 2) it still isn’t complete!  We still need to build some shallow book shelves and install a light for the interior.  All in all, I’d say it was a job well done and, if Roscoe is the judge, it is an uber success!