Suzanne McGrath Photography

Six on Sunday

Hello!  It was a fairly quiet week here so this I don't expect this to be a very juicy list tonight.  Just warning you!

1.  I spent HOURS in the kitchen the past two days.  Seriously, hours.  But it was all good.  I only wish I had actually photographed some of the food.  Oops!  

Yesterday #4 and I started out by making homemade chocolate cupcakes because she had been begging to make them.  They were delicious! (Yes, I totally had one despite Whole 30 because I spent all that time making them!)  Rather than frosting them with frosting we just made homemade whipped cream for the tops.  I have this whipped cream dispenser that we all love.  It basically comes out like Reddi Whip but I control the ingredients.  (2 tsp syrup with 1 cup heavy whipping cream)  Plus, the whipped cream will stay good for days at a time.  Perfect for hot chocolate weather!

What else did I make?  

• A double batch of pumpkin spelt muffins.  I froze half for later.  
• A batch of cheese sticks frozen for Superbowl Sunday.  (They were good - we tested 3 of them last night.)
• A pan of lazagna which I froze to take with us on spring break.  
• A batch of chicken fingers for whenever the girls don't like what I'm making for dinner.  (I don't fry them - too hard.  I just bake at 400* for about 12 minutes.)  
• I tried a new recipe for breakfast bowls.  I taste tested the potatoes and they were awesome.  Can't wait to assemble and eat tomorrow morning!  
• I also made a soup for lunch this week since I doubt we'll have enough leftovers to get us through.  I still love this gingered zucchini soup - very good especially with random leftover meat thrown in.
• Lunch for the girls for tomorrow.  This one is a hit with all four (only two in the picture):

 

They are pizza roll-ups.  I just spread pizza sauce on a whole wheat tortilla and top with pepperonis and mozzarella.  They are super easy and it's great because I can make all four at once!

Of course I also made dinner last night and tonight so it felt like I spent the weekend in the kitchen.  But I didn't mind because I didn't have a ton of other activities and I can't just sit still.

 

2.  Last night we had steak salad and look who was ready to eat before anyone else in the family!

 

3.  I won't be here next Sunday because I leave on my girls trip this Thursday and won't get home until Sunday night.  We're headed to Nashville this year and I can't wait!  I've never been to Nashville and we haven't all six been together since we went to Ft. Lauderdale two years ago!  Any great suggestions?  

4.  The weather was beautiful this weekend.  The Littles spent a ton of time outside.  They rode their scooters, played in their fort, and jumped on the trampoline for hours.  I loved watching them have so much fun!

 

5.  If you read my 2016 Household Goals, you know I was looking for a rug for our music room.  Well, found one!  And it was only $25.  I think that is pretty much unbeatable.  Here it is:

 

6.  I'm not posting a thorough weekly menu tonight because tomorrow is our LAST DAY OF WHOLE 30!!!!  Yes, we are so very excited.  Tuesday's dinner can't come soon enough.  

So, how did it go?  For the most part we stuck to it.  We snuck in a drink at a wedding a few weeks ago.  And last Thursday night I enjoyed a celebratory glass (or two) of red wine.  The celebration may have bled into Friday night but other than the wine, I stuck with the diet.  (Except for the celebratory Thursday lunch.)  So did the hubby.  We were never hungry and we each canned a few LBs.  But more than ever, it was a good re-set for the beginning of the year.  We both needed to get back into a healthy routine and I think we are there now.  

So, what are we eating for dinner?  Here you go:

Sunday:  Third week in a row for beef stew.  What can I say, I just love it!  

Monday:  Baked salmon cakes + broccoli + fruit

Tuesday:  Pizza and beer and/or wine + sparkling juice for the girls + caesar salads

Wednesday:  Tacos + fruit

Thursday:  Whole chicken in the crock pot + mashed potatoes + roasted green beans

Friday:  Chicken taco soup + fruit + chips, salsa, and guacamole 

I'll be gone for Thursday and Friday's dinner, but you can see we aren't going crazy.  I'll still limit carbs.  I'm going to try to make a beer stretch - so rather than two, just stick with one.  Only time will tell if it works.  I hope so, though.

Well, there you go - my six.  Have a fantastic week!

  

     

Thrifty Thursday...My Master Closet Reveal

OK.  So this post is two years in the making.  Yes, two.  Regardless, better late than never, right?  Right.

I'm basically just going to show you a bunch of photos of my closet.  I'll come back later and explain how I put everything together.  But to do both together would just be overload.  So grab a cup of coffee or beer - depending on the time of day and have a seat!

Here is the layout of the closet.  It's not big by modern day standards.  It's about 7' wide by 10" long with the corner cut off by the door:

Hopefully that will give you an idea of how I laid everything out.  The hubby's side is on the right and my side is on the left.

 

The first thing you see when you walk in are all the shoes.  And truly, we do not have very many shoes compared to a lot of people I know!

 

The basket on the bottom holds all my flip-flips.  I just dig out the pair I prefer.

 

I arranged my shoes like this to fit more on each shelf.  I'd prefer them with both fronts facing out but this fits more and that is what I needed.

 

If you look up you see the two ceiling lights.  Just Home Depot purchases but I love them.  A lot.

 

Now, for the clothes...Let's start with the hubby's side:

He basically has four cubbies:  dress shirts, short sleeve shirts, casual tops, and pants.  It all fits perfectly with room for scrapbooks way at the top in a small, fifth cubby.

 

Here is another angle of his side:

 

This picture shows you the "L" shaped shelves in the corner.  He has all his jeans, PJ pants, sweatshirts, and T-shirts here:  

 

Now to my side.  It's very similar:

I have six cubbies:  two cubbies of shirts, blazers, one cubby with pants, one cubby with overnight bags and purses, one cubby with my grandmother's quilts, and one that is sort of just extra.

 

My side from the opposite angle:

 

Here are my "L" shaped shelves:

(And yes, I did not paint the bottoms of the lower shelves because you can't see them.  It's not like I crawl around on the floor of the closet!  Plus, I'm lazy.)

 

I keep all the same stuff over here that I listed for the hubby.  I love these shelves!

 

My tall boots are all on the lowest shelf and since the shelf wraps around I have five pairs down there:

 

If you are standing in front of the shoes looking out the closet door you see my cubby of dresses, and two cubbies for scarves, purses, etc:

The cubby on top of my dresses includes a bunch of scarves and a few clutches:

 

I created storage for my necklaces and scarves on the outside of that cubby:

 

I love how handy it is because I don't have to walk in the closet to reach for those last minute items.  Easy!

 

When you are in the closet and close the door, you'll find hooks for all this:

We each have our own row for hats and we share the belt hooks.  Works great.

Phew!  That felt long.  I hope you enjoyed this little tour and come back to see the How-To next week!  Thanks for reading.

 

 

 

 

 

Six on Sunday

Hello and happy Sunday!  I hope you had a good week.  Even though it was short with having MLK day off, it still felt long.  Oh well.

1.  This kid cracks me up!

Even with single digit wind chills, this is how she leaves the house for swim every night.  Shorts and a T-shirt!  Sheesh.  I know they have to do dry-land (a land work-out before they get in the pool - think burpees and push-ups) but still - Brrrr!  I would be decked out in layers with a hat and gloves.

2.  Did you see the mess behind #1 in the picture above?  That is because last Monday night, after a fabulous 3-day weekend, our dishwasher decided to conk out on us.  It just quit draining and then we had water all over the floor.  Yeah, good times.  Only not really.

We wiped up all the water almost immediately and our floors still warped.  (I hate our floors so I don't really give a shit.  Truly.)  Anyway, we spent last Monday night deconstructing the dishwasher thanks to YouTube videos.  (I actually did most of it.  I was proud of myself.)  After taking the whole darn thing apart we realized it was all fine.  That meant the pump was the culprit.  I found another YouTube video that showed how to install a pump and I was determined to do it.  (The hubby was determined to call a repairman.)  Anyway, long story short - we ordered the part and the hubby installed it.  And I now have a working dishwasher.  Thank goodness!  Six people produced a ton of dirty dishes.  And I hate sticking my hands in dirty dishwasher.  It grosses me out to no end.  The dishwasher has to be one of the top 10 inventions of all time, don't you think?

3.  We got about an inch of snow Thursday morning.  It was so pretty.  I only wish we would have been dumped on but no such luck.  That didn't stop the Littles and our neighbor girl from enjoying it!

4.  I managed to get a 10 mile run in this morning.  The sidewalks were still covered so we did most of our running in the street.  That's definitely not my favorite way to run 10 miles but sometimes you do what you need to do to get it done.  It was the longest I've run in over two months so this afternoon I felt it.  Yikes!  (I recovered with a nice, hot bath tonight.)

5.  I finished sealing the countertop and shelf in the laundry room this week.  After they were done I decided the room needed to be painted because the walls were so beat up.  And if I was going to paint the room, I figured I should scrape the popcorn ceilings, too.  So yep - that all happened in less than 48 hours.

Friday night I scraped the ceiling.  It is a small room but only took about 20 minutes to scrape the ceilings and another 20 minutes to clean it all up!  Gross.  Yesterday morning I sanded the ceiling and the hubby patched a few spots.  Then it was time for the primer and two coats of ceiling paint.  Last night I did the first coat on the walls and two more today.  Phew!  For such a small room it sure took up my whole weekend.  But oh well.  I'm happy.  Here's a sneak peek:

Yep.  I went pink.  It's really close to Pantone's color of the year and so far I love it.  It may be a bit bright but I really have no desire to repaint it.  I'm thinking I can find some chinoiserie fabric for a simple valance to pull in the pink and red.  I'll take more pics once it's styled out and ready to go.  (But I do still want to tile the wall above that shelf.  It's a small area so it should be fairly inexpensive and easy to do.)

6.  How about another menu because I don't know what else to write about?  Ok!

Sunday: Latin American chicken (Make this NOW. For reals.  Only spray the rack before grilling.) + roasted green beans + fruit

Monday: Italian Pork roast (this is a favorite of mine so I make it a LOT) + mashed potatoes with cauliflower in them + roasted broccoli + fruit

Tuesday: Pad Thai (another favorite) + fruit

Wednesday: Fish tacos (trying a new recipe - we won't use shells) + homemade chicken nuggets for the kids + fruit  (I'll link to the recipe next week if it's any good.  Allrecipes.com is not working right now so I can't find it.)

Thursday:  Spaghetti (with spaghetti squash for us, noodles for the kids) + caesar salad

Friday:  Hamburgers on the grill with fun toppings: guacamole, crispy shallots, mushrooms + roasted sweet potatoes + fruit

Have you ever tried any of these recipes?  Thoughts?

 

That's all I've got tonight.  Have a great week! 

    

 

Thrifty Thursday...How to Turn an Entertainment Center into a Play Kitchen

It has been a LONG time since I've done a Thrifty Thursday post!  But I feel like it's time to jump back into the groove.  Shall we?

Remember when I talked about this play kitchen way back in September!  Well, it took longer than I hoped just due to life and being busy, but we got her done.  Here's the final product:

And here is the $20 entertainment center after I sanded it down to begin this whole project:

 

We just used what we already had on hand for most of it.  I only purchased a few items and I'll list those at the end of the post.

 

I just glued down 4 CDs and bought 4 chrome knobs for the stove:

 

I cut out a square to make the oven door look more real.  I added in a pane of plexi-glass and moulding to make it a bit prettier:

 

And I glued a light to the top so it lights up like a real oven:

 

I bought new hinges so I could change the orientation of the doors.  I wanted them to open from the top rather than the side like in the entertainment center.  They were pretty darn easy to install, which was nice:

 

Here's the refrigerator side:

 

I love the apron detail on the front under the sink.  I think it gives the kitchen the little pop it needs!

 

I simply sewed a few different fabrics onto the back of a piece of curtain lining.  I googled how to "gather" and it was not too difficult, thank goodness.  I used a tension pole to hold the fabric:

 

The faucet was the old faucet that came with our cast iron tub.  And the sink was just a bowl from Target:

 

The curtain rod was made using a leftover dowel I had laying around the garage.  And two nuts glued together.  Then I just spray painted it all!  The curtain was sewed from leftover fabric in my stash.  It's just a rectangle with a pocket at the top:

 

Here's a close-up:

 

I love the back!  The girls wanted a restaurant so we created a Diner.  They actually have played restaurant quite a few times since this was complete.

 

I just cut a piece of 1" x 10" to length and gave it a coat of poly.  I attached it with cup hooks, rings, and chain:

 

And lastly, I put it on casters so the girls can easily roll it around our basement.  (We have stained concrete floors which are perfect for rolling.)

 

And there you have it!  How I DIY'd a play kitchen.  Pretty simple, really.  Here's one last picture of it because I think it's just so cute!

 

Cost Breakdown*:

$20 - Entertainment center

Paint/Primer/spray paint - Free, already had it

4 Casters - $15.92 (could spend less if only two of them had brakes)

Hinges - $8.31

Door pull for refrigerator - $9

Oven and Dishwasher lights - $3

Plexi glass and trim - $7

Chain - $4

Bowl for sink - $5

Total - $72.23

 

*Note: I couldn't find my a few receipts but it's a pretty good estimate.

Just give me a shout if you have any questions!

 

 

2016 Projects in Queue

First of all, don't you love the word "queue"?  Mostly, I just love the spelling.  So fun.

Also, I thought I had set this to publish Thursday night.  I'm not sure what happened, but not only did it not publish - I lost half the darn post!  Ugh.  Hence, this post was promised on Thursday but here it is Tuesday.  Oh well.  Nothing I can do...

Anyway, I had so much fun looking over what I accomplished in 2015 that I am making a 2016 list!  And here's the deal, I can ONLY work on these projects.  That is what I'm telling myself.  (I'm giving myself a $20 limit.  If something is over $20, I can't do it if it's not on the list.)  Several of these items have been on my list for multiple years and it's time to finally finish them already!  I love a good project.  The problem is, I love to talk about them, start them, and then not finish them.  So I'm declaring this year the year I finish my list!  Because after all, as you will see, there is nothing too crazy difficult on here.  So, let's get started, shall we?

1. Music room. It needs a good jute rug.  Something simple that will flow with the dining room and yet I can layer another rug on top of it.  I'm totally thinking Craigslist for the win here!  (This picture is a bit dark but you can see the plain floor staring right at you.) 

 

2.  Kitchen - You've seen my kitchen many times.  I still want to paint the backs of the glass cabinets.  Or rather, I'd like to paint foam board (so it's removable) and stick that in the back of the cabinets.  I think my white dishes will pop with a dark shade of gray in the back.

 

3.  Family room.  I'd like to replace the chairs with something upholstered in a velvet.  We've had the current chairs for a few years and I am just ready for a change.

 

4.  Laundry room.  Of course this is no surprise since I showed you the half-finished countertop.  I need to stain the countertop and finish the floating shelf with a face board.  (Funny story - I had the piece all cut and ready to pin up on the shelf when the hubby took it, cut it in half, and used it for garage storage.  Ugh!)  I'd also like to tile the back wall.

 

5.  Basement.  We still have a space to install a bar but that project will have to wait.  Right now I'll just settle for the little things.

Cover the circuit breaker with some art:

 

Cover the two poles in reclaimed lumber.  Paint the doors and add door knobs.

Lastly, paint the handrail that the hubby installed back in 2014!  (No picture of that one.)

Let's move upstairs to the second floor...

6.  #2's room.  (Remember there are no pictures of her room - always a MESS!)  I'd like to DIY some sort of fun ceiling mount light fixture since she does not have a ceiling fan like her sisters.

7.  #1's room.  She has requested blinds for her bathroom window.  Imagine that!  Plus, I'd like to add two more shelves to her closet organizer:

You can see the dead space above her heels and again above her T-shirts.  I think two small shelves will give her a little more storage which is always a good thing.

 

8.  The Little's Room.  I'd still like to paint #4's desk.  There is already one stained desk in the room and the stain colors don't match.  Plus, the desk is pretty beat up, anyway.

 

9.  The three little girls all share a bathroom.  It's adorable.  It has green stripes on the wall with a froggy shower curtain.  However, they are now a little old so it's time to give them something a bit more grown up.  I'll be sad but it's time.  Ultimately I'd like to give them double sinks and tile the floor.  But for this year I'll settle for new paint and a mirror/medicine cabinet.  I forgot before pictures but I will definitely take them before I paint over it all!

10.  The office.  Eventually I'd like to ditch the current desk situation but that isn't in the cards this year.  So I'll settle for new blinds that actually work and a floor lamp that emits decent light!  Easy enough, right?

11.  Master Bathroom.  I'm already painting the two doors that need to be hung back up.  And we need to install a marble threshold.  That's it.  Those small tasks are holding us back from 100% finished.  We will do it!

12.  Master Bedroom.  I would love to install a modern sliding door between the bathroom and bedroom.  That is a rather large project.  I know what I want it to look like but I have to figure out how to build it.  And my poor bed looks so sad.  I need a headboard!  Stat.

I have found the plans I'm going to use and it'll wrap around the bed.  I'm really excited because I think it will be fun to build!

Phew!  All in all, I think it's a very do-able list.  There is nothing included this year that is too difficult.  So what about you guys?  Any fun projects in queue for 2016?

 
 




 

Six on Sunday

I'm blogging early today but will schedule it for later so I don't mess with your routines.  I'm thoughtful like that:)

Anyway, this has been a fabulous weekend.  We've had NOTHING to do.  Nothing.  I've loved it. AND, I have tomorrow off work.  BONUS!  Before I get carried away with exclamation points and all caps, let's get the show on the road...

1.  Darby has found a new favorite place to sleep:

That's right.  She's sleeping on top of the afghan I haven't finished crocheting because I forgot how to crochet.  Womp-womp.  But she looks so cute and innocent, doesn't she?

 

2.  Part of the reason it's been so quiet here is because #1 is in Plano, TX this weekend on a swim trip.  Her aunt and uncle and grandparents were able to watch her swim yesterday which was pretty special!

Unfortunately, she is now on her way home early.  She actually made finals this evening in one event but a migraine sidelined her.  I feel awful for her!  I began to get migraines in middle school (true migraines - with the aura and the vomiting - the whole 9 yards) and remember them like they were yesterday.  They were so awful!  Back then we didn't have any drugs to help with the side effects.  Now I know there are drugs available so I'm going to schedule her an appointment to talk to the doctor about medication.  Poor kid.

 

3.  My mom gave me this book for Christmas:

I love it so far!  RBG is such an interesting person to read about and she was really up and coming back in the 70s while I was just a kid.  The history is fascinating; especially how her work has impacted my life as a mother and a woman.  I would recommend this book to anyone.  In fact, I may see if I can get #1 to read it.  It's definitely not a fast, beach read.  But it's worth your time.  Holler if you want to borrow my copy but this is one I'll want back!

 

4.  I've spent the extra time this weekend knocking out projects on my 2016 Household Project List.  (So that list was supposed to post last Thursday but somehow Typepad not only did not post it, half my writing was lost.  I fixed it and it's scheduled to come out on Tuesday.)  

I started with the easiest - I bought a shelf to put on top of the wire shelving in #2's closet.  I also inserted ribs (really just 1/4" dowels cut to size) in her Roman shades.  And I've continued painting the doors to the bathroom.  They are almost ready to hang back up.  No pictures of those boring tasks.  

Next, I started working on the laundry room.  If you'll remember, it used to look like this:

Yesterday I posted this picture to Instagram while I began working on the floating shelf.  (You can see the shelf above on top of 2" x 4"s but the front of the shelf is missing.)

 

Well, as of now, it looks like this:

The shelf has been finished and stained.  I also removed the countertop so I could stain it.  As soon as it dries, I'll slide it back into place.  It feels good to get these small projects knocked out!

 

5.  I managed to get an 8 mile run in yesterday before the really cold weather set in.  And let me tell you, yesterday wasn't exactly warm.  The windchill was in the single digits!  But we got 'er done and it felt great.  We were lucky to have Carmen set out water and plan the route.  All we had to do was show up.  Don't you runners out there wish you had a Carmen?!

6.  Want another menu as we enter our third week of Whole 30?  Even if you don't, you're getting it because I don't have anything else to write about and I need a sixth item.  You know, otherwise it would be Five on Sunday and that just doesn't have the same ring, now, does it?

Sunday:  We are doing the beef stew again.  I loved it so much I'm doing it again!  + roasted green beans + french bread for the kids

Monday: Chicken gyros (a slight cheat with the sauce but I won't put much on my chicken, if any) + roasted sweet potatoes  

TANGENT:  I need to add a search bar to my blog because I know I've posted this recipe before but it's so hard to find!  Ugh.  I wish I knew how to code or had friends that did.  

Tuesday: Shrimp and Avacado Taco Salad (homemade mac-n-cheese for the girls)

Wednesday: Sesame zucchini noodles with baked fish on top (I'm going to substitute Sunbutter for Almond butter)

Thursday:  Crockpot chicken (I just throw a whole chicken with salt and pepper in the crockpot on low for 8 hours) + mashed potatoes (with a little cauliflower thrown in) + roasted broccoli

Friday:  Pizza for all (paleo crust for us and take-out for the girls) + caesar salads 

Phew!  There you go.  Have a great week and stay warm!

 

 

2015 Year in Review - House Projects

I have so much fun looking at these past posts of what I accomplished and what I failed to accomplish.  So I'm totally doing it again.  But this year I've even included some pictures!  If you like this sort of thing, come back Thursday where I am going to post my list of 2016 Projects. 

I simply copied and pasted the text from last year's 2015 House Goals down below in black ink.  The blue ink shows my comments.

1.  Finish up last year's projects that did not get done:

• Crown moulding in the music room.  I'm so happy!  This was actually FINISHED.  And It's been on the list for multiple years.  It's the first room you see when you walk in the front door so I'm ecstatic it's finally finished.

  

• Artwork.  Everywhere!  Dining room.  Powder room.  Hallway.  Master bedroom.  Little girls room.  YES!  They are not all masterpieces and they may in spray-painted frames but I'm so happy to have more art now.  I can slowly begin to find more originals and improve the frame situation but I think having art is better than no art at all. 

Dining room:

 

 

The Little's Room:

 

I also made each of the little girls a Marquee letter to hang over their bed.  I do love them:

 

I DIY'd a piece of art for our powder room.  This room is hard to photograph due to the size but you get the idea:

 

Laundry room (It's such a small room it's virtually impossible to photograph!):

 

Master bedroom gallery wall:

2.  New window treatments

• Kitchen - Finished.  I ordered the fabric back in the early spring and finally sewed the window treatments right before Thanksgiving. 

 

• #2's room - Finished.  This was one of her Christmas presents.  (I didn't take a picture because her room is pretty much trashed about 95% of the time.  It will take bribery to be able to photograph her room.  #teenagers)

3.  Paint doors in the basement and in the master bath.  (One new and one old to-do.)  So yeah, this totally didn't get done.  Again.  Ugh.  But the good news?  I actually have two half-painted black doors down in the basement right now.  Soon I will be able to finish up the master bath and shoot it for an actual reveal post.  So excited!

4.  Install and style bookshelves in #1's room.  This was completed last January.  I think I even posted a picture but here's another one because I love a good, styled shelf picture!

We also added in a closet organizer and it was a total game-changer!

So what new items popped up?

5.  Master bathroom.  The shower is about done.  Just need to finish everything else!  (Radiant floor heating, tiled floors, refinished clawfoot tub, tile surround, vanity, medicine cabinets, lights, toilet, etc, etc)  This one WILL get done this year.  I can't take living in a reno for more than a year.  I just can't.  I'm calling this one 99% done.  Just need a few finishing touches.  And man, do I love that heated floor!

6.  Laundry room.  It got torn up a little when we had to replace our washing machine.  I'd like to put it back together again.  Mainly, just a new butcher block countertop in there.  This one is 50% done.  I put together a countertop out of 2x12s but still need to stain it.  At least it's been functional for the last few months so there's that!

Here is the in-between stage.  And the countertop warped a bit but I don't care.  In fact, I can't decide if I'm going to keep the hinged top because it's folded over about 95% of the time anyway!

(Obviously this will show up in my 2016 list!  But at least I can say it's started.)

7.  Kitchen.  Paint the backs of the glass-front cabinets.  (Or, if I'm sneaky, I could buy some type of foam board and paint it and then I could remove it if I ever got tired of the color!)  How many years has this been on my list?  Because it'll be on it one more year! 

8.  Basement.  The hubby installed a handrail down the stairs but it really needs to be painted.  It's ugly.  Plus, I should probably address the door situation down there (no handles and not painted).  But I'll be honest, I'm not sure I'm feelin' that one.  Also, we've installed 3 sets of shades but we have two more windows left to go!  MAJOR fail.  But now that I'm in the mood to paint doors - I think I'll get to this one this year!

9.  Office.  I made a few changes in here this past year.  But I think that area may receive a little TLC later on this year.  And it does really need a new window treatment.  My current Roman shade is held up by binder clips.  Yeah, I'm classy like that.  Another fail.  The major bathroom reno sort of took out a lot of the wind in my sails.  (Not to mention pennies in my bank account.)  I'd love to really change up this space but it's not in the cards (or wallet) for 2016.  I'll have to settle for small tweaks.

Phew!  If you hung with me through this thank you.  If this interests you at all, come back Thursday for my 2016 plans!    

Six on Sunday

Hello!  Are you watching the Golden Globes, too?  I watched for a bit but then I stopped to put the Littles to bed and now I'm blogging.  I'm not sad to be missing them, though.  Let's hop to it, shall we?

1.  I did it!  Two weeks in a row!  I paid the girls their allowance.  Yeah, me:) 

I decided it's not that hard, actually.  I just get cash back at the grocery store on Saturday and that way the girls each get paid.  I'm really hoping this is a trend that sticks.  And I think it will.

2.  I never showed you the results of the play kitchen I started way back before I went to Paris.  It's so cute!

Seriously, didn't she turn out so well?  And for so CHEAP!  I will dedicate a Thrifty Thursday to how I put her together in case you are ever so inclined.  Hint:  It has a diner station on the back and the girls have actually gotten a ton of use out of it whilst playing Restaurant.  Love that.

3.  The hubby gave me a book for Christmas.  (Want, Need, Wear, READ)  Anyway, at first I hated it.  I loathed the main character.  But it got better and the end made up for her at the beginning.  If you're looking for an easy, speedy read then this is it.  Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll.  Also, if the New York fashion scene is interesting to you (think:  The Devil Wears Prada), I think you'll get a kick out of this one.

4.  I finished my 2015 December Daily.  I also put the finishing touches on my 2013 book!  And my 2014 book is about halfway finished.  Ideally I would finish it in December, but the month is such a whirlwind and I would rather enjoy movie nights with my family than work on my album.  So it's all good.  But I just feel so darn accomplished so I had to share!

5.  One of our very first summer nannies got married last night.  Out of all our nannies, Ashley worked for us the longest and we simply adore her.  The girls were thrilled to be able to watch her as she married the cutest, sweetest man.  Here they are with Ashley:

It was a lovely wedding and reception and it was so special to be a part of it!

6.  So, Whole 30 has been going really well.  (We did slip and each of us had one drink last night.  A beer for the hubby and a glass of wine for me.  But considering we were at a wedding reception, that took MAJOR willpower!)  Anyway, the best part of eating this way?  I've found a couple new "keeper" recipes.

First off, the cauliflower crust I made was great!  (I know some of you "wink wink" are waiting for this review.) 

Of course PInterest came through for the win with this recipe.  I only used the crust and skipped the zucchini part she talks about in her blog post.  But truly, the crust was a win.  We topped it with pesto (so good!) and my side had spinach, black olives, and extra pine nuts.  The crust does not have a ton of flavor so the pesto was a must.  But I am already planning on making this pizza crust again for sure.  Holler with questions but it's really pretty darn easy.

Our menu this week:

Sunday:  Beef Stew + roasted broccoli + french bread (for the kiddos only):

This was seriously so good!  I only wished I had been able to sop up the stew with bread (like the girls did).  But I WILL DEFINITELY make this again.  Hint:  If you are like me and do not like chunks (so gross), you could do what I did and use an immersion blender right before you throw the meat back in the pot.  (I didn't use carrots because none of us will eat cooked carrots.)  We had the delicious onion flavor without the disgusting chunks.  WIN.

Monday:  Spaghetti with spaghetti squash for us and noodles for the kids + caeasar salad + leftover french bread for the kids.

OK, side note.  I made this caesar dressing from scratch and it seriously tasted like it came from a restaurant - meaning delicious.  And SO EASY!  You should totally try it.

Tuesday:  Taco salads (shells for the kids) + fruit.  )We made our own salsa this weekend using this recipe (go for two jalapenos - trust me - and leave in a few seeds if you like a little heat) but omitting the sugar.  So good and so, so easy.)

Wednesday: Salmon cakes + roasted green beans + fruit

Another side note.  I plan on doubling the recipe but only putting in one can of sweet potatoes.  I am thinking I'll like the flavor of the salmon cakes even more this way.  I'll let you know!

Thursday: 5 Spice Slow Cooker Ribs + roasted broccoli + healthy mashed potatoes (they have some cauliflower thrown in there)

Last side note:  I made mashed potatoes last week using coconut milk and Lawry's seasoned salt.  Verdict?  Make them.  Make them now.  And use Yukon Gold potatoes but don't peel them.  Just cut 'em into chunks and throw them in a pot.  Seriously so good and easy.  

Friday:  Pizza night (every Friday).  Sadly, no beer for a few more weeks but I think we'll survive.

7.  BONUS!  This is SEVEN.  I'm not even ending in SIX.  

Every year - around this time - I make up a list of things I'd like to accomplish around the house.  Well, today I went through the house snapping pictures to give you photographic proof that some of those projects were, indeed, accomplished.  I will have an update on 2015 posted Tuesday night.  I have also created a list of goals around the house for 2016 as well.  I'll post those Thursday night.

And here is a sneak peek of the bathroom reno we went through for oh, nearly a year!

Phew!  That felt long.  I hope you enjoyed reading.  Have a great week!
 
 

  
 

Six on Sunday...first Sunday of the New Year!

I'm back!  I never really intended to take a break but it just happened.  So now I need to get you caught up on the second half of our December.  You ready?  Let's go!

1.  The girls got out of school on Friday, December 18th.  The hubby and I had a Christmas party the next night.  And we headed to Omaha on Sunday for a quick, overnight trip.  It was a great opportunity to celebrate Christmas with the hubby's side of the family!

The dinner spread was delish and I didn't have to lift a hand to prepare it.  Win!

2.  The rest of the week before Christmas flew by in a flash.  #1 had swimming every morning from 7 - 9am and doubles on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 3 - 5pm.  Thank goodness for carpools!  The other girls played with their friends and did a lot of sleeping in and hanging out.  After all, isn't that what Christmas break is designed to do?!  I loved it - lots of movie nights, too.

3.  Christmas Eve was rather warm by Kansas standards.  We hit the 4pm mass at church.  Don't the girls look nice?

As per usual, we came home and had a seafood dinner for the hubby and me, and spaghetti for the girls.  We had crepes for dessert and watched The Christmas Story.  

It's funny.  If I had realized all those years ago that certain things would become a tradition, I may have put more thought into them.  But I love that the girls are so into traditions - the spaghetti dinner and the movie.  It's all so good!  (And of course PJs for a Christmas Eve gift.)

4.  Christmas morning was equally delightful.  The little girls slept in until 7:30am which I so appreciated!  We opened gifts and ate cinnamon rolls for breakfast.  (Another tradition!)  Here is the aftermath:

In case you are wondering, here is what the girls received this year:

#1:

Want:  Patagonia vest

Need:  Swim suit (every year!)

Wear:  Jeans, a sweater, and a scarf

Read:  a Book bag that says, I Like Big Books and I Cannot Lie and a subscription to Glamour magazine

Santa:  North Face ski jacket

#2:

Want:  Lamp for her desk

Need:  Roman shades

Wear:  Jeans, T-shirt, Flannel shirt

Read:  a book about Malala

Santa:  Instax camera and film

#3:

Want:  Lego set

Need:  Curtains and a guitar hook

Wear:  2 outfits from Old Navy (no jeans!)

Read:  a new series (can't remember and I think I already posted it!)

Santa:  an electric scooter

#4:

Want: a globe

Need:  Curtains (she and #3 share a room)

Wear:  2 outfits from Old Navy - both with leggings as that is ALL she will wear!

Read:  Magic Treehouse set

Santa:  an electric scooter

Phew!  That seems like a lot!  

My mom drove up for the day and night and we had a great time.  We all went to the Dinosaur movie (cute) and came back home and played games and ordered pizza from Casey's that night.  (Who knew anything was open Christmas night?!)  All in all, it was a really nice family day.

5.  We finally got a little bit of snow on the Monday after Christmas.  Of course the little girls wasted ZERO time getting out and enjoying it!

 

They played in it for HOURS that Monday.  It was adorable.  

6.  We enjoyed our time off together and hit the skating rink and the bowling alley last week.  

7.  We let #1 host a New Year's Eve party at our house.  I think there were 12 kids all together?  Anyway, they were great.  For reals.  I asked her to keep everyone down in the basement and she did.  A lot of her friends brought delicious food so they had quite the spread!  She decorated the chalk board wall with fun lettering and then had props for pictures.  This is just one of a dozen of the fun pictures she had on her phone:

Honestly, I didn't mind hosting the party.  It was a great way to make sure they were safe and they had fun.  And honestly, she will only be home for a few more years so why not enjoy it?  The hubby and I will get a chance to go out and party again some day!

Upstairs, we had my sister and her family over for some games and drinks.  The kids played twister:

We also played Rumikub but I can't post that picture because it has a naughty word in it.  (Hint:  I posted it to Instagram!)  But it was really nice to be able to see my sister and her boyfriend because it had been quite awhile!  They stayed until almost 11pm and we all had a great time.

8.  We all converged upon my mom on New Year's Day since that was the only weekend we were all available.  (Aimee and Jason spent Christmas week in St. Kitt's and her kids spent the week with their other grandparents and aunt.)  We had a blast together!

Yesterday we tried to go ice skating in Bentonville, AR at noon but the session was full.  That meant we had two hours to kill.  We headed over to the new(ish), swanky hotel just across the street and ended up having so much fun!  (Because originally we were kind of pissy and didn't know what to do for two hours.)  The hotel is named 21c and it has a museum, which is free, attached to it.  

We toured the museum and then headed to the bar for drinks - wine and beer for the adults and frou frou lemonade and hot chocolates for the kids.  The service was fantastic and they were just so nice!  Also, we ordered french fries smothered in a cajun honey that were TO DIE FOR!  If you ever find your self in Bentonville, I'd recommend stopping in to the 21c for sure!

So let me back up, we kept telling the little kids not to touch the art work.  We were practically beating it into their heads.  Well, come to find out, they have all these plastic green penguins all over the hotel and museum.  And they were specifically designed for kids (and adults, who am I kidding) to move around wherever they wanted!  We had a blast moving them and using them for photo ops.  We just got such a kick out of them:

Anyway, don't you love it when you are able to turn lemons into lemonade?  Such a fun time!

And the ice skating was really great, too.  It was 50* so a bit too warm but we still had fun:

#2 and #3 and my niece stayed extra long and were doing spins by the end of our session.  It was just adorable to watch them all have so much fun together.  I loved it.

9.  I was invited to participate in a New Year's Day run but with staying up late on NYE and heading to Arkansas, it wasn't in the cards for me.  However, the hubby and I more than made up for it with a beautiful run yesterday morning on the trails in Bentonville.  It was a crisp 21* but after about a mile we were nice and warm.  6 miles in the books felt like such a great day to start the year!

 

10.  Speaking of New Years, I should probably tell you my resolution.  It's really more about the kids than me but I am the enabler.  I am vowing to pay them their allowance every weekend.  That way they won't have to ask me to pay them and I won't have to shell out a hundred bucks at a time.  Right now #1 gets $10, #2 gets $5, and the littles each get $3 and $1, respectively.  I haven't actually given them their money yet but it is in my purse!  

I don't require them to do any certain chores to get their allowance because I don't want them to think they get paid to help around the house.  That is just part of being a family!  And if I ask them to do something they don't normally do, I don't want them to think they should earn money for it.  And at the same time, I do want them to learn how to manage their money.  I'm sure not everyone agrees with my philosophy and that's totally fine.  But this seems to work for us.  Now I just have to remember to PAY them!

11.  Can you believe I am at #11??  Wow!  If you're still with me, you are a trooper!  

Anyway, after the last month of eating like crap, the hubby and I are going to do another round of Whole 30.  It's not so much about losing weight (though canning a few pounds would be nice), it's more about a re-set.  So if you're interested, here is our meal plan for the week (and I know I have linked to some of these before):

Sunday: hamburgers on the grill in the green (ie wrapped in lettuce) with crispy shallots and guacamole on top.  We also had roasted broccoli and cut up apples.

Monday: Italian pork roast (I don't cook it for 16 hours - just as long as I can.  Works fine.)  Some sort of mashed potatoes (I can't use dairy - i might try a little coconut milk) with cauliflower in them, and green beans, apples and oranges

Tuesday: Pad Thai

Wednesday: Sweet potato soup with bacon - throw in some leftover pork or chicken or hamburgers

Thursday:  Caesar salad (I'm not making homemade croutons - that's just too hard) with shrimp for us and chicken for the girls.  They'll also get a baguette

Friday:  Pizza for the girls from somewhere normal.  We'll have cauliflower crust pizza with pesto and some other toppings like black olives, spinach. But sadly, no cheese for us.  We can all have a salad, too. 

Wow!  There you have it.  I feel like we are all caught up now.  Have a great first full week of 2016.  Here's to hoping it's a good week and a great year!