Thursday, March 31, 2016

Backyard Progress

We have made a ton of progress on our unexpected backyard project. There is still a ton more to do but we are loving it so far and trying to get in as much use out of it before it gets too hot out.
This whole project started because we spotted this beautiful gazebo from Costco.  To get to this point took about 3 months.  We extended on to our RV parking and we knew we wanted to have plumbing and electrical ran to it so other than that and the slab we did everything ourselves.







The gas fire pit came from Lowes.  I love it because the tank fits in side.  We always had wood burning fire pits before and would get smoked out the entire time so I am loving this gas one.  I couldn't find the chairs I wanted and I didn't want to spend a fortune so these will do for now.


I fell in love with this swing / hammock at Home Depot and bugged the hubs until he caved in.  I love that in adjusts down to become a hammock or can be left up as a swing.


These sconces came from Lowe's as well.  They are motion censored which is really nice.


The ceiling fan came from Home Depot and matches the ones on our patio.  The hubs added the board in the center so we had something to secure the fan to.  The gazebo comes with a hook in the center so you can attach a lantern but we knew a ceiling fan made a lot more sense for those warm Arizona nights.




Eventually when the hubs gets the kitchen portion finished we will wrap it in the stone below.  It looks very similar to our fireplace stone so it should all tie together nicely.


There's a lot more to be done.  We have some great ideas for adding storage to this area as well as some plants and other things to add some color to the space. 
 Stay tuned for more updates to what has become my favorite part of our home.

Linkd to http://www.worthingcourtblog.com/scoop-link-party-217

http://www.thriftydecorchick.com/2016/04/april-before-and-afters.html

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Backyard Update

On a recent trip to Costco we spotted this beauty and from there sparked a large backyard remodeling project.

We have been wanting to do a project like this for awhile but just hadn't pulled the trigger until we saw this beauty all ready to go.  The size of 12' x 12' was just right and the price was even better compared to what we have seen.  The hubs decided to extend the RV parking on the side of the house so that we would have plenty of room.  We also knew we would eventually be adding an outdoor kitchen so having plumbing and electrical ran to the area was a must.  The concrete guys came out one Saturday morning to prep the area.  Below is a before picture.






I am so excited for this project we have so many ideas from the outdoor kitchen to a fire pit area.  We only have a few months out of the year where you can really enjoy the outside without dying from the heat so I am ready to put this area to use.

Stay tuned for an update this project should be finished in the next few weeks.

linkd at: http://www.craftaholicsanonymous.net
http://www.worthingcourtblog.com/scoop-link-party-213
http://www.thatswhatchesaid.net/

Friday, December 11, 2015

Christmas Living Room Tour

Have I said before that I absolutely love decorating for Christmas!  I am so happy to decorate our living room this year now that the remodel is complete. It's so much fun having all of this extra space to decorate.  I purchased a few new items this year for this space. I have been collecting Christmas decorations for the last 18 years so there is a lot spread out all over the house.

 
I didn't get my Christmas pillows this year that I wanted but hopefully they will make a nice addition next year.  I did finally get my Pottery Barn stockings that I have been eyeballing for a couple of years now.  I didn't want to spend $30.00 each so when they went to 50% off I jumped all over them.
 


 
 
 
Just like my kitchen tree this tree is full of so many wonderful memories.  Now that my son is getting older I love looking back on all of the ornaments from when he was little.  There are even some from when I was little.

 
I have had this one for probably 35 years.  I can't believe it's held up so well.

 
This one was from when the hubs and I got married.  It was part of our wedding package.  We were married at the cutest little bed and breakfast in Michigan and spent out honeymoon traveling all of our Michigan.  My niece makes the joke that the only reason we got married there was because they gave me an ornament.  It was definitely an added bonus.

 
Look at that sweet little face it just melts my heart :)

 
This one I bought for my husband for his mother who passed away many years ago.  It's the only ornament that he actually puts on the tree.
 
This little girl doesn't like the noise from bringing everything in and out so she is staying as far away from the living room as she can.
 
 

Thanks for stopping by.  I have been working on our hot chocolate / coffee bar and will post an update on that soon.
 
Linkd to :
http://designdininganddiapers.com
http://www.iheartnaptime.net/link-party-palooza-123/
http://www.theidearoom.net/2015/12/31682.html
http://www.inlinkz.com/new/view.php?id=588904
http://www.allthingsheartandhome.com/2015/12/12-cozy-christmas-projects
http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/2015/12/wow-us-wednesdays-252.html?utm_source=feedburner


                                                              



 

Saturday, December 5, 2015

My Kitchen Christmas Tree

There is nothing I love more than decorating my home for Christmas.  I truly am a Christmas freak.  Everyone in my family has figured out that my OCD is at it's greatest when it comes time to decorate the house and especially the Christmas Trees.  And Yes I said trees!  We have 3 up currently. If I didn't think my husband would have me committed I would put up even more.  The worst part is everything starts going up the day after Halloween.  The hubs though has forbidden me from putting up any outside decorations that early.  He said the neighbors don't need to know what a nut job I am.  Thanks Honey!  My favorite one of all of them, is the one that sits in my kitchen. It's my favorite little corner and I love that it's right next to me as I do all of my baking.

 
 I started doing this tree about 3 years ago.  I found a 5.5 ft. tall tree on clearance just before Christmas at Target for $25.00.  I couldn't resist and had to have it.  I originally wanted a flocked tree but those were quite a bit more and couldn't bring myself to spend the money.  Instead I opted for a few cheap cans of the flocking and did it myself.  It doesn't have quite the same look but I didn't really care it was close enough and a quarter of the cost.  I was just happy that it wasn't a stark green tree anymore. This tree sits by our patio door which I love because as I bake in the kitchen I can stare at it.  When I first started this tree I bought a bunch of ornaments from Sur La Table as it was close to Christmas so they were having a really good sale.  I then opted to make a few of the ornaments myself. 
 
This one was the easiest one of all to make.  I found these faux cupcakes at Hobby Lobby.  I believe they were $10.00 and came in a pack of 2.  I purchased some very small eye hooks placed them into the top and attached a hanger. They also have some cute faux strawberries that I plan to use to make some faux chocolate covered strawberry ornaments.
 
 
 
I stumbled upon a tutorial for cupcake ornaments.  These are just Styrofoam balls covered in modge podge, sprinkled with fake snow and then glued into a foil cupcake liner.  Make sure you don't use a paper liner or the glue will seep through and it won't hold up the same as the foil ones.  I then snipped off a berry stem from inserted it into the top with some bakers twine.  I made large and smaller ones.  These are great to give as gifts and are super cute. 

 
This is the most recent addition.  We picked him up at Pikes Market in Seattle while we there over Thanksgiving.  I make a point to pick up an ornament every where we go.  I love this because as we put the trees up every year we can look back on all of the great trips we have taken over the years.  I also make a point to pick up an ornament that signifies something new we have done that year.  This year I picked up Santa and his elves in a raft for our white water rafting trip we took over the summer. 
 
 
Here are a few that we picked up last year on a trip to Michigan.  We visited this little town that we love called Frankenmuth.  It just happens to be the home of Bronners which is the largest Christmas store I have ever seen.  The hubs says it's the mother ship to my people.  I can't lie I feel like a 5 year old in a candy store when I get in there.  My husband is originally from Michigan so I beg like crazy every time we go to visit Bronners.  Hopefully we will be making another trip there next summer.

 
 


Thanks for stopping by I will be sharing a lot of more of my Christmas decorations and baking real soon. 
 
Christine :)

.Linkd up at:
http://tatertotsandjello.com/2015/12/link-party-palooza-and-tekniq-camera-bag-giveaway.html
http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/2015/12/the-creative-collection-party-2.html
www.craftaholicsanonymous.net/friday-finds-link-party-12-4

Monday, November 23, 2015

Lemon Cake with a Lemon Glaze

 


My husband loves all things lemon and for years bugged me to find a lemon cake recipe.  Not being a huge fan of lemon I didn't really care to find one.  One year he was working out of town in Colorado for a month and was coming home right after Father's Day.  I decided to try and find a lemon cake to make for him.  I stumbled across a few recipes but they were just so elaborate I just didn't have the time.  I headed to the store and found a boxed lemon cake mix.  Then I spotted the supreme lemon frosting but I decided I want something with more of a glaze texture so I decided to experiment a little..

First I started off baking the cake per the box directions and poured it into a fluted pan.

Once the cake is done let cool for about 5 minutes and transfer to a plate or cake stand lined with parchment paper.


I then placed the jar of frosting in the microwave and heated it up for about 20 seconds.  The frosting should be nice and runny.  I then slowly drizzled the frosting over the cake with a spoon.  I like to slowly do this a little at a time so the frosting has a chance to absorb into the cake a little.  What's nice about this recipe is you don't have let the cake cool very long and if you are impatient like me that is an amazing thing. I like to use the entire can of frosting so that it's completely covered and then carefully remove the wax paper.

 

I hope you try these super easy recipe and enjoy it as much as my family does.  It is so moist and delicious and just the right amount of lemon flavor.

Thanks for stopping by Christine:)

Linkd at http://www.stonegableblog.com/the-scoop-198/
http://www.skiptomylou.org/made-by-you-Monday
http://whipperberry.com/2015/11/the-party-bunch-link-party-no-109.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Smores Pie

My boys love desserts.  Before my husband came along my son only had dessert on special occasions.  Well a Tuesday night is reason enough for my husband so we now have dessert quite often.  Sometimes there just isn't enough time so there is nothing I love more than a quick dessert that only has a few ingredients.  I was looking on line for some ideas and came across one for a Smores pie.  It had a lot of ingredients so I started trying to find a way to simplify it.  I came up with the recipe below.

1 premade graham cracker pie shell
1 2.1 oz jello chocolate pudding mix (I like the sugar free kind)
3 cups of cold milk
1 carton of cool whip
1 package of mini marshmellows

First prepare the chocolate pudding mix as directed.  Let pudding sit in the refrigerator until set.  Approx. 10-20 minutes. This step is hard for me as I am very impatient. Once the pudding is set gently fold in 2 cups of cool whip until completely combined. 


Fill the pie shell with all of the pudding mixture and sprinkle mini marshmellows on top.


  I took the torch that came from my Crème Brulee set and burnt the top of the marshmellows.  Be careful not to touch the pudding,  Once done place back in the refrigerator until time to serve. 
The boys loved this pie so much I caught my husband sitting on the couch with the half the piece in the pie plate and a fork.  Then he said if you want to make this again soon go right ahead.  Gavin asked me when I was opening my own bakery because he wants a job as a taste tester.

Thanks for stopping by Christine


Linkd at
http://www.stonegableblog.com/the-scoop-197/
http://www.allthingsheartandhome.com/2015/11/five-fab-makeovers-monday-funday/
http://www.tipjunkie.com/post/tip-me-tuesday-happy-crafters-share-
http://www.bunsinmyoven.com/2016/04/13/whats-cookin-wednesday-162/

Sunday, October 4, 2015

An Unexpected Bathroom Remodel

Originally we had planned to hold off on remodeling the bathrooms until after the holidays as we have tackled several projects this year.  Then we discovered a leak in the wall behind the vanity which forced us into a bathroom remodel.  At first we were just going to remodel the vanity area but after seeing it finished we are so in love with it that within the next couple of weeks we are going to replace the shower tile and refinish the bathtub.

Below is a before and after from when I painted the walls in a blue / grey color and the cabinets in espresso.  This was a temporary fix until we could afford to fully remodel the space.



 
We decided to keep the espresso color when we ordered the new cabinetry.  The hubs designed the cabinet with a trash can pull out and more drawer space.  The medicine cabinet I saw on Pinterest and asked him to copy it. 
 
The countertop is a granite called Café Crème and the backsplash tile along with sink, faucet and light fixture all came from Lowes.  I love the way it looks far and am so excited to get the shower done.  The backsplash tile will extend through the shower along with some beautiful tumbled travertine tile.


Stay tuned for pictures on the completed bathroom.
Christine :)