Tuesday, March 31, 2015

...decisions...decisions...

...now that all the walls are perfectly smooth...
...it's time to make some decisions about the countertop...
...and the paint...we're leaning towards the Almond Oil...I liked the Venetian Plaster technique...but think that might be a little too much texture for this room...what do you think...?

...floor tile will come later...

~Have a lovely day!

Monday, March 30, 2015

...the beginnings of a bar...

...one day...hopefully soon...there will be a bar in our big room downstairs...
...the Man made a niche in the wall...
...and the ceiling...
...and then got to work on the wooden support system...
...I had very little to do with this project...
...because I was sanding away at the walls in the hallway bathroom...I'm using a wet sanding technique to cut down on the amount of dust...there's actually no dust at all...but it takes quite a bit longer than dry sanding...the trade-off is worth it though...

...the skim coats are complete...and then we've got a couple of little patches before we paint...

...what were your weekend projects...?

~Wishing you a lovely start to your week!

Saturday, March 28, 2015

...movie night...

...our counter last night...we do love some popcorn with our movies...

...we watched Departures...it was funny and sweet and sort of deep...we enjoyed it...

~Have a lovely weekend!

Friday, March 27, 2015

...from my back deck...

...I don't usually post after dark pictures from my back deck...but we had six sweet deer sleeping in our backyard last night...so I sneaked out on the back deck and snapped a photo...or ten of them...they didn't even mind when I switched on the flash...I think three of the smaller ones are the triplets born earlier this year...and their mama of course...the other two probably young males...quite the little herd...

~Have a lovely day!

Thursday, March 26, 2015

...Creamy Vegan Mac and Cheese...

...we're always looking for quick and easy Lenten supper recipes...

...and we found this recipe over at Vegan Yumminess...and decided to give it a try last night...
...it really couldnt be easier...you just make your noodles...we used elbow macaroni...of course...
...then just blended up the other ingredients...I did not deviate from the recipe at all..I left out the optional cayenne...and the next time I make this I'll probably cut the lemon juice in half...just because I could sort of taste an 'actual' lemony sort of taste...and I don't think it should be like that...so we'll see...there will definitely be a next time...and maybe we just had some really lemony lemons...
...it just looks so creamy and you could certainly serve it just like that...
...but I baked mine for a little bit...just until it started to brown...just because I like that little bit of carmelization...
...then served it with a vinaigrette dressed salad...and a pretty little dessert dish of baby beets...
...delicious!...

...What have you been eating this Lent...?

~Have a lovely day!

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

....W.I.P. Wednesday...

...just a little bit of knitting...I'm down to the toe now...which I was going to knit with just the white...like the heel...but I think I'll go back and knit the other sock to this point as well...and then decide about the toe...depending on how much yarn I have left...

...they should be comfy...stretchy...and cute when they're done...

~Have a lovely day!

...ps...the Hope sweater has grown about 1 inch in length too...

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

...Vegan Carottes à la Crème...

...over at The Vegan Version...
...we made this over the weekend...it's just the most perfect side dish ever...

~Have a lovely day!

Monday, March 23, 2015

...Master Bath Update...

...a little more progress over the weekend...
...the joints got taped...
...we used fiberglass tape...
...it's a woven mesh...and if you're new to drywall you should definitely use this instead of the paper tape...it's so much easier to work with...
...and then a first coat of 'mud'...or spackle...is that a word?...
...now there'll be lots of sanding and then more spackling...

~Wishing you a lovely start to your week!...

Saturday, March 21, 2015

...my Grandma is 99...NINETY-NINE!!!...

...not many people can say that...

...she was born in 1916...and remembers the first time her Mama voted!!!...it's a crazy-crazy world isn't it?...
...Mom was going through some of her photos...and she sent me this copy of Grandma's graduation...
...a little close up...she's standing by her teacher...
...Grandma and Granddaddy...
...I think this is from their 50th wedding anniversary...
...and a more recent one...

~Happy Birthday to Grandma! ... and Happy Spring! to you!

Friday, March 20, 2015

...Make your own Power Scrubber...for less than $2...

...y'all already know how therapeutic I think scrubbing is...

...but...as I was scrubbing the bathtub the other day...I thought...there's got to be a better way...

...and this is what I've come up with...I really love it...
...I went to the local hardware store...and got a scrubber...the kind designed to have dish soap in the little container...a nut and a bolt (there are two here but you'll only need one...save the other one for something else)...and a couple of lock washers and a flat washers...

...the scrubber was $1 in their $Dollar Days$ section...and the washers were 5¢ each and the bolts 25¢...so less than $2...

...you see where this is going don't you?...
...take off the dish soap container...you won't need it...I saved it...but haven't yet found another use for it...but I'm thinking I'll use it as a travel container for my hair elastics...since it won't need to be water/air tight...without the little plunger of course...

...you could probably use any type of round scrubber...you'd just have to drill a hole in the center...and it might wobble a bit if you didn't get it perfectly centered...this type of scrubber is perfect because the center hole is already there...
...slip one lock washer on your bolt...
...then slip it through the hole in the scrubber...
...then add your flat washer and the other lock washer and tighten down your nut...

...and you're done...so...so easy...
...put it in your drill...and tighten the chuck...
...and now you're ready to scrub...
...so quick and fun and effortless...


...a couple of videos of the power scrubber in action...



...this seriously cuts down the scrubbing time...

~Have a lovely day!

Thursday, March 19, 2015

...Vegan Twice Baked Potatoes...

...when I was little...I loved it (really LOVED it) when my Mom would make twice baked potatoes...they were special occasion food at our house...

...so I think it's kinda funny that they're one of Scout's very favorite foods too...
...we start with baked potatoes...of course...
...slice them open...
...scoop out the insides...hold them with a towel...they're hot...
...leave enough of the potato in the shell so that they don't collapse...
...and put the shells back on the baking sheet...
...put the fluffy insides in a bowl...
...mix up some vegan sour cream...I used the sour cream recipe at My Vegan Cookbook...or you could use a prepared sour cream like tofutti...
...add some chives and salt and pepper...
...whip that all together...
...spoon it back into the shells...
...top with some Vegan cheese...we used Daiya Cheddar Shreds...
...pop 'em back into the oven...
...and bake until the cheese is melted and tops are lightly browned and the potatoes are warmed through...
...I didn't realize how blond this meal was...haha...there was salad as well...
...so delicious...
...fluffy...creamy...potato-y...goodness...I'll have to make them more often...

...what's your favorite childhood food?...

~Have a lovely day!