Inspiration for Master Bedroom Makeover

I have overused my excuse that we are still in the process of "moving in" to explain my sad bedroom situation.  I guess I need to accept that now, after living in our home for over 8 months we are as moved in as we're ever gonna be.  The bedroom situation has got to change.  I haven't really done anything to decorate yet because I didn't want to just throw things up because I had them; I really wanted to make our bedroom a place that I love and am proud of.  I have been working slowly on collecting components that will make up my bedroom makeover, but have been stuck for quite some time on color choices.  Currently, my bedroom walls are a deep grey/blue color (cargo from Kwal Howell).  I loved the color when I first chose it and was planning on accenting our bedroom with black and white/cream (hence the fabric choice for my wingback chair).  Since we've been here though it just hasn't seemed to sit well with me.  I assumed it was just because all of my furniture and accessories weren't finished and that it would look great with the accents.  Anyway after brewing over this for months it finally occurred to me that it would be ridiculous to "make things work" and decorate a room around a color scheme that I really don't even want!  I decided to wipe the slate clean.  With no pre-determined requirements, I started saving pictures of any bedrooms/ bedroom components that I loved.  My guess is that you will realize much more quickly than I did what color scheme/ style I am going for in my bedroom and what the most important (and simple) change is that I need to make.

I loved several things in this room:

1) the gorgeous linen headboard

2) the antiqued silver night stand with fabulous elegant legs

3) the assortment of accent pillows in a fairly monochromatic color scheme

4) the neutral bedding

What I didn't love:

1) the intensity of the wallpaper (too feminine for a bedroom shared by a man and woman in my opinion) and overwhelming on all walls.

 What I love:

1) the clean white lamps with clean white lampshades

2) the pale blue/ gray walls

3) vintagey white night stands

4) monochromatic neutral bedding with lots of accent pillows

5) Let's not forget the obvious here: the gorgeous (and super expensive I am sure) headboard accent and cream linen headboard

6) What I think I see peeping out from the side- clean white curtains

What I don't love:

1) Walls are a tich too blue/ almost purple

                                                                     

What I love:                                                                        

1) the GORGEOUS tufted linen headboard                    

2) the monochromatic neutral bedding in clean white and soft creams/ tans

3) the gorgeous french provincial night stand in a soft grey/ silver finish

4) the clean white curtains

5) neutral cream lamp and lampshade

6) the pale tone to the walls  

What I don't love:

1) walls are too purple in color

2) the chandelier- don't get me wrong, I LOVE chandeliers and particularly feminine glass/ crystal chandeliers but this one just rubs me the wrong way for some reason...

 

Are we starting to see a theme here?

 

Here are some pictures that include components I would like to see in my bedroom (though I may not particularly love the bedroom as a whole).



 



Mirrored night stand, grey/ light blue color scheme





White chair rail and decorative molding boxes, clean white bedding









soft grey walls, clean neutral bedding 

SOOO here is what it took Penny Wenny 8 months to realize:

• I don't want dark walls! 
• I like a monochromatic color scheme
• I love my "clean" whites and "creamy" creams
• I love elegant lines on furniture
• I love mirrors on night stands
• I love neutral linen tufted headboards
• I LOVE molding

Finally I know exactly how I want this room to look and I have come up with a game plan on a thrifty gal's budget using as many of my own components as possible.  First, I need to paint!  Buh-bye dark blue, hello soft grey.  Second, my sweets and I will install chair rail and decorative molding... eeek!  I can hardly contain my excitement about this one because it took much convincing on my behalf for him to realize how gorgeous molding is and that it doesn't only belong in museums. Silly boy. Lastly, and quite possibly the most fun part- furniture and decorating! Fortunately I already have most of the furniture and accent pieces that are going to make my bedroom the sanctuary that I want it to be.  It's just a matter of painting and refinishing them to the color and style that I want.  I can't wait to show you what I have pulled up my sleeve!  Hopefully we don't all have to wait another 8 months for me to reveal this exciting transformation.  

Ladies and gentlemen, bring on the paint.

Penny Wenny's Slow Cooker Creamy Salsa Chicken

If you're like me when winter time hits, you lose the desire to cook but are always craving yummy comfort foods.  Or maybe it's just me.  This is when the crock pot comes in handy.  I wanted to try a salsa chicken recipe but none of them I pulled up had exactly what I wanted.  So naturally, I made my own.  It turned out wonderfully and was of course super easy to throw together.  I was salivating all day today with the delicious smell coming from the kitchen.

Penny Wenny's Slow Cooker Creamy Salsa Chicken 

Ingredients:
- 2-3 chicken breasts
- approx 2 cups salsa (I used medium heat and about 2/3 of the jar that was left)
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can corn, drained
- approx 1/2 tsp cumin
- approx 1/2 tsp chili powder
- (1) 8 oz block cream cheese or neufchatel (1/3 less fat- still tastes great for cooking)

Directions:
Place chicken in slow cooker; add salsa, black beans, corn, cumin and chili powder; cook on low for approx 4 hours until chicken is tender and shreds easily.  Shred chicken with a fork, add cheese and cook on low for approx 30 more minutes or until cheese is melted.  Mix together. 

We served the chicken over flour tortillas (Don Julio ones that you cook yourself in a pan) with shredded iceberg lettuce, a drizzle of ranch and a squeeze of lime.

Had my fridge been better stocked, I would have also added chopped tomatoes and fresh cilantro.  BUT it was honestly still so delicious as basic as we ate it.  You could also serve this over Mexican rice, or in a tostada salad. 

Enjoy!

By the way I just thought I would share with you my embarrassing story of the day.  I made the brilliant mistake of wearing cowboy boots today with absolutely no traction.  I walked down the driveway to wheel the garbage can back in, and Trav threw a fit that we had to go back in.  He did the full body tantrum bit, so I picked him and and started back towards the house holding him in one arm and pulling the can with my other.  I knew the second I stepped on the ice that what was about to happen wasn't going to be pretty.  I also knew that I would have to sacrifice my bod for little Trav.  After ice skating for a few very long seconds trying to regain my balance, I dropped the can, and unfortunately dropped my body to the ice twisting it so that Trav didn't hit.  This would have been embarrassing enough for myself but lucky for me there were crews working right next to me building a new house, and another set of men down the street building another house.  I had several pairs of eyes on me.  I tried to get up and pretend it was no biggie but you just can't brush that off.  I'm sure I looked like a total idiot.  Hopefully I'm not the only person out there who has done this before.  Trav, be sure to thank your momma for this one day...

Sharing this recipe here:

Dance Workshop with SYTYCD Stars

I feel like I could die tonight and know that I have lived. Seriously. I took my darling girls that I coach to a dance competition today, taught by some of the incredibly talented SYTYCD former contestants (Allison Holker, Kent Boyd, Ade, and Dominic). I was able to actually take two of the classes in the morning, with my faves- Allison and Kent. Just watching them would have been enough for me but to actually learn their choreography and have them share wisdom with me was so incredible.  Allison's class was first.

Please pretend that I did my hair in the morning and didn't sweat profusely for hours before we took this pic.  Um thanks

I fell in love with Allison and her style from the get go in season two on the show and was so sad that she was voted off when she was. I thought she was amazing back then, but watching how much she had grown as a dancer when she came back as an all star was so powerful. Okay I'm getting a little bit cheesy now. Anyone want some crackers with their cheese? Sorry, this is what happens when you attend an all day dance workshop while running on 5 hours of sleep and battling a head cold. Anywho, her class was unbelievable. She made everything seem so cinch. She even commented on how one of the jumps in her combo looks super cool but is honestly "so easy". You should have heard the laughter in the room. We all knew it was a lie. This video is super crappy quality (who was the videographer...seriously?) but hopefully you can see how I left feeling like I could just die.

Kent's class was next and was also a blast.  His style was a blast.  He's dancing next to the gray sports bra/ spandex shorts chick in this one.   

Love him.  My girls are all OBSESSED with him.

I went to my students' classes afterwards to observe and take pics/ videos of what they learned.  Ade taught  them a super fun hip hop dance. 

What a stud.

I know this post wasn't about creating a new delicious concoction or turning a curbside dresser into a piece out of a PB catalogue, but I write about creativity and in my opinion dance defines creativity.  I love love love it and feel so fortunate that I was able to learn from such talented and inspiring people today. 

I hope you enjoyed the cheese; I'm off to bed before I delete this whole embarrassing journal entry post.

Vintage Snack Set

So the beginning of each month at our house = tight wallets because we have just reviewed the last month's budget and realized that we  I overspent on the unnecessary categories like, oh, I dunno, home decor and projects.  Please tell me I am not alone in this.  Anyway I tried really hard to just close my eyes every time I drove past the DI this past week but I really couldn't contain myself anymore yesterday and went in.  I knew there just had to be a plethora of fantastic Christmas decor items that people were tossing this year for me to revamp and love next year.  Unfortunately I didn't find anything for next Christmas.  I did however walk away with this goldmine:

• Glass cookie jar $3 (sadly missing it's lid but no biggie since it's going above my kitchen cabinets)
• Eyelet cream bed skirt $3
• Vintage Anchor Hocking 8 piece glass snack set (still in it's original box) $2.... really
• Red patent leather Candies heels $5
• Darling baby sailor jumper, brand new with tag still on $5
• Old Navy jeans for Trav, $2

I also bought a large roll of cellophane for $2 (not pictured), so I spent a grand total of $21.  I feel like Michael Scott talking about Burlington Coat Factory "You go in there with $645, you are literally a King".  The same rings true with the DI and $21.  Still I felt a little bit guilty about spending on "extras" when we totally overspent last month.  Sigh.  Okay done feeling bad now; moving on.

Why did I buy all of these silly things you ask?  Let me tell you.

Cookie Jar- I have meant to add some pizazz to that sad lonely space between my cabinets and the ceiling (since I was an idiot and opted against upgrading to the 42" cabinets) and I fell in love with the charm of this vintage sticker on the front.  Here she is with a few other nick nacks I had hiding in cupboards.

Bed skirt- truthfully I have no need for this right now but that doesn't mean it won't come in handy down the road.  For now (after a good soak in oxy clean- I'm weirded out by not knowing who owned it before me) I will keep it in my fabric pile to be used on a future project one day.  I think it would be darling to add to the bottom of curtains, or create a little skirt on a seat cushion.  We'll see where she ends up.



Vintage glass snack set- If I ever hosted a tea party with 3 friends, this would be so perfect to use!  Until that happens they will adorn my hutch.



The clothing doesn't really need an explanation... just great deals for me and my handsome little Trav!  I feel so much better spending $2 on a pair of jeans that he is going to grow out of in 3 months than to buy a brand new overpriced pair.  But like I said, I'm cheap. 

Don't worry- that black smudge came right off with a Clorox wipe



I'm still anxiously awaiting your messages about what great deals you have found lately.  Do tell.



Cheesy Vegetable Soup

Happy New Years to All! I can't believe how fast this year flew by. I know that is so cliche to say but it is so true! Having a new baby around, building a house and moving in, and starting a new job kept me so busy that I didn't even realize the months were flying by on the calendar (my porn for women calendar... amazing by the way if you haven't seen one, you need to check it out here). Anyway, 2010 was honestly one of the most joyful years of my life so far. Don't get me wrong, I have had many years of fun but this was a year of joy. I can't believe how gratifying and rewarding motherhood is. It's hard to even remember life before my sweet Travis joined us. I love him with all my heart and continue to love my sweets even more every day, just when I think my heart's capacity has maxed out. 2011, you have some big shoes to fill! So far though the year has treated me well.

I had a fabulous time with my family on New Years Day. My mom has kept up a tradition that Grandma Tecla started of homemade scones for breakfast. We all lounged around my parents house that morning enjoying scones, bacon, sausage, ham and fresh fruit. My sisters and I went to see Inception, which was incredible (if you by chance are the only other person in the world besides me until last week who hasn't seen it). My sweets and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary on the 2nd. He surprised me with a gorgeous bouquet of red roses and lilies. Flowers sure make a girl feel special.

Being the perfectionist type A personality gal that I am, I typically create a mile long list of resolutions each year that I intend to knock out one at a time... and then I beat myself up when I don't do them. SO this year I have decided to be realistic. My single goal this year is to finish a project I have started before I move on to the next one. There. I said it. Now I not only have myself to report to, but you lovely readers. May I ask in advance however that you kindly pretend not to notice if I slip up? I do promise I will do my best. What are your goal(s) this year?

For dinner tonight, I made a delicious Cheesy Vegetable Soup. The recipe came from one my favorite cookbooks, Pinch of Salt Lake, with a few adaptations of my own. We all downed it, even little Trav. He especially loved it since he is learning to serve himself with a spoon like a big boy.

Ingredients

***Monterey jack cheese and milk got left out of the picture...sorry! ***

1 large head broccoli florets (cut off stalks), chopped into bite sized pieces

2 cups diced potatoes

1 medium onion, diced

3 diced carrots

3 diced celery stalks

1/4 cup butter

2 cans chicken broth

2 chicken bouillon cubes

2 cups milk

1/2 cup flour

3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup grated Monterey jack cheese

1 tsp dry mustard

2-3 shakes hot sauce

salt and pepper to taste

shredded Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions

In a large pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery and cook for about 3 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add broth, bouillon, broccoli and potatoes. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for approximately 20 minutes or until veggies are tender. In a small bowl, slowly mix milk into the flour and blend well with a whisk until smooth. Slowly pour milk mixture into soup, while stirring gently (to avoid mushing up the veggies). Do not allow the soup to boil once you have added the milk mixture. Add grated cheese, dry mustard, and hot sauce. Stir until cheese has melted.Season with salt and pepper as needed and top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

I served our soup with some toasted cheesy bread. I always freeze one loaf of my French Bread when I bake it, so it makes it very convenient to just defrost and pop in the broiler with some butter and Parmesan cheese whenever we want some.

Enjoy!

$6 Chandelier

I have mentioned previously that I am an avid visitor of my local thrift store, the DI. I found a true gem a few weeks ago and seriously couldn't believe my luck. This massive chandelier was just waiting there patiently for me to find her, and her price tag? $6. Yeperoo.

I wasn't ecstatic about the charcoal gray color, and intended to spray paint it to better match our homes' rustic bronze lights. Once inside however, it was near impossible to tell that the color wasn't exactly the same as our other lights.

I had the perfect spot for the light, above the stairwell that is right off of our entryway. The existing light that came standard with our home was one of the "boob" lights, you know the kind.

It was so boring and provided hardly any light. The light had been installed really close to the corner, so it wouldn't have worked for us to install such a wide chandelier in that same spot. Also, I wanted it to be centered in our front window so that it could be seen from outside. My sweets was kind enough (after a bit of teeth pulling) to take on this project for me since I'm not brave or knowledgeable enough in the electrical field to take on an endeavor this big (yet). He and his pal got to work for the next few hours to give me this:

I LOVE the way that it turned out. We bought a little $2 swag chandelier hook from Home Depot and screwed that into the beam that fortunately ran right where I needed it to for the light to be centered in the window. The boys installed the wiring and plate where the original light was, and swooped the chain over to the hook they had installed. With (9) lights in this chandelier, it definitely provides light! I feel like the whole house illuminates whenever we turn it on. I am so happy with the way it turned out but may spice it up even more by adding some little shades. What do you think?

Total cost of this project: Chandelier $6, new light bulbs $10, chandelier hook $2; Total cost $18

Not too shabby if I do say so myself. I love being thrifty :)

Christmas Baking- Final Day 5

How is your Christmas baking going? Today is the final day for my Christmas baking post. I had to go out with a classic, Butter Toffee. My mom's traditional recipe uses pecans. I made a batch of this, but also experimented on a second batch with smoked almonds and some dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. I am loving the saltiness of the smoked almonds in everything right now. You can choose which option tickles your fancy more but I am certain that you will be happy with either one in the end. :)

Butter Toffee

Ingredients:
1 LB butter (yes- 1 full pound. Don't worry the calories don't count when you boil it)
6 TBS hot water
2 cups sugar
2 TBS light corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (either pecans or smoked almonds)
12 oz package chocolate chips (I used milk for one batch and 1/2 dark, 1/2 semi-sweet for another batch)


Line a cookie sheet with half of the chopped nuts.

In heavy pan combine butter, water, sugar, corn syrup, salt and butter. I would not suggest using a nice non-stick pan. I use a big old heavy pan for candy. Cook over medium to medium high heat on stove, stirring occasionally till butter has melted. Using a candy thermometer, cook until temperature reaches the soft crack stage, approximately 275 degrees. The candy should turn to a golden color, and you should barely begin to smell a slight "burnt" smell but not so much that it actually is burning. You'll know when it gets to that point.

Not quite there yet but starting to turn golden

Remove from heat, and pour mixture over the chopped nuts.

While the candy is still hot, sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top.

Wait for about 5 minutes for the chocolate to melt, then spread the chocolate with a spatula. Top with remaining nuts.

Refrigerate until completely cooled, approximately 30 min. Break into pieces with a butter knife.

Enjoy!