Progress in Our Dining Room

I make myself crazy watching HGTV shows because I am constantly thinking about how I can utilize their ideas in our house.  I like so many styles, so it's hard to decide what fits best in our house.  I think our style would be somewhere in between modern and traditional.

The room in our house that Greg and I decided was completely mine was the Dining Room.  I didn't have to have his approval for any design concepts, colors or decorations; however, Greg has been a great supporter of the process and has been a huge help accomplishing our projects.  The concept for this room is modern, yet comfortable, chic, and fun.

I've done my best taking some before and after photos.  I was able to take a picture of the original decorations of the previous owner, which one can tell from the picture was very traditional.

Our dining room table is the first and only piece of furniture that Greg and I spent a considerable amount on money on.  We also bought a China cabinet for the room off of Craigslist that we wanted to refinish and update the hardware to make it fit in the room and match our table better. 

I typically see gray's in modern rooms on HGTV, and I typically like gray's that have a hint of purple in them.  I took a bunch of gray paint swatches with me to JoAnn Fabrics in order to choose a bold fabric that I liked that I had planned on wrapping around canvases and hanging on the wall.  I found a girly fabric that Greg liked as well, and this is what I have based the room around.

We finally found a mirror to hang on the wall, and it makes a huge statement.  We orignally weren't planning on having a mirror, but we both are happy with the outcome.  Anyway, up next is finishing the China cabinet, choosing fabric for the curtains, and decorating.  We will post again when it is completed!

Stinky Abby

I let Abby out this morning around 5:45 AM, and she sprinted across the yard barking for the intruder to leave.  I was afraid to look outside, but I knew I had to get my dog back inside before the neighbors complained about her ferorcious barks.  As I peered out the door calling her name, I saw some creature slowly moving through my neighbors aluminum fence and traveling through his yard.  Abby finally came inside, and I fed her breakfast.

I continued to pour myself a bowl of cereal where I smelled as if something was burning.  I checked the oven and it was off.  I smelled the sink, and nothing was coming from there.  I convinced myself I was crazy, and I went into the Living Room to watch the news.  Abby finished her breakfast, came in the Living Room and started rolling on the carpet as usual; however, today she rolled more than usual.  Then, she rolled all over her bed, which she doesn't use too often, so then I knew something was up.

She continued towards me and I grabbed her head and smelled the source of the stinkiness in our house.  I called up to Greg, "Greg, I think Abby may have been sprayed by a skunk," and his response, "Yeah, I can smell it all the way up here in our room."  He was already researching skunks on his phone and said it is the oils from their spray that are extremely hard to get rid of, and only special shampoo gets it off a dog's fur.

I immediately bathed Abby, and soaped up her head really good.  I wish I would have gotten a picture of this because she looked so cute.  We didn't allow Abby in our room while we were gone at work, and she was left to her dog pillow, where I know she is holding a grudge towards me for treating her like a dog and not a member of our family who deserves better than a pillow on the ground that one actually calls a bed.  I wasn't fooling Abby...

The house still stinks when you leave and then come back in.  Chase hestitates walking in the Living Room and smells the areas on the carpet with extreme care wondering what has caused such the bad smell.  I think he also understands that Abby is the one spreading it through the house because he doesn't want to play with her tonight.  I told Greg that we are going to have to get our carpets cleaned sooner than we had planned, so don't worry, we will take care of it before anyone visits again.

My Funny Valentine

I told most of you Happy Valentine's Day with an email revealing this blog, but if I missed anyone, then Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

Our Valentine's Day started off with me making Greg eggs and a fruit cup for breakfast, and he was very appreciative of it.  I realize that cooking for Greg is the way to his heart.  I packed his lunch for work that day, and I had a nice dinner planned, so I was excited for the evening to make dinner and surprise him with the blog.

I tried a recipe that my Mom had given me called My Funny Valentine, which cooks Lobster Newburg with lobster tails, mushrooms, shallots and green peas, and Lemon-Butter Parslied Potatoes, that I substituted with sweet potatoes.


What is it Supposed to Look Like



What Ours Looked Like

Despite the differences in pictures, the meal turned out delicious! 

We spent the rest of the romantic evening watching The Biggest Loser, and I revealed the blog over a commercial and we read the stories together.  Greg loved the idea of the blog, and he's excited that I'll have something to work on while he is on his computer.

Juicin'

We went out looking for furniture this weekend and came home with a juicer.  I was thinking about getting Greg a juicer for Christmas, but it was too important of a decision to not have his input.  After doing some research, I found that people are very particular about their juicers and sometimes it's better to get a starter juicer before one gets into serious juicing and learns all the tricks.  So, consider this, our starter juicer, the Jack Lalanne Juicer.

After getting home around 11 PM, we couldn't wait until the next day to start using it.  Luckily we had pretty many fruits and vegetables in the house to make our first cup, which contained carrots, apples, and grapes.  Each cup had around 3 carrots, a handful of grapes and 1 apple.  It actually turned out pretty good and my favorite so far.

We went to Aldi's the next morning to load up on fruits and vegetables for our new lives as juicers.  We bought a ton of produce for only $27, so that made me happy.  For lunch we made the Green Machine, which contained cucumbers, kiwis, apples and broccoli flowers.  This one was not my favorite, but we told ourselves we liked it because we knew it was good for us.

The juicer came with recipes not only for juice mixes, but also ways to use the pulp in healthy recipes.  I used the apple pulp and small amount of juice and mixed it with flour, wheat flour, honey, cinnamon and milk to make apple spice muffins.  They were just okay...maybe too healthy for us.  I was thinking about mailing some to Mackie for Valentine's Day, but they weren't good enough for her standards.  Sorry, Mack, we'll send you another sample sometime.

The Green Machine

 

 

Apple Spice Muffins