Author: Suz

Categories
Photography

Week 3 Project 365

So far so good on my project 365. Although I did have to scrounge a little one night.  I need to remember to keep my small camera in my purse so I can take more photos out & about.

Day 15 Alethea & I went for a walk since Saturday was such a beautiful day.  She’s cleaning out her bookshelves & I came home with this stack to add to my TBR pile. 🙂

Day 16 Late Saturday night I made these blueberry muffins.  I thought this one looked especially yummy {& it was!} so I made it Sunday’s 365.

Day 17 I was off work Monday & did the guest room redo with our new Lilly Pulitzer set.  We love it!

Day 18 I {with the help of our crockpot} made a thrown together version of white bean chicken chili.  I loved it & ate it for three meals last week.

Day 19 I was happily shocked when the doorbell rang Wednesday night and it was my Rue La La Lilly sale purchase.  I tried the dress on & love it.

Day 20 Thursday night after a fun dinner with my Raleigh Chi Omega alum group, I came home and enjoyed a glass of wine & one of those little Dove caramels.

Day 21 Friday night Jason & I watched Inception & ate frozen pizza.  A took of photo of that to use for this, but when Moe started in on a hardcore bath, I had to snap a few shots.  I love how this one got him in action!

How was your week?

Categories
Food

What I made already this week

I was busy Monday & Tuesday.  You already have seen the guest room redo.  I’ve also been busy in the kitchen. 

I was one of those crazy people who signed up for the “Pay It Forward in 2011” facebook thing.  I hope I’ve got something coming from the talented Pami; I owe 5 now 4 friends homemade goodies.  I made Eileen from work my “famous” oreo brownies Monday night.  They were supposed to be for her family, but after coworkers heard they were at her desk, I think she only went home with half the pan!  I also made a pan for us & half that pan {all those on the plate photo’d below} went to Jason’s work.  Oh, and since I was making 2 8×8 pans instead of a 9×13 I used the whole thing of Oreo {half inside & half crumbled on top}.

For Monday dinner, I tried another of the Mable’s Meals recipes.  This one called for four ingredients & said only took 20 minutes.  And y’all, it got a thumbs up from Jason.
Cream of Mushroom Chicken
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 c sliced mushrooms
4 chicken breasts (I used three)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
salt/pepper to taste

Heat oil {I did medium high} in medium skillet.  Add chicken & saute covered for 4 minutes.  Flip over chicken & continue cooking covered for another 3 minutes.
Lower heat {I lowered to medium}, add mushrooms, & continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
Add can of soup & stir well. Keep covered & simmer on low for 10 minutes {or until chicken no longer pink}; stirring occasionally.
We served over brown rice {but were too hungry & forgot to photo it plated} & had enough for Jason lunch leftovers!

Random Crockpot White Bean Chicken was dinner Tuesday & my lunch today.
Ingredients
3 chicken breasts
sliced mushrooms
can white beans, drained
2 cans diced tomatoes

We left in the crockpot all day on low. I shredded my chicken breast & topped with a little mozzarella cheese & ate like it was soup.  Jason ate the chicken breast topped & sided with the soup.

Can’t help but end with a super cute Moe & hubby photo.  This is Moe’s favorite sleep spot now~on & with a paw over Jason’s new chill pants!

Categories
Everything Else

Guest Room Redo

I excitedly redid our guest bed on my day off Monday.  I went into the room Sunday & realized that the current theme of blues & reds wasn’t going to work with the new green spread .

Before makeover

So on top of removing the old spread, pillows, & dust ruffle, I switched out the old square pillow {put it inside the new one}, the curtain, & removed everything off the two selving units & redid them too.  This room before was my college & first year post-college room just moved into a new house.  To be honest, I’d done nothing different since we moved in 2006.  It was time.  I kept all the owls, just reshuffled & spread them around a little.  The bright red ladybugs that were not cute or broken were removed & the others mixed in with the owls around the room.  There’s now a small stack for GoodWill & the linens to be washed & put away. 

I’d ordered the queen coverlet {so we could tuck it in to avoid Moe’s pica} and the dust ruffle {they’d sold out of the white in double}.  Because of that I had to do a bit of tucking & folding to make it fit.  I wasn’t exactly sure what a coverlet was {it’s a light quilt for those also not in the know}.  Since it’s not as thick as the normal spread on that bed, I added a chocolate brown heavy quilt underneath.  We had a chocolate brown black-out curtain in the office so I switched that into this room.  My pottery barn kids owl sheets (which are mostly greens, pinks & browns) now match perfectly in the room. Oh & I’m so happy that I stacked my Outlander collection {I’ve been getting them from paperbackswap then got the most recent at Costco} topped with a book loving owl.  Moe approves of the new bed too!

The print now does not match.  I looked for a new one at Home Goods today but didn’t find any that I thought would work.  I figured something a little beachy still & not with a huge amount of color since this is already a busy room.  I found 3 different white shell framed prints I liked, but they didn’t go together.  I’d love to find three that worked or one.  Anyone seen something like that recently?  I think we’re all ready for guests…What do you think?

Categories
Everything Else

Rue La La Lilly Sale

I woke up around 10a, ate a couple of the blueberry muffins I made last night, and signed into Rue La La!  I found 2 sweaters I loved immediately & they had the “Cedar Knit” Lines & Vines Dress that I’ve been eying for months.  I also loved the Worth Carson’s Grandstand dress.

Husband was sitting near me on the couch & ruled out going a little crazy on all three.  Then when I tried to just buy the Halle Limade sweater in large, I realized I’d missed out {I didn’t follow my own suggestion & just had it in my shopping bag}.  The Hearst Hotty pink sweater & Worth dress were gone before I knew it too.  So I thought about the green one in xlarge & just rolling up the sleeves…Then I remembered the couple weddings & wedding showers this spring/summer/fall & thought the Cedar Knit dress would be perfect for it.  I quick bought it {once I updated my credit card on the site}.  So excited the dress is on it’s way to me!!

What deals did you get?  They had lots of little girls dresses for $25.  Anyone get any of them?

Categories
Food

Blueberry Muffins

Jason loves blueberry muffins.  He doesn’t like fru-fru ones with special crumb toppings or any of that jazz.  Like Martha White from the bag is cool with him.  I wanted to do a little better than that {although Martha Whites are good for a quick & easy muffin}.

I searched & found three blueberry muffin recipes Friday.  I decided I wanted to try the Paula Dean one. {1} its Paula Dean so it’s going to be good. {2} it had the least number of ingredients. {3} it made the least muffins {said 12 but I made15} & was considered “easy”. {4} doesn’t use stand mixer so easy clean up.  I decided to take advantage of the food scene on the D5000 & took 53 photos!  Thought I’d share my favorites.

Blueberry Muffin {2008 Paula Dean from the food network}
Ingredients
2 c all purpose flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 c sugar
1 stick unsalted butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
3/4 c milk {recipe said whole, I used skim}
1 1/2 c fresh blueberries
1/2 c brown or white sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Grease muffin tin {I used 6 cup non-stick & 12 cup silicone one}.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder & sugar.  In a smaller bowl, melt the butter, add egg then milk & stir together.  Pour the wet into the dry ingredients.  Stir using a spoonula until just combined {might be lumpy}.  Gently fold in the blueberries {be careful not to break them}.

Spoon the batter into the greased cups about 2/3 full.  Bake 10 mins then remove from oven.  Sprinkle the tops of each muffin with the 1/2 c sugar.  I thought 1/2 c was too much so I probably used more like 1/3 c.

Return the muffins to the oven & bake another 10-15 mins or until golden brown & they pass the toothpick test.  We don’t like them very brown, so after 12 mins, once a fork came out clean, I took them out.  Let cool 10 mins then enjoy!