Gave in to the Pallet Hype

So... We finally gave into the pallet craze and look what we've done now haha. My husband LOVES it and I like it but it's slowly growing on me :).

Antique Frame Before & After

Soooo my husband and I went thrifting not too long ago and he convinced me to get this frame for $30. I thought that was too much- but the antique owner said she got it from an estate and the frame was very very old... Needless to say I bought into the story and forked over the $30. We decided to turn it into a cute little chalk board for our dining room. It was a fun little project that definitely adds character to the space :)!!

Steamed Fresh

Now that the warm weather is here and the fruits and veggies are plentiful, I love to eat a little lighter... And oh how I love mushrooms and squash :) YUMMY!!

Dreaming of azaleas

I want to plant some of these sooo badly! They're gorgeous and it would be so wonderful to be able to look at them whenever I wanted! :) Have any of you planted your own? Any recommendations or advice? Here are some pictures from my neighborhood:

Soul Food

This recipe has all the elements of home style comfort and soul. Try it and you'll make it an instant family favorite just as I did. I found a base recipe online somewhere but made it my own. Here's what you need:

1 package all natural cheese filled tortellini
1 jar Alfredo sauce
Fresh mushrooms diced (however many you like)
Fresh bundle asparagus
Rotisserie chicken breast (your discretion)
1/4 cup shredded cheese

I cook everything and chop it up small except for the tortellini. (I cook that but don't chop it :)). I add it all into a big bowl and stir together until it looks like pure yumminess. Then I transport it into an 8x8 lightly greased baking dish and top with italian breadcrumbs. I bake it at 350 for 10 minutes and top with fresh avocado... Then I devour it until I go into an amazing food coma and promise myself I'll run 5 miles tomorrow lol... Good luck with the latter. ;) and enjoy!! Xo

Fill me up with goodness!!

This is one of my FAVORITE go to snacks for fullness and satisfaction and also health... :)
It's simple and delicious!

1 banana sliced
3 sliced strawberries (approx)
2 tbsp of all natural peanut butter (or almond)
A sprinkle of organic granola

Enjoy xo

Valentine's Crayon Art

So... I was asked to do some crayon art, involving hearts. I have previously done the big crayon art on the canvas and it turned out OK, so I thought I would give this one a shot... Well... it didn't turn out as cute as I had in my head, but the kids loved doing it and they like how it turned out... so that's all that matters. I forgot to mention that this is part of their teacher gifts for V-day. :)

I started with a blank canvas and some chopped up crayons...

Then I hot glued them, and started the blow dryer. I used low heat on hot . It takes a few minutes to get the crayons going, but once you do, it starts melting like this:

And then it turned out like this: (Not SUPER cute, but hey... it's kids art and it's the thought that counts, riiiggghht??) ;)

Future Ideas :)

I cannot WAIT until spring. I want to be outdoors working on the house, and the yard and re-doing furniture in warm sunny weather. WHERE oh where is spring?? I came across a couple of ideas that I'm playing around with in my head for future inspiration, and honestly I think they're going to turn out sooo cute. Here are a couple, and I will continue to add to the list as they come.... :)

http://img2.etsystatic.com/il_170x135.266363394.jpg

http://img2.etsystatic.com/il_170x135.287735658.jpg

This is the juicer that I have, and I LOVE. I know it's kind of on the cheaper end of things, but we got it for Christmas...and I CANNOT live without it. I juice for me and my husband every morning, and if I don't make it then by about 9:00 I can actually feel my body craving it. I know it sounds weird, but it is sooo true! My favorite juice is greeeeeen, and it gets me going like 5 cups of coffee without the shakes. My secret recipe is as follows:
3 or 4 stalks of kale
1 cucumber
3 or 4 red apples
1 or 2 stalks of celery
This juice is AMAZING! I highly highly highly recommend it. Juicing will change your life. :) I notice differences in my skin, nails, hair, energy levels, digestion... the list goes on. :) I'm a firm believer in juicing on every level and although the above is my favorite... variety is key. :) So happy juicing and if you have any good recipes you'd like to share, I would LOVE to hear them. :)

Up-Cycled

So I have been super busy with some "up-cycling" in my house. Some of those projects have included updating my daughters room. Here's some of the "almost finished" pictures... My mother in-law is working on some new shabby bedding for her, and I would love to find her a chandelier and maybe a vintage vanity still... 

Before I got to this point I had to start with plain white walls, nail holes EVERYWHERE and boring furniture. The nightstand and headboard you see pictured above used to be HIDEOUS, but I bought both for $16 so I'm not complaining. :) This is where I sort of started:

I got some free wallpaper sample books from my local paint store, and Aydan and I picked out the ones that we liked. I just pasted them on the wall with wallpaper paste... As you can see above, her dresser used to be white. :)

I sanded the previously hideous headboard above, then primed it. I bought one of those wood embellishments from Lowe's for $3, glued it on and then painted the whole thing a very shabby greenish color. I sealed with poly and voila. :) I have to say that none of her furniture matched at all, or even came close to coming from the same place... but now it definitely feels unified.

With her dresser I did the same as above, but I lined the drawers with some textured wallpaper and I changed out some of the hardware. The other hardware I simply painted green like the rest of the dresser. :)

This HAS to be my FAVORITE piece of all. I just LOVE the nightstand. I bought this piece for $6 at a local thrift store... and I must say, I really turned it out. :) It was solid wood, but it was dark and rustic and pretty worn out. I should have taken before pictures and I definitely learned my lesson... I was just sooo excited to start it. :) I painted it just like the other furniture, but I pasted and sealed a piece of wallpaper that also matches Aydan's wall on the top. I think it turned out perfectly. You guys will have to let me know what you think of it. :)

We added some accessories, but I wanted to keep her room very simple still. Before as you can tell she just had SOOO much. My kids definitely don't go without... but we had too much going on. Now it's simple, sophisticated and something we can continue to work on as she grows. I think it's coming along really well. The "A" pictured above she actually painted as a little-little girl and last weekend we glued glass beads on all the letters to spell her name. It now resides above her closet, but looks adorable and she had a blast making. The lamp is from one of my previous posts, but you can finally see it in action. :) I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my new stuff, and maybe it even inspired you a little?? ;) I hope so anyway. XO

Flax Fix

I found a new additive for my afternoon smoothie... Coming in at 270 calories I find this TOTALLY worth it :)
- 1 scoop whey protein (vanilla)
- 1 cup silk vanilla light
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
- 1/3 frozen banana
- 1 tbsp flax seed....
Can you say yummmmmy? Even in the winter drinking this in the afternoon I'm full until dinner. :)

New Found Inspiration

Recently I've been looking at re-doing my daughters room. Well, every room really but with my budget I've gotta go one at a time... Ha. I'm thinking very shabby. Here's some things I've come across that I'm considering, what do you think?

Renergy Baby

Rener Gracie is.... Awesome. He's hilarious, great at what he does and he knows a thing or 50 about nutrition. I love watching his YouTube videos. Not only are they insightful, but they're also over the top sarcastic (which I love). Anyway, he has a sandwich that he makes quite often and it's what inspired my lunch today :). Google 'renergy sandwich' and you'll find his exact instructions. Mine are modified to what I had on hand, but it was delicious nonetheless and packed with nutrients. Here's what was in mine:
• bread (whatever you have/like)
• pb ( or almond butter is good too)
• 1/2 avocado
• baby spinach
• raw kale
Now don't be afraid to play around with this and make it work for you. Rener does it a little different, but both are bomb. Try it and see :)

Kids Art

Soo... I'm one of those moms that save EVERYTHING! My kids are in pre-k and 1st grade and I already have 4 huge tubs filled with art work and meaningful things that I want to save. I'm literally over flowing with art in our house. I found a great way to save some of my favorite things the kids do in a cute way that's innovative, confidence boosting for the kids and just creative. We go to the dollar store, pick out frames for them to paint and then we frame our favorite things to hang in their rooms. This way they get to see what they've done, and really be proud of displaying it. :) it's fun and you can recycle pictures, or trade them out every so often... Whatever works for your home :) What are some things that you do at home with your children's saved items??

We are on STRIKE today

We are on STRIKE today

Everyone: Prepare to Strike

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1. If you have a Twitter account, tweet about the #SOPASTRIKE and ask your followers to get ready. You can follow us on twitter for news as the strike gets closer. Go to Blackout SOPA to add ‘STOP SOPA’ to your Twitter image.
2. Post this SOPA Strike page to your Facebook account by clicking here.
3. Get ready for January 18th! Email and tweet at your friends, tell them to tell everyone about the strike. When the day comes, call Congress, tweet like crazy (#SOPASTRIKE), and help the strike appear everywhere!

On Jan 24th, Congress will vote to pass internet censorship in the Senate, even though the vast majority of Americans are opposed. We need to kill the bill - PIPA in the Senate and SOPA in the House - to protect our rights to free speech, privacy, and prosperity.
See this timeline of SOPA and PIPA events and the activist backlash.

Please do your part.

List of senators with contact information.
It's important to write a message or call your senator today. The Senate vote is rapidly approaching.

Feel free to use or adapt this note:

Dear Senator,

I am concerned about the implications SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, and PIPA, the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011, have on our nation’s stance on freedom of speech, in addition to its prospects for economic growth. These bills pose a real threat to every online business in the United States. Furthermore, these bills contradict the United States’ foreign policies, which encourage greater Internet freedom.

Technologists and small businesses have been shut out from the bills’ formative process, and have been denied an opportunity to communicate the issues inherent in this form of legislation. The lobbyists supporting this legislation represent a single portion of this nation’s economy; it is out of bounds to force compliance in a manner that taxes legitimate businesses.

I oppose SOPA, PIPA, and other bills of this nature.

Thank you.

I Need This!! :)

Instant space in your kitchen! I want a white one of course, so I can add moulding, change the knobs and add a thick butcher block top... Photo is from the January HGTV magazine. What do you guys think? It'd look awesome in my kitchen right?? ;)

Awesome Workouts

These are the workouts I LIVE by! They are sooo awesome, and will truly kick your booty! These are all customizable and they're different everyday. :)