Kitchen Dreams

I really have a desire to paint my kitchen cabinets. I've seen so many bloggers post transformational pics of their kitchens. Just a few minor details can really change the look of a kitchen. We don't have the money to put in new cabinets, but painting them can really give our 80s kitchen a face lift and make the cabinets last much longer.

So, painting cabinets is on my "to-do" list. I don't know when we'll get this project done. I'd like to say by summer, but definitely by the end of the year. Part of the time frame will also determine when we can purchase new counter tops, because if you'll remember, our current counter tops are off-white, which won't match what I really want to do.

I've been looking at lots of pics to try and determine exactly how I want to paint them. I have red dishes and lots of black accents, so I wanted to choose something that would work with that. I really love white cabinets with black counter tops like these.

My only concern is that my black coffeepot, mixer and knives may not look good sitting on black counter tops. So, I could go with a lighter counter top like this:

But I really love that black counter top! What do you think? Have you seen any kitchens you love?

Super Bowl Sunday Par-tay

It's Super Bowl Sunday and you know what that means, right?!? Good food and funny commercials! (You thought I was going to say football, didn't you?)

Our friends, Susan and Ernie, invited our family over to watch the Super Bowl. By "our family" I mean Landon, me, and our two dogs, Bug and Mitsu. 

Susan and Ernie have two dogs, too, and Bug and Mitsu love them. Matter of fact, every time we go to their house, I don't think Bug and Mitsu want to leave!

Well, in order to get ready for the party, I spent time yesterday making some food. Ernie is part of a group at his church called the "Holy Smokers." They smoke various meats and sell them to help fund missions. They recently cooked some ribs and pork, which we are going to get to enjoy tonight! Susan asked me to bring an appetizer and a side dish to go along with it, so I chose to make Spinach and Artichoke Dip and Potato Salad.

The Spinach and Artichoke Dip recipe is one my mom gave me. It's very easy and so good. Here's what you need:

Two 8 oz. blocks of cream cheese

One can of artichoke hearts, chopped

One package of frozen spinach

One stick of butter
Half a package of Parmesan cheese
garlic powder

Cook the spinach according to the package. Add the chopped up artichokes to the spinach while it is cooking. In a separate pan, melt the butter. Add the cream cheese, spinach, artichokes and a cup of Parmesan. Add garlic powder to taste. Place in a baking dish and cover with more Parmesan cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

The dip is good with tortilla chips, bagels chips and even veggies. Here's a pic of mine before it went in the oven. It looks even better once it's all hot and gooey, but I'll be finishing it up tonight right before the party.

On top of all of my party cooking, I also decided to make homemade Red Beans and Rice from my newest cookbook for dinner last night. It was about a two-and-a-half hour process but so worth it! Doesn't it look good?!?

Mmmm ... I can't wait to chow down tonight! What are your plans for the big game?

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

It's been an unusually strange week. On Tuesday, we got caught up in the nationwide winter storm and received an inch or two of ice. That created one complete day of being "ice-bound" inside. Wednesday, I ventured, very slowly, to work. I never made it over 20 mph and my normally 20-minute drive took 40 minutes. By Thursday, I had a client in town and ended up driving, still slowly, all over Dallas. I told one of my coworkers that I was getting way too comfortable driving on sheets of ice! 

Last night, before going to bed, the weather man predicted we could receive one to three inches of snow. Well, imagine my surprise when I woke up to six inches of white, fluffy snow! 

Wow! So, we had another day inside. Landon did venture out to try and find some firewood (though the store was sold out) and purchase some milk. Tomorrow is supposed to be our first day since Monday to get above freezing, so I'm hoping some of this wintry wonderland will finally melt away. 

The ironic thing is that just last weekend, it was in the 70's and we were wearing flip flops and eating outside! The cold weather has definitely affected my productivity. I'm definitely ready for warmer weather.

Tonight, we finally decided to do some decorating with a purchase from last weekend's trip to IKEA.

While we were painting the dining room, one of our small mirrors ended up laying in the floor in this space in our office/craft room:

After it sat there for a week, we decided that we really like it! The space can be seen from the hallway leading from the living room to the bedrooms. It really opened up the space. 

So, we went on the hunt for a mirror to put there. Before our IKEA trip, I browsed the website and considered this "Mongstad" mirror:

But when we were in the store, we measured it and determined it definitely wouldn't fit in our space. I didn't think we were going to find anything, until we walked up and saw this one:

It's the "Hemnes" and it was perfect! So, we made the purchase and brought it home. 

We attempted to hang it up using Hercules hooks.

If you have never used these, they are great. They will support a large amount of weight. Landon's sister and mom originally found them. We've almost used all the ones they gave us so I guess we'll be buying more soon!

I say "attempted" because we got one hook in but when we went to put in the other, it just wouldn't go. Perhaps we ran into a stud or some other weird issue, but it just would not go in. So, we ended up using a normal screw on that side. But, we've never had an issue with the Hercules hooks before, so I still recommend them. 

And, here's what it looked at in the end:

Sorry the pic's not the best. I had lost my "natural light" by the time I got ready to take the picture. (Notice I was trying to stay out of it, too.) Plus, I really need a new camera.

Anyway, it actually looks pretty good! Plus, I have a new place to review my outfits before leaving the house.

Channeling My Inner Girl Scout

Last weekend, in preparation for church on Sunday, Landon needed to cut up vegetables for the kids to use as stamps. I asked if he was planning to make potato stamps, but he didn't know what those were. Luckily, I remembered using them to make a shirt back in my Girl Scout days. So, I went to work.

Viola! Glad to know all those Girl Scout meetings paid off!

The stamps worked great. If you've never made these and have kids, then you should give them a try. They'll be some of the cheapest stamps you'll ever buy!

IKEA Wish List

When Landon, Laura and I were at IKEA this weekend, we found a few things that are officially now on my "wish list." 

First, we saw these great chairs that I think would be perfect for our sunroom.

POÄNG Chair

It may not look that comfortable, but it really is! It also has a little foot stool, that makes it even better. Landon and Laura really liked them.

We also have been throwing around the idea of getting a sofa bed, so that if we were lucky enough to have several family members come visit at the same time (hint, hint you guys) that we would have enough places for everyone to sleep. So, we took a look at the IKEA selection and found this one that we really liked.

MÅNSTAD Sofa Bed

What's great about this sofa bed, is that there is storage underneath the chaise lounge. The "bed" pulls out from underneath the love seat section. It's comfy too.

 

We were originally thinking about putting this in the sunroom but after measuring it out, we think it would take up the entire room and just be too much. So, we are now thinking about putting it in our living room. Our current furniture, which was bought a few years ago from Rooms to Go is falling apart, so we've had furniture on our "wish list" for a while now. This may be the first step ... we'll see!