Rug: Before and After

I have a confession to make.
We have lived in our current home for THREE years come March.
And for the past three years we have lived like this:


Yes, that is a towel on the floor.
A towel rug, if you will....
Do you think I could market it?

Yeah, I didn't think so either.

But we have a dog, and a muddy yard, and it always made sense.
And because I waited for the towel rug fad to catch on, and it didn't, I finally decided to spend the money to buy a real rug for the entryways.

We started off with one.
You know, to see how we would like it.

I found a neutral and light colored rug (our doggie has white hair that sticks to everything)....
The rug also claimed to be stain resistant and came with a gripper on the back, so no additional money spent and it won't slide.



Can you believe what a huge difference a rug made in our life?
LOVE IT!
Instant warmth, and instant dirt catcher.




I went back and purchased the same rug for the other two doors in our home.

Have you ever made a simple and obvious change and wondered how you ever lived without it?
I have a million on them.

Change of Drawers

We are constantly trying to reshape and reorganize our home based on how we live

Although it may take a while to figure out the flow of our life, making a change makes things a LOT easier!

Case and point!

For the past SIX years we have had a child-sized desk in our home.

This desk was quite old....an antique even. 

And not only was it an antique, the desk was passed down from my husband's grandfather.

I used it for my scrapbooking table for a while.

But I have always complained that it was too small. I couldn't spread out my "ideas."

I could barely get my feet to fit underneath, and I am a pretty tiny gal!

This is the only photo I have - and you can't even see what it looked like! 

 

Since moving to Virginia, the desk has been used as a dumping ground for clothes.

After years of debating its real utility, the hubs woke up one morning and said "We HAVE to get rid of this thing!" 

I told him to sit on the decision for a few days to make sure there were no regrets. Letting go of something you have had your whole life is quite difficult. After two weeks, we finally took it to a nearby (awesome) furniture store and "sold" it to them at the cost of a new pair of jeans -for me, not my cheap husband ;)

We have since been looking for a Chest of Drawers...so instead of creating mountains of clothes that do not fit in our dresser, we can actually calm the chaos.

 

I recently came across a site that sells modern furniture with FREE SHIPPING!!!

The CSN site offers an array of furniture, storage options and accessories. 

I have to show you some of the options available in Chests for the bedroom!

What do you think of the Taylor Chest?

 

Then there is the Applewood Chest in Cappuccino!

There are so many wonderful options, that I truly cannot decide which would be the best fit with our bedroom current furniture. 

I do know that I am definately ready for a change of drawers!

Do you have things that you are holding on to that you don't really love?

Do you have places in your home that could be better utilized?

Please share!

Shout Out Sunday

I absolutely have to share these products with you. 

They are AMAZING! 

Just amazing.

Essentially, these are free endorsements from me!

I have talked to you before about our love for fish. 

Last month, we discovered Parmesan Crusted Tilapia from Treasures from the Sea. 

Typically, I stray away from most premade food, but these seemed to pass the test. 

Straight from the freezer to the oven, no thaw out necessary. 

And they are incredibly delicious.   

I can't even describe how flavorful they are, you just HAVE to try them.

We purchased them at Sam's, but they may be available in other stores.

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We tried tortilla chips by Archer Farms (Target).

 We bought the Multi-grain Tortillas for about $2.50.

They are cheaper than national brands and are far superior.

The multi-grain includes corn, brown rice, flax seeds, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds.

Flax seeds provide Omega-3 (like fish!).

The chip has just a hint of salt, but not too salty

(which is something I hate about national brand tortilla chips.)

They are crispy and study, and fabulous for dipping.

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Are there any products that you have added into your grocery cart that you love?

Strawberry Puree!

Fresh strawberries will keep longer if you:

1) Do not wash until you are ready to eat

2) Do not cut the strawberries until you are ready to use

Keep this in mind when you put them in the fridge!

I wanted to puree strawberries for a recipe (I will be posting later).

I am going to show you how to do it.

Rinse well, and cut off the green tops.

Separate according to 1 cup portions to give you an idea of what you are working with...

1 cup of whole strawberries is not the same as 1 cup pureed strawberries. 

I am thinking it was 1 1/5 cups of whole strawberries equates to 1 cup pureed.

Enlist the help of your children to help slice.

Wait! 

Children shouldn't use knives!

No worries, he is using a child safe butter knife!

Throw your strawberries in the blender and push the puree button.

The blender knows exactly what to do!

Once you have a liquid, you can use it as you please!

Recipes for baking! 

Pour over angel food cake or french toast!

I also wanted to freeze some puree for later.

I had already planned what I would be using it for later.

*MOST* recipes call for 1 1/5 cups puered strawberries.

My recipes called for 2 cups.

I  measured 2 cup portions and placed into freezer bags.

Flatten the bag and smoosh the puree around, leaving room for expansion as it freezes.

Your finished product will look like this!

Find a flat object in your freezer and place on so the bag will retain its flat shape.

This is a fabulous space saving tip! 

There are a few cookbooks that encorporate pureed goods into the recipes for an added health benefit.

You puree any food in the same manner!

I own Deceptively Delicious (Thanks Lindsay!)

My friend Paige lives by The Sneaky Chef.

Check them out at your local library and let me know what you think!

Strawberry Season!

Last weekend, we took a trip to a nearby orchard that has strawberries during May.
The trip was amazing.
No one in my family had ever been to a strawberry patch and picked strawberries directly from the vine!

We walked away with 11 lbs of freshly picked strawberries!
I think had the kiddos not grown so tired, we would have gotten more.

I learned several things while there, and I wanted to share in case you are able to pick strawberries!

**Tip Number 1**
Do not wear white.

 I don't care how determined you are to stay cool (white reflects light) or match your daughter's white and red plaid dress - white is not a good idea.

I will state the obvious.  Strawberry juice is very staining!

**Tip Number 2**
Take some form of wet wipe or baby wipe with you. 

I don't care if your husband makes fun of you for taking your suitcase sized purse filled with wipes, take the wipes with you.  Doing so will help prevent further handprints, as forementioned in Tip Number 1.

**Tip Number 3**
Use a garden knee mat.
if you have one.  If not, go to Tarjay and buy one from their dollar spot.

My knees were wet and dirty from resting my knees after growing tired of crouching.

**Tip Number 4**
Take a snack and water for your kiddos.
Children will grow tired of being at the patch quickly.  Having  a snack (no, they will not get filled up from strawberries....they will only want something different to eat).

**Tip Number 5**
Do not fall for the unique beauty of large berries. 
My husband was amazed and picked many berries that were larger than normal.  These berries are not as sweet and delicious as the smaller berries.

**Tip Number 6**
Do not pick more berries than you can actually use.
Fresh berries spoil quickly!  Have some idea of what you intend to do with the berries and how many you need in order to not waste your time, hard work and money! 

No worries though! 
I have a few strawberry recipes to share so you will have an idea of where to start with the berries!

One of my favorite things is to slice strawberries, and toss with spinach leaves and red peppers.
Check back later for more! 

And if you go strawberry picking, have a wonderful time!!