A Lovely Shade of Gray

When "Ricky" & I moved into our new home we were relieved to find mostly white walls...

 

...aka a clean slate to work with...

...and while our little Ms haven't minded the stark white walls, I was very ready to see them warmed up a bit...

...so for future resale and considering the large amount of shade our home receives we decided on Behr Moth Gray which is a warm, subtle gray tone vs Fred Mertz's suggestion of bright "orange"... 

 ...and so our little Ms enjoyed one last escapade of strawberries with Nutella in our white "breakfast nook"...

 ...before Granddaddy brought forth transformation:)

Yes, it's subtle but that's what we wanted as the house is very shady...

...and at night, it gives just enough contrast to the white trim & our newly painted back door:)

 

Sorry for the poor pic here, but we decided to bring the Moth Gray through the living & dining rooms too for an easy visual flow...

 

...and after Granddaddy has slaved away painting all week, he's still up for more and so our front door is receiving a DIY makeover next:)  Can't wait!!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Tiffany

Crispy GF Potato Croquettes

 

I found myself left with a large quantity of mashed potatoes this week as my little Ms weren't eating them (sigh...) so I decided to make up some potato croquettes with whatever I could find in the fridge...

I started by chopping some ham steak finely and browning slightly with some red onion & garlic- I was lacking any fresh green produce and thus sad to not have a 'green' element but made due...

...next I pulsed some Udi's GF bread in my handy dandy food processor to fine crumbs & placed in a shallow dish...

...then I combined the ham steak & onion mixture with my cold mashed potatoes, 2 eggs (beaten), raw milk bleu cheese crumbles & some salt & pepper and mixed gently...

...then scooped the croquette mixture into patties, coated them with the GF bread crumbs and placed on a greased baking sheet...

...and baked at 400 degrees for approx 30 mins until browned.

The house smelled divine as these cooked & then cooled slightly and tasted like a rich treat- not bad for a few minutes prep:)

The combinations are endless for this dish so have fun creating from what you have vs going out to buy multiple ingredients.  "Ricky" didn't mind the lack of a 'green' element in these croquettes as I paired them with a big spring mix salad:)

Enjoy,

Tiffany

DIY Backdoor Makeover

Our glass pane back door was a grotesque color- yellowish that looked aged and...gross!

 

Until it received a makeover!!!  Here's the 1st coat of white semi gloss drying on the door...

...while Granddaddy carted the tacky molding outside & sprayed with a white gloss spray paint- be sure to clean the grime off first & take this opportunity of cleaning the glass too!

The hardware was, yep, tacky brass...

...which magically became a hammered pewter like our ceiling fan...

...and remember to spray your screws too!

And here is our lovely new door for the price tag of $0 as we had the paint on hand already!!!  It had been the same color as that electrical outlet...which is next to be transformed!

Two coats of the white semi gloss paint gave ample coverage and was completed in under 2 hrs thanks to our 90 degree summer heat!

Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned to see our new painted walls,

Tiffany

IKEA Window Treatments

Here's an other treasure we snagged at IKEA: window treatments for the living room...

Granddaddy graciously hung these July 4th night & they've made such a lovely difference to our evolving haven:)

 

The color is listed as "brown" but it's quite olivey so it works perfectly with our furniture...

I had intended to make window treatments but these were a steal and since I have approx 14 other sewing projects in progress, I bowed to practicality & bought these!

We also bought the hardware (rod, finials, & brackets) at IKEA for the sake of simplicity...

Cost:

Panels: $25.99 for 2

Rod: $2.99

Finials: $4.99 for 2

Brackets: $1.49

TOTAL: $74 for 2 windows!!!

Less than $75 to outfit 2 windows with double panels- sweet:)

Thanks,

Tiffany

Kitchen Remodel Part...something

 When we went to "purchase our lovely home" we knew the kitchen would need an overhaul...

...and so the nasty navy tile counters were first to go!

And after weighing many choices/factors, we opted for a faux 'granite' laminate...

We were keen on the low maintenance of laminate and the lower price tag since we don't anticipate on being in this home long term, thus not being able to recoup the cost of a higher grade material...

...the colors are great, enabling us to decorate with plenty of flexibility...

 ...which prompted me to choose a composite sink to replace the nasty original, almond enamel monstrosity.

Here's a full size peek at our new sink which we purchased through Amazon...

    
...and I couldn't be happier with how it looks!

Love the metallic flecks:)

 

 Granddaddy spent hours installing this due to a difference in depth/plumbing, MIA instructions, a trip to Lowes etc... but it finally was in & no leaks evident...and it looks great!!!

We chose a 'double round' finish on the counters equating to no raw edges underneath, making it the best choice for little fingers:)

Bye bye dated tile...

...hello, new 'granite':)

Next we're tackling a tile back splash & the walls- more DIY fun ahead:)

Tiffany

Independence Day at IKEA

When I learned that "Ricky" would have July 4th off from work this year, I hatched a plan to traverse to IKEA- Granddaddy & Gramma courageously offered to ride with us and so off we went to Round Rock by way of "Bent Fork"!

We found lots of treasures (more details to come!) and while Granddaddy expertly repacked our "Cadillac convertible"...

...we commented that we might not make it through the "Holland Tunnel" so weighed down!

After playing in "Smaltown", eating "tockit cake" & exploring all the IKEA toys, Peanut was pooped!

 Granddaddy got jilted into the middle seat, forcing one foot to be straddled over the front seat armrest...

...so that Gramma could enjoy a catnap...

 

...though I'm not sure how much sleep she actually got!

My "Big Ol Boy" was feeling lousy while battling the dregs of a virus so he didn't even mind being sequestered in the rear- wasn't feeling too keen on pictures as you can see him hiding:(

When we finally made it home, Granddaddy got right down to business, hanging our new Pendant lamp...

 

 ...while "Ricky" spent a few minutes of "Daddy time", keeping our little Ms from being under foot & allowing me to unpack our treasures:)

I neglected to snap a picture of our 23 yr/old brass, builder grade, tacky fixture before it was removed but this is a pretty close representation...eek.

And here is our lovely new pendant light...

 

...providing a lovely glow at night that Olivia is particularly fond of:)

Cost:

Pendant: $19.99

TOTAL: <$20 for complete transformation!!!

I'm so thrilled with our lovely new IKEA pendant & especially with the price tag:)

Stay tuned for more IKEA treasures & the reveal on our new counters & kitchen sink!!!

Tiffany