Monday, July 25, 2011

Addicted to Pinterest

Seriously. If there was an AA meeting for pinterest, I would definitely join. I went months - months, I tell you! - ignoring friend's invites to pinterest...but I finally caved. And I'm so glad...and so sad...that I did.

Glad because it has opened up a whole new world of decorating and DIY projects, not to mention fashion ideas and hilarious quotes.


Sad because there are 2 loads of laundry just sitting there...judging me. :(

Here is a little snapshot of my "For the Home" board:



Are any of you as obsessed as I am? If you don't have Pinterest, I highly recommend it...although consider yourself warned that your housework will severely suffer! ;)

Follow Me on Pinterest

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Chic Kate

I never cease to be amazed by the outfits Kate Middleton {well, her stylist} puts together. She always manages to look contemporary and chic, while still being conservative and classy:









I didn't think future queens were allowed to wear pants. ;)

Thursday, July 14, 2011

365 Challenge: 4.7-4.13

hmm do you think I will ever catch up??

Road Trip with the Taylors

The newlyweds!

Is there anything better than this?

That alligator was less than 30 yards away from people golfing! I don't know how they could concentrate...

Pretty packaging from oh, hello friend

p h i l a d e l p h i a

Happy Birthday do my wonderful Mom!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Buffalo Chicken & Potato Casserole

AKA heart attack in a bowl...and oh-so-good!

Buffalo Chicken & Potato Casserole


INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips
  • 1/3 c. Franks buffalo sauce
  • 6 c. potatoes, grated w/ box grater
  • 1 c. light ranch dressing
  • 1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
  • (10 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
  • 1/2 c. panko
DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. In medium bowl, stir together chicken strips and buffalo sauce. Spoon into baking dish in a single layer.
  3. In the same bowl, stir together potatoes, dressing, cheese and soup. Spread over chicken. Sprinkle panko evenly over the top.
  4. Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes; uncover and bake 20 to 25 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender and juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.

P.S. Vote for Emily and her fabulous family blog, Anderson Family Crew! And if you're not already a follower, you should start now because the woman is: 1) An amazing, godly woman, 2) A great mom, 3) Hi-la-ri-ous!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Old Apartment Tour

I promised a tour of our old apartment, and here it is. Let me warn you, it is NOT pretty. Now I know why it's taken me so long to post these. In my defense, these pictures were taken with my little point-and-shoot. It also appears that I was on crack when I took most of them, because the majority of the pictures are either incredibly blurry or were taken at odd angles.

I had a lot more, better quality pics saved on our laptop. However, it was giving us some issues, so we asked the wonderful people at the apple store to reformat the hard-drive {worked like a charm! I am an apple girl all the way!}. And even though Ben asked me 4 or 5 hundred times if there was anything on there that I needed before it was wiped clean and I said no every time...I realized the next day that all of the good house pics were on there. So, the few I saved on a CD will just have to do.

Oh, and just so I'm not too hard on myself and our humble first abode, I'll post something I like about the room, to go along with the million things I don't like. So here goes:

ENTRY
This was the most flimsy piece of ish we'd ever purchased. I think it was from Walmart for around $15. Surprisingly, it lasted for 2 years. Definitely too many chotchkes, but I do like the black and white contrast.

DINING ROOM
Fall

Winter

Spring/Summer

I loathe that table and chair set. But it was free {thanks, grandma!}. And I still love our table linens.

GUEST ROOM/OFFICE
That is a lot of colors and patterns, especially for a neutral girl like me. This room was a hodge podge of miscellaneous items, leftover from Ben's bachelor days, as well as yard sale/thrift store finds. But I'm still a fan of the lampshade, which was a fun find at IKEA's scratch and dent section. And I actually have a similar gallery in our current guest room/study, just with prints having the same color palette.

GUEST BATH
Not a whole lot to see here. Dullsville all around. The only thing I liked was the under-the-sink storage and that it was in a cool little hallway that made it seem like the guests had their own suite.

KITCHEN
Sadly, this is the only picture I have of our old kitchen. Then again, there wasn't much to see. With all of the nooks and crannies, it was your typical apartment kitchen. Though our stainless steel small appliances and turquoise dish cloths did help to personalize the space. And the tableware! Oh my gosh, our white, square tableware that Ben and I picked out together for our wedding registry was definitely one of our best choices we made as a couple. Not only are they apparently chip-proof, but they can even make boxed macaroni look glamorous.

BALCONY/DECK

Clearly, zero money was spent outdoors. No flowers or anything. What I did like was that our view overlooked a hill that was populated with the cutest family of rabbits!

MASTER BEDROOM
The wall color was supposed to be a lot more subdued {it was much more bright in person} and this picture was taken before I learned the cardinal rule of photography: no house photos at night! But I still love the Thomas O'Brien euro shams, and those gray sheets are 620 threat count and feel absolutely heavenly. Yes, thread count DOES make a difference!


MASTER BATH
This is the only pic I can find of our Master Bath. It was small, but had this great garden tub. However, the one at our current apartment is actually bigger! Sorry, old apartment, you are not faring too well...


LIVING ROOM




 We lived at this apartment for a year and a half and NEVER bought drapes! I knew we needed them, I just couldn't find any to fit over the hideous vertical blinds that were jammed against the wall. That being said...I love our massive entertainment stand and the gray and white herringbone ottoman we scored at TJMAXX. Plus, the couch, chair, coffee table, and end tables were free, so how can you beat that? Also, not a single person ever entered our apartment without complimenting the wall color. Oh how I miss my beautiful, gray walls!

Well, that concludes our old apartment tour. After that little jaunt down memory lane, I realized that I don't  need to wait until I have everything perfect to share pictures of my home. Anyone who has a passion for home decor knows that no home is ever truly "complete" ~ and that's a good thing! Searching for fun items to personalize your home is what makes it an exciting challenge. And now that I am no longer afraid of posting "unfinished" spaces, you can be sure I'll be posting a tour of our new/current apartment over the next few weeks.

So, what about you? Have you been afraid to post pictures of your home because it's not picture-perfect? In the words of Michael Jordan: Just do it!


I hope you're all enjoying your weekend. My plans for tomorrow include lounging by the pool with my husband and grilling out with friends. Hurray for beautiful summer weather!

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Yippy Skippy!

I won a $60 gift voucher to Be Still Homewares!!


Thanks, Fat Mum Slim, for the fabulous giveaway!

These are my favorites:







So, which one should I choose??


{In case you're wondering, this post is so belated because I have been a terrible blog follower and because I keep forgetting to check my blogger e-mail!}
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