Rejuvinated

I was thumbing through a Country Living magazine one day, and realized that the reason that I didn't like doing laundry was my completely uninteresting laundry room that had dulled & yellowed with age. At least, that's what I think the reason is... Plus, the door from the garage is in here, so people come through here from time to time, and I was somewhat embarrassed by the general state of things, with the clutter, disorganization, and, well, blah!!

That afternoon I went straight to Sherwin Williams and had them match the shirt I was wearing. No, I'm not kidding! I love turquoise, and it hit me that the shade of my shirt would be perfect for that fresh, clean look that would inspire me to wash, dry & fold.

I had a lot of junk on the shelves, so I had a day of purging, and took a lot of stuff to Goodwill or the garbage can. I bought some new organizer bins & hooks, and a new ceiling light (the old one was dull & yellowy, too, and sometimes I couldn't find a stain because the whole shirt would look like one big yellowed stain thanks to the bad lighting!)

Yesterday, I woke up with lots of energy and an excitement to get this project completed, so I went for it!

Here's the old look:

And here is the new one!

The new light fixture has two bulbs through clear cut glass, it's so crisp & white, I love it! Thanks to my helpful hubby for installing it, as well as his volunteering to help with some of the painting!!

Now, imagine clean white floor tile! That's my next part of the plan, because the lino is in a state of torn & stained sadness, not to mention it drags down the bright, clean look I've created here. We just couldn't do it all at once. So one day soon, hopefully, I'll have pictures of the final look to show you.

All this work for a laundry room? Yeah, baby! It's a breath of new life for this room that deserves beauty to compliment its functionality!

Tagged!

I was tagged by April!

Rules for the tag...
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.


7 Facts about Me...

1. I ended up at Six Flags when I was about 6 weeks pregnant, but I didn't know it yet. Because my sister & I got there early in the morning when they first opened, we went on 3 wild rides in about 30 minutes - and I got really sick to my stomach. I could not for the life of me figure out why - I never got sick on rides! A few weeks later, I finally found out why :) That was the last time I went on a ride that went upside down.

2. My favorite color is green.

3. This past Thursday, I stepped on a needle that had fallen out my needle case unbeknown to me... it went through my sock, into my left big toe, at an angle & so deep I couldn't pull it out with my fingers. I had to use pliers. It actually didn't hurt until it came out!

4. My least favorite creature in all God's creation is the snake. Owls & other animals keep the rodent population down too... so why the snake??

5. My dad wanted to name me Ezekiel if I had been a boy. Yikes.

6. I would love to travel the world someday... but my dream vacation is staying at a beach that has clear blue water & lounge chairs.

7. The last meal I ate was a turkey sandwich on 100% whole wheat Orowheat bread, a Gala apple, a few Doritos, and a tall glass of water.

Now, I am tagging:

Mom/Joanne

Jen

Angie

Erica

Kristin

Holli

Luzie

Self Portrait Challenge - Food & Me 3

"Thank you, God, for Rachael Ray."

That's what my husband said when I served up the fourth or fifth meal from my new Rachael Ray cookbook - Express Lane Meals. This book got me out of a funk with food - I was bored with cooking, while my kids were in a we-only-want-chicken-nuggets-and-fish-sticks rut, and even though I do my best to cook healthy foods it is so hard to please everyone at my table.

Rachael has helped me so much with all of that! I'm having so much fun chopping & trying new recipes - 14 down, many more to go! If I could say just one thing to her, it would be,

"Thank you!"

Real food
Real ingredients - no cream-of-something-soup binders
Delicious! Really, really delicious!!
Rachael's had me trying new spices, new ingredients, and I've even used my broiler for the first time in over 5 years

Oh, and not a chicken nugget in sight!

Clean plates happen more often around my house now.

Here's one I've made a few times already - so delish, the kids loved it & vegetarian friendly!

Spaghetti alla Ceci

1 pound spaghetti (I used whole wheat penne)
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or pressed
1 14 oz. can chickpeas
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
black pepper
1/2 c. white wine or chicken stock
1 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
Grated Parmesiano-Reggiano cheese

Boil the pasta according to package directions until done. Meanwhle, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Place the chickpeas in a food processor or blender & pulse to a fine chop. Add the chickpeas to the skillet, season with the thyme & pepper. Saute' 3-4 minutes. Add the wine/chicken stock & cook down for 30 seconds or so, then stir in the tomatoes and adjust the seasoning if needed. Drain the pasta & toss with the sauce. Serve on to plates, top with the grated cheese.

To see what other people are cooking up in this Self Portrait Challenge, Click HERE

Our trip to the State Fair

Yesterday my mom joined the girls & I

for a day at the State Fair of Texas.

The first notable of the day was a nice woman who handed us coupons for free kid's admission & discounts for adults - bless you, ma'am!!

"Howdy Folks!"

That's what Big Tex has to say as you walk through the front gate of the Texas State Fair, which runs for several weeks in the fall each year. I learned this year that it's not a recorded voice - there's a real man who sits in a booth & does Big Tex's voice all day long - amazing, considering all the technological advances in the State Fair's history.

The huge children's petting zoo was a huge hit - the girls fed & petted goats, a baby camel, piglets, donkeys, a miniature horse, a baby ostrich, and even some ducklings. The Texas Star ferris wheel is the largest in North America, and they say you can see Fort Worth's skyline (45 miles away)... but Mom & I were too busy keeping the girls seated & trying not to look down - that sucker is high!! I cannot say enough about the beautiful Birds of the World show - birds are my favorite animal group, and everyone loves hearing a parrot sing Old MacDonald, right?

A stroll through the Creative Arts pavillion was fascinating - all the amazing work of local artisans that is submitted for judging in the fair is worth wandering through for. And Nicole is still talking about the things she saw from the Junior (interpretation - kids) categories... she is inspired by the work of her fellow Texan girls & boys. I wonder if she'll be pestering me soon to enter her latest pipe cleaner & bead sculpture for next year's fair? What category would that be entered in??

It is a wise person who packs lunch & brings water bottles to the fair. It may not seem much in the spirit of the whole thing, but it is doggone expensive to buy food there, and all the fried food is a bit nauseating when you consider eating it all day long. But be sure to have a few dollars for one treat - in our case, it was funnel cake - finger-lickin' good :)

In case you haven't figured it out by now, my camera batteries died, so I have no pictures of my girls, or my mom, or anything at all. I was sad about that. I hope you don't mind the "canned" photos I have substituted here!

We didn't get to see everything we wanted to, but we had a great time! There is so much to do there, I wish we'd had more time... maybe next year we'll have to stay past dinnertime so we can miss downtown Dallas rush hour traffic (ugh)!

Sparrow

One of a kind w/ semi-custom adjustments available:
"Sparrow" (click here)

Self Portrait Challenge - Food & Me week 2

Every year, in early October, I whip up a batch of gingersnaps. Their sweet and spicy flavor evokes the essense of Fall. Plus, here where it's still 85°+, it helps me remember that summer will come to an end, and cooler weather will arrive. I sometimes have to make 2 or 3 batches when the warm weather continues creeping into November!

Some have told me they don't like gingersnaps because they are hard as hockey pucks & have a weird flavor. They've obviously never had one of these soft & spicy beauties before.

Join me for a taste of Autumn...

Gingersnaps
Makes a bunch, so you can share Autumn flavors with a friend or neighbor!

2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 cups shortening
1/2 cups molasses
2 eggs
4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Mix 1st 4 ingredients in mixing bowl with and electric mixer, a handheld mixer, or with your hands if you've washed them & want to have some fun. Add the dry ingredients, mix well.

Using a soup spoon or cookie scoop, make dough balls & dip the tops in granulated white sugar. Place sugar-side up & 3 inches apart on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Bake at 350° for 10 minutes, just until set (meaning they don't look wet & melty anymore but still sink a bit if you touch it) I like to let them cool on the tray for a few minutes, so they don't fall apart when I move them to a cooling rack.

To see what other Self Portrait Challenge participants are eating this month, click HERE

Cerise

New for me tonight:

"Cerise" click to see the listing

Self Portrait Challenge - Food & Me

oh how I love cooking, let me count the ways...

come with me, and I will whisper sweet recipes in your ear

and we will make beautiful flavors together forever

to see more Self Portraits about food, click HERE

Lilyplum's Soiree with TheBlossoms

Lilyplum & The Cherry Blossoms are hosting the big holiday bash of the year!

Join us for our "Soiree" here...

Here is my first for this fabulous launch - Soiree Rose

I'm hoping to have another one up by the end of the week - it's on the ironing board in pieces right now, so let's hope I can get it together :)