what's for dinner?

Saw this idea for a dinner menu on pinterest - loved it - made it!

 The shopping list is great because I can see at a glance what I need to purchase for the week's meals. And, my hubby can add other items to the list...apparently next week we are having pepsi and meatballs for dinner. 

 

 

 My favorite part is that we don't have to remember what's in our "regular rotation" - we can just pick out a meal from the bucket!  I love it when I don't have to use my brain when I get home.

Gallery Hang

Our artwork is finally up!

 ready to participate.

 

Whatahusband is desperately trying to find a stud to hammer the nails into.

He did eventually (bless his little anal engineer heart) hang them in the position I specified - but into the drywall - and "under protest".

 and...Norman got tired of this project about 5 minutes in. He wanted to lay down without being crowded.

yipee!!

Mocha (or lemon) Meringue

We have committed to doing 8 minute abs for 30 days, and although I cannot laugh, poop, bend over, or cough without my abs screaming, I'm really liking it.  In an effort to actually see the results, I am trying to learn more healthy desserts. I. Love. Dessert. and I would be ok with never seeing my abs again if it meant I could eat my weight in oreo's and sixlets every night.  So dessert for me must be delicious, not taste diet, and calm my sweet tooth.   I would never have thought meringue cookies would be any good, but these really are. They are super sweet, and definately for coffee lovers, and the best part - only 15-20 calories per cookie!!!

(If mocha is not for you, I have also made a batch of lemon zest meringues that were out of sight. Leave out the coffee and substitute 2 tsp of densely packed lemon zest instead of cocoa - you're in for a citrus delight! they are very refreshing.)

Mocha Meringue Cookies
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp white vinegar
pinch of salt
2 tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp instant coffee

Wisk all ingredients in a double boiler over simmering water (I use a glass bowl over a regular pot).  Wisk until you can pick up the egg mixture with 2 fingers, rub together, and the grainly feeling of the sugar is gone.  Check often - you don't want to overcook the eggs.  As soon as the sugar is dissolved, take it off the heat and dump it into another bowl.  Beat it with a hand mixer (or upright mixer with a wisk attachment) until you form stiff peaks.  Dump this into a plastic bag and cut off the corner (or use some fancy cake decorating tips!) and pipe it onto parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 250 for 40 minutes, then turn off the oven and let them sit inside for another hour. Try to resist opening the oven - they should cool off without disruption. :) 

This recipe yields 10-15 medium sized cookies (1 1/2" - 2" in diameter). These cookies have an almost gooey center - you'll love them! Let me know if you bake them or if you have any other ideas for an adapted recipe.

Tip: Store in an air-tight container, and do not put them in the fridge because the cold will cause them to become soggy. I also tried making these with splenda so they would be sugar free, but I prefer the taste of real sugar. They were way too sweet with the splenda. And besides...if you have a mini-dance party and rock-it out to 2 songs without stopping, you burn about 25 calories (maybe more depending on your dance moves) so I say eat, dance, and be happy.

enjoy!

Home

I love driving home. We live about 15 minutes outside of town - through the fields and the land -  everyday it soothes me and makes me think of simpler things.

Some days, it's the calm before the craziness - like when I hear an excited voice call out "come outside!"...then, standing in the front yard, next to his go kart, front wheel completely off, roll cage bent, arms bloody and dripping says "I rolled the go kart, but you should have seen my 360 babe!", smiling with the biggest smile a man could make.

life is good :)

DIY Ottoman - Complete!

The living room is almost finished; all it needs is a place to put your feet up... and that means a DIY project!

 First you start with a craigslist table, and some materials:

And the clunky ol' table will go from this...

To this!

 

Here's the process through pictures:

 

The Paint and foam...

Next we measured the diamond tuft pattern, and made the buttons. I HATED this part...so my awesome hubby helped. :)

 Now drill through the holes and wood.  If you don't drill just right, the foam will tear, like ours did:

TIP: My studly husband came up with the idea of greasing the drill bit from this point on, and it was SOOO much better. Don't worry, the grease will be removed in a later step so it won't ruin your fabric.

I highly highly recommend this step - it helps the tufts to be extra puffy and the fabric will lay oh- so nicely.   Cut out holes big enough for the buttons to sit inside the bottom of the foam, and bevel the top edge of the hole.

 I really wanted the final look to be staple-free, so we took alot of time finishing the table edge.

All finished! I hope this post helps you if you decide to make a coffee table into an ottoman :)

Note: Many thanks to these two bloggers - my project has gone much smoother with the help of these posts:

http://www.fivedaysfiveways.com/2011/07/diy-tufted-ottoman.html

http://addicted2decorating.com/how-to-make-a-diamond-tufted-upholstered-headboard.html

big balls & cowtown

God is so good to me and gives me things to smile about everyday. Today I (cowtown) want to say... Kstate, I love you now and I'll always love you (even though you lost the cotton bowl).  I'll still love you even though I bet 2 points that you would win, and now big balls is up 7 to 1.  Not cool. But, I didn't go down without getting the last word...

For those if you who don't know, we started playing our 50 point game while we were dating, and the first one to 50 gets 2 movie picks in a row - any movie they want - and the other person has to watch it with them. We get points for winning card or dice games, and occasionally we bet on football games.  I have never won a game to 50 to date, and I have watched more bad car movies than I would care to remember. I am DETERMINED to win this game to 50.  Last night did not help.

And, I want to give a shout out to the King of Country who provided us with the names we are playing under this round.   Every time I hear this song it makes me smile :)

family fun

norman is slowly getting braver and joining us in the living room in the evenings.  norman will poke his head around the corner from the hall and see what's going on, see that whatahusband is in the room, then go back on his bed down the hall and enjoy some quiet personal time.  lately, he has been bringing a toy in the room as if to say "maybe i'll hang out, but only because i'm playing with a toy, not because I want to hang out with him" 

what i love about this dog is that yesterday, he came into the room three different times, and each time he inched a little closer to whatahusband, leaving a trail of toys documenting his progress...