~curry chicken with cauliflower rice~

I have been trying really hard to eat healthy.

I just feel so much better when I do, and I know it is the right thing to do for this one body that I have.

I have been experimenting with some different recipes.

Some are better than others.

This one did not disappoint and I was very hesitant about the cauliflower "rice" tasting good,

 but it was amazing.

Not only is this good, but it's super easy to make.

~Crockpot curry chicken with cilantro lime cauliflower rice~

Happy Friday!

xoxo

~spring potting bench~

This weather has me longing for spring.

I dusted off the old potting bench on the deck and filled it with all the necessities for a little gardening.

My favorite piece is my green tiered tray from The Painted Fox.

You can find it here.

Hooray for sunny weather!

xoxo

~freshening up the dining room for spring~

Thank you for all your comments on the living room paint.

It's amazing what a little white paint can do!

Since the dining room is off of the living room, I also painted it Swiss Coffee.

When I went to take pictures of it, my lens on my camera broke, so I had to rely on my zoom lens, which is why I couldn't get any good overall shots.

So, sorry for all the close ups!

Last week I went to a grand opening of a new Value Village thrift shop in Issaquah Washington, 

{for you locals}

and picked up this large vase.

I actually think it is a umbrella stand, but today it holding branches from the yard.

Could not pass up the $12.99 price tag.

We have had unusually nice sunny weather lately for this time of year.

I love looking out the window and seeing the lake sparkling.

I also hung my new antlers from Joss and Main.

Hopefully I will get a new lens soon and be able to take some overall shots of the space.

xoxo

~our newly painted living room~

It's not a huge change, the the Behr Swiss Coffee paint has really brightened up this room.

You can see before photos under our home tab at the top of this page.

It was previously painted Oatmeal by Ralph Lauren.

I attempted to paint a couple large canvas' to flank the fireplace.

I am no artist and hope to replace these with large family photos on canvas later.

I painted the joining dining room the same color and will show that next! 

xoxo

~recent purchases~

I was home all week with the kids on break while my husband was away on business.

I managed to get a lot done, including painting the dining and living room, which I will share shortly.

But, when I couldn't go out, I turned to the computer for a little shopping fun :)

Here are some of my online purchases that I cannot wait to arrive!

These Joss and Main antlers:

From Restoration Hardware, I scored this chair on sale which will hopefully serve as a good one for our computer desk:

And, a few more of these to add to my mug tree:

And one last thing, a little more personal, was this Diptyque hair and body oil.

You guys this stuff is worth the price tag, it smells good and a little goes a long way!

What are some of your favorites lately?

xoxo

~our dining room & break~

Kids are on vacation this week, so I am taking a few days off from blogging to spend time with them.

If you'd like to follow along on instagram, you can do so here.

In the meantime, I am loving the blue pillows I moved from Savannah's room to the living room so much, that I went to TJ Maxx and scored a Broyhill lamp I love for the adjoining dining room.

Pillows from Spark Modern.

xoxo

~thrifty Thursday~button initial art

I have a ton of buttons, so I thought this week I would make something with them.

Start out with an assortment of buttons.

Cut a square piece of wood. I used a 1x8 piece of pine.

Sand any rough edges off.

Cut squares of scrapbook paper the same size as your wood.

Decoupage your paper on top.

If you have any edges that hang over, you can sand those off.

Make sure all air bubbles are smoothed out.

Lightly go over the top with decoupage and let dry.

For the edges, I wiped on dark wax. 

You could also paint the edges.

While all that is drying, print out your letter of choice.

Printing on card stock works best, but it's not necessary.

Cut out the letter. It doesn't have to be perfect.

Center it on the wood and trace it on.

I'd suggest using a pencil.

I used a ballpoint pen and you can see a little bit of it in the finished product.

Starting little by little, brush on some Elmer's glue.

And start glueing on your buttons. You might want to pick out the colors, sizes ahead of time.

Let the whole thing dry and place it on a shelf or wherever you would like!

xoxo