I Am Cheating!

Hello all!  Just a quick note to confess that I have been cheating on blogging with...PINTEREST!  It is super addicting and I am officially hooked!  I promise that I will post an update on my still-in-the-works hall closet!  The Mr. has been working super hard and we are half way done.  Thank you for being so patient!

Shannon

Caprese Salad???

My dinner, my take on a caprese salad...

Boneless, skinless chicken breast
Basil
Oregano
Kirkland's No-Salt Seasoning
Garlic Salt
Spinach
Mozzarella Cheese Ball
Cherry Tomatoes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Seasoning chicken (both sides) with basil, oregano, no-salt seasoning and garlic salt.  Place chicken breast into greased (I use olive oil spray) baking dish and cook for 40 minutes.  Pull chicken out and turn off oven and turn on the broiler.  Smother chicken in spinach, sliced cherry tomotoes and slices of mozzarella cheese (the amount is up to you!) and place in broiler until cheese is melted.  ENJOY!

Houston Summer

Houston, Texas is suffering from their hottest summer on record and we are also in the middle of a MAJOR drought!  Oh how I wish for a couple of rainy days, as they are good for the soul.  Around here, there is excitement over a five minute shower, but I thank God for whatever he sends down and do not complain.  He knows what we need and will send it in his own time and in his own way.  I never thought that I would say this, but a category one hurricane wouldn't be so terrible right now.  We could seriously use a good soaking.  Everywhere you look, this is what can be seen...

DEAD!

And seeing ads like on Facebook, just hurt! (I love you most days Ann Taylor!)  I cannot wait until the fall.

Everything is so ugly and depressing outdoors that I decided to bring a little cheerful summer indoors by making this wreath.  I absolutely love it!

We will be hanging an over sized mirror in the dining room next weekend and I will hang this to fall down it's center.  It makes me smile every time I walk past it. 



I hope everyone is staying cool (and getting some rain)!  God bless!

Cleaning and Loving It!

Okay, first thing is first.  Would this inspire you to clean? 

Why, oh why did they keep a stock pile of pickle jars???



NO, those are not our roach baits!  They belonged to our super dirty previous owners!  (They even had them in the cabinets with the dishes!)

A cluttered collection of miscellaneous cleaners!  This is what happens when the Mr. gets into things!  ;)

Me neither.  Let's face it, cleaning is a chore and it doesn't help when you are afraid of what is waiting for you on the other side of the cabinet doors!  I have been asking the Mr. to clean out and paint under the kitchen sink for almost two years and he has found a way to avoid it every time.  Big surprise, right?  LOL!  Well, he will do almost anything to get out of painting the den, yet again, so I finally got him to do it!  The project is still not complete, as I am missing baskets and such to make the space more appealing, but I am not complaining at all!  Thanks Babe for getting it done!

After a major wash with soap and water!

After spraying on the bleach and water solution to kill the mildew smell!



Here is the finished product!  Like I said, we are going to incorporate some pretty baskets to make it look as nice as possible!

Remember that back corner with the shelf and load of pickle jars?  Gone is the shelf and the abundance of glass is off to the recycling center!

I HEART MY CLEANING CADDY!

Thank you Micheal Graves for incorporating this paper towel holder!  What a genius you are!  This will keep the Mr. from taking the roll from the kitchen and placing it on the bathroom floor (GROSS!).  Of course, I don't know how often I will let my husband get into the cleaners, as I like things nice, tidy and organized!

I am loving my new micro-fiber blinds cleaner!

I stocked up on Method cleaners per I Heart Organizing, Jen's suggestion!  I have always purchased Seventh Generation but just the other day, the Mr. was complaining about the smell from their cleaning products.  Methods cleaners smell delicious and are cheaper, which is an added bonus!

Method Tub, Tile and Sink Cleaner

Method Spearmint Scented Bathroom Cleaner

J.R. Watkins Lemon Scented All Purpose Cleaner -This stuff is amazing!  Be sure to check out their hand soap and lotion!

Method Wood Cleaner - This the Mr.'s absolute favorite!  He loved the almond smell of this so much, I was honestly concerned that he might drink it!  ;) 

Method Toilet Bowl Cleaner - I imagine that the shape of the bottle gave that away!  Isn't it super cute?

Williams Sonoma Pink Grapefruit Glass Cleaner - I am a HUGE fan of WS cleaning products and they have the best smell of anything that I have ever found!

Method Pink Grapefruit All Purpose Cleaner - Not as fresh smelling as the Williams Sonoma products, but still nice!



And there you have it!  A collection of my new favorites!

Cottage and Vine Giveaway!

Cottage and Vine is having a giveaway!  She is generously offering a $20.00 credit in her Etsy store and she has some fabulous things!  Go see her http://cottageandvine.blogspot.com/p/services.html!  I have my eye on the pair of vintage urns!  ;)

Our Plans for the House for 2011

Ahhh, the best of intentions.  Let's see how far along we come with the plans that we are making for the house.  Here goes...

The Den/Family Room

This hideous and extra large sliding glass door MUST go!  First off, it has to be oiled/greased all of the time and makes a mess on the carpet and if the kids get near it, grease all over their clothes.  It is heavy and not sealed very well, so when we have a really hard rain (you know the kind that blows sideways?), water gets in the house.  Of course, down here in Houston, Texas, this is not much of a problem as we are in a severe drought!  I will talk about my poor lawn later.  Back to the plans.  We want to install french doors with a side window.  The carpet needs to be replaced and I want to put slate tile or wood in front of the entire door.  When it rains, it makes a mess all over the carpet if someone goes in and out of that door.  I would also love to replace the black slate hearth to a granite or brick one. 

The Kitchen

This is the room that we plan on taking the slowest.  Obviously, we do not want to be out of a kitchen for weeks and weeks, so we will do some of the work ourselves, little by little.  The will leave the hard stuff up to the professionals.  Things like the new island with storage drawers, new walls and counter tops.  I will purchase a sink from Overstock.com that I love and came with an awesome price tag!  We will most likely be adding granite counter tops, but have yet to decide on colors.  The backslash will be tiled with white porcelain subway tiles to be installed by the Mr. and myself.  We will refinish the cabinet doors and drawers one by one and purchase updated hardware.  We will most likely also purchase a new refrigerator (stainless steel) and a new range (stainless steel as well).  This room just scares me again, because it needs so much work and I cannot stand messiness, so, this renovation will drive me nuts!

The Dining Room

Of course, this is not MY dining room, but oh how I love the neutral color palette and elegant, yet livable and simple design!

Jones Design Company

Our Master Bedroom/Closet

Sales!!!

How I LOVE July 5th!  That is the day that most retailers typically put their summer clothing on sale.  Living in Houston, Texas, this is wonderful considering that we can generally wear summer type clothing through October!  Tea Collection is having their 40% off semi-annual sale right now!  They have the most delicious tunics and I plan on stocking up!