Broccoli Salad

Broccoli Salad is a favorite in our home.  Broccoli was on sale last week, so I decided to try a new recipe and see how it went.  I was happy with the results.  I used to prefer the broccoli salad with shredded cheese in it, but I now like just the combination of fruity and salty with Craisins and sunflower seed kernels.  Most recipes for broccoli salad call for sugar in the dressing, but I liked that this one uses honey; it makes it seem not so bad for you.

The other thing I like about this recipe is that the dressing isn't over-powered by mayonnaise.  Sometimes the mayo takes center stage, but it shouldn't.  The blend of flavors in this dish gives each component a role--just as it should.  The original recipe said to serve it immediately, but I think the taste just gets better if you allow it to refrigerate for awhile, giving the dressing time to combine.  Try it both ways, if you like.  And, if you like a dressier broccoli salad, just cut down on the amount of broccoli, or mix up a bit more of the dressing.  You really can't go wrong.

Broccoli Salad

1 head broccoli {or about 5 broccoli crowns}, stemmed and florets cut into pieces
4 slices cooked bacon, broken into pieces
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/2 cup Craisins
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 T white vinegar
2 T honey
1/4 cup roasted sunflower seed kernels
sea salt and ground pepper to taste

In a large mixing bowl, combine broccoli, bacon, onion, and Craisins.  In a separate small bowl combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper.  Pour dressing mixture over broccoli mixture and gently stir to coat.  Stir in sunflower seed kernels.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.


source:  adapted from the Naked Kitchen

Framed Silverware Tutorial & Dining Room Updates

Our dining room walls have been barren for the majority of our time in this home, a little over two years.  I just couldn't seem to decide what I wanted to do in there, and what I really wanted was too expensive. So, I waited.  Decorating a home on a small budget takes time, thought, and patience.  Sometimes that can be frustrating, but in the end it's rather rewarding when you end up with something you really love and don't have to spend tons of money to achieve.

Last summer my mother-in-law let me go through some of her silverware, I believe it was her grandmother's, and I chose a few pieces that I wanted to use as some type of wall art in the dining room.  I had some old pictures from our first house that weren't being used, so I took those apart to create something 'new' for one wall of the dining room.

This is a really easy project, and not an original!  I've seen various forms of framed silverware all over Pinterest, but here's how I did mine.

You will need:
-frame
-thin foam board
-burlap
-silverware {that you don't intend to ever use}
-hot glue gun and glue sticks

First, cut your foam board to fit the size of the frame.  It needs to rest just inside the edges of the frame pretty snugly.

Next, cut a piece of burlap to fit around the foam and be glued to the back.

Carefully apply hot glue to the back of the foam piece and push the burlap onto the glue.  Be careful that you don't burn yourself; the glue will come through the holes in the burlap.

Position your silverware where you want it on the burlap.  Apply a strip of hot glue and place the silverware directly on top, pushing down to secure.

Allow the glue to dry and hang up on your wall.

I finally took the opportunity to lengthen my Dining Room drapery panels, and I'm glad that I did.  They look much nicer right above the floor, instead of the several inches off the floor before.

And, when returning something to Sears one day last fall, I found two packs of drapery rings on clearance for $.99 each!  I had initially only purchased one package of rings for these drapes, which was not enough, so I was glad to finally have the correct amount, appropriately spaced at the top.  They weren't the right color, but after a little black spray paint job, they were just right!

Lastly, I purchased some matted pictures of peacocks from Hobby Lobby and framed those.  Someone had given me a gift card for my birthday, and these prints were 50% off on the day I went.  I love the pops of color they add to the wall.

Once the dining room table is finished, I'll take some final pictures of the whole room, but here's what it looks like now.

How long does it take you to finish decorating a room?

Snippets from Our Weekend

This past weekend was the first weekend we had as a family, in a long time, without anything to do.  And by anything, I mean no commitments, no social activities, no responsibilities other than whatever we wanted to do with our time.  It was wonderful!

I tried to capture some of our moments because I thoroughly enjoyed everything that we did.  The weather was gorgeous, the kids had fun playing together, and we even tackled some projects around the house.

While perusing the garden, I discovered quite a few English peas that were ready.  It was fun to snap them and I'm hoping to use the few we got in something for dinner this week.

A snapping turtle was crossing the street, so Bradley scooped it up with a shovel and bucket for the kids to observe in our front yard.  This guy smelled something horrible, and was pretty angry to have been taken from the street.  The girls kept an appropriate distance.

If you didn't know, there is an awesome new cookbook out, just released last week, Bakeless Sweets.  The author, Faith Durand, is married to my brother-in-law's brother, and I enjoy following her accomplishments, via the Kitchn   My copy arrived on Friday, and I loved reading through this! I can't wait to make some of her recipes!  You can purchase it here, if you're looking for some fun new recipes for dessert.

The kids' bathroom upstairs is getting a new look.  We had a yard sale a few weeks ago, and some of the proceeds are going to a few projects around the house.  Bradley is installing the beadboard, and then I'll be painting it sometime later this week.

I shared with you last week the desk that Bradley refinished for me.  Well, I happen to be the recipient of an unplanned dining room table re-do.  While we were growing the seeds for our garden in the dining room, the table got some water stains on it {we thought the tablecloth was waterproof, but it was not}.  So, now my dining room table will receive the same look as the foyer desk.

I tried a new broccoli salad recipe and it was delicious.  Recipe coming soon...

Mother's Day was relaxing, complete with naps all around {except for this little girl who was entertained by her Daddy while I rested}.

And, lastly, yesterday marked 32 weeks of pregnancy {or 34 based on some calculations}.  I'm trying to stick with the later due date so that I don't get discouraged, but then when I look at my stomach, and other peoples' faces when they see my stomach, I like to think I'm at the 34 week mark.  Either way, this baby is coming fairly soon and we can't wait to meet her!

So, that was our weekend, what did you do?

Linking up with:

 

Sunny Day T-Shirt Dress

One of my goals this year has been to make more clothes for my girls.  I have found sewing things for my home to be much more fulfilling up to this point, as I can hide my mistakes a bit more easily and usually don't have to put zippers into my projects.

When I was contacted about reviewing a new book, Sew Pretty T-Shirt Dresses, I eagerly signed up for the opportunity to be a part of the blog tour, highlighting this new book, and featuring some of the projects inside.  I absolutely love every pattern in this book!  Each dress begins with a t-shirt and some fabric, and by the time you're finished, you have a beautiful new dress.  No zippers, no cutting out pattern pieces, and yet they still look lovely.  It's also great for little girls, because they can get dressed without help.

I've wanted the girls to have new outfits to wear when they come to the hospital to meet their new baby sister {who is due in just 8 weeks!}, so we went to Hobby Lobby the other day, and the girls helped me to pick out some pretty pink fabrics.  I decided to make the Sunny Day dress, as I loved the simplicity and the combination of several different fabrics.  The instructions were easy to follow and I didn't have to rip out any seams in the process of sewing this outfit.

If you're looking for some fun patterns to sew for your little girl, I'd highly recommend purchasing this book.  One of the other great features I like about the book is that the beginning section gives a lot of instructions on basic sewing skills, including information about how to measure for your own t-shirt dress patterns.  Many of these projects could be modified for custom work, or will just provide inspiration to create your own pattern.

Here are some images of other projects in the book:

Bubble Tee

Square Dance

It's a Wrap

Royal Wedding

Thanks, Sweet Seam Studios, for such an inspiring work!

Here's a copy of the blog tour that's going on right now.  I'd encourage you to check out these other blogs; some are even offering giveaways, so you'll want to be sure to put your name in for a chance to win a copy of this book.

May 5  

Nouveau Stitch

Just Pure Lovely  

The Crafty Princess Diaries  

May 6

Crafting A Green World  

Stitched by Crystal  

May 7

Prudent Baby

House of 34

May 8

Smashed Peas and Carrots

Simply Modern Mom

May 9

Marsha’s Spot

Sew Spoiled  

May 10

Dollar Store Crafts

Only From Scratch

May 11

Wild Olive  

Positively Splendid   

May 12

On the Laundry Line    

Elegance and Elephants

May 13

Luvinthemommyhood

My Little Gems  

I was given a copy of the book "Sew Pretty T-Shirt Dresses" in exchange for a blog post.  All opinions are mine.  Photo images from the book, thanks to: Sew Pretty T-Shirt Dresses by Sweet Seams Studio, published by Sixth&Spring Books. Photography by Dan Howell and dress design and instructions copyright © 2013 by Sixth&Spring Books/Soho Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Sophisticated Desk Makeover for the Foyer

Shortly after we moved into our house, over 2 years ago, we purchased a wooden desk that has been in our foyer ever since.  I bought it knowing that it would need a makeover at some point, but I couldn't make up my mind how to fix it.  I thought about trying chalk paint, and then even milk paint.  But, after much deliberation, I decided to sell it.

I decided to sell it while I was out of town, and my husband had no idea that is what I was thinking.  He had other plans.  Great plans, actually.  When I opened the door after being gone for 2 weeks, the first thing I saw was a gorgeous desk gracing my foyer.

He had settled the two-year battle in my mind by deciding on a white base with a wooden top.  He even picked out the hardware and chose quite well.

The finish is wonderful, and I really never would have picked it on my own!  I love how it looks now and it's just waiting a new lamp and a plant stand for my little ivy that I purchased last week.  Until I can find just what I want {if I waited two years to re-do the desk, I think a few weeks to find the right lamp is okay}, we've placed a burlap runner and a little jar full of flowers that my girls picked from the yard.

Want to see a before?

This was a sad piece of furniture, but it had a great deal of potential.

With a little bit of time, some paint, sanding, and stain, it's become quite the sophisticated desk for our foyer.

I learned from this little desk that it's better to wait on finishing something than to re-do it following a trend, only to change your mind later.  I'm so glad I didn't paint this desk bright green like I had originally planned!  Instead of trendy and giving a pop of color {which is fine} I now have a timeless piece of furniture that could go anywhere in our home.


We purchased the hardware for this desk from ATGStores.com, which sells all kinds of things, but they have really great prices on cabinet and drawer pulls.  Comparable pulls at Lowe's were twice as expensive as the ones we purchased.  

Linking to:

Inspire Me Please Blog Hop

Paula Deen's Lemon Bars

When I returned home after being gone for 2 weeks, it was nice to have several magazines to look through.  I received a subscription to Food Network for my birthday, and I am loving it.  Their magazine has such a great balance of easy to make dishes and some that require a little extra time and not-so-on-hand ingredients; I love the combo of both.

Paula Deen has a recipe in this month's edition {which I noticed is still on the magazine racks in the stores if you want to pick up a copy} of her lemon bars.  I've been a sucker for pretty much anything citrus during the past few months, so I knew I wanted to make this one.  Lemon bars that I've tried in the past have been way too powerful on the lemon flavor for me, but this recipe has the perfect balance.

I'd recommend using your fingers, as the recipe calls for, instead of a pastry blender for cutting in the butter in the crust.  You'll enjoy being able to lick, or um, clean, your fingers when that step is finished.  The sweet buttery goodness is oh, so delicious.

If you're looking for a fairly quick and light dessert, this one is perfect.  I like what Paula said in the magazine and it's wonderfully true, "I love making these because you don't even have to pull out a mixer."  Thanks, Paula, for making it easy on us.

Paula Deen's Lemon Bars

For the crust:
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces and at room temperature {plus more for the dish}
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup confectioner's sugar, plus more for dusting
Pinch of salt

For the filling:
4 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice {from about 2 lemons}

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with aluminum foil and butter the foil.

Make the crust:  whisk the flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in a large bowl.  Cut in the butter with your fingers to make a crumbly dough; press into the prepared baking dish.  Bake 20 minutes, then transfer to a rack and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, make the filling:  mix the eggs, sugar and flour in a bowl with a fork.  Mix in the lemon juice.  Pour the filling over the crust and bake 25 more minutes; transfer to a rack and let cool completely.  Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.  Lift out of the pan and cut into pieces.

source:  Food Network, May 2013

Linking to:

Travels with my 3 Little People

Whew!  April was a whirlwind of a month, and I can't believe we're already into May!  Is this year going by quickly or what?

The kids and I had a great {just shy of} two week trip to Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland for some visits with family and friends.  We planned our trip around two weddings, but ended up only being able to attend one due to the girls getting a stomach bug.  Mason turned one while we were gone, we saw both sets of grandparents, spent time with cousins, visited my grandparents in Baltimore, caught up with some of my old co-workers, visited Hershey's Chocolate Factory, picked lots of daffodils, ate ice cream, colored with chalk, and enjoyed being together.  The only downside was that Bradley couldn't join us for our trip, so we were very happy to get home to him.  I thought I'd share a few photos of our time away.

Enjoying his birthday ice cream.

My parents with Mason.

Five of the six grandkids.  Even though I've birthed three of them, I still can't believe my parents have six grandkids!

The birthday boy!

Playing with his new blocks.

The girls learned how to pick flowers from the yard and Nana taught them how to arrange their picks in a vase.  

We rode the little chocolate tour ride THREE times in a row!  These girls loved it!  And, I enjoyed my large Reese's cup.

Springtime craft.

Reading before bed with Gocky.

All ready for church on Sunday.