Bleh. Creativity lost.

This has not been my most creative week. I have dealt with dental issues (more about that next week), car maintenance, washer/dryer maintenance, and passport issues. Boring and frustrating.

The most inspiring thing I've done is make a smoothie and freeze excess blueberries and raspberries.

And I know the week isn't over, but we're heading on an excursion to the Lied Discovery Children's Museum tomorrow so next week, next week, I'm gonna get my creativity on. Some sewing, some painting, a little crunkin'. Ok. Maybe not that last one, just watching it on So You Think You Can Dance. Stay tuned!

Frugal Find {Rustic Industrial Accent Tables}

Ok, all you mommas out there!  How many of you have lived without a coffee table since your oldest became mobile?  I am, admittedly, one of those ladies.  And I don't really mind.  Especially after sweet M fell into the sharp corner a couple of times.  It was just easier to put it away for a while.  Its been stashed away for 3 1/2 years while little E gets a good solid grasp on her mobility.  And, on the plus side, it gave us a lot more play space in the living room.  Making memories in my home, not necessarily making a magazine worthy staged coffee table, is ok for a few years in my book. 

But today, thanks to Centsational Girl and her Instagram account (in a roundabout way), I just got an AWESOME deal on a new coffee and side table! She posted a pic of these accent tables from World Market:

Aiden Accent Tables

Coffee: $289, Console: $289, Side: $169

I was stoked to see them because I've been on the hunt for industrial/rustic tables since I saw these at a JCPenney home store a few months ago:

Urban Accent Tables

Coffee: $300, Console: $300, Side: $250

The World Market tables were much less expensive (I was thinking of getting the coffee and side table) and would have saved me close to a hundred bucks!  Plus, the Aiden tables are a wee bit cuter (in my opinion) because of those sweet little wheels and a little more functional with the addition of the bottom shelf.  Although, I have to add that the Urban JCP tables are better looking in person than on the great interweb.  For reals. 

But, I'm away from home for a few days so I can't just zip off to World Market and bring these babies home.  I can, however order them online so they can anxiouly await my arrival but thought I'd check around to see what else was out there and what things cost. 

Home Decorators offers up quite a few options:

Industrial Mansard Collection

Coffee Table: $399, Side: $149

 

Industrial Empire Collection

Coffee: $249, Side: $139

Industrial Louis Collection

Coffee Table: $329 SALE $229, Side: $299 SALE $149

Some great options, eh?  But, the prices or styles didn't really lure me away from the World Market tables and force me to pay the shipping from Home Decorators.  The Mansard side table doesn't have cutey-tooty wheels so that's right out. The Empire group just wasn't quite doing it for me and the Louis looked a little more morgue-slab-chic than rustic industrial to me.  Cree-eeepy!

And of course, if we want to go there, you can always count on Restoration Hardware to have something beautiful (and reDONKulous expensive!):

Dutch Industrial Collection

Coffee: $695 - $1295, Side: $445-$595

So, if I have to tell you why that one is a no go, then we can't be friends.

Ever. 

Seriously.

After all this excruciating research (don't you just hate cruising the net for beautiful home furnishings?), I had decided on the Aiden bunch from World Market.  But, figured I'd buy them once I got home this weekend and see if I had a furniture coupon in my weekly mailer. 

Enter my fabulous sister.

Since I was committed to Aiden (unlike Carrie in S&tC), I pulled up the image on my iPad and said "Sissy, aren't these cute?!?"

She responds with, "Are those from Wal-Mart?  I have that coffee table in my basement still in the box."

Eeeeerrrrrkkkk.  Put on the brakes.  Skid marks (not that kind...GROSS!) and stinky burning rubber!What?! 

So I check out the Better Homes & Gardens rustic/industrial tables right away.  And lo and behold, they are pretty cute.  And the price!  Oh, the sweet, glorious, uber cheapo, price!!! 

  

Rustic Country Collection

Coffee Table: $89, Side: $79

Holy awesome, Batman!!!  There are a few complaints that its tough to assemble (wussies), and the wheels aren't moveable (which is better than the alternative with no lock...HELLO, I have little kids that would turn it in to a race car, train, speed boat, vessel of mass destruction, etc), but overall, I am super excited!  And, if its hideous in person or impossible to put together, I can just return it to the store.  Plus, I'm using their Site to Store shipping so that was FREE!!!  I had a little store credit ($16) from some toy or something we got the girls so my total was only $166.38. 

Did you catch that?  $166.38!!!  That's less than just one side table in my chosen Aiden group. 

I'll let you know if they're totally freakin' awesome or if they're just crap-ola.   

When inspiration sneezes all over you

Its funny how and when inspiration will strike.  I've been struggling with a color scheme for our green bonus room, but today I found something that has made it a little easier.

A new fabric line?  No.

Wallpaper samples? No.

Art prints? No.

Area rugs? No.

Just your everyday, plain old, ho-hum tissue boxes.  Its crazy but I can finally see the direction I want for the room.

The green of course, along with grey, navy, and yellow. I liked those colors but couldn't visualize them together, even when I held paint chips side by side. I guess it was hard to see 4 different colored squares playing nice together. But when seen as an abstract floral, it just all clicked.  I'd originally thought I'd go with red because that is a color found throughout our house, but this room is visually and physically separate from all the others in our casa.  Now on to finding fabric so I can get some pillows made, and of course I need some spray paint to liven up a few accessories.

Woo to the hoo! I'm so excited to get started.

Around My House {Valentine's Edition}

1. heart banner made by my momma from my childhood nighties (5+ years ago before banners were a big tadoo, I might add) 2. ever present holiday themed M&Ms, almost gone and soon to be replaced by the green variety 3. a church mouse left in the hymnals yesterday by the preschool students, a great reminder of who loves us most of all!

1. E says "oooooooh" every time the light catches this 2. G showing some love for her new pillow from Boo-ah 3. a little red, white, and pink sprinkled around the house to chase the winter blahs away

Hope everyone is having a day full, full, full of love. We aren't doing anything too crazy around here. Just giving the girls some small gifts, making special breakfast muffins, sending a special lunch to work for my hubby (Dinty Moore soup and egg noodles...seriously, he loves it), and having sushi take out late tonight after he gets home from work.

Kisses to you from all of us Lovelies!

You dropped a bomb on me, BABY!

Found out today that my birth control was recalled. Awesome.

Jill Greenberg Image via

UPDATE: It's all good.

A shadow of a doubt {Groundhog Day 2012}

Happy Groundhog Day! Did the nearest marmot in your area see his shadow? Its sunny and bright here so I guess we'll have 6 more weeks of winter. If its anything like the last 6 it won't be bad, but I just keep waiting for February and March to make up for the nice temperatures we've had in December and January.

Today was one of those days when I am so grateful to be a stay-at-home mommy. I thank God for the opportunity, my husband for the encouragement and support (emotionally and financially), and my girls for being worth it.

We had a few friends over to honor the friendly groundhog and the halfway point between the wonderful seasons of Fall and Spring. Before the girls and their kiddos arrived I was feeling disappointed because G's friends (aka, the "big" kids that are 3, 4, and 5) couldn't come. But we had a wonderful time and I felt silly for worrying. My sweet girl enjoys herself no matter what!

Last night, G and I made some cookies. Yes, that is a little family of groundhogs. Not my best work, I'll admit. One friend even asked if Mr. Hankey had seen his shadow today. Ha ha. We also made a few spring cookies in the hopes that our furry friend would get the hint when he popped out of his burrow.



The kids were too busy playing and we only got through half of one, but I did check out a few Groundhog Day books. G and I read them ALL after our company left.



And last but not least, we made groundhog puppets (get the template here). The little guy pops up out of his burrow to check that fickle weather and give us his prediction. This photo was taken after the playdate and our little friend Gus the Groundhog was the worse for wear although I'm not exactly sure what happened to him (looks like what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, eh?).



I had also planned, when I thought some of the "big" kids were coming, to go in G's room and make shadow puppets but alas, we'll save that for another day.

Hope you enjoy these little holidays and teaching your little ones that there's always a reason to celebrate (even if it does mean 6 more weeks of winter).

Pesto Stuffed Tomatoes

After all the heavy (and delicious) comfort food of the holidays, I've been feeling a desperate need to eat a little lighter and have something slightly summery. I made some pesto the other night for baked chicken and these yummy stuffed tomatoes are what I did with the extra.

To make it super quick, you can definitely use store bought pesto (but I never really like it as much). But, if you're feelin' frisky and have a few extra minutes, here's my pesto recipe:

Pesto
2 c. firmly packed basil leaves (I've also used 1 c. basil and 1 c. spinach... so yummy and ups the health factor)
3/4 c. grated Parm cheese (for me this is usually a rounded 3/4 c. ... I like the cheese. What?!?)
1/4 c. nuts (traditional pesto is made with pine nuts, but I use pecans because that's what I have in my freezer)
1/2 c. olive oil
3 cloves garlic

Jshushe all this up in a blender or food processor and voila! you've got pesto!



I just got this new immersion blender/food processor combo thing for Christmas. It's mostly for making soups but this attachment came in handy for the pesto and its WAAAY easier to clean than my blender. Thanks Mom!

Now here's the skinny on the tomatoes.



Pesto Stuffed Tomatoes
4 - 6 tomatoes (I like vine-ripened, but romas work ok, too)
1/2 c. pesto
1/2 - 1 c. grated mozzarella cheese (depending on how cheesy you are, I mean how much cheese you like)

Crank up the broiler in your oven.

Step 1. Halve the tomatoes (if you use romas, make sure to cut them longways so they will sit flat in the pan).

Step 2. Scoop out the insides, seeds and all.

Step 3. Add your pesto to the tomato guts.

Step 4. Chop up the chunks and mix this concoction together.

**Add salt and pepper to taste at this point.**

Step 5. Spoon the tomato and pesto mixture back into the tomato halves and place on baking sheet. Something with sides is necessary because A LOT of juice runs out of these babies. I even make a little pan-inside-a-pan from aluminum foil to keep the juice from sloshing all over my oven when I get the pan out.

Step 6. Add mozzarella cheese to top of each tomato half.

Step 7. (not shown) Broil tomatoes for 5 to 8 minutes (depending on ripeness of tomato).

Step 8. Chow down!



I love this recipe along side pretty much anything, but my favorite is sitting it next to a steak. Something about the cooked, warm tomato and its juice mixing with the juicy, almost rare, yumminess of my steak. I don't know. That's my fave.

Are you craving lighter, summer food? Got any good recipes to share to beat the cold, dreary weather? I know its Vegas but its 45 and rainy out. We (sort of) have winter here, too! I'm making my favorite tomato soup tonight with grilled cheese. Talk about comfort food!

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