Black and white

What is more classic and versatile then black and white?!  I love mixing those two neutrals with natural wood tones and metallics.  This seems to be my reoccurring theme as of late.  The mix of modern with earthy, natural elements is so appealing to me.  I still enjoy a bright color scheme every now and then but for my home I like a neutral pallet because it makes it so much easier to change the look for seasons or my ever changing mood.
Just tackled yet again another refinish project, this time my kitchen chairs, in black stain of course.  Someday I hope to have a custom farm table made by my extremely talented husband when I have the space for one....tiny house problems! 

                                                 

  

       

Coffee Station

Just a quick shot of my new Coffee Station...

Loving my Nespresso VertuoLine, it brews espresso and coffee for endless possibilities!  What are your favorite coffee experiences?

Coffee Syrups

That sweet little addition to a great latte....delicious flavor blends.  Yep I'm talking about coffee syrups!  One great thing about life in the country is the wide open spaces and seclusion away from the noisy hustle and bustle of the city but one drawback....the nearest coffee shop is a 20 minute drive and the nearest Starbucks is 45!!!  Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE my coffee and my Starbucks but after my recent trip to Ireland I have come to love my straight up espressos.  So after a few years of debate I decided to bite the bullet and buy a nice single-serve espresso maker and it's only been a day since it arrived but I am already in LOVE.  But what goes best with a great espresso and hot steamed milk?  SYRUP!  I recently found a few great recipes via Pinterest (my favorite go-to) and I will share them with you.

Over the past few years I have really been trying to buy as much natural and organic products I can afford as well as making "healthier" (sometimes) options myself to avoid certain chemical additives and preservatives hence the make my own syrups.  Plus, it's a great way to get a few different flavors without a huge jar that will go bad before I use it all.

First up Salted Caramel Syrup.  I made this one with a homemade Whiskey Salted Caramel I had in my fridge.

Salted Caramel Syrup:

1/2 Cup organic sugar

1/2 Cup water

1/4 Cup Salted Caramel

Combine sugar and water in a heavy bottom sauce pan bring to boil stirring constantly then reduce to simmer and add Salted Caramel simmer stirring frequently for 15 minutes, cool and place in jar for use.

Refrigerate for up to a month or keep at room temp for a week.

Next,

Cinnamon Maple Vanilla Syrup:

1/2 Cup organic sugar

1/2 Cup water

1/4 Cup Maple syrup

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

3 Tbsp vanilla extract 

Combine sugar, water, maple syrup and cinnamon in a heavy bottom sauce pan, bring to boil stirring constantly then reduce to simmer and add vanilla extract.  Simmer stirring frequently for 15 minutes, cool and jar for use.  Refrigerate for up to a month or keep at room temp for a week.

Finally,

Pumpkin Spice Syrup:

1 Cup organic sugar
1 Cup water

Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer, stirring frequently, until all the sugar has dissolved. Then, add to your saucepan:

1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 Tablespoons pumpkin puree (I made my own from homegrown sugar pumpkins)

Simmer the syrup, spice, and pumpkin puree for about 10 minutes on low. Strain. Use immediately or store in a glass jar for up to a month.

There are so many other great flavors you could do as well, my motto is "get creative".  Enjoy!

                            

    

I got these jars at World Market and added chalk labels.

Transformations

OK, people, here is the dirty little secret about kitchens, whether white or dark: They all have the same issues when it comes to cleanliness! White kitchens are simply less forgiving. I am reminded of the times when decorating clients would ask me to make sure all their upholstery was covered in a dark fabric, “so it wouldn’t show the dirt.”

This always puzzled me and made me grimace. I imagined eons of dirt and dust being ground into the fabric, until it was as stiff as cardboard. 

So if you love the look of a white kitchen, but are avoiding it because it will be a cleaning nightmare, look at it this way: Any kitchen is a cleaning nightmare. So prepare to roll up your sleeves, and pick the kitchen you really want.

-Houzz 

The above is from an article I found - How to keep a white kitchen white.

It is so funny and so true!  I have always wanted a white kitchen, actually I love the color white for almost anything but have always been told when you go white you can see all the dirt.  Thinking long and hard about it I finally come to the conclusion instead of trying to "hide" the dirt why aren't we just cleaning it up?

The key is keeping a schedule and my new favorite phrase- "How about NOW?"  to avoid procrastination and to keep my home clean and organized.  Sure it gets tiring when you spend so much time scrubbing and sparkling and nobody says thank you or acknowledges the difference or the effort it takes but for me it's becoming enough just for me to see the changes and feel the accomplishments.  To look around and be tired but satisfied with the results.  There are so many things in life we can't control but I can control some things and being clean and organized is one of them.

Is it easy?  Not really but it is possible, even for this mother with the house full of boys, dirty boys.  Everything that is really worth it takes work.  So it's time to put in the work and keep it clean and I will be enjoying my "White House" and a healthier, happier life.

Pink Chair No More

It has been along time since I've done any real good projects, I really tried to make the summer fun for the boys so we spent a lot of time together doing summer stuff.  But now that school is back on and my baby has started pre-k I had to keep myself busy with some much needed updates.  

Way back at the start of my blog I had picked up a very rough "free" chair off Craigslist and boy did it need some work but I needed something inexpensive to experiment on and I liked the results.....

                                   

But after painting my living room and purchasing some new end tables and a rug and rearranging I felt the pink girl had had her day and I had just planned on scrapping her and getting something new but my husband being cheap and me trying to save for a new car decided to give her new life and so I picked up my spray can and stapler yet again and let the old girl "sparkle".....

             

I had some gold paint sitting in the garage just needing to be used and since I had gotten a new rug I thought I'd make good use out of my old cowhide and well I like it!   I wanted something a little more grown up and neutral and this is what I ended up with.....what do you think?

I also had to transform my yellow star......

Levi and I thought after all our hard work through the years the living room deserved a gold star so that is exactly what we gave it!.....

                                             

What an awesome helper!

 Until next time, happy blogging!

   

Sticky Buns

So the past few weeks I have been experimenting to find the perfect sweet roll and today I think I'm really, really close.  I don't have any instructional photos but here is the recipe for those of you who want to try these amazing, and not at all healthy sticky creations....

1 can Pillsbury GRANDS buttermilk biscuits

4 oz or so of Cream Cheese

3-4 Tbsp. Butter (melted)

1/2 cup maple syrup, warmed

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 cup chopped pecans

3 strips of thick cut bacon, cooked 'til crispy and chop

Preheat oven to 375*.  Spray non-stick cooking spray into bunt pan.  Open biscuits and wrap about 1Tbsp. of cream cheese into each biscuit sealing into a ball.  Combine melted butter and syrup and set aside.  Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in small bowl, set aside.  Sprinkle bacon bits and pecans into bunt pan, then half butter mixture, half sugar mixture, place biscuit balls around sealed end down, top with remaining sugar mix and remaining butter mix.  Bake for 20 mins or until golden brown.  Let cool for 1 minute in pan then carefully flip onto plate and serve.  

Enjoy!  My family certainly loves these. 

              

Garden Gloves

Ah....Summer vacation has started and so has my nice quiet mornings.  The boys slept in and mommy got some alone time to enjoy a cup of coffee and my plants.....

                                                 

 

I am so glad my allergies have been controlled with some new meds and I can get out and tackle the weeds before they get out of hand.  It also helps that the weather hasn't been unbearable yet, come July I think I might peter out and let them have their way.  I planted six new rose bushes this year and despite the maintenance I am really looking forward to the lovely blooms and of course I will be sure to share photos and any problems I run into (be sure to share any suggestions).   I did find a few good ideas via Pinterest....I am trying Epsom salt for the roses and on my tomatoes, it is suppose to give tons of blooms and also sweetens tomatoes, who knew?  I also bought some Neem oil, which is not a great smelling oil, to help with pests and diseases ,and I'm trying fish emulsion, smells like rotting fish and looks like diarrhea (yuck) but they say that it helps make greener leaves and deeper roots.  I started this year thinking I was not going to do much for gardening and ended up catching the bug as soon as the grass started to green and my tulips began emerging.  I'm hoping this year will be the year for more yard parties and less "projects".  We need a summer of fun and relaxation, ha!  That might not happen, wink, wink.  Until next time....

Happy Blogging!!!