Shiny, Happy Floors

"Before" 

When we first saw our home we fell in love with the kitchen.  It's an "L" shape, large, open, the perfect kitchen for entertaining because it opens into the dining room, the screened patio,  and another room with a fireplace that is currently empty and we're not really sure what to call it.  Anyway, although we loved the kitchen, it was a bit outdated.  The first thing that had to go was the checkered vinyl flooring.  Next will be brass knobs and hardware, DOZENS, of brass knobs (at least they are "real" brass and can be tarnished).  

My very generous and DIY Father wanted to give us wood flooring as our Christmas and Anniversary gift, AND install it himself; there is nothing my Dad can't do!  The goal was to match our wood floors throughout the first level, all oak, original and gorgeous.  He found the perfect wood at Lumber Liquidators and instead of renting a floor nailer, got a refurbished one by Harbor Freight on Craigslist for only $60.  It took a few weeks for the order to arrive and once it did, we needed to let it acclimate in our home for another 2-3 weeks before it could be installed.  My dad and hubby chose Father's Day weekend to start their project.  My dad said it could be done in one day's time.......

Here is the reason I took a one week hiatus from my blog, this and VBS.

The original plan was to install the wood floors OVER the old vinyl but when my dad had to run home to grab a tool he forgot, Rob ripped up all the vinyl.  Oops!  See that white paper stuck to the subfloor?  Can you say Asbestos anyone?  Asbestos in flooring wasn't banned until 1977 so if you are tearing up old vinyl, have a professional do it.  And whatever you do, DO NOT SAND IT AND THEN VACUUM IT UP!  A fact we didn't discover until after the fact.  No biggie, I'm sure lung implants will be covered by our insurance in the next 20-30 years.  The silver lining is, it really is best to install new floors over subflooring.

"After"

Thanks, Dad!

Aren't they gorgeous?!!!!  Doesn't the kitchen look more spacious?  We can't believe how it opened up the kitchen even more.  After many days of work (a one day project, ha!) my dad and hubby completed their DIY project and not only gained knowledge of installing wood flooring, but also gained blisters, backaches, knee pain, and don't forget, ASBESTOS!  All kidding aside, we love the floors and they match our original 1971 oak floors perfectly.  The wood is easy to keep clean and feels so good under our feet.  The next project will be our side entry hallway, but they will be installing the wood OVER the old vinyl this time.  Oh, and now our brass knobs and hardware look even MORE outdated.  I promise to post all of the progress so check back.

Swim Suit Season. Yay

I'm usually pretty happy with my almost 45 year old figure.  I love fall and winter where my regular attire is a sweater, jeans, boots and a scarf.  I even love spring where it's still cool enough to require layers.  But summer; summer I dread.  This past Friday I was forced to put on my first swim suit of the season because Gracie and I were going to a large splash pad.  My very first thought as I looked in the mirror was, "Oh snap, why haven't I done my pilates DVDs since last August?" Along with the constant voice in my head, "Doughnuts BAD."  Having a young child forces you to don a swimsuit regularly, there is just no getting around it.  The only swim suit I can go out into public in is similar to the photo below,  a rather modest two piece that covers an aging body.  Mine almost always comes with a skirt and while I look more like I'm ready to play tennis, its better than looking at my sagging rear.  

At least the splash pad was far enough away from home that I wouldn't see anyone I know.  Anyway, it was a 94 degree day and I was planning on getting wet along with Gracie in all the fountains and streams of water so I just had to go for it.   There were about 100 kids there which meant there were a LOT of mommies.  Out of ALL the mommies there, only one had a rock star body.  She was a really young, cute mom of two young boys.  She had a very athletic frame, tan, and no cellulite, at least that I could see.  She also had a small christian fish tattoo on her back, in fact, I may have been the ONLY mom there without a tattoo.  It seems that moms of North Carolina are required to have a tattoo, I see them everywhere, more so than even California.  Because we were there 2 hours I was able to people watch, which is such fun.  Did you know that tan cellulite is prettier than white cellulite?  It's true. But my tanning bed days are over and self tanners stink and don't really darken pale skin well... I digress.  

It turns out, I had the second best body at the splash pad that day!  Yes, I was judging, deal with it.  While that may sound like bragging rights, I quickly realized it really equated to being the 

2nd-Best-Dressed-Person-at-Walmart!!!!!  

Woo hoo!  And the prize is..... (drum roll inserted here)....Pride?  Dignity?  No.  There is no prize.  Who really cares?  These moms at the splash pad didn't, so I shouldn't obsess either over every little dimple and sag.  This is what a 45 year old body looks like and I'm happy to have it.  So happy in fact that the very next morning instead of waking up early to do pilates, I woke up late and popped into Dunkin Donuts for breakfast before my church meeting.  Doughnuts GOOD!

Gluten Free Cookies

Gracie was supposed to have a play date today with her friend Cameron who has Celiac but she has a fever, so no go.  We did, however, make gluten free oatmeal cookies to accommodate our friend and to just give our bodies a break from gluten.  Americans eat FAR too much gluten in their diets.  I found the recipe on the back of the Trader Joe's Rolled Oats package.  Did you know if the oats don't say "gluten free" they may be made at a plant with gluten and can have cross-contamination?  Bad news for those who suffer from Celiac.  I was a little nervous they wouldn't turn out the way I like cookies, chewy AND crispy, because they have zero flour, but they came out terrific!  See.....

Look at that crispy, chewy golden brown goodness.  The perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee or tea.  Why yes, I did have one for breakfast this morning.  Don't judge.

Look at how pretty they are in my glass cake plate?  It makes me smile.  I love having a white kitchen; it's the perfect background for displaying loveliness.  I thank God everyday for this house.  If you knew what we came from, you would truly understand my gratitude. 

I just watched a wonderful documentary last night called, "Food Matters."  Can't believe I haven't watched that one before.  If you know me, you know how excited I get over nutrition books and documentaries, especially ones that emphasize the way God designed us to eat.... WHOLE FOODS!
You will love this recipe, all ingredients you can understand and pretty healthy.  Even a little sugar is healthy, right?  Here goes.....

GLUTEN FREE OATMEAL COOKIES

1/4 cup butter, softened

1&1/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup sugar

3 cups "gluten free" oats

3/4 cup brown sugar

6 oz. chocolate chips

2 eggs

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I love pecans)

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup peanut butter (please use natural and not peanut spread, if the ingredients don't say peanuts and that's it, you are eating chemicals and fillers, not real PB)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar and butter and beat until creamy.  Add eggs, vanilla and baking soda and mix well.  Add PB and mix.  Stir in oats, chocolate chips and nuts (I also added 1/2 cup of coconut flakes).  Place a TBSP full of dough on a lightly greased cookie sheet (I prefer a Silpat or parchment paper) about 2 inches apart.  Wet your fingers and lightly press down on the balls of cookies so they spread properly.  Bake 10 minutes or until the edges are light brown. 

 Makes about 24 cookies.  Let me know how you like them.

PIZZA!

I have twin five year old boys and their older 8 year old brother arriving in moments that I'm babysitting today so this post will be brief. 

 While I do enjoy making things from scratch, I'm really more of a "semi-homemade" kind of cook.  I was semi-homemade before I even knew who Sandra Lee was and while I appreciate her concept, I just don't dig that gal.  My friend Lori calls me a "food-embellisher."  I guess I sort of am.  One thing I love to embellish is pizza.  The above photo is a "take it and bake it" pizza from Aldi (sort of like a Trader Joe's but not as nice) and it's only $4.99.  This is their Four Cheese pizza but I added sun dried tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, red onion and sliced black olives.  I place only black olives in the Gracie section.  I even add a little Parmesan Reggiano to top it off.  Bake for 14 minutes and get ready for bubbling goodness.  It's pretty "homemade" tasting.  (Could I use more quote marks in this article?  Geesh)

Also something I highly recommend is this wooden pizza peel that pizzerias use.  It makes pizza prepping and baking so much easier.  I bought mine years ago at Sur La Table for around $25 and it has been so worth it.  Seriously, you will love it!  I'm including the link below:

www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-183273/Sur-La-Table-Wood-Pizza-Peel

¡Mangîa!

My Goodwill Finds

I've been shopping at thrift stores since I was a kid.  In college I was buying clothes at Aardvark's and Jet Rag on Melrose before Aaron Spelling ever produced Melrose Place making it a tourist attraction.  But over time as more and more "cool"people started shopping LA thrift stores it became harder to find good quality stuff.  Also, in LA, in order to find anything good, you have to pop in constantly, like my friend Helena who bought a barely used, current pair of Hudson jeans for $7.99 (they retail for $180).  Once Gracie came along I just gave up.  It was just too time consuming to pop into thrift stores with a baby.  But once I moved to NC, I fell in love with Goodwill and a few other thrift stores.  My mom has scored major good finds, often brand new stuff, for give away prices.  It's ridiculous and might I add a little addicting.  

Here are some of my most recent finds:

I just got these pair of Ann Taylor Loft tweed heels for $3.99.  I feel very Kate Middleton in them. 

(not sure why)

This was actually from a yard sale but this 18"Fancy Nancy doll was $2.  She retails for $40 and she was in nearly perfect condition.  She came with 2 outfits AND someone at the sale gave Gracie a silver dollar for being the first kid of the day to arrive so I guess the doll was only $1.  The salon chair was $8. 

This is a Maggie and Zoe dress.  I usually see this brand at Marshalls.  I got this at Goodwill for $2.  It is precious on Gracie and I don't believe it was ever worn prior to her. 

I almost didn't buy this nearly new Gymboree shirt for Gracie because this particular Goodwill is in a ritzy area and wanted $2.79!  The gall.  Anyway, I came to my senses and bought it along with many others.  Darling.  

I love this little tea caddy, only $1.99, and this store Cvan's supports battered women and children.

One of these dolls was full retail at Target (thanks grandma) and one was only $1 at Cvan's.  Gracie just loves her black baby doll and named her Baby Sally immediately.  She's a nice addition to our family.

I'll be posting more fabulous finds as I find them.  Pop into a Goodwill the next time you drive by.  Just don't shop at MY Goodwills!

Homegoods

Don't you love Homegoods?  My mom-in-law turned me onto the one in Seal Beach; we met there often.  Whether your taste is modern, traditional, shabby, they have everything you need for kitchen, bath, bedroom, patio, pets, etc.

My current bedding is chocolate brown and six years old.  I've been casually looking for bedding since I moved in but wanted a good deal, and I didn't want to settle.  I really wanted to love my bedding this time around because so often in the past I settled in order to save money.  My friend found a great new-with-tags Target duvet cover at Goodwill for $20 so I popped in there often to find myself a good deal.  Did you know Target, Kohls, and many other stores send their goods to Goodwill? ( I'll do a Goodwill post later this week, I've scored on clothes for Gracie.)  Although I pop into various Goodwills once a week, I couldn't find new-with-tags bedding, and decided to pass on their array of cigarette stained bedding from the 80s and 90s.

Our master bedroom is rather dark, only two windows which only receive morning sun.  We painted the bedroom a light, warm gray and so to accompany it I wanted white bedding to brighten the room.  I scored at Homegoods this past Friday.  I found a beautiful Calvin Klein king sheet in light warm gray, and the perfect 100% cotton white quilt with tiny gray stitching throughout.  I even found two small pillows to match the quilt.  Oh, and my mom had a white king bedskirt for me, FREE!  I couldn't wait to come home and dress my bed but I washed the sheets first, ironed the bedskirt and even ironed a few pillow cases.  I couldn't believe what a difference the new bedding made.  And my curtains too (see previous post). The bed is so gorgeous in person, again photos don't do it justice, that each time I walk by I want to dive into it.  It's like a spa hotel bed, tranquil and expensive looking.  ALL the bedding was well under $200, including pillows, that is a deal for nice bedding.  Oh, I also got a Cynthia Rowley grey sweater knit throw, included in the price above.

I almost didn't post the photo because the bed is in need of some color AND because it desperately needs  bedside tables.  I'm on the hunt.  The painted curtains went so well that I'm probably going to paint a pillow in a fun, bright color.  I also spied some side tables over the weekend at a consignment store but I will need to paint them white so I'm still deciding on whether I want another project this soon after the curtains.  As soon as the bedroom set is complete, I will do another post to update you.  Also, feel free to leave design advice anytime, I'm always open to ideas.  Thanks for reading!

My DIY Striped Painted Curtains

 We've been in our home about 5 weeks now and my bedroom was in a sad state.  I've been looking for all white bedding (which I finally found and will reveal that on Monday), but the room was bland.  I decided I wanted chevron striped curtains but couldn't find a bold enough stripe anywhere.  Then I switched to wanting large, bold horizontal stripes but couldn't find what I wanted under $200.  That is when I Googled DIY Painted Curtains and found many blogs with tutorials.  I am not posting a tutorial here, there are many much more talented people to learn from, but I did capture a few shots so you can get the idea of the lengthy process this is.

Below are the curtains I bought based on the many blogs I searched.  They are Merete from Ikea which are a canvas 100% cotton with grommets for hanging.  They are $24.99 for a pair.  I also needed Delta Textile Medium to add to the paint to make the paint one with the fabric rather than just laying on top looking crunchy.  Also based on reviews I needed a small foam roller.  And, I needed painters tape.  I went with the good ol' blue kind.  All in all this project cost me about $40.

You can see above my taping skills.  I'm not gonna lie, this project is VERY time consuming.  It requires a lot of measuring, then taping; each panel took about 2 hours.  I decided I wanted my stripes to be 8" wide.  I taped on the inside of all of my white stripes making them look narrower, but each stripe measures 8".  

Once my tape was securely down it was time to paint.  I added 1 part textile medium to 2 parts paint.  I already painted my bedroom walls a light, warm gray so I had plenty of paint leftover making my project cheaper.  Using my foam roller I rolled out the paint.  I was nervous about bleeding but the textile medium is supposed to prevent that.  After an hour I went back in for a second coat.  

At about 30 minutes after the second coat I peeled off the tape.  No bleeding!  The lines were so crisp and the paint did become one with the fabric.  I can still see the grain of the fabric but it's not as soft as a dye would be.  I let the curtains dry for about 6 hours but I couldn't wait any longer, I had to hang them to see if all that hard work paid off.  I was a bit skeptical until.......

Don't they look great?  They look even better in person.  Seriously, they look very high end and make such a huge impact on the room.  Now to change all of my bedding over, oh, and eventually take out the BLUE carpet.  We are saving for all new carpet upstairs but this will take some time.

So, all in all would I recommend this project to other people?  Would I ever attempt to do another painted curtain project?  Here are some tips:

1.  Really research the process.  One blog recommended satin paint because it has sheen like fabric while many other blogs said to stay away from satin and use matte only.  I unfortunately only had satin and while it looks good, in bright sunlight you can see some roller marks.  I would use matte next time.
2. Textile medium is a crucial step.  Git you some.
3.  Make sure you have a VERY large area to work.  I was praising God for my large basement.  Also, you must put a tarp or drop cloth under the curtain you are painting so it doesn't bleed through to your floor.
4.  For me?  I think I would try to find a freelance job so I could afford to BUY curtains next time.  While I am crazy about my curtains, they really are gorgeous, it was a LOT of work.  It feels good that I pulled it off and have what looks like $300 curtains for $40, but next time I would like to buy the $300 curtains!  ;-)

DIY Painted Striped Curtains

The reveal is tomorrow..... stay tuned.

French-Women-Don't-Get-Fat Yogurt

Years ago, 2005,  I picked up the book, "French Women Don't Get Fat" and loved it.  Of course this American gal put some weight on as it was a license to eat baguette and croissants each day.  I recently gave the book away while forced to purge books before moving out east.  Just this February I decided I was fed up with commercial yogurt brands, and with Trader Joe's being quite a drive, I decided to Google my own yogurt recipe.  One of the links was French Women Don't Get Fat.  I ran over to library and devoured the book all over again.  I'm a little obsessed with the French at this stage in my life.  Anyway, the author has a perfect recipe for european style yogurt and different methods to incubate it to grow the bacteria.  I decided on the EuroCuisine Yogurt Maker.  It comes with 7 glass jars; important to me because I don't have to worry about the BPAs of plastic and also because most europeans eat their yogurt out of glass jars.  Tres Chic!  Another method is to leave the oven light on and incubate your yogurt 8+ hours OR visit Frugalgirl.com for yet another easy and inexpensive method.  

Don't you just love the glass jar?  It makes me happy. 

 I'm not going to lie, it has taken me several attempts to get it right.  My first batch was the best and creamiest but a bit runny because I used ultra-pasteurized organic milk.  It's best for yogurt making to avoid ultra-pasteurized.  Here is my latest batch I made yesterday, so creamy, so yummy!  And so healthy.  Did you know that a daily dose of yogurt aids in weight loss?  The healthy bacteria in your gut is an added bonus too, great for boosting immune systems.  If anyone is interested I can post the recipe.  The only ingredients needed are milk, preferably whole, about 1-2 TBSP of whole milk yogurt for the starter, and glass mason jars or a yogurt maker.  Voila!

Gracie's Room: Before and After

This is the before shot of Gracie's room.  You probably figured that out by the Brady Bunch wallpaper circa 1971 (no really, it was hung in 1971).  As you can see Gracie is holding aqua paint chips because she had been asking for a turquoise room.  While I love her color selection, all I could think about was cha-ching(!) because this would require new bedding, new curtains, new rug, etc.  I decided to borrow a quilt from my mom and make a go of turquoise walls.  Then one day, before we stripped the wallpaper and purchased paint, Gracie mentioned that she missed her Long Beach bedroom and maybe we could paint her room Friendly Yellow (insert Sherwin Williams plug here) and put her forest friends mural back up.  Bingo!  I was thrilled to accommodate that request as I had the bedding, curtains, wall decals, lamp, owl pillow, Pottery Barn Kids circle rug, yada yada yada.  Here is how the room turned out.  It is such a spacious room but I think it filled in nicely.

Pottery Barn Kids green and white gingham curtains.  Purchased in 2007, still hanging strong.

Love and Nature wall decals over her pink kitchen and white dresser, which I gave a makeover, see earlier post if you missed that one.

Love and Nature bedding and lamp.  I did add a PBK green and white gingham bedskirt that I found on Ebay because her pink Circo one ripped and Pottery Barn Kids discontinued most of their gingham, hence Ebay.  Also, her PBK round star rug that we bought before she was born in 2007.  Quality pays off in the long run, still looks new.

An old bookcase that Rob owned.  We sanded it, added a vine engraved wood trim and painted it white.  Holds ALL of her books as well as her plush and other toys.

So pretty cute, huh?  It's even cuter in person.  Since the taking these shots I've hung some framed photos and art which help tie the room all together, but you get the gist.   It might be my favorite room in the house thus far because it's the ONLY finished room in the house.  We still have so much work to do throughout but like our friend Greg Cox says, "Don't rush. You have 30 years to work on it."  

Thanks Greg.

Green Smoothie Girl

We have a great health food natural market in town called Simply Good.  They often have lectures and demonstrations to educate their customers.  One of Rob's doctors is a health nut and over Thanksgiving weekend Dr. Nagy did a lecture and demo on The Green Smoothie Diet.  Rob got me the book and I've been making them about 5 mornings a week ever since.  They are SO yummy and give me energy.  The trick is to add the spinach or kale, or whatever green you desire, to the juice and blend on high for at least a minute before adding any other ingredients.  Then add any fruit of your choice.  My favorite is OJ, almond milk, spinach, banana, frozen pineapple, and a fresh fruit.  Lately we've even been adding a scoop of peanut butter.  Another thing I love about drinking this every morning is it kills all cravings for sweets and carbs.  In fact, it kills most cravings.  I believe it's because you get so many nutrients that your body stops craving because it doesn't need anything.  A great choice for vegetarians or vegans, a great choice for dairy free or gluten free diets, a GREAT choice for weight loss!  Don't let the green color fool you, these are delicious and you can customize them to your liking.  Let me know if you do.

Oh, and if you don't want to buy the book, check out greensmoothiesgirl.com.

Southern Hospitality

The term Southern Hospitality is certainly ringing true for us.  In the short month we've lived in our new home we have received several lovely gifts from neighbors.  The above photo was a gift presented to us last night from the Buzby's.  I adore fresh flowers but more interesting is the handmade pottery the flowers came in.  It comes from a well known area called Sea Grove where generations of potters have lived since the 1700s.  They even sell maps, much like the Beverly Hills maps to stars homes, of the potters homes and studios where you can visit and they do a huge event in November which is already on my calendar!

This beautiful arrangement was given to us last week by our neighbors the Amin's.  Hatel herself made this for us which means a lot because she is a busy dentist with her own practice.  Very talented.  They are very warm, sweet neighbors.

The first week we moved in, our next door neighbors the Glover's gave us a gorgeous fruit basket and a very nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.  A week after that they invited us over for a glass of wine to meet their visiting family.  Last night we had neighbors over for a glass of wine to get to know them better, the Buzby's, who gave us the sweet pottery and flowers.  This neighborhood is so social, we are often over at neighbors or neighbors are here.  Even down the street we met a lovely family, the Martinez's, who have two young daughters, Cameron and Sophie, who Gracie is crazy about and last weekend we hung out in their backyard making smores over a large cauldron they bought and we all sat on tree stumps for stools.  It was so cool and so fun!  We have actually never been this social; the southern hospitality just brings it out in us.  For those of you who know Rob well know that he's in heaven.  He's the outgoing one and always up for entertaining, whereas I like to cocoon in my home and entertaining kind of stresses me out.  But when you are having people over for just wine or dessert, it takes the stress off of entertaining and puts the emphasis on enjoying people.  It's a win-win!

Striped Curtains

www.crateandbarrel.com/decorating-and-accessories/curtains/alston-ivory-grey-curtain-panel

I am obsessed with gray right now.  I painted my master bedroom a light gray and we love it.  Now I need curtains to soften the room.  I originally wanted chevron stripes but could only find 1" or 2" stripes which is not wide enough and would look too busy.  I decided I wanted horizontal stripes but they are very hard to find and very expensive and we are on a budget.  I've seen some cool blogs lately of painted chairs, even painted upholstery, so wondered if you could paint curtains too.  I Googled DIY painted curtains and many, many blogs came up of people who painted stripes on curtains.  Score!  So, I am off now to Ikea for inexpensive curtains.  Instead of spending $100+ on ready made panels, I will spend $24.99 at Ikea today, and I already have the painter's tape and gray paint that I used on our master bed and bath.  I do need to buy a large tarp or two so the paint doesn't bleed through to the surface below, other than that, I'm set to paint curtains.  I will show before and afters this week.  Stay tuned.....