Yellow Bathroom

This post is about our 'yellow' bathroom's slow transformation from average to Better than average (notice I didn't use GREAT).  I've tweaked it slowly over the last couple months and am pretty pleased with it's status now. 

Our house was built in 1969 and this shower has the original yellow tile (only bathroom on the right side of the house-  connects with the Mother In Law Suite).  I actually really like the color even though it's kinda wild.  Yellow to me is cheery and happy and welcoming.  So I figure I might as well embrace what I have while I have it? Right?!?! 

This is the before picture before we moved in.  The Frazier's had some pretty crazy paint on those cabinets if you ask me...not a huge fan of the butterfly on the wall either.

 First, I changed the accessories, hung a few things on the wall, and replaced the toilet with our "New throne for your Home" tax credit. 
Though you can't see them in the picture, I also changed the drawer/ cabinet pulls.  Slight improvement, but not great.

 Next, I decided to swap the paint to give it a fresh vibe.  The white in this bathroom before always felt dingy and dirty to me.  Now it's Yellow on top, White on the bottom. 

I also painted all the cabinets a SOLID white.

Linen closet on the opposite wall.  Love, Love, Love the storage in this house!

 Lastly, early on a Sunday morning, I pulled off the old, boring mirror.  Jerad was not pleased as this now meant I needed to go Garden Ridge to buy a new mirror.  Sunday funday, right?!?!

I took off the old mirror, textured and repainted the wall, and hung the new mirror.  I also swapped out some wall features and now I'm pleased with this space. 

 Another view.  I really need to take some better 'full view' pictures, but you get the jist.

 Happy Royal Wedding Friday!!

Plant update

I've been loving all the rain we've been having, and obviously, my plants are loving it too!  I took a few pictures last night of their progress.  Check out my post from April 4th to see the 'before pics'.

Look how well my Cannas are doing!  I love their beautiful leaf colors.

Thank you Mrs. Drake for these wonderful bulbs!

 I planted the flowers in between the Cannas last weekend, so they are just getting settled. Most all have had their first bloom this week.

 One more look.

An update on my ferns, petunias, and herbs.  All are coming along nicely!  We've been using the herbs like crazy in the kitchen.

This is the first rose bush I've planted...it was on sale at Lowe's (b/c it was almost dead!) a couple weeks ago.  I stuck it in the ground and decide to try to nurse it back to health.  Check out my first two Roses!  I'd love to plant more in the backyard if these continue to do well.

 Front Yard- the azaleas are growing well.  I added a couple flowers in front of them as I ran out of space in the backyard for planting.  I really need to build some more flower beds!

A close up

Love this color.

I threw away the pansies that were in my front beds.  They were full, but were getting stringy because of the heat we had last week.  The rain knocked off most of the petals, but you get the jist.  The front yard has purple and red flowers...an interesting combination, but it makes me happy.  Happy Spring!

Happy Easter!

Catherine Wagner and I are the volunteer Co-hairs for the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas Young Friends.  Every month, we organize two events, a craft night and a cook night.  On cook nights, we typically have 10-12 volunteers cook dinner for the 60-70 people staying in the house.  It's a blast to find fun recipes, buy the ingredients, and teach others how to cook...all the while sharing home-cooked meals with the families. 

Yesterday however, we had a craft night!  In honor of the upcoming Easter holiday, we decided to make these adorable Easter Bunnies with the kids!  They were a huge hit!


http://familyfun.go.com/easter/easter-crafts/all-easter-crafts/sock-hop-841022/ We used baby socks so our bunnies came out to be a 4 inches in height. 
Quick run through of the steps:

1. fill sock 3/4 full with beans
2. tie rubber band at the top of the beans
3. Cut down the center of the top of the sock to make two flaps (ears)
4. tie ribbon at the top of the body to make a head
5. glue on cotton ball or pom-pom to make a tail
6. glue light pink pom for a nose
7. glue two googly eyes
8. cut buck teeth from felt and glue

DONE!

 My bunny!  Though I'm not the most creative, I thought it turned out pretty well. =)
Happy Easter!

Yummy Recipe

So I know this blog is supposed to be about the house, but this recipe was too yummy not to share!  I used the basics from this recipe and tweaked it a bit.  http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/tomatillo_chicken_stew/

  All ingredients are from the Earth or are things that I had on hand!  I love creative, healthy cooking!  It looks like a lot of steps, but it was really easy.

1. I peeled and boiled eight Tomatillos. 
2. Scooped them out and finely chopped them in the food processor.  I used the same boiling water to boil only four chicken tenders (not a ton of meat!).   Once boiled, shred and set aside (save the water for later).
3. While the chicken was boiling, I chopped two jalepenos (seeded), half a white onion, two garlic cloves,  and a handful cillantro (from my garden!!).  I mixed those with a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of sugar, and the juice of one lemon
4. I mixed all the above together with my tomatillos for my salsa-  YUM!  Tastes sweet yet spicy!

Up to this point I was going to make chicken enchilladas...but because I only had four tortillas, I thought it'd be a waste of time.   (if I'm making enchilladas, I normally make three for Jerad and two for me, with one or two for leftovers).. so I got on the ipad to see what else I could make with tomatillo salsa...  Tomatillo Chicken Stew!

1. In a large pot, I added a Tablespoon or so of Olive Oil with half of an onion diced and two more garlic cloves-  simmer until translucent-ish
2. Next I added about three cups of the water I used to boil the tomatillos/ chicken (I didn't have chicken broth on hand and thought this had enough natural flavor)
3. Add tomatillo salsa from Part One  (probably measured out to be about 2.5 cups
4. Add 1 fresh diced tomato and half of a green pepper (diced), a handful of cillantro (from my garden) and two cups beans (I used pinto beans that I cooked previously and had in the freezer, but you could use any kind from a can)
5. Add shredded chicken
6. Add seasonings-  1 t. cumin, 1 t. corrianger, 1 t. oregano
7. Bring to a boil, then lower temp and simmer 20 or so minutes.

Delicious!  It was a definite hit with Mr. Romo served with plums and pears!

So I made purchases at both locations this weekend!  My friends are making me spend spend spend, but it's so fun and definitely worth it when I come home to a nicely decorated house!  =)

I purchased the seasonal items below.  I love hanging these by my back door.  They just let you enjoy the season somehow.  4 for a large sum of $2.75.  Gotta love garage sales!

Home Goods = amazing = 2 hours of Ashley's Saturday.  This is why I think it's sometimes a blessing that Jerad works on Saturdays.  Had he been with me this weekend, he would have DIED.  When I shop, I like to look at things, put them together, think about them, look some more,etc...it's a very long process. 

Before- couch looking a little rough...

After:  gave the couch a good vacuum, fluffed the cushions and turned them around and over (I do this almost weekly...I think it gives the couch a longer life and makes the couch feel full and fluffy instead of limp and concave).  I purchased some yellow, goldy pillows this weekend.  They all have different patterns and textures, but I thought they'd mesh well with my solid green.  Happy and cheery for Spring!

Chairs before- dark brown pillows and dark green cushions.

After: adding bright green pillows and my cream cushions.  Not a huge transformation, but these chairs will have to do until I can convince my husband to buy other seating for this area.... =)

 Master bath before:  We have brown, speckled granite in our Master.  We have turquoise towells for color.  Up until this point, I hadn't decided what pictures/ artwork I wanted for this space.  I've been looking, but nothing's interested me.

 Until I found this RELAX sign at Home Goods.  I should have taken a close-up of the sign.  It's a light blue distressed piece of wood with white letters and sea-shells for the letters....reminded me of Corpus and the beach!  Perfect...there's my theme!

So as I searched further, I found all sorts of blue things.  Love these three pieces-  coral statue, lattern, and shell. 

And these for our counter-top.  Shell, lattern, and blowfish.  Don't you love that fish?!?!

 After-  it's a hard angle to shoot, but you get the idea.  Now, I feel like our color scheme makes sense!

Us Saturday night- Children's Advocacy Center Gala!  Hope you had a great weekend!

New Fav Store?

Mrs. June Landry (http://livingwiththelandrys.blogspot.com/) told me about Home Goods this week...it recently opened at Park & 75 for those of you in Dallas.   I've browsed the website and it looks like it may be right up my alley...very Marshalls and Garden Ridge-esque!  I'm hoping to go this weekend and get some fabulous finds!  I've got to get the house ready for Ashley Mues' baby shower  =)  http://themuesfamily.blogspot.com/

There's another fun event going on this weekend that's sure to include fabulous finds-  my friend Kristi's son is having a Scout Garage Sale and it promises to be HUGE!  Stop by if you're in the Allen area.   I think I'm going to pick up Mrs. Garza on my way!  http://tiffanyandvictor.blogspot.com/

Troop 1299

Saturday, April 16th  7am- 4pm

1517 W.McDermott Drive, Allen TX 75013

Bye, bye BIG GREEN

For those of you who visited the house when we first bought it, you know that I painfully 'embraced' the green carpet.  We had dark green carpet in our front three rooms- our dining room, formal living, and family rooms.  Our family room is long and rectangular and has high ceilings.  Although the room is large, the room felt very closed off to the front two rooms. 

FINALLY right before the Romo's visited for Thanksgiving, we decided to pull the trigger.  We wanted to knock down a wall between the two living rooms and get hardwoods! 

See below for the dramatic transformation!

Before: formal living room.   The couch was originally against the wall that we knocked down. 

Notice the GREEN on the floor!  EEEK

View of the living room.  The wall on the left will soon be gone...

Day one: Bye Bye Wall!  Notice how the trim is not stained or painted.  We had our contractor change the trim on all the doorways in this room so that they match.

Another view of the room.  Notice how you can see through to the front of the house!

Day Two: Bye Bye GREEN

Our contractor is leveling the floor in the picture below. 

It already feels so much more open with the wall gone!  Look how happy the boys are!!

Day Three: View of the new hardwoods (although dirty)!! 

We chose handscraped engineered floors..VIVA!

We swapped the couch in the other room to be against the windows so both rooms open to eachother.  Jerad loves that our house was pre-wired with speakers throughout the house.  The TV in the family room has two speakers that connect to the 'formal' living room.  This allows people in both rooms to comingle and enjoy music/ programs on the TV.  This has been such a blessing for our large parties!

Now we need a rug!

I chose this Moroccan print to tie our reds & greens in with pops of yellow.  I love the warmth that these colors create.  It also easily transitions into different seasons-  yellow and green for Spring/ Summer and deeper, darker reds and golds for the Fall/ Winter.

All back together now!  See Jerad!  It's COMPLETELY worth it!

A couple more afters

=)

Ideas from Mom

This weekend I was in Corpus for Anjulie and Daniel's wedding!  We had awesome weather in Corpus, so I thought I'd snap a couple pictures of Mama Bonilla's house for inspiration! 

Ready to go for the wedding!

This is the front of the house- my parents built this house 27 years ago.  At some point along the way, Mom planted Azaleas in the front around her crape mrytles.  Looks at how BIG they've gotten! Wish I had a green thumb like her's!  When they bloom, they are absolutely gorgeous!  I hope our front yard looks like this one day.  Mom plants seasonal flowers in front of them-  currently, she has a few impatients. 

My room is the window just above the tree.  Clay's room is on the right.

 The left side-  Will's room is the top window.  Matt's room has windows overlooking the backyard.

 Check out Dad showing off Mom's Lemon tree in the backyard.  It produces beautiful, yellow lemons!  Drew loves to pick these with 'Mimi'.

 Mom also planted these crape myrtels a couple years after moving into the house.  I love their twisted trunks.  Just beautiful and HUGE!

 I also look to her dining room for inspiration.  I love having a 'family picture' wall.  I hope to have one in our house some day!  I blew it up so you could get a better view of the pictures. =)

 And you have to love Mom's elegance- the chandelier, the ornately framed gold mirror, the polished furniture and china cabinet from Mother Hunt.  I love her beautiful things!

 And there's my wedding picture framed on the left...wearing Steph's mink stole and carrying a replica of Mom's bouquet...classic and elegant - BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!  Love you, Jerad! 

Hope you've had a great weekend!  I know I enjoyed my time at home!

Spring is finally here!

Jerad and I have been busy bees around our house.  For the first time in almost two yearssss, we're focusing on the outside landscaping!  So fun to be outside and enjoy the sunshine. 

This is the front of the house before-  we have basic shrubs in the front.  I have pansies in the ground and gernaniums and petunias in the pots.  I planted the pots two weeks ago.  I think our front yard needs a little pizzazz!

After: I gave the bushes a much needed trim.    This gives our windows more light-  they look much more organized.  Too bad I cut through the extension cord on my first go 'round with the hedge trimer....nothing a quick trip to Ace can't fix.  hehehe- oops!

Picture of the backyard shrubs-  not sure what kind these are, but I love them.  They change from light green to dark, to orange, then red.  Year-round color..their my little 'button bushes'.

I also added some petunias to some of my existing pots in the backyard.  I have 2 ferns and petunias (purple) and another pot filled with fresh herbs-  looovvvee Rosemary, Oregano and Cilantro...I honestly can't get enough for my cooking! 

 Back to the front yard-  I got the bright idea to rip out the shrubs on the far left side of the house and test azaleas.  I didn't realize how 'established' the shrubs roots were and what a difficult task ripping them out would be for my back!  Oopsies!  But after hours of digging and pulling, I finally got them out.  I planted three- three galloon azaleas in the front with a couple impatients for fun.  I bought particular soil and mulch to keep the acidity level balanced, so I hope they do well.  These are Encore Azaleas and will bloom three times a year.  I'm going to try to duplicate Mama Bonilla's yard eventually!  I'll keep you updated!

 Emily Base handed down some cana lily bulbs for my back yard as well.  Thank goodness Mrs. Drake likes to dig up her garden occassionally!  Emily and I receive the benefit.  I hope they eventually blossom and give my backyard bed some texture and color.  I'll give you an update in a couple months!

Trees- our Bradford Pears and Crape Myrtles are soooo close to blooming!  I'll post pictures when they choose to grace us with their presence.  Can't wait!  (Note: the angel in the far left is from Karly, Jerad's sis.  Thanks Kar!)