Furniture is in...

but this room still need a lot of work! At least it's a start. Let me preface this by saying that this room is my nightmare. It is an impossible room for furniture layout, tv viewing, traffic flow, etc... etc. I will always stuggle!

The leather is a very dark brown, so I am going with cream colored accent pillows. (Yes, for the color, I am subbing in a bed pillow... but you get the idea!) I am really liking these and these as pillows.
Behind the sofa, I have big plans to move the wedding photo to the opposite wall, replacing the large mouth bass (no... that's not a typo, just Matt's favorite past time!). On this wall, I plan to do a photo wall using this site created by the wonderful Nesties as my inspiration. And my favorite! I will probably go with a cream colored frame to contrast with the Hat Box Brown wall.

I will be replacing the black shelves and adding shelves on either side of the fireplace to replace the end tables there now. I love the look of these floating shelves from Ikea, and this site is great inspiration! I will be moving the end tables out beside the sofas to put them to their intended use (who would have thought!?!).

In the very distant future, we will be replacing the carpet with all new hardwood floors on the first level.

I am open to any suggestions about this room.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, sofetend
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 package instant vanilla pudding
1 large egg
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Beat in pudding mix until well blended. Stir in eggs. Blend in flour and baking soda. Stir in chocolate chips. Using heaping tablespoon as scoop, drop cookies on baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Serve as ice cream sandwiches with vanilla bean ice cream. Enjoy!

Chicken Soft Tacos

cook 1 lb chicken breasts, 3 cans Original/Hot Rotel tomatoes, 1 cup black beans, and 1 cup frozen white corn in a crock pot on high for 4-5 hours. pull out chicken breasts and shred with a fork. put back into crockpot and keep warm while preparing other ingredients. warm tortilla shells between wet paper towels in the microwave for 30 seconds. lay out shells, top with chicken mixture down the center, fold, top with cheese and broil until cheese is melted. serve with sauteed onions, bell pepper, and sour cream. enjoy!

In + Out

It's that time again...

My irises are growing fast, but they aren't going to last long with the beasts around.

Distraction with a stick!

Mason has mastered fetch... he was a born natural!

Frozen Banana Bites

4 bananas, sliced in 1 inch slices
6 ounces chocolate chips, melted
1 cup salted peanuts, loosely chopped

spread bananas out
top with melted chocolate
sprinkle with chopped peanuts
cover dish and place in freezer
freeze for 2-3 hours or until frozen through
take out and enjoy!

Recipe inspiration found in Rachel Ray Magazine.

Happy Spring!

(and Happy Friday!)

Grass is always Greener

I am so happy the grass is turning green. I absolutely love Spring! The boys are loving it too! Not many of my plants are surviving the wrath of Mason and Skye, but maybe, just maybe ::: fingeres crossed ::: my irises will last long enough to bloom. Today was a nice relief from the rain that took over our weekend all the way through St. Patty's Day. Hope everyone is enjoying their week! Happy Wednesday!

Luck of the Irish

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Rainy Weekend

We had a nice relaxing weekend. It rained all weekend, so we didn't do anything exciting. Since I didn't get any new pictures of the dogs, I pulled out some of my favorites that you have never seen. It was nice to go back through the photos when I was organizing them. Mason has changed so much, and Skye has only gotten cuter! I can't wait for Spring... warm weather, sunshine, beautiful green everything! It will make for some great photos with the boys.

Cheese Omelets

For 1 omelet:

3 large eggs
6 grinds of pepper + 6 grinds of salt (if using grinders)
2-3 splashes of milk/cream

mix ingredients together
warm pan over med high heat, melt 1/2 tablespoon butter, pour egg mixture in pan, sprinkle extra sharp cheddar (desired amount) over eggs, cook until bottom is firm, fold and let center firm up more, flip, let it warm a little longer, then plate and serve

great with sauteed onions, bell pepper, tomatoes, and many other ingredients

* Recipe loosely adapted from Joy of Cooking. Cooking instructions are my own (in case you couldn't tell).