Holy busy, Batman.

Today, I took on a new project. One that I should have been more prepared for... I painted our nightstands. I'll post pictures when I'm done doing all of our bedroom furniture. Basically, we have this awesome bed from Ikea. Wrought Iron, swirly, very cute. Our dressers and nightstands however, are a chestnut-y oak-y color. Not a fan. I've been obsessing over this set from Ikea for ever. Well, at least since my little sister bought it. I'm in love with it. However, having a budget to stick to and the hubster wanting a new TV (apparently, my 27 inch doesn't cut it in the living room.), I decided to do what any frugal wife would do. Paint our furniture to match the bed.

Alright, maybe not any frugal wife would take this on. But they should! For under $50, I've redone our bedroom. (4 cans of $4.93 spray paint, 2 cans of polyurethane and new cabinet hardware.) Booyah. Take that, Ikea. :)

Anyway, I guess it's not fair for me to talk about this without pictures... so I'll stop talking about it. The polyurethane hasn't dried yet, so I'm not counting my chickens before they hatch.

Recipe of the day-

Chicken and Dumplings in the crock pot!

Super simple, delicious.
2 stalks of celery, chopped.
a hand full of baby carrots, chopped.
about a cup of frozen peas. (I like frozen, because canned are already mushy.)
a sprinkle of garlic powder
parsley, salt, and pepper to taste.
2 tablespoons of butter (not necessary, but it makes it a little creamier.)
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut to bite sized pieces.
2 cans of cream of chicken soup.
1 can of chicken broth. (Basically, enough to cover the chicken up, plus a little more.)
1 loaf of premade, frozen bread dough. Thawed. (we keep this stuff in the house as a necessity. Fresh baked bread every week? Yes, please.)

Put everything but the bread dough in the crock pot on high for 4-5 hours. Go on with your life.

About 5 hours later, take the bread dough, tear it into small pieces and put it in the crock pot. Walk away for an hour or so. (Maybe check it a little to make sure the dough is cooking.)

You don't want the bread dough to completely cook through- the doughy part in the middle is delicious.

I'll be making some egg noodles in a little bit to put the chicken and dumplings over top.

This is a fantastic, filling meal. Perfect for cold nights. Fortunately, it's been averaging between 40-65 degrees here for the past few weeks, (in February!) so we're not needing that filing food right now. :)

Try it, and leave me a comment on how yours turned out!

<3,
Me

Our house

I should start out a little bit by showing off the house. I'm in love.

 This is the hubster's 'man cave'. The first one. 

 Aaaand his pool table. 

The laundry closet/pantry

TADA! The living room <3

Front hallway, looking at dining room

Little A's 'Diamond Room'. aka playroom

Little A's bedroom

Where the magic happens... Ha. Master Bedroom

Kitchen. Hello, original appliances. 

Master bathroom...

And the creepy shower stall. Very, very blue. Note the tiled ceiling...

Master closet. With the ONLY carpeting in the house. 

Pretty much the only bathroom we use. 

Linen closet

And my favorite feature. The fireplace in the living room. <3

So you can see it's a gem, right? Just a few rough edges to work out. I don't have a picture of the breezeway, however I'm sure there's one on my phone. Actually, I should probably get at that, because my current DIY project is to spruce up that area of the house. Something tells me we'll be spending a lot of time out there this spring, summer and fall. 

So far, we've gotten the furniture in, minus the dining room and man cave, and I've done a little decorating. I'm still waiting for the prints I ordered of our wedding pictures to show up so I can put up more pictures. I have 2 boxes full of picture frames from 2 wonderful knotties, plus a bunch I had, and a few I've snagged along the way. I'm a huge fan of using black frames, that way the picture can pop on it's own. There's just something about black and white frames. Actually, I use black as a staple in most of my decorating. Sounds a little morbid, but it's really more country-ish than morbid. 

See? Not morbid. The mirror above the mantle was actually a light oak color when we moved in. I've since painted it black. The lanterns on the mantle are from Ikea, and the piece the TV is on? That was a yard sale deal that my mom bought a few years ago. It was all the wood color of the top, but she painted the lower portion white. It became my dresser for a few years, until I decided I was too cool for it. She then painted (most of) it black and used in the hallway at her house. I gained it as a hand me down and repainted it with more of a flat black, touched up messed up parts and finished painting it completely. Tada! 

All of the furniture in that room is actually hand me downs. But I love it all. Comfiest couches ever. Also, I'd like to share that the house is usually in less disaray, however the hubster was home sick that day, and I snapped this picture in the 3 minutes he was off the couch all day. (He's feeling better. No worries.) 

I'll check back later with a Pinterest Check! 

Love, 

Me<3


PS- Follow me on Pinterest!

Whoa. First post.

Welcome! So, if you're reading this, it means you've stumbled across it somehow. I'm a 26 year old newlywed to an amazing husband and mother of an awesome 3 year old little girl. We're renting a gorgeous brick house that we're in love with and hoping to buy someday. This blog is basically a way for me to share the accomplishments I've achieved... whether they be DIY, scrap booking, interior decorating, cooking, or saving money. Also... the things I've failed at. I won't hold back. I promise. :) I'll share pictures, recipes, and hopefully get some ideas from my favorite website ever. Pinterest. Maybe you've heard of it? :)

<3
Me