soup

The simple creamy sometimes brothy mixture that warms the soul, yeah thats what I am talking about.

I use to HATE soup, like I wouldn't even eat it even if I couldn't eat anything else. 

Well, recently with the cooler temps, moving here and pinterent inspiration I have come to LOVE soup.

There is just something wonderful about soup on a cold rainy day.

One of my favorite recipes, which I probably make once a week now, is this one found originally on pinterest

Tomato-basil soup at its finest.

Doesn't it just look amazing.

Whats your favorite food for fall right now?

It was hard

If you stopped by yesterday morning you read a post that was very very hard for me to write and I felt like I made a huge leap.

Long story short that post was misunderstood and I took it down.

I just want to thank the few of you that did comment and talk to me about it. It really meant a lot. Thank you again.

Oh, buffet!

Lets talk about the buffet my dad built for a wedding present (yeah last year)

Yeah, thats the one.. isn't she beautiful. I think so

Ok, reverse (over a year ago).. I was inspired by 

this butcher block kitchen island from Joi at Nuestra Vida Dulce

I wanted an island also, but I didn't have the room for it

I gave my dad the dimensions and this is what he came up with 

(this is the only before pic I have.. sorry guys)

you can see it to the right of this picture before the kitchen reno.

The top was sealed to be used as a butcher blocks, it was not very dark and was often stained by coffee

so we decided during the kitchen reno that the top had to be darker and I needed a shelf for more storage.

 

detail from the front

the detail from the side

including towel bar and pretty grading :)

so what do you think of all of her glory? I love it. 

Do your parents make you stuff? Are they handy and help you out?

fall .. my favorite season

For the clothes alone, I Love fall!

New stuff in the shop, check it out..

here

Featured

My planner was featured today .. 

 here

go check it

My weekend in pictures

well, part of it at least.

This was our before picture for the crazy K

(a mud run)

Starting to line up

towards the end up a mud hill

ready to keep going, end in sight

group photo sitting in the mud

from behind

the end!

It was a ton of fun and i strongly encourage you to get a team together and go do a mud run and enjoy some beers.

This weekend we also helped at a derby bout

my husband in his $4 prom dress acting silly

and went to a football party where we went shooting.

It was an awsome weekend.

Go-To: french toast

I follow Jo at A Cup of Jo she a series that she puts on almost weekly called the best of a food that you;ll ever have.

I found this french toast recipe and it is AMAZING!

(source)

You really should go check it out

 Do you have any go-to/ favorite recipes?

Kitchen reno

My parents came into to town (from L.A.) on Thursday afternoon and the madness began..

Please, tell me I am not the only one that has a list ready to go for my parents and make them work the whole time they are here?! Oh well, thats what I did. 

My list:

- Change toilet seat

- Change rotator dial switch to flipper switch

- Dig out weeds

- replant hostas to side yard

- Paint kitchen cabinets

- Paint kitchen countertops

- Paint kitchen walls 

- Varnish kitchen cabinets

- Take out old chalking between sink and tile, re-chaulk

- Varnish the buffet

- Add shelf to buffet

- Get new microwave

- Add coffee bar

- Add some kind of art above buffet

- Change out old yellow switched to white ones

Yeah, its a pretty long list.

The majority of that list belongs in the kitchen, so we will start there. 

Lets take a walk back on memory lane before all the juicy details begin.

When we bought the house the walls were white accented by kool-aid stains and crayons

The before:

Meh! Kind of plain and the off white tile really stands out.

(Don't judge the next lot of pictures are really blurry)

The progress:

I decided to paint the kitchen this blue.. this was the first room we painted and were not very good at it
and never touched up or filled in  holes

I eventually got rid of that valence and there a clear shelf you cant see that was gone too

Too small cart got replaced and that picture went bye bye

the corner got some updates and the door curtain got taken off

that was the kitchen back in 2010

This is a more update view of the corner

and the whole thing with the buffet to the right that my dad built for me :) 

The after:

The stove area with the freshly painted cabinets and countertops and new tea kettle

The counters painted in pewter tinted Rustoleum countertop paint

new oven mitt from target

sink with new faucet and other side of the counters

Painted walls; I believe the paint color is Blue Suede color matched in Behr Satin paint for the walls and bright white for the cabinets in semi gloss

the corner with fresh paint on the walls 

(this picture and the one above are probably the most accurate color)

buffet with new baskets, bowls and coffee bar

  close up of buffet

as your walking into the kitchen from the living room

so now my list looks like this

- Paint kitchen cabinets

- Paint kitchen countertops

- Paint kitchen walls 

- Varnish kitchen cabinets

- Take out old chalking between sink and tile, re-chaulk

- Varnish the buffet

- Add shelf to buffet

- Get new microwave

- Add coffee bar

- Add some kind of art above buffet

- Change out old yellow switches to white ones

Not too shabby for 4 days of work and less than $400

Price break down:

Harbor freight- $50 (I had a gift card and it was $1.08)

Brushes, sander, disposable drop clothes, gloves, paint brushes

Home Depot- $135 (my dad paid for both trips)

Paint (white and blue color): $40 ($5 rebate for each gallon on behr paint this weekend)
Countertop paint: $20
foam roller and other paint supplies: $15
stain: $20
wood for shelf: $40 (we bought multiple pieces of wrong wood)
switches and new face plate: $10

Walmart- $90

Microwave: $80

measuring cups: $10

Menard's- $128

wood kit for coffee bar: $15

faucet: $100

spice jars: $13 for 24

TJ Maxx- $46

Baskets x2: $26

Big Bowls: $13

Teapot: $7

Target- $47

Dish towels: $7

Oven mitt: $5

Rug: $30

plate: $5

Pier One- $10 

Cream and Sugar containers: $5 each

---------------------------------------------------------------

                                                                        Total: $321

So what do you think? pretty awsome? I think so.

I will be linking up this week to these blogs