kitchen cart

We've been knocking out projects left and right.  Must be the warmer weather.

Awhile ago, I decided I needed a kitchen cart, and preferably one with a big chopping block on top.  We looked and looked, and unfortunately, the one I loved (and I wasn't willing to settle for anything less) was upwards of $150.  Wasn't going to happen.

So CJ decided to built me one himself.  We debated ... and debated ... and debated about what it should look like.  I still insisted on the chopping block on top, while he wanted to do tile.  Not that a chopping block was unique, but I argued that tile was boring.  He said it'd give him a challenge.  Since we couldn't come to a conclusion, we didn't move on this one for weeks.  Finally, we discovered this brown, yellow, and red tile at Lowe's.  It was special order, so we paid extra for it, but it was worth it -- it gave CJ the challenge he was looking for and the uniqueness that I wanted.

Here's the finished product.  Didn't CJ do a great job?

the dresser unveil

Many months ago, I posted about the dresser we planned to re-do.  My father-in-law started it all back at Thanksgiving by telling me about this old dresser CJ bought at an auction years ago for $5.  When I had two weeks off at Christmas, I intended to finish this project.  But, it required a lot of work and a lot of things just got in the way (the uninsulated, freezing garage and my general laziness, to name a few).  Anyway, it's finally done, so here are the pictures:

Before:  A hot mess.

Stripped:  The original tone was beautiful, but obviously, with three drawers missing, there wasn't much we could do to make it look lke the original.

After

I'm guessing this cost us about $75 total.  The knobs were a little pricey (you can't tell here, but they have green detail on them to match the paint).  And I paid a little more for the Behr paint with the primer already in it (which was definitely worth paying the extra $5 to skip the priming step).  CJ might have had to buy a few pieces of wood, but I'm guessing he had most of it on hand already.

The best part is, this allows me to take away some furniture in the living room and it gives me extra storage space in the house.  So even though it took us months to finish this one, I'd say it was time and money well spent.

follow friday

I'm just about over the Follow Friday segments.  While I keep a lot of blogs in my google reader roll, I'm running out of really fun ones to share.  So, to keep me entertained tihs weekend, I'm flipping the tables.  I know at least five people read my blog, so it's your turn to share some fun links with me.  (Thanks.)

sci-fi geek

I saw a button on etsy the other day that said:  "Yes, I read teenage vampire novels."

CJ has taken this opportunity to point out that I'm now a sci-fi geek. He pointed out that all of the Sookie Stackhouse books are housed in the Sci-Fi section at Barnes & Noble (at which time I told him I was sure someone misplaced them). He even went so far as to ask me which vampire I was going to dress up as for Gen Con.

But, as ridiculous as they are, I devoured the Twilight books.

And at a co-worker's suggestion, I devoured the Sookie Stackhouse books (all twelve-ish of them).  The newest Sookie Stackhouse book doesn't come out until May, so I now have this serious void.

Any suggestions for good books I should pick up?  Doesn't have to be vampire-related.

apple, cheddar, & turkey meatballs

New must try recipe:  Apple, Cheddar, & Turkey Meatballs.

Let me start by saying that I really don't care for meatballs and I really can't explain why this is.  And, I should also admit that I'm drawn to recipes that use new and different ingredient combinations.

I was pretty excited about making this recipe because it was so different.  I was really skeptical with this one, because honestly, it didn't smell too appealing once everything was mixed.

I cooked it the next day anyway, and holy cow.  I sat there eating directly out of the crockpot exclaiming, "MMM.  These are A-MAZ-ING!"  (Nothing like the cook really complimenting herself.)  I think part of the reason why I was so surprised was because I don't really care for meatballs, but I think the bulk of it was because I was expecting these to taste like they smelled.  (That smell, by the way?  It went away.)

Anyway, here it is.  This one is on official rotation in our household (which doesn't happen often).  I hope you like them as well as we did.

Apple, Cheddar, & Turkey Meatballs
Stephanie O'Dea, Make It Fast, Cook It Slow
Serves 4 (more like 2, if we're being honest - I'll definitely double up next time)

1.5 lbs. extra lean ground turkey
1 large egg
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1 green apple, peeled & shredded
1/2 C. shredded sharp cheddar (mild cheddar works too)
1/2 C. dried unsweetened cranberries

Use a 4-quart slow cooker.  In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, using hands.  Make golf-ball size meatballs and place in the crockpot, stagger-stacking.  Cover and cook on low 5-8 hours or on high 4-6 hours.

follow friday

Most of you know how much I love Etsy.  I'm on there frequently, halfway looking for stuff I'll never buy, and halfway trying to figure out how CJ and I can turn a profit by marketing his woodworking goods online.  I know for many people it may be a hobby or a means for a supplemental income, but for some shops I've ran across, they're making a killing!  I want to figure out how to be like them.

Anyway.

One of my favorite etsy shops is Vol. 25.  She has some seriously cute things, and I already have a list worth about $200 worth of products I want to buy.  Again, my problem is that I don't have enough wall space.  Maybe I can convince CJ that it's time to start looking for our second home, preferably mansion-sized?

happy st. patrick's day!

We're not big St. Patrick's Day people.  That is, you won't see us drinking green beer tonight or pinching people.  But, I figured this would be a small, fun surprise for CJ when he gets home from work this morning.

(For credit's sake, the whole idea came from Love, Actually and the labels came from The TomKat Studio.)

food stand-off

Last week we found out who is the most stubborn member of our household:  Henry.

When we first got Henry, we bought the forty pound bags of dog food at Sam's.  Then I got this free Rachael Ray Nutrish sample, and Henry loved it.  I had coupons for it, so since he gobbled it up, I was willing to pay a little bit more.  Then we decided Henry was a dog and that he could eat what we gave him, so we went back to the giant forty pound bag.

Over the course of a month, Henry refused to eat most of his new food.  He would shoot us reproachful looks or walk away entirely and not eat.  Again, we figured that he was a dog and that he'd eat when he got hungry.  So this dog went from eating two appropriately-sized bowls of food a day to a half bowl of food a day. 

It wasn't until my mom noticed Henry looked thinner and until the emergency vet visit when I saw he'd lost five to ten pounds that we broke down and bought him the fancy Rachael Ray food again (but are still mixing with the old food so nothing goes to waste).  And it's been a complete turnaround since we switched food.  He stands at his bowl and waits to be fed.  He eats it all.  The reproachful looks have stopped.

So not only did we find out who the most stubborn member of this household is, but we also found out who the biggest pushovers are -- us.

follow friday

I would imagine about half of you who read my blog on a regular basis already read Christy's blog, Trippin' - Life with Triplets. Christy is a former colleague who is now a stay at home mom to triplet boys and a daughter -- three kids all under the age of four.  Christy's a communications guru by trade, so she's an entertaining and thoughtful writer, and her stories are great.  Sort of makes me want to have kids.  Someday.

I digress.  If you only have a few minutes to peruse, I suggest you read this one:  Was that Gucci?

the taxman

A few weeks ago, CJ and I took our taxes in for someone else to do.  I'd never done this before, simply because I consider myself to be a pretty smart cookie.  During my first few years of working, my aunt prepared my taxes for me, but at some point probably around college, I've just done my own.  Things are great if you use the EZ form.  Anything past that?  I end up frustrated.  My health savings account has been the culprit these past few years.  But, it gets done.  Judging by my load of school work, plus just trying to make sure our house doesn't, you know, get consumed by that giant pile of laundry that's ever present, CJ suggested we pay someone else to do them this year.

Best money we've spent in a long time.

We highly recommend having someone else mess with it.  Seriously.  It's worth the money.  We left the office almost two hours later.  I had a smile on my face.  Part of it was because we got a decent return back (a far cry from the $2,600 CJ owed last year -- yikes), but most of it was because I only had to sit there, present papers, answer some questions, and sign at the end.  And, we were able to take a lot of deductions -- more than I knew we could take.  We'll be doing some serious documenting this year to make sure we really maximize our return next year.

Who knew doing taxes would be this fun?

best friends forever?

What's this?  Are Henry and Bridget new BFFs?

follow friday

One of my favorite home design blogs is The Lettered College.  I'll be honest.  Their decorating style is the complete opposite of mine.  Their home is very crisp, clean, a little country, a little beachy.  Ours is filled with bold colors.  Plus, the other thing I like about the blog is that the couple frequents flea markets and writes about their finds.  Makes me wish we had a flea market in Indianapolis.  And, they have giveaways pretty often, so that's worth checking out too.  Enjoy!

college graduate!

I'm so pleased to finally announce CJ's college graduation!

As many of you know, CJ was a semester shy of completing his bachelor's degree (Pre-Med and English) when he pursued other opportunities -- receiving his associate's degree in paramedic science, becoming a paramedic then firefighter, getting married, etc.  At this time, he doesn't have any plans to actively use the degree; it was more of something to cross off his life's to do list.

Last semester was tough and somewhat of a hassle.  His classes weren't difficult, but he had to arrange for time trades and had to use his vacation days for school instead of for an actual vacation.  I don't even want to think about the money he spent on gas driving to and from Terre Haute last semester.  Because ISU didn't offer the one class he needed to finish up last semester, he enrolled in an online class that turned out to be more difficult than his in-person classes.  The online class wasn't exactly budget-friendly either.

After all of that, we found out a few weeks ago that CJ didn't graduate after all.  He applied for graduation and had met all academic requirements.  When he transferred his online class in -- the day before Thanksgiving -- it was sent to the wrong office.  (Since when do transferred credits go to the admissions office instead of the registrar's office anyway?)  The paperwork was transferred to the correct office before Christmas, and then it seems it sat on someone's desk and wasn't processed in time to meet graduation deadilnes.  CJ tried to argue his point, but to no avail.  Talk about disappointing.

Then last Friday, there was his diploma in our mailbox!  I don't know what happened or why he was told he would have to reapply for graduation, but we really don't care.  I realize it's just a piece of paper, but he worked really hard for that degree and I'm just so proud of him.

What's up next?  CJ plans to enroll in Ivy Tech's paramedic to RN crossover program.  The program begins in August and will last approximately a year, so he'll finish up school a few months after I graduate.  Then maybe we'll get back to that newlywed phase where we just sat around on our nights off and didn't study.

happy march!

I think I'm about thirty years too young to pack up and move to Florida for the winter, but I'm thisclose to doing it anyway.  (I haven't shared these plans with CJ yet.)

The other day, I was thinking about how I've always viewed March 1st as a big turning point in the year.  It could still be snowy and cold, but in my mind, it's spring.  When I was younger, as soon as March rolled around, I'd beg my parents to let me wear shorts to school.   Didn't matter if it was fifty-five degrees out or if there were still melting piles of snow -- it was shorts weather.

I've long since upgraded to cute skirts and knee-length shorts, but my feelings on March haven't changed.  I'm bringing my flip flops to the front of the closet and thinking about making the trip to the beauty supply store to pick out this year's nail polish color.

I've heard people say that we must have winter so we can fully enjoy spring and summer.  The way this winter is progressing, I'm beginning to think that God just wants me to be extra thankful this year.