Our Florida Bungalow

What’s a Wife to Do?

2012-02-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

This was my view for a few hours this weekend..

Yup. That’s the hubster.. hanging out on the roof..and not a FLAT roof.. but one at a steep angle..

Why was he doing this you may ask?? Well, we’re working on redoing the upstairs bathroom and we needed to put a vent in the ceiling to get the moisture out.

So that means he needed to stand out on the roof and cut a hole for said vent.

He was fine doing this..

His wife wasn’t…

I was a nervous wreck. I kept holding on to his shorts thinking this would save him if he slipped..

He would say “please stop.. that’s not helping me”… to which I would say “that’s fine… but it’s helping me.”

Oh my. What a nerve wracking thing. I was soo happy when it was done.

And AGAIN.. the hubster never ceases to amaze me.

Broccoli Rabe & Kale ~ Now How to Cook These Things..

2012-02-19T06:47:00.000-08:00

When I ordered my seeds from Sow True Seed awhile back, I decided to try Broccoli Rapini or as some call it, Broccoli Rabe.

As you can see, it’s growing very nicely, and just this morning I was able to pick my first couple stalks.

I’ve watched a few videos and looked up a few recipes, but I’m still not sure how I will cook it yet.

I also had to thin out one of my kale beds to allow the rest of them to grow bigger, so now I have a basket filled of young kale..

I’m thinking either Kale chips or adding them to smoothies.

I’ll let you know how they both turn out later on.

The Bathroom Project Has Begun

2012-02-08T15:32:00.001-08:00

Last night the hubster decided to start on the girls bathroom redo.

First on the list..

Taking down the tin ceiling..

The tin ceiling is really beautiful, but in a bathroom… it just doesn’t work.

We were happy to see that there was insulation and good boards underneath all of this. That will make hanging the dry wall a lot easier.

And hanging that drywall will be happening this weekend I’m thinking… oh how fun.. LOL.

Holy Lazyboy Batman ~ Chair Redo

2012-02-06T12:20:00.001-08:00

She finished the chair…

Awhile back… and I mean AWHILE back..I wrote about taking on the reupholstering of that beautiful pink chair you see.

Well, months later… I finally decided to finish this chair.

With the exception of a zipper for the seat cushion… this baby is DONE.

And to quickly answer some of the questions you may be wondering..

Was it easy? Well.. depends..

Taking it apart - Easy.. using the old fabric as patterns for the new fabric – Easy
Putting it back together – Not So Easy

Would I do it again? NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The satisfaction of having it done, REALLY would not surpass the feeling of just buying a nice slipcover and calling it over.

I am happy it’s done.

I do feel somewhat proud of myself that I did it

And I am VERY VERY VERY Happy to say IT IS FINISHED!

Valentine’s Day Mantel Bling

2012-01-25T14:11:00.000-08:00

Wow.. it has been a VERY long time since I’ve sat down and actually blogged.

I’ll write more later on what I’ve been doing lately, but I wanted to show you the Valentine decorations we have going on.

I don’t usually decorate for Valentines day, but after taking down all the Christmas decorations, I quickly realized how bare and empty the mantel looked.

So with some great ideas from Pinterest, I was able to put this together for under $20!! I bought most of what I needed at the Dollar Store!! Yea Baby…

The subway art printables I found by Googling

The one on the right is from Today’s Fabulous Finds

The Faith, Hope, and Love is from A Step in the Journey

The LOVE votives I made using Dollar Store votives and Elmer’s Painters Pens

I made the X’s and O’s by just playing around with Microsoft Word.

I than took some simple twine and laced it through some paper doilies hearts for the banner.

And the Valentines Day plate was made using a plain white plate from the dollar store, clear labels and my computer.

I had A LOT of fun putting this together!

Christmas Lights Take 2 ~ Keeping the Veggies Warm

2012-01-03T18:26:00.001-08:00

What does a Floridian do when the weather dips below freezing and there are Tomato plants to save?

You string your Christmas lights around them to keep them warm!

Praying all my yummy tomatoes make it through the night..

How do you keep the freezing temperatures at bay?

I Call Them My “Vegetable Crack”

2011-12-23T07:22:00.001-08:00

Cuz these things are so dang delicious!!

Homegrown, Organic, and oh so very Yummylicious!!

While weeding and planting the other day I kept reaching over and taking one for a snack.

It’s Garden Candy!!

It’s amazing these even made it into the house.. but I guess I have to share.. LOL.

Please excuse the dirty fingers…

Why just settle for a green thumb when you can have a whole green hand.. LOL!

Getting Them in Before Christmas

2011-12-19T15:13:00.001-08:00

This morning I decided to clean up the raised beds a little and plant some new veggies.

I recently ordered a bunch of seeds from a really cute company called Sow True.

They have a WONDERFUL selection of organic and heirloom seeds.

A few weeks back, I planted spinach, carrots, beets, and sunflowers. Except for the sunflowers, all the seeds were from Sow True.

And so far.. so good..

Today was a beautiful day for gardening here in Central Florida, so with seeds and rake in hand..

a seed planting I did go..

Broccoli Rappini & Broccoli Di Ciccio

Dwarf Blue & Dwarf Siberian Kale

Ruby Red Chard

I’m thinking.. in about 50 to 80 days..

we are going to be feasting away on greens!

Happy Gardening and Merry Christmas!!

December Florida Beauties

2011-12-14T10:06:00.001-08:00

I love the winter time in Florida..

It’s a beautiful reminder to me of why we live here..

Warm weather, yummy veggies, and beautiful flowers to look at.

On my tomato ~~trees~~ plants, we’ve got quite a few goodies that are getting ready to turn red..

and I’m finding hidden treasures under the tomato plants too..

Our little Bouganvilla plants are in full bloom and bring smiles to my face every time I see them.

And after a REALLY good pruning last year, our citrus trees gave us a few fruits to enjoy..

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas…

2011-12-04T18:08:00.001-08:00

Things have been VERY busy around here..

Between my part time job and decorating this house for the first time, I sometimes don’t even know what day it is.

But we are having A LOT of fun dressing the house for Christmas!

Check out what we’ve done so far..

I LOVE the way the house looks at night.. so subtle but sooo pretty..

Once you walk onto the porch.. Mr. Snowman is there to meet you..

**Yard Sale Treasure – the two pre-lit trees on each side of the door were purchased at a yard sale for $1 a piece!! **

The living room looks ‘nice and cozy’ as one of the girls friends said…

** Yard Sale Treasures – The 10ft Pre-Lit tree was $20!!

Mantle decorations – chalkboard paint frame with fun saying – “May Your Days Be Merry & Bright” – homemade, framed quote from Elf “The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is singing loud for all to hear”

We also recently put in some really nice gas fire logs… warm & cozy.. definitely!

The Dining Room – still need to change out the tablecloth, but still looking good..

The Kitchen~ some window decorating and house collection on top of the cabinets

That’s it for now..

I’ll try to come back and post some pictures of our patio decorations soon.

Blessings to you and Merry Christmas!!

Just Took a Bath and Now a 3 Minute Soak

2011-11-21T14:50:00.001-08:00

That’s right.. these sweet tasties just finished taking a nice cool bath and are awaiting their 3 minute blanching before getting tucked away into the freezer.

I’m so excited!!

I haven’t snapped beans in a VERY long time..

Let alone beans from my VERY OWN ORGANIC GARDEN!

It’s not a BUMPER crop, but this pickins’ good enough for two meals…

If can stop eating them raw.. LOL!

Veggies Abound

2011-11-20T13:32:00.001-08:00

We have been DECLICOUSLY reaping the rewards of our garden over the past week.

The lettuce, yellow squash, and green beans have all decided to come out at the same time and we are LOVING it!!

I’ve quickly realized that I had NOT kept up on my organic fungicide.

My zucchini & squash plants to have gotten some kind of fungus on them that is attacking the leaves and turning the yellow!

I sprayed some Actinovate on them, but I think I’m too late.

I haven’t done a lot of research on this yet, so I’m not sure exactly what it is or what caused it.

We have zucchini starting to come about, so I’m hoping this won’t effect our crop.. but I’m sensing it will.

Any thoughts?

Buds, Climbers, and Lettuce… Oh my!

2011-11-02T11:01:00.001-07:00

It is a golden maxim to cultivate the garden for the nose, and the eyes will take care of themselves. ~Robert Louis Stevenson

Green Beans are budding!!

Cucumbers are climbing

Lettuce is springing forth

Yellow Squash is coming to life

Tomatoes plants are growing tall!

It all just takes my breath away and makes me VERY VERY thankful!!

Sorry!! The House Stuff is Here to Stay

2011-11-02T10:28:00.001-07:00

The product reviewing part of my blogging over at The Not So Perfect Housewife seems to be taking off, so I wanted to bring Our Florida Bungalow back to life so I can have a place to dedicated and record all the fun we’re having here.

I also wanted a place where family & friends can come by & visit and not have to go through all the ‘other stuff’.

I’m sorry for the confusion.. but you shouldn’t have to do anything..

Be patient with me though.. I need to upload some of the old posts to this blog, which will probably bog down your email a little... again.. so sorry.

From now on, you’ll just be getting updates from this blog unless you follow The Not So Perfect Housewife separately.

Thanks for coming along on this journey with us.

How Does Our Garden Grow?

2011-10-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

With lots of sweat.. love.. and organic fertilizer

The Potager is REALLY coming together!! And we couldn’t be HAPPIER.

If you remember, what used to look like this:

Now looks like this:

The hubster recently made me those awesome trellis type things for the cucumbers to grow up on. I’m tellin ya.. he ROCKS!

What we’ve got growing right now:

Bush Green Beans

Cucumbers

Salad Mix Lettuce

Heirloom Tomatoes

Regular Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes

Green Peppers

Zucchini & Squash

Radishes

And all of this is planted alongside:

Fire and Ice Hibiscus

Key Lime Trees

Lemon Trees

Apple Trees

Grapefruit Trees

It’s such an amazing feeling to see something grow from seed and bring forth fruit..

Every time I set foot in our garden I am reminded of how much God so tenderly loves me and patiently awaits for me to grow and bear fruit.

I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.

John 15:5-8 MSG

From Trash to Treasure ~ Wow Us Wednesday

2011-10-19T10:37:00.000-07:00

One ladies trash… Is another woman’s treasure.. Don’t you just LOVE those Mums too!! SOOO pretty!! It’s AMAZING what one (well two really) cans of spray paint can do! I’m joining in with Savy Southern Style and her Wow Us Wednesday! Go check it out.. there are some AMAZING projects linked to her blog.

My Glass Container Addiction

2011-09-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

I have what I call a ‘funky’ little pantry in my kitchen. It’s basically a closet with no door with a window in it. When we get to the point where we can do redo our kitchen.. I’m not sure what I’ll do with this space. I like to sit down and go through my cookbooks in there.. Stand and stare at the snacks and figure out what I want to eat.. And now I just like to stand and look at all my cool jars and glass containers. You see, with it being wide open, I had to come up with some creative ways to make it look nice but functional. It’s still a work in progress ( I don’t like the font on the labels I made).. but it sure is purty to look at.. It also gives me an excuse (like I needed another one).. to go to the local thrift shops looking for cool jars. Joining in on the Addicts Anonymous for the first time today.

The $5 Bed Remake

2011-08-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

I picked up this headboard, footboard, and frame at a yard sale one morning. I started sanding it down but than decided to just smooth it out and just try painting primer on it and painting it the color my daughter wanted. It actually turned out really well. She wanted Black.. (not my choice, but it’s not my bed), so we picked out a kind of smoky gray black which turned out great. Not bad for $5 and some paint.

Attacking the Weeds

2011-07-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

My Saturday morning run left me with quite an adrenaline rush, so once I cooled off a bit, I jumped in the car and headed to Lowes to pick up some arsenal for my attack on the dreaded weeds in my small ‘soon to be’ Kitchen Garden.. The Before ~ The After ~ Now all I need to do is start buying the 40 or so bags of River Rock Pebbles I want to put in here.

It All Started With One Little Question??

2011-06-25T17:09:00.001-07:00

I wonder how hard it’s going to be to take down this wallpaper?

And with those words, what was once a lazy Saturday became an all out assault on the girls bathroom.

Truly.. I didn’t intend to embark on this project… it just kind of happened.

I walked upstairs to drop something off and while walking by the bathroom I thought..

I’ll JUST pick one little piece of wallpaper from the wall and see how hard it’s going to be.

Well…

and with some help from my girls (who were MORE THAN HAPPY to see the ‘dizzy’ wallpaper go)….

As you can see.. it came off pretty easily.

THANKFULLY – this was the next big project we are embarking on – The Bathroom Redo – so my dear hubby won’t be too upset that I got this going.

He’ll probably be VERY happy I actually got it all down.

The Kitchen Gardener’s Handbook by Jennifer Bartley

2011-06-20T04:30:00.000-07:00

* I posted this on my main blog, but wanted to share this great book with you too!

Back in early March, we moved into Our Florida Bungalow.

One of the areas that we have been spending A LOT of our time on is the landscaping and an outdoor area that we’ve been remodeling.

Beyond this MASS structure lies a beautiful spot for what could be a BEAUTIFUL kitchen garden, or what I have recently learned to call it… a Potager.

And now that my amazing husband has dismantled part of the structure (we wanted to keep half of it), I can now focus on planning out my garden.

Now, I consider myself a pretty good vegetable gardener, but once I read about Potagers and knew that this is what I wanted to do in our yard, I’ve been researching and trying to learn all I can.

A short definition for a Potager is a kitchen garden. Incorporating decorative landscaping plants alongside vegetables, making short rows, hedges, etc.

It sounds simple enough, but for me it gets a little overwhelming. What plants do I plant with what? Can I plant lettuce with Texas sage or carrots with a lemon tree? This is where I need help.

Enter The Kitchen Gardener’s Handbook by Jennifer R. Bartley.

I am wearing out the pages in this book. There’s sooo much great information I can barely soak it all in.

Pages and pages of tips, plans, recipes, and so much more, The Kitchen Handbook is a guide any gardener would want and should have.

The Kitchen Gardner’s Handbook’s contents are broken up into Seasons. I LOVE that!!

As Jennifer says right at the beginning of the book ..

“ This books will help you live with the seasons, embracing what each has to offer.

Each of the four main sections focuses on a season and begins with an in-depth look at vegetables, fruits, greens, and herbs that are at their peak at that particular point of year.”

I’ve been reading from the beginning all the way through, but my concentration has been on FALL since that’s when I’m thinking we will be able to really start putting our Potager together.

Aren’t the pictures just BEAUTIFUL?!!

My favorite part – because I’m such a VISUAL person and lack creativity, is at the end of each Season/Chapter, she gives you example plans ..

You can ignore my silly try at a ‘garden plan’..

Can I say it again.. I Love this book.

Beyond the tips on planting radishes, harvesting tomatoes, or pruning perennials, Jennifer has also included delicious seasonal recipes that celebrate the best of the harvest.

And there’s more..

Monthly garden chores, simple garden designs, and information on using cut flowers for decoration.

I know Summer has already started and most of your gardens are in the ground already, I would still suggest getting a hold of this book.

Maybe next seasons garden can be a whole new adventure for you after reading through The Kitchen Gardner’s Handbook.

* A BIG Thank you to Timber Press for allowing me to receive this review copy. All opinions and thoughts are 100% all mine. *

I Don’t Think I’m Ready for Blue

2011-06-18T16:25:00.001-07:00

Things here have been slowly moving along.

I’ve got my indoor projects and Brian is still working on his outdoor projects.

The pergola is still a work in progress. I thought I had taken updated pictures but I can’t find them right now.. so I’ll post about that later.

Today though, he totally impressed me again..

The gas furnace is under the house and in the past it was flooded because water pours down into the opening.

But now, thanks to my VERY cool hubby.. no more flooded furnace..

He built a new concrete wall to block the water.

I’m putting together a family wall of photo’s for our main hallway and I’m trying to venture out of my regular ‘neutral’ color pallet.

I pulled a gray/blue color out of one of the mats in the collage frame I brought and headed over to Lowes.

I bought two colors I thought I would try out and I’m thinking that they are little too blue for my taste.

What do you think?

Actually.. you know what.. You can’t really tell from this pic.. Sorry..

But trust me.. the one on the left is a light baby blue look and the other darker blue..

I guess I need to try again and lean more towards the gray.

But before I go, I’ll share this neat new trick I learned..

It’s one of those ideas where you think.. Why did I NEVER think of that?

A rubber band.. just a little ole rubber band helps you scrape the paint off and keep the paint container clean.. very cool..

I’ll try not to be so long in between posts next time.

I do have some lamp redo’s and living room furniture updates to share..

Blessings to you all..

Our Pergola/Patio/Back Yard Project

2011-05-16T10:42:00.001-07:00

When we purchased this house, one of the things that made us scratch our heads was this HUGE Pergola type thing that the previous owners had built.

It’s a 4 quadrant type patio/pergola type ….. thing..

When you first look at it.. it’s kind of pretty..

but as you take a closer look you see that it’s REALLY overwhelming, quite LARGE for the area, not built very well..

and for this “Symmetry is everything” type girl, very NON Symmetric..

One side doesn’t look the same as the other..

One side isn’t the same size as the other.. and so on..

So after much deliberation, we’ve decided to keep half and take down half.

I know some are saying.. But it’s beautiful…

I don’t agree..

You see, when you have a decent size yard behind it, where you can envision a vegetable garden and fruit trees…but you can’t see them through all the plastic lattice… there’s only 3 words I can think of..

TAKE IT DOWN…

Sooo… we ( well my very capable hubby ) started taking it down.. and I’m SOOO excited!!

( you can kind of see how the boards were warping and sagging)

I keep annoying him by coming out and singing..

“ I can see clearly now… the lattice is gone.. all the obstacles are out of our way”.. LOL..

But, besides the silliness.. we are starting to see some progress and we’re excited to have a shaded patio area and a open patio area.. that looks out into our garden..

We’ll be taking down the rest of the lattice and cutting the large posts down to a chair rail height, adding a railing all the way around.

It’s going to look really good!!

I’m off to start planning our Potager… not sure what that is.. Check out the Parisienne Farmgirl’s web site.. she inspires me..

P.S…

I know I may have said it before.. but my hubby is the best.. He says he’s a jack of all trades but master of none.. but he impresses me everyday at all that he can do!!

Babe.. YOU ROCK!!

How Would You Decorate These Walls?

2011-05-10T09:46:00.001-07:00

One of the first things that caught my eye with our new home was all the character it had.

The old pine floors, the wood beams on the ceiling, and the molding around the walls.

Well, now that ‘character’ is causing me some issues..

I have NO idea how to decorate these walls.

Their height (6 feet) is such that if you hang a picture below the molding… it looks strange..

If you hang it above the molding.. it looks strange..

Any suggestions?

Fireplace Makeover

2011-05-01T10:33:00.001-07:00

First let me say this..

YES.. we do have a FEW days during the winter where it DOES get cold enough to justify having a fireplace..

With that being said..

This past week I was able to FINALLY start my makeover of the living room.

First on the agenda – repaint the fireplace.

I know there are probably some people out there that like the red color of this fireplace, but to be honest…

When you’re standing in front of it, you quickly realized it has more of a 1980’s mauve look to it and really isn’t all that pretty.

So my first stab at a makeover was to see if I could strip it.

This worked .. a little.. but BOY.. was it going to entail A LOT of work.. which, my hubby quickly informed he was NOT going to help me do since I was just going to paint right back over it.

I first tried a ‘cottage yellow’…

I don’t know what it is about yellow.. but I can NEVER find just the right color.

This one was just to kindergarten yellow for me and didn’t look good.

Note to self here:

When sampling paint, don’t paint a BIG section like this… it’s really not needed and a waste when you don’t even like the paint color.

Next I took a shot at white..

Not a bright white.. but not a dark white..

In the end though.. I got Hospital white..

Not the look we were going for..

AGAIN.. I don’t know why I painted such a large area..

FINALLY.. I settled on an off white/antique white color. I didn’t think I would like this color by WOW! It turned out great!!

Yahoo!

I finished painting the fireplace just in time for the new loveseats to be delivered.

We still need some accent chairs, tables and more knick knacks.. but it’s starting to come together..