Repair Renew Restore

Stuffed Tomatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 13:00:00 +0000

I love taking advantage of produce that is in season. This recipe requires the ripest red tomatoes, which I just happened to have on hand. And what could be better then some yummy Summer tomatoes. These stuffed tomatoes are great served with a salad or even with a side of rice.

To make them you will need:

4 medium-sized riped tomatoes

2 tablespoons of finely chopped scallions

2 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley

1/2 cup of finely crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup of bread crumbs

3 tablespoons of olive oil

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves 4

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the tops off the tomatoes (carefully). I use a melon baller to scoop out the pulp and seeds. Don’t throw it away, you will need it later.

Coarsely chop up the tomato pulp.

In a small bowl, combine the tomato pulp, scallions, parsley, feta cheese, bread crumbs, and olive oil.

Spoon the mixture into the hollowed tomatoes. Place tomatoes right side up in a baking pan and bake them for 15 minutes.

They are best served steaming hot.

What Summer meals have you been making?

My 10 Foot Library

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 12:00:00 +0000

The first lesson I learned about living small is to decide what your priorities are.

Think about how your family lives and how they spend most of their time.

Is your family huge movie buffs or gamers?

Are you crafters or readers

When we moved into our 1300 square foot home we were faced with these question.

We had a tiny bonus room and with space scarce this was like a little gift.

At first it was used as a formal dining room.

I say the room used,but I should have said set up like a dining room.

We are not really formal dining room kind of people, so I think it only got used twice a year.

That just wouldn't do.

Next, we made it a small TV room, but my family doesn't watch a ton of TV.

Then, it became my husbands office.

Again with space at a premium it seemed like a bit of a waste.

He really didn't use the office much.

Now, we call this tiny little room our library.

We are all avid readers and it is a great place to read.

You can shut the door and block out everyone.

It is a place to search the net and a place to listen to music.

My husband can play his guitar or just sit and reflect the day.

It has become quite a popular spot for intimate conversations as well.

My husband and I will often sit in there after a long day and unwind with a drink.

This room is basically a tiny 10 x 10 square.

So, there is not a lot of space to work with.

We bought three inexpensive Billy Bookcases from Ikea.

We shoved the three together and my husband finished them off with molding.

This gave them a much more substantial presence in the room.

For under $300 they give a lot of bang for your buck and provide a lot of storage.

There are other accents in the room that give it a warm cozy feel.

The wall color is Westport Tan by Martha Stewart.

The chairs were inexpensive ones from Ikea.

The scale is small and they fit into our tiny little room well.

We really couldn't be happier with this space.

We use it more as a library then we ever used it as an office or dining room.

Where I Cook

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 21:47:00 +0000

Today, I thought I would give you a look at our kitchen.

It is a work in progress.

Someday, I will get around to busting up that old tile and redoing the floor, but until now it suits us fine.

It is small, but functions quite well.

Everything has a place.

My pantry.

These cabinets are original to the house.

My husband and I removed them, painted and restored them.

We tweaked them a bit and rehung them higher.

My husband built the cabinet next to the stove.

before there was just awkward dead space.

He also extended the cabinet to the right of the stove.

We store all of our baking trays there.

On top of the pantry was the perfect spot for our coffee maker.

It freed up precious counter space.

Above the window my husband added a shelf.

It is a perfect spot for displaying my Yelloware collection.

An old tool caddy stores oils and vinegars close at hand and

Stoneware crocks hold utensils within reach.

On top of the fridge an old market basket holds over sized platters.

One of my biggest complaints in this room
is that it is a pretty dark room.

In the future we plan on adding new floors and new lighting.

I will be sure to update you guys when we get around to it.
For now,unfortunately, dark room = dark pictures.

To be continued....

Banquettes On The Brain

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 19:18:00 +0000

Saying I have banquettes on the brain would be a

bit of an understatement.

It seems to be all I can think about.

I really want to add this kind of seating to my breakfast room, but I am still a bit indecisive as to what style I want to go with.

I love the built in shelving here.

This one has it's charms.

So does this one.

Pinterest actually has a ton of inspiration when it

comes to this kind of seating.

That is where I found all of these beautys.

I love this one with the built in cabinets.

Oh my!

Too many choices.

What to do.

To be continued......

This Week's Renew

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 09:00:00 +0000

I recently had a pair of lamps given to me by my mother.

They were a lovely shade of brass just like these ones below from the Frugal Homemaker.

The right kind of brass can be beautiful,

but these were not it.

They were in desperate

need of a makeover.

I truly believe anything can be transformed with paint and here is my proof.

These lamps were sprayed with flat

white spray paint.

After I allowed them to dry I wiped them with some old stain I had lying around.

I layered the stain until I achieved

my desired finish.

Wiping some on, then taking a little off.

When I got it the way I wanted it.

I allowed it to dry for 24 hours or until not tacky to touch.

The end result looks like a brand new lamp.

I may never pass up a Goodwill lamp again.

Today's Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 03 Aug 2015 18:34:00 +0000

It has been raining everyday for almost 2 weeks and there seems to be no end in sight.

So, I thought what better inspiration today than this sunny kitchen.

This bright, fun space was designed by Tobi Fairley a long favorite designer of mine.

Who wouldn't be happy spending time in this space?

What's Cooking?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 02 Aug 2015 19:30:00 +0000

I am constantly pinning recipes on Pinterest.
There they sit. It seems I never get around to trying them.

I am sure some of you know what I mean.

So, this Summer I decided I would start trying some of these recipes.

Here is one of those recipes.

I found this one for Chicken Artichoke Lasagna here.
Mine wasn't nearly as pretty as theirs was, but it was super yummy!

This is a great alternative to the traditional Lasagna.

Ingredients:

- 2 cups boneless,skinless chicken breast cooked and shredded*
-1 (14oz) can of artichoke hearts, chopped
-1/2 cup of sundried tomatoe,s chopped
-1(8oz) package Kraft shredded Mozerella Cheese with a touch of Philadelphia,divided
-1/2 cup Kraft grated Parmesan Cheese
-2(8oz) packages Philadelphia Cream Cheese,softened
-1 cup of milk
-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
-1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
-12 lasagna noodles, cooked

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine chicken, artichokes, tomatoes, 1 cup mozzarella and Parmesan. Beat cream cheese, milk, and garlic powder with mixer until well blended; stir in 2 tablespoons basil. Mix half with the chicken mixture.
Spread half of the remaining cream cheese sauce onto bottom of a baking dish; cover with 3 noodles and 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Repeat layers of noodles and chicken mixture twice. Top with remaining cheese sauce and mozzarella; cover.
Bake 25 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining basil. Let stand 5 min. before cutting to serve.

I did make a couple of substitutions.

I swapped marinated artichoke hearts in a jar for the canned ones.

Well, because that is what I had on hand.

I just rinsed them before cutting them up.

I also substituted sun dried tomato bruschetta in place of the sun dried tomatoes.

I am all about using up what you have already in the pantry.

My kids even gobbled this up.

It was great reheated for lunch as well.

A big thumbs up for this recipe.

Let me know what you think.

*To make shredded chicken I simply throw in 3 or 4 chicken breast into a crock pot. I add salt and pepper, then I cook them on low for about 5 to 6 hours. No need to add liquid. This makes the perfect shredded chicken for your favorite recipes.

Kitchen Storage

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 02 Aug 2015 18:51:00 +0000

The one thing about a tiny house is that

there is never enough storage space,

there are never enough cabinets, and the closets are always too small. When you are a young twenty something couple with a young family this may not such a big deal. You are just starting out and chances are you have yet to accumulate all those gadgets and things.

Fast forward sixteen years and your little

house seemingly becomes smaller and smaller.

Bread makers, panini presses, blenders, crock pots, and food processors take up a lot of space.

Apparently pantries weren't big in the 50's or maybe it's just that our little house is lacking.

Our kitchen is not huge and we do not have a lot of cabinet space,which leaves us with

our first dilemma. Where do we put all
those groceries?

The only empty wall in our kitchen happened to be right in the doorway of our kitchen, so regular kitchen base cabinets would block the doorway.

After using a pie safe for years we were ready for a more permanent built in look.

After a lot of looking we found the Ivar cabinet from Ikea.

Two of these cabinets would fit perfectly in our narrow space and the price was right.

So off to Ikea we went. We grabbed a couple shelf brackets as well and of course a hot dog and some frozen yogurt.

Shopping is hard work and hubs is a

sucker for the frozen stuff!

Next, I put these two together. Yes you heard right I did it all by my lonesome. They were super easy to assemble. My only tip or should I say my husband's tip is, always add glue. The instructions for build it yourself furniture never actually called for glue, but you won't regret it.

A couple drops of glue in those screw holes will ensure a sturdier end result.

Then, came the fun part.

Off to Lowe's for some lumber.

My husband built a base for the two cabinets to sit on. He made the base smaller than the cabinets so that it would match our existing kitchen cabinets. The base raised them up a bit and made them

look more built in. Then he cut shelves to fit those brackets I bought at Ikea.

You may have noticed I painted the cabinets white.

We were not finished yet though.

Next, my husband built a top for the cabinet.

Here is a peak at it.

We built it using pine lumber and I stained it using a mix of strong coffee and stain
to get the right shade.
I simply add a little bit of super strong coffee to the stain to add depth to the finished project.

Next the doors went back on and the other shelves were added.

I accessorized my newly made shelves and filled my new cabinets.

Then of course because I am crazy, I felt the need to paint the walls a lighter color.

Here is the before and after.

The entire project was under $250 including the shelves.

We are thrilled with the end result.

Here is a peak at the inside.

She is a little messy. What can I say it's Summer.

So why the Ivar?

Well for one our cabinets in our kitchen are flat front and a lot of the other cabinets I had looked at had raised panels and other trim that did not really match our cabinets.

We also liked the fact that the Ivar is solid pine, not MDF.

The narrow profile sealed the deal for us.

I would be happy to answer any questions you may have about this project.

Just leave a comment and I will get back to you.

This Week's Renew

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 20:33:00 +0000

A bit of recycling at it's best for you.

Instead of throwing these little jars out when I finished using their contents, I have been saving them.

The first one I couldn't bare to throw out because it was just too cute. Who doesn't love a baby mason jar?

Before long, however I had 9 jars.

I gave them a good scrubbing with Goo Gone to remove the labels, then ran them through the dishwasher.

They cleaned up beautifully.

I sprayed the outside of the lids with some trusty spray paint.

And then I dressed them up with some labels I found in

the dollar isle at Target.

I placed labels on the front of the jars as well as the top.

This way whether they are in a drawer or on a shelf you can easily see what you have.

I have to tell you I am so pleased at how they turned out.

No more messy spice drawer.

Orzo Pasta Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 20:13:00 +0000

This by far has to be my favorite pasta salad recipe.

It is definitely a crowd pleaser.
It is the perfect amount of sweet and spicy.

I found the recipe here a couple of years ago and have been making it every since.

Ingredients:

3 c uncooked orzo pasta
1 each yellow, red and green bell peppers, chopped
1 jalapeno chili, de-seeded and de-veined to reduce heat, chopped
1 Serrano chili, de-seeded and de-veined to reduce heat, chopped
1/2 c golden raisins
1/2 c dried cranberries
1/2 c chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 small red onion, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

Vinaigrette:
1/3 c red wine vinegar
1/2 c chopped cilantro
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tbs brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2/3 c olive oil

Cook the orzo following the package instructions. While the orzo is cooking I prepare the other ingredients. I make sure to cut up all of the peppers uniformly. Once I have tossed all of the ingredients together, I prepare the vinaigrette. After mixing the pasta salad with the vinaigrette I put the entire mixture in a container with a lid and I put it in the fridge for a couple hours.

This pasta salad is perfect for picnics and cookouts. You do not have to worry about it spoiling because there is no mayo. It is perfect for making a day or two in advance as well. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think.

Out Back

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 27 Jul 2015 20:11:00 +0000

When we first moved into our home our backyard was dark and shaded. There was a giant Oak tree that spanned over the entire length of our backyard. I loved the shady yard and have to admit it was definitely a selling point when we bought it. We live in the South and the heat can sometimes be miserable.

I enjoyed researching plants that grew in the shade and planted lush fern beds around the base of our tree. We had a tree swing for the kids and enjoyed many an afternoon out back.

Our shady yard was not without it's flaws, though.

It was impossible to grow grass for all the large oak tree roots, and don't even get me started on raking leaves and the acorns.

Oh the acorns! How can there be so many!

If you have an Oak tree you know what I mean.

If those things were worth money we could have been billionaires.

Fast forward a couple of years and a couple Hurricanes later and our beautiful tree became a bit of a headache for us.

Not only did we worry that it would topple and take out our house, but because of the shear size of it we worried it would take out our neighbors house as well. One year it was even the culprit for knocking out power for our entire street for 2 days.

A fallen limb from our tree took a power line down with it.

So, after a lot of deliberation we decided it had to go.

So, cut down the tree we did. Well not us personally, we hired someone, though I think at times my husband considered climbing it with a chain saw to save money. What can I say we are cheap and removing a huge hundred year old oak tree is expensive!

After the removal of the tree, we were left with a sudden realization.

What now? Our once shady yard was now a blindingly bright space with zero shade.

We rushed to put up a privacy fence to hide our our embarrassment of a yard from our neighbors.

In an attempt to make it more livable we built a pergola off of our workshop/garage to give us a little shade.

It did not fix the problem at all.

We completely stopped going in our back yard for a while.

When you live in a small home outdoor space is a must. So, in order to take back our backyard, we decided we needed to go tropical. Rather than fight the heat and the sun we decided to work with it. In came the pool and the tropical plants. Palms and hibiscus took over for the ferns.

(2010)

The pool allowed us to beat the heat of the Summers in the South and got us back outside.

That is my daughter splashing around when she was little.

Today, we have added 2 decks and our landscaping has changed a bit. The little work shop with the pergola has become a pool house complete with bathroom and kitchen. A door was moved to add better access. My kids don't splash around much any more, but my husband and I consider it our tropical paradise.

We live out side most weekends.

(2014)

(2015)

To Ikea Or Not? That Is The Question.....

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 18:53:00 +0000

People definitely seem to have a love hate kind of reputation with Ikea.

For me, I am pleased to say it is all love.

We have several Ikea products and I am happy to report

that I have been pleased with all of them.

In a previous post here, I described in detail our bathroom renovation.

I was all about maximizing the space by adding as much storage as possible.

Ikea's Hemnes sink was perfect for this.

It has two generous size drawers, perfect for storing towels, toilet paper and other bathroom essentials.

The price wasn't bad either. At $259 for the base it was a great choice for us.

I fell in love with the Rattviken sink top as well.

I loved the shape and design of it and paired with the Hemnes cabinet. It was the perfect marriage.

Let me first start by saying I was not paid by Ikea to post this, but I wouldn't be apposed to the idea.

You know what I'm saying.

Seriously though, we have been very pleased with both the Hemnes and the

Rattviken. They have held up well to the abuse of two teenagers.

I have the drawers jammed packed with goodies and have had no issues.

We did change out the knobs on the base to match with the finishes in our bathroom.

Excuse the little cork in the photo.

It was only there until we finished installing the overflow.

In fact that was our only complaint with the sink.

We had to tweak the plumbing for the over flow a bit under the sink

to fit with our current set up.

It worked out with a little creative plumbing.

Would I buy this sink again?

I would definitely buy this again and do highly recommend it.

The Most Important Room In The House

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 18:47:00 +0000

Some may argue that this title goes to the kitchen, but when you live in a home with one bathroom you realize that just isn't so.

I have often been asked how we survive with just one bathroom. I am never sure how to answer this question. I can't lie and say I wouldn't be smitten with another bathroom or two, but we make it work. Our children are 16 and 20 and so far we have made this work for 17 years. My biggest advice to those who are considering a one bathroom home (if they even make those anymore)

is to make that one bathroom fantastic.

When we renovated we did not skimp on materials or settle for anything that was less than our dream bath.

OK so maybe that is a tiny lie. I did want one of these.

But I needed to be practical and have a shower as well.

Somewhere in my dreams I have a bathroom with one of these tubs. Back to reality.

It is no lie that I consider my bathroom one of the prettiest rooms in our home.

I spent years snipping pictures from magazines and compiling my wish list.

In the end I love the space and wouldn't change a thing which I haven't always been able to say after a renovation.

Warning here comes an "if I knew then what I know now moment".

Over the years we had updated the space here and there. We painted over existing tile.

Don't do this I beg of you! It camouflaged the ugly tile yes, but the upkeep of the painted tile was awful. We had to redo it yearly it never held up and it never really looked that great to start with. Trust me save yourself from the headache. If I had to do over I would have just decorated around the original ugly tile.

Speaking of that ugly tile here it is.........

Yes, you are seeing right. I think this could have qualified as the world's ugliest tile.
Here it is painted over.

We weren't crazy about the floor tile either.

It had definitely seen better days.

When we gutted our tiny bathroom down to the studs,
we found some surprises along the way.

Termite damage in the walls.
To say seeing this made my skin crawl was not an exaggeration.
I think my husbands heart sank a bit upon the site.
Thank goodness upon inspection we found out it was old damage and that we did not currently have an infestation.
Whew! Dodged a bullet there!
We replaced all the damaged wood and moved full speed ahead to the fun stuff.

Here are some pictures I took during the renovation.

Here is our wall after Red Guard was applied.
This we were told by the professionals was an
important step not to skip.

It paints on pink,but dries red.
Such a funny site, especially once we started tiling.

Our new sink.
It had to be modified a bit, but was well worth it.

New lighting.

And perhaps my favorite the new floor.
And the finished product.

The sink is from Ikea.
(More on that sink and the modification in another post)

The lights are from Home Depot.

As is the mirror.

The faucet is from Home Depot.
&
The subway tile and tile chair rail is from Lowe's.

The Floor tile is from Lowe's as well.
The towel bar is from Home Depot and the shower curtain rod is from Bed Bath & Beyond.

The wall color is Bedford grey.
It is an old Martha Stewart color I purchased it from Home Depot.
I don't think I missed anything, but if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.
The bathroom really is my dream come true with
all of the finishes I wanted.
I think it is a classic style that will hold the test of time making it perfect for my forever home.
The neutral background allows for a lot of versatility, by simply changing the shower curtain and accessories you get an entirely different feel.
I would love to hear what you think.
Feel free to leave a comment.

Repair Renew Restore

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 18:10:00 +0000

That about sums up our life for the past 17 years. In 1998 my husband and I purchased our tiny little 1950's fixer upper. It was to be our starter home. We had one child already and another one on the way and we were anxious to settle down. I can still remember it like it was yesterday. After several long months of looking unsuccessfully we settled for a tiny little house that was under 1300 square feet. It was not our dream home, but we could see the potential. It was built in 1954 and let me just say it was showing it's age. Not a single room had been updated. Upon crossing the threshold as the owners of this little home, we felt a sense of dread. What had we done! The house had rooms that not only represented the 50's, but the 60's and 70's as well, but we knew we could make it home. Fast forward a dozen renovations and 17 years later and we are still repairing, renewing and restoring our little house. If there is one thing I have learned as a home owner, it is that ones home is never truly finished.