I read about Blue Apron for the first time last week on a blog I follow frequently. The blog had a $20 off coupon so I wanted to try it. It's a food delivery system that drops off 3 meals for 2 or 4 people ($9.99 per person/meal) at your door with fresh ingredients, pictured instructions, spices, everything. The box comes refrigerated also, so if you aren't home when it gets delivered (between 8am-8pm on your designated day) it stays fresh. So far so good.

So I decided to try it out since I had the coupon because the original price of $60 (for 2 people) a week for 3 meals seems crazy expensive to me but the great thing is you can cancel or skip weeks as many times as you want with no consequences/expenses. Right on schedule the box arrive at my house at 11:30am. I didn't get it until about 2 pm, and the ice surrounding the box was still frozen. It could be because it actually feels like winter outside, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

Everything is eco-friendly and the ingredients are all fresh and farm grown. Each week, the meals change and you can choose your preferences of meat, or the vegetarian option if needed, and the meals are designed according to your choices. 

They include pictured directions and notes about each meal and its prep and cooking. 

This week is 

-Roast beef with a Treviso-pear salad and horseradish sour cream

-Chopped chicken and brussels sprouts salad with blue cheese, currents and crispy shallots 

-Cioppino tagliatelle (whatever that is, sounds fancy) with Bay shallots, toasted baguette, and garlic aoli. 

It sounds complicated but the directions seem to make it quite simple. 

And all the ingredients come in cute labeled bags

The little brown bags are all the spices that go with each meal

"Knick Knacks" how cute! 

Since Ry and I have plenty of Christmas dinners/plans etc, I won't be able to cook these delicious looking meals just yet, but I'll make a post when I do. I'm so excited...to cook! This might be a new hobby! 

Major Project Coming Soon

Hint: I've played this for 13 years of my life. It comes in all shapes and sizes, but is always black and white. 

Do you know yet? It's a PIANO duh. Introducing my next, very large, very heavy and time consuming project. So my parents have been harboring my piano since I've gotten married and moved out. They have no use for it, and I haven't played it in years (terrible, I know) so my dad and husband agreed to move it to our house. I started when I was 5, played competitively for years, and have 100% neglected the beautiful sound for a couple years now.

If you didn't already know, they piano is pretty old and definitely needs a tuning and a face lift. Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful the way it is. I don't have a picture of it now, but I'll get one soon! But I'm really down to paint it something super crazy and bright. Plus, I want to starting practicing and playing again because Ryan hasn't really seen and heard me play actually. I know, I've hidden 13 years of my life from my husband, just call me Mrs. Smith.

So I've been pinning/googling/whatever-ing painted pianos lately. Because I REALLY don't want to take apart the whole thing, sand all the parts, and paint 3-4 coats, I've decided to use Annie Sloan chalk paint. I know people, I'm late on the Annie game, but I haven't painted anything is a while. In due time folks, in due time.

I don't know the color just yet. I originally settled on a bumblebee yellow, but because Sloan's colors are SO incredibly limited, I had to change my mind. Now I'm into a red, maybe blue even? I don't know. I just know I want a fun pop of color since my house is pretty neutral.

Annie Sloan is expensive indefinitely, but everyone says that a lot goes a long way, so I'm willing to make the investment. The major downfall? The color selection. There is only 30 colors to choose from, none of which jumped out at me, but again we're going for a matt finish, so it can't be super vibrant anyways. See below

This isn't the updated version, but the colors are the same (plus a few more).
I'm gravitating towards Emperor's Silk, Antoinette, Scandinavian Pink, Florence, English Yellow, uhmmm pretty much all of them. This picture quality is terrible and here is the full list:

http://www.anniesloan.com/acatalog/United_Kingdom.html

Inspiration coming to you now!

Granted, the more shiny and polished pianos are not chalk paint but with some paint wax and poly, I can pretty much achieve the same look. So many good ones, I can't decide. HELP! 

It's all about the LOFT, 'bout the LOFT: Superheroes

Ok, ok, I'm no Meghan Trainor, but those play on words were awesome! 

Although its not nearly done, I wanted to share these super cool vintage superhero pieces I got from New Orleans! They arrived weeks ago and sat on our kitchen island forever until today. I know folks, I'm really on the ball with this. Feel free to compliment.

DC:

-Green Lantern 

-Wonder Woman

-Batman

-Superman

Marvel:

-Iron Man

-Thor

-The Incredible Hulk

-Spiderman

-Wolverine

-Captain America

I decided to separate the Marvel and DC heroes, mainly because I'm evil, but also because of the color pallets and number of tin pieces we had. We originally almost bought 12, but 2 of them were horizontal and we didn't want it to be all uneven and junks, so we settled on the 10 most important to the world. 

At just about $10 a pop, it would've been stupid NOT to get them. Plus we always try to get some kind of art/thing (I use the word thing loosely) from the different places we visit. I can't remember the store we bought them from, but when I find it, I'll update the post because they have an online catalog you can pick a bunch of different vintage pieces from. Not only pictures either and at SUPER affordable prices! 

I just mainly arranged them by color. I didn't want all the yellows/greens/blues together but I made sure each side had 3 DC heroes so the fight would be even. ;) 

[LOFT] List still to do:

-Art

-Pillows

-Throw blanket

-Figure out how to make the dog kennel hidden/appealing to the eye

-Coffee table decor (books, flowers, vases, something???) Its currently empty. 

-New TV stand, or mount the TV on the wall. I haven't decided that just yet. 

Again, the loft is hardly finished. But at least the art is done. There is an American flag on the left side above the couch, but I didn't want to take a picture of it just yet because I haven't added pillows to the couch yet. The TV is on the opposite wall of that. The loft is pretty much the boy's area now, but I have to at least make it somewhat appealing and cute. SOMEWHAT. 

Boy, that dog cage is an eye-sore. Ugh. 

Now That's What I Call Loyal

So this week has pretty much been hell for me. To bring you in the loop a little, being an Education major means that there are less traditional "tests" (midterms and finals) and more research papers, large/heavy project expectations, and LOTS and LOTS of in-class presentations. I am beyond thankful that I only have 1 real in-class test, for English of course, but beyond stressed with all of the papers and projects that are due. On top of that, I'm teaching at a middle school on average 4 times a week, sometimes more, sometimes less, which means lesson plans, good creative content, and not much sleep. So it's to no surprise that my body went into complete shock yesterday. I was bed ridden for at least 8 hours with the chills, heat sweats, headaches, and severe nauseous stomach pains. It could be all the turkey and bad food I ate over the long weekend (because I was on a 30-day diet challenge that I rocked btw, which ended on Thanksgiving conveniently - post on that soon) but I'd like to blame my school work as any student should. 

In honor of my sickness, I wanted to express my love for my dogs. To my absolute surprise, Homer, my youngest pup, stood by my side the ENTIRE day. Normally when Ryan gets home, or someone comes to the door, or Baxter, my oldest, runs outside because he saw something, Homer usually follows. But I think it's true when people say that dogs can sense when you are sad/sick because he didn't even blink an eye the whole day. He slept for hours with me, put his head on my lap, kept me warm, and cuddled with me when I was cold. He was there and I mean really there. I've never seen something so amazing and he may not know it, but I appreciate his loyalty and love. And that's the truth.

I think I understand, at least partly, the love people have for their kids. I'm in no place to say how much someone loves their own kids, or that dogs can equal that, but I really believe that the bond my dogs and I have, is something similar to those parents and their kids.

Why am I totally reading this post and thinking that I sound absolutely mad. lol oh well, what do you expect from me, good content?

So in all of this, I would like to thank my little baby. (Of course I love my oldest Bax, but he was acting normal, checking on me ever so ofter lol he's Ryan's child).

Ps. Bax is literally so black I can never get a good picture of him. LOL, ya that's his problem. He's thinking "I'm so black, y'all"

New Site!

If you couldn't tell already, I'm updating my blog site. Don't worry, same URL and content, just new cover. I guess I didn't realize how much work it is to redesign and fix all the little details when doing the blog. I've been thinking about this for a while, but I've decided to switch back to Blogger. I originally started with Wordpress, which let me just say was amazing and had all of the bells and whistles. But even though I've gotten used to it and the formatting, it just has too many gadgets and gismos for just a simple ol' blogger like me. I'm always having trouble figuring out how to put certain things in the posts and the extra links on the sides. Maybe in the future if I decide to blog more often or use it for purposes other than my life [lol] then I'll switch back because Wordpress definitely has more options. But I like to think I'm simple, although my husband might disagree, so Blogger is perfect for me now.

So just a fair warning, if some of the links on the page don't work, or if you see the header/texts/pictures switching back and forth or not showing, don't fret. It's just me trying to mess around with your head! Just kidding, but really, I'm still a noob at all this blogging/technology stuff. What a learning curve.

But really...you like???

Thanksgiving When You're First Married

Is it just me, or does every semi-newlywed go through the whole "Who's house are we going to this time" conversation come Thanksgiving time? Last year, right after we got married in October, we split our Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays with both families, and it was a little exhausting. I mean I ate 2 Turkey dinners and probably gained 10 lbs in the process - go me. Thankfully, Ryan's family does a hug xmas party on Christmas Eve so we saw his family that day and didn't have to worry about going to my house. But we did split Christmas with my family (we don't do much than open presents anyways) and his family, too. But can't there be a happy balance without having to see both families?

I've gotten advice to switch every holiday between his family getting Christmas and mine Thanksgiving, or visa versa, but does that mean I don't see mine on Christmas at all? (Or whatever arrangement we have). I just can't imagine not seeing each other's family on the same holiday especially since they both live here. It doesn't seem fair in my opinion.

This year, we've decided to do the whole "split" thing again, but I'm thinking next year we sit down and figure something out. If we switch off between holidays, do we not see the other's families then? OR do we exhaust ourselves and go back and forth? I just don't know..

Anyways, HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL! We're off to my aunts for the main meal, then Ryan's parents house for dessert! Mmmm pumpkin pie..so good! Enjoy that delicious turkey or ham and give thanks for the love ones that surround you! Xoxo

Finally starting

I've been putting off my living room decor for so long now.  I flipped back from gallery wall, to big art, to wall paper, and back to gallery wall again. Finding good art that all goes together is seriously the most frustrating thing ever. So I said, either I can spend the next 5 years dreaming of a matching/super awesome gallery wall, (if we are still in this house), or I can pick my favorite pieces, draw a rough outline, and go for the mixed put together but not put together super cool art everywhere look, and call it a day. I chose option 2.

I've been to Art.com before but never bought anything. Overall, its really good pricing especially when you catch their semi-frequent deals. I didn't want to break my wallet and get all of the pieces that would cover the whole wall, so I just got enough to start it. Once I see another good piece of art I like, I'll add it as we go. The walls are just too blank not to start tackling this.

My first goal was to sketch the wall the gallery was going on. Don't laugh at my drawing.

I printed a small version of each and liked this arrangement best. We'll start from right to left. I like to switch it up.

I actually got this off of amazon. If you've studied British Literature, you'll know what it is. It's a painting (in print form) from my absolute favorite poem of all time: The Lady of Shalott. Best part, it was $10. YAY! I was introduced to this poem by my high school senior English teacher. There's actually a song that goes with it too. It's awesome, go listen to it. I kept telling myself I need to put it in my house to honor it and finally, I'm doing it. As of now, it'll go with the gallery wall, but I do feel like it's doesn't belong there like the rest of the pieces do. Maybe I need to put it somewhere on its lonesome. It is a one-of-a-kind piece now..

This is probably THE LAST picture anyone would ever think I would have in my house. A. the obvious, I'm a 100% dog advocate. B. I'm deathly allergic to cats. C. I just honestly think dogs are better. I realize I can loose followers for this, but can't you appreciate the picture?? Need I say more? Curiosity...

Who doesn't like flowers? More importantly, who doesn't like being given flowers? Plus, this was a steal at $5 for an 11x14 size! STEAL! I like the fun cute colors and simplicity of it all, too.

I don't think it's a secret that I LOVE mid-century modern style. I thought this fit perfectly with that. Adding a color scheme is important, and I think I'm going with a simple/blue kind of style. I just love the 'oh that gallery is amazing and doesn't match at all' comment. It's priceless. I'll update when they come. Should be next week!

DIY Picture Rail (Gallery Wall 2.0)

I got a few people interested on how I made this picture rail, and it only took me about an hour (including going to Home Depot to get materials). I got the idea from Little Green Notebook ah I love this blog but I couldn't afford getting custom framing etc. She paid $39 PER frame...she has 10 frames, + whatever she paid for the rail materials...do the math.

So I decided to come up with a more cost effective method without really compromising the style.

What you'll need:

-Plumbers chain (also known as Jack Chain in gold they also have silver/black - $.65 per foot, I got 15 ft but could've used 20)
-Rod ($3, I used a metal one because the wood ones were too thick for my hooks, all depends on your preference)
-Hooks or curtain brackets ($0 - I had some laying around but I couldn't imagine a pack being more than $2)
-Picture frames ($10-30 - I had a few extra laying around the house that I used, but Michael's ALWAYS has good coupons if you needed more)
-Hot glue gun

OPTIONAL:
-Spray paint/paint (I used leftover gold paint I had, but totally up to you on the colors you want to use)
-Photos (The reason I put photos under optional is because I just printed these out on my computer and didn't have to go to the store to get them done aka FREE & they look just as good. If you want the glossy finish, then I'd just get them printed at Office Depot or something).

I lined up how I wanted the picture frames to look and put up the rod on the wall first. I hot glued the chain to the back of the pictures at the length I wanted them to hang. I got my pieces cut for me at HD by guesstimating, but if you have pliers then you can totally cut them yourself.

I waited for the glue to dry and then put the pictures on the rod one by one. For the ones that are hanging down underneath some of them (since I ran out of chain, hence why I needed 20 ft) I made do with what I had and just nailed them right under the frames. See below.

Deceiving, I know. If I had more chain, I would've just connected it back up to the rod. I don't care about putting holes in the wall so I didn't mind doing this but if you want minimal holes, buy more chain than you anticipate and you'll be fine.

And voila! Super easy and fast and looks AWESOME for my new dining room. Here's a couple close up pictures...try not to laugh at some.

TIPS:

-Measure how long you want your picture rail to be. I ended up just winging it and picking a 48'' long rod, but totally could've used a longer one to cover the entire length of the wall. I'll probably go back and add more later.

-Spray paint your frames v.s regular paint - it dries SO much faster and you can have this step done in minutes plus no brush strokes.

-If you're shopping for frames, lay them out on the store floor (I've done this many times) and arrange them there, you'll find it way easier to pick what frames you need and what ones you don't need.

-Try to use all the same style frames. What I mean is that I used all different sizes but they were all squares. Some were 4x4, 5x5, 8x8, etc. If you used different shapes and sizes, it might throw the whole thing off.

Enjoy!

When you find the first paw print...

You'll get the title after I explain our super awesome Halloween costumes. Unless you know the song, then..well...you win a cookie.

Before I start, do you like the new layout? I'm trying something a little more simple, but not entirely sure if its for me. It'll probably change again. I've been changing it the past 2 days straight in case you were wondering why it's different every time. I'm so indecisive so it might take a while to find the right layout.

Ok on to the day of the dead!

This Halloween, I really wanted to do something cute, cheesy, and couple-y. I just used the word 'couple-y', please don't unfollow me. Anyway, I surfed Pinterest for WEEKS and came up with a couple ideas:

Mr. and Mrs. Pacman (Suuuuper cute, but very labor intensive, probably hard to move around in, and a little pricy)

Struck By Lighting (Easy, only needed to make the lightning bolt and umbrella)

 Johnny Cash and June Carter  (I just love the movie Walk the Line, so I was down)

Dexter and his Victim (Saran wrap dress? Check yes!)

I was sooo torn! I actually really wanted to be Avatar and paint ourselves blue, but Ryan insisted that we both have 6-packs before we step outside half naked. Good call babe.

Halloween was approaching and I still hadn't gone to the Lowes to get the stuff I needed for Pacman (I was fixed on that costume). Well the day comes around and STILL NO COSTUME. So I'm googling and looking around and I find the PERFECT one.

Can you guess? She's blue, leaves paw prints around the house as clues, and her owner is named Steve. I'm sure you know, but if you don't....

We're STEVE and BLUE from the kid's show Blue's Clues! You like??? Yeah, I loved our costume and we got so many compliments on it. I'm not sure how I'm going to beat this next year...

Here's a couple of pictures from the night in our signature poses. Don't you like Ry's makeshift handy dandy notebook?
Try a small green notepad, print a picture of the red thinking chair, add some red pipe cleaner, and there you go!

The costume was one of the easier DIY things I've ever done. Although, I do have to say, when you want a light blue dress/shirt/something/anything, its near impossible to find. I drove to Ross, Target, Walmart, and finally found this blue jumper for $5 at Marshall's. FIVE BUCKS YALL.

I cut the ears from blue foam and glued them onto clip-on cat ears I got a Party City. Uhh, that line was wrapped around the whole store. After, I just bought some dark blue felt at Michael's (about 7 sheets), cut out circles and spot shapes, and hot glued them onto the jumper.

I was going to just curl my hair and call it a day, until I walked by the perfect blue wig at PC and HAD to have it. It was the priciest item I wore (I think it was $17) but so worth it. I bragged about it all night and even tried to convince Ryan to let me dye my hair blue. He did NOT comply.

For Steve's shirt, I could not, for the life of me, find a striped light/dark green long sleeve, so I thought on my feet. I bought a normal green collared shirt at Walmart for $7, then duct taped the stripes with bright green tape. It turned out awesome and lasted all night. We added a name tag just in case people weren't sure who he was, but it wasn't necessary, at all.

I had so much fun making this costume and I think everyone (who used to watch the show) loved reminiscing about it.

I hope everyone had an awesome Halloween, annnnnnnnnnnd happy November y'all!

Love,

Steve,
Hot Dog,
Swat,
Strawberry Crush Soda,
the Tapatio Man,
a Firefighter,
(I don't know what the other girl was...),
and BLUE!