What I wore Wednesday

So this week was weird... a nice day, a cold day, a nice day, a cold day. One day I forgot my coat and it snowed, I was cold. The next day it was 70. Welcome to Colorado! So things are looking up in the fashion department. I found some cute spring fashions this weekend with my sister in-law, that I can't wait to put together!

Gosh my legs look stumpy!

Thermal top: Target

Grey tank: target

Jeans: Express

Yellow toe flats: old navy

Scarf: gift from Callie

Striped tank: Target

Floral cardigan: old navy

Dressy pants: Gap

Orange heels: Dillards (old)

Beaded necklace: Dillards (old)

Heart tank: Target

Cashmere sweater: Old navy

Grey dress pants: target thirfted

Beaded necklace: Target

Silver heels: Target

Cable knit sweater: Old navy

Tank: forever 21

Scarf: dillards

grey cords: old navy

zebra flats: Target

Crap baskets

With a whole 'nother human being to be responsible for, comes responsibility for all of their junk.
Why do kids have so much stuff?? I mean, socks, shoes, books, homework, it's crazy!

 For some strange reason all of the homeless crap at our house ended up being left on the stairs... It was unsightly!

So, enter the "crap basket". My family has a lot of junk and I don't want to see it. I like to hide the crap! So I found these great baskets (again, at wal-mart, who knew?) and now problem solved.

 We have a basket for small things and a basket for larger items. Then at the end of the day, before the kids go to bed and before Brien and I go to bed, we grab all of our crap out of the basket and put it away. Mission accomplished!

Individual homemade chicken pot pie!

I love a good chicken pot pie. Last week, little miss Callie suggested we have some for dinner, so I dusted off the old Paula Deen cookbook and got to work. I swear I used that cook book ALL the time, when we first got married, but lately I have been slacking.

This is one of my favorite recipes. It's pretty simple ingredient wise, but it's a little involved prep wise.
Warning: This recipe is super rich and totally unhealthy in every way!

Here is the recipe:


Iingredients
4 sheets frozen puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
4 chicken breast halves, or 2 cups leftover cooked chicken
Seasoned salt and pepper
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour   
1 quart heavy cream    **I use 1/2 cup of half and half and 1/2 cup of skim milk instead
1/4 cup chicken base
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 small yellow onion, minced
1 cup frozen green peas, cooked
1 cup chopped cooked carrots


Directions
Crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut each sheet of frozen puff pastry into 1-inch strips, 8 inches long. On a large cookie sheet, weave strips into a lattice large enough to cover each pot pie. Brush beaten egg onto each lattice square. Bake for 5 minutes, or until dough has risen and turned light golden brown. Set aside until ready to assemble pies. Leave oven on at 350 degrees F.

Filling:
Season chicken with seasoned salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute until cooked through. Remove from heat and cut into chunks. Alternatively, you may use precooked chicken.

In a large saucepan, melt butter and then slowly add flour, stirring until consistency of peanut butter, but not brown like a roux. Slowly add cream and keep stirring. Add chicken base, garlic, and onion and stir until thickened. Add peas, carrots, nutmeg, if using, and cut up chicken. Remove from heat. Fill 4 individual oven-proof bowls with chicken mixture and then top each with a pre-cooked lattice square. Bake for 5 minutes or until bubbly. Any remaining pie filling may be frozen.

I don't use as much heavy cream, I can't imagine how thick it would be, I use half and half and skim milk mixed together.

I cook mine in ceramic bowls and then everyone has their own dish. It's also great for left overs, yum!

Spring/St. Patrick's day wreath

So far this year I have been keeping some kind of decoration on the door (we shall see how long that lasts...) I made a wreath a few weeks ago, on a whim and it came out pretty well. It took me all of 10 minutes and cost $6=winning!

So you will need:
 A pool noodle (I got mine at the $ tree)
Some heavy tape (we already had some masking tape in the basement)
Burlap ribbon (I got mine at hobby lobby for $2.50)
Some silk flowers (again $ tree)
bobby pins (we always have a bunch on hand)

1. Shape the noodle into a circle and tape.

2. Then wrap in burlap and secure with a bobby pin. Just punch it right through the loops of the burlap and the foam of the noodle.

3. Then I trimmed down the flowers so it was just the pretty part and no leaves and I left about 1/2 of the wire stem still on (I originally had some sparkly shamrocks, but I just couldn't figure out how to incorporate them in, so we made them into garland for the mantle)

4. Then I stabbed the wire of the flowers into the foam through the burlap and my wreath was complete!

Done and done!

Thrifty finds(last) month

We are trying to save money, who isn't really? So Callie and I have been back to thrifting. I always find tons of great kiddo things. For example I found a brand new super cute infantino baby carrier (That stupid moby wrap just wasn't cuttin' it)  for $10 at a consignment shop. I looked it up when I got home and they are like $60 at the store, SCORE!

I also found a bunch of really cute polo and plaid shirts from GAP and old navy for Kellen for $1, ONE  dollar y'all, how great is that??

I also scored a brand new, still had tags, target dress that I wore here...

I also got this cute polka dot tank for $3 from our favorite thrift store...

I also got buy one get one 1/2 off of 2 new handbags at Target! I needed some new spring-y ginormous purses!

What I wore last week, it was a little cool...

Last week was MUCH cooler than this week. We are finally getting a teeny taste of warm weather and I am finally bustin' out the flats instead of boots and brighter colors. Yay!

             Sweater skirt, lacy tank, grey sweater, purple beaded necklace and brown boots: all from Target

Sequin swatshirt: Target
stripped tank: thrifted
black jeggings: Target
scarf: gift from my sister in law, she got it in Cambodia :)
booties: Target

ruffled blouse:target

stripped cardigan:target

belt:thrifted

grey cords: old navy

purple flats: target

plaid Target dress: thrifted

red cardigan: target

belt: target

tights: very jane

boots: target

bow necklace: very jane

stripped tee: old navy

skinny jeggings: forever 21

rain boots: old,  maybe, academy??

Above the cabinet mystery space

I have this funky kitchen... I love the space and the high ceilings but because it is SO vast, I was (and still am little) really struggling to find something I love, to fill it. You see, I have this philosophy that if I am going to display it in my home, I have to really love it. Which means that sometimes the stores and/or my budget just don't afford me the opportunities to decorate how I truly wish I could. For example, I have been needing curtains for my family room for about 2 years now. Just THIS weekend, I found the perfect curtains at the perfect price. (If you are wondering they look like this...and they were on clearance for $20 a panel) 

So back to my cabinet dilemma, I think I have found some things I like... Before there was nothing, then there were these wimpy picture frames and now I have something that I love.

The lanterns I found in my parents basement. They were brass. I fixed that real quick, with a can of red spray paint. The buckets were a bargain from Wal-mart (I never shop there) and they are actually pretty nice for storage. I had some chalk board labels left over from another project, so I slapped those on too. The subway art is from Hobby Lobby (on sale 50% off) It's kind of near and dear to me because it was the first prayer that Callie ever learned when she was little and she has said it almost every night since she was like 2. So I HAD to buy it.

So there you have it. It hasn't turned out exactly as I expected but, so far I am liking it!