Oh, Yes! Shout. Outs!

To my pleasant surprise.....

I had a MAJOR surge in hits!

So, I checked....

"What is going on?", I said to my very hot and sweet hubby.

"Oh..... my G-O-O-D-N-E-S-S!", I exclaimed!

"YES PLEASE. And THANK YOU, very much!", I shouted at the top of my lungs {no kidding}!

Check it!

This post was featured on THRIFTY DECOR CHICK!

The one about PRETTY WORK SPACES!

And, another SHOUT OUT from my sweet girl, Elle Uy at Switcheroom!

Thanks for the AMAZING call-out! Home Office of THE DAY!

U rock! UR blog ROCKS!

Thanks, so much!!!

Grateful, I am! {Said in a "Yoda" voice.} 

Thank you, Sarah! 

Thank you, Elle!

And thank you for all those... stopping by!

You ARE LOVED and APPRECIATED!

Have a FANTABULOUS weekend!

Parmesan Zucchini Strips

These things are amazing and simple!

A VERY good snack around our house.

I altered the recipe from a pin a friend of mine posted on pinterest.

I had zucchinis on hand, so I thought I would give it a shot.

Here is my altered version of Parmesan Zucchini Strips:

Ingredients:
Small Zucchinis
Non-stick Cooking Spray
Parmesan Cheese
WishBone Caesar Delight Salad Spray Dressing

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and spray with Non-stick Cooking Spray.

2. Cut zucchini slices lengthwise in approximately 1/4" thickness.

3. Place zucchini slices on tray and spray with a few squirts of Caesar Delight Salad Dressing Spray {a few sprays per slice}.

4. Cover zucchini slices with parmesan cheese.

5. Place in a 375 degree oven and bake for approximately 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy!

DIY CupCake Toppers

Party. Party. P-A-R-T-Y!

I love to be involved in planning a party.

I can't wait for the moment of reveal when everything just comes together. Do you know what I'm talking about? When you throw open the doors and you can here the Party Planning Angels sing a glorious melody.

This isn't just a standard party, though...

It's for a dear friend.... it's her BABY SHOWER a---n---d I am B-E-Y-O-N-D excited!

So, I  am planning, getting ideas ready, researching.... and CRAFTING.

Here is a sneak peak of some cupcake toppers I put together.

The theme is Animals on Parade. She really likes lions, giraffes and elephants.

So, I think these will work out beautifully!

SUPPLIES:
2 1/2" Circle Puncher
2" Circle Puncher
2 1/2" Scalloped Circle Puncher
1/2" Circle Puncher
Slot Puncher
Adhesive Tape
Scotch Tape
Black Felt Pen
Googley Eyes
Self Adhesive Gems {various sizes}
Long Toothpicks
Cardstock: Gray, Burnt Orange, Golden Yellow
Scissors

ELEPHANT CUPCAKE TOPPER
1. Punch the following:
1 - 2 1/2" Circle
2 - 2" Circles
1 - Slot

2. Cut one 2" Circle in Half.

3. Cut the slot in half 2/3's of the way down.

4. Adhere the semi-circles on the sides of the 2 1/2" circle as ears.
5. Adhere the slot pieces as a trunk.
6. Adhere eyes.
7. Adhere the toothpick to the back of the elephant with tape and adhere the 2" Circle behind {to cover the toothpick}.

GIRAFFE CUPCAKE TOPPER

1. Punch the following:

2 - 2" Circles in Golden Yellow

1 - 2" Circle in Burnt Orange

2 - 1/2" Circles in Burnt Orange

1 - Slot

2. Cut the 2" Burnt Orange Circle in half. 

3. Cut the Slot piece in half.

4. Adhere the Burnt Orange Semi-Circle in half to the bottom of the 2" Golden Yellow Circle as shown.
5. Trim the overlapping pieces to match the Golden Yellow 2" Circle.

6. Cut one 1/2" Burnt Orange Circle in half.
7. Adhere the slot halves on top of the 2" Golden Yellow Circle along with the 1/2" Burnt Orange Semi-Circles. These make the giraffe's ears.
8. Adhere 2 of the 1/2" circles in locations as spots and trim any overlapping pieces.
9. Adhere eyes.
10. Adhere Gem pieces as the nostrils.
11. Adhere the toothpick to the back of the giraffe with tape and adhere the 2" Circle behind {to cover the toothpick}.

LION CUPCAKE TOPPER

1. Punch the following:

1 - 2" Circles in Golden Yellow

1 - 2" Circle in Burnt Orange

1 - 2 1/2" Scalloped Circle in Burnt Orange

2. Adhere Golden Yellow Circle centered on top of the Burnt Orange Scalloped Circle.

3. Place Gem in the center of the Golden Yellow Circle as the lion's nose.
4.  Utilize a felt tip pen and create the lion's mouth and whiskers.
5. Adhere eyes.
6. Adhere the toothpick to the back of the lion with tape and adhere the 2" Circle behind {to cover the toothpick}.

Easy-Peasy!

Aren't these just A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E?!

I think so! And I am planning on making more for banners and other decorations.

I'm LOVIN' IT!
This is gonna be a ROCKIN' Baby Shower!
I. Can't. Wait!

Linked up at Thrifty Decor Chick, The Shabby Nest, Cherished Bliss and Hope Studios.

Right On Target

Well, I am back in action {for the most part}.

Working and working... but still a little bit of playing.

I seriously wasn't home for more than 24 hours before I got to work on changing a few things around the Double-Wide. Items that I wanted to do before Christmas.

One of which, I wanted to change up the wallpaper art gallery around the TV.

BEFORE

AFTER

More unified. The removal of the white framed prints and silhouette I think help the space feel together and not too disjointed. I also rearranged and replaced some of the frames. I think it works much better. What do you think?

I also took a quick trip to Target for some essentials. And... wouldn't you know it.... but I ran into a few great finds!

That upholstered stool tucked underneath the Eileen Gray Side Table really adds a punch of elegance! And it will be great when additional seating is needed. I was blessed by the manager at the Target store. There was no price tag and she didn't want to bother with finding exactly what the code was... after a little investigation, she came back and gave a code that I know was $15 less! She said she was ok with it, if I was.... SURE! What a blessing! I went on and on and on with "Thank Yous".

I also found this decorative pillow. I love the hardware combined with the faux leather medallions. Great texture combinations going on!

Thank you, Target!

Cooking with Tomatillos

Central-American Style!

So, I have been inspired in my cooking adventures from my recent vacation.

I decided to experiment a bit based off of a pretty typical dish in Guatemala, Green Pipian.

One of the main ingredients in this dish are tomatillos. They are essentially a green tomato. It's what is utilized in salsa verde. You can use canned tomatillos, but I used the fresh variety.

This is what they look like in the grocery store.

You then peel the husk and wash the tomatillos {there is a sticky substance after the husk is removed}.

JOANNE'S TAKE ON PIPIAN VERDE
INGREDIENTS
tomatillos {2 cans or 2 lbs fresh}
1 onion {I used pearl onions because I had them on hand}
cilantro {1/2 a cup or more}
3 large lettuce leaves {not iceberg}
garlic
1/2 chili pepper
pumpkin seeds {about 1/4-1/2 cup}
chicken broth {about 1 1/2 cups}
chicken

1. Slow cook a whole chicken in the crock pot on low for 6-8 hours.

I added oregano, onion herb Mrs. Dash, and garlic. I also placed some boneless/skinless leg thighs into the pot. I added about 1/2 cup of water at the beginning since I was planning to use the juices as my chicken broth.

2. Roast your pumpkin seeds in a non stick skillet.

BE CAREFUL... they pop! Roast them for a few minutes until they are toasted a golden color. But, they pop around like the dickens. Seriously, they jump between 1-3 feet in the air! I knew I was suppose to hear them popping.. but seeing them almost made me pee my pants a lil' in sincere fear!

3. Place tomatillos in a pot of boiling water. Cook for 5-10 minutes.

4. Prepare the other fresh ingredients. Rinse and dice.

NOTE: Be VERY careful with chili peppers. Wash your hands VERY well after touching them. The oil from the peppers will spread to whatever you touch after touching them. If you know my story... you KNOW what I am talking about! VERY WISE WORDS from EXPERIENCE.

5. Place cilantro, lettuce, pumpkins seeds, garlic, onions, chili pepper, and tomatillos into the food processor with about 1/2 cup of chicken broth and blend.

This is what it should look like.

6. Place mixture into a pot and cook on medium heat for 8-10 minutes until it becomes a light brown color. Be careful, the mixture will bubble/pop. Keep a lid on it and stir frequently.

7. Add the rest of the chicken broth and then place the mixture on low heat and simmer for 20 minutes or so.

This is where you can salt to taste. But, I cook low sodium... so I don't. The seasonings and ingredients make a WONDERFUL flavor!

8. Plate with Cilantro Lime Brown Rice, Sweet Corn {roasted would be fantastic!}, and Slow Cooked Chicken... I also added red tomatoes and cornbread to our dinner dish.

ENJOY!

My boys sure did.... plates were completely clean!

Let me know if you try it out!

Closet Turned Office

Here is a tour of my personal private office.

*** UPDATE: Closet Turned Office REVAMP REVEAL can be seen here! ***

It's a unique little spot.

It's my spot.

All. MINE!

See, in our old house... I had an office. BUT, I shared it with kiddo. It served also as our Homeschool Room. So, it was not ALL mine.

Our Double-Wide had me at "Closet".

-Seriously-

This closet is at the immediate left of the entrance. It has a pocket door to close {or keep out unwanted noise.} It is only about 5.5'x8.5' in size. But, it is AWESOME!

When I saw it... I knew I could live in the High Rise. I would have my very own space. This place could very easily become our home. I was sold! I spent the first 15-20 minutes of our first view of the High Rise right here in this spot. I had my tape measure out... i-m-m-e-d-i-a-t-e-l-y! You know, sometimes.... you just know when it's right!

It's MINE!

BEFORE

The closet also serves as a walkthrough from the Foyer to the Laundry Room.

AFTER

The above 3 pieces were the only new items. Everything else I repurposed from the old house.

The desk and file cabinet are from West Elm. The desk chair was found at Home Goods.

I have to surround myself with very personal items when I am doing tasks like bills... or grading papers {yuck and double yuck}. So, I decided to create a gallery wall {what a surprise} of very meaningful black and white photos. I have some old ones {my father, my mom and grandparents, my hubby as a kiddo} and some newer ones.

Did you spy the cow? I love my cow! I got him at a consignment store.

This space is very functional. I work at the desk {which has 2 drawers for my pens, paper, etc}. I can roll around on the floor very easily to get to the file cabinet and printer.

To the cabinet that houses our Homeschool Curriculum.

And to the dresser that houses other craft/school/office essentials.

 Not too shabby.

And an excellent use of space!

I have even kept the shelving in tack {for now}. Where I have neatly displayed some storage for my ink pads, punches, and other odds and ends.

I also have kiddo's completed school papers conveniently located here.

I still have many other plans for this spot {decor wise}.

I would like to actually wallpaper the space in a fun pattern {or at least part of the space}.
Build storage above where the shelving is currently.
Install a chandelier and maybe some other stuff.

But, for now...

It is PERFECT!

IT IS MINE!
Linked up at Thrifty Decor Chick
Note: Photos have been updated since original post date.

What's Been Happening?

Have you noticed I have been absent from blogland?

I hope so!

I have been away.

I lived out my daydreams {see previous post}...

I have been on vacation visiting family in a far off land...

Eating, drinking...

and being MERRY!

{That's me and kiddo jumping in the center of the arch.}

Having some amazing ADVENTURES!

But, also taking time out for special prayer...

And really being INSPIRED by the immense beauty surrounding me!

Since I homeschool, the kiddo still had work to do!

But, we also got in some workshops and fieldtrips... hah!

I would have to say....

THIS WAS AN AMAZING TRIP!