Fabulously Boring Saturday

This past weekend it did nothing but rain on Saturday. I mean is was pouring! All day!!! But I should not complain about it too much since it forced me to get a bunch of things done inside our home. Boxes of books that we have no longer have any need for were boxed up for a scheduled donation truck. Christmas decorations were not only put away but they were also reorganized to make decorating for Christmas 2014 even easier. Epic amounts of clothing were washed and folded. And all of this happened before 5pm.

Crazy boring, I know! But it was all stuff that needed to get done. I can't tell you how happy I was to have crossed so many things off my to-do list in one day. With all of the boring stuff done, I was able to get down on the floor with my kiddos and complete a puzzle. Such a sweet and simple activity that I adored!!!

One Thing Leads To Another

With kiddos back to school I was finally able to step out of the house and run some much needed errands. So I headed to a local "town center", read mall just outside. Even though it was still below freezing it felt simply glorious to be walking outside! That's what happens after one has been trapped inside with three bored kiddos.

After I had done my returns and was about to leave I noticed that Anthroplogies was having a sale, so how could I not walk in? While it was fun to look through all of the pretty dresses that they had on sale I was quickly distracted by a display in their "House & Home" section. For whatever reason, maybe because they remind me of the Cape or maybe because they are blue & white with a bit of red, I was really drawn to their "From The Deep" dinner collection. 

And here is where is really got weird; all I could think was that this was just what I needed for our home office make-over. That right, this is my inspiration for the office not the kitchen! Yes they are mostly blue & white like my beloved Royal Copenhagen China, they also remind me of old school encyclopedia pen and ink drawings. Plus they are whimsical and every room needs a little bit of playfulness, if you ask me!

And with that I am off and running! I have a donation truck coming to help me declutter the office, and house for that matter. I know what furniture I want to keep and what I plan to resell or re-propose. I have a plan for new curtains. Don't worry Hubby they will cost next to nothing!

One unplanned stop and I have a mapped out plan for on office make over goal. Not bad if you ask me. Maybe I should go shopping more often!?!

You can also find me at From My Front Porch and Savvy Southern Style

I Should Have Known Better; Part II

When you have been stuck home for awhile you might find that you have some free time to read a good book. That my friends is just what I have been doing! I should have been folding laundry or meal planning but I chose not to. When I picked up Ms Hilderbrand's latest book I knew that I would become the worst house-wife ever but I also knew it would be worth it. And once again Ms Hilderbrand and her novels have "made" me stop doing all the things that I really needed to do. What can I say, her books really are blissful escapes from reality!

 According to Goodreads:  

A summer wedding stirs up trouble on both sides of the family in this new novel from bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand. The Carmichaels and Grahams have gathered on Nantucket for a wedding. Plans are being made according to the wishes of the bride's late mother, who left behind The Notebook: specific instructions for every detail of her youngest daughter's future nuptials. Everything should be falling into place for the beautiful event--but in reality, things are far from perfect.

While the couple-to-be are quite happy, their loved ones find their own lives crumbling. In the days leading up to the wedding, love will be questioned, scandals will arise, and hearts will be broken and healed. Elin Hilderbrand takes readers on a touching journey in BEAUTIFUL DAY--into the heart of marriage, what it means to be faithful, and how we choose to honor our commitments.

Yes this is a total beach read in the middle of winter. But the summer background and the message that family is important works for me no matter what time of year it is!

Chops And Sauce

Once again the kids had off yesterday, not really sure why but they did. So after a nice relaxing morning at home, we ventured out to run some errands. Since I had some extra time this morning while I was making my grocery store list I poured over the latest from Cooking Light and found a recipe that looked very promising. If an unexpected snow-day is not the time to try a new recipe then I don't know what is!

On a cold and windy day, Orange-Mustard Glazed Pork Chops sounded just right! The recipe calls for enough citrus that I could pretend I was on the beach in Florida yet had enough sauce to be served with smashed red bliss potatoes. Honestly it was heavenly on such a cold night! (Hubby's note- Thumbs up for this recipe! It was really good.)

Orange-Mustard Glazed Pork Chops

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

2 tablespoons orange marmalade

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard (if you are gluten free read carefully since some whole-grain mustard contain gluten!)

1 tablespoon canola oil  *I used extra virgin olive oil. I always do!*

4 bone-in pork chops (1 inch thick) **I had to go boneless since the store was sold out of bone-in. Less cooking time but is was still yummy**

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt ***I might have added more salt***

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 fresh rosemary springs

1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2 inch wedges

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a small sauce pan, combine the orange juice, marmalade and mustard; stir over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until syrupy. About 10 minutes.

Heat a large ovenproof skillet oven medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Salt and pepper pork and add to pan; cook until brown. Turn pork; add rosemary and onions to pan. Pour juice mixture over the pork; bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes or until thermometer registers 140 degrees. 

Place onions and rosemary on a platter. 

Return pan to medium-high heat; add lime juice. Cook 4 minutes or until liquid is syrupy. 

Add pork to platter; drizzle with sauce. Serve hot!

I chose to serve my chops along side smashed red bliss potatoes and roasted asparagus. There is not a doubt in my mind that I will make this recipe again. And again!!!

One Room At A Time

In 2005 we moved from a small town-house into our current single family home. We have painted, arranged and rearranged rooms yet it still does not feel "done" to me yet. I am sure I could over analyze why this is but instead I am just going to start "finishing" rooms this year. One room at a time....

As to not overwhelm myself, I am going to start with the smallest room in the house; our office. This poor room has become a dumping ground that needs some love. So I have challenged myself to clean out the office and make it work for our family in less than two months. Wish me luck friends!!!

Dare To Dream; Part 2

All I can say is thank goodness the weatherman was wrong yesterday! What was suppose to be a little dusting of snow turned into a snow day for the kiddos today. And the best part was that the school board made the phone call last night. All snow days are wonderful but knowing the night before is awesome!

The only bummer about the day was how bitterly cold it was today. I know that my family up North teases me all the time about my Southern children not be able to handle the cold but I don't care where you are from 16 degree is cold. And that was before the wind chill!!!

Despite the cold my tough Southern kiddos suited up and made the most of the snow. All I can say is that we are raising kiddos who make the most of the day...no matter where they live!

Dare To Dream

I know this will make me seem totally greedy (since we had a nice long Christmas Break) but I really hope the kids have a snow day tomorrow. I just was not ready to send them back school today. 

So if the weatherman was wrong and we got a snow day I would be over joyed!