the homemade sushi

I LOVE SUSHI!

I was so proud of the way everything turned out. The sushi was actually surprisingly easy. There really isn't anything to it! It tasted just like the California Roll you get at the sushi restaurants. I made some with rice on the outside and some with seaweed on the outside, both were fantastic. 

I served it along side some edamame to start and orange chicken. :)  

the classic

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. 

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. 

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. 

For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day. 

For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. 

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and 

redeemed; never throw out anyone.. 

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. 

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and 

the other for helping others. 

- Audrey Hepburn -

the cutest lil bakers rack

I absolutely love my cute lil bakers rack!

I found this piece of furniture at a Goodwill for $30.

I sanded it, stained it to give it some vibrancy 

and spray-painted the hardware. 

I removed the original backing, 

which was thin and worn-out looking,

replaced it with a lighter striped piece 

to give it some contrast. 

I bought this cute little contemporary padded stool 

from Bed Bath and Beyond. 

It has a removable lid which offers a great place 

for additional storage. 

I keep my extra tablecloths folded 

and tucked away it there.  :) 

This is a perfectly comfortable place to sit 

and flip through my cookbooks, 

open and sift through my mail, 

a place to brainstorm and create my to-do list, 

or jot down a quick grocery list.

the great outdoors

You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt.  

Author Unknown

Sometimes the best way to rediscover your spouse involves a shovel. 

We spent the day outside soaking up some sun and doing some 

well needed grooming to our yard. 

A brand new home still needs some TLC. 

We let the yard grow out of control over the winter because we predicted that it would be covered in feet of snow, but boy were we wrong! It ended up being one of the warmest winters ever and the yard started to look like a jungle. We waited for the spring to purchase a lawn mower, edge trimmer, and gardening tools to tame our front and back. So we picked a sunny day to step outside and get our hands dirty. 

Oh, then the shirts came off! Mine too! Woo it was a hot one!

I was wearing a sports bra, no need to freak out! And my sweet boy is the only eye candy I need.

With lots of sweat and laughter we made great progress. We were so proud of our accomplishment and the grand improvement of our greenery. 

Still we are nowhere near finished with our vision. 

But we are taking small strides and checking off one 'to-do' at a time. 

It feels so good to work together. To step back and look at what you've done, together. 

It makes you really feel like a grown-up when you are doing yard work for your own house. It's no longer a chore forced on by your parents - when you threaten to call Child Services because you are convinced this kind of work falls under some child labor law.....haha! ;) 

It takes on a whole new meaning and sense of accomplishment when it's your home. 

And it feels really nice when you come inside from a long day, exhausted from the sun, and you fall on the couch together. Take a deep breath and stay there awhile. 

the heart

‎"it's impossible" said pride.

"it's risky" said experience.

"it's pointless" said reason.

"give it a try" whispered the heart.

the grand dining transformation

Being a recent college graduate who lived in dorm housing and my husband being a Air Force Officer who had become accustom to living out of a bag for the past few years; we never accumulated a lot of furniture and the furniture we did commandeer isn't exactly in pristine condition....

So I decided to give our dining room table a face lift!

This table apparently belonged to Stu's old college roommates grandmother. 

After they moved out of college...somehow Stu claimed ownership. 

I would like to say thank you Grandma, for your precious contribution to our 

humble beginnings as a married couple. 

The chairs are not even matching pieces to the set. The table top is actually two wing pieces.

You can drop the wings down or prop them up to make the large table top surface you see in the picture. The problem, obviously, is that both chairs can't slid-in comfortably under 

the table (as shown, because they hit the table legs) and the chairs can't fit under/between 

the legs at the facing end (in the picture). But we will work with what we've got!

**PLEASE NOTICE**

the awful stains on the fabric. gross.

the furniture has potential and I'm ready to give it new life!

Here is our new and improved 

dining table 

completely transformed!

sanded. painted. semi-glossed. reupholstered.

NO STAINS!

I really liked the striped fabric. 

The clean lines and simple texture don't take too much focus away from the design of the wood.

 I found an extra large kitchen window curtain at Goodwill for $2.00 

and used it to reupholster my dining room cushions. I think they turned out great!

what do you think?

the magic of a fresh coat of paint

it's amazing how a fresh coat of paint can 

completely update and transform a standard old piece of furniture.

  I wanted to revitalize our DVD stand - here it is:

Before

After

Voila! :)