Dining Room Progress

When we first moved in, there was a ceiling fan stationed off-center in the dining room. The previous owners must have put the fan directly over where their table was positioned, with complete disregard to the center of the the room. Being that we have a SQUARE table, we knew this wasn't going to work. So B and our extremely talented & handy friend went to work on removing the fan, re-centering the electrical and hanging the chandelier that was given to us by my cousin.

It was a long project, with a lot of drywall dust and a few trips to Home Depot.  But watching these guys was so much fun.

I was the lucky one who was assigned the job of lining up all the crystals and stringing them together.  This was tedious, but well worth it!

Also, during this project, I was prohibited from coming near any electrical, and for good reason.  I had flash-backs of when I got electrocuted at our old house trying to hang the chandelier by myself...(B was on his bachelor party and I was channeling my energy toward something efficient)

B and his hi-tech protective gear (trash bag + sunglasses)

Finished! But of course, the medallion we didn't have prior to hanging the chandelier...I picked it up at Home Depot for $50 and spray painted it with high gloss black spray paint.  B had to take the whole dang thing down, attach the medallion and then reassemble.  Poor guy, he's a trooper though!

I just LOVE this room now!

Now I just need a rug, large mirror for the back wall and window treatment for the french doors.

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The Big Move

After moving into our first home a few months ago, I have finally had a second to sit and breath...and begin to blog again! I actually have a backlog and have been taking some photos along the way I just needed to get settled and now caught up on the posting. I enjoy it so much because it helps me journal and chronicle our progress!Our home was built in 1923 and has a lot of character! Thankfully there were not huge projects that needed to be taken, but rather, little design projects to make it our own!

Here is B finding a creative way to fill the wine fridge space (until we can afford to purchase one - it works for me!)

Here are the "before" - the "after" are coming!

In the middle of painting...bye bye yellow, helloooo Grey!

I was in "grey hell" as my mom and I called it for nearly a month trying to find the perfect shade of grey.  It is not as easy as it would seem! 

We also decided to paint the fireplace!! Took a leap of faith and I think it turned out as we had imagined.

 We decided to put candles in the fireplace for now since it is not completely "functional"

 One of my favorite mantle pieces, lobster cross bottle.

 B getting comfy!

I will be posting more pics of our projects and finds so keep your eye out!

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Sweet Potato Fries

After trying out various recipes for homemade sweet potato fries, I have finally found my two favorites.  The best/healthiest way to prepare sweet potato fries is to cut them from the actual, oddly shaped honking potato.  The actual sweet potato is ugly (sad for the potato) but packs a potent punch of nutrition! 

Photo courtesy of Zoe Bakes

These ugly tubers are truly the best starch out there on the market if you ask me.  I really didn't get into sweet potatoes until I was told they were the only starch I could eat via an appointment with a clinical nutritionist.  Actually, my entire life I had completely avoided the potato/yam as a whole...which reminds me, I actually had to look up the difference between a sweet potato and a yam because I had no idea what the differences were.  I was shocked to discover the truth about yams v. sweet potato, you can read more about it here.  But something magical truly occurs when you are able to slice, coat and bake these little nutritional superstars.  They turn into an actually edible delight that perfectly complement a turkey burger! 

So one option is to slice the potatos into french fry size sections and coat with olive oil, sea salt, black pepper and fresh pressed garlic.  Mix in a bowl until lightly coated and then bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.  

I learned that for crispier fries, you should leave the skin ON.  If you peel the potatoes (as shown in the first picture above) the fries never fully get firm (never a good thing).

You could also put a little coconut oil in a pan, heat the oil, and then throw the sliced potatoes in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then sprinkle with cinnamon.  This version complements grilled chicken nicely and I got the idea from my Aunt who made them for me when I was visiting her in Arizona- why does it seem when anyone else cooks for you it tastes better?  

Last word on fries: I know it is TEMPTING to just pick up a bag of the frozen, pre-cut sweet potatoes at your grocery store, but resist the urge.  Those are coated with flour and other ingredients which take away from the nutritional value of freshly baked sweet potatoes. 

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