Fireplace Redo

Well, I've been kind of busy lately and haven't really tackled any noteworthy changes to the house. Just keeping it clean enough to not be condemned is kind of a victory right now.

Soooooo....I decided to do a blast from the past. Part of what Mr. 31 does is remodel rundown homes. Our first house that we bought together was a flat (one apartment upstairs, one down). It was a mess. It looked and smelled BAD. We bought it at an auction and, when we went back inside to sign the papers after the bidding, we were like "What did we do?!?"

But, after four months of hard work (we were doing it after working 8 hour days at our other jobs), it looked pretty good if I must say so myself.

The project from the flat that I'm going to highlight today is the fireplace from the upstairs apartment. It was U-G-L-Y. The bottom part had been plastered with a texture and the upper part was turquoise painted plaster (and not a good turquoise) and the plaster was crumbling terribly.

You can also note the lovely gas fireplace insert, the nasty carpet, and the 80s-riffic ceiling fan.

So, after scraping and pulling out the worst of the plaster (and some serious disinfecting), I got my behind up on a step ladder with some joint compound and a large putty knife. I used the putty knife to layer a texture onto the top of the fireplace, trying to copy the texture on the bottom as closely as possible.

Then I painted the mantel with the white we were using for the trim, except for a small inset that ran the length of the front of the mantel, which I painted the same color as the walls (the color is called Sabrina, but I don't remember what brand of paint, so that information probably isn't helpful).

It was really simple and it made a big difference! Here's the fireplace afterwards:


Also gone is the retro (in a bad way) ceiling fan, nasty carpet, and ugly insert. You also might notice the woodwork between rooms was stripped and stained. My mother-in-law did that. It became a personal battle between her and that woodwork and the rest of us stayed out of the way. It turned out gorgeous though!

So, that's my blast from the past. I'll probably share more of these from time to time. We've had to tackle some pretty crazy projects along the way!

Check out the link parties that I'm joining up with!

Cuban Mojo Sauce

Mr. 31 and I were introduced to mojo on our honeymoon in Key West. There was a great Cuban restaurant on Mallory Square. We went there a few times in the span of less than a week. This sauce is great on all kinds of grilled meat and seafood.

In the interest of being honest, on one particularly busy and hot day, I ordered plain chicken wings from the local pizza joint and tossed them in the mojo when they were delivered. You know, whatever works.

Mojo Sauce

1/3 cup olive oil

6 cloves garlic, minced

2/3 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 tsp. cumin

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until lightly toasted, but not brown (about 30 seconds).

Add lime juice, cumin, salt, and pepper (be careful - the sauce might pop a little bit!). Bring the sauce to a boil. Correct the seasonings if need be.

Cool before serving (though I have tossed meat in it when it was fairly hot!).

Mojo sauce will keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for a few days, but it's best fresh.

Please check out my link page for all the great blog parties I'll be linking to!

Rearranging My House

I had a very busy but productive weekend.

Saturday, I decided to go yard saling (that can be a verb, right?). I have a wish list a mile long and a decorating/furnishing budget an inch short, so I decided that yard sales, thrift stores, and Walmart will have to be my shopping destinations for the time being. I didn't find too much on Saturday, though, so it was kind of disappointing. Maybe it was the neighborhood that the block sale was in, or maybe I'm out of the loop with yard sale pricing, but I don't remember ever paying $3 for a paperback book at a yard sale. Sorry. Not gonna do it. However, I did find 3 really good quality frames for $2 total and a stack of really good cloth napkins and a couple of tablecloths for $1, so I guess that made the trip worth it!

Then, on Sunday, my husband decided that we were going to move his office downstairs. His office has been upstairs in a spare bedroom since we moved into our home. But the temperatures got unbearable in that room this summer, so we moved him downstairs temporarily (so I thought). However, once we got the computer down there, he liked the temperature and was actually more productive downstairs than upstairs (he works from home, so productivity is important!). And I figured out that I liked him downstairs too; when he's working in the evenings I can see him from the living room and kitchen, so it feels like we're spending time together more so than when he's sequestered upstairs.

What made the decision easier was the fact that my sitting room had no furniture in it, which sounds strange, but let me explain. A couple of months ago, I came home to discover my sitting room carpet in my driveway. That particular carpet had been a source of nasty smells since we moved in (having to do with the previous owner's incontinent dog and then our cats' assumptions that, since the dog went there, so could they. Argh!!). We laid down a laminate floor during our pre-fourth of July home-fixing-up extravaganza. But, for some reason, the furniture never made it back to the sitting room. I'm not sure why, it just didn't.

So, I spent my Sunday carting furniture and electronic equipment and office supplies from my second floor to my first floor. It actually doesn't look too bad, though like the rest of my house, I hope in the future to replace our during and post-college laminate/particle board furniture with what I am calling "grown up" furniture. Once we get everything set up, I'll post some pics.

After all that hard work, we ended our weekend with some Olive Garden (L-O-V-E me some Zuppa Tuscana!). And what could be better than that?

There's Serious Funniness Involved Here

Earlier this week Thrifty Decor Chick posted about a blog called Catalog Living. The blogger describes the life of fictitious couple Gary and Elaine using pictures from Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, etc. Seriously funny!! Go get your Friday Funnies on at Catalog Living!

And the Harvest is Here!

For the past couple of summers Mr. 31 has planted a small vegetable and herb garden in our backyard. I say Mr. 31 because, as you may recall, I = plant death.

This week, we have our first harvest of vegetables - a ton of yellow squash! And I mean a ton - we gave some away, we ate some, we're saving a couple for seeds...and as of yesterday afternoon I still had a stack of it on my counter.

Soooo...I'm now freezing yellow squash.

See that stack to the left? That's after giving away four, eating two, chopping three, and I still have 3 left on another counter to eat later this week.

I'm also making a contribution to our compost bin - the ends of the squash are all in the white bowl awaiting transfer to the great outdoors.

I ended up with seven bags of yellow squash - which I'm sure we'll be happy for this fall and winter.

I had to move it all to our freezer downstairs, so I had made a handy dandy (not fancy, mind you) list to hang on my refrigerator upstairs so I don't forget what I have down there.

(And, no I'm not advertising for National City Bank - National City doesn't exist anymore, so my dad's wife who worked there gave me some of these handy clip magnets. Hi Pam!!).

From the looks of things, it's good my husband bought the Sam's Club pack of freezer bags. We could be eating yellow squash for a long time!

Husband Organizing

Maybe I'm the only one who has this problem.

But I think not.

The problem I speak of occurs when Mr. 31 gets ready to leave the house: "Where are my keys?"

Two minutes later: "Have you seen my glasses?"

30 seconds later: Mr. 31 still wandering around the house opening drawers and sticking his hand between couch cushions. Me: "What are you looking for?" Mr. 31: "My wallet."

For example, earlier in the week I walked around the house and looked for the things he would need to leave the house, snapping pictures with my iPhone as I went (so sorry for the quality of the pictures):

That would be (clockwise from top left): his glasses, wedding ring, and earbuds for his phone in the office; his watch in the living room; his wallet in the dining room; and his keys in the kitchen. At least they're all on the first floor.

We've tried various tactics to keep his things in one place. Obviously unsuccessfully.

So, I've decided to tackle the problem head on AGAIN. This time I'm attacking the problem with the tactic of "if the place where the things are to go is RIGHT BY the door, then it will be really easy for Mr. 31 to just dump the stuff right there." Seems logical.

There are two drawers in the kitchen right by the main door that we go in and out of that I decided to appropriate. They were holding tablecloths, cloth napkins, and a box holding fancy serveware. So all of those things needed a place to go.

For that, I decided to empty a drawer in a hutch in my dining room, which was the last spot that I tried getting my husband to corral all his stuff. It has since become a true junk drawer, holding all sorts of goodies and, to be honest, trash. It was really kind of frightening.

After emptying and cleaning the drawers, I decided to line them. I didn't have contact paper or equivalent, so I decided to go with leftover wallpaper from my dining room. It works, right?

I attempted to pull the old lining out of the kitchen drawers, but evidently the liner is integral to the structural integrity of the drawers. Not wanting to rebuild drawers, I left it underneath the wallpaper.

Then I loaded the dining room drawer up with all my tablecloths, runners, and napkins.

In the kitchen, I kept the serveware and an apron in one drawer and used the other for Mr. 31's stuff.

Look how neat it is!

I also want to show you the proximity of the drawer to the door, so you can see that he literally has to take one step into the door, open the drawer, and dump his stuff in.

Here's hoping we've got the solution!!

I'll be linking up to the usual suspects!

Praline Stuffed Yam

As promised yesterday, here is the recipe that I made to use up a lingering yam. As I only had 1 (large) yam, I adapted the recipe to fit. Hence the odd measurements.

Praline Stuffed Yams
Adapted from The New Holly Clegg Trim & Terrific Cookbook (Trim and Terrific)

1 large yam, unpeeled
1/8 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon, divided
1/8 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract, divided
1 1/2 tbs. butter, melted
1/6 cup flour
1/8 cup light brown sugar
1/8 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Poke yam with a fork a few times. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour.

2. Cut yam in half (You'll probably have to hold it with a towel or pot holder while you do it. It will be HOT). Spoon out contents into a bowl. Mash together with sugar, milk, half the cinnamon, and half the vanilla. Spoon mixture back into the yam skin halves.

3. Mix together butter, flour, brown sugar, pecans, and remaining cinnamon and vanilla. Crumble on top of the yam halves.

4. Turn oven down to 350. Bake yams for 15 minutes or until topping is browned.

It was yummy and I didn't have to add the yam to the compost bin!

Please check my link party page for all the wonderful blogs I'll be linking up to!