Flor!

I 've fallen in love with FLOR.  They're a carpet design co. that makes modular carpet tiles, so if you have cats who puke like me, or toddlers who destroy everything, these are genius.  If a square gets ruined, or needs to be cleaned, you just pull up the individual tile and clean or replace. 

There's hundreds of textures, styles and prints that can be arranged however you like, but we went with a green short shag that looks like grass for Amelia's room.  It just makes me happy to walk in there with bare feet in the morning. So cheery and cozy - and this mama needs that.

Here's what her room looked like before:

I just had to show that wallpaper close up because it was like some crazy cross stitch from the 70s and the carpet isn't visible here, but trust me, it was "vintage."

I hate showing before & after shots, because we aren't totally done.  Still looking for art over the crib and tent.  Stay tuned.  But for now, here it is:

Pasta Anyone Can Make -- As Long as You Have Trader Joe's

I've been pretty upfront about struggling to get lunch and dinner on the table in an easy fashion over here. So I was psyched when my friend Jenny made me a deliciously simple pasta, that's just four ingredients, all from Trader Joe's. Truth be told, we were making pasta for the kids and the only kind we had was the little wagon wheels. It was delicious that way, but you can also use fusilli or penne.

I made it during Amelia's nap last week and it took no time.  It makes a great side dish, or if you're a pasta lover like me, your entree for the evening.

Here goes:
- Boil pasta
- Chop chives (a handful will do)
- Cut mozzarella into cubes
- Once pasta is cooked, add the fresh mozzarella cheese and place immediately on the hot pasta
- Add sun-dried tomatoes and some of the olive oil left in the jar (too much will make it super oily)
- Season with some salt and pepper, maybe even red pepper flakes for a little kick

And you're done.  Thanks, Jenny!

New Year, New House

2014 was all about searching for a home  - eight months to be exact, almost long enough to carry a baby full-term.  It took me back to my dating days of going on first dates  (open houses), hoping he'd call back (getting a counter offer), then wondering if he was ever gonna commit (accepting final offer). We got our hearts broken several times, but in the end, just as everyone said we found the house that was perfect for us. The only problem was that it needed a lot of love to bring it back to its glory days. It was an enormous task to take on as first-time homeowners. We were warned -- multiple times -- but we're suckers for a challenge.

Here are a couple of  before and after shots, and almost all of these pics are taken by our family photographer -- Jeff. Without him, I'd just have highly-filtered instagram photos to chronicle the past two years.

Before ...

After ...
It took us a long time to decide on a color.  Jeff wanted to repaint the house red, but I just couldn't help but think barn.  So, we finally agreed on Benjamin Moore's Galveston Gray - and a pop of yellow to make it just a bit more cheery.

I'm not ready to reveal the finished living room, because it's not finished. Ha! But, here's a before and  ... middle. The yellow shag really says it all.

Before:

After:

The biggest change was ripping up that ol' shag and putting down beautiful hardwood.  We ripped off the wallpaper and painted the walls Farrow & Ball's Cornforth White (which is a beautiful light grey).  We decided to paint the fireplace white and stain the mantle. We went back on forth on that one for awhile, but now every time I stare at that brick I'm so damn happy. More to come, I promise.

Valentine's Playdate/Puking Disaster

I thought I would pull a total Betty and have some friends over (read mommies and toddlers) and get a little crafty for Valentine's Day.  My mom has a delicious and reasonably healthy cookie recipe that I make every year, so I thought it would be perfect.  I'd make the dough the night before, whip up the homemade icing and then the kids could decorate them tomorrow afternoon.

Here's what I was envisioning:

*photo by Jeff

 plus

photo: thetreatboutique.com

Here's what happened:

Last night, Amelia projectile vomited all over Jeff and the rocker. Is it bad that I cringed when I realized it had been taken down in the process? So I scratched making the dough and spent plenty of time cuddling with her until she was okay to go to sleep.

She didn't seem better today, so I made the call. The playdate was off.

And here's today's reality:

BUT, I do have my mom's recipe for the most delicious Valentine's Day cookies to pass along:

Valentine's Cut-Out Cookies:

1 cup butter, softened

6 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon Vanilla

1 tablespoon baking powder

1\4 teaspoon salt

1 cup quick or old fashioned oats

1\2 cup chopped walnuts

Beat butter and cream cheese together.  Add sugar and vanilla;  beat again.  Sift dry ingredients.  Add to creamed mixture.

Stir in oats and walnuts.  Chill several hours or overnight.

Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

Frosting:

2 cups confectioners sugar

2 tablespoons butter, softened

4 teaspoons milk

1\2 teaspoon vanilla

pink and red food coloring

Roll out balls of dough in your hand, shape like a heart (indent top and elongate a point) or roll out and use a cookie cutter.  Frost when cool.