A touch of Southern charm...

A long time ago, in a land far away my husband was a bachelor....

Not the sleaze-bucket kind featured on TV, (am I the only one in the world that finds that whole concept disgusting?!) but rather the my-house-has-hand-me-down-furniture-from-college-and-I-don't-know-what-to-do-with-it kind of bachelor... The answer to that question the majority of the time was burn it! Seriously... Any furniture that was upholstered in any way, shape, or form did not survive our union... With good reason! Anything laminate, we said adios to. What remained from his bachelor days were solid wood pieces, with good bones that needed some TLC. 

Presenting exhibit A... 

My wonderful husband loved this nightstand, and the matching dresser.

They were substantial, traditional, solid pieces. They were also in dire need of a face lift, so after much begging I finally got the go ahead to paint them.

First thing I did was remove the old hardware, and fill in the old holes with wood filler. I let the filler dry over night.

The next day, I sanded the crap out of the drawers and the tops of the dresser, and nightstand. I didn't sand the sides of the pieces because they were in pretty decent shape, and that's the beauty of chalk paint... There's not a whole lot of prep!

I used a home-made chalk paint, because I am not going to pay a bazillion dollars for something that will give me the same result (sorry Annie Sloan)

I went to Lowes and picked out a flat, indoor paint that tickled my fancy, and some plaster of Paris. 

When I got home I mixed one part plaster of Paris with warm water, and then 3 parts paint. It is important to mix the Plaster of Paris with the water first, otherwise you end up with a globby mess.

After I mixed my chalk paint I got to painting. I left the tops unpainted. I love the contrast of wood with paint. I only did one coat on these pieces because I liked how the blue from the old stain came through. 

FYI- this paint dries super quick... Like 30-45 minutes quick.

After the paint dried I took my trusty palm sander, and skimmed over the areas I wanted to distress.

 

Once I got the pieces distressed I stained the tops of the pieces. I picked a dark chestnut stain that contrasted the cream paint nicely.

Last, but certainly not least was new hardware! When I was getting the paint I saw these knobs that were everything I wanted for this piece. Classic. Southern. Whimsical. 

The pulls reminded me of the antique glass doorknobs, and I think they are perfect!

Actually, I lied... There was one more important step... Preserving the pieces.

To do this I used a plain and simple finishing wax by Minwax, and I got my inner karate kid on. Wax on, wax off....

All in all, I could not be more pleased with the transformations.

Until next time... À tout à l'houre!

So, I have a 1 year old...

It happened.

He's one.

This bundle of laughs and snuggles is one year old now. 

Sunday we had his birthday, and it was a big, wonderful, exhausting blur. It is a lot of work throwing a party with a baby! (Excuse me- toddler. Lukas is very sensitive about the "B" word now that he is one)

Lukas had a fishing birthday, complete with magnetic fishing poles for the kids to take home. 

 Word of advice- if you plan on giving out fishing poles, keep them away from little hands or you will spend hours untangling them. 

We had a fantastic BBQ. So much food! 

In keeping with the fishing theme we had cupcakes complete with fishing poles.

I loved how they turned out!

I made a cake too, and it was super yummy. Vanilla with an apple compote and whipped cream.

All in all, everything was pretty yummy. Lukas loved his cake! 

My only complaint would be that Lukas was exhausted during presents. I rushed through them in order to avoid a total meltdown. 

All in all we had a wonderful day, but I am thankful we only have to do it once a year... I'll probably need a full year to recuperate. :)

Until next time- love to all!

Summer salmon pasta

Confession- 90% of the cooking in our house is done by Patrick. It's not that I can't cook, (I'm actually quite proud of the culinary skill I possess.) but I work, and Patrick is a far better cook than I am. (Ladies, word of advice- Marry a man who can cook. And can cook well!) Patrick cooks with things like truffle oil, and saffron. I cook with love. No comparison.

All self-deprecating humor aside, we enjoy cooking together. I enjoy taking on the role of sous chef and letting him shine in the kitchen, but this recipe is not about him. This is my recipe, and it is knock your socks off yummy, and the reason that I could never give up fish. The best part is it is so simple. The way food should be.

To start you need:

*2 cups fusilli pasta

2- 4oz. Salmon fillets

1 bunch of asparagus

1 cup cremini mushrooms

1 cup sundried tomatoes (drained)

3 oz. of goat cheese

*You can use whatever pasta you prefer. I prefer fusilli or rotini because the cheese incorporates well into it.

Start your pasta water. Make sure you salt the water well to flavor the pasta.

Heat a sauté pan with oil (I use coconut, but olive works just fine too) to medium heat. 

Chop your asparagus into 1" slices. Slice your creminis, and chop the sundried tomatoes.

Season your salmon filets with a rub of salt and pepper. (And if you are feeling adventurous a tiny bit of cayenne gives a nice little kick)

When your water comes to a boil pour in your pasta. About halfway to al dente add the asparagus.

While the pasta is cooking start sautéing the creminis. Once the creminis are browned set aside in a large mixing bowl. 

In the same sauté pan, sauté your salmon filets until cooked through. Set aside.  I like to soak up the excess oil with a paper towel, but that's totally optional. Give the filets a rough chop and put in the bowl with the creminis.

When the pasta is al dente, drain the pasta and asparagus. Mix in with the salmon cremini mix. Immediately mix in the goat cheese. You want the pasta to still be hot so the cheese melts and incorporates well into the dish.

Salt to taste.

Next, the most controversial ingredient, the sun-dried tomato. Personally, I love them. I think they bring a great brightness to any dish, but not everybody feels the same way I do. My husband does not share my love for sun-dried tomatoes. So I put them in last. You could roast cherry tomatoes, and put them in as a substitute. Whatever you choose the dish is still delish!

This is by far my favorite summer dish. It is good hot, or cold, or here, or there, or in a house, or with a mouse... Or with a glass of sangria.

Wherever or however you choose to eat it it is delicious. I brought it last year to a potluck when we had our childbirth classes, and a room full of pregnant ladies and their husbands all concurred.

Happy meals (not the gross kind) lovebugs!

Dear Lukas- 2

Dear Lukas,

  I'm reflecting a lot right now. 

This is the last week before we celebrate your first lap around the sun, and as thrilled as I am watching you grow, I'm also a little sad at how quickly it goes by.

Today you stood unassisted for an extended time. You've been able to do this for some time now, but you just haven't trusted in yourself enough to do it. Your dad and I haven't pushed it. We knew that it would happen when you were good and ready, and not a moment sooner. So we waited. And today you stood. You stood tall. You stood proud. And then you fell to your bottom. And you did something wonderful. You clapped for yourself. You knew that you had done something great, and greatness deserves praise. I love that about you. 

Later today I was watching you crawl, and it hit me. You won't be crawling for much longer. Pretty soon you'll be walking, and I'll no longer hear the slap of your hands on the floor as you crawl from room to room. I'll no longer see your little butt wiggle from side to side when you are trying to crawl in a hurry. And with that thought as I happy as I was for your milestone today, I was sad that we are going to have to say goodbye to this phase in your life.

You have taught your dad and I so much in your short time on this planet. You have taught us what it really means to love whole-heartedly. You have taught us to see the greatness in the small things. You have taught us that life goes by in the blink of an eye, so live big. You did that. Just by being you.

Thank you.

You are loved. You are loved. You are loved. Always.