welcome home kitty

In late January we discovered our cat, GSXR (jixer), had escaped. It was a hectic week and we hadn't even noticed him gone for 24 hours. After realizing he wasn't anywhere in the house we got worried and frantically tried to remember the last time we had seen him. We realized that the night before we had heard scratching at the door. We convinced ourselves it sounded just like the cats leaving the littler box and left it at that. Unfortunately, it was GSXR trying to get back in. He loves to be outside but always comes right back in. We put up flyers around our neighborhood and called the local shelters. We got nothing. Just over a week ago I got a call that someone a few blocks away had seen our cat frequenting their neighborhood. He spotted an old beat up flyer that was still hanging and recognized the friendly neighborhood cat right away. It was nothing short of a miracle. We got him in the house and he raced straight for the food bowl. I gave him a flea bath and left him alone to get situated in his new old home. He was thin. I weighed him...11 POUNDS!! He had lost at least 10 pounds and it made me cringe to pet him. He was just so skinny. Well, he's been doing great and the cats are finally starting to welcome him nicely. He's gained almost 2 pounds and he is living life just relaxing as much as he can. We are so thankful to have him home but more importantly, that he is safe and sound. 

Enjoying some food after a bath

Relaxing

a cute tray

I have been on the hunt for a tray to put on the changing table/dresser. A spot for things like diaper cream, q-tips, lotion, etc. I have seen tons of cute ones. But all in the $30-50 range so I was hesitant to get anything until I found the perfect one. On a stroll though Target I found a small wooden one in their dollar section. It was even an aqua color. And at $2.50 it became that perfect tray. I found some cute scrapbook paper the other night I thought would lay in it perfectly. I didn't like the idea of paper laying in here. I imagined night time changes in the dark and spilling something on it. So I grabbed a laminating pouch and trimmed it to size. Voila...now I can wipe it clean when I make a mess. Isn't it cute!?

storing movies

Every day is the same. Ashton comes home and plays in the living room a little bit and by the end of his time there, I have at least one DVD case on the floor opened up. Not only was the ugly look of these movies in our tv stand annoying me, but so was the fact that he just could not stay away from them. So with some inspiration from my absolute favorite blog iheart organizing I found a cute and streamlined way to keep these eyesores out of sight.

I started out with The Container Store's 120 Disc Acrylic Storage Boxes. These are great because they come with the sleeves already and all of them are numbered. I have used a media key that I have filled in so we know where each movie is. Eventually I will add a separate box for video games and the kid's movies. 

I piled up the movies that were currently in our entertainment center. Divided them into categories (drama, action, kids, motorcycle, etc). I filled the sleeves and left room in between for growth. I added a chalkboard label and a piece of white card stock (until I find the perfect patterned one) to the front and TA-DA! Man o man, it definitely looks way better and Ashton hasn't touched it since.

chalk labels

The current craze is chalk. Labels, boards to hang in your home, you name it! I have no problem with this. It's a fabulous idea and super cute. Who better than Martha to run with it and create some great inexpensive items for all the chalkboard lovers. I took advantage of her new line at Staples and picked up some adorable labels to add to some current organizing projects. First stop was my pantry! I am drop dead in love with these. And it helps keep everything in its place. Jeff has even made sure to keep up with it. If you know my husband than you know that it HUGE!

spinach artichoke pasta

I have been extremely successful the last couple weeks with recipes I've found on Pinterest. This was one of my faves. When I picked it out, it reminded me of the spinach artichoke casserole I've been cooking for around 15 years. And that casserole has since become a must have at all holiday dinners. Hopefully my horrible iphone pic still makes this dish somewhat appetizing! Here is the super easy recipe:

Ingredients :

1 (13 oz) box shell pasta
1 tsp butter
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
1 8 oz package reduced fat (not fat free) cream cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1T lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 14 oz can artichoke hearts (packed in water), drained and chopped
10 oz chopped, frozen spinach, thawed, with as much excess water squeezed out as possible
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup chopped cooked chicken (optional)
Additional Parmesan for serving

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions

2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and add garlic (we added a little extra 'cause let's face it...who doesn't love more garlic!). Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted. Slowly stir in milk, then add sour cream, lemon juice, salt and red pepper flakes. Stir in artichoke hearts, spinach, Parmesan cheese and chicken (if using).

3. Drain pasta and add to artichoke mix. Toss and season to taste with salt and additional lemon juice as needed. Serve with additional shredded Parmesan.

And voila! Enjoy!!

Source:

Heat Oven to 350

pizza night!

We decided to make pizza and get some help from our little guy. This would be his first time helping in the kitchen. We started with our favorite toppings...pepperoni, olives, pineapple, and extra cheese. Yum! 

Of course Ashton couldn't help but get started eating the toppings. I'm guessing that was probably his favorite part. The kid just cannot resist cheese!

It turned out super delish and I seriously question why we get take-out pizza all the time.

tinted mason jars

On my search for a aqua vases I found some tutorials on Pinterest for tinting my own. I love the antique blue mason jars which unfortunately are not in production anymore. There's plenty of knock offs and people selling their old ones, but I was getting kind of annoyed at the prices. I had the jars so why couldn't I just make my own? All you need are a few simple supplies. 

~Glue. Elmer's works great. I just happened to have 

some Martha Stewart Glitter Glue on hand 

already. It's basically the same thing.

~Food coloring

~Water

~Sponge paint brush

~Bowl to mix "paint"

~Vase or jar

Mix the around a tablespoon of glue with a small amount of water. I think I could have made mine a little thicker but it worked out in the end. Add food coloring to get the color you want. The finish lightens as it dries so it took a few tries for me to get the right hue.

Paint the inside of your vase or jar in even brush strokes. The mixture will dry pretty even. I did a few coats since I was trying to get the right shade. And every 20 minutes or so I would use my foam brush to get the excess along the opening off. Dry them upside down so you don't have that excess puddle in the inside of the jar. It's much easier to even out that out along the rim.

And there you have it. I love the shade and can't wait to get some flowers in them! 

**Note: these are not meant for live flowers in water. The water will break down the coating. I plan to use some crepe paper flowers or silk flowers.