Bye Bye Brick

When everyone enters our home the first thing they say is, "Wow! I love the exposed brick in your kitchen". This too was my initial reaction when we first toured through our condo. Before I could even say the words the Realtor told us to go ahead a look at the brick up close.

We did.

"Touch it." We did.

Our "brick" was actually textured, foam like WALLPAPER! The nail in the coffin was when the cats began clawing at it as if it were a scratching post. Foamy wallpaper shreds everywhere.. oh hell no!! It absolutely had to go.

Fast forward 6 months. We are finally beginning to slowly rip off the super adhered sticky wallpaper mess. I honestly don't know how people can take down wallpaper from an entire house.. what a process!!

I feel like it was just yesterday we were wallpapering every room in our house and now we wouldn't give wallpaper a second thought. It's all about the paint yo! As a little kid, I remember picking out my rainbow patterned wallpaper for my bedroom... soaking the paper in the bathtub... carrying the sloppy mess down the hallway with my mom... rushing to put it up before it dries...rolling out the bubbles... I digress.

Our family is helping us paint our home this weekend so a small section of the wallpaper is coming down. The rest will come down this summer when we tackle the next big project and tile our kitchen. As for now, here's our beautiful wall!!

Will we miss the "brick"? Probably not. But I certainly will miss everyone's reaction to it when they walk in the door!

Project One

As previously mentioned, I have been dying to get some projects underway using my new sewing machine. Unfortunately, I could barely unwrap the thing before feeling totally overwhelmed and confused. Enter my SIL Sarah who graciously and patiently sat with me and showed me the ins and outs and ups and downs of my new little friend.

I thought I would share with you project numero uno.

My love for blog stalking those much more creative than I led me to this little baby..

What the heck is that you ask? Why it's an adorable, frilly, over-the-top camera strap cover. I semi followed the directions from this creative blog. Granted, it will be months (maybe years) before I photograph any up close and personal shots of my wonky stitching and sewing efforts but I must say that I am super happy with my first project!

Giving her a little test run. She passed.

Don't we look so happy together?!

Pad See Ew

My new found love for Thai food began with Pad See Ew.

To be totally honest, I haven't ventured far in my Thai food journey. I have found a dish that I absolutely love and have trouble ordering anything else.

Everyone should (attempt to) learn to make their favorite takeout food. Our attempts at this in the past have been well... less than successful. Homemade pizza is just not as good as Papa John's and homemade sesame chicken just doesn't have that special touch (special touch = deep fryer). I assumed that homemade Thai food would not be up to par with the real deal.. I was wrong! Our homemade Pad See Ew turned out absolutely delicious!

After searching through several different recipes I was able to mix and match and come up with a simple, yet perfect recipe!

The Ingredients-

1 lb rice noodles (my store didn't have wide rice noodles so I used thin ones)

3 cups chopped collard greens

2 Tbs vegetable oil

3 cloves chopped garlic

1 cup thinly diced chicken

2 tsp sugar

1 Tbs light soy sauce

3 Tbs dark soy sauce/thick soy sauce (stir fry sauce)

1/2 tsp pepper

2 eggs

*this will make 4 LARGE servings or 6 smaller ones, you can easily half the recipe to make a smaller batch.. but seriously, you will want the leftovers!!

Directions-

After removing the stalks, roughly chop the collard greens. Place greens into boiling water for 5 mins just to take the bitter edge off. Drain and set aside.

Place uncooked rice noodles into hot water to soften for 20-30 mins. We cheated and sped this process up by bringing the water to a boil and boiling the noodles for 5 mins. Set aside.

In a large wok, brown garlic in vegetable oil.

Add chicken to garlic and cook until no longer pink.

Stir in collard greens.

Toss in rice noodles.

Add in sugar, soy sauce, thick soy sauce and pepper.

Move noodles to one side of the wok. Add eggs and scramble.

Enjoy!

Congrats! You can now make your very own takeout!!

Innovative

The Problem-

Sweet Sawyer has nowhere to eat his lunch

The Architects-

Kirsten and Jessica

The Supplies-

1 Bumbo chair

1 cutting board

1 canister of formula

1 fan deck of paint colors

The Solution-

Mission accomplished!

We Did the Math

Yahtzee Baby!

Along with puzzles, Christmas break brought another old gem to the forefront of our lives again.. Yahtzee! A game I had not played for years and Jakob had not played EVER, we have now become semi-obsessed. I think when you play a dice game in bed that it qualifies as semi-obsessed.. don't ya think?! Yahtzee, in my book, is the polite version of poker. You still get to holler out phrases like "full house baby" and "take that straight" without emptying out your wallet, it's perfect. (Wow!.. my version of poker sounds pretty lame!)

Go dust off your Yahtzee game and give it a whirl.. or better yet cheat and print off the score cards online and dig out a few dice. Before you know it, you too will be sneaking in one last game before you go to bed!

Who knew 5 little dice could be so much fun?

Purple for Black

I have lived in the land of purple and gold. I have worn the Vikings horns and waved the purple pom poms. Over the years, I have proudly worn my Vikings jersey for all of Chicago to see. Like any proud Minnesotan I came into this football season with cocky pride and a big mouth.

I cheered from the couch during game 1.. game 2.. game 3... and then quickly hid my Favre jersey in the back of the closet only to be taken out as a Halloween costume. A costume worn by Jakob accessorized with a cell phone and scruffy beard. Call me a fair weather fan, I think I deserve the title this year. Like a poor sport, I cave under the negativity surrounding the team and dirty glares from Bears fans.. and let's not forget the.. ahem... LOSING.

Next season will bring a fresh start and I will once again shake my purple pom poms with pride and anticipation for what could be. As for this year, I am trading my purple and gold for black and gold. My die hard Pittsburgh fan of a husband makes it look so fun! Seriously, how could winning not be fun?

LET

THE

EXCITEMENT

BEGIN!

GO STEELERS!!

French Onion Soup

On New Year's Eve Jakob and I were both a little under the weather. However, we made the best of it and celebrated in the best way we know how- with our best friends! We ordered pizza, met Amy's sweet new puppy Marv, and counted down to 2011 with a very fragile looking Dick Clark. It was the perfect night for two sickies, complete with cold meds and cream puffs!

New Year's Day was spent relaxing and cracking open a fresh puzzle- I told you the obsession was taking hold of us! We took a puzzle break to whip up a batch of delicious french onion soup. This soup is perfect for chilly night at home. Go ahead and give it a try.. you will be so impressed with yourself!

The Ingredients

(4 servings)

4 Tbs butter

1 tsp salt

2 large red onions

2 sweet yellow onions

24 oz beef broth

24 oz chicken broth

1/2 cup red wine

1 Tbs worcestershire sauce

1 Tbs red wine vinegar

2 bay leaves

3 sprigs of fresh thyme

salt and pepper to taste

4 slices of french bread (lightly toasted)

4 slices of provolone cheese (or any favorite)

1 cup of shredded asiago, parmesan or mozzarella cheese

1. Grab a tissue. Thinly slice onions. Wipe away tears.
2. Saute onions in butter and salt for 30 minutes stirring frequently until caramelized and oh so deliciously tender.
3. Add to the onions the broth, wine, worcestershire sauce, and vinegar. Stir in bay leaves and whole sprigs of thyme. Simmer for 30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaves.

4. Ladle into 4 soup crocks and cover with french bread.

5. Top with sliced cheese, followed by shredded cheese.
6. Broil for 5 minutes until bubbly. Serve with a nice full glass of wine!

Happy New Year!!

The countdown is over.

Another great year is now history. A graduation, a new home, a new school, a new nephew, several weddings, the list goes on...

A fresh new year full of possibilities.

Resolutions will come later.

Right now I can't find a reason to get out of my pajamas!

Gotta LOVE a lazy weekend!! 2011 is shaping up to be a great one.. I can just feel it!