Craigslist

I have never officially logged onto Craigslist until just now. I have heard it is a great classified website for jobs, furniture, etc and wanted to find out what all the fuss is about. Right away I found this fantastic table and chair set for only $125 in Shaker Heights. I just sent a note to the seller to see if it is still available. The ad says it's "Espresso" but it looks cherry to me and it looks like it would fit perfectly into our kitchen. We currently are using Jeff's grandma's table and to Jeff's dismay, is just not my style. I think it looks ridiculous in our modern style kitchen. I understand Jeff is sentimental to it as he is our bedroom set (also his grandma's) but I should be able to decorate my own home, right? We can not afford a new kitchen table at the moment due the fact we need a lawn, a deck, window treatments, etc, but I think I can justify a $125 table set! I will keep my fingers crossed it is still available.

Think Spring!!!!

I am getting SO tired of my winter clothes. I swear I have been washing the same sweaters, picking up the same clothes from the dry cleaners, and picking out the same old tired work outfits. Since it was actually a sunny day here in Cleveland, I hit the mall today and was really inspired to shape up my wardrobe and get motivated for spring. Here are a few amazing pieces that I am eyeing from Banana Republic.

Chicken Pot Pie

One thing I realized about myself when I got married is that I love to cook!!!
This recipe is my absolute favorite meal to make for Jeff and I. My mom used to make this for us and it is as delicious as it looks. Another great thing about this recipe is that is enough to eat for two nights in a row.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingrediants:
3 Boneless chicken breasts
2 cans of Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
2 tablespoons of finely chopped onions
1 lb bag of frozen mixed veggies
1 Pillsbury pie crust (Red box)
1 tblspoon of butter
pinch of garlic powder
dash of salt



Preheat oven to 375*
-Cut uncooked chicken breasts into small, bite size pieces.
-On your stove top, brown chicken, onion, and butter. Use a small dash of garlic powder and salt to season the chicken. Cook chicken until no longer pink in the middle.
-While you are cooking the chicken, microwave the frozen veggies for 10-15 minutes, Microwave until no longer crunchy.
-Drain veggies if necessary.
-In a large bowl, combine veggies, chicken, and 2 cans of soup. Mix thouroughly.
-Place bottom pie crust in a glass pie plate.
-Scoop chicken and veggie mixture on top of the bottom pie crust. Smooth out the mixture so it is level and evenly distributed.
-Place second pie crust on top.
-Create 4 slits in top of pie crust.
-Place pie plate on a cookie sheet to avoid ingrediants from dripping into your oven.
-To avoid pie crust from turning too brown, I use a metal pie edger (can purchase from Bed Bath and Beyond) to place on top of pot pie. Strips of tin foil placed around the pie crust also works.

Enjoy!!!!

Viva Las Vegas!

After all the snow this week we decided we are in desperate need of a vacation. We are headed back to Vegas and I can not wait!!!! Between my in-laws condo in Myrtle Beach and Las Vegas there is just no other place we would rather be. We booked a three night stay at the Paris. The location is wonderful and the hotel is simply beautiful. We stayed at the Paris a few years ago and are very excited to go back. We are also planning on seeing Barry Manilow which should be a great time. I am looking so forward to this trip, it just can't seem to come soon enough!!!
My wonderful new friend Susie asked the other day about the bar stool situation so I apologize for leaving you all hanging!!!! The dilema is still ongoing and I do not feel we are any closer to making a decision. The iron stool from Target is still sitting at the kitchen island. We returned the dark brown wood stools for now and kept the iron stool since that seems to be the front runner for now. It's actually pretty comical, we are so afraid to touch it because that would mean we were using it, and the decision would then be final. So it is just sitting there collecting dust. We did end up purchasing two black iron bar stool from Bed Bath & Beyond this past weekend. Poor Jeff, he had one all put together and placed it next to the Target stool and you could just tell immediatly it wasn't going to work. It was just too small for the space. Jeff has officially sworm off putting together anymore stools and when I do end up making a decision, it better be a pre-assembled one!!! I plan on checking out actual furniture stores this weekend like Arhaus and Levin to see what kind of selection they carry. Hopefully the decision will be made after this weekend. If we are having this much trouble deciding on bar stools, god help us when we decorate the rest of the house!!!!
Please say a prayer for my mom, she is undergoing back surgery tomorrow and I am so worried about her. Hopefully she will recover quickly and will no longer have to endure the pain that she has been in.

Us in Vegas a few months before our wedding!

Bar Stools - Part II

OK, I am a bit obsessed by now with finding the perfect set of bar stools. I want ask you to vote again but if you could let me know which one you think looks better, please drop me a comment. Thank you!!!!!! We are keeping both of these and will decide on which one we prefer by this weekend.

My Master Bedroom Inspiration

I love everything about this master bedroom picture. I have been wanting to decorate our bedroom exactly like this ever since we started building our home. My awesome sister found the mirror for me at Target. For whatever reason, the westside Targets seemed to be the only Targets in Cleveland that carried the round mirror. I went to four different east side Targets with no luck!!!! So mirror down, everything else to go!!!

Thank you to all of those who voted for our bar stools!!! We actually went to Crate and Barrel today to check the black stool's out. We decided to pass on them for now. They only had one in stock and we didn't feel like ordering the set until we were 100% sure we wanted them. We did end up purchasing the set below from Target. The wood is actually darker than how it looks in the picture. The wood is a cappucino brown. I love the stool by itself, however, I am not decided if it looks good in our cherry kitchen. I am still on the fence about keeping them but I think they will do for now. I do love the dark wood and the microfiber cushion. We happen to come across these in another area of the store. They are a part of a table and chair set away from the rest of the barstools. I will have to take a picture with them in our kitchen.

We ended up taking back the second desk and just keeping the corner desk. Both desks in our office just looked way too cluttered and you know me, I hate clutter!!! Returning the desk to the store was actually quite interesting. We didn't want to bother Blair again for his truck so we put the top down on my convertible, put the boxes in my back seat, and then put the top up. It JUST fit.

We ended up meeting one of our new neighbors today who just bought a lot on our cul-de-sac. They were so nice and so friendly. It is so wonderful having actual neighbors who are normal and like to chat and get to know you. They seemed like a nice family so we are looking forward to getting to know them. They break ground in March and should be in around July.

Have a great weekend! Enjoy the Superbowl!!