A photo says it all...

My sweet dog Isabella says it all in this photo: I'm tired and need a break. Well, that would be me - she is probably just tired of waiting on me to take her outside.

Life stuff is a bit complicated at the moment, so I am taking a bit of a break from the blog world to focus on my health, work, and family. Sometimes we need to listen to our bodies and acknowledge that it is okay to take a bow. I will be back - maybe in a few weeks or after the holidays.

I promise...

Revamp - It {2}

Revamp-It #2: Upcycle Old Door

I am back with a new addition to 'Revamp - It'! This week I made a great headboard from a gorgeous antique door found on the curb (love free!) Seriously, this door is in mint condition - the original door hardware still had oil in it - works like a charm. I knew I had to make something out of this piece and so I chose a headboard for our bedroom. The total cost = $3.00.

Before

After

 

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What you will need:

- Any old door
- Two 'L' braces with screws
- One wall anchor
- Hand-held circular saw (makes it go a lot faster)
- Straight edge
- Clamps
- Sandpaper
- Measuring Tape
- Pencil


How to get started:

1. Place old door on work table. If it needs to be cut down mark your cutting line(s).
2. Once the line has been established, place a straight edge along it and clamp it to the door. (Depending on what type of saw you use, you may need to make changes to your measurements in order to allow room for the saw's edge.)

3. Carefully cut along straight edge all the way through door.

4. If needed, lightly sand the cut edge.
5. At this point, you may want to stain or paint the part you just cut. I didn't :)
6. Clean off the door with damp cloth and take inside to where you will be installing the headboard.

Installation:

1. Measure where you want to hang the door on your wall (take into consideration the height of your bed and if you are utilizing wall studs)
2. Take metal 'L' braces and place them so they are under the door (the door will be resting on them) They should be spaced about 1.5 feet in each direction from the center line of the door for best stability.
3. Screw the 'L' braces into the wall. Drill screws into the underside of the door. (see photo below)

4. You may be able to drill a screw with a wall anchor through the keyhole of the door into the wall behind. If not, no worries. Just adds extra stability.

5. Once the bed is pushed back into place, you are finished! You should now have a beautiful, one-of-a-kind headboard!

 

I added some sconce lighting to the headboard (still trying to find the right shades) and it works so well for reading at night. Try adding some to yours - get creative!

An Interview...

My first 'real' interview in the blog world! Head over to the lovely Forrestina Vintage to read about me and my work :) Thanks again, Tina!

Muffin Luvin'

If you're like me, you have a basket half-filled with hand-picked apples sitting in your house getting softer by the day. We love our apples so much that we usually pick too many for the two of us, thinking next year we will be disciplined and only pick a half bushel. ha.

Now I've been on the hunt for recipes to use up these apples and I must say - I've found a winner. Whole-Wheat Apple Muffins.  They are the most delicious muffin I've had in a long time. (plus, they're healthier than most muffin recipes out there.) I thought today would be a good day to share this recipe with you since this would make any family happy to wake up to on a Saturday morning :)  I wish I could call it my own, but I must give props to this lovely cooking blog I've been following. Enjoy...

Whole-Wheat Apple Muffins

2 cups (8 ounces) whole-wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup organic cane sugar, divided
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk or yogurt (I prefer the yogurt)
2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

1) Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease and flour or line with paper muffin cups 14 muffin cups and set aside.

2) Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add 3/4 cup of the sweetener of choice. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix in the buttermilk gently. (Hand mix with wooden spoon or else it will cause the mixture to curdle.) Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks. (The batter will get very thick, almost like a dough. This is right!)

3) Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar on top. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Serve warm with butter.

Yield: 12-14 muffins

What would Marie think??

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween weekend! It was a tad bit chilly here in Chicago, so many of the cute kiddies who came to our door were sporting coats and winter hats. I always HATED that as a kid!! You look forward to wearing your costume and to then be covered by winter gear just doesn't seem fair. Oh the trials of childhood.

This year we went to a halloween party in the city - unlike previous years where we watched a movie. I went as the head of Marie Antoinette - I'm sure she is rolling in her grave - but, I thought it turned out pretty classy, so I don't feel too bad. My husband went as 'Mr. Balloon Hands' - you'd only get this if you've seen this YouTube video. (The language is less than stellar, so keep the kids out of the room). But, I highly recommend it for its comedic value. We had a great time socializing with various creatures, pirates, Marilyn Monroe, and Julia Child. At first I felt super self-conscious walking down the streets of Chicago with my costume, but once I saw the Mad Hatter walk by, it was all good ;)

A house reveal...

I've been promising you some 'before' and 'after' photos of our house. At last, they are here! Our old hardwood floors had taken a harsh beating as we've been renovating the first floor over the past 1.5 years. With that said, it was a dream come true to finally get them professionally refinished (I've been dreaming about this for way way way too long). As much as I love having dusty, dirty socks it will be so nice to walk barefoot again :) So, I've put together a bit of a collage to show you just how much progress has been made! Click on the photos to enlarge. Enjoy...

The Front Room

 

The Study

The Dining Room/Hall

Bedrooms

There you have it!

Obviously, there are many more pictures, but it would take me an eternity to sort through them. Hopefully this gives you a better idea of what we've accomplished! We hope to move back into the house this weekend and finish up some trim work, painting and touch-ups. Then, it's my favorite part - decorating!!! I will share those photos with you later in the season...

Oh, the season of change....

 {photo: my parent's gorgeous oak grove}

Did I mention I LOVE autumn?? I know many of us enjoy it for obvious reasons - the changing leaves, the crunch as you walk through them, that crisp earthy smell in the air, and getting cozy inside your cocoon-like homes :)

 {photo: my parent's gorgeous oak grove}

And, with this glorious change has come an even bigger change in our home! Those that know me or who have followed my blog know that we've been renovating our 1922 bungalow for a year-and-a-half now. It has been a painful, exciting process, but we are finally seeing the fruits of our labor. As of midnight we officially moved out our belongings on our first floor. You might be saying 'what?!' 'why??' Well, we've finally gotten to the point where our old wood floors can be sanded and refinished!! All the walls have been moved, patched, painted and the lovely crown molding is up. I should also give props to my man for doing an awesome job with electrical :) While we didn't exactly finish all the painting and casework (this will be finished post floors) we reached a place where we were finally able to move forward with this last piece of the puzzle. Once this is complete, we can 'officially' move into our house! I am sooooo ready to make it our home :)

I am currently working on photos and will be posting them shortly. Stay tuned....