Dresser Redo

Hubby and I decided we needed a new dresser. Of course we also didn't want to shell out a couple of hundred dollars for one either so we began to scour online classifieds and the thrift store. I wanted to spend about $20 dollars, but we ended up falling in love with this quality dresser for $35. It is sturdy, solid and needed a little TLC. The wood veneer was chipped on all of the sides and most of the metal handles were falling apart. I wish I had taken a "before" picture, but forgot.

After peeling away the old veneer and a lot of sanding, we added a little wood putty to cover up some blemishes and some tinted primer which you can see on the drawers above. On top of that we added a beautiful dark blue paint and then a couple of layers of wood lacquer to give it a nice clean finish. The finishing touch were these sleek little knobs and handles we found at Home Depot.

It was a lot of work and took a lot of time and I love the result. The hardest part was finding the perfect place for our new dresser to rest. Finally, we filled the bottom of our open closet with it which suites us perfectly for now, but most likely isn't permanent.

Brimmed Cap

I love this little hat. My daughter looks so grown up which reflects how I feel these days. Didn't we just come home from the hospital? I can't believe she is walking and growing teeth and communicating already! Anyway I love this hat. I crocheted it using this free pattern on Ravelry (you'll need to sign up for a free membership in order to view it). I used an off-white wool yarn and embellished with a clip-on hair pin which can be easily exchanged whenever I feel the urge. Oh and the pattern was easy. So don't feel intimidated! 

What I'm Reading

Hubby and I have gotten into reading novels out loud to each other and we recently raced through the entire Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. It was so good. The books follow the life of a teenage girl in an post-apocalyptic society who is thrown into the role as the rebel symbol against the oppressive ruling class. Parts will make you cry and parts will make you laugh. And then there are the parts that spurred long conversations about "could this really happen?"

I would recommend this book to everyone I know. Personally I even think it is appropriate for the younger crowd. Say ten year olds? But of course each parent should decide for themselves what is appropriate. I don't remember any crude language or obscene depictions although there are quite a few "heavy" parts where people get killed.

Really, the writing is beautiful and the world is intriguing and I would love to read these again.

Sweet and Spicy Noodles

These noodles are so good and easy to put together. I changed up the original recipe just a little to fit my pantry.

1 lb noodles, fully cooked and drained (any kind you prefer)

In a small sauce pan brown 4 tsp minced garlic in some olive oil then add:

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1/3 c. white vinegar

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. sesame seeds

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. red pepper flakes

1 lb. fully cooked frozen shrimp
12 oz. frozen broccoli

Toss the shrimp, broccoli, and sauce together in a large fry pan or wok on medium heat. Let it all simmer together until the broccoli and shrimp warm up. Toss in the noodles and heat for a few additional minutes. Serve hot.

Yields 4 servings

Yogurt Covered Strawberries

I found this "recipe" the other day and immediately tried it out. I can't really call it a recipe because all you do is dip strawberries in yogurt and freeze them. I just wish I knew how they made theirs look so perfect. My daughter loved them and I will definitely be making them again especially because she is teething right now and these seem to help quite a bit.

 First clean your strawberries and cut the tops off.

Next dip them in yogurt (I used plain, full-fat) and place on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper. Freeze for a couple of hours and then you can transfer them to another container to keep frozen.

Enjoy :)

Homemade Gnocchi

I made my own gnocchi the other day... it was SO GOOD. Also, it was easy. I made marinara sauce the day before in my slow cooker. The recipe made enough for supper plus two more portions which I froze in ziploc bags. Like I said, the gnocchi was super easy. Stir the ingredients together, roll out the dough, cut off each piece, boil for a couple of minutes. While the pasta boiled I cut a loaf of french bread in half, added some slices of butter, garlic powder, and cheese, surrounded the bread in aluminum foil, and baked in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes until the butter melted. When the pasta was cooked and drained I added the marinara sauce plus a little fresh Parmesan. Yum. If you like gnocchi, you have got to try this yourself.

Banana Muffins

I found this great banana muffin recipe on Cooking On Clover Lane. I like to make these to keep on hand for snacks to give my daughter and they are great for road trips. She loves them and I feel good giving them to her because there is very little sugar in them compared to other recipes.

3 ripe bananas (the more ripe the better)
a little less than 1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream (I usually replace this with full fat plain yogurt... works great)
1 TBS baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix together banana, sugar, egg, and vanilla
Stir in sour cream (or yogurt)
Add dry ingredients

Scoop into muffin cups (makes 12. They will rise a lot)
Bake for 15 minutes

around the internet this week

I give you another weeks worth of surfing the web...

This has always been my mantra.

LOVE this mason jar chandelier.

How cute is this extra little detail.

Tent city. This could be so much fun.

For some reason this bib made me laugh so hard. I'll have to make one of these some day.

And finally, I love how simple and pretty these are. A must in my future home.
Have a wonderful weekend!