Hello Monday

This weekend, I was able to find some fabric to make new throw pillow covers for the Summer futon cover. I've had a lot of difficulty over the past two years trying to find fabric that went with it, so I've often just left the normal winter black and grey covers on.

As luck would have it, this time I was able to find some perfect upholstery fabric, and at 40% off no less! I chose a detailed paisley floral pattern for the front cushions, which had all the robin's egg blues and turquoises in there, along with the browns and tans. It was like it was made for this couch. Even one of the ladies at the store commented on how perfect it is. The back cushions will have the light tan cover with a more subtle flower pattern.

I have the pieces all cut and now its just a matter of sewing them all together tonight. I'm using my Simple Cushion Cover tutorial for this one. I actually pulled it up on my phone when I was at the store to check the measurements. I knew this blog would come in handy one day!

I also found some great zippered pillow covers for the bedroom, with a fun geometric flower pattern as well. They were 50% off, so I scored them for $17.50 each. Not bad considering the fabric would have cost about that much. They match perfectly with my new beige and green pillow and some light blue sheets I just bought, but I'm worried that they white is too white. Maybe some tea staining is in their future. I've just never done it before, so I'm a little nervous.

Speaking of the bedroom, look what I found this morning when I hopped out of the shower. Whiskey had taken all the bedding and wound it up into a little nest. Good thing I'm putting the new sheets on tonight. I didn`t even make the bed in the end, because he looked so comfy and I`m switching it all later anyways.

Another pooch I got to spend some time with this weekend is my parents' doberman, Shadow. After all this time, her flipped up ear still cracks me up. I was trying to get a picture of her looking at me with her little "gator eyes" as we affectionately call them, but she wouldn't look straight at me.

Nope, she was determined to look anywhere, but at me. I just love how the sunset caught the shine of her hair. As crazy and out of control as she can be when she is spinning around you, she is one of the smoothest and shiniest dogs I know.

After what felt like a super quick weekend, I'm back at work and just publishing this on my lunch break.

I've kicked off the shoes and am rubbing my feet on these tennis balls trying to get some kinks out. I only wish I had something like this to get the kinks out of my back when I`m at work too!

Lunch today is leftover chili from the weekend, with a nice glass of water on the side. It was one of those dishes where I just threw all the veggies from the fridge into the pot. I love veggie-packed stews like this. And its a great way to get rid of everything and start fresh for the week.

I have to admit that I am itching to get home to sew up those pillow covers and see how they look. It will feel good to have one more thing off my Summer/Spring Checklist!

Gearing up for the Weekend

Today its the big monthly meeting at work, which means I've been go-go-go all this week prepping for it and it will be pretty much non-stop today too.

But once 5pm rolls around, I'll be checking out for the rest of the weekend.

Tonight is my pick at the movies and I'm torn between these two:

Do I go for the romantic drama or the romantic comedy? Any suggestions?

Garrett is just waiting for The Avengers to come out because he knows that there will be no twisting my arm for that one.

Dinner is going to be easy - either taco salads or stirfry. 

And both will have some of this awesome Jalapeno Yogurt Dip drizzled on top. It is seriously the bomb. We've been planning meals around how we can use it. Note - It's awesome as a dip for homemade sweet potato fries.

Saturday is going to be a mix of good and not so good - gym, fabric shopping, funeral :( , family dinner and a little dog sitting.

But all that activity means one thing - Sunday is off limits.

Short of someone stealing my sewing machine, nothing is coming between me and my pile of sewing projects. I've got a great line up of 80s movies (Sixteen Candles anyone?) and I intend to bunker down in the lovely light of our dining room and just work away.

I will only take breaks for - chocolate covered snacks, cuddles with the pooch and a walk outside with my man.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend...and that it includes chocolate (Can you tell I'm craving dark chocolate right now?).

Easy Creamy Chicken Curry

The first time I tried a version of this curry it was about 4 years ago and I had never tasted anything like it. It was creamy and savoury, with a little bit of heat and LOTS of flavour. Since then curry has been one of my absolute favourite dishes, but unfortunately it is hard to find it safe at restaurants (the whole nut allergy thing) and I don’t like making it at home because I find the smell sticks to everything.  Which is why I made it a couple of weeks ago, while we were house sitting for my parents, because they have a big exhaust fan and lots of windows to open.

What’s even better than curry for dinner? Curry leftovers the next night! The flavours the next day are incredible. If you think it’s good on day one just wait until you dip into it on day two. I have even been known to nip back into the pot for a midnight snack (and I’m not normally a late night snacker, so that tells you something!)

There are lots of great curry recipes out there and I urge you to try a variety of them, but for this one I wanted something that was easy enough to do on a weeknight but still had lots of flavour.

To make this a little bit healthier, I opted to make Cauliflower Rice instead of using traditional basmati rice.

What you'll need:

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 medium Onion, sliced

1 Green or Yellow Pepper, sliced

2 tsp Curry Powder

2 pounds of boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts, trimmed and cut into 1” cubes

1 cup Sour Cream (or Greek Yogurt)

1/4 cup of fresh Cilantro, minced

Salt and Pepper

Basmati Rice or Cauliflower Rice, prepared

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Add onions and peppers and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Reduce heat to medium and add in half of the curry powder and continue to cook for 2 minutes. This will help release the flavours.

Remove the onions and peppers from the skillet and set aside.

Add the chicken into the skillet, sprinkle with remaining curry powder and cook for about 2 minutes per side until fully cooked.

Add the onions and peppers back into the skillet and reduce heat to low. Stir in the sour cream or Greek yogurt and cook until the mixture thickens. Mix half of the cilantro into the curry.

Here I had a pan of curry cooking while I made the Cauliflower Rice.

Garnish with the remaining cilantro (which I forgot to do in this photo) and serve with Cauliflower Rice or Basmati rice.

Makes 6 servings.

This is the first time I made it for Garrett and he was raving about it - especially the cilantro added on top.

Printable Version

Checking Things off the "I Should Do That" List

This past Sunday I had the house to myself while Garrett was at work. As tempted as I was to just crash on the couch and catch up on some TV shows, I knew I'd be kicking myself come Monday morning when I didn't have anything done.

I dug out my beloved power drill and started chipping away at the "I should do that" list. You know, that list of things that you think of doing every time you walk by, but never have the time. Well now I had the time and I was going to do it!


1. Install a Kitchen Towel Rack

Ever since we moved in, we've been hanging our towels over the cupboard door below the sink. As handy as this was, it was also a bit of an eye sore. And if someone was washing dishes you kept having to ask them to step back every time you needed to use the towel.

We picked up this BYGEL Towel Rack from IKEA for $3. I put it on the wall with the spice racks, by the fridge, which is just behind you when you're washing dishes. Now I just have to turn around to grab it.

It works well with the fixtures in the room and it was wide enough to hold two towels - one for hands, one for drying dishes, which I prefer.

2. Spruce up the Kitchen Decor

Above the sink, I freshened things up too. My Andy Warhol "John Wayne" print finally found a home in the kitchen, tucked in beside my little red Le Creuset tea pot. My stack of current favourite cookbooks (Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond, My Father's Daughter by and How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson), sit under a vintage-style milk jar full of flowers. Another faux plant, along with my white birdie salt and pepper shakers take up the right side.

3. Fix the Garbage Bag Holder

We installed this under-sink garbage bag holder right when we moved in last October, but sometime around Christmas it fell off the door (too short of screws). Since then we've just hung a bag on the cupboard door knob (classy, I know) and then just hid it under the sink if company stopped by,

To fix it, I drilled new holes, filled in the old ones and then screwed the unit back on...with longer screws this time. We've also made a deal not too let it ever get heavy enough that it would pull out again.

4. Hang more Artwork in the Living Room

Another picture that found a new home is my New York building frame I picked up from IKEA years ago. It used to sit above the bookcase in my old apartment and its been hanging above my dresser in the bedroom for the past few months, but it never felt right there.

I brought it into the living room to test it out and immediately thought it should go here, above the TV. A quick install of a hanging hook and it was up. Its hard to see in this photo, but the proportions work really well on this side of the room. Do you recognize our TV stand? Its the bench from the landing at the old apartment. I love finding a new use for a piece you love.


5. Hang Pictures in the Front Hall

The last little fix up was a total fluke. I came across this picture while I was going through some frames for our upcoming gallery wall. It's a picture I took during a trip to Greece in 2009 with two of my former roommates, as they skipped down that pathway of a garden in Athens. I always smile when I see it.

I used to hang in my old apartment bedroom, along with my Necklace Hooks.

I hung it up here in the front hall and then felt like something was missing - my bird hook! I'd been looking for a home for it since we moved in and now I had one. Its perfect for hanging Whiskey's leash and collar. Now we don't have to open the closet door (which sticks right now) when we want to take him out for a walk.

I know it looks a little weird, but we don't keep Whiskey's collar on when he is in the apartment. Why?

Well, we're trying to grow back his neck hair.

June 2009

When I first got him he had a ton of neck hair with little tuffs of white fur under his chin, but over the past few years it all wore off from his collar rubbing on his neck.

August 2010

See? He's like a bald little baby under that collar.

After a few months of doing this, its starting to come back in nicely. Maybe not as lush as before, but a bit better, and the skin doesn't look as red under there anymore either.

Now if only I could get his nails cut down shorter, but it is such a production every time we do it that I avoid it when possible and let him live with big talons half the time. Maybe I'll put that on the next "I should do that" list.

Tonight, Whiskey and I are headed to my parents' house to grill up some burgers with my Dad and help him paint their basement. It'll be nice to help him get something checked off his own "I should do that" list. Without my mom around to veto a movie choice, we may even watch a horror film afterwards.

Cauliflower Rice

Lately I've been trying to eat less carbs and focus more on fruits, vegetables and protein. That means that one of my favourite carbs, rice, is sort of out of the questions right now. A great solution is to make Cauliflower Rice.

It's an easy dish to make that has all the texture of rice, but is much healthier for you. I love to serve it up with stirfrys, curry, Homemade Burrito Bowls or as a simple side dish.

I’ve got a great Easy Creamy Chicken Curry recipe coming up later this week that is perfect for this!

What you'll need (for 4-6 servings)

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 medium Onion, finely diced

1 large head Cauliflower, chopped and then grated in food processor

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large frying pan, heat olive oil on medium. Add onions and cook until translucent.

While the onions are cooking, cut the cauliflower in half. Remove the leaves and the core and then slice the remaining part into 1/2 inch thick chunks. I grated it using the grating option on the food processor, but you can grate it by hand as well. You want it to be the texture of rice, so don’t make it too fine. If you prefer softer "rice", steam the florets in a pot with a steamer for a few minutes before grating.

Once the onions are nicely browned, add in the cauliflower and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook the cauliflower, stirring often, until lightly browned and with a little bite left., about 5 minutes. You can do more if you like a softer texture.

I loved it served up with lots of Easy Creamy Chicken Curry on top!

You can also use Cauliflower Rice to make delicious Cauliflower Pizza. I used our leftovers to make a big batch of these for lunches this week and they turned out great. A nice alternative to traditional pizza dough.

Printable Version

Bathroom Hooks - And Reveal!

I'm so excited to finally be able to show you the finished bathroom! We didn't do anything major, but using $20 (and some elbow grease) we were able to transform our little apartment bathroom from a white unpractical hole in the wall, into a cute, cozy and functional space in our home.

And here are the before and afters!

(Please note that I'm having some difficulties with the new photo editing software I'm using, so the colour and contrast is all off in these photos. Hopefully I can fix it soon!)

Our bathroom may look small, but we can easily move around in there (and even both brush our teeth at the same time), which suits us. I was able to make the hooks and shelving on the walls for under $20 using materials I found at hardware stores, dollar stores and my dad's scrap wood pile. By adding these little things (and organizing the existing storage) our bathroom is much more functional

To make the bathroom hooks, I first found some silver metal hooks at the dollar store for $1.25 a piece. Sold. They matched the other hardware in the bathroom, which was perfect and saved us from having to find more expensive ones at the hardware store.

For the base, I found a piece of wood trim my dad had lying around in his garage. It was about 20 inches wide which was perfect for screwing into the studs in our bathroom wall, to ensure that it would be safe and sturdy for heavy wet towels.

I took the piece of trim and marked when I needed holes to screw into the studs/wall and where I wanted the hooks to go. I drilled some holes to make it easier to install when it was ready and to prevent the wood from splitting.

After the holes were drilled, I gave it a light sanding and set to work spray painting several thin coats, making sure to get the sides as well.

The install was super easy. I drilled holes in the stud/wall for my anchors, as well as a little bit for the hook screws. Then I screwed right through the board into the anchors with my longer screws. For the hooks, I screwed right through the board and into the wall slightly to give a strong hold. The stud screws were slightly visible above the hooks, so I used a little white paint to hide them.

After letting everything set for awhile, it was time to test out the hooks. They worked great! Everything is safely secured to the wall and now I don't have to come home to towels fallen on the floor.

The only thing we have to keep in mind is that the baseboard heater is below, but we make a point of not turning it on unless we're just warming up our towels while we're in the shower. This actually turned out to be a nice inexpensive towel warmer too!

Bathroom Towel Hook Breakdown:
Hooks (3 x $1.25)            $3.75
Wood Baseboard              Free! (From my Dad's scrap wood pile)
Spray Paint                       Already had
Screws & Anchors           Already had
                    Total Cost = $3.75

The bathroom shelves we made are still looking great. I still can't believe that I made all three of them for $12, when just one was about $15 anywhere we looked.

The new addition is this cute white wire basket from the dollar store, which is perfect for storing extra toilet paper. The little mason jars to the right are my aunt's yummy homemade scrubs. I want to find some more cute jars for bathroom products to go up there.

The last thing I wanted to fix was this awkward wooden knob on the door, where we used to hang up our towels.

The honey colour didn't match anything else in the apartment, so I knew it had to be changed.

A little bit of spray paint and it looked brand new! I was able to unscrew it and take it outside to do this, which saved me from having any drippy spray paint.

Once it was painted, it looked much better.

Now our bathroom feels much more cozy and functional. The towels don't come out much more than the door frame, so you hardly notice it when you walk in. Much nicer than having them always hanging on the door for the world to see. You'll also notice I added a toilet paper holder on the left ($10 from IKEA) because the old one was in under the sink, making it next to impossible to reach.

The last little project we're thinking of doing is a small distressed sign above the bathroom hooks to hide that rusty old cover near the ceiling. I figure this is a good summer project we can tackle one evening.

Linking Up To:
- - - 
Tips & Tutes @ Home Stories A to Z
Cowgirl Up @ Crafty Texas Girls
Show and Share @ Southern Lovely 
What I Whipped Up Wednesday @ Sugar and Dots