Filling the Nook but Not the Cranny

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Get it?  Nooks and crannies?  Yeah, I know, I am horrible at blog titles!  After finally getting around to purchasing and hanging the sunset canvas wrap it was time to finish up the nook in our dining/living room area.  When the 10% coupon from Crate & Barrel arrived in the mail I could barely wait for the husband to get home from work and to give sign off on purchasing the sideboard.  The sideboard (aka a china cabinet or buffet) completes our dining set, which previously included a dining room table (with leaf, which come in handy!) as well as a wine rack.  The sideboard not only completes our set, but also gives us extra storage for all our serving platters/bowls/dishes/etc.

BEFORE:

Doesn’t the nook look sad with just that little end table?

AFTER:

Now the space looks appropriately filled.

And a vertical shot of the space ….

This sideboard totally makes our condo look like real adults live here.  AND we had the perfect number of picture frames to place on the sideboard so no additional purchases were necessary.

Happy Decorating!!

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{Photo Friday} Horse – Black & White

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My sister-in-law was giving Dallas, the horse, a little love when I snapped this photo last weekend.  As I was editing photos I quickly shared the black and white version with the in-laws.  I was so pleased with their reaction it seemed like the perfect photo to share as I get back on track with blogging!  Sometimes taking the color out of a photo makes the moment captured that much more beautiful.

Dallas_horse_KC

Happy Friday and have a fabulous weekend!!

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{Recipe} Super Cheesy Homemade Mac & Cheese

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Last week I was totally craving homemade mac & cheese.  I am not really sure what triggered the need for this dish given I haven’t had it in ages.  In any event mac & cheese was going to happen in my belly!  This super cheese homemade mac & cheese is a serious comfort food dish.  According to the husband and a friend who joined us for dinner they said this mac & cheese recipe is a winner!  Just looking at the picture makes me want to eat some.  YUMMY!!

Recipe inspired from A Cup of Jo and The Pioneer Woman.

Ingredients:

1 box pasta
2 cups milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground/dry mustard
12 oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated parmesan
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350*

Cook pasta until al dente and drain.  Remember to salt the water before adding the pasta!

In a sauce pan, melt butter and add in the flour. Whisk together over medium-low heat. Cook mixture for five minutes, whisking constantly.

Slowly add the milk and continuing whisking.   Add mustard and reduce the heat to low.  Add in cheddar cheese a handful at a time and only add more once the cheese is completely melted.  Add the grated parmesan last.   Pour cheese/milk mixture over the pasta and stir to combine.  Pour pasta into a baking pan.

In a separate bowl combine the bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons of parmesan and then  pour over the pasta as evenly as possible.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and the top is golden.

Serve and most important enjoy!  This dish is a great main meal, side dish and makes wonderful lunches.

Happy Cooking!

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Laundry Closet Upgrade

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It was just a few short weeks after moving into our new condo that I fell in love with efla storage.  If you remember we expanded the pantry by installing some baskets on the back of the door.  We had been toying with the idea of doing something similar on the back of the laundry closet door, but just haven’t gotten around to it.  The dryer sheets, Shout and detergent just sit on the floor in front of the washer/dryer units or the AC unit, which share a closet.  I’m in no way saying bending over to pick up the items needed is beyond my physical capability, but honestly it’s just annoying to have them down there.

On Sunday we made a trip to the Container Store and LUCKY for us there is a sale on elfa products going on!  It was all the justification we needed to purchase storage for the laundry closet.  One of the sales reps was kind enough to walk around with us and make a number of suggestions.  Unfortunately many of the products just wouldn’t work for us … our laundry area isn’t big enough.  We are fortunate to live in the city and have a w/d in the unit!

In the end we ended up with the same product as we had purchased for our pantry.  The one exception being the sale rep suggested we get a media rack to hold our detergent.  This was an excellent call!  The media rack is just wide enough to actually fit the Costco size detergent I always insist on purchasing. =)

What we purchased:

First we held the mounting bar up and marked where the holes were.  Then we double checked it was level.

Next the husband drilled starter holes for the top and bottom of the bar, attached the screws and then ensured it was level again.  Then we made “starter” holes for the rest of the screws.

With the bar installed all we had to do was slip on the baskets and the project was complete!

Now we have a one-stop-shop for all thing laundry related.  There is even a bit of space on the bottom two racks for storing additional things.  I’m sure it won’t take me long to find something to put there LOL.  Maybe the cleaning supplies we use the most … actually that would probably be perfect.

I’m loving the change and decided to do a load of laundry just to take advantage of the new storage — yes I know I am a dork.

Happy Home Improvements!!

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