Halloween treats.......

My husband took my kids to the dentist after school,(I know....the dentist on Halloween?!! Better the night of, then the night after!), so I have a few free moments to share some Halloween pictures. All of which I found while going through my facebook. Enjoy, and have a safe and Happy Halloween!

~~~HaPpY HaLlOwEeN!!!~~~

Have a Vunderful Day!! Moo Ha Ha Ha!!

pretty blogs

I'm so excited to get back here later today. Through a friend's blog, I found a great site that will allow me to create a much more visually appealing blog, that really fits my style. I have no time now, as I need to pick my kiddos up from my parents. My mom and dad were awesome, and took my kids for the night, so we could throw an adult Halloween bash. Sometimes mommy's and daddy's need a fun party night too! It was a great night, with great costumes, and the huge bummer of it all, is I only remembered to take one picture! :( And you should have seen them! We've got some very creative friends. :) Until later................

Well........I'm back. I worked for quite awhile, trying to make my blog look prettier, and this is as far as I got. There were several things I tried to apply, but for some reason I couldn't figure it out. I'm blaming it on the fact that I didn't go to bed until 1:00 A.M., and my brain doesn't seem to be functioning at normal speed. I'm telling you, it was a fun party, but my bedtime is 9:00, and those late night hours don't agree with me!

It's actually my wedding anniversary today, and I had planned to post some pics from our wedding, but I don't have the energy to do that either. Time to pick the house up a bit, then I think to bed early with a good book sounds great.

Happy Halloween Eve!

Jersey Shore Beach House, courtesy Houzz.com

I have no business being on here this morning. My kids have to be on the bus in 15 min.! I just happened to be checking emails quick, and really liked this Jersey Shore Beach house. I'll never have a 5,000 sq. ft. home, but it's fun to peak inside one!
Click on it to check it out. And, Have a great Wednesday!

Houzz Tour: Spacious Cottage on the Jersey Shore

Houzz- Kitchen Remodel, Bathroom Remodel and More»

Browse Kitchen Products on Houzz- For Example:

Food Containers And Storage · Kitchen Faucets · Kitchen Trash Cans · Cooktops · Gas Ranges And Electric Ranges · Pantry · Coffee Makers And Tea Kettles · Toasters ·

kind of random today.......

Getting ready for a gorgeous day of football and tailgating. Was taking a moment to have my coffee and read up on some favorite blogs, and wanted to save some photos for future decorating ideas.

I seem to be drawn to reds lately. Maybe it's because it's starting to be chilly outside on a regular basis, and I'm craving some warm colors. I've been seriously debating on changing my living room colors to reds, oranges, yellows, and greens for the winter months. Hmmmmmm.........we'll have to see!

Off now to fix up my tailgaiting goodies. On our menu to share,(as we pretty much do potluck style with our great friends), are nachos, spicy pretzels, caramel fudge brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and apples with caramel dip. Nothing healthy for my crew today! I lost two pounds this week, which I worked very hard for, so my goal today is to not indulge too much.

Have a great Saturday!

(P.S. I promise to go back and give credit, where credit is due, to the photos I've shared! I got a little ahead of myself, and forgot to do that, but need to get busy! :))

wall art

I really have no time to write, but wanted to feature a few pics from houzz.com. Love the baskets, and am on the hunt for my own.

eclectic bedroom design by atlanta interior designer Liz Williams Interiors

eclectic bedroom design by los angeles interior designer Katerina Tana Design

bedroom design by los angeles interior designer Katerina Tana Design

eclectic family room design by chicago kitchen and bath Rebekah Zaveloff

I also wanted to share this whisk broom idea from the Polished Pebble. I think this would look cute in my laundry room!

Alrighty.......That's all I've got tonight!

Pumpkin cookie verdict........and my messy home.

First of all, this is all that's left of the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies I made last night........

They were different, but good. Not quite like a cookie though. They kind of had a cakey consistency. My son Brooks said they tasted like pumpkin bread.

I ended up using this recipe from allrecipes.com

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES III
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used canola oil)
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour (I used about 2 1/4 cups whole wheat)
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. milk
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used Hershey's dark chocolate chips)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) (I didn't have the walnuts, but I'm sure they would have been yummy!)

DIRECTIONS
1.Combine pumpkin, sugar, oil, & egg. Stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, & salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk, and stir in. Add flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture & mix well.
2.Add vanilla, chocolate chips, & nuts.
3.Drop by spoonful on cookie sheet and bake 350 degrees F, for approximately 10 minutes, or until lightly brown & firm.

Since I still had half a can of pumpkin left over, and not very many cookies left, I decided to make another batch tonight. Only this time I used chopped pecans instead of chocolate chips. As much as I love dark chocolate, I actually like the pumpkin pecan cookies better. My kids are snapping them up as quickly as I can pull them out of the oven! I'll definitely keep this recipe around for a fun Fall treat!

After I took the photo of the cookies, I decided to take some pics of my kitchen, dining, and living room. I did not take the time to stage it and make it look pretty. I decided to instead show what it looks like on a normal basis, after school. I almost always have everything picked up and in it's proper place before bed, as I can't stand to wake up to clutter and mess, but for some reason right after school, until around 8:00 at night, it's a complete disaster. School papers, book bags, shoes, socks, BILLS :p, snacks,.....you name it. It's everywhere. I often wonder what the homes I drool over in my favorite blogs look like when they're not dressed up for a picture!

This is where I spend quite of bit of time. More than I really should. It's handy having it right in the kitchen, since most of the recipes I find are a result of Google. But it's not exactly pretty. Have I mentioned I HATE clutter! This area really does drive me nuts!

The view when you walk in my front door.

This is the reason I want a mudroom. I'm not a fan of walking in the house, and having to look at all the shoes, coats, hats, backpacks, sports equipment, ummm....leaves all over the floor......
Notice my dog peaking in the window at me. It's cold......He wants in. When he walks away, his nose print will be left on the window.

Where we eat, and talk about our day.

My itty bitty living room. I'm having a baby shower here for my neighbor next month. Not sure where I'm going to put everyone!

That's it! I'm wasting time, and even though my kids have just pile driven cookies, they're hungry for something a little more substantial. Off to figure out what that will be!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

You can always tell the nights that my husband Brian is gone, because I tend to get on here to blog more often! My boys start wrestling practice this week, and will be gone Tuesday and Thursdays. I may actually become more than a weekend blogger!

My daughter Abry is outside playing with our neighbor girl, Kate. I had mentioned that I was going to make chocolate chip cookies for my boys to have for a snack after practice tonight. She said her mom made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I've never even heard of that combo together, but I just happen to have a can of pumpkin in the cupboard, so we're going to try it out! I found a recipe on Food Network. Will have to post again later to let you know the verdict.

The Lettered Cottage

(From The Lettered Cottage)

I just got done reading the latest post from the Lettered Cottage. It was so amazing, that I would love to re-post it here. Obviously I won't, as those are her special thoughts. So I highly recommend reading it for yourself. Click on their site on my blog list.
Happy Tuesday Night!

Nantucket

On Sundays, one of the things I like to do is look at the real estate listings. I'm finding the more I look at homes for sale in my area, the more I'm happy right where I'm at. Today, after finding nothing impressive, I decided to look up Nantucket homes. I really want to visit Maine someday in the near future. I've never been, but from pictures I've seen, and articles I've read, it looks beautiful. And it seems like it fits my style to a "t". My brother-in-law's family lives in Maine part of the year, and Florida the other. He and my sister-in-law were married there, and I was supposed to be in the wedding, but shortly after they announced their engagement, I found I was pregnant with my daughter, and due the week before they were to be married. Of course she was worth missing the trip, but I was still sad that I didn't get to go. My husband and oldest son went, and loved it. Part of the attraction for me, are the homes. When I think of Maine, Nantucket pops to mind. Love the weathered shingled siding, and the classic historic look of the homes. My google search pulled up these great photos.............

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm................ Someday I will see them!

Kitchens

I love to cook and bake. And, I love to study kitchens. My own is pretty small, but it's still nice,and serves it's purpose. I tried to find a good picture to share, but don't seem to have any, and it's too dark to take any tonight. I'll have to do that another time. Anyway, whenever I see a kitchen I love, I try to save it. In the event that we do ever decide to build again, I NEED to have some great ideas to refer too. Tonight I'm sharing the the ones I've saved recently. Of course, what better to start with than my own parents' kitchen! They had theirs redone last summer, and it's SO pretty now. I wish I had a before picture. It's hard to believe it's the same house I grew up in!

They did an AWESOME job picking out cabinets, stain colors, hardware, lighting, tile, and flooring. They live on the lake, and we love spending our summers there. We're pretty darn lucky!

This is the view when you come in from their garage. My mom makes the most of all that counter space when we have family get togethers there. Lots of great treats!

I want a new kitchen island someday exactly like hers! So much storage, but also great places to display vintage kitchen collections!

Prerequisite here was, 5 bar stools for their 5 grandchildren. My three, and my twin nephews!

Love it all. And you should see the views from the dining area on the other side of the long bar. Total lake view. It's the best.

Here are some other kitchens that fascinate me.........

This one was featured in the movie "Something's Gotta Give". I've never seen the movie, but I've seen it showcased on other blogs. I love white kitchens with dark counter tops. And, I love the transition to the family room.

I really like the grain bin island in this photo. I think this was from Country Sampler.

Another wonderful white kitchen. I forgot where I pulled this one.

This kitchen has a lot going on, but it's very interesting.

This one makes me want to stop in for a nice cup of coffee, and some pumpkin spiced coffee cake. :) In other words, it's very cozy looking.

The sink got me here. I wanted a farmhouse sink in my current kitchen, and my husband tried to tell me that our contractor said it couldn't be done. I think he just didn't want to pay for it!

Pretty dining room.

And I would love a mudroom like this off the kitchen. Oh how I wish I had a mudroom!

I would really like to search for more kitchens tonight, but I have a 6 year old daughter waiting for me to finish one of her "Junie B. Jones" books so she can go to sleep. Guess I'm going to call it good for tonight. Hope yours is good too!