Domestic Bliss

This is a long post, so grab a spot of tea or just some chocolate and relax! Let me toot my own horn for a bit. Yesterday I achieved what I like to call Domestic Bliss. I accomplished everything I set out to do around the house and then some. I did the little chores you don't do that often, but make all the difference. I organized the hall closet, laundered quilts, vintage linens,and clothes, {excercised}, cleaned out the fridge,and tried a new impressive recipe! (The pic above is the latest bounty from the garden).

I decided it was time to roast a chicken. I read a couple recipes and made up my own! So here it is.

I used what I had in the fridge. All the recipes called for yellow onion, but unfortunately mine was rotten. I also added fresh rosemary from the garden.


After I washed the chicken and took out the neck and giblets (ewww) I let it drain and come to room temp along with the butter. I sliced the potatoes, onion, and one lemon. I used a corn holder to prick the whole lemon so the juice would be sure to flavor the chicken.


I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper inside and out. There's garlic in there too. I stuffed the cavity with some onion and the whole lemon. Meanwhile I sprayed the baking dish with Pam and layered the potatoes,then a layer of onions. I placed the bird on top, squeezed the lemon, rubbed the skin with butter and roasted it at 425 degrees for almost 2 hours.


DELISH



The potatoes were to die for because they were flavored by the drippings from the chicken. yummMMmm. The Hubby couldn't stop telling me how awesome it was. It made me feel so good!

After dinner I noticed that I needed to clean the microwave. I read recently that a good natural/green way was to put a lemon in water and warm for a couple of minutes. I used the lemon that was in the chicken cavity.

It worked beautifully!

Are you still with me?

While the chicken was cooking and there was a break in the rain I ran across the street into one of the fields and picked some "weeds".

I used part of my milk glass collection (that will soon be for sale in my etsy shop, don't worry, I'll invite you to the grand opening) to display the flowers. The orange weeds match my color scheme in my bedroom! Fun pop of color.

In the guest room. Sorry some of the pics are blurry, my camera is not cooperating. You get the jist.

In the guest bath.

In the kitchen.

In the living room. I just added some queen anne's lace to the undead part of an arrangement the Hubby gave me two weeks ago.

There you have it! Domestic Bliss!

Virtual Shopping

wire baskets




compotes




ruffle plate





Zinc place cards


All vintage except for the placecards. I want to gift the compotes to my mom so badly! Virtual shopping will just have to do! Have a great day!

A Day in the Life

of Lola Piper Hammond. Love her.

Kitchens

I was going through my inspiration file and these are the kitchens that I have saved. I think I have a clear idea of what I would like!

Love the zigzag tile.

What's not to love here. Love the double islands and the different counter finishes. Love the ceiling, the ladder?! Come on! Love the lighting and the bar stools. Love the marble. Seriously top fav.


Again, the white cabinets, the island in a different finish, the marble.


Same color scheme. Same lighting. Love the floors. I am into the winged-backed chairs at the dining table. Just noticed the ceiling again.

I need a sliding barn door! How unique is that? There are a few antique doors at this store in downtown jc.

I like the simplicity of this kitchen. Notice the celing again. I had no idea I liked it so much. I like the use of linen and the different finish on the island.

This kitchen is a little different. I tagged it as modern country. I like the feel. The lighting. It reminds me more of my current kitchen. A little cozier.


So from this little experiment, I know that I want white cabinets and marble counters. I need that fabulous ceiling I was saving each time without knowing it. I want a farmhouse sink and a few unique elements like the sliding door and the cool floors. I want beautiful lighting and a clean feel. Some current modern elements and some old-fashioned elements to balance. Okay, ready to build my dreamhouse now. Someday we will build a house on our own little farm (or not so little). We will have creeks and ponds for wading, fishing, and canoeing. and woods for exploring, building forts and hiking. and fields for running for our family to enjoy!

Yard Work and Such

We've been doing a lot of work outside lately. I was minding my own business watching lifetime movies and the next thing I knew I was armed with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Oh friends, how I love this little sponge. Just when you thought that your counter was clean, run the eraser over it - magic! Even better! Once I get one in my hand I just can't stop. It is the absolute best product to clean soap scum. I have always used the most abrasive solvent I could find. I ALWAYS finished with a headache and an asthma attack, no joke. Just don't go crazy like I did and use it on your walls that are painted with a flat finish. So back to outside. Jeff bought me a Cracker Barrel rocking chair about a year ago. It lives on our front porch, covered. Folks, it was disgusting. Evidence.

Just look, with a gentle swipe of the magic eraser.

Sparkling!


My husband works for the Dharma Initiative.


Don't all your husbands wear a zippered jumpsuit, a bandanna, and dress shoes to work outside? Jeff does, naturally. Never a dull moment, friends. I love him.

Yummy!

Don't you want to run to your kitchen and create this? I want a bite immediately! But it just so happens that I started weight watchers today... I will be living on 19 point a day! Little intimidated. Have a great day! As soon as I can get my camera and internet working at the same time I will have some fun pics for you!

789

Today is a cool day. At 12:34:56pm it will be 123456789! Right?!

I thought I would share a couple dinners that I've thrown together recently. Last night we had "grilled" chicken. I say that in quotations because we are without a grill at the moment. Funny story; Hubby was being an awesome boss as always and decided to have a cookout last Thursday before the holiday weekend. I was already in bed the night before, he was so proud of himself - he said, "Did you hear that racket outside?" I was like, "Yeah, what in the world were you doing this time?" He told me about the cookout, and while I had reservations about him taking our grill - I would have gone about it in a completely different way - it was already in the truck so I just told him to have it back home for dinner that night. Fast forward to that afternoon. I call and he says, "Babe, um, I have bad news." When he says that its serious. Like the last time he said that, he told me my favorite restaurant of all time(and the site of our first date) El Chico was closed. I took a deep breath. He told me that he was driving along minding his own business when the grill literally flew out of the truck! He said its worthless now, completely broken. At least no one was behind him, it could've been dangerous. I can just imagine him in his 3 piece suit picking it up on the highway. Glad I wasn't there! I am sad because, (A) its summer and that means grilling (B) grilling means healthy and (C) we bought that grill the week after we got married with a bonus check he got. We thought we were so married. Oh well. If you have a grill you would like to gift us, please let me know.

Back to the good stuff. Last night I wanted to try butternut squash.

Yummmmmm. I cut it in half, scooped the seeds out and baked in face-down in some water in a dish for about an hour. I took it out, drained out the water and put some butter and brown sugar on them-then placed it back in the oven on warm until the rest of the dinner was done. I had chicken that I cooked on a grill pan (there's my secret) with fresh herbs from the garden and some spices. I served it with a spring salad with blueberries,different nuts and raisins, feta, and balsamic dressing. We finished up with the MIL's homemade bread! So good! Jeff was not so keen on the squash which I expected, but I thought it was really good! Tyler said it best when he said if a squash and a sweet potato made a baby, it would be butternut squash.

The next dinner was an open the refrigerator with a hope and a prayer dish. I used these ingredients.

I spruced up the sauce with the brown sugar (guess I'm into it these days)garlic powder, and fresh green onions. Threw in some tomatoes and green peppers with some chicken - used the lovely grill pan. And...




Voila!

I just so happened to have made green tea (in my new vintage strawberry pitcher)earlier in the day. It rounded out the theme of the meal!

We finished up with fresh cherries for dessert! Yummy.


By the way, if you haven't tried that rice, go immediately to the store! Its such a time saver and its super yummy. The hubby and I regulate on Uncle Ben's Ready Rice on the daily. Really. So tell me, do you have any fun meals that you have just thrown together that you loved? Any time-saving yummy hidden gems that I should know about? Leave a comment and let me know!