busy hands...

Earlier this week I finally hit capacity on my Iphone’s storage limit; so I set out on the adventure of going through 3 years worth of app downloads, pictures, videos, text messages, and music to try to sort out what should stay and what should go. And as I scrolled through an incredibly insane amount of pointless apps (almost 75 apps! What? Why?), I started to ask myself whether or not I needed each app. I mean, seriously, why do I have an app that lets me play skeeball  on my phone? I don’t even love skeeball in real life…so what purpose is it serving on my phone? The truth is that I don't need the ability to play skeeball at any given moment, but rather I need the ability to distract myself at any given moment.

I started analyzing the way I use my phone, my kindle, my computer, etc. And what I realized was I probably spend about 25% of my time on any of these devices doing something useful and productive (i.e. actually having a conversation with someone, reading, looking up information, getting directions…). The rest of the time I am using these devices as a distraction. My hands are always busy. I am always scrolling through pictures, liking statuses, pinning craft projects that I will never actually do because I can’t seem to put my phone down for more than 20 seconds at a time! My hands are always busy, but they are hardly ever doing anything.

This revelation caused me to ask myself two important questions:

1.       What am I trying to distract myself from?

The answer to this question could be different on a daily basis. Maybe it’s the stressful day I had at work, or the disagreement I had with my husband. Maybe I am trying to ignore a conviction that God has placed on my heart, or maybe I am just bored at a red light. Regardless of the reason, it is clear that playing skeeball on my phone will do nothing for me or anyone around me.

And that brought me to my second question:

2.       What should I be doing with my hands?

        “Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord! Let us lift up our hearts 

         and hands to God in heaven.” – Lamentations 3:40-41

The bottom line is playing skeeball is easier than following Jesus… Test and examine my ways? That sounds hard. It sounds like I might actually have to face all the stuff I’ve been trying to distract myself from. Putting down my phone at a red light means I might have to make eye contact with the homeless man on the sidewalk. Using my hands to glorify God is going to require a lot more from me than my Iphone ever would. But I am reminded of 2 Corinthians 9:6 “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” What do I want to reap from this life? If the answer is a highscore in skeeball then I am on the right track! If not, then maybe it’s time to put down my phone and lift my hands to God.

inspired design...alice in wonderland

I am just a kid in a grown up's body. That is why I love the premise of this inspired design. It takes an old childhood favorite and gives it a classy, grown up spin. It's the best of both worlds! I always loved the whimsical story of Alice in Wonderland, and since I believe that everyone's bedroom should be a magical wonderland (though hopefully less creepy than Alice's wonderland), I decided to make the classic fairy tale the inspiration for this month's inspired design!

The color palette for this design is inspired by the queen of hearts and uses mainly gold, black and red. 

Alice in Wonderland Silhouette Art Set... $80.00

Red velvet curtains... $39.99

Black Paris side table... $280.00

Black and white striped comforter set...$79.00

Red heart pillow... DIY tutorial!

Gold dot pillow...$70.00

Red high back chair...$571.99

Gold tufted headboard... price not shown

Black and gold lamp...  currently sold out (bummer! hope they bring it back!)

For this design I chose classic pieces, like the black side table and the tufted head board, and paired them with bold, funky pieces, like the red high back chair, and the black and gold striped lamp. I am in love with the Alice in Wonderland silhouette set; it is a great way to add fun and charm to the room with out overplaying the theme. And if you are feeling adventurous try doing it yourself! Google images to trace onto black paper. Cut out the silhouette and paste them onto white paper and frame! Easy as that!

I hope you have enjoyed this inspired design and it helps you create your own wonderland!

- holly

2014 Calendar Printables!!!

It's 2014!!! I cannot believe how quickly 2013 flew by! It was a big year for me, but I can't wait to see what this new year holds. One of my resolutions this year is to finally get organized. (Confession: that is one of my resolutions every year and I usually give up about a month in  - oops. But not this year!) To help get organized I made these funky calendars where I can map out my month. They were just too fun not to share! Click the link at the bottom of this post to download the free printables so you can start planning an exciting 2014.

~All printables and artwork are copyright. Artwork in the downloadable PDF is free strictly for personal use, not for commercial use. Sharing this post on Pinterest is welcome as long as you link back to dream-design-dine.blogspot.com. If you'd like to blog about this post, feel free as long as you credit and link back to this post. As a courtesy, please do not distribute my downloadable PDF from your site nor link directly to the PDF on my site. Instead, please link back to this page. Thanks for your cooperation and I hope everyone has a happy and blessed 2014!~

2014 CALENDARS - FREE DOWNLOAD!

-holly

exciting news!...

I am so excited to announce that my wedding was chosen to be featured on fab you bliss! I am so honored that Stephanie thought my wedding was worth sharing. I hope that it can help inspire other soon to be brides! Go check out the article here. And thank you to my fabulous wedding photographer, Marcie Meredith Photography who took the time to submit her pictures! 

I had so much fun planning my wedding! I loved being able to match it to my personality! Pinterest  was such a helpful tool. I was able to look at all kinds of weddings and color palettes and it helped me figure out exactly what I liked and how I wanted my wedding to be. You can view my wedding pin board here to see what all inspired me! I love the idea that other girls might be able to use my wedding to help plan theirs now!

Photos by Jordan Washer Photography and Marcie Meredith Photography

because everyone is talking about marriage...

The last couple of weeks I have seen several different articles on the topic of marriage circulating the internet. They were sweet and idealistic views on how marriage should look. And though I am sure these articles were well intended, there was something that didn't sit right with me. I've been trying to hold my tongue (a trait that has never been one of my strong suits). I really didn't want to sit down and write a post about marriage. After all, having only been married for four months I don’t really have the credentials to tell others what marriage should look like. But after seeing these articles over and over I finally decided to say something. I want you to know that I write this with caution, knowing full well that I am no expert on marriage. My husband and I are exploring new territory every day. There is so much we don’t know; so much to figure out. And at the end of our lifetime I am sure we will have not perfected it. However, if we are wanting to know what marriage should look like, shouldn't we be turning to the one who created it for the answers? God has given us so much imagery on what it looks like to be good husbands and wives. He has already told us what marriage should look like, so why are we still searching? Why are we looking for a new formula to produce a happy and fulfilled marriage? I think the problem stems from the fact that we are asking too much from our spouses and ourselves, and too little from God.

ASKING TOO MUCH

The article that I have seen floating around the most is titled: “Marriage isn’t for You”. It is a super sweet post. And in a perfect world we would all love perfectly. Unfortunately this is not a perfect world. If it is MY job to make my husband happy, to make him feel fully loved and cared for, then Jon has a long road of disappointment ahead of him. I am a broken person who loves brokenly. I was not designed to play those roles in Jon’s life. We need to stop asking husbands and wives to be god to their spouses. I was not made to be Jon’s joy; I cannot satisfy his need for love; I do not have the authority to give Jon his identity or self worth. And to ask all of this out of marriage is setting it up for failure. I cannot meet all of my husband’s needs, but I can point him to the one who can.

I want to love my husband well. I want to make him laugh and calm his nerves. I want to be selfless; I want to be patient; I want to be compassionate and gracious. But I do not want to be Jon’s ultimate source for any of these things, because I will undoubtedly fail. And I cannot expect Jon to be all of these things to me. God is the only one who can love us fully, who can give us unending joy and peace. By asking someone else to do this we are assuring ourselves hurt and disappointment.

ASKING TOO LITTLE

Instead of turning to each other to meet these needs I want me and Jon to continually point each other to God. If we are going to God together with our needs then we will be free to turn around and pour out the blessings we have received from Him on each other. When I am being filled with God’s love then I will have love to give. When I receive God’s joy I will have joy to share. But to think that I have any of this to give on my own, apart from God, is false. I have to go to the ultimate source to fill me so that I have something to pour out. If we are finding our fulfillment, our identity, our worth, in Christ then we will not be left disappointed. It is important to understand that our role in this life is to glorify God. Period. Our role is not to make our spouse happy. If we are truly seeking to glorify God then we will love better. We will be more compassionate. We will bring joy to others. We will be gracious. We will put others before ourselves. But we must remember that none of these alone are our ultimate goal or purpose, it is simply what happens when we love and glorify God. When we understand our role versus God’s role then we will be able to look at our marriages with the correct perspective. I am not the source I am the tool.

While Jon and I were engaged we went through a book of questions you should ask before getting married. One of the questions that was asked was, “how can I know that you will make me happy for the rest of my life?” Jon and I talked about how conditional happiness is, and how there will undoubtedly be seasons of unhappiness in our lives. We talked about how we couldn't expect each other to be the source of our joy. I told Jon that I love him, and because of that I deeply desire to make him happy, and hopefully most of the time I will. However, I will never be the source of his joy, his joy comes completely from God. I am just a tool that God chooses to use to help provide that for Jon. I hope to never miss an opportunity to be a tool that God uses to bless my husband. I hope I am keenly aware of the areas in which I can serve and care for Jon. But Jon has to know that I am not the source. I have to know that God does not need me to be able to meet my husband’s needs, but he does allow me to be used by Him.

 When we are asking great things of God we do not have to ask our spouse to fill roles they cannot, and yet we will be able to love, give, and serve at a much greater capacity than we could have expected from ourselves. If you want to know what marriage should look like, look to the cross.

-holly

Photos courtesy of Marcie Meredith Photography and Jordan Washer Photography

inspired design - garden of eden...

I love bathroom designs that help you escape. One that allows you to step out of reality for a while, where once you step into a steamy shower all of your worries melt away. As a girl, when I need to relax I like to pamper myself; a nice hot bath, a face mask, and some nail polish can usually brighten my spirits. This is why I love the idea of bathroom designs that take you into a new world. And that is how I came up with this week's inspired design. A bathroom inspired by the garden of eden...

The color scheme uses a variety of green hues paired with natural beige, brown, and gold tones. These colors give the room a lush, natural, "garden" feel. Then I added red accents which is inspired by the forbidden fruit.

bathroom vanity from TradewindsImports.com...$1709.00
wood framed mirror...$899.00
gold mosaic vanity light fixture...$250.00
red sink...$135.00
soap dispenser...$12.99
ecru towel set...$39.99
red hand towel...$27.68
green subway tiles...price will vary depending on area tiled and size of the tile.

I loved this application of the green tile. The mix of green colors adds depth and is perfect for a bathroom that is inspired by nature.  I would suggest using something like this in moderation, for example only tiling the shower in this, or only one small wall. Too much of this would over power a small room. pairing this green with a light ecru or beige wall color will allow the tile to be a dramatic and exciting feature, with out being too wild or overpowering. When adding in red accents moderation is key. You want one key piece to be a focal point in the room. Too much red and green and your bathroom may end up looking more like Santa's workshop than the Garden of Eden. 

-holly

pasta with pistachio cream sauce...

I LOVE pistachios. they are so delicious and addicting. If you set a bowl of pistachios in front of me I will eat them all in one setting. So, when I came across a recipe for pasta with a pistachio pesto sauce I knew that I had to try it! You can find the recipe I worked off of at the Pinch My Salt blog. 

ingredients...

8 oz. of pasta - I used whole grain penne pasta because it was what I had in my pantry at the time...

1/4 cup of ground pistachios 

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

directions...

put approximately 1/2 cup of shelled, unsalted pistachios in a food processor and grind

in the mean time, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the pasta, boil until soft.

while pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a small saucepan. 

add the pistachios and stir until coated

add the heavy cream and stir until pistachios are evenly incorporated

add the parmesan cheese and stir until melted.

drain pasta and put back into pot, stir in pistachio sauce, and serve!

This pasta was very tasty, and so unique! It was unlike any other pasta I've made. If you like pistachios you will like this recipe!

suggested pairings: steamed broccoli and garlic bread

-holly  

vodka limeade...

This is the perfect summer cocktail. I know that technically summer is coming to an end, but here in west Texas the hot summer weather usually sticks around through October and hot days call for crisp refreshing drinks. I concocted this recipe all on my own, though I am sure there are several similar recipes out there. In fact I based mine off of a drink I had at the country club where my parents are members. There they call it the Archie Special, named for the popular longtime bar tender at the club. Anyways…I fell in love with this cocktail but wasn't sure exactly all that was in it. I knew that it had vodka and tonic water, and a fresh citrus-y taste, so I started there and kept it simple.

Ingredients…

2 parts vodka

1 parts lime juice

1 part sweet and sour mix

Tonic water.

ice

Directions…

1. Put ice, vodka, lime juice, and sweet and sour mix in a shaker, and shake a few times.
2. Pour mixture over ice in glass until glass is about ½ full, top off with tonic water.

` 

     -holly

apricot whiskey glazed ribs...

Its football season!! This means its tailgating time! There is not much better than football, friends, and barbeques. It’s a wonderful time. This week Tech’s game was not a home game so me and Jon watched the game at home on our couch. That day he asked me what I was planning on making for dinner, and if we had any “football watching food.” Luckily for him I had a rack of ribs sitting in the fridge. I would have loved to season these up and have Jon throw them on the grill, but because we are currently in an apartment we do not have a grill. So I had to settle on cooking these in the oven, but they still turned out tender and tasty!

 Ingredients…
1 rack of spare pork ribs
3 tbsp apricot jelly
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp tomato paste
5 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp sherry
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp whiskey

 Directions…

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees 
2. Combine jelly, water, tomato paste, ketchup, sherry, sugar, and whiskey in small sauce pan. Bring to boil and stir until well combined. 
3. Brush the glaze onto both sides of your rack of ribs, place ribs in a large baking dish, and place in the oven. 
4. Bake for 2-3 hours or until meat is cooked through, basting the ribs with the apricot whiskey sauce every 30 minutes. 
5. When fully cooked, cut the ribs, brush on the remaining sauce, and serve.

Suggested pairings: your favorite “football fixins!” Throw the food pyramid out the window for one night and forget about a balanced meal. Pair this with you favorite chips and dip, or sweet potato fries. Whatever you think when you think football. Then, fill up your plate, get yourself a drink, and enjoy the game!!

 -holly

inspired design...oh, the places you'll go!...

Last week Jon and I welcomed a new little nephew into the world! He is so cute and perfect and we fell in love instantly! In honor of little Owen, this week's inspired design is a boy's nursery. The selections are inspired by a book by my favorite author, Dr. Seuss. Just like the book "Oh, the Places You'll Go" this design is all about adventure and far away places.

The color palette uses neutrals and baby blue to give the room an overall calm and relaxing feel. Then pops of red and brighter blues are used to add interest. Studies show that babies prefer bright primary colors, and red and blue in particular. The design was centered around this hot air balloon  mobile. It is so fun and whimsical and worked perfect with the theme. I found the mobile from the mmm mobile etsy shop.

hot air balloon mobile...$49.00
cloud wall decals...$60.00
grey and white crib bedding...$169.00
red gumball lamp...$89.00
sofa...$1499.00
red and white striped rug...$275.00
world map wall art...$175.00
blue glider chair and ottoman...$999.00
baby changing table...$599.00
map of DC pillow...$20.00
red and white striped pillow...$20.00

If you like this inspired design, then you will LOVE these DIY tutorials I found!...

I found this adorable tutorial and pattern so you can make your own hot air balloon mobile! You can find this and other great DIY ideas over on the Craftiness is Not Optional blog.... Hopefully you are as obsessed with this hot air balloon stuff as I am, because the second craft project I want to share with y'all is this  hot air balloon baby blanket!

You can find the full tutorial for this quilt on the Moda Bake Shop blog. I hope you enjoyed this inspired design and remember... "You're off to great places, today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way!"

-holly

standing in the gap...

This past week God has been gracefully convicting me concerning my prayer life. Recently my prayers have been shallow, selfish, and seldom. I know the importance of prayer, and I have seen the power of it in my own life. But sometimes when life is going good, and I have no urgent crisis that needs taken care of, my prayer life can start to dwindle. But what God has been opening my eyes to is the fact that there is plenty of crisis and devastation around me that still needs prayer. My lack of prayer for others says a lot about my heart condition, and what its saying isn't good. What its saying is that I’m not loving others the way that I should. I’m not caring for others the way that I should. God started to point this all out to me last week as I started to hear about the devastation happening in Egypt. – I am going to be honest and let you know that I understand very little about the circumstances surrounding the recent violence, and nothing about this post is meant to take a political stance, but what I do know is that every time  I turned on the news, or clicked on MSN I saw a new death toll. And each time that number grew, God began to chisel away at my heart, until eventually it was broken for the people of Egypt. Hundreds dead. Hundreds who had wives, husbands, children. Hundreds who probably did not know Christ. And I, foolishly, in my own comfort thought that I had nothing to pray for.

My mom was the one that first introduced me to the term “standing in the gap”. Three and a half years ago my brother was diagnosed as bipolar. And in the height of his sickness Tyler’s faith had faded some. His life had been turned upside down and he was confused and angry. During this time, my mom came to me with this verse from Ezekiel. And she told me that if Tyler can’t build up a wall for himself right now then we are going to do it for him.  That is probably the strongest my prayer life has ever been, and the closest I ever felt to Christ. During that time I was almost constantly in prayer, standing in the gap for my brother, and desperately pleading for God’s help, His healing, His rescue.  And God responded, every single time. God constantly showed us his power, love, and mercy. It was a difficult time for our family, but God received so much glory through it all.

I am very thankful for the blessings God has given me and my family. I am so thankful to be in a time of peace and comfort. But I must not be blind to everyone around me who is in a time of hardship and trial. God longs to give us our hearts desires, what if our hearts desire was for others? If I believe that God is faithful to answer our prayers, then why am I not praying for things that are important? Why am I not passionately pleading for those who are hurting?

Today my prayer is that my heart be softened, that my love for others abounds, and that my eyes are opened to the needs around me. I want to go to God with big requests, expecting big results. I want God to use me for his glory. I want spend my time building up a wall and standing in the gap for people who desperately need someone to fight for them.

Here are some other verses on prayer that God has been using to convict me, and make my heart more like his:

James 4:2-3 “You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

James 5:13 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

Isaiah 30:18 “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you, therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of Justice. Blessed are all who wait on him.”

2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

-holly

inspired design...back to school hipster...

For this week's inspired design I decided to do a dorm edition for all of you college students, like my husband, gearing up for a new semester. I am calling this design "the back to school hipster". The color palette is made up of soft pinks, blue, mint, yellow, and beige. The soft pastel tones of this palette help bring an instant cozy feel to the room and will brighten up even the drabbest of dorms.

The design is a mixture of vintage cool, and modern hipster. The result is a fun, and comfy room that will be the envy of every other girl on your hall.

patchwork quilt...$169.00
bicycle wall art...$135.00
mustache push pins...$3.30 (for pkg of 8)
we are young pillow...$20.00
yellow triangle pillow...$20.00
hipster glasses pillow set...$28.00
mint, over the door, vanity station...$89.00
mint, vintage style microwave...$749.00

The pink vintage mini fridge is an actual vintage piece, and therefore extremely difficult to find, but if you like this, I found another mini fridge that has a similar vintage feel. you can find it here in multiple colors, including light pink!

Also, the pink display/storage cubes shown on this design board are hard to find in America. I found these on Ebay. They are coming out of the UK, but can probably be shipped here for a little extra money. Or you could buy this set at target and paint them pink yourself!

Dorms are not always the easiest room to decorate. You have to be careful about what you hang and how you hang it, you can't paint, and you have to work with the furniture you are given. Here are some addition tips on how to make your dorm feel like home...

img. from: http://www.juxtapost.com

I love the idea of draping some fabric over your bed. Fabric is always an easy way to add softness to a room and help it feel more cozy. And this is a great idea because it can help provide a little more privacy if you are sharing your dorm with a roommate.

Another way to soften the room while adding a little bit of whimsy and fun is by hanging paper lanterns from the ceiling. These are light and easy to hang withr out causing any damage. Not to mention they are super cheap! you can often find these for $1 each! Hang several together in a cluster at varying heights to create a strong visual effect.

img. from: www.inarkansas.com

Wanting to add some more color to your space? read this article with 28 decorating tips to brighten up your rented home. It has several great ideas for adding color in a temporary way.

Have fun decorating your dorms, and I hope everyone has a great semester!

Is your dorm room creative and inspirational? Share it with me, and if I like it I just might feature it on my blog!

inspired design - Duck Dynasty...

This week's design inspiration comes from one of my favorite quirky TV shows, Duck Dynasty!! Season 4 of Duck Dynasty kicked off last night and it got me thinking. For those of y'all that don't watch Duck Dynasty, you need to start, its hilarious. But let me fill you in...the show is about a big redneck family that became multimillionaires from their duck call making business. The guys in this family have big scruffy beards and are crazy hillbillies that spend all their free time hunting. Somehow they all managed to snag BEAUTIFUL, classy wives. 

photo from www.realitytea.com

I started thinking.. (Even though I am sure this is not the case) what if they had a similar issue as me, where their husbands wanted to have an input in the home decor? What would that house look like? How could you possibly mix the tastes of cute, preppy stylish women with dirty, bearded, redneck men? Here is the solution I came up with...I'm calling this style the sophisticated hillbilly!

deer head...$335.00

coral chair...$349.00

drift wood lamp...$503.80

sheep skin rug...$197.99

stag print pillow...$20.00

coral damask pillow...$20.00

wood coffee table...$1,495.00

black tuffed sofa...$4,867.00

The entire design was centered around the black and white print paper deer head. Its a bold piece that immediately sets the tone for the whole room, and it is the perfect mixture of classy and country. I started off by keeping with the black and white color scheme. Black and white is classic, timeless, and so easy to work around. If you ever get tired of the design its easy to completely change the feel of the room by changing accessories and pops of color, while being able to keep the basic pieces of your room. I also wanted to stay with a natural material palette, which is why I chose to go with a leather sofa, sheep skin rug, and wood accessories. So while the selections have a sleek and sophisticated look, the materials help give the space a  manly, "hunting cabin" feel. I then added in the coral chair, pillows, and flower arrangement to add a soft feminine touch to it. When you put all of these together you get a soft, modern, take on the hunter's decor.

For those of you who love this look, but are on a budget, I found an awesome DIY tutorial on making a paper deer head. the best part about this is that you can completely customize it in any color or pattern you wanted!

To see the tutorial, you can go to the chroniclebooks blog.

I love the idea of taking two opposing styles and putting them together. Do you know of any designs that do this? share them with me!

-holly

brown sugar balsamic glazed pork loin...

It has been a long tiresome week so far… on Monday night our sweet little puppy child was sick and on two separate occasions in the middle of the night we had to get up to tend to her. And then, on Tuesday night there was a major thunderstorm that woke me up multiple times. I know that we desperately need the rain here in west Texas, and I am very thankful for it, but I need my sleep or I get cranky, emotional, and unpleasant to deal with. Normally I love coming home from work to cook a nice meal, but on Wednesday all I wanted to do was lay down. I was just too exhausted to even think about putting a meal together. And it is times like these that the crockpot is my best friend. I had been wanting to try this crockpot brown sugar balsamic glazed pork loin recipe for a while, so I figured now would be the perfect time!

Almost all crockpot meals are easy, dump it in and forget about it meals, but this was one of the easiest and most delicious recipes I have tried! It took me less than 5 minutes to prepare the pork and put it in the crockpot to cook all day, and then after work it took me 5 minutes to put the glaze together. And it came out so tender and flavorful. The glaze is absolutely wonderful and would be great on chicken too! The original recipe suggested moving the pork over to a frying pan to caramelize the glaze, while I am sure that is delicious I chose to forgo this step (because I was too tired and lazy to do even that!) and it was still great! Also, one pork loin is way more than me and my husband can eat on our own, but Jon pointed out that this would make a great sandwich, so we have lunch already figured out for today! Double win!

My suggested pairings: steamed vegetable medley (I used one of those microwave steam-able bags, which are great for lazy days such as this!), and a dinner roll.

Enjoy!

-holly

jalapeno kettle chip crusted chicken/ spicy jalapeno ranch dip...

I must be having some serious spicy cravings this week, because almost every meal I have chosen has had a kick to it! I saw this recipe on Pinterest and I knew that I just had to try it! Jalapeno Kettle chips are one of my favorites! I would have never thought to use them to bread my chicken, but I am so glad that Tina, over at My Life as a Mrs. was smart enough to think of it! I followed her recipe for the chicken exactly as it was. The only thing I made minor changes to was the Jalapeno ranch dip. To see Tina's full chicken recipe you can go here!

I have my own jalapeno ranch dip recipe that I perfected a long time ago. It is very similar to the one Tina has on her blog, but a few small additions make all the difference in the world...What's my secret? Pickle juice! weird, I know! But for years I would try to make my own ranch because I am not a fan of the bottled ranch you by at grocery stores. My favorite ranch is from Chili's. I love to dip their chips in it! Once again, weird, I know! But don't knock it till you try it. Anyways, I cannot even tell you how many copy cat recipes I looked up trying to get my homemade ranch to taste like Chili's ranch. But it was never quite right, there was always something off about it. Finally, one day I came across a post that suggested putting 1-2 table spoons of dill pickle juice in your ranch. I tried it, and sure enough, it worked! So now anytime I make any form of ranch dip I put in some pickle juice!

Here is my jalapeno ranch recipe...

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayo (use real mayo, not miracle whip, this was another mistake I made for months when trying to perfect my ranch recipe)

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup jalapenos, canned

2 tsp. jalapeno juice

1 tbsp. dill pickle juice

1/2 pkg. dry ranch mix

pinch of fresh cilantro

dash of cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. put all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until smooth and well blended

2. chill in refrigerator over night, and serve.

suggested pairings for the chicken: steamed broccoli in a cheese sauce, roasted potatoes

enjoy!

-holly

trash to treasure- a side table makeover...

I am a poor girl with expensive taste. I like nice things, but currently I have a Walmart/Target/Ikea budget. But just because something is cheap, doesn't mean it has to look cheap. When money is tight you just have to get creative. And that is exactly what I did with my bedside table... 

I found this night stand at a garage sale for 2 dollars. TWO DOLLARS!!! It was a little banged up, but I knew a fresh coat of paint and a little embellishment could take it from drab to fab. Plus who in their right mind would pass this up for only 2 dollars?

I happily loaded my new table into my car and took it home, and that is where the magic began. I started off by painting it white to give it a nice clean look...

Then I cut out a piece of fabric so that it would cover most of the top, leaving about 1/2" of the painted white wood exposed...

I sprayed the back of the fabric with a spray adhesive, and carefully centered the fabric on top of the table and smoothed it flat...

Then I added furniture studs all the way around to cover the edge of the fabric...

I was so delighted with the finished product! It has a clean, sophisticated look, and all in all it cost me about $17!! You cannot beat a price like that!! hope you enjoyed this transformation! 

Do you have a trash to treasure transformation? Share it with me!

the Anders' abode...

Decorating our apartment has been quite the unexpected challenge. I love to decorate and one of the things I was looking forward to most about married life was officially becoming the “queen of the castle!” Up until this point of my life, my decorating powers have been very limited. Between birth and the age of 18 I was living in my parents’ home where I only had reign over my own bedroom, and even there my decorating was still basically controlled by my mom, who had the checkbook, and therefore all the real power. My 5 ½ years of college were spent in a dorm, apartment, and rent house all of which came pre-furnished, and all of which I could not paint the walls. So my decorating was limited to hanging pictures on the wall, and throwing pillows on my pre-chosen furniture. So after Jon popped the question I started daydreaming about our future home and all the power I would have! (Honestly these daydreams started WAY before he popped the question; they just grew more intense after we became engaged.) However, within minutes of walking into the first store we were registering at, I realized that my dreams were not going to be my reality…

I walked into that Target assuming that all relationships have a similar dynamic as my parents – My mom does all the decorating picks out all the pillows, paint colors, and accessories. My dad doesn’t care. He has no say in the decorating, because he doesn’t want any say. He approves the big purchases and then happily watches sports as my mom rearranges furniture – I walked out of that target fuming mad and utterly confused. Jon wanted a say in everything, and we couldn’t even agree on something as simple as a soap dispenser for our bathroom… Now, looking back at it, we laugh. It all seems so silly and trivial, but at the time neither one of us was laughing. I had to learn to let go of some of my power; it is OUR home, not MY home. And Jon had to learn to put a little more trust in me. This was a challenge for both of us, because our styles are nothing alike… Jon is going to school to become an accountant, meaning he is NOT a creative, out of the box thinking, big, bold personality type. He is very much in the box, and in my honest opinion, his style of decorating is way too safe and boring. I am a way out of the box, lots of colors, lots of patterns, lots of fun, type person. So you could see how this would be an issue. I had to tone down my original ideas and find a happy medium between our two extremes. And Jon had to learn to trust my “creative mind” when I would suggest something he just couldn't picture. This was the first major challenge we faced, but we are starting to find that happy place. One that has pops of color to satisfy my wild side, while still being calm and classic to match Jon’s laid back style…It is still a work in progress, but we have our whole lives to figure it out

one of Jon's registry selections

one of my selections

The second major challenge is the temporariness of our current home. Jon has two more years of school left, and after that we are thinking about packing it up heading for the mountains. Jon misses Colorado and wants to move back, and I just want to be where he is. So… since Jon is still in school and only working part time, and we might be moving in a couple years we decided the best decision for us at this stage of life is to rent an apartment. Likewise, a lot of our furniture is stuff we may or may not keep when we move – either way most of it is not items we see hanging around for years to come. This is just the stage of life that we are in right now. The starter phase, as I like to call it. So, we want our apartment to feel homey, and inviting, and comfortable and we want it to fit our personalities and our lifestyle. But with the temporary state of everything we own, it’s hard to justify putting much money into anything. (Plus, we in the “starter phase” don’t have much money anyways!) And so our challenge has become the task of making our apartment a nice temporary home for us to enjoy for two years, without breaking the bank. When looking for apartments one of my “must haves” was being able to paint the walls. So that is one easy, and affordable way we have been able to make the place “ours”. Also, most of the artwork displayed throughout our apartment I have painted or made myself, this way we can save some cash while being able to tailor our art to our exact style and needs!

Here is a quick tour through our apartment for you to see what we have done with the place so far!

In the living room we used mainly blues, yellows, and greens. These are all calming colors, and I was able to have fun with our art work, while using a “natural” theme throughout. We then softened things up with light tan and cream drapes. It’s fun without being too crazy!

In our bedroom we went for a little more classic feel. We used a warm tan tone on the walls. Our bedding is gold and a deep maroon we use white and black for simple, classic accessories. The headboard gives me the drama I crave, while the warm and simple color palette keeps Jon relaxed and happy.

In our bathroom we wanted to use a different color palette than what we used in our room, but one that would complement the bedroom. So we chose dark brown, with a gold-ish yellow, and pops of orange.

For our guest bathroom we wanted a calm, spa – type feel. So we used lots of white, with light blue. I plan on painting the walls in here a light gray but haven’t got around to it yet. Once I do I will show you the updated version!

  

For our second bedroom I dreamed of a luxe, 1920’s, art-deco study, done in dramatic dark grey and emerald hues, with black and white and silver accents. A place to curl up under a big fluffy blanket and sip on an amaretto sour (my current favorite cocktail) while reading a good book.  Sounds wonderful doesn't it, girls? – Jon dreamed of a mancave, a place to set up all of his sports memorabilia, and video games… Jon won… it took me a while to give in, but Jon uses that room way more than I do. The desk is in there, and that is where he works on homework. We didn't have space for the Xbox and Nintendo in our living room set up, so he hooked them up to the TV in there, and before I knew what hit me, it was a mancave. But this transformation didn't happen until after I had bought a fabulous black and white rug that was going to be perfect in my study…so what we have here is a wonderful rug surrounded by boy things. Oh well, maybe one day when we get a house I will get my study, and that rug can finally get the sophisticated home it deserves…

That’s it! Still a big work in progress, but its home.