overLOADed

Why do I do this to myself? I did the math in my head, and including the loads that are already in the washer and dryer, I'll be doing at least 12 loads of laundry over the next couple of days. It's a good thing "Mr. Enchanted" has to work this weekend.

It's Template Time [to be cont.]

Yay for templates, right? This is the first one I played around it, but there's a couple more so you'll see another template post soon! 

My friend over at Birdy Photography & Design put some freebie templates on her facebook page. Go "like" her and check out all that she has going on. I know she'll appreciate it!

Wednesday Weigh In: Week 2

This week's loss: 1.2 lbs.

Total lost: 1.6 lbs.

Total left to lose: 68.4 lbs.

You know what's crazy? I ate horribly. We're talking a couple of trips to Sonic "I ate horribly." I also didn't work out this week. Not once was I at the gym, and I still "lost" weight. Really?

Side note: I found/bought my Easter dress today! I just hope it still fits in 6.5 weeks.

Dresser Redo

Finally! I can almost cross something off of my never ending "project" list. A few months ago, I acquired a dresser from one of my friends. Now mind you, it wasn't in great shape, but I knew I could eventually do something with it. It's a little wobbly and needs some work done on the drawers, but it's fully functional. Up until now that's all I've cared about, until I saw this.

It's safe to say that inspiration struck! So today, we made progress towards this goal. 

I was fortunate enough to snag a free paint sample from Valspar a few weeks ago thanks to one of their promotions. I wasn't sure what I would end up using it for, but I knew I'd find something. The color I chose was "Crystal Aqua." When the box arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to see a mini paint tray and roller to use with the sample! 

Kudos to Valspar!!!

Now on the nitty gritty stuff. This is how the dresser looked prior to any work (minus the drawers which don't need painting at the moment).

I put my man to work doing most of the sanding. Of course this meant I was free to take an obnoxious number of photos!

...and of course we couldn't leave the dogs inside.

...back to what this post is really about.

After sanding and one coat of paint (which was pretty much the entire paint sample) this is what we had.

Unfortunately, we needed more paint for the much needed second coat. So while the first coat dried a bit, J went to Lowes for another sample size of paint. Apparently our Lowes doesn't sell the sample size so he came home with a full quart...but that just means more for another project, right? I didn't get to take any photos of the finished-for-now product because by the time I finished the second coat it was too dark. However, you get the general idea. Once the paint fully cures, I'm planning to sand some of the edges to distress it that way it doesn't look too perfect. The only other things left to do are:

1. Stabilize it since it wobbles a little bit

2. Fix the one broken drawer

3. Buy scrapbook paper to decopage the drawer fronts

4. Decide on which adhesive to use for #3

5. Buy and install new knobs

I'm wanting to wait for a great scrapbooking sale at JoAnn's Fabric or Hobby Lobby so I can get a whole book of paper to choose from. So depending on how long that takes, and how long it takes me to decide on knobs will depends on when you'll see the actual finished product. But don't worry. Just stay tuned for this fixer upper:

More on this curbside find later...

Recipe Swap/Chicken Cacciatore

One of my friends hosted a "recipe swap" tonight. The idea is that a group of people all bring a separate dish with enough recipe cards for everyone. Our theme was Italian. No one is supposed to know what everyone else brought, because after everyone has eaten, there is a vote! You can choose which categories you would like to vote on. I'm pretty sure our's were "best tasting," "most kid-friendly," "best looking," "most creative," and "most creative recipe card." Guess who won "best looking?" Moi!!! And I know our host knew I'd be there because she made one of the prizes in a fabric to match my kitchen! 

The prizes included an apron (which went to the winner of "best tasting") and four hot pads with matching spatulas! 

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish writing out all of my recipe cards, so I had to just put this blog address on the card. So, for those of you who got one of those cards, and for those of you interested, here's what I made.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE

Prep: 20 min  Cook: 55 min  Serve: 4

INGREDIENTS:

4 chicken breasts

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter or margarine

1 green bell pepper, sliced into 1/4 inch strips

1 red onion, sliced thin

8 oz sliced button mushrooms

1 jar (24 oz) marinara sauce

1 Roma tomatoes, sliced thin

2 tsp minced garlic

1. Place chicken in large mixing bowl and cover with flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Toss to evenly coat.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place olive oil in dish, and bake for 3 minutes. Add the floured chicken, flip to coat, and bake for 20 minutes.

3. While the chicken is baking, add butter to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once sizzling, add bell pepper and onion. Saute for 3 minutes before adding mushrooms. Saute all for about 5 minutes more, until mushrooms are almost tender.

4. Once the chicken has baked for 20 minutes, remove from oven and flip pieces. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Combine marinara sauce, Roma tomatoes, and minced garlic with the sauteed vegetables in the skillet, then pour into the baking dish, surrounding the chicken.

5. Bake an additional 30-35 minutes. Serve hot with pasta and plenty of sauce.

This was my first time making it, and I did alter it a bit since I knew multiple people would be eating it instead of just me and my husband. Instead of slicing the veggies, I more or less just chopped them and the chicken to make it easier to serve. I also went ahead and cooked pasta to put in it. Besides that, everything else is the same! I hope you enjoy!