So I finally finished this project!

A while back I posted a picture of a chalkboard fridge and how much I wanted to do this. Well, an extremely nice person on freecycle was kind enough to not only give us, but deliver to us, a working fridge! It wasn’t beautiful, think old white nondescript fridge. It had some dirt and some rust like areas and just needed a general cleaning…BUT, it worked! :)

So off to the hardware store I went and purchased a pint of Black Chalkboard paint and a small flat surfaces roller and got to work! It took 4 coats of paint on all surfaces of the fridge. We had to take off the doors and I actually painted those inside of the house because it rained for so many days and I was so anxious to get this done!

Then we finally had some nice weather and I was able to finish the large outer shell! :) WOOHOO!

We finally got it inside and while I was about to clean off the top and make it all “picture worthy” I decided to just take a picture as it is, and show you our life and how we really live. :)

My husband was the first one to write on the fridge and isn’t he just a sweetie to leave me such a cute love note? :) The drawings on the front are of the things that are currently in the freezer. *laugh*

Anyways….just wanted to share! :D

Ok……long time no post! I’ve recently started a new diet per my new doctors instructions. it’s a low carb, good carb, good protein, good fat, Mediterranean diet ahha how’s that for a long description? So anyway the thing that threw me for a loop is the fact that most of my diet needs to be vegetables now! Granted - I’ve always loved vegetables but I’ve never been told that I am to eat a minimum of 6 servings of them a day! Thats a LOT of food! Not only that but that I need 6 “Servings” of good oils a day! That’s 6 tablespoons of oil a day! wow! So I’m doing a LOT more cooking with olive oil (I already used to use but never was that generous with it). So I found this recipe that fits right in to what I’m supposed to eat and omg it’s so freakin good! It felt decedent!

EGGPLANT, TOMATO, AND GOAT CHEESE STACKS

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS:

4 vine-ripened tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon shredded basil
2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch slices
8 basil leaves
3 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Halve the tomatoes and scoop out the pulp. Arrange tomatoes into baking sheet. Sprinkle with garlic, then top with parsley and basil. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil, season to taste with salt and pepper, and then bake for 40 minutes or until soft.

Brush a second baking tray with olive oil, place eggplant slices on the try, and brush with the remaining olive oil. Place in the oven with the tomatoes and cook until the top is crisp (this took the same amount of time for me as the tomatoes).

Lightly oil four 3/4 cup ramekins. Line each with eggplant, then two basil leaves, a piece of tomato, some goat cheese, another tomato slice, and then the remaining eggplant. Bake for 20 minutes, then let sit for 5 minutes before turning out (upside down) onto a plate.

Enjoy!

Ok…not really blind..but WOW. I didn’t realize that my eyesight was getting progressively blurry over the last few years.

But it happened..I turned 30 and decided it was time to go to the eye doctor. Well..he said I COULD get glasses..that they would help, but that I didn’t have too. He said it would def. help with my night time driving vision. Since that’s the main reason I went to him…I figured I might as well get them.

OK…So I picked them up today and WOW. I can see leaves on tree’s half a block away! I swear! Everything is so sharp and crisp!

I’m still getting used to them and might end up just trying to get some contacts or something but for now it’s nice to not have to squint to read the words on the tv’s guide channel. LOL

Here’s me in my new glasses!

OK…..I’m obsessed with chalkboards these days! I’ve found so many great ideas but the one that’s haunting my dreams as something I MUST do is paint a fridge with chalkboard paint:

I am starting up a Supper Swap with some local Ladies. If you don’t know what a supper swap is…essentially each person in the group makes one meal in bulk and freezes it into 4-6 people meals. Then all members in the group get together and swap their frozen meals. So, each person makes one type of meal, and comes home with LOTS of different types of meals to put in their freezer and pull out to feed their family during the month! :)

Anyways…this is relevant to my chalkboard fridge obsession I promise. :) Because I’m starting this Supper Swap, there isn’t enough room my parents Fridge/Freezer for the frozen meals I will be making and swapping. Sooooo…therefore we are going to get a used Fridge/freezer and I’ve decided that I must paint it with chalkboard paint. :) Actually….we want to use black chalkboard paint and then write on the outside what frozen meals are inside and then obviously erase the meal once we’ve eaten it! LOL I know a little corney or cheesy…but oh so fun. :) Not to mention I could doodle all over it and one day when we have kids they could draw all over it and make it art. :)

So…that’s my latest obsession. :) Now to find a fridge someone wants to give away or one to buy for cheap! :)

Sometimes life just gets in the way of your best intentions! There are so many things I want to share on my blog each week…but then something comes up and I do that instead of posting! I guess it’s good that I’m busy, but yet it sucks that I don’t take the time for my blog like I should!

I think one of the hard things for me is that I want to share all of my new antique/thrift store finds with you guys, but I don’t have a great place to take pictures of these things. Us living with my parents honestly has been a wonderful experience, but one thing I miss is having lots of space of our own. I can’t exactly take down my mom’s decorating to put up my own to show you guys! For now the things that we purchase (that we just can’t pass up because they are just such great deals!) go into storage until we buy a house. Until then I will try to find places to take pictures of my new items and share them with you guys anyways. :)

So….on another front I’ve been dealing with a lot of health issues. specifically I’ve been dealing with a doctor who isn’t willing to do broader testing to see whats going on with my PCOS, hypothyroidism, and insulin resistance. I’m quite frustrated and am now looking for a new doctor. I’ve also started a new blog to follow my medical and health issues I’m dealing with. I think I’d rather keep this blog more of the fun things I’m doing and the inspiration in my life. :) If you are interested in reading my other blog, drop me an email and I’ll be glad to send you the link to my new medical/health blog. :)

So…thats whats up. :) Whats up with you? :)

I hope that all of you had a really wonderful Easter! My family had an awesome day of togetherness and just general great times!

Here is a pretty vase of tulips to brighten your spring day! :)

(btw: got this pitcher for $2.95 at the thrift store the other day and picked the tulips up at the grocery store!! I love good deals and beautiful flowers. :) )

OK….sorry this post took so long. But here it is! My parents hallway in all it’s gorgeous framed glory!

If you want to see the flickr album with all of the images that we took of the entire process you can go to this link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55463415@N00/sets/72157603706869925/

And here is a video of my parents seeing it for the first time. Now remember, Dad had an idea that we were doing this and some of the details- just not ALL of the details! Mom on the other hand had no clue all that we were doing, just knew that her birthday present was going to entail doing SOMETHING to the hallway with her pictures. :)

(I can’t figure out how to embed the video so to see it you need to click here)

Thanks for all of the support when it comes to getting this project completed! :)

well….no excuses just reasons why I’ve been out of touch on this blog! I’ve been dealing with some nasty yuckie thyroid/hormonal issues. I’ve been seeing an endocrinologist for the past two years and last month I went to go have a check up and check on my labs. Well, to say the least they SUCK. No wonder I’m exhausted, mentally foggy, my memory is horrible, and well..I won’t list every symptom. Those are the main ones that are affecting my daily life at the moment. It’s so hard to make myself blog when I feel like crap, have a list of things to do a mile long, but have no energy or drive to do them. And yeah..I know….excuses excuses..but honestly IT’S IN THE NUMBERS! I really do have a REASON I feel like this, even if it sucks. LOL

So……i’m writing a short post just to say hi and that I’m still alive and I promise to update on my mom’s hallway! They came home from the trip and LOVED it and we have since finished the other side of the hallway as well. It looks great and I will post pictures and videos soon. :)

Thanks for sticking by me and being loyal blog readers. :) All encouragement is wonderful and sometimes I wonder why anyone would want to read my ramblings anyway! *laugh*

k I am so excited!! The wall project is coming along!

My parents left for their cruise on Saturday morning and by Saturday evening the first coat of paint was on the hallway walls! woohoo! By Sunday afternoon the second coat was up and I had most of the pictures framed and ready to hang on the wall. Today the final two prints from my photo lab arrived and I was able to lay the entire design out on the floor and measure to make sure everything worked! Good thing I did! *laugh* While I was precise in my measurements when I mocked things out in the computer, I didn’t take into the account that some of the frames that we found have thicker molding than what I used in the mock up! opps! Had to change a few matted 5 x 7 prints to just 5 x 7 prints in smaller frames with no mattes! Then I had to rebalance everything! It’s still really close to the original design - now it just fits on the wall correctly! (I find that the frames actually fitting on the wall that they will be hanging on a very important aspect of this project! :) )

Oh yes - and today my uncle came and helped me change out the not so attractive globe light fixtures in the hallway to the new ones that will wash the walls with light and highlight the framed photographs like art! woohoo!

Here are a few pictures of the process. (In the pictures below the new lights haven’t been directed in the right directions….after we hang the frames we will make they highlight the frames and not the ceiling! hahaha)

Forgive the quality of these pictures……my parents house is dark and I just didn’t take the time to use my flash. LOL (yes i was bring lazy!)

There’s just something really cool when you find out something about your history that you didn’t know. Or, when you find an old picture of an ancestor and learn how they fit in the puzzle of your life.

For the last few days I’ve been sucked into what is sure to become an obsession! *laugh* I started scanning in old family photographs and was just intrigued about these people that I’m related to yet have no stories or information about. In fact, some of them I didn’t even know their names! This made me sit down with my Grandmother this weekend and have her tell me who they are, how they fit into the puzzle of our family tree, and heard stories about family that made me laugh and smile! It was so w