Feature on Smart Mom Style!

We've finished! I'm back up for air after finishing Seasons 1 and 2 of Downton Abbey. I can barely remember the past two weeks - all I know is I had a dream that Mike was a footman at Downton and I was the cook - I didn't know how to prepare all that fancy food for one of their dinners and  Lord Granthum fired me. (Seemed very out of character for him - I thought he'd have given me a second chance.)

But all that time away from the blog and I didn't even notice the card catalog was featured on Smart Mom Style a few days ago as an organizing solution - check it out. Thanks Smart Mom Style!

Addicted.

O'Brien. See my point?

BAH! I'm stuck in the space-time continuum gap that is Downton Abbey! (I honestly don't even know what that means, I just thought I'd go out on a limb and see if it'd fly in the blogosphere.) 

I'm addicted - Mike's addicted - which only feeds my addiction. He's enabling me people! Every time I even think about writing a blog post, I push it away and tell myself that I'm allowed to use that time for Downton instead. The only reason I can even write this now is because Mike just happens to be gone and I'm home and not allowed to watch it with out my co-addicted husband. When I'm not watching, all I do is think about it, so hopefully putting some thoughts down will provide a bit of a relief:

• What does O'Brien's hair look like when it's down and straight? 
• Will Matthew and Mary ever love each other at the same time?
• I neeeeeeeeeed to ride a horse again. Neeeeeeeed. Preferably a big warmblood like Mary has.
• Why in the world would O'Brien wear her hair like that?
• Would it be possible to teach Mike how to braid my hair at night and tie it with a loooooooong ribbon? 
• Where in the heck are Bates and Anna from - Heaven? Someone needs to tell Julian Fellowes that God doesn't make people sinless until after we join Him in Heaven - not before. 
• How does O'Brien even get her hair to DO that? 
• Why can't Daisy just like William already? Let's be honest - he's a total doll. 
• What would it be like to get proposed to and then have it be perfectly normal to "think" about it for weeks and weeks after? 
• Uh, why has someone not hired Mr. Carson to start doing the movie trailer voiceovers?
• WHY doesn't someone tell O'Brien about her hair already?

Bah. No, that didn't help. Now I'm just more upset that I can't watch another episode right this instant! I'm so immersed in it, I even find myself speaking in a proper English accent in my head. Thus far I've been able to hold it in to just my self-talk, and only once has it pushed its way out during one of my audible self-talks - but luckily that was in the car - alone. Yes, audible self-talks have been known to happen when I'm surrounded by other people. I just forget,  okay?

I recognize it's totally consuming me, but the only way out is to get to the end of season two as fast as I can, right? 

Mike, get home now!

Recipe: Sesame Chicken

Mike and I used to love takeout Chinese food. Like LOVE. Like, whenever I was having a bad day he'd offer to take me to get Chinese and let me eat all the egg rolls that were humanly possible (and whatever number you're thinking - double it - I have a supernatural ability to create room for those little rolls of Heaven. Note to self:  Enter egg roll eating contest). 

But one day, I was planning to bring over dinner to a couple who had recently had a baby and I asked them what they'd like me to bring over - I told them they could pick anything they wanted. What did they want? Sesame chicken. 

I kept backtracking, suggesting cashew chicken as an alternative. Or how about beef and broccoli? Or pad thai, or well anything that didn't require FRYING. Frying rhymes with TERRIFYING (Or is it a near rhyme? Whatever.) and that is exactly how I felt about it. But that's what they wanted and new parents get what they want,  (I mean holy crap, they just formed an ENTIRELY NEW HUMAN LIFE) so the search ensued for an easy sesame chicken recipe. 

I can't thank them enough for making me do this - after the first bite we swore off takeout for the rest of our lives. Yes, it's that good - it's worth the work, worth conquering FRYING (it's not that hard peeps), and even worth the greasy face.

Wanna impress? Make this tonight. Just wash your face before people come over. 

Now I just have to figure out how to make good egg rolls....

Got a little heavy-handed with the sesame seeds...oops. 

Ingredients

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts

4 tablespoons raw sesame seeds

5 green onions (sliced)

Canola Oil

Marinade

2 teaspoons chicken base

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sesame oil

ground pepper (to taste)

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons

2 tablespoons red cooking wine

Batter

1 cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 eggs (beaten)

1 cup water (or as much as needed to make batter smooth)

6 tablespoons cornstarch

salt (to taste

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Sauce 

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup sugar salt (to taste)

1/3 cup ketchup

3 tablespoons white distilled vinegar

a few grounds of black pepper

Instructions

1. Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and in a bowl combine all the marinade ingredients and mix well. Add the chicken and coat evenly. Cover and marinade for 30 minutes or more in the fridge
2. Add canola oil to a large saucepan, filling it about 2 1/2" up. Heat to about 325 degrees (I just use a candy thermometer)
3. In a separate bowl combine all of the batter ingredients and mix thoroughly. It should flow around the pieces when you put them in yet still coat the pieces.
4. Use a fork or tongs remove the pieces of chicken from the marinade and dip them into the batter to coat evenly. Fry in hot oil at about 325 degrees for about 10 minutes or until golden brown (I usually have to do this in two batches). Drain on paper towels.
5. In a wok (or another large pot) combine the sauce ingredients and warm over medium heat. Bring to a boil while stirring and simmer until sauce slightly thickens. Add chicken to wok and coat with sauce.
6. Garnish with sliced scallions and sesame seeds.

 Serves: Four hungry people. 

Downton Abbey

Via

Are any of you guys watching Downton Abbey? I've been hearing so much about it, for a while I felt like I was living under a rock - which, if you met me, it's obvious that I clearly do not. I mean I watch quality programing on other stations, shows like Real Housewives and The Bachelor which daily expand my worldview and broaden my horizons. For example, who knew you could get your own music deal when you can't even carry a tune? I'm thinking of looking into that - I may need to trade my children's college education for it, but it's always been a dream of mine to see my smiling self on the cover of a CD.

And I'm seriously considering arranging for Mike and I to jump out of a helicopter together, just so we can take our relationship to new heights. I never would have known that was the key to strengthening our relationship for the long haul if not for The Bachelor.

Anyway, Mike and I just watched the first couple of episodes this past weekend and I'm happy to report it lives up to the hype. Although I'm not sure it's as applicable to life as some other shows I watch (I mean it's set in 1912 - I don't have any servants, horses, hats or accents) but at least I'm not embarrassed to be caught watching it. 

Before and After: Front Porch Makeover

During my blogging hiatus, Mike and I were pretty busy with home projects. I love, love, love working on our house, but really, I only like "non-intensive" things - like painting, cleaning and decorating. Things that can be easily started and stopped and don't need tools that require any actual skill of any kind.

That's why this project was perfect for me. For a long time, our front porch was a pretty big eyesore (both the inside and outside). It seemed like the rest of our house had been completely redone, but we had forgotten the front of the house in the process. One of our friends said it best after they had walked through our front porch into the rest of our house: "Wow, I wasn't expecting it to be this nice!"

Uhhh ... surprise?!

So last fall, in between tons of trips, weddings and well, general life, Mike and I worked on redoing our porch, both the inside and the outside and today, I'm going to show you the inside.

Here's the porch just before we started the project:

The wood floors were in insanely rough shape. At one time they had been painted the most ugly brown color you've ever seen, and on top of that it was now incredibly chipped and worn. The trim was in the same disarray, chipped and peeling, with dead bugs and dirt everywhere (oops - suppose we could have easily taken care of that one). The once white stucco had turned yellowish-brownish and on top of that, we had several window panes broken and chipped that needed replaced. Based just off our front porch, our house looked like it had been abandoned for years.

I wish I had progress photos for you, but as I mentioned I wasn't blogging when we did this project, so I didn't make it a priority. So, let's just jump straight to the after, shall we?

Tada!

Sorry about the Christmas bouquet. It's my only remaining Christmas decoration, promise! I'll switch it up soon for spring ...

Okay, here's what we did:

Welcome!

Lately, this blog has been a little bit like this hair - crazy. 

Holy kamoly, has it been nuts around here lately. If you're new here - I just want to say welcome! Maybe you're here from the Espresso and Cream No Fat Talk Tuesday post, or maybe because you've seen our DIY card catalog credenza floating around the web. Whatever the reason, I'm glad you're here! I realize that those two posts are about two very different things, so if you're looking for one or the other...well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but you're going to get both - and more. 

It's like those infomercials that just won't quit - But wait! There's more! But the good thing is - I don't even make you pay.

Now that's a good value. 

Anyway, I pretty much write about whatever's on my mind and OA is actually a good representation of my life and interests - one day it's cooking, the next what I'm learning and another day it's a DIY project. I know to be a "good" blog, you need to find a niche, but well, variety's the spice of life, right? 

Here are a few posts that are a pretty good representation of what you'll find here.

A Little About Us
The Chair Hunt is Over
DIY Mooi Random Light
Oakland Avenue Parade
We're Just Two Uglies Doing Ugly Things
Homemade Granola

Feature on Design*Sponge!

Just want to post another quick thanks - this time to Design*Sponge for featuring our card catalog today! I must confess I'm a little starstruck to be on the blog, it is one of the first blogs I ever started reading on a regular basis and it's really opened up my eyes to what makes great design. Head on over to D*S to see the feature, and check out a whole bunch of other amazing before and afters - guaranteed you'll feel inspired!

Feature on Dream Book Design!

I just want to say thanks to Audri from Dream Book Design for featuring our card catalog yesterday! I've been reading Dream Book Design for a long time and if you'll remember, that's where I got my original inspiration for Mike and I to make over our own card catalog. Audri and her husband Jeremy have been chronicling the redo of their 1952 ranch home on the blog, and you should totally check out their house tour. In addition to their card catalog, they've got tons of other unique and funky pieces in their home. 


Check out the feature here. 

Guest Posting at Espresso and Cream Today

Today I'm guest posting over at Espresso and Cream, my friend Madison's  blog. Madison is a food editor at a large publishing company in Iowa and she and I met in college. Madison has an incredibly impressive resume (I've always wondered why she'd hang with someone as "uncool" as me), but more impressive is her heart for other women. In addition to posting simple, healthy and delicious recipes, Madision has taken a stance against fat talk (the negative lies we tell ourselves about our bodies), through instituting a "No Fat Talk Pledge" for 2012, and every Tuesday she dedicates a post to the topic. 

When Madison agreed to allow me to guest post, my stomach started doing back flips and I got that shaky, weak feeling that comes with being nervous - and I'm feeling something pretty similar today. You see, the post I wrote for Espresso and Cream isn't something I have ever, ever talked about. Not even to Mike. It's raw, real and something that I think people who know me will be surprised to hear. 

Before I submitted the post, I showed it to Mike, prefacing it with asking him to not judge me, think I'm exaggerating, and to know that I don't struggle with it as much any more. I had shared other insecurities with him before, but I had never told him about this. I knew he would be shocked, but I wasn't prepared for the sadness he reacted with. That night, we had a great conversation, (I cried a lot) and I feel even more freedom in my looks than I ever have before. 

Everything written in the post is true, and at times, I still worry that I'm the only one that has ever felt this strongly and I'm making a fool of myself by laying it all out on the table. But then I remember how alone I felt when I was dealing with my insecurities. I didn't have the courage to speak up and tell someone, and maybe that's where you're at today. I know the pain, the fear, the anxiety, and deep down, I know I'm not the only one. So I hope you read my story and find encouragement, feel identified with, and at the very least, feel less alone. 

Read the post here. 

DIY: Mooi Random Light Update

The DIY Mooi Random light is actually the number one most popular post on this blog. Daily I get hits from all over the globe for this post - although it’s a bit hard on my ego, something tells me that their not visiting for my writing, they are here for the tutorial. (The post’s 86 percent exit rate to the linked video clued me in too.)

So despite my pride being crushed as people zip in and zip even quicker out, I thought I’d provide an update on how my DIY Mooi Random light fared after it was created.

Not well.

Sorry to crush anyone spirits that’s looking forward to doing it - I just thought I’d come right out and say it.

Here are the deets. It did well for the first few months, but at about the three month mark, I noticed a small dent next to the part where it hangs by the bulb. I tried to push it out, and when that only broke a few strings (awesome), I pulled out the bulb and inserted it in another place. I also noticed the strings were much softer; it was not nearly as hard as it had been when I originally made it. A few months later, the same thing happened in the new area that the blub was resting on. I kept my eye on it for another month or so, hoping it would just have a small dent, then settle out.

It “settled out” all right.

DIY: Card Catalog Credenza Tutorial

I am so excited to show you this DIY today! This project literally took about a year to complete, but it was totally worth the wait. Ever since we moved in to our house, I've been on the hunt for a long credenza for our entryway. First it looked like this when we moved in (seller's furniture):

And now, it looks like this: 

Yes, that's right, we hopped on the DIY card catalog trend and made our own credenza. About a year and a half ago, I stumbled across this amazing DIY from Dream Book Design.