Our Entry/Hallway: Before & After Makeover

After (hallway still a work in progress...)

After

Before

Before

After (threshold still not done)

Our Chair: Before & After Makeover

I bought this chair on One King's Lane at a nicely discounted price and was not at all surprised when one of the legs snapped off! You get what you pay for!  Fortunately, my husband was able to repair it by reinforcing the leg with a steel rod and inject the leg with an epoxy putty. For the makeover, the cushion was taped over and then sprayed with Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch in a Satin Heirloom White. These are the "Before" and "After" pictures:

After**

After**

Before***

Before***

Before** (image from One King's Lane/Pinterest)

My New Hairstyle!

I needed a new hairstyle and opted for the short, inverted bob.  I'm already missing my long hair =-(

Our Family Room- Before and After Makeover

I've been wanting to post these before and after photographs of our family room remodel for a while now. My husband and I wanted a more vibrant home, so we went with Tricia Guild fabric for our couch, chair, and curtains.  Initially, we were going to go with a green shade on one side of the room, but decided to stay with the dolphin gray shade instead.  Here are the before and after photographs.

after

Before:  The bay windows were covered with bamboo shades, as well as the sliding door, which was actually covered with brown and white sheer curtains.

Before

Before

Before

And, now, for the "after" pictures:

After:  Green sofa reupholstered with Tricia Guild fabric.  Pillows and curtains, also Tricia Guild.  Tocca chest was a dark brown painted white, and still needs to be completed for a more distressed look.

After:  Chair, which used to be orange, tan, and brown, reupholstered with Tricia Guild fabric.

(We are still looking for a cover or miniature rustic/vintage cabinet to hide the electronics on the bottom, left nook!)

Also, this family room still needs at least two more chairs and, maybe a rug.  I'm also in search of some pretty, bright-colored candles for my gorgeous candle stick holders!

After

After:  Brown/tan/orange chair reupholstered with Tricia Guild and legs painted black

After

After:  Detail of fireplace mantel

After

After

After:  Some accessories...

Before****

Before****

Thick, Fluffy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've searched long and hard for a chocolate chip cookie that didn't turn out flat! My search ended when I found this one on Allrecipes.com.  The cookies didn't seem to "melt" as they were baking and they retained the "fluffy" look.  I also like to refrigerate my cookie dough overnight for easier handling and for a "fluffier" cookie look!  I hope you will try the recipe and enjoy!  Happy baking!

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe, EVER!

1 cup butter, softened
 (I like to use Country Crock Churn Style Butter)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 (3.5oz) pkg instant vanilla pudding mix

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

*nuts, quantity sufficient, if desired

So, first, I like to mix in a large bowl: butter, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, & vanilla extract.  Then, in a smaller bowl, I like to mix with a fork: flour and baking soda.  I will slowly add the flour/baking soda mixture to the larger bowl mixture, blending well each time, so flour doesn't fly everywhere. Once, this is blended well, then I will fold in the chocolate chips.

*for easier handling and "fluffier" cookies, refrigerate overnight! =-)

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and bake for 10-12 minutes

Enjoy!! Oh, and let me know what you think of this recipe! =-)  Happy 4th of July!

Our Family Room (remodel not yet completed)

The brick is finally completed and will be painted white in two days! 

We've been in our house since 2003 and finally decided to remodel. This is our family room which used to be cluttered with furniture, curtains and bamboo shades that blocked out the hot, burning, Arizona sun.  We've since decided to go for a less cluttered look, get rid of the curtains and bamboo shades, and go with a completely different look!

The white walls were painted a dolphin fin shade, bricks were installed wrapping around the family room, chandelier installed, custom turquoise-painted French doors, and a wooden top to cover our fireplace mantel. We decided to go with brick painted white, which will be done on Thursday!

We also had electronic retractable sun screens on the exterior of our windows for use during peak sun hours!  We're so happy with this decision, as our windows have been covered all these years, keeping us from admiring the beauty of the mountainside!

After

My Monday Breakfast

Thank You, Terri Moore!

Kai on his 3rd birthday, taken on April 30th!
http://www.terrimoorephotography.blogspot.com/

Taking a break. Thank you, Terri, for keeping up with Kai! =-)
http://www.terrimoorephotography.blogspot.com

I love this photograph taken of Kai watching his step as he walks through the desert.
http://www.terrimoorephotography.blogspot.com