As Seen on TV!

I am still trying to organize the toys in Camille's room. She is ready for a big girl bed and I am trying to figure out where to put it! My sister bought Wonder Hangers from Bed Bath and Beyond and loved them. I have some off season and party dress clothes in Camille's closet....got the Wonder Hangers and now have room for strollers and blocks in there. They are great.



You get 6 for $14.99 but I had my 20% off coupon. Also, save those coupons you get in the mail because my Bed Bath and Beyond has a drugstore and you can use the coupons on drugstore items as well.

We have lots of snow in Richmond....time to organize.

Wine Team!

Last night, I hosted this month's wine club. We have about 30 members and I have to confess that we don't do much analyzing of the wine. Just a fun night out for the girls. I made these mini hamburgers on a waffle fry. Delicious...would be good for upcoming Super Bowl parties.



Burger Potato Bites

18 large frozen French-fried waffle cut potatoes
1.5 lbs ground beef or turkey
3 tsp grill seasoning blend
4 slices cheddar cheese, cut into quarters
4 cherry tomatoes, sliced

Bake French fries according to package directions. Remove from oven and preheat the broiler. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine meat and seasoning. Form into 18 mini hamburgers...about 1.5 tablespoons each. Cook burgers uncovered over medium heat for 5-8 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking. Drain fat. Top each French fry with a burger, cheese quarter and tomato slice(s). Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese is melted and tomato begins to brown. Serve with mustard, ketchup and pickles.

Kitchen Remodel

Right before Christmas, our 3 month kitchen and family room renovation project was complete. My sister is a kitchen and bath designer and helped us create the fabulous finished project. It was quite a project but the results are amazing and I have already forgotten about the toaster oven/microwave kitchen I had in my dining room....well almost!

BEFORE!







AND AFTER!







We love it!

Homebuyer's Tax Credit is also for Existing Homeowners!

We have heard so much about the first time home buyer's tax credit and not as much about the existing homeowner's credit. Existing homeowners who have lived in their home 5 out of the last 8 years are eligible for up to $6500 only $1500 less than first time home buyers. You must purchase your home by April 30, 2010 and close by June 30, 2010 to take advantage. It is such a great time to buy and sell a home. E-mail me if I can be of assistance...alysonstoakley@virginiarealty.net.

Click on this link for more information.

Girls Night

The hubby was out last night playing in a poker tournament so I invited some girls over for some wine. I am actually having another girls night later this week so I decided to splurge on some flowers. I found some pretty tulips at Walmart for $5 a bunch.



I served a homemade white pizza, homemade chicken nuggets and french fries. Very easy menu! Oh and of course wine!

Chicken Nuggets
4-6 chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 lb butter, melted.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine crumbs with next 4 ingredients. Dip chicken chunks into butter. Roll in crumb mixture. Place in single layer on a foiled lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

White Pizza
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup pesto
1 tomato, thinly sliced

Spread olive oil and pesto on pizza crust. Add tomato slices then add parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Follow directions for cooking pizza crust. Note...Walmart has refrigerated and frozen pizza dough as an altertive to Boboli crusts.

Deals Found!

Three pairs of my jeans just recently ended up with holes in the knees. So I was looking for an inexpensive pair to wear that were comfortable and weren't too low. I found these at Ross Dress for Less. They are Old Navy and I only paid $9.99 for them.



I also love stationary and find that I am always attracted to that aisle in the discount stores. Just found two cute thank you cards at Marshall's recently. They were $3.99 each and included 20 cards.

Low Cost Remodeling Projects

This bit of warm weather we have been having in Richmond is giving us a taste of spring.

Spring is a great time to sell your home. Check out this link from realtor.org for easy and low cost remodeling ideas. Scroll to the bottom to see a bulleted list.

Once your projects are complete...give me a call.

Baby Dedication

My little Clyde was dedicated at church today. He can have a bit of stranger anxiety so I was slightly nervous when I handed him over to the minister. But he did great and didn't make a peep....even tried to get the minster's glasses.

We had a luncheon at our house afterwards. We served two types of chili with all the fixings, corn muffins and chocolate cream cheese cupcakes. See below for the White Bean Chicken Chili recipe. It is delicious and super easy. Great for a rainy Sunday.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 tsp chopped garlic
1.5 lbs bones chicken cut into bite size pieces
1 packet taco seasoning
1 cup water
1 small can or jan of articoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can white bean, drained and rinsed

In a dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until softened 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic, chicken and 1/2 tsp of the taco seasoning. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink.

Add water and remaining taco seasoning. Bring to a boil. Add the artichoke hearts, diced tomatoes and beans. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes before serving.

And here are a couple cost saving tips for party planning. We were short on bowls for all of guests. I ran out to the Dollar Tree and found these great bowls there...5 for $5. Almost as much as I would have spent to buy plastic bowls for the whole event and these I will have for next time.



Also, instead of fresh flowers, I looked in my yard for flower/plants. I have a ton of Aucuba bushes and cut a few branches and displayed in vases on my sideboard and table.

Toy Storage

I picked up these great bins at Target for toy storage last Saturday. With all the Christmas toys, I felt like Camille's room was overflowing. It turns out they went on sale Sunday, I took my receipt back this week and got credit for the sale price. Very happy with these bins for concealing all the clutter. We got pink!

Welcome!

This weekend will mark the one year anniversary of the fall of Circuit City Stores, Inc. I worked there for almost 7 years as an event manager. In April of 2009, I decided to get my real estate license. My mom is a realtor and for her it was a great job with flexibility for kid schedules. In May of 2009, my husband, Michael and I welcomed our second child, a boy named Clyde. Big sister Camille was a little slow to warm up to him but now loves her baby brother.

I have been wanting to write a blog for a while and finally got my act together to complete. In this blog, I hope to bring you real estate news as well as parenting information. Also, I love a bargain so I may share some deals and steals that I have found along the way.

Hope you enjoy reading. Oh and if you know someone who needs the services of a realtor....keep me in mind. ;)