Monday morning thoughts....

A rainy Monday here in Richmond which is great news for those of you who have already seeded your lawn. Not as good for those that haven't...power seeding comes at the end of the week at our house.



Check out this cute home...which is such a great buy for someone at the new price of $259,900. Well-maintained by the owners, this house has new HVAC, Hot Water Heater, Windows, Washer/Dryer and Appliances. With an updated kitchen and bathrooms, move right in and call it home.

Blogging Break...I got involved with HandsOn Greater Richmond last spring. I started as a volunteer for HandsOn Day and now have been hired as a contractor to manage one of the service projects at Maymont Pre-school. HandsOn Day is a city-wide day of service with over 1,000 volunteers and 40 projects. It takes place October 16 and there is quite a bit to do to get ready so I am going to take a blogging break until after the event. If you are interested in volunteering, click here.

Front Steps Plantings

I am in the market for some window boxes to help enhance the curb appeal of our home. In the meantime, I planted some bright pansies on the front steps over the weekend. One problem I have with my front steps is they lack direct sunlight. I am hoping the pansies make it.

BEFORE


AFTER



In my dreams where I grow money trees in my backyard, I would purchase a six panel glass door like this one


or possibly paint the front door yellow like this


and paint the brick of our house and replace the aluminum siding


In the meantime, window boxes will have to do...another project for the list.

Halloween is coming!

I have gotten into the fall spirit and Camille and I created a bat tree similar to the one above. It was pretty easy. I found this project in the Halloween Special Edition of Woman's Day. I did just have to relocate the tree to the dining room because it is of great interest to Clyde and to our cat.


There was a bat template in the magazine that I looked at and then free-hand drew the bats. I used black posterboard from the Dollar Tree. After cutting the bat out, the edges were a little white so I went over them with a black magic marker.


I found the branch from a dead bush in our backyard. I cut off some of the ends to make it the shape I wanted. I had the planter in one of my cabinets. I bought styrofoam from a craft store to put inside the planter.






I printed the trick or treat from my computer. I burned the edges and then glued it on cardstock or leftover poster board.


I cut small triangles from printer paper and hole punched eyes out of orange paper.


Oh and we added spider webs to our tree!

Menu Planner

Sunday - Cavanna Pasta and Homemade Sauce from our freezer.
Monday - Angela's Awesome Enchilada's
Tuesday - Pork Chops with Maple Mustard Sauce, Risotto & Spinach
Wednesday - Black Bean Soup, Salad, Blueberry Muffins
Thursday - Not sure yet :)

Black Bean Soup
Saute medium onion in olive oil
Add 2-3 cloves garlic

Add:
1 can diced tomatoes (I use tomatoes with jalapenos)
1 can chicken stock + 1 can water
2 cans black beans
1/3 - 1/2 cup salsa
Chili powder - to taste
Cumin - start with 1 tsp and taste
dash cayenne

Simmer for 30-45 minutes.

Serve with any or all"
Sour cream
Shredded cheese
Taco Chips
Scallions

Dressing Table

I purchased this dressing table at my friend Becky's yard sale a few months ago. I really like the lines of it and the scale. It fits perfectly between my closet doors. It needs some TLC and I am trying to determine what color to paint it.

Here are some inspiration photos.


I would like to find a stool just like this one to put under. I am searching yard sales and craigslist. (Source: Little Green Notebook)


(Source: Good Bones Great Pieces)

Blue is one of the main colors of the room so I was thinking of painting it a pale blue color. I would also love to find some cool and interesting new knobs. Hopefully, I will get to this project in the next few weeks. Stay tuned. Oh and if you have suggestions...let me know.

Menu Planner

Monday - Chicken Broccoli Casserole
Tuesday - leftover Lasagna (from the freezer)
Wednesday - Cheddar Bacon Ranch Mac & Cheese (carryover from last week)
Thursday - Chicken Parmesan

Just realized as I typed this...lots of chicken this week!

I had a great open house yesterday on W Grace Street. Lots of people out and about looking at homes. Check out my new listing link to the right of the page.

Birthday Recap

Yesterday was my birthday. I had a great day that included lunch with my mom, grandmother and sister as well as some bargain shopping at Marshalls, Ross Dress for Less and Forever 21. My day ended with a great dinner at Zeus Gallery Cafe with Michael. Here is a picture of my birthday dinner outfit....



Necklace...Forever 21...$8
Tank Tops...Old Navy...bought earlier this summer
Jeans...7 for All ManKind Roxanne...$99 at Marshalls
Shoes (not wearing in the picture but they were ballet flats in a pinkish metallic color)...Old Navy...bought last spring for $14.99
Clutch...Forever 21...$3.80

I also got the clutch in silver. They were so cheap and perfect for an id, phone and lipstick.

Flips Flops continued

How many times can I blog about J.Crew flip flops...I guess one more time. My friend, Lindley, found these flip flops for me at the J.Crew outlet in Lynchburg. Yea...they were $10! She was so sweet to remember that I was in the market for some new flops.



And speaking of the J.Crew outlet, click here to learn about the new online outlet they are launching this month. I am excited to check it out.

Back to School Menu Planner

Sunday - World's Best Lasagna (this is the highest rated main dish recipe on allrecipes.com)
Monday - leftovers
Tuesday - Pepperoni Calzones (variation on this recipe)
Wednesday - Bow-tie Pasta with Sausage
Thursday - Chicken Chilaquiles (I am going to put this in tortilla's instead of serving over tortilla chips.)
Friday - Bacon, Ranch, and Chicken Mac and Cheese