March 29, 2012

Stoakley Family Garden 2012

Last spring, we planted a garden and it was fun to watch it grow and we got a fair amount of veggies from it. You can read more about our garden last year here, here, here and here.

So a couple weekends ago, we planted a new round of plants and seeds.

Garden2012

Herbs

Camille planted only flower seeds in her garden and we planted a few more seeds to the left of Camille's space for Clyde's "garden".

In the larger area, we planted strawberries, lettuce, tomato plants, and jalapeno seeds. I also planted cilantro, basil and parsley in a pot this year. I checked out a few books from the library about vegetable gardens but I am not sure I learned too much. We will see what happens.

March 27, 2012

Better late than never menu planner

Here goes....

Tuesday - Broiled Salmon with Dijon Caper Sauce, Red Potatoes marinated in Onion Soup Dip, Zucchini/Squash Medley

Wednesday - Southwestern Turkey Meatloaf (can't find a link to this - will post if it is good. It is from BHG March or April issue)

Thursday - Flank Steak, Risotto, Salad

Friday - Dinner out

Saturday - Pork with Mango Salsa, Beans & Rice

Agent Open House

I had an agent lunch last week at my listing on Wishart Court. This is such a great home. It was nice to have so many agents come by to view all the wonderful features this home has to offer. For more details on the property, click here.

SignOpenHouse

AgentOpenHouseLunch

Beverages

March 25, 2012

Weekend Recap

We had a fabulous weekend at Keswick celebrating the wedding of a good friend from high school. Michael's parents and my mom shared care duties for Camille and Clyde and we enjoyed two nights of fun with our friends.

Our room was so cute and the hotel had such a homey feel.

Room

MenuCard

Girls

MichaelAlyson

I wish I had taken more pictures. But trust me when I tell you we had a blast!

March 19, 2012

Coffee Table Found!

I have been on the hunt for a coffee table with cleaner lines than the round table that was currently in my living room. The round table was actually my first wedding present, a gift from my grandmother, and so it has a lot of sentimental value. I am definitely saving it because one day I may find a new spot for it in our house.

Last week, I ventured over to Class and Trash and found this great table for $18. It was buried under another table and quite a bit more classy trash. I immediately noticed it seemed to be in fairly good condition, sturdy and the size was right. I also was attracted to the bronze detailing on the legs. And how could I resist an $18 price tag. 
CoffeeTableBeforee


LegsBefore


When I got the table home, I wiped it off with a dish liquid solution. I normally like to use white vinegar and water but was out of vinegar. Then I took an old toothbrush and some Brasso and scrubbed the brass detailing on the legs. The toothbrush helped make this process quicker but it was still not the most fun task on the planet. I then took a wood filler pen and filled in some of the chipped areas. After that, I wiped on a coat of dark stain that I had on hand. I let that dry overnight. Then the next morning I used Old English on the entire piece.

Here is my after...tilt your head a little and the picture will appear straight.
CoffeeTableAfter


CoffeeTableAnotherView


CoffeeTableTopAfter


LivingRoomAfter
Sun was really coming in here...sorry about the picture quality.
I really like it as a new addition to the living room. I found these decorating books for $1 a piece at For the Love of Jesus thrift shop. And I just noticed I left the price tags on that actually say $2 a piece so there must have been a sale on books that day because I only paid a buck!
Decoratingbooks

March 18, 2012

Spring!

SpringFlowers

SpringFlowers2

EasterDisplay

EasterDisplay2

We are in full Spring mode over here. I cut these flowers from my yard over the weekend. Love them! No menu planner this week...nothing too spectacular on the list. We are eating up a lot of frozen casseroles from previous weeks. I keep a bunch of foil containers on hand and when a casserole makes a ton, I freeze a portion. Also, it is teacher appreciation week at C and C's school and I am making my favorite, Angela's Awesome Enchiladas, for each teacher. Click here for the recipe.

March 15, 2012

Bathroom Artwork Switchout

I have had these frames for years and decided I wasn't in love with the look anymore. We have plans to renovate and probably gut this bathroom so I haven't wanted to spend any money on updating. Here is a quick before....

BathroomArtBefore

And after....
BathroomArtWorkAfter

I had these bird feather prints and they were previously in Clyde's nursery. I bought the flower painting at a thrift store for $3 a few months back. The artwork is by Camille and I used a frame and mat I already owned. (I cut the mat myself and it is far from perfect...hindsight being 20/20...I should have just laid the picture over the yellow mat instead of trying to cut.)

BathroomLeftUpclose

CamilleArtworkUpclose

PictureBefore

I have been working on this great coffee table I found at Class and Trash. Stay tuned as I get pictures posted hopefully in the next few days.

March 12, 2012

Menu Planner

I am easing back into project mode. We did some work on Clyde's room over the weekend. And I completed a few other projects I will try to post this week.

We are supossed to have a gorgeous spring week here in RVA so I planned a couple items for the grill! Here is this week's menu planner....

Monday - Chicken Tortilla Soup
Tuesday - Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs, Wild Rice, Asparagus
Wednesday - Turkey Burgers, French Fries
Thursday - Taco Casserole

March 11, 2012

Beds Bunked!

Last summer, we moved Clyde to a twin bed and swapped Camille and Clyde's room. Read more about that switch here.  Around Christmas time, a family friend generously offered their train table to Clyde and with that addition his room was getting cramped.  We had been considering bunking his beds for a while and over the weekend we made the move. Here is a quick before shot...the train table isn't shown here but imagine a much larger table where the white table is in this picture.
Clyde Bedroom After

And after.....
ClydeRoomBeds

It is so much better! There is actually space to play. Now there is still some concern that someone may fall off the top bunk but so far so good.

Clyde Bookcase

Clyde Closets

ChairUpclose

I found these adorable school chairs at Diversity Thrift today for $3 each!

March 5, 2012

Great Wolf Lodge and Menu Planner

A few weekends ago, we spent one night at the Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg.  We had fun...Camille loved it. Clyde may have been a little young. Here are some pictures from our trip.

ClydeBedCheezits
Cool bunk beds!

CamilleClydeTopBunk


CamilleClydeMommy


DonutEyes
Donut Eyes!


DonutFace


CamilleMichael


ReadytoSwin
Ready to Swim

Here is this week's menu planner....
Monday - Chunky Ham Pot Pie
Tuesday - Tortellini Carbonara
Wednesday - Brunswick Stew & Grilled Cheeses
Thursday - Parmesan Chicken Breasts & Cannellini Beans with Roasted Peppers & Kale