Decisions Decisions!!

I went fabric hunting again yesterday and found some fabrics that are very good possibilities for ending up on our dining room chairs, finally!  I felt like I was never going to come across anything.  At first, I was thinking I would do solid white on the seat and back, then a pattern on the very back, that way the chairs would remain neutral and it would pop against the dark cherry stain we're doing.  The more I thought about it though and the more I searched, I wouldn't be able to find a durable enough white fabric that would resist stains well.  So then I started searching for ideas and found some chairs similar to mine with different patterns to help give me an idea of what a patterned fabric might look like if it were on the seats and backs.  Here are the fabrics I found that I may use that I took pictures of.  Please let me know what you think!

Here's another picture of the chairs with the current stain, we're thinking of going darker.

This is my favorite (I think) and the one my husband liked the best.  I saw a similar print in pink in the latest Coastal Living magazine on chairs that looked that just mine but with a white finish.  These colors should blend well with the colors in my living room which is adjoined to the dining space, but still give the dining space it's own identity.  I may add other colors to compliment this as well with the place settings and table decor.

This is the fabric I was thinking of using on the chairs with the one above.  I'm not sure if I would use it on the seats or the back, or the very back. Ugh, decisions.  What I like about this fabric is that it feels durable and the fabric is neutral but won't show dirt.

The two above fabrics together.

I also liked this, maybe not for the chairs but with another project?

This was another option that I liked for the chairs, to go with the tan fabric above.  My husband did not approve though.

I just liked this pretty pink fabric and decided to take a picture.

I love his fabric and pattern.   I don't know how I feel about it being on my chairs but I would definitely consider pillows in them.  In fact, it is featured in a previous blog post of mine shown as pillows.  

This was a very pretty white fabric.   This would not stay this pretty for long though.

And here is the tan fabric but in a different shade.  This might work with the chairs better?

Outdoor Spaces

 I love spending time outside when the weather is nice.  This warm weather lately has me really really wanting to sit outside and eat dinner or just read.  Unfortunately, our outdoor space has little to be desired right now.  We have a small deck off of our kitchen, then a small patio off of our bedroom. Both of these spaces are pretty bare right now.  Our deck consists of a grill, our recycling bin and some dead plants.  Our patio just has one dead plant.  I just hope the plants are asleep and come back to life soon.  Anyhow, there isn't anywhere to sit down to have my dinner, read, or just to relax.  I've been trying to look for a fairly inexpensive patio set for our deck.  It will probably a bistro set since I don't want the area too crowded.  Down on the patio I'm thinking a couch with a little coffee table.  I would love to have an outdoor rug for each space with possibly some alive, colorful plants with one or two vegetable/spice plants as well.  In the meantime, I can look at these beautiful warm weather spaces.

via Coastal Living

via Coastal Living

via Southern Living

via Coastal Living

via House Beautiful

Another recipe, Shrimp and Grits

I love shrimp.  I love grits.  I love shrimp and grits.  I found this classic Southern recipe from Food Network Magazine and thought I'd try it out.  It looked really good in the picture and the ingredients sounded great.   It reminded me of warm weather and I was craving seafood.  I thought it turned out pretty good!  My husband isn't a huge fan of grits but I was hoping to win him over with this dish.  Here are some pics that I took.  *Sorry for the quality, they were taken from my phone.

All of the ingredients except the shrimp that were in a separate bowl.

These are the grits that I used.  They can be found at Whole Foods.

Getting the grits to the right consistency.

Sautéing the shrimp.

I even plated the meal according the the directions!

Close up of the yumminess.

So, here's the recipe!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup instant grits (and believe me this will be plenty!)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 pound or so of medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (this is optional but I included it because I like spice!)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon, plus wedges for serving
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, then cover  it. Uncover and slowly whisk in the grits, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parmesan cheese and 1 tbs butter. Cover and remove from the heat.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Next, season the shrimp with salt and pepper (a light shake or two). Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic and cayenne and cook until the shrimp are pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add 2 tablespoons water, the lemon juice and parsley; stir to coat the shrimp with the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Serve however you would like.  The recipe says to serve in a shallow bowl but a plate worked fine for us.  Enjoy!

**If you happen to make this, let me know how it turns out for you!**

Stripes

Stripes are EVERYWHERE in this coming Spring and Summer's catalogs and I love the nautical inspiration. Here's a sample of some of my favorites.  What do you think of stripes?

via Lilly Pulitzer

via Kate Spade

via Kate Spade

Via Nautica

via JCrew

via JCrew

via JCrew

via JCrew

via JCrew

via JCrew

Early Spring Cleaning

Long ago,  I watched a show about people who had cluttered homes and needed some help minimizing their belongings and also needed design help.  While I didn't always like the room designs and decor from that show, I did like how they encouraged and taught the homeowners whats important to hold onto and what is not.  They weren't just cleaning out their homes, they were starting new and fresh.  At least once a year, if not more, I go through all of my things and decide what should stay and what should go.  During this process I try to think about what is important to me and why I want to keep something.  If I don't have a connection to it and have rarely used it, then I get rid of it somehow (yard sale it, Goodwill it, give it away, etc.).  I don't always follow my rules because it is hard to get rid of things.  My mind starts to think "well I may need this".  I have learned the following rules either on my own or through others and feel they are the best to go by when deciding on what to do with an item.

For Clothing
Rule #1:  If it doesn't fit and can never fit properly even through alterations, get rid of it!
Rule #2: If you didn't wear it during the last season that it was appropriate to wear it for, get rid of it!
Rule #3: If it has something wrong with it that cannot be mended, washed out, etc., get rid of it!
Rule #4:  If you've had it for a year and the price tag is still on it, get rid of it!
Rule #5: If you think it is out of style and you wouldn't be caught dead in it, get rid of it!  Sidenote: Things usually do come back in style, history does repeat itself.  So if you have put a decent amount of money into a good quality piece, it may be worth holding onto.  I try not to spend a lot on the "fad" clothing and now try to invest in items that are more timeless and can stay in my closet longer.

For Household Items
Rule #1: If it is in a box in your attic and is not affiliated with any holiday, get rid of it! This goes for any box in your closet, car, etc, etc.
Rule #2: If it is broken and you cannot remember when it broke, get rid of it!
Rule #3: Taken from the clothing list "If you've had it for a year and the price tag is still on it, get rid of it!

Are there any rules that you go by?

Superbowl Sunday

Last year I posted some recipes for dips that we have served during football games, which can be found here.  For this years Superbowl, we're hosting a get together at our house and making a few items to go along with some of the yummy food some guests are bringing.  Here are a couple of the recipes we might be making:

Jalapeno Poppers
20 jalapenos
2- 8oz packets of cream cheese
16oz monterey jack cheese
1/2 a bundle scallions
salt and pepper (to taste)

SLICE the jalapenos from stem to tip (to make a canoe shape).  Save the tops of the jalapenos for the filling mixture. **Make sure to de-seed the jalapenos**
MIX the cream cheese and the monterey jack cheese together.  Add your salt and pepper.
CHOP the tops of the jalapenos you save and add it to the cheese mixture.
CHOP the scallions and and them to the cheese mixture.
SCOOP the mixture into the canoe shaped jalapenos.  There might be some leftover mixture.  This will be good to use as a dip with crackers!
BAKE on 350 for 30 minutes then enjoy!

Crab Dip Recipe- found under last years posting

Red Beans and Rice
Trying to get the exact recipe from my husband... it's his recipe.

New Goodies

I recently got this pillow case from Etsy seller Shellie Jernigan of Pillow Happy.  She is located in NC and has really cute things.  I loved the colors and think it will match well with the things in my house.   The colors also remind me of Spring and Summer!

I also FINALLY got these 18x24 gold bamboo picture frames from Amazon with a Christmas gift card.  It took a while for them to arrive but was well worth the wait.  I still have to get mats for them.  I'm thinking of white mats with black and white pictures inside.  I will post a picture soon of what they look like hanging up.

Happy February everyone!