Okay.... It has been NINE years.  NINE years... what?  Life has been quite interesting in those nine years.  I had one kid nine years ago.  Now I have two! )  I was in my early years of owning a house outside Boston and now I am in the early years (well actually its been mere weeks...) of owning a house in western Mass or as my parents like to say "rural America"! :)  

I cannot promise I will be posting regularly. But suddenly had a hankering tonight to see if I even still had my blog password and even if I remember how to create posts! :)   So, here we are!  

I am truly not sure if anyone will even see this post, so consider this a test.  You still out there?  Nine years later?

I'm still here.... :)

xoxo

C.J..... Colored Jeans!

There has been a lot of talk around my office these days about colored jeans.  Yes, they are all the rage.... but there are so many color options.  How is a girl to choose?

I had been looking for a tangerine colored pair after seeing them in a fashion magazine, but chickened out in the end.  I figured I would start "safe" and went with red.  They have not yet arrived in the mail, so we will see what I think once I put them on.  But, colored jeans are EVERYWHERE, so it is safe to say I will find a pair or two ... I hope!

Until next time...xoxo

P... Playhouse!

Okay... the backyard project continues and I recently (well the husband- under my direction) recently tackled a new addition to the space.  Avery loves playhouses.  The park we frequent has a little cabin and Avery absolutely adores it.  Of course, I realized that she needed a playhouse of her own!  I would love to build her a playhouse, but at this time that was not an option.

I immediately hit the web to buy a playhouse for her.  I was shocked to find that these plastic dream homes cost on average $300-$400 dollars.  For plastic... seriously?  And in truth ... they are pretty ugly.  Clearly buying a new one was out of the question, so I hit Craigslist.    I searched for several weeks before finding one that looked in decent shape (no cracks) it was listed for $100 and included a  Cozy Coupe Car too.  The selling factor was that it was one town over and he would deliver it to our home if we bought it.  Perfect!

So, of course we bought this lovely thing!  These things last forever, but seem to fade easily.  Not to mention that the original color scheme is just not nice.  I had big plans for this house!

I had big plans for this house!   A few cans of plastic specific spray paint later....it is cute enough to gain acceptance into our backyard plan. 

What do you think?  Cute right?   Avery loves this little house and its recent makeover.   I should hopefully have some other yard updates soon.  We have made some recent progress and are bringing in the new guns (professionals) in the next few weeks.  Finally!  

Until next time....xoxo

B... Brimfield. Take 1!

So, I have been MIA....again!  Well, what can I say.  I return with Brimfield news though.  Not only did I hit Brimfield last week, I hit it twice.  I was there Tuesday, opening day, in the rain.  I then returned on Saturday for the 2nd to last day for the good deals and it was perfect sunshine.

I am going to do a full debrief on all my purchases later this week, but I thought I would give you a little teaser today.  I bought this adorable school desk that I am currently hiding from the husband.  I have absolutely no need for a small kids desk as I already have a few.

It was the drawer under the chair that got me.  How freaking cute!?  I had not plans on buying this, especially given the $50 price tag.  But, when the dealer told me I could have it for $30 (without me even asking)... I could not say no.  $30... total steal.

I think I am going to paint it with white Annie Sloan chalk paint and put it in our family room as a little craft spot for the wee one or perhaps in our new (almost finished) playroom.

Wanna know what else I got?  You have to check back later this week for the other goods!   Until next time...xoxo

M... Meatless. Wednesday?

They wYep, I know it is Wednesday, but I am bringing you a "meatless Monday" recipe.  It is damn good too.  I was not sure that the husband would buy into these Southwestern Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, but he did!  They were really really yummy.  If I made these again I would make a bunch and bring them for lunch to work.  They could be easily popped in the microwave and still be quite tasty!  Thank you Pennies on a Platter for this delicious meatfree recipe.

3 medium sweet potatoes 1 (15 oz) can corn, or 1.5 cups frozen corn, rinsed and patted dry Salt, to taste 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano (optional) 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1/2 yellow onion, diced 1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped 1 ounce cream cheese (light or regular) 1/4 cup sour cream (light or regular), plus more for serving 1 to 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced or pureed 6 Tablespoons shredded Mexican cheese (or other preferred flavor)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until fork tender. Remove from the oven and allow to set until cool enough to handle. While the sweet potatoes are cooling, saute the corn in a dry heavy skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle with salt, cumin, chili powder and Mexican oregano. Cook until the corn is roasted and browned (about 7 to 10 minutes). Transfer to a small bowl; set aside. Wipe the skillet clean and heat the Tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onions and cook until just tender. Transfer to the bowl with the corn. Add the black beans and cilantro to the onion and corn. Gently stir to evenly mix. When the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half, lengthwise. Carefully scoop out the flesh, into a large mixing bowl, leaving the skins intact. (Try leaving a thin layer of potato to help the skin hold together.) Add the cream cheese, sour cream, chipotle pepper(s) and salt to the mixing bowl with the sweet potatoes. Mash with a potato masher or blender to desired texture. Gently stir in the roasted corn, onions, black beans and cilantro mix. Preheat the broiler. Fill each potato skin with the mashed potato mixture*, topping each with 1 Tablespoon of cheese. Broil for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and hot. Serve immediately with a dollop of sour cream. *Note: Any leftover filling can be saved and used later to whip up a few delicious quesadillas.

Give this recipe a try... you won't regret it! :)  Until next time...xoxo

Y... Yes, I am still here!

Okay.... I have clearly been gone a while as I have returned to an all new blogger.  I am surprised that I could even figure out how to post! :)  Things probably look the same to you.    I will admit that I am having a hard time keeping up with life right now.  Things have been REALLY REALLY REALLY busy.  Work is killing me right now and any time outside of that is devoted to parenting and sleeping.  The husband and I did manage to squeeze in a weekend away ... thanks to my mom and dad who took Avery!  It was FANTASTIC.

We went to the Equinox in Manchester, VT.  It is one of my new favorite places on earth.  It is such the perfect New England town and we did a lot of eating, drinking.  We did a lot of sitting outside or by the fire reading.  We swam and got massages.  We went to the Land Rover Off Road Driving School (my Xmas gift to the hubby).  We did some shopping and then we did some more eating and drinking.  Perfection!

So, if you have never been to the Equinox or Manchester, VT... GO!  Any other adorable New England towns you would recommend for our next weekend away.  Won't happen anytime soon, but gotta have a goal! :)  Until next time...xoxo

D....Dreams!

Okay... Dreams really do come true.  Since I have lived in my house I dreamed of a cute shed off on the side of our house (not in the center of our yard).  I wanted a shed that was cute and functional and has windows for light.   I could go on and on.  I never dreamed that my dream would come true... thanks to my husband and father-in-law.  Over the course of two weeks, I watched a miraculous shed appear.

This fall we had a fence company move the side perimeter of our fence... hoping we could put a small shed over there in our new "side yard".  While they were at it... we had them put in a gate to the sidewalk... accessibility is key. The husband has had some free time on his hands and finally got down to focusing on the shed.  They seriously built this in TWO weeks!

Check it out! 

This is the space we were "saving" for the shed!

Progress was made quick... we have walls!

A nice wide door, two windows... oh la la!

Satisfied with his work... he has a beer!

This photos lets you see how/where it fits in our new side yard.

And the drum roll please..........

Please meet our beautiful new shed.  Love it!  

A BIG BIG thanks to the husband and my FIL!  They did great work... I really really really love my new shed.  LOVE!  Now.... onto the hardscaping and landscaping.  We still have a LONG way to go in our backyard.   Until next time....xoxo