Cheap and Chic Decor: Houseplants

The pretty plant adds a nice touch to an otherwise bare space.

Until recently I have relied mainly on candles and such to make my house smell nice. However, with a small person (who is fascinated by fire as only a three year old can be) in residence, an open flame just doesn't seem like a wise idea. I also tried out the candle warmer thingie - also endlessly fascinating, and hot. So, no go on that one too. What is a mommy to do?

Well, I got a calla lily for Valentine's day which I love. And that sparked a hunt for more house plants including another calla lily, two small ivy plants, a baby ficus, a beautiful hibiscus and some other green leafy thing. And all of a sudden the air was fresher and I could smell the flowers every time I walked in the house. Perfect.

Now, about that second calla lily - it is a little odd. The blooms are beautiful and deep pink. Except for the newest bloom. It's white. Go figure. I am baffled and just a bit weirded out by this silly plant. Anyone know anything about this kind of thing?

my pretty calla lily

you see the crazy white bloom in there?!

Cheap and Chic Kitchen: French Dip and Zucchini Sticks

french dip and zucchini sticks

 First of all,  let me just say that this meal was really, really good. The French dip was super easy and so tasty. The zucchini sticks were a lot of work, but also very good. I wasn't crazy about the sweet onion dip, but I enjoyed them just as much on their own.

The French dip recipe is available here. However, we don't drink beer in our house and frankly the smell makes me gag. So I sort of modified the recipe a bit. I had French onion soup mix on hand and bought a carton of beef broth. All I did was put my roast in the crock pot, add the pouch of soup mix and pour the beef broth to cover the whole thing. Then just cook on low for 7 hours. Easy.

french rolls, toasted and sliced open

I used provolone cheese because the smokey flavor goes well with the oniony french dip

finally the thinly sliced roast - yum

The zucchini sticks were a lot more work. I didn't have an hour to let the sticks sit in the salt and so they didn't get as crisp as they were supposed to. Still tasty. Probably won't be adding this to the regular rotation simply because it is so work intensive.

zucchini sliced and setting in salt (supposed to be for an hour or more)

dredge in egg then this panko bread crumb, parm cheese mixure

What about you? Do you prefer easy peasy or tasty but complicated? 

Spring Pastels

dress and shoes: thrifted, sweater: gap, bag: target

no I am not preggers, just chubbers ;(

I admit it. I am a girly girl. And pink is my favorite color. It has always been and probably always will be. My room as a little girl was Strawberry Shortcake. I even remained loyal to pink throughout the days of grunge when pink was very definitely out. So imagine my joy in the delicious pastels shades that are everywhere this spring. I am in heaven. And colorblocking, which I totally enjoyed rocking last summer has moved into the realm of pastels. So, yes, I am indeed wearing a pair of baby blue pumps with my pale rose dress. And yes, in case you were wondering, it does feel delightful. Now the only question is, what other pastels can I find to pair with my beloved pink.

My First Ever Blog Award!!!

button-up: savers, maxi dress: forever 21

Wow!  My dear friend, Peggy from Pork Chop Tuesday gave me my first ever blogger award. So very exciting. (You can see from the picture above how very excited my little one is.) Thank you, Peggy. If you enjoy food and household blogs, you should check her out. She has great photography, adorable and wonderful daughters, and mad cooking skills.

Apparently, as part of the award I get to pass on the excitement to five other small (under 200 followers) blogs. So in no particular order here are my five awardees (I don't actually think that's a word, but you get the picture).

1. A Skirt a Day is one of my favorite smaller blogs. Shey is a beautiful kindergarden teacher with a wardrobe full of skirts and dresses, many of which she has altered or refashioned herself. The lady has enviable sewing skills.
2. Courtesy Laugh is another favorite. Amber is hilarious and stylish and fun. Each post is guaranteed to make you laugh.
3. Academia Sartorial is by Emily, the most kind hearted lady ever. She works with international students and has the biggest heart for them. She is also finally preggers after years of trying and currently working some great maternity looks.
4. Breakfast with Tiffany is a fun, lighthearted romp through style and life by the endlessly adorable Tiffany. She has great style and the cutest blonde pixie.
5. Relatable Style is my final fave.  Cute, blonde and she has the most amazing boot collection I have ever seen.

There you have it. My five favorite blogs under 200 followers. Go check them out and enjoy!

For the bloggers who accept this award, you must do the following:
1. Thank the person who have you the award.
2. Link back to their blog.
3. Copy and paste the Liebster award to your profile.
4. Pick 5 blogs that you feel deserve to be in the spotlight (they must have 200 followers or under).
5. Blog about it and leave a comment for your nominations to let them know that you have chosen their blog.
 

Mani Monday - Minty Fresh

love and beauty mint nail polish (with a pen mark already!)

I love this Color. It is the prettiest, springiest shade of minty delightfulness ever. I have been avoiding unconventional nail colors for the last month and a half, and I am super glad to be sporting something a little more fun and fresh.

I have to admit when nail colors other than shades of red and pink started showing up several years ago, I was not a fan. Seriously. To me it was a little like wearing blue lipstick. Crazy, right? Obviously it grew on me. Literally.

So, what is your take on crazy nails? Do or don't?

Pinterest Fun

Dinner for Three thanks to Pinterest

Rosemary Chicken Skillet - Yum

My pin board for food has been filling up with all kinds of tasty looking treats. And really what's the point of having a board full of tasty recipes if I never use them, right? So, I added an easy looking one to the menu for this week. Rosemary Chicken Skillet. Chicken, potatoes, mushrooms - easy peasy. And yes, the recipe was just as easy as it seemed and turned out quite tasty, if a tad more lemony that I expected. I do think the chicken would be a bit more flavorful if it was marinated before-hand. Also, I don't have a cast iron skillet, so I browned the chicken and then transferred everything to a baking dish to put in the oven. It turned out perfectly. For the recipe, see my pin board here.

I am looking forward to getting back into blogging. I have kind of missed it for the last few months. I would love to hear in the comments what kinds of posts you would like to see - organization, decorating on a dime, outfit of the day, food, all of the above?