Master Bathroom Sneak Peek

The biggest renovation to hit our house is currently in full swing!  Starting this past Sunday, our main bathroom is undergoing a much-needed revamp that will bring the room out of the 80s and into the current century.  We had a terrible time picking out tile but I'm feeling confident in our choices and can't wait to see the finished product (Friday!!).  The Mr. and Pugsley are at the house helping and overseeing the work -- thankfully the bulk majority of this project was contracted out to our favorite home contractor, Sperr Maintenance & Improvements.

I left the war zone and am staying in the comfort of my BFF's guest room/bathroom for the week but the boys are under strict instructions to take pictures of the progress each day so that I can blog the new room once it's complete.  In the meantime, here's a sneak peek of the progress after Day 1:

Who needs walls when you have a Cadillac bathtub?!

I Made Curtains!

Yes, you read that correctly.  I made curtains!  This is probably the project that I'm most proud of thus far in my home-fixer-upper career.  Why, I'm not really sure.  Probably because, unlike painting and scoring deals on Craigslist, this is something that I never really expected that I would do.  But along came a simple-sounding tutorial on one of my favorite blogs and the results came out much better than I expected.

The room:
Our dining room, which is in the front of the house, has tall, vaulted ceilings and a lot of dark furniture.  There is a little window seat in front of the main windows that have been decorated, since the moment we moved in, with a few pillows.  It brings a bit of dimension into the room but it has always been apparent that long drapes would bring a lot of pretty into the room.  Due to the height of the wall, I would have had to order custom-length drapes... not an option ($$).  DISCLAIMER:  This room is next on the list to be painted.  Please ignore the (lack of) color at this point.

The materials:
The hardest part was picking out the fabric.  I saved my Joann Fabric coupon for the perfect rainy day and away I went.  I stayed in the "home fabric" section because the fabric seemed nicer (read: more expensive) and looked closer to the material that I would expect curtains to be made from.  I have no idea if this was the right choice or not!  I needed approx. 6 yards of fabric, iron-on hem tape, a tape measure and pins from my new sewing kit (thanks, Joe!).

The process:
I used the dining room table to help make the cut.

After I had two long pieces of fabric, I ironed the hem tape onto all four side of both pieces of fabric.  I was worried about this step because I am not in charge of ironing in this family.  It took a bit of adjusting (perhaps I just don't know how to use the iron correctly) but the second curtain went much smoother than the first!

Before:

Hanging:
I purchased a curtain rod at Home Goods and bought clip-on drapery rings at Joann.  By using clip-on rings, I didn't have to figure out how to fold over a loop of fabric in order to fit on the rod.  The clips also help the fabric to hang in perfect folds.

DISCLAIMER #2:  It's nearly impossible to take a good picture of this room.  The afternoon light streams right into the room but the color just isn't the same once it's dark.  Please also see Disclaimer #1 regarding the color of the walls.  Perhaps this is a premature reveal but I'm just really excited :)



After:

Yay!!  What do you think?  I think they'll look much better once we have some color on the wall but this is a good start!

*Recipe* Pineapple Fried Rice & Beans

This is seriously one of the best new recipes that I've tried in a looooooong time.  It's easy, it's healthy and it's ah-mazing! I pulled the page out of my October Better Homes and Gardens magazine (my favorite!) and it only took a week or two to dive right in.  The main reason that I love this recipe is that it combines two of my favorite ingredients: pineapple and cilantro.  You didn't know that about me, did you?  Yup, two faves, though normally I don't have the privilege to eat them together in the same dish.  The original name for this recipe is Asian-Style Fried Rice and Beans.  Boring.  And doesn't reflect the true beauty of the flavors. I added pineapple to my title but if I wasn't so excited to send you all the recipe, I'd work on a new name for a little bit longer.  Either way, try this -- you'll like it!

Pineapple Fried Rice & Beans

Ingredients:
1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced, or 8oz. can pineapple slices
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 medium carrots, thinly bias-sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 15oz. can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
3 Tbsp. soy sauce (Gluten Free or reduced sodium)
1/3 cup snipped fresh cilantro
1 lime, halved

Directions:
1. Quarter pineapple slices.  In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 2 tsp. of the oil over medium heat.  Add pineapple; cook about 2 minutes per side or until golden brown.  Remove from skillet and set aside.
2. Pour the remaining 1 tsp. oil into the hot skillet. Add carrots; cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until just tender.  Add garlic and ginger; cook 30 seconds.
3. Stir in brown rice, garbanzo beans, and peas.  Add soy sauce.  Cook and stir about 4 minutes or until heated through.  Stir in cilantro.  Return pineapple to pan.
4. To serve, squeeze lime over all.  Top with additional fresh cilantro leaves, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: I added a bit more garlic, used ground ginger instead of fresh ginger, and probably didn't put in a full 2 cups of rice (rather dumped a tupperware of leftover rice).  I also used my Gluten Free soy sauce and it turned out perfectly!

I'm thinking that this dish will make the Thanksgiving week menu once the parents make it to town!