Fresh Paint Brings Second Chances

The flea market finds continued last week with an amazingly fantastic owl wall decor and a great old mirror.

They might not look so charming pre paint, but with a little TLC - they ended up being great apartment additions for quite a charming price.  The mirror was a mere five dollars at the flea market, and the owl decor was only two!  I used paint that I already had on hand and bought a three dollar pack of paint brushes... making the grand total for both projects only ten dollars.  However; I will admit that next time I have a project that requires painting, I'll splurge on the paint brushes.  I was constantly picking out the brush's bristles from the sticky paint.  I should've listened to my dad... he always said not to buy cheap paint brushes or knock off diet coke.  :)  Lesson officially learned.

The owl decor went perfectly in my bathroom, and I also had quite the epiphany while hanging them.  Many years from now, when I finally have a little girl... I'll name her Stella or Anabelle, paint her room pink, fill it with blue owls and hang powder blue curtains with pink polka dots on her bedroom's windows.   : )

After I finished the mirror, I realized I really didn't have the space for it.  So a friend of mine and I bartered a little...  The yellow mirror now has a gorgeous new home in downtown Lewisburg, and I have a much needed kitchen table.  "WINNING!"  : )

.finished blue owls.

  

The lovely mirror's new home.

Flea Market Finds

Recently, I've been spending time with a great friend who is well versed in flea markets and DIY projects.  Our newest addiction is the flea market in Fairlea, WV.  They have vendors every Tuesday and Saturday and it's only about 5 minutes from Lewisburg.  I can't promise that you will find great stuff every time, but it's always fun to walk around.  Together,  I'm sure we have spent too much money on random things, but we have also found some amazing pieces!  My newest find... An old door that will soon be my new headboard.  Words cannot express the happiness of finding the door last week.  I've been on the hunt for over a year now, but every one I've found was at least $100 or more... which doesn't exactly fit into our medical school budget.  However; with a little perseverance, I was able to find this amazing door for only $20!  We spent the weekend sanding and moisturizing the old door with linseed oil.  Next, I'll attempt to turn it into a gorgeous master bedroom headboard.  I'll keep you updated as the project moves along.  Let's hope for the best!

Unfortunately, I forgot to take the before picture before starting.... So the before picture is the back side of the door (which I haven't finished yet).

Here's the progress...

Before

After (Somewhat finished)

A little picture to help you imagine it as a headboard...

Jillian would understand. : )

Lately, I've been hitting the gym and Jillian Michael's videos pretty hard... Which makes it harder to want to make yummy food.  But, I have a rule that every holiday (no matter how hard I'm dieting) I splurge.  : )  Not great for shaping up for bikini season, but great for an Easter Sunday sweatpants and movie night.

This Easter was a milestone.  Jason and I spent our first holiday away from home, and I made my very first Key Lime Pie (with the help of my mother-in-law's recipe and a few looks at Allrecipes.com).  I doubled the recipe and was able to make 18 mini pies plus one large pie.  We passed them out to stressed out med school students and friends.  Needless to say... They were a hit!

  

Key Lime Pie  (by Nicole Green)

3 cups condensed milk

1/2 cup sour cream

3/4 cup lime juice

1T lime zest

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350 for 5 mins.

Graham Cracker Crust

I did not make my own crust this time, but just in case you're feeling very Martha Stewart-esque....I did find a great recipe at http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Graham-Cracker-Crust-I/Detail.aspx  : )

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

3 T confectioners' sugar

Whip heavy cream until it starts to thicken.  Add in vanilla extract and sugar until soft peaks form.  Spread over pies using a spatula or piping.

Serve with love, and ENJOY!  :)

Happy Spring!

Is it settling?

  Dreams are a wonderful thing to have.  They keep us striving for more, and constantly working toward a goal.  But what if what we had was all we needed?  What if our Corolla and two bedroom apartment could be enough?  I love dreaming of moving to the Mediterranean sea and never turning back.  I love dreaming of having a house with a greenhouse full of tulips and lavender on the top floor, a movie theatre in the basement, a couch in the bathroom, a red front door, and light blue ceilings on my front porch, with an ocean for my backyard... but I've decided that for now, I will enjoy my morning coffee, springtime in Lewisburg, and my big, comfy couch.  Because enjoying what I have is far more pleasurable than dreaming of what I don't have.  

Just a thought. :)

"I'm gonna quit my job, and move to New York. Somebody told me that's where Dreamers should go"

  Some cities were meant for certain people, and after a whole five minutes in New York... I realized this city was meant for me.  There is something about bright lights, culture, and a Starbucks on every corner that just screams out my name.

  I met some friends in the city, and managed to spend a mere $215 on a flight, taxi, food, and even a little fun. Which I hear is unheard of.  So, if you need a cheep trip to the city...  Apparently, I'm your girl.  ; )

Thanks to Delta, my flight into the city was 15 dollars... Honest.  So, as aggravating as it is to have your flight canceled; just write a little detailed email while you are at your most irritated state, and picture a free flight to NYC to calm you down.  : ) We stayed at Sohotel, which is located right by Greenwich Village, Little Italy, and a subway.  I must admit I didn't pay for the hostel with cash.  Instead, my friends let me pay them with knitted goods, haircuts, and a few nights stay at my place.  However, for the travelers who do not barter for hostels; the hostel was amazing, and only $150 a night for an upgraded room.  We had two full sized.. extremely comfortable beds, wood floors, a flat screen television, and our very on bathroom.  The service was great, the lobby was stocked with hot coffee every morning, and the whole hostel had a great NYC hip feel to it.  The rooms were small... but when you are in New York, you won't want to be in your room for anything other than sleeping and showering.  Promise.

  As far as the city, there wasn't anything I didn't want to see or experience.  Little Italy was great, and so was Times Square, but for me... nothing beat SoHo.  I wanted to grab a bed, and camp out for the rest of my life on Broadway in front of Bloomingdales and Sabon.  But.. I had to settle for a postcard and memories for now.  ; )

Here's a few pictures to hopefully spark your drive for a New York trip soon... ; ) 

Subway Funday

Bryant Park

Friends  :)

moments before making my world go round

.chubby birds.

The Statue of Liberty and Battery Park

birthday funday

The mark of my 23rd year may have been my best birthday yet.  I woke up to pecan pancakes in bed, had two king cakes delivered to my door, ate a yummy burger from the Greenbrier, played in the park, and had an amazing baked good prepared and decorated by my sweet husband.  : )  

Jason's Cupcake Recipe

-One box of Chocolate Cake Mix

-One can of blue icing

-Sprinkles

-LOVE ; )

Catching up.. :)

For the past couple weeks, I have celebrated my 8th Valentine's day with my main squeeze, turned 23, and vacationed in New York!  It has been busy and exciting... which left no room for blogging.  ; )

So to Catch up, I thought I would share a little of my recent adventures with you.  Starting with Valentine's Day...

I made homemade sugar cookies for Valentine's day, and set up a little wine and cheese party for my man.  I'm not a huge sugar cookie fan, but honestly Jason and I both agreed that the cookies were heavenly.  I used The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies Recipe from Allrecipes.com, cut them into different sized heart shapes, and decorated in traditional valentine's day colors.  I halved this recipe, and still had plenty to hand out to neighbors... So unless you're feeding an army, I would definitely cut down on the recipe.

We have a local wine and cheese shop located in downtown Lewisburg called Bella, and with a little help from my father-in-law and the friendly Bella employee; I was able to pick out an awesome bottle of Pinot Noir and some great cheese wedges.  Add a little candle light, soft music, and a  handsome stud... and you have yourself a picture perfect Valentine's Day.  :)