Lesson 52-Mediterranean Chicken

So remember in this post, I tried making a chicken recipe that I found on thenest.com, but was lacking key ingredients. I finally acquired the missing ones and attempted the recipe again--with much more success, and no broken cutting boards.

Ingredients:
* 1 lb chicken breasts
* 2 tbsp. olive oil
* 2 tsp. chile powder
* 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
* 2 tsp. ground coriander
* 2 tsp. ground cumin
* 2 tsp. ground tumeric
* 2 tsp. dry mustard powder
* 1.5 tsp. coarse salt

Preheat grill to medium. Place chicken in a large resealable bag.

Add olive oil and all dry ingredients. Seal bag and shake till chicken is completely coated. Grill chicken until completely cooked through.

And enjoy!!! Can't you just see yourself walking through a spice bazaar somewhere?

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Lesson 51-Iron-Ons Are Cool

Remember this little guy?

Well...he's not so little anymore. And he grew out of his cute little shirt. It quickly became more of a muscle shirt and he wasn't too inclined to wear it anymore. So being the nice mommy I am, I made him a new shirt to wear.









Now he looks like this! Isn't he so big!!!



I got all my supplies at Hobby Lobby. And I'm thinking about other cool things I can make with Iron-Ons. Lot's of fun!!!

Lesson 50-Pottery Barn Love

Here are some items I fell in love with this year at PB. Now, if only I could remember to bring my gift card with me when we go!!!


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And here are the PB rooms I wish were in my house. Or I could happyily just move in to one of their stores.

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I'll be back soon with a new Pottery Barn house. What would your house look like? What Pottery Barn items do you proudly display? Or am I the only one obsessing over PB these days?

Lesson 49- Laundry Room Unplugged!

Ok, so it's not near as cool as MTV Unplugged! (Does anyone even remember that show?) And it certainly isn't my favorite room in the house, but that doesn't mean it has to stay that way! Luckily for me, that dear hubby of mine was okay with me redoing the laundry room and attempting to make it as exciting as the golden age of Music Television. The first step was removing the washing machine and dryer. This was a job for Mr. Muscles, also known as my hubbs.

While moving the appliances to their temporary home (the scrapbooking room and hallway--awkward much!) we discovered that perhaps it wasn't as straight forward as it seemed. So I decided to write this blog for anyone who might discover the same thing in their process of making the laundry room their favorite room in the house.

1) Pull the washer away from the wall and unplug the power cord.
2) Turn off both water supplies behind the machine (hot and cold). Make sure they are tight so water doesn't leak out.
3) A bucket or towel can be placed underneath the water source if water is leaking out.
4) Disconnect the washing machine from the water source on the wall.
5) Carefully move the washing machine to its temporary home. A dolly will be Mr. Muscles BFF.


Just reverse those steps when you're ready to have everything plugged back in. Pretty easy once you figure our what you're doing.

And of course this is one of those posts where I slacked on pictures. Sorry! But while you're using your imagination to see the our washer and dryer in hall and scrapbooking room, maybe you can also come up with who killed the video-star. Anyone else miss Carson Daly and TRL? I guess this post could also be an ode to dead MTV shows. Oh the memories...

source: MTV

Lesson 48- I'm a Hopeless Romantic

This was my favorite SuperBowl commercial and easily my favorite ever commercial. It seriously brings tears to my eyes everytime. I know, I'm a mushy sap. Oh well!
It popped in to my head today while getting my dinner from Paradise Bakery, mmmmm! Anyways, I thought it should be shared on this lovely second Wednesday of June. And there's really no other purpose. But I hope you enjoy.



I could watch this over and over...and I think I just might!

Lesson 47-What is your definition of clean?

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A few weeks ago my 'rents were coming to visit. I had gotten their room ready as well as the hall bathroom that they would use. I was talking to Husband on my lunch break to ensure the house would be presentable when my parents arrived shortly after my return from work. Husband assured me that he had straightened up the house and there was nothing to worry about.

That afternoon I returned home to a sink full of dishes, dog toys all over the living room, kitchen counters full of crud, and bits and bobs all over the carpet.

'This is his idea of clean?!' I thought to myself. What exactly did he do to 'straighten up'? Luckily for me, my parents were running late and I was able to get the living room and kitchen up to my standards for being clean.

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But it got me wondering (even on Facebook): why do men and women have different definitions of clean? Why would God do that to us?

Husband isn't as bad as man portrayed in pic--just using it for some comedic hyperbole.

Lesson 46-Quick and Easy Meal

Once upon a time when my dear friend A and I had just moved out of our parent's homes for the first time, she invited me over for lunch. How grown-up is that?! The meal she prepared was quick, easy, but oh-so-yummy. I have now added it to my repertoire of recipes and it quickly became one of Husband's faves as well.

This little gem of a meal is French bread pizza! And you only need 3 simple ingredients--seriously, can this get any better?

* French bread pizza (if you can go around 4pm, stores have them fresh out of the oven and still warm. Mmmmmmmmmmmm!!)
* shredded mozzarella cheese
* spaghetti sauce

For this particular pizza I added turkey pepperoni and Hatch green chile.

And all you need to do is slice the bread in half both vertically and horizontally and add any toppings you desire and you are set. Well, then you put it in the oven (top rack) on broil for maybe 7-ish minutes. Now, you're all set to eat your quick and easy pizza.

Thanks A!!!

Lesson 45- Florals Galore

My mother will be the first person to tell you that I have never enjoyed anything overly floral or lacy. Pretty much from the time I could talk I resisted anything that I deemed too 'girly'. But then I grew up and discovered Cath Kidston! While I was living in England, one of my friends became a huge fan. I thought it was nice...but still not my cup of tea. But over the past two years my style has changed I guess. Cause when I ran across a Cath Kidston store in Notting Hill in London, I was hooked!





The husband was waiting patiently for me out side the store. After about 10 minutes wandering around the store completely overwhelmed, I walked out and said "I need a budget." Without one I was certain I would have spent WAY too much money. With my budget, I was a good girl and only walked out of the store with this:


Have I turned you into a Cath Kidston fan? Are you a fan of florals? Or do you prefer stripes or something less 'girly'? Have you noticed that your styles have changed as you've gotten older?

Lesson 44- The Best Place In England II

Yesterday I took you on a mini, virtual tour of Chatsworth House. Today I'd like to show you around the gardens--which are stunning!










I don't know about you, but these gardens make my backyard look like rubbish!! But somehow I don't think that it'll be too possible since I live in the middle of the desert.

Lesson 43- The Best Place in England

My favorite place in England--or one of them--is a stately home in Derbyshire called Chatsworth. It is the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and was Jane Austen's inspiration for Pemberly in 'Pride and Prejudice'. Chatsworth has also been featured in several movies including 'Pride and Prejudice' with Keira Knightly and 'Wolfman'.

We visited while we were in England and I thought I would share some pictures of the beautiful rooms in the home. Obviously since it is a still lived in home only portions are open to the public, but those rooms are still amazing. Some pictures though are from previous trips while I was living in England.

































Isn't it so beautiful?! Doesn't it make want to search out Mr. Darcy?

Lesson 42-Where I've Been

Sorry I've been AWOL from Blogland! I don't really have an excuse, but I did have a fantastic vacation in England and Ireland with my hubbs. The worst part about the trip was it was too short. Here are some pictures from our adventures.


What are your summer vacation plans?