nanita

this past week flew by. last weekend my two sisters and I drove down to Tijuana, Mexico to visit our nanita in the hospital. she fell and what we thought was a broken hip thankfully turned out to be a broken femur,{still not good but better}. she was in good spirits. we hung out, talked and i asked her about her childhood. she told us stories about where she grew-up. we talked about food. my nanita was a great cook {she really can't cook anymore but she loves to help}. my sisters and i share her love of cooking. as a child i would enjoy watching and helping her cook. she would start early in the morning chopping and prepping for that evenings dinner. i loved how she was just so calm chopping and cooking and took her time. as a working mom who is always rushing to get dinner on the table at a decent time i wish i had the time to just focus on cooking and my home.

so being in a hospital in Mexico got me to thinking how lucky we really are. i was overcome by an immense feeling of gratefulness, that God has blessed us, thankful that my mom and dad out of a difficult circumstance moved to the US and that we were given an opportunity to have a better future.

 though we did not grow up with much, we were very fortunate.

some are never given that opportunity, some have to endure much, much more hardship and pain.

sometimes i wonder why should i be so lucky

and then realize that it is by the GRACE of God that i have what i have.

not because i am more deserving or that i have worked harder than others

it is by his love and GRACE,

how amazing that we are so loved,

how amazing ....

Prairie Style

i am in love

this is just one of many beautiful images in Fifi O'neals new book, Romantic Prairie Style

as I have previously shared, i love boots. i came across these images from the book while reading one of my faves and decided to share some pictures with you.

 I feel as though i am transported to some place in the country where life runs at a slower place..how my heart aches for a slower pace..a calmer place...a peaceful place.

doesn't this look sooo inviting?

absolutely lovely...paradise..

and just because I love animals... horses are such beautiful animals.

I am going to reserve my copy of Romantic Prarie Style... it isn't out until april and is already on the top sellers list on Amazon...{sigh}.

shortcakes

hubby has a sweet tooth and has asked me to bake him something sweet.



you can get the recipe here

I will be baking these shortcake biscuits. I tore the recipe out from one of my old Martha Stewart{2001} magazines. This is one of my go to recipes.

I like making these biscuits during summer but for tonight, we will have them as is without the cream and berries.

 The boys love them {I do too}.

Hope you had a great weekend!

kitchen remodel {after}

So here is my after pictures, after all the waiting {about ten years, before we finally decided to tackle the kitchen}. I never dreamed that I could have a kitchen like this…and now I do. I absolutely love it. I love to cook and now it is so much easier to do especially with this island. My only regret is that I waited too long but then again we probably wouldn’t of had the budget either. If and when we move {that’s a whole other blog post}, the kitchen will be the first thing  we remodel.

Of course my kitchen doesn’t always look this way {almost never}  but nonetheless, it was fun staging it to share with you.

This is our mudroom turned pantry area, not too much to look at. We were able to add a small wine fridge in this area. this area was not yet camera ready.. .will work on it soon.

Thanks for stopping by...hope you enjoyed the view.

 and are having a wonderful day…

kitchen remodel {before}

We remodeled our kitchen in 2009. Can’t believe it has been almost two years.  I wanted to share with you pictures of my kitchen before the remodel, I didn’t take any pictures of the kitchen before we did some demolition, but with the studs you can see where the wall was. I wanted to tear down and create a great room. when we had family over, I would either be stuck in the kitchen all by my lonesome or my sister and friends would all cozily gather in the kitchen talking to me, either way it was no fun.

Funny story about the roosters in the kitchen:

When we first bought the house, I noticed the roosters and vowed those were going to be the first to go….and there they are {or were} almost 10 years later. What can I say, they grew on me. Hopefully they are now residing in a home who loves them..they went with the cabinets… to a new home somewhere in Tijuana, Mexico.

 

Here is my doggy number 1. Who could resist a doggy picture, not me.

Max was always so curious about what was going on in the kitchen, hoping someone would give him a treat.

We have hardwood floors throughout the house and decided to install them in the kitchen. Since it was going to open to the living/dining room area, I wanted an even floor.

I love the way the floor looks in the picture below.

it was so shiny and new, it felt like a dance floor.

When I came home from work the day the cabinets were installed, I was in awe..I absolutely loved them.

hubby being the planner that he is, had all the appliances installed the day after the cabinets were fitted to ensure they fit well..and they did.

 

this island is a must, I didn't realize how much i would use it ...it makes breakfast and food prep easier.

I hand picked the granite at a  local granite yard. I was amazed of the color in granite and how one color varied from the time and season in which it was cut. All quite interesting.

when the granite was installed, I was even happier …. I absolutely loved the color on the island. It even has some shiny {blingy} opalescent specks.

 I will post some after pictures tomorrow..when I clean up my kitchen and stage it.

temptation

For a girl who is trying not to shop, I am having a hard time staying away...temptation...it does that to you.

so I decided to post on it...sometimes when you are trying to accomplish something, things purposefully try to distract you from your intentions... do I succumb or hold strong..I have a choice to make..

So let me show you what is causing this distress...

I love boots...ever since I was little...I wish I had a copy of a picture of me when I was 5 years old wearing knee high red boots...I remember them and I loved them!

I am soooo wanting a pair of these

But given they almost cost the same as this

 

I don't know if I could justify the cost...but I like them...a lot! I am torn, something for me or for my dining room. I have had my eye on this chandelier for a while... I don't really care for our current chandelier, {honestly I've never liked it but it served as lighting}

decisions..decisions..

valentine’s day

 

my boys are my valentines… I love them!

I bought these beautiful tulips at Fresh and Easy,

love that store.

we enjoyed a nice family dinner.

Hope you had a great one!