What makes you relax?

For a long time now, I have been on the search to find something that is truly and ultimately relaxing to me. The one thing that makes me calm down after a stressful day.  The place that I consider my getaway from life and all things stressful.

First I thought I would try baths.  Tons of Hollywood movies show relaxed and happy women in the bathtub enjoying quiet time to themselves.   I put candles out, light music, and bath soaps and salts.  At the end of the day I could only handle it for about 20 minutes and then I was too hot to be comfortable.  I also got bored very quickly.  So, that did not turn out to be my spot.

Secondly I thought I would try reading in bed.  Millions of women devour books that take them to a different place, leaving their stresses behind.  I got a kindle and bought a few different books to try.  I would hop into bed under the warm sheets with the fan blowing and snuggle up to read.  The only problem became that I was so relaxed that I fell asleep 10 pages into the book.  Needless to say, it took me a very long time to read anything.

I thought crafting might be the answer and so I indulged in some magazines and some craft projects.  For a while it was quite delightful and took me away from life.  As soon as I ran out of crafting ideas, I got stressed out again trying to invent what to do next.

Now I am on the hunt for the perfect relaxing escape.  Maybe it's music, maybe it's movies.  I am still figuring this one out.

What is your escape?  What makes you forget about the stresses of your day!

Hallway Makeover Part 2: Table, And Florals

Hey gang!  As promised, here is the continuation of the hallway makeover.  If you know me, you know that I am a pretty patient person.  I can spend lots of time with kids who move very slowly, I don't mind waiting an extra few minutes for the bus.  I don't get too flustered about those things.  For some reason when it comes to home makeovers (maybe thanks to HGTV's sped up home renovations) I want to get it done NOW!

So, here is the progress since we've last spoken :)

We found this perfect table at Target (only $100 :/) and we had a black wood bowl lying around.  So we put them in the hallway and BAM!  We love it.

Afterward we went out to Walmart and bought a glass vase (5.99... thank you black friday) and some faux flowers.  These were a little bit more expensive.  If you have ever worked with fake flowers before you know that there are two types of fake flowers.  The ones that look like they are made of plastic and have a shine resembling patent leather shoes or the ones that you pay for and need a finer inspection to notice that they are fake.  I went for the splurge on the later.  Thanks to floral beads that Luke's mom had given us, we completed the floral arrangement.

Now the only part left to do is the picture frames.  The next update, despite my lack of patience, might be a little while.  We are trying to find great black and white prints to put in the frames and I have to paint a few things.   I will keep you updated on what I have done as it comes :)  In the mean time, post any creative household makeovers that you have done.  I would love some inspiration for the rest of my apartment.

Hallway Makeover Part 1

Now that Luke and I are settling into our new apartment, it is time to put the family touches on the place.  Time to make it feel like home.  We are ready for a place that has OUR stamp on it.  The problem is figuring out what that stamps looks like :)

We decided to start by looking for some home renovation/decoration catalogs and figuring out what fits our personalities best.  We looked at bathroom trends, cottage styles, house beautiful, and Condos lofts & Apartments.  We found several things that we liked and wanted to play with.

Our first project would need to be small, as we don't have a ton of money to play with.  It also needed to be simple because we live in an apartment and cannot paint the walls or mark them permanently.   Therefore, we decided to start with our hallway/entryway.   Here is the before shot:

We decided on the following plan:

We chose black and white as the theme of the area.  We would start with a black table (half-circle) with a drawer for Nova's leash and other things we would need to access quickly.  We also would need a black container to put our keys in and some sort of floral decoration to add a splash of color.  Above which we will hang several black and white family pictures and one panoramic picture of The Woodlands.

This project is going to take a little while and will require some craftiness, but we are excited to start here.  I will keep you posted on what the space looks like and the little craft projects that we create to go in the space.

My dog the lush...

When we first got our puppy, I was told to train myself to believe that she was just a DOG.  I shouldn't treat her like my first child, nor should I spoil her too much because of my love toward her.  When I make decisions, I should remember that she is the family pet and not a family member.

I did not realize how difficult that would be!  Yes, I have my moments when I spoil her rotten, but it is not this gal that presents the biggest issue.  My dog thinks she is a human sometimes :)

Last night as Luke and I sat relaxing on the couch from our day, Nova began her nightly ritual.  She begins on one side of the couch and lays down for about 10 minutes only to decide that is not a good enough spot.  Then she comes to lay by me on the couch and snuggles up against my leg.  Then she gets uncomfortable and goes to lay at Luke's feet.  Once again, deciding it's uncomfortable, she decides to go to her usual spot. She gathers the pillows on the couch and makes a bed for herself.  Promptly falling asleep until its time for bed (ie. going in her kennel)

I just laugh every time I see this and am thankful that I have a sweet dog who just wants to be a different species. :)

Culinary Adventures: Spaghetti and Meatballs

Well friends, let the culinary endeavors continue.  The other day I decided to try my hand at making homemade meatballs.  Not overly difficult I know, but I am learning that there are little nuances to cooking that make all the difference. (Any suggestions would also be appreciated).

I pulled out my ingredients:   spaghetti noodles
                                              butter (the mullans taught me well)
                                              ground beef
                                              fresh basil
                                              garlic powder
                                              onion powder
                                              Ragu brand spaghetti sauce (I know.. i didn't make this part)

So I chopped up the fresh basil... chiffonade style.. then chopped from there.  Then put about 1 tablespoon of garlic powder and onion powder into the thawed out meat.  Throw in the basil and mix with your hands.  Create little meatballs (20) or you can make bigger ones (10).

The rest is self-explanitory.  Here is what we came up with:

The end result wasn't bad, but the meatballs were a little dry.  Maybe I cooked them too long.  Someone suggested adding eggs to them next time.  I am no culinary artist and so I have no idea.

If anyone has suggestions, please comment below :)

As for now, off to the next culinary adventure