Dishwasher!

When it rains it pours, right?! With all the renovations going on, the last thing we needed was one more project in the mix. But, in our family, we like to keep the stress level high! So, after dealing with the old dishwasher not washing dishes effectively and having to put towels under it while it was running, we decided to bite the bullet and get a new one! My husband researched and we decided what we wanted. He pulled out the old one (pictures to follow as soon as I get them off my camera) and we went to pick up a new one. Guess what? None in stock. UGH. We ordered one and they said it would be delivered a week later (TODAY!), so I was the "dishwasher" for a week. It actually wasn't too bad-of course, we intentionally held back a bit on the cooking & baking to save some work. Tonight we will be installing it! I say "we", but it will most likely be hubby! I'll be his assistant :)

So, without further adieu, here is our new LG Stainless Steel Steam Dishwasher! I am super excited to try out the steam function!

YAY for clean dishes!

Outdoor Fun!

With a new deck, I envisioned lots of family meals "al fresco" and entertaining family & friends. That meant we needed some furniture! We had a small round dining set out on the back patio, but I wanted to leave that one there. We have a wicker set that I placed on the new deck. So, I was on the lookout for the perfect dining set for our spacious new deck. I wanted something that would seat at least 6 people and I didn't want any puffy cushions as they would get rained on (and this summer we have had more rain than ever!). I found the perfect set for us at Sam's Club! It's called "Carrington". We love it!
It came with the dining table, 6 chairs and an umbrella base. So, we needed a large umbrella and guess what? Sam's had one of those too!

Then, we picked up this little baby...

I mean, seriously-what is a party without the perfect margarita?! LOVE it! So far, we've made smoothies, slushies, coffee coolattas, and come to think of it we haven't even made a margarita yet?!

We are loving our new outdoor "room" so far! Now if only the weather would cooperate a bit it would be just perfect :)

Another Project!

Since we have a gorgeous view from the front of our home, we decided to have an 800 square foot deck built on our house this summer. We also installed french doors for easy access to the deck. Here are a few pics of the project in progress...

Here is the view from the stairs-the trim is incomplete in this picture as the doors had just gone in that day.

And another...

And here is the view from the ground...

Now I need to take some pictures of the finished project! We are excited to get it stained, but have to wait until Fall.

More pictures to come!

New Outdoor Lighting!

We bought several outdoor lights a few years back in anticipation of staining our home. We bought 2 large ones for the front of the house, 2 for the garage, 1 for the side entrance, and 2 large post lamps for the driveway. We found them at Home Depot-they are the Hampton Bay Rustic Bronze Lantern collection. Well, we finally got the house stained this summer, so up they went! We love them!

Now, I need to find before & after pics of the house!

Closet Organization

I finally organized my closet! Well, actually I organized it back in February, but am just getting around to posting it. It was a sad sight before. I went out and bought a ton of skinny hangers and a hanging shoe rack and went to town! What a HUGE difference. It's so organized now-let's hope it stays that way (so far, so good!).

This is what I saw before when I opened the door (yikes!).

Here is the after view...

Here is a view of one of the hanger racks with shelf above. I found the adorable brown suede "baskets" at Bed, Bath and Beyond after Christmas on clearance for pennies. They had Christmas sayings on them, so I simply turned them backwards. I have hats, scarves, and gloves in them.

And here is another "after" shelf photo...

And this is my favorite part of my closet! This shoe rack was 3 pieces put together and it hangs on the door...LOVE it!

Onto more organizing efforts...

Election Night Menu!

Here is our election night menu:

"Pigs in Lipstick" (Turkey hotdogs wrapped in crescent rolls with a ketchup smile)

"It's Raining Democrats" Dip with Blue Tortilla Chips

This recipe was originally called "It's Raining Men" Dip (AKA Buffalo Chicken Dip). I got it from www. stiritupwithjackie.blogspot.com. It is FANTASTIC!

It's Raining Democrats Dip

Ingredients:
1-8 oz. pkg. Cream Cheese
1/2 C Blue Cheese Salad Dressing
1/2 C Buffalo Wing Sauce
Salt/Pepper to taste
2-3 C Shredded Cooked Chicken (from rotisserie chicken)
2 Scallions, sliced (oops...I forgot)
(I also added approx. 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese)

Celery Sticks & Tortilla Chips for dipping

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the cream cheese into a medium-sized bowl. Microwave for 45 seconds to soften slightly. Whisk in salad dressing, wing sauce, cheese, salt & pepper until smooth. Stir in the shredded chicken until just coated. Spread the mixture in a pie plate and drizzle the top with additional wing sauce if desired. Bake the dip for 15-20 minutes until mixture is heated through and edges are bubbly. Cool slightly and top with scallions.





"Barack-olli & Cheese Casserole"

Broccoli & Cheese Casserole

From : http://www.allrecipes.com/

Ingredients:

1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/2 C Milk

2 tsp. Mustard

1 (16 oz) Pkg. Frozen Broccoli Florets, thawed

1 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/3 C Bread Crumbs

2 T. Butter, melted

Directions:

Stir the soup, milk, mustard, broccoli and cheese in a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. Mix the bread crumbs with the butter in a small bowl and sprinkle over the broccoli mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot.

"Joe Six Packs" (rootbeer)

Palin Ale (ginger ale)

"Biden Time to the Whitehouse Cupcakes" (white cupcakes with white frosting)

"McCain's Balls to the Walls" (Nutter Butter Balls)

Nutter Butter Balls

I'm not sure of the source of this recipe.

Crush one package of Nutter Butter Cookies and mix in 1 pkg of softened cream cheese. Make into balls and chill. Dip in melted chocolate. YUMMY!

We had a great time!

Halloween Cupcakes!

Recipe to follow...