Bedroom Inspirations

Every so often, a fire lights beneath me, a fire that says "change something, do something, see if you can make it better." Mark usually dreads these moments, recognizing them for what they are--more work--but I personally love the opportunity to be creative and change things around in our little home. In fact, this is my favorite thing about being a home-owner: the unchecked ability to make our home look however we want. If we want chocolate brown walls, we paint them chocolate brown. If we want green interiors on our kitchen cabinets, we paint them green. If we want different cabinet hardware, we change them--gold to oil rubbed bronze.

Seeing our house transform, bit by bit, little by little, into a home that showcases our personalities and loves is a pretty cool feeling. It makes me straighten my shoulder, grin, and say "Yea. This is ours."

While our kitchen and patio renovations are still in the planning stages, there is one quick reno that is burning in my mind. I want to repaint and re-imagine our bedroom.

In Abi-world, this renovation would mean a new wall color, a lighter bedspread, one or two new accent pillows, a new rug at the foot of the bed, some creamy, sheer curtain panels, and a new bedside lamp. In reality, this may mean the wall color change and a lamp...maaaaybe the rug, if I'm lucky. But we shall see. Having a strict renovation budget does one thing: it forces you to scout for deals and steals and teaches you to get a good luck on a small dollar. I'm hoping--fingers crossed--to get the paint this weekend and start on the project. I'll keep you all posted on the progress!

Here are a few photos to give you a peek into the project's inspiration. All image sources can be found here. I love how these rooms combine color and texture to create a cozy, dreamy feel.

Solo, 12 months

Things Solo likes:

• Staring at passerby from the bedroom window
• Peeing on the lawn that belongs to the neighbor's lab puppy, who barks with extreme indignation
• Going for long hikes with dad
• Pulling dad off the trail and into the brush on said long hikes
• Dragging his blanket downstairs and then leaving it at the bottom
• Being chased around and around and around the bed
• Eating mom's jalapeno plants. 

I can't believe our little waggy-butt mutt is already a year old. It seems like just a few weeks ago that Mark walked in the front door with a trembling bundle of blanket and fluff roll in his arms. Despite the many torn up garden plants, chewed up blankets, and half-eaten headbands, I wouldn't trade his whole-butt-wiggle, two-paw bounce, happy kiss greeting, every day, for any other pup!

Etsy Update

This week, I've been working overtime to get some new fall items finished and uploaded to Etsy. So, I'm excited to announce that three pairs of these adorable wrist warmers are now available at Patina & Purl. Each pair is knitted by yours truly from hand-dyed yarn. The colors and patterns of each glove are unique, with unexpected twists of color: from spring green to heather grey to light purple. Snatch up a pair before they're gone! Or, if you don't like the colors, you can always request a custom order.

Knitting these up made me so ready and excited for the upcoming fall. September is nearly here, ya'll, can you believe? Crunchy leaves and cool weather are a matter of weeks away! While I'm loathe to see summer go, fall is my favorite season, and fall in Frederick is bewitching. I pretty much float on a pumpkin-spice high from mid-September to the first snow fall.

What's your favorite thing about fall?

Tunes, vol. 5

So, I realize that this video presents a complete deviation from the typical genre of the Tunes series. However, sometimes its good to branch from the norm. To be honest, I have probably the most eclectic musical taste of anyone on this earth--you'll find me listening to anything from Mumford & Sons to Mozart to Ella Fitzgerald to George Strait to Five Finger Death Punch. You just never know what the day will bring.

Your Side, My Side

My grandfather, a chiropractor in rural Georgia, kept a small plaque on his desk. It quipped "A messy desk is the sign of genius." This quotation is often attributed to Albert Einstein, who more than anyone else can surely claim to understand genius.

As I lay in bed last night, reading to calm my mind, I caught myself wondering what a messy nightstand may signify. What would Mr. Einstein have to say about that? "A messy beside table is a sign of...?" I wondered what my night stand says about me, as opposed to what Mark's night stand says about him.

Despite my constant attempts to simplify and edit our lifestyle, it is amazing what manages to accumulate on our nightstands, the things we feel we "need" in order to get a good night's sleep. Here is a list of the essentials each of us keep on hand, every night.

Hers

• glasses
• homemade lotion
• books
• journal
• water
• faux sheep rug

His

• glasses
• Tiger balm (for post workout soreness, apparently) 
• Outside magazine
• workout guide
• phone charger
• fan controller

Clearly, Mark and I have already reached that little-old-couple stage of reading before bed. What can I say? We're both book worms. Reading and spending quiet time together has always been one of our favorite ways to pass time together. As you can probably tell about our book genres, mine tend toward the literary while his tend toward the practical... which is actually a pretty clear insight into our personalities. 

What's on your bedside? Any good reads?

On My Bookshelf

image via Pinterest

I have a confession: I'm a bookaholic. In order to function as a normal adult (but then what is normal?), I must carry around a book at all times in the event withdrawals begin to occur. That's right. I have a book in my purse at all times...even when I know good and well that I won't have time to read. Parents, friends, colleagues...all have tried to help me, but I just keep on going with this unending cycle. As soon as I put one down, I pick one up.

When I do need The Book--whether I be waiting at the car shop, in a hair salon's lobby, or killing time between class--pulling it from my purse gives me this burst of accomplishment. I think: "Ha ha! I win. I have a book. Okay, good bye for a bit, World."

Wait. Is that just me? Oh. Okay. Well anyway....Here's a look at what's lined up on my bookshelf for the remainder of the summer and beginning of fall.

Reading:

 The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri

Planning To Read:

• My Life in France by Julia Child
• The Last of the Doughboys: the Forgotten Generation and their Forgotten War by Richard Rubin
• A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
• Bomb: the Race to Build and Steal the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin

What is on your reading list? Any favorites you can recommend? 

Easy Meals for Newly-Weds

Recently, a friend asked me what some of my "go-to" meals were. I don't know if I'm allowed to have "go-to" meals after only one-and-a-half years of marriage, but maybe I am.

With this question in mind this week, I tried to think of a blog post idea which would actually be helpful. While I typically share our renovations and adventures around town, unless you're planning a hike, coming to Frederick, or remodeling your house...my posts may be more entertaining than they are informative. That's when my friend's recipe question dredged from my memory.

What exactly are my go-to meals? While I still like to experiment with different tastes and yummies (more often than not taken from these two Pinterest boards: here and here), the press of work, school, and life occasionally take over. When that inevitably happens, it's nice to have some reliable recipes to fall back on. Thankfully, I have a husband who isn't afraid to lend a helping hand in the kitchen. He's always quick to grill out or help clean up--which certainly is a tremendous help.

I thought I  might start a mini-series sharing some of my favorite easy meals. These will vary on the healthiness scale from healthy to ehhh-not-so-bad. In all cases, I find them pretty easy to whip up. What's more: they often involve the holy grail of newly-wed cooking: leftovers.

Newly-Wed Meal Number One: Spicy Honey-Lime Fajitas

This recipe was adapted from the fajita recipe over at this blog. I first found this recipe in 2012... weird to think that I've been fixing this for almost two years! Time truly flies.

Here's what you'll need:
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
red bell pepper
yellow bell pepper
green bell pepper
1/4 red onion

For the marinade: 
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice and lemon juice, mixed together
1/2 tsp smokey chipotle spice
1/2 tsp minced garlic
pinch of salt and pepper
drizzle of honey

Here's what you do: 

• Butterfly the chicken breasts and trim off any fat.
• Chop the chicken into long pieces and place pieces in a quart-sized Ziplock bag
• Mix marinade ingredients and pour into bag. Let sit for 30 minutes.
• Chop up veggies and saute in a little olive oil. Set aside in a bowl and cover.
• In the same pan, cook chicken until done. 
• When chicken is cooked, toss veggies in too, so that they are coated with marinade.
• Pour continents into your serving bowl! 

These fajitas taste yummy with black beans and corn tortillas. The only real prep work is chopping everything and mixing the marinade--which really doesn't take long. Plus, this recipe usually cooks enough for our lunch the next day as well. Just dump the leftovers into a plastic container and reheat for lunch!

What are some of your favorite recipes?