Mealtime Monday....YUM....Lasagna!!

Well....believe it or not.....we do have to do a few other things around here besides fixing up the house....of course one of those things is eating....

Unfortunately.....I have to admit that we eat out A LOT!  I really wish that we didn't.....don't get me wrong.....I LOVE eating out......and Houston has SO many good restaurants (like a ridiculous amount)....and it is sort of the culture here to eat out a lot.....for example there may even be a wait to get seated at a restaurant on a Tuesday or Wednesday night......I know.....crazy right? 

Anyway.....I really want for us to eat at home more often.....and at one time I was doing really well.....I was planning all our meals a week in advance.....shopping for everything in one trip to the store, fixing healthy meals, etc, etc.....

Well.....lately I haven't done so well.....so I'm trying get back to planning our meals again.....once I do I hope to be able to share that with you all here on Mondays......like I said I'm not there yet.....but hopefully soon.....

So.....as a placeholder for Mealtime Monday.....I thought I would share a favorite recipe with you all today.....I don't think I could call it healthy.....although I would bet it is 10 times healthier than any restaurant food......

In any case it is quite delicious!!  So here it is....YUM....Lasagna!!

Start with these....

Then add in some browned hamburger meat (alternatively you could use frozen spinach if you don't eat meat or want to make it a bit healthier) and one egg.....and you'll end up with something that looks like this.....

And then you'll need some of this.....

The really cool thing about this recipe....you don't have to cook your noodles before you put everything together....they'll cook in the oven!!

Next put everything together in the pan....start with your sauce....then noodles....then sauce....then cheese/meat mix, then noodles, then sauce, then cheese/meat mix, then sauce.....and then finally top with a little cheese.....

At the end you'll have something like this....

Is your mouth watering yet???   Just wait until you smell it cooking.....YUM-O.....delicious......

Next pour water around the edges and cover tightly with some aluminum foil....

Set your timer on the oven....

And....before you know it....you've got this.....

Ummm.....yeah....YUM!!!  YUM!!!  YUM!!!

So....here's the full recipe with all the details.....

Ingredients:

1 lb ricotta cheese (we use the fat free kind)

1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (more if you like)

1 lb ground hamburger meat (browned)

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp oregano

1/8 tsp pepper

1 large jar of spaghetti sauce (28 oz)

8 oz package of noodles (9 strips)

1/4 cup of water

1 egg

Directions:

Mix together the ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, egg, browned meat, salt, oregano, and pepper.

Using a 13x9x2 baking pan layer 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce and 1/3 of the noodles.  Cover noodles with additional spaghetti sauce and 1/2 of the cheese mixture.  Repeat layers.  Top with remaining noodles, spaghetti sauce, and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top (if you like it cheesy, you can add extra mozzarella).  Pour water around the edges. Cover tightly with foil.  Bake at 350^oF for 1 hr (to 1.25 hrs depending on your oven). Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

ENJOY!!!!!

I wish I could take credit for this recipe....but it was actually given to use with a lasagna pan as a wedding gift (pretty cool).....so thank you Mrs. Cantrell!!

Until next time.....Happy Eating....

XOXO-
Kristal

Spray Paint Love....Door Knob Makeovers

Hello all!  It's been too long....I've missed you :)  Well.....I guess its only been a couple days....but still.......

I've been loving on a sick baby, so life's been busy.....just not with the usual fun stuff!!

But.....the good news.....since I've been stuck at home....I've had some time to work on a few projects that I've been putting off have been on my list for a while.....

So.....I wanted to share one with you today......but first.....have I told you about my obsession love of spray paint.....I haven't?  Well.....how else can I say this.....I love spray paint!!  It is SO cheap and you can really do some amazing things with it!!

So.....here is the first of many transformations that I'll show you using my friend spray paint....

I started with these lovely awful gold colored contractor grade door knobs....

Ummm....yeah....gag!  I really don't like them!!  At all!  But I have lived with them for 10 years....because.....they are everywhere in our house!  And.....I looked into buying all new door knobs for the house.....and oh my goodness.....that wasn't going to happen......because they are so stinkin expensive!  Ugh!!  SO.....I had to come up with another solution to this problem.....I mean 10 years is long enough to suffer live with these lovelies.....

And honestly....this is what got my love of DIY started.....I happened to read on someones blog about how they painted the door knobs in their house.....You can check our their posts here and here.....and I thought.....even I can do that......

So.....here we go.....

Another pic of what we are starting with (please ignore the messy garage)....

So let's get started on the transformation.........first take some sandpaper and sand those babies down....I used 320 grit, because you don't want to scratch the surface....just rough it up a bit.....

After you've sanded them down pretty good.....then make sure that you wipe them totally clean....

Next....lay them all out on a surface where you can paint them....

At this point some people choose to put on a layer of primer.....I don't do this......why.....probably because I am a little lazy I want to speed up the process a little.....it's up to you whether to do it or not.....I don't and so far so good.......

So now it's time to get out your good old friend....spray paint....I like to use Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze (available at Lowe's or Home Depot).....

Ok.....now....listen up.....SERIOUSLY.....I am about to reveal the SECRET TO A SUCCESSFUL SPRAY PAINT JOB.......

The secret is....you must be patient with the spraying......when painting you need to make short quick sprays.....and you probably won't get the whole surface covered during your first spray.

Then you need to wait about 10 minutes or so for your first round of spray to dry....and then repeat your spraying process (again with the short quick sprays)......then wait 10 minutes......repeat.....repeat.....and so on until the entire object is painted......

Now....the reason for the short quick sprays is to keep from getting drips or runs or build up in certain areas.....I promise it is SO worth it just to take your time and do it right the first time!!

However, if you do get a little antsy and spray to much and get a drip, then just immediately wipe it off.....and then spray over it again.

After a first spray, my door knobs looked like this.....

And here's a look up close (notice how you can still see some gold after the first spraying)....

And after a few more rounds of spraying and drying here's how they looked......

And here's a look up close.......

Turned out pretty good.....the light is reflecting a little weirdly here.....but I promise the gold is GONE....and the beauty of the Oil Rubbed Bronze is here to stay!!

Oh yeah.....another quick SECRET.....make sure to let your door knobs (or whatever you are spraying) to dry completely.....this allows for the paint to cure fully......my rule is to leave my sprayed objects alone for a minimum of 24 hours after the final spray.  If you can.....then I would leave them even longer....the curing of the paint is critical for longevity!!!

Here's a look at the "new" door knobs back in their rightful places (the color in these pics is better)....

And how about a little before and after action.....

And a look at the other doors in this room......

I love the new color....isn't ORB (Oil Rubbed Bronze) just awesome!  Love it!!

Ok....so I bet some of you are thinking.....yeah, yeah.....great.....but how does it hold up?  Well.....I did these this weekend, but I did all of the door knobs on our downstairs doors about 6 months ago and they are still looking great! 

I have seen a couple of "dings" on our highest traffic door (kitchen food pantry) AND if you've read this blog before you probably already know how I took care of those places......yep.....that's right......I just used a Sharpie marker to dab on a little color over the dings.......YOU CAN'T EVEN TELL......I SWEAR......the ORB is just so dark that a little dab of the Sharpie doesn't really show up.....

So.....how about just one more after pic....just for fun......

Well......anyone getting the spray paint bug?  I'm telling you.....if you ever pick up a can......well.....it's sort of hard to stop......you just start seeing how everything around you could be made over.....with just a couple quick sprays of this or that......

Seriously.....it's kind of an sickness.....  :)

Until next time....happy spraying!!

XOXO-

Kristal

I'm linking up here.....

Thrifty Decor Chick Spring Fling Spray Paint Party

Taming The Creme Nightmare.....Ahhh....Yes....The Dining Room Makeover Part 1

We have affectionately referred to our house as THE CREME NIGHTMARE for years.....because when we moved into our house there was not one painted room.....THE ENTIRE HOUSE WAS CREME! Ok....so it was nice to have a blank pallet to work with.....but.....ugh.....all that creme....bleh.....SO BORING!

So......I am sure most of you have heard how a little paint can totally change a room.....and....I have to say that I totally agree!  That's not to say that painting is easy....especially if you have a little one running around...to be truthful it is a big old pain!  All that taping and plastic....ugh!  BUT....it is SO worth it when you see that transformation!!

So....I got the itch one day to paint my dining room....oh yeah....did I mention that this was on a Monday....And.....we were having a party at our house on the following Saturday.....yep.....nothing like a deadline to get you moving FAST!! 

So here's what I started with......

Ok....ok....so it's not bad.....but it is REALLY creme!!  Seriously.....I think we need to spice this baby up a little bit!!

So.....I saw this post over at Thrifty Decor Chick and LOVED the color that she used in her dining room.....SO dramatic.....with such a formal touch.....SO....I had to try it!!

So.....here's the after......

Ahhhh.....L-O-V-E it!!  The color is Cinnabark by Behr.....it is a really rich dark brown color and it really POPS with the white molding.....did I mention that I love how this turned out.....oh yeah.....I guess I did!  Seriously though......going with a color this dark was risky for me......remember....I am an engineer.....so I like to play it safe!  And it didn't help that the hubs asked me about 50 times while I was painting if I WAS SURE that I wanted to go that dark.......ha............now he loves it too!!  Don't doubt the VISION babe......don't doubt the vision!!

Here are a few more pics, so you can get a good look :)

And a couple up close pics to show you some of the details......

The big "hurricane" type candle holders in the first picture above came from Home Goods (I bought one and my Mom bought one for me....thanks Mom!!). 

The second pic shows off my recent obsession with all things quatrefoil......just look around......this stuff is everywhere right now!  I suppose it is a trend of sorts.....but I noticed when I was at my parent's house that their 1970's kitchen cabinets had an bit of quatrefoil......so I guess what goes around comes around :)  ANYWAY.....since it's a little trendy I didn't want to spend a lot of money on it......SO I used a stencil to paint the quatrefoil design on the piece of cardboard that came with the frames (and I got the frames 1/2 price at Michael's......I think.....or maybe Hobby Lobby....can't remember).  I think they turned our pretty good for a cheap and easy DIY!!  I also like the sort of global / Moroccan feel that they give to the room.....there's my spice :)

And the last pic.....I just used some old vases and candle holders that I had around the house.....added some river rocks and candles.....and sat them on top of a mirror that we took out of our 1/2 bath when we remodeled it......such a quick and easy centerpiece......just my style!!

Well.....whatcha think?  Likey?  I hope so!!  We really do!!  BUT.....as I'm sure you can tell.....I'm not finished in there yet.....there are still lots of free spaces that need some love.  I've been thinking and I've got some ideas......oh yeah.....it's gonna be fun!!  BUT.....I won't spoil the surprise.....you'll just have to wait ;)

What ideas do you guys have for this space?  I'd love to hear about them......

Until next time....

XOXO-
Kristal

I'm linking up here.....

What a Difference a Few Curtains Can Make!

Curtains....hmmmm....yeah.....we haven't really been friends in the past.....in fact if you were to visit my house you would find that there is only one room in our house that has curtains......and that would be my daughters room.....only because we found that she would sleep later in the morning if it was darker in her room (genius....pure genius......seriously all you sleep deprived parents.....try it.....it works!).

I remember a few years ago (ok, really like 10 or so.....back when we had time to kill) when we (yes....I forced the hubs to go with me) attended a little local decorating class on a Saturday.  The lady teaching talked to us about the levels of decorating.....you know like Level 1 is getting your furniture......Level 2 is maybe some accessories......and it went on until Level 4, which was putting up curtains, etc.....and the hubs and I both laughed......and said......well.....we'll never get to Level 4.....since we were pretty much hopeless pitiful.....well......let's just say we were struggling just to get the furniture.

SO....fast forward 10 years or so.....and we still don't have any curtains.......BUT something happened a couple weeks ago that has inspired me to get on the curtain bandwagon.....

We were visiting my parents - who just recently renovated almost their whole house - and my Mom asked me to help here do a little shopping (no problem....I am an expert shopper) for some accessories.....and (dun, dun, dun) some curtains......

Mom and I picked out some super cute curtains with a cool geometric pattern (oh how us Engineers love our geometric patterns)......and honestly.....I'm not sure if I would have been brave enough to buy them if I was alone.....but my Mom is one of these "Go Big or Go Home" types......she's got guts people......so after a couple minutes of discussion.....there they went into our basket......Rock on Mom!!!  She's SO cool!!

And let me just tell you.....these curtains literally transformed her room......

Here is a little peak at "the after".....

SO cute and modern!!  BUT you really cannot appreciate the after pics until you see the before pics....so here is a before pic.....

And here are a couple before pics of the other side of the room.....

And here are the afters.....

AND....no worries....she's not done yet....she is still working on getting pictures on the walls, etc....BUT don't you love the curtains?  I think they added SO much to this room.....the room just felt SO much warmer and put together.  Plus they added a little modern flair and some texture.  I just LOVED them!! 

SO.....when are we getting curtains for our house.....hmmmmm.....soon I hope......I'm sure you'll be hearing more about it in an upcoming post :)

Until next time.....

XOXO-

Kristal

I'm Willing Fall To Come....Seriously....Please Come....We Need Some Cool Weather!!

It's HOT!!  Ugh!!  I am SO OVER this hot weather!!  Don't get me wrong....I've always been a lover of warm weather and the summertime, but seriously....it is just TOO DANG HOT!!  I know.....I know......I chose to live in Texas, so I guess the hot weather is part of the deal.......but still......  :)

So.....I decided to try and WILL fall to come.....I thought maybe if I just sort of pretend that its Fall...well, then maybe the weather might start cooperating.....ok, so its a long shot.....but hey....nothing else is working, so it's worth a try!!  Plus after all those post on the stairs (hard project).....I needed something EASY!!  So......here's the kind of project I love......SO EASY and SO QUICK and SO CHEAP!!

So.....this is what I came up with (please ignore the door that needs to be restained, the stucco that needs painting, etc)....

I mean what else says Fall like leaves changing color?  Ok.....so these aren't real......but like I said we are pretending....remember......so I had to make do with what was available......

So to put this baby together......I made a quick trip to Hobby Lobby (love that place)........where I found everything I needed........

 
Oh yeah....and it was all 1/2 price.....so this project only cost me $14!!  Yay!!  Momma likes cheap!!  And it turned out pretty cute......A nice little POP of color :)

I think I'm feeling cooler already (ha, ha!).  I am SO ready for some cool, crisp weather, hot cocoa, hay rides, pumpkin patches.....ahhhh......Fall......I love you!!  Please come to our house......SOON!!

Anyone else decorating for Fall?  I would love to hear about it!  Come on ya'll the more people we have pretending......well......surely that will make Fall come sooner......right??  Well......maybe not......but I would still love to hear what projects you guys are doing......

Until next time.....

XOXO,
Kristal

The Staircase Makeover Part 4...The Grand Finale!!

Yahoo!!  I can't believe we are finally here.....ready for the big reveal of the "new" staircase!!  I have been thinking about this post all day, because I AM SO EXCITED to show you guys the finished staircase and find out what you think about it.....be honest.....well......be honest if you LOVE it and be nice if you don't :)

If you didn't catch the first couple of posts on the staircase makeover, then you can find Part 1 Here, Part 2 Here, and Part 3 Here.

AND.....SO......Without further delay.....below is my favorite shot of the "new" staircase:

 

And just in case you need a little reminder.....below are a few "before" pictures, showing what we started with....

AND.....for your viewing pleasure.....below are some more "after" pics of the (now) FABULOUS staircase:

 

And a few more from up top.....

And a few looking up:

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how the espresso stain on the stairs contrasts against the white!  At one time we had discussed replacing the white wood balusters with black iron and I'm so glad that we didn't!!  Everything looks so crisp and clean now.....ahh......how I love a good clean line!! 

And yes...we used bead board for the risers!!  Cool huh?  I haven't seen anyone else do that before.....but we thought it looked cool....and gave the risers a little more texture and some personality of their own! 

SO.....what do you think?  I hope you love it!  We are SO HAPPY with how it all turned out!!  And I promise the stairs/banisters are just as gorgeous up close!!

This was a HARD project for us!  Mainly because we had NO IDEA what we were doing....and we had to learn EVERYTHING along the way.  If we had to do this same project again.....it would be SO MUCH EASIER!!  SO......I hope that any of you that might want to tackle a similar project can learn from what we did....and if you have questions about our project, then please leave me a comment and I'll answer if I can :)

So a few more details.....

Materials:

Oak Wood Treads:  Purchased from Lowe's

Bead Board Panels (purchased as a package of long/thin strips to minimize cutting) from Lowe's

General Finishes Espresso Stain

General Finishes Polyurethane High Performance Top Coat (Satin)*

Minwax Polycrylic*

*I forgot to mention this in my previous post....all of your treads, risers, and banister should be top coated with some type of polycrylic or polyurethane for protection!!

Cost:

Ugh!  Gag!!  Remember in my first post when I said I wanted this project to be cheap....well.....hmmmm.....yeah.....that sort of went out the window when we decided that we would need to buy new treads.  SO.....well.....it is what it is......and we LOVE how it turned out.....and we figure we still came out way ahead by doing the work ourselves.......so it's all good.....but I did want to share the cost with you, so if you want to tackle this project you'll know what your getting into.....so hear are the ugly details.......

New Oak Treads [~$300] (Ouch!)

Bead Board [~$45]

Stain [~$40] (the stain we actually used)

Stain (testers) [~$50] (stain we tested out, but didn't use)

Gen Finishes Poly [~$20]

Minwax Polycrylic [~$15]

Trim [~$45]

Working materials [~$60] (brushes, tape, sandpaper, tape, sharpies, liquid nails, etc)

Total [~$575]

Plus we also invested in a few tools to make the job easier.  My hubs bought himself a present purchased a sliding mitre saw (which he absolutely loves), nailgun, and a Dremel sander.  I bought myself a Skil Octo Sander.  We didn't include these items in the cost for the project, since we will be using them for many more projects in the future!!

And with that....I think I've just about covered it all....at least I hope so......

SO....one more time....what do you think?  I SO WANT TO HEAR YOUR COMMENTS (and questions if you have some)!! 

Until next time....

XOXO,

Kristal

P.S.  Did you see the floor in the entryway??  That's new too....so....get ready.....a post will be coming on that beauty very soon :)

I'm linking up here.....

www.notjustahousewife.net