A little face lift

We have 2 1/2 baths in our home - one full bath on our main floor, 1/2 bath on the upstairs and another full bath downstairs. The basement bathroom is the one we all share, is used everyday for showers, primping, etc! Not sure why we have just let it sit there looking, ugly, out dated, not very inviting.

So we decided to give the bathroom a little face lift or as Mira calls it "it has been recreated".
When Ron and I start a project it feels as though it takes us a month to just get things going from the color of paint, fixtures, etc. Thankfully we both have very similar tastes so we agree on most things.

We did not want to gut the bathroom basically we really did not want to invest thousands of dollars in the bathroom, we do have a kitchen that we are hoping to remodel in the next year. So, we had to work with the existing pale, tan/pinkish floor, the ugly brown doors. Surprisingly a fresh coat of paint, new light fixtures, new hardware and taking down an ugly shower door does a lot to freshen a room!

I did not take any pictures of the bathroom prior to the face lift but I did find this one. Tyler is so small! You can kind of see the ugly shower door, not too much to the bathroom.



We took out the ugly three bulb lights down and bought these beautiful light fixtures:





We also replaced all the ugly wood towels, toilet paper fixtures and light switch plates with oil bronzed fixtures:



The ugly scum filled shower door was replaced by this fun shower curtain:



Since it is the basement bathroom we did not want to put too dark of a color on the walls. We ended up painting the walls a lighter color and the ceiling a darker color:



Here is the full view:

Curried Ground Turkey with Potatoes

I found this recipe on Simply Recipe Blog! This is a keeper - everyone loved it! I think my sister Rachel made it a few weeks ago - I have not heard her comments as of yet.



Curried Ground Turkey with Potatoes Recipe
You can easily substitute ground chicken, beef or lamb for the ground turkey. The "curry" part of this recipe is flexible. Use your favorite curry powder, garam masala, or Indian spice mix.
INGREDIENTS
3-4 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 pound ground turkey (thigh meat if you can get it)
1 chopped onion
2 chopped garlic cloves
1-2 chopped fresh red chiles (optional)
A 1-inch piece of peeled ginger, grated fine
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste
1 Tbsp garam masala (or curry powder)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2-4 Roma or other plum tomatoes, diced
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1/2 cup (loosely packed) chopped cilantro or parsley
METHOD
1 Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large pot with a lid. When the oil is hot, add the ground meat, spreading it out over the pan. Try not to crowd the meat (you may need to cook in batches). Cook the meat without stirring, until it begins to brown.
2 Add the chopped onion and chiles. Stir and sauté for 4-5 minutes, or until the onion begins to color a bit. Sprinkle salt over everything.
3 Add the grated ginger and garlic, mix well and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.
4 Mix in the spices, water, and the potatoes. Stir to combine and cover. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
5 When the potatoes are tender, add the diced tomatoes and peas. Mix well and cover the pot. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add salt, if needed, to taste.
Right before you serve, mix in the chopped cilantro. Serve alone or with flatbread or white rice.
Serves 4.

Birthday Party for Mira

Mira decided that she wanted to go bowling this year for her birthday party. She was so excited to be able to invite her friends from school and friends that she has know since she was born! We just went to our local bowling alley since most of the kids live near it.
It took the girls almost an hour and half to bowl a game! There was lots of talking, laughing, hugging in between frames!
Mira and her friends had a blast!

Some of the girls!


Getting ready to bowl


Lots of hugging was going on!







It's a seven.


Birthday girl enjoying her cupcake!


The whole gang!

Happy Birthday Mira Joy!

Happy Birthday to my little lady! She is seven today! As I always say where has the time gone?

It is amazing that she is in first grade, reading, Learning new things, making new friends, joined fitness club at school so she can run a race!

She is a bundle of joy and personality ( great middle name her parents chose for her), she loves to color, she is the clown of the family, there is always something funny she has to say. Of course I could go on and on, she's my child!

Let me just tell you a little funny that came out of her mouth about a month ago. We were talking about what she wanted for her bday. Well, we decided on getting her a few new things for her room. The kids switched rooms over a year ago and we painted, etc. Well not a lot of the etc... no time you understand. So, we bought her a new quilt, sham, artwork, still need to find curtains and a table lamp as her bday gift.
Of course, she wants a bunch of stuff from the American Girl catalog, a bed for her doll Julie ( $150) I can go to Ikea and buy a bed for that much! More and more things get on the wish list. Mira says to us " I have a great idea, I will just ask Santa for some of my American Girl wishes and then you and dad can save money!" Since Santa brings you gifts for free for free! The innocence!

Birthday requests: cupcakes delivered to school for her bday treat, dinner tonight - Indian food not sure if I'll make it or order in, bowling party on Saturday with seven friends!

We love you so much Mira!!!

Handmade

I want to share with you two new things I purchased this summer. The reason that it gets a notable recognition on my blog is because they were both made - handmade pieces, local handmade pieces. Pieces made with care and love!

I love jewelry!! Any kind of jewelry from fashion to fine jewelry. Who doesn't love a little bling!
For the last six years or so my husband would buy be a piece of fine jewelry for Mother's Day. Oh, wait I mean I pick out my piece and say thanks honey! I am continuing to add to my collection since most of it was stolen from me when our home was broken into about a year ago. They even took my fashion jewelry!
I have been wanting a monogrammed necklace with my kids initials on it forever. One of my friends at work her friend makes jewelry. Yea, for me!!! Connection made!
I'm not just talking stringing some beads together- i mean silver, copper, luscious stones, etc. Fabulous and fun creations!!
I had her make my monogrammed necklace - we added some copper to give it a different look against the silver. It turned out beautiful and I love it! She has very reasonable prices which is amazing for how much time and energy she puts into making her jewelry.
She has an etsy website and if you are on facebook you can be a fan! Here is her etsy site: http://www.etsy.com/shop/kkaydesigns. Picky Girl on Grand Ave will be carrying her jewelry but I'm not sure when.

How cute is the box? It was so much fun to get it in the mail and have a little package to open!




The next handmade creation is from 5.eleven design! Shana is so talented and creative! She makes the cutest things from cards, banners, plaques, you name it. Along with being a mom to five cute kids and one on the way! I don't know how she has the time to be creative but she does!
She had posted a few fun creations on facebook. I had to have one! She had been making them as weddings gifts. Well, it was our 15 years anniversay this August and I thought how perfect.?!
It turned out so beautiful and looks great in our living! I love it!



What else can a girl ask for a jeweler and a creative home designer! Thanks ladies!

Hot Rods!

Having a son of course he loves COOL cars, motorcycles, anything that has wheels. Well, Mira having an older brother pretty much is the same. This summer the kids had a few opportunities to experience some cool cars and bikes.

Their Uncle Brian ( E's husband) has a custom made motorcycle. He rode it to our house one day this summer.

Tyler's comment - that bike it TIGHT!





I have to laugh he has the perfect pose!





The Lotus Club at Music In Mears:

No, Mira was not a car model that evening, even those she is posing like it!




My dear friend Sarah's fiance Brian (corvette guy) just bought a brand new CORVETTE! They promised the kids they would bring it down and give them a ride this summer. What a way to end the summer with a corvette ride! They both were sooo excited to be up close and ride in a brand new corvette!

A little bit of excitment on both of their faces!



Brian showing Tyler the cool options that come with the car! I guess the mini van in the background is not cool anymore!



A brand new engine!



I can just imagine what they were talking about!



The kids posing next to the coolest car they have ever seen!

Happy Happy First Day of School!

Today was the first day of school - where did our summer go? I haven't even finished blogging on our family vacation yet??!
This year Mira is going into first grade and Tyler is going into seventh! They both were ready and excited for school to start. I on the other hand - not sure if I'm ready! Tyler was too cool to get his picture taken today. I might be able to sneak one in later this week. Here is Mira getting ready to leave for school:(Not sure why I had her stand outside in the freezing cold to take this pic)