March sunroom goal: Completed

My whole family and my coworkers have been really sick this whole winter and I'm surprised I haven't gotten anything. I thought it was helpful since I have my own office and don't pass tons of germs?... Well, this week was my turn and then I passed it to Darrin yesterday:(  I took Monday off since my head was pounding. I tried to rest, but that didn't last, since it was lawn day around our neighborhood. That didn't help my head at all! So, I got busy on more house projects.

My goal this month was to get the sunroom done and it is 90% done! It's pretty close to my board I did a few weeks ago. Just need a few more items to fill it, but I feel this room will be always changing. I'm just happy it's not empty anymore;)

Craigslist buy

NOOO!!! Caught her in the act!

This painting was a surprise gift for Christmas from my Dad and his wife.
It was painted by their friend who is a local artist in Clear Lake, CA.
It's very special to us because it's a scene at the winery where we got married.

Left over shelf that I did in the kitchen, so I bought three Anthropologie door knobs.
Screwed them in and instant coat hanger!

Also, this past week we had a lot of FIRSTS: 

1. First bbq at our house. We need to buy a real homeowners bbq soon! 
2. Darrin mowed the lawn for the first time and I planted new flowers.
3. Maddie got her first haircut at the groomers
4. Maddie was boarded for the first time. Don't think she slept one bit!
5. Our nephew turned ONE. 
6. Our other nephew turned FIVE this week.
7. Both nephews got their first Virginia Tech hat!
8. Finally found a good hair salon! I don't have to fly back to CA to get it done;) Close to home and reasonable!
9. And this weekend will be my first NASCAR RACE!!! CAN'T WAIT for the GOOD people watching!! I promise I'll post pics.

First cookout on our deck.

Savannah wanted to join.

First snip snip and got a cool bandanna too!

What's all this excitement about?!

My buffet bargain find

My hunt for a buffet/bar is over!


Buffets are so expensive at Pottery Barn or Crate and Barrel and right now, I couldn't imagine spending those prices. Since getting all new barware from our wedding registry, we haven't had anywhere to display them. I have been looking for a nice bar for a long time and I finally found one at a garage sale last fall!


Our reaction pulling up to this garage sale was pretty funny! We felt as if we were in a horror movie out in the boonies. I asked the lady if she had any bigger furniture and she pointed out to her cow pasture towards this metal shed. I didn't get it? It didn't look like any place to put your nice furniture. I was imagining that it would look like Dexter's kill room inside, so I made Darrin come with me. After struggling with the massive metal door, we opened it and my buffet was starring at me! There were about four dressers and other junk in this shed. I saw the imperfections in the two pieces I took and all for $30 each! 


I knew the buffet would look nice stained... but that meant hard work for me. 
This was my project while staying at Darrin's Mom's in December, while we were waiting to move into our new house.

It was in pretty bad shape.

Maddie didn't like the fumes

A lot better, huh?!
Next: The reveal of the dresser. I've been staining it this week!

Room of the month: Sunroom

My goal this month is to get the sunroom done! It's been empty since we moved and we just can't close the door like the other two empty rooms we still have. In California, sunrooms aren't that common like they are in the South. Just like basements (which I'm actually bummed we don't have one in our new home), but we couldn't get everything on our wish list!...Anyways, our sunroom is between our kitchen and garage. Sort of like a closed in breezeway. I love it because it's not all windows like a traditional sunroom. It will be perfect when we have little ones for a playroom too, but for now, it will be our cool hangout room! I wanted this room to be hip since it's also right off our deck. So, it will be like a party room when we have bbq's (cookouts;)!... I have a lot of ideas, but due to budget, I've been bargain shopping! I already found some furniture at thrift stores/garage sales and just waiting for our couch to ship! I SCORED on this purchase! More about that down below... This design is nothing like our normal rooms in the house, but I'm stepping out of my comfort zone from plain solid colors to modern, aztec! Eek!


What do you think? I can't wait to put it together this month!

I've purchased most of the idea board. Here's where and how much I spent on this room:


1. Modern sun mirror-- BigLots = $16
2. Vintage shabby door with hooks--Best garage sale find yet! =$15
3. Oval white lamp--Thrift store =$5
4. Industrial cart--Urban Outfitters =$99 (Out of Stock now)
5. Aztec 5x7 area rug--TJ Maxx=$139
6. Modern stone sleep sofa--Target =$155!!!! Originally $229+$60 shipping/tax, but then it went on sale to $199, then to $160 this week. I signed up for the Target RedCard to get free shipping and got another %5 off. Plus, I already found a $5 coupon code online. I was thrilled!... Yes, it might not be the a coziest couch and have the highest review ratings, but I didn't want to spend a lot on something that will get torn up by kids one day! Also, it's a sleeper for more guests! I'm so happy about the bargain hunt I found! 


We'll see how everything will look once it's all put together. I might have another idea? ha!

Hearty, but healthier breakfast/dinner casserole

Breakfast/Dinner Casserole with Turkey Sausage, Mushrooms, 
and Tomatoes Recipe

I found this recipe at Country Living.com and had to make it! This is a healthier casserole and I was very impressed by how yummy it was. Even though, the title was, "Breakfast Casserole," we had it for dinner this week. This is easy to prepare on a week night or for a Sunday brunch. We will be making this again for our family and friends!
*I made it with Swiss cheese instead and used only six slices of whole wheat bread (less carbs). For the full recipe, click here.

Ingredients

Olive-Oil Cooking Spray

14 ounce(s) Spicy Turkey Sausage, casings removed (I used reg. ground turkey and added chili flakes)

3/4 pound(s) Mixed Mushrooms (Such As Cremini, Shiitake, And Oyster), trimmed and sliced

Salt

Freshly Ground Pepper

1 small Onion, diced

8 slice(s) (large) Bread (4 Whole Wheat, 4 Hearty White), cut into 1-inch cubes - (I put six wheat slices).

5 ounce(s) Low-Fat Jarlsberg Cheese, finely grated (1 1/2 cups) 

1 pint(s) Grape Tomatoes, halved

5 large Eggs

5 large Egg Whites

1 1/2 cup(s) Low-Fat Milk

Directions

1. Coat a medium nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add sausage and brown, breaking up with a wooden spoon as meat cooks, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a plate. Set aside.
2. Add mushrooms to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until they begin to brown, about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Add onion, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and mushrooms are well browned, about 4 more minutes. Set mixture aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, toss bread, cheese, tomatoes, reserved sausage, and reserved mushrooms and onions. Coat a 9- by 13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray and spread mixture in an even layer in dish. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs and egg whites. Whisk in milk and pour over bread mixture. Cover dish with aluminum foil and let casserole sit for 10 minutes. Press foil down gently to ensure top layer of bread cubes soaks up liquid.
4. Bake casserole for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes more. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy! 

A new addition to the Q family!

We thought last weekend was going to be pretty mellow, since we had to take care of Maddie (who got spayed on Friday). Well, that changed FAST! We never thought picking her up at the vet would result in adopting a CAT!? It's been on our mind that we need another companion for M, but not this soon. However, the vet told us this 1. 5 year old cat was really friendly, but just needed a home:( She seemed like a great fit, since the vet took care of her and she's been surrounded by lots of animals. She told us we can test her out and if it doesn't work, we can bring her back....well, she's staying!
The cat has been the sweetest and super mellow! The animals get along pretty well, but both get a little territorial. M's been our baby, no wonder! It will pass I'm sure with time. We are so happy that our unexpected adoption worked out and she melts our heart even when she lays on our chest at 5am!... OH! We haven't decided on a name yet, so any suggestions would help!!!


Also, this past weekend we had tons of gorgeous snow and after a YEAR of sharing a car with Darrin...my car arrived from California!!!! I've missed it so much!

This broke our heart!

Make yourself at home!

What a life

Peek-a-boo. Love the new ride Mom!

Time for some house projects-West Elm knock-off

I've done a few projects for our new house, but I haven't posted anything yet. I will post more soon, but wanted to share my latest project. My inspiration was from West Elm. I wasn't familiar with this design store until I started in this blog world. I was in love when I saw the website.  I looked up where they were located and found out they were in Charlotte, NC!  So, three weeks ago, Darrin and I drove three hours to Charlotte for a special trip to see the store.  I wanted everything when I went in, but bought some dish towels and place mats in the sale section. I can't wait to visit again!


This West Elm shelf was $79 for one! I spent $7 on wood, $6 for stain/cloth and $35 for brackets/screws. Total=$48 for 2! This project was a quick diy project, and Darrin got to use his new power drill! 

West Elm

Maddie always checking the action

~Megan

Top Five Wedding Gift/Top Mess by Maddie

Darrin wanted me to blog about this, so here I go...
I had a crummy morning at work on Tuesday and I came home at lunch to let out the pup. I came in the door and was hit with the biggest mess that Maddie's made so far:( I wasn't even mad. I was just blown away and I was kind of expecting it since my day wasn't going too well. 


Two words that summed up the explosion--ELMER's GLUE! Yep, M had a blast with the glue bottle she found in a drawer.  The target was our new COUCH! She poured a big puddle at the end where she usually sits. Then had a party with it and spewed out strands allll over. She also got a tube of brown paint, buttons, matches, a battery, two pens, and a cookbook. Somehow Darrin's childhood bible survived with a few teeth marks. I mean it was unbelievable and I only took one photo:(


THANKS to a gift card for our wedding, we purchased the Bissell 9200P Deep Cleaner, ProHeat 2X, Pet cleaner at Macy's. This SAVED us! Darrin scrubbed the heck out of the couch and the glue came out thankfully! This cleaner has been so useful for our Miss Mess Maker and we knew it would come in handy. Every time Darrin and I use it, we always say how this was one of the best gifts we got from our wedding. I mean we had a lot of good ones, but this has been a savior for us! 

Our poor couch

Bissell ad

All clean!

Soaking wet, but what a difference!