The Kitchen Hutch And A Few French Items

Kitchen Fun...

The kitchen is my favorite room to accessorize.  I mentioned recently that I brought my kitchen hutch back into the house, boy have I missed it.  It fits in nicely, because it matches the black kitchen island. I also purchased some French decor and decorated the kitchen with those items.  I am mixing Tuscan and French decor together. ;)

A glass of wine anyone? ;)

I love this French lamp.  I placed it on top of the hutch to light up this side of the kitchen.  Now it feels cozy! 

I love my fake bread that I purchased at Hobby Lobby. 

Here is the hutch...

Remember this sign I found at an Antique store?  This now sits on top of the kitchen hutch.

I love that I have a place to change things up in the kitchen, especially because I like to do it often. ;)

Thank for stopping by!  
XO ~Liz

Water Diet - Day 45

Hello!  Sorry for the late post, I had a SUPER busy week.  Just a quick update, see below...

Nothing new to report this week.  I have finally hit a plateau....grr!  I had one off day last week, can you guess what day it was?  I'll tell you, Valentine's Day!! I, umm, got into a box of chocolates.  I had 4 pieces of Sees candy.  Shame on me, and I went to dinner and "indulged" just a little. The rest of the week I was pretty good, however, I didn't drink as much water as I should have.  I did work out....YIPPIE!!  I must admit, I enjoyed it. So....back on track.  I lost a 1/2 a pound with a total loss of 19 1/2 pounds.  I'm going to have to work hard to push through this plateau, so wish me luck. 

I hope you're all having a great weekend!!  xo ~Liz

Day 38 on the Water Diet/Progress Pictures

Hi Everyone!! I've decided to retire the Water Diet Blog Party, simply because there just wasn't enough interest.  Thanks to those who participated, I really appreciate it.  I think our weight is a personal thing and although I seemed to have a lot of interest via email, not so much when the blog party rolled around, which is fine.  I will continue to share my journey and post every Friday. =)

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So, onto my results... 

This week I lost 2 pounds with a total loss of 19 pounds!! YIPPIE!!  Next week will be exciting for me, because I just know I will reach my 20 pound goal!! Woo, hoo!  I did not make exercise a priority like I had hoped, I guess I was a bit too ambitious, so this weekend I will amp up the exercise on into next week.  Wish me luck! ;)

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Do you all prefer a video, or pictures?  I don't want to bore y'all with the same kind of video each week.  In the photos above, I hope you can see the difference in my face after having lost 19 pounds, I definitely can. Well, 21 more pounds to go!! I just know I'm going to make it happen, I'm on a roll! =)

Thanks to all of you for your wonderful support, it means a lot. 

Have a great weekend everyone! xo ~Liz

Shabby Chic in the Family Room

Hi Everyone! I hope you had a great weekend!  Yesterday, my hubby and I went Antique Shopping and came across a Dealer that sold Shabby Chic/French Inspired pieces, and at great prices.  I fell in love with this unique looking hutch.  Join me and I will show you how it looks in the Family Room.

I am slowly trying to add a few lighter pieces to my Old World decor for a change.  The hutch is missing a knob, so I will be replacing all the knobs to something different.

The hutch was actually one whole top unit long ago, but the dealer made it into a two piece Hutch.

I accessorized with some spring decor. 

I like the little bird and the feather balls.

I added some pears to the inside of the birdcage.

What could feel more like spring then adding some birds and bunnies?

I added my French book boxes from Ross and a couple topiaries. 

I added a small cloche and placed some more pears inside of it.

I found two garlands at Hobby Lobby last week and dressed up the chandelier.

I added some goodies to the top of the hutch, too!

Do you remember the two French trunks I got last week?  Well they are sitting beside the hutch with a plant and a cute Bistro sign on it.

Here is one last look.

I added the cream colored chalkboard to tie the hutch and mantle together.  

Here is a look at the top of the hutch.

I have to say, the family room looks very cozy now and I am really enjoying the added spring touches.  I also got a cream colored shabby chic dresser that is distressed with a matching mirror and a distressed cream colored trunk for my daughters room.  We got a full over full bunk bed for her last weekend, so hopefully I will get around to sharing that later this week, it's still a work in progress.  Have a great week everyone!  xoxo ~Liz

Water Diet Blog Party # 3 And Progress Video

Below is my progress video!

So EXCITED about my Ross finds today...

I love the new French items they are selling at my local Ross.  Check out the two trunks and book boxes I purchased today...

I got one Paris Trunk and one Rome trunk.  I really wanted to get the London trunk, but it was $39.00...so I decided to pass on it.  Maybe next time, because it's always good to keep things in odd numbers when decorating.

The Paris trunk was larger and I got it for $29.00.

The Rome trunk was smaller and for $19.00.  

I love the detail on the trunks.  I nearly died when I saw this GORGEOUS French chair Ross had today.  I don't see chairs like this one often there, and I really wanted to splurge, but it was $149.00.  I just know it will be gone when I go back, it was that nice.  I sure hope Ross continues to get the French decor items in, because it will be fun adding those pieces in with my old world look.

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo ~Liz

A Few Changes In The Family Room

Well, I did it again, I changed the mantle a little.  I took down the picture I had there previously and replaced it with two black framed-beveled mirrors. 

I added a few topiary balls to the mix and some wooden decorative balls.  I also added a basket and placed a fern in it.

I added some grapes down below.

I left the antlers.

See the picture below?  Well, that picture was on the mantle and now it has found its new home on the rounded wall.  I just had to have something on that wall.  I had a big black mirror there before, but wanted a change.

I think it makes the room feel much cozier now. My girl's noticed the change right away when they returned home from school yesterday and they loved it!  My hubby on the other hand didn't notice it until much later.  Isn't it funny how men can be completely clueless of a change until much later?
 lol!  ;)

Sure, the picture is not curved, nor is the table, but I think it works.  The rounded wall is so large in scale that I felt it needed something there to balance it.

You can see the curve above.

The table you are seeing used to be in the kitchen.  Well, I made a change in there over the weekend.  I brought back my hutch, boy have I missed it.  I added all the new French decor to the hutch, and it looks really cute. I will share that later this week.

See the arrangement in the picture below?  Well, I got everything at Hobby Lobby last week.  I got the two green pots in the spring decor section.  All I did was pop a fern into the pot and placed a twig ball on top.  I think it looks like it came that way even though it didn't.  I purchased two feather balls.  I placed one in the small pot and set the other small one beside it.

I love this little garden Fleur de Lis.

Here is one last look.  I think it adds warmth to the room with a slight Tuscan flare.

Thanks for stopping by! xo ~Liz

Healthy Food can be DELISH!

 Join me for a *healthy* culinary experience.

Sorry, no decorating post today, but I will have one for you tomorrow, or Tuesday!  A lot of people have been emailing me asking me to share some of the things I've been eating on my diet.  Remember, the Water Diet is awesome, because you don't have to change all that much.  The water fills you up, which decreases your portion size, yippie!  Nothing is off limits as long as it's in moderation.  So, Friday night I had a hankering for Tri Tip.  I had the Butcher cut off all the fat that was visible, so what I was left with was a nice lean cut.  We cooked our Tri Tip in the cast iron pan and gave it a good sear at a high temperature, and then we finished cooking it off in the oven. The outside was carmelized and packed a ton of flavor, while the inside was nice and tender.

My Dad and Brother told me about a Roasted Brussels Sprout Recipe that's to die for, and believe me it was!  It's Ina Garten's recipe, you can view it here.  My kids even liked it!  =)  

I love Asparagus and veggies, and was inspired by Giada's Snap Pea Salad.  I had to vary it, because I didn't have all the ingredients, but I did make the exact salad dressing and it was SOOOO GOOD!!

Just look at all those vibrant colors.  I used a yellow bell pepper, asparagus, snap peas, and cherry tomatoes.

The dressing was so light and flavorful.

Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1/2 large lemon)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this meal, we all did!

I haven't had dessert in about a month now, so I felt I deserved a little treat for all my hard work.  Again, sticking with that motto....everything in moderation.  I decided to make mini apple pies.  I indulged in just one, and didn't feel guilty since the pie was so small. The kids loved the little apple pies and my hubby did, too!  I used store bought pie dough and filled a muffin tin with dough, shaped it, and then dropped in my filling. On the stove, I cooked apples in butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, honey, and brown sugar.  I then dropped my filling into each muffin slot, placed dough over the top, crimped the edges, and cut little slits on top to let the air escape.  I did an egg wash on top and then baked them at 375 for 15-20 minutes.  The way I did it was very similar to Giada's Baby Strawberry and Honey Pies.

Aren't they cute?

SOOOOO TASTY!!

A must, and I mean MUST try!  Super easy to make, too!  Well, thanks for stopping by and for all the sweet comments on my progress post.  xo ~Liz