Christmas Traditions: Holiday Foods

So, I was inspired by Traci's post about favorite Christmas movies.
And I've got my own list of favorites. Favorite Christmas-season foods. Note I said "Christmas-season" because some of these items can be found all year round, but are particularly good/in season during the holidays.

- Pistachios
- Clementines and Oranges
- Grapefruit & Fresh Grapefruit Juice (Trader Joe's!)
- Eggnog
- Wassail
- Creme Crumb Cake (from a family bakery at The Farmer's Market - it's to die for) We have it every Christmas morning.
- Christmas Blend Coffee
- Mimosas on Christmas morning (which, sadly, I will not be having this year)


What are some of your favorites?

Why Merging Never Works

So, I've given this some considerable thought (pretty much every morning at 8:45 for the past year and a half), and I've decided I know why merging never works smoothly.
Firstly, let me just say that I understand it is a necessary evil. Without it, we'd end up with highways the size of Canada.
And I also understand that those lovely members of the Signage Industry have attempted to ease our pain as much as possible. Generally they give you 1,000 ft notice. Or, if they're feeling particularly generous, they may even give you an entire mile. Either way, I appreciate that they are trying to be considerate of our merging woes.
However, they have overlooked one crucial fact:
People are selfish and always in a hurry. Especially at 8:45 in the morning.
And of those selfish and hurried people, there are then two categories. They are as follows.

Type 1 - these are the I-Don't-Care-About-That-Sign-I-Just-Want-To-Keep-Moving-And-Get-To-The-Front-Of-The-Line people. These people are instant-gratification seekers and short-sighted. They lose sight of the big picture; they have tunnel vision, if you will. We'll call them Five-Year-Olds.

Type 2 - these are the I-See-The-Sign-Therefore-I'm-Going-To-Get-Over-Now-So-I'm-In-A-Lane-When-The-Other-One-Expires people. These people are sensible and long-term-minded and can see the grand scheme of things. We'll call them Sensiblites.

So, there you have it. The two types of people and their merging mindsets. And at first there is no problem. But as you get closer and closer to the infamous merge, two things happen. Firstly, the Five-Year-Olds finally decide it's time to get over. Secondly, the Sensiblites revolt. See, I failed to mention above that Sensiblites are also self-righteous and carry with them the "snooze-you-lose" attitude. And so the efficacy of the system gets thrown out the window as the Sensiblite becomes bent on nothing else but punishing Five-Year-Old for his stupidity. Because as soon as Five-Year-Old tries to get in Sensiblite's lane, Sensiblite has a conniption the size of Mount Vesuvius and starts screaming at the rolled up window, "OH! You want to get over NOW, huh? Listen, buddy, I've been in this lane for the last mile and a half, going slower yet remaining committed because I know this is the lane to be, all the while the likes of you are whizzing past me and trying to cut in front of the OTHER sensible people in front of me who have ALSO waited their turn! If you had just paid attention to the sign and gotten over in the mile the sign gave you, NONE OF THIS TRAFFIC WOULD BE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW!"
Sensiblite then proceeds to tail the fellow Sensiblite in front of her so that Five-Year-Old has no chance of getting in whatsoever. It's like the Pearly White Gates - there are no shortcuts or butting ahead of someone. Guess you shoulda been more big-picture-oriented and waited in line!

And there is some sort of vindictive, incredibly satisfying feeling that comes from shoving Five-Year-Old off the road into oblivion.

Maybe next time Five-Year-Old will reconsider his ways and deem it a GOOD IDEA to convert and become a Sensiblite. And yell all kinds of nasty things at other thick-headed Fire-Year-Old's.

And that, my friends, is why merging will never win itself a Nobel Peace Prize. Well....on second thought.....maybe that's not true after all. Apparently anyone can win one of those.

Which type are you?

And no, I don't need anger management, thank you very much ;)

I'm learning.....

So, I am in the middle of a learning process.
Learning things I thought I knew.
There is a chance I may be revising my stance on High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).
I’m currently reading this article from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition : Straight Talk About High-Fructose Corn Syrup: What it is and what it ain't

This does not mean that I am going to just start buying products with HFCS – I think there’s still some research that needs to be done. Plus, I have not finished the article, so I am reserving final judgment for a while longer. This does mean, however, that I am going to let the scientific facts speak for themselves. What I like about this is that it’s a scholarly journal, not media hype, which may prove to be the source of a lot of the confusion over this issue.

I'll let ya know what I think! In the meantime, let me know your thoughts! But please have a scientific reason to support your argument either way. These are the kind of facts we need to reach clarity on this controversy :)

Thanks for putting up with my nerd post :)

The End.

O Tannenbaum

It must be a tradition of sorts. We always seem to fight on Christmas Tree Day :) It's always about silly stuff.....I believe last year it was over tea.
Anyways, this past Saturday was Christmas Tree Day. And we are creatures of habit. And I'm not going to disclose the contents of this year's argument. Maybe I'll divulge next year. The important thing is it was silly and we kissed and made up :)
We usually do this the day (or weekend) after Thanksgiving. But this year I went shopping on Black Friday and was not feeling well on Saturday. So we waited a week.
It had started to sneet (snow/sleet), but we braved Old Man Winter and headed out to Wiggins anyways.
Here is Mr. Lumberjack himself.


And here is only a portion of the forest from which we had to choose our tree. This is always the most difficult part. You have to understand - I had a disastrous Christmas tree experience the year we lived in Maryland. If you'd like a dramatic reenactment of how that story went down, you may consult my mother.
Anyways, when it comes to picking trees, Mike is very practical (thank goodness), and me, well.....let's just say that if I had no supervision I'd pick a tree the size of The Nutcracker tree every year. No doubt. Never mind the fact that I don't have a 25 ft ceiling.


So we embarked on a mission. To find a happy medium.


This one (apparently) had eaten too many Christmas cookies and was too fat for our living room. Boo hoo.


This one, on the other hand, had lost its midsection somewhere along the way.


After much looking, we headed over to the other side of the tree farm to see what we could see. It was quite a trek.


And of course ours was the furthest away. Here is Mike with the saw.


And here is Michael and his lovely face when he realized how wet the ground was going to be. He got over it ;)


And while I went to Wawa to get cash (for some reason we thought a tree farm in a field would have a credit card machine) Michael dragged our tree back down the hill all by himself (no cart even!) and got it baled. I met him back there in time for him to tie it to the top of the van. Which, we almost lost it on the way home and pulled over on Rt 3 to save it from certain destruction.


And then Mike had the brilliant idea to put it in the tree stand outside before bringing it in and cutting the strings. I can't tell you how much easier that made it!


And here it is. It is still not decorated because I've been feeling sick this week. But soon!


And to make this Christmas Tree Day even better, it snowed :)

Merry Christmas!!
p.s. It's a Christmas tree....not a holiday tree.....I mean c'mon! Please let's not rewrite history....

Thing 1 and Thing 2 - neither related to the other

Thing 1:

I was in Target yesterday doing my non-trader-joe-shop (essentially what's left on my list after Trader Joe's...) trying to plan a dessert for tonight (the lovely Alf and Ruth Lohmann are coming for dinner.)
Apple Cake.....Ooey Gooey Cake.....Fruit Parfaits....WHAT TO DO?!
And then I remembered I was tired. So so tired.
Clearly my culinary motivations have run off with every ounce of energy I once owned.
And then I walked down the baking aisle.
And saw these.
And it gave me pause for thought.
Could it really be as easy as brownie mix + egg + water + oil?
Is this what smart people do? Can it really be this easy?!
And I answered myself. I said, "Self, YES! Grab the brownie mix and go!"
And so I did. And I can't even tell you how excited I am to dump, mix and pour. It is going to make my life so much easier.

And here is Thing 2:

I told you it was unrelated.
But it has transformed my dining room table.
The table is only a few months old, but already it had water marks, heat stains, scratches, etc. It was dry!! Dying and screaming for orange oil love!
And I heard its cries.
And now, it looks even better than when we first bought it!!! Can't you see that SHINE?!
It is only $3.49. As such, I insist you go buy it if you have any wood furniture worth loving. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Thanksgiving Morning

Well here I am on Thanksgiving morning, sitting on my couch in front of a cozy fire waiting for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to start.
I've always loved holiday mornings, particularly Thanksgiving and Christmas. When we were younger we would always celebrate with the Sharp side, rotating houses each year, and those are some of my favorite Thanksgiving memories. Aunt Betty's cream cheese bars. Aunt Donna's famous banana bread. Uncle Johnny's white hots (I don't know exactly what they were....some sort of sausage sandwich....but they were GOOD!). All of us kids wrestling with dad and Uncle Dean and Uncle Steve. (For the record, we kicked their butts ;) Definitely some good memories. And now we're all grown up. And soon Mike and I will have our own little one running around on Thanksgiving morning, and we'll get to start our own traditions. I hope they're just as fun and exciting as my childhood memories!
Ok, so following in Ange's footsteps, here is a list of things I am grateful for this Thanksgiving (In no particular order):

-my Savior and my God, Jesus Christ
-my incredible husband who takes such great care of me, especially in these early weeks of pregnancy
-my church and their commitment to preach the Gospel
-our new house!
-a baby on the way
-both of our amazing families (Sharps and Smiths!)
-our Community Group
-Friends
-Cheesecake Factory :)
-a Fireplace (i love this one)
-stable jobs
-two working vehicles
-Fruit
-camera
-the YMCA (we need this place to stay in shape ;)
-History (it's fascinating!)
-J Crew coats :)
-bagels (which comprise most of my diet these days)
-new laptop
-Christmas trees
-parents. I'm convinced we have some of the best around!
-water
-snow!
-Change of seasons
-the beach
-doctors and medicine
-health
-good magazines and books
-Music and art
-a country that allows us to worship freely

I think what I was most aware of as I made this list is how many of these things are not necessities. God has been so good to bless us with not only our needs, but also wants. What a gracious God we serve!!! I hope to celebrate Thanksgiving every day, not just once a year. Gratitude certainly is a powerful weapon against anxiety!
"Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. but seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." - Matthew 6:31-33

SURPRISE!

Soooooo.....lately (in spite of recent blog posts) most of my food intake has consisted of these:


And I've been drinking this stuff like medicine:


Because, a few weeks ago when I found out I had swine flu:


We also found out something else:

We are having a baby :) SURPRISE!
However, because I had swine flu when we told our families, I have yet to receive many congratulatory hugs from many beloved family members. Being pregnant didn't change the opinion that I deserved to be quarantined ;)
Rosie did have the best one-liner though. When we told my family, Rosie was relatively quiet until she felt compelled to voice an epiphany she had. She said, "Huh, so I guess this is the first time you've ever really been surprised, Sarah." That kid knows me and my snooping tendencies all too well!
Now here's another funny part to the story. We found out on a Tuesday that I was pregnant. That Sunday before was Sean's birthday and, keeping with traditional Smith gift-giving techniques, we informed Sean his gift was still forthcoming. He joked "is it a baby niece/nephew?!"
We told him yeah right - go jump in a lake.
So, when we told the Smiths a few days later, Sean's first response was "you guys DID get me a baby for my birthday!"
Sorry to burst your bubble, Sean, but our plans for a birthday gift probably looked something like a book. But since this clearly counts as far as you're concerned, we'll just say we got you a niece/nephew for your birthday and call it even ;)

Simple, Perfect Enchiladas

These beauties....


Came from this beauty....

It's a wonderful cookbook. Buy it ASAP :)

But I must warn you: they are rather messy to assemble.

At least....I got messy....i wonder if Pioneer Woman gets messy in the process as well. She didn't say anything about it in her instructions.
Anywho, this is what they look like if you like fun, smothered with sour cream:

And this is what they look like if you don't like to have fun, and don't like sour cream:

I'll leave you to figure out who is fun and who is not so fun ;)

I do Exist

Sorry....I know it's been a while....there've been several events going on :)
Today I had off and I cleaned my house. I can now breathe. I can also now see the floor in my bedroom, which is a major plus.
Anyways, tonight I made Pioneer Woman's Chicken Parmigiana. It was sooooooooo good. Please make it sometime soon.


The side was this amazing Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread. It was to die for. Mike and I ate half of it. And half of pretty big = still pretty big. Which means we will be going to the gym tomorrow. You have got to try it - it's super easy and super tasty. The melted parmesan makes it super cheesy too! (Wow...that's a lot of supers. Sorry.)



And a side note: this is what my kitchen looked when I was done. Clean, right??? That's because I tried the novel of idea of "cleaning as you go." I liked it. But because I am slow to learn, I will probably not adopt this as a regular habit until I'm 100% desperate and banging my head up against the wall every day for 5 weeks straight. I wish I wasn't like that. Anways, I thought it was an accomplishment so I included this picture as proof that I can cook and be clean. They are not mutually exclusive.


Coming up:
Saturday - Mich and Alex's wedding!!!! Woohoo!!!!! Can't wait!
December 7 - this is an important date for many reasons ;) but among them will be going to Pioneer Woman's booksigning with Alex and Michelle!!! Yes, that's right, the boys are coming with us :) For my birthday Mich gave me PW's cookbook and included a date to the book signing and dinner after. I'm so excited!!!!

Dust Bunnies

Currently, the dust bunnies in my house bear a strong resemblance to this:


And they're staring at me just like that.
Now see, it's both freeing and unnerving to not be able to clean when one is sick. Freeing, because I don't feel guilty. Unnerving because, well, for some reason I can't relax if the room I'm in isn't clean/in order.

I can hear the Swiffer calling my name......

oinkety oink oink

So....it's true. I have H1N1. Lovely, I know. So this is what I've been up to this week:
Drinking lots of tea with honey (Michael picked out the honey bear at the store since he had to do the grocery shopping this week :)

Trying to figure out which one of these will end up working....

And wiping down any and every surface with this:

I'm terrified to think how many germs are lurking in my house right now. Mike went on Tamiflu as a precaution....so we're hoping he won't catch it even though we haven't had a chance to disinfect yet.

And, because I am bored, and not much else exciting has happened this week, here is a picture of the groundhog that lives under our deck.

Mike is not so fond of him. But I think he needs a name anyways. Let me know if you think of one.....he can't just be called Groundhog.

The Beloved Spazzoid

So, once upon a time, I got one of these:

An E-ma-what?? you may ask.
An Emachine.
It was a (wonderful!) gift for my highschool graduation, and it has served me well! It got me through college and all its papers, tests, classes and projects. It was a heroic little laptop, but a few years back, it got sick.
Very, very sick. In fact, it became what one might call a spazzoid. (Kudos to Margie for inventing that word.)
It had what we call whir-a-termination.
Translation: if you hear a fast, whirring noise, save everything STAT because it is about to terminate your blood, sweat and tears and scatter them into oblivion.
The Geek Squad at Best Buy looked at it time after time but told me there was "nothing wrong." Nothing wrong?! IT SHUTS OFF AT RANDOM! I don't know what you call "nothing wrong," but that sure fits my definition pretty well. Fortunately I had enough self control to not say this to their faces. However, I'm convinced they were hired simply because they LOOKED like they belonged in a geek squad....but ANYWAYS! (was that mean?)
After I gave up on the Geek Squad, Uncle Mick operated on this poor little thing who knows how many times. He even wiped it clean in case a virus had set in.
And while it never completely recovered (it eventually lost all media capabilities whatsoever....poor thing), the two of us did learn how to coexist.
I learned its quirks - not to unplug it, not to close its lid lest it go into hibernation and suffer a catastrophic meltdown, not to let it go into Standby.....all those fun little tricks.
And for the past 3 years we have been getting on just fine, quirks and all.
But the time has come to say goodbye to beloved Emachine.
Sometime around November 10th or so.....this should be arriving:

Lenovo IdeaPad Y550.
Andrew did all the research (it's a beautiful thing to have such a technologically inclined brother - I highly recommend getting one) and found us a really good deal on this one. He has its big sister, ThinkPad. And so we will excitedly be welcoming IdeaPad into our family. I must admit, I'm looking forward to not having to play doctor anymore for my laptop, but in a strange way I am going to miss Emachine's quirks. It was my first laptop, as well as my college laptop - lots of good memories. But all good things must come to an end. So, out with the old and in with the new!
Goodbye, Emachine. May you rest in peace.

Soup's on the Menu!

Soup is one of those meals that just tastes infinitely better when it's cold outside. It's just a fact - ask anyone and they'll tell you it's true.
This here is a soup that my mom used to make when I was growing up - it's called Spinach Tortellini Soup - and it's one of my favorites. And it's pretty darn easy too - this is what I call a no-fuss-meal. So if you're looking for something to warm up with on a chilly October night, this just may fit the bill.
There are many variations of this soup, and I'm not even sure the one I picked is the exact recipe my mom uses, but here is one take on it:

Tortellini Spinach Tomato Soup

Ingredients:
1 whole medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14.5 oz) Diced Tomatoes
2 quarts chicken broth
1 lb. Cheese Tortellini (frozen or fresh)
1 bag (6 oz) fresh baby spinach
Salt
Pepper
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

- In a large stock pot heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute unil translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomtoes and broth. Turtn heat up to high and bring to a boil. (The original instructions don't say to do this, but PLEASE let this simmer for a good half hour or so(lid on) - it needs time for the flavors to meld and to get that canned taste out of the tomatoes.)
- Add Tortellini and cook according to package directions. When tortellini has about a minute left to cook, add the spinach. Salt and Pepper to taste.
- Garnish with cheese and serve immediately.

It's a great weeknight meal!!



And the best part about this meal? It tastes great as leftovers - the flavors just get even better!! You may have to add more chicken broth because the tortellini tends to absorb a lot of it - just let it simmer a bit on the stove and you're golden!
oh, and no, flowers are not on the menu, but they were just so pretty I could not end this post without sneaking them in. Oh how I do love gerbera daisies!!!!!

A Writing Frenzy

I was reading my dear sister-in-law's blog today, and was inspired to join her in NaNoWriMo.
What is that you ask?
National Novel Writing Month.

Click on the link. It will tell you all that you need to know.

When I was 13, I started writing a novel, and about 14 chapters in, I stopped.
I wish I had never stopped.
So for the fun of it, I'm going to accept this challenge. As Ed put it, "you can only fail..."
Thanks, Ed. (I think he was trying to say...what is there to lose?....at least that's what I hope he meant....)
I have a week to get my brain in gear.
Either I have stumbled across the next big thing. Or I'm nuts. Or crazy. Or insane. (Yes...I realize those last three options are one in the same....because there's a 75% chance that that's what's up here....)
Mike says he hopes to see me during the month of November. I hope to see me too.

I'll let you know if I get a week in and realize I've really gone off the deep end this time.....

There is a ghost amongst us....

In the spirit of Halloween (side note - the only way I can remember how to spell Halloween correctly is to sing that song I learned as a kid - "H-A-double L-O-double U double E-N spells Halloween!)
anywho
in the spirit of Halloween (got the song stuck in your head yet?) I thought I would bring your attention to a certain somebody amidst our ranks.
His/her name is the I-Don't-Get-You Ghost.

Said Ghost has many talents. Among them being a sense of humor for the 'i don't get you' reaction. The I-Don't-Get-You Ghost thinks it's hilarious to go through every post and check off "i don't get you." I have to admit, Mike and I almost fell over laughing when we were leaked this story.
This person doesn't know I know. Until now. This person, according to an inside source, "apparently...does it in his/her free time and thinks its hilarious"

I will give you three guesses as to who said ghost is:

1) Nick DiMaio
2) Meghan Hayes
3) Richard Healey

The prize shall be a bag of Halloween candy for the first person to guess correctly.

Southwest Night

This is what we had for dinner tonight, and it was really tasty. And easy. Here's the recipe:
Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps
Except her picture looks better than mine.

I didn't have all the ingredients on hand, so I had to make do with what I had.
Here are the changes I made:

- I used butter instead of cooking spray. Tastes much better, I think.
- I omitted the beans
- I was out of Chili Powder, so I substituted Hungarian Paprika. It worked in a pinch.
- I used Habanero-Lime tortillas (they're our favorite, if you haven't noticed.)

It was good. Mike said he wants it added to the "keeper" list.

Oh, and for those of you protesting that this is not "autumnish," all I have to say to you is that the week is not over yet :)

For Christmas.....

I would like this...

However, I have been informed by my dear husband that I may as well ask for a trip to the moon while I'm at it.
I don't want a trip to the moon.

Squash, Rugs and Object Lessons

So, this weekend has been busy. Busy, yet fun.
This past week's AP meal was Rigatoni with Squash and Prawns. Minus the prawns. Sorry. They weren't in my budget this week. (You'll see why shortly.)
It was pretty good - I think it would definitely be better with the shrimp. But it was still yummy - I used whole wheat pasta and added oven-roasted tomatoes.

Here you can see object lesson #1: this is what I get for buying a rinky-dink vegetable peeler. It is not very effective on a butternut squash. It took fooorrreeeeevvver.


Finally got it peeled and chopped up. I was much happier at this point.


I cooked some extra butternut squash and mashed it with some butter, salt and pepper. Michael did not want to have anything to do with it, but that's ok. He ate the oh-so-good Asiago Cheese Bread from Panera. Sooooooo good.



And here is the rug part. Mike told me on Saturday that a rug was high priority on our list of house items. Could I have asked for better words to come forth from my husband?? :)
Anways, on Saturday Meg, Heidi and I were already headed out to the Lancaster outlets to look for a bridesmaids dress for me for Michelle's wedding. While out there we stopped by Pottery Barn Outlet to see what we could see. And lo and behold! What did we find but this beauty of a rug! I had to duke it out with another lady who was also interested in it, but in the end she decided it was too small for the room she was decorating. While sad for her, I gladly swooped in to offer this rug a new home. Here it is, as well as dear Michael the Husband enjoying some Sunday afternoon football.



And this is where we come to object lesson #2. I should preface this story by saying that I was going to a plethera of favorite stores while having already spent my clothing budget for the month. And that's all I'm going to say.
Here, ladies and gents, is the dress I found for Michelle's wedding:

I had ordered another dress online a few weeks back, but when it came it was not at all what I had anticipated. So I was on the hunt again. I quickly found yet another dress at J Crew that I liked quite a lot. It was rather expensive, but Mike made a deal with me. He said I could have it, but I had to first search for 5 days to see if I could find something that I liked just as much but at a better deal.
I promised.
And I searched.
And I found this one at Ann Taylor for an amazing amazing deal. And I liked it. And it was cheaper. Way way cheaper. I had fulfilled my promise AND I liked the dress!
And that's when things took a turn.
May I just say, this sounded like a good idea at the time. (And maybe I still kinda think it sounds like a good idea???? But don't tell Michael....otherwise he may say my lesson has not been learned.) But no, truthfully, I do see his wisdom, and I am grateful for his leadership.
Anyways. I had just walked out of Ann Taylor having saved beaucoup bucks. And I walked into J Crew still quite aware that I had saved beaucoup bucks.
And this was hanging there:

And it was 40% off. Plus Heidi could get me an additional 15% off with her student discount. (She asked to be the heroine of this story with her 15% discount.)
And so in my mind, because I had just saved the equivalence of what the coat cost when I bought the dress, it made sense that I could get the coat.
Well, apparently this did not make sense to Michael.
And, long story short, I am on a payment plan until February. It was either that or return the coat. I chose the payment plan ;)
And I have learned my lesson. Looking for a better deal is not always just so I can buy something else (though sometimes that IS the case). Sometimes finding a good deal is God's blessing so we can actually SAVE that money :)
But, since I have learned my lesson, I would just like to say that I like my new coat very much ;)

My Painting Project

I finally did it. I started my painting project.
First up? My server. I love how it turned out :)
Here it is pre-project. In all it's blue glory.


The Paint. I had a real hard time trying to pick this out. Why? Because I am drawn to a color simply based on its name. How can you not be when they tell you to pick from their vast collection of "Colors of Inspiration"? Sugared Shortbread. Magical Moonlight. Milk and Cookies. Snow Ballet. Alaskan Mist. Moonlit Snow. How can you possibly choose?! They all sound so inviting!
I had to remind myself to pick a paint based on the actual COLOR, not the name. I think the paint guy at Lowes thought I was a psycho because I kept pulling out paint chip after paint chip and sighing in agony.
I finally settled on Winter Mood. I am happy with it. Both the name and the color.


I should have just bought a cheap sheet to spread out. But I did not. So I spread out all the paper and plastic bags I owned, plus broken down boxes. And I then proceeded to pray throughout my entire painting project "Please don't let paint get on my floor....please don't let paint get on my floor..."


The first coat. It was still iffy as to whether it would turn out like the picture I had in my mind. But there was no turning back now.


The beautiful knobs from Anthropologie. I love love love them.


The finished product!!



I am very pleased with it. It has given me courage to finish the other pieces in my house: my china hutch, my mail cupboard, and an old mirror I have. And it means I get to buy more knobs at Anthropologie. Clearly this is my next big thing.