What’s For Dinner?

When I started this blog I had full intention of blogging about cooking, I love to cook, especially baking but taking pictures of food is not easy and it doesn't thrill me to write about cooking.  However, in my new season of life as a busy Mom I have found that a meal subscription service rocks my world!  In a really good way!! I just have to share with you.  It makes my life easier and thought you may want to know about it.

We have been using Home Chef for a few months now and we love it!  Home Chef is a weekly subscription where you sign up, pick how many meals you want each week and fresh ingredients are delivered to your door with recipes.  It is so easy!  We get 3 meals a week, which fits perfect for our schedule.

I previously used another provider, Blue Apron, I highly recommended that service as well but Home Chef has exceeded my expectations so I wanted to share.

Here are a couple of my favorite Home Chef features are:

Home Chef offers an add on of a fruit basket, smoothie, and breakfast meal.  I love to occasionally add the fruit or smoothie. 

Each week you are sent an email for the week ahead to see the new menu and pick your meals.  If you miss the email the meals are preselected, but I love changing them to exactly what I’d like.  I try and pick one that I would like, one that I feel Will would like and one that I’d never cook on my own.  This is also the time when  you can add the fruit, smoothie, breakfast, or an additional meal if you like.  You can also change your delivery date if needed during this time, this is helpful if you are traveling or have dinner plans. 

The ingredients are all packaged in one bag and labeled so there is no sorting ingredients.

The meals usually take 30-35 minutes to prep and cook.

The customer service is superb!  We have a little FedEx issue with our address and I have had two boxes show up late due to them but the Home Chef team reached out and let me know ahead of time and I was able to prepare for another dinner alternative that night. 

I know you are thinking…It is expensive, it’s a splurge.  I thought so to at first but I am going to the grocery store less so it is a true time saver and time is money these days.  Not only that,  compared to grocery shopping I believe it to be less because I have no wasted ingredients as everything is premeasured and shipped per meal.  Less trips to the grocery store mean less impulse purchasing as well, you know what I mean….Ice Cream. 

Another cost saving benefit is I don’t want to eat out or pick up take out as often.  Knowing I have a healthy GOOD dinner at home to cook that takes less than it would to pack up and wait at a restaurant makes it easy to cook at home. 

This Healthy Take Out Cashew Pork was delish!

This is not a sponsored post, I just love Home Chef and wanted to share with you.  I encourage you to check it out at www.homechef.com .  You can sign up for two free meals, try the service and cancel anytime if you decide it’s not for you. 

I’d love it if you used my referral link to sign up! 

Referral link Here

https://www.homechef.com/invite/pVzaxS78MR1d

If you have trouble shoot me an email at heartsdesireathome@gmail.com and send me your email and I will send you the referral link from my personal email. 

I hope you will give it a try!

I’d love to know if you use this or another service already that you love?

Have a good evening and happy cooking!

 

 

April

Design Boards

Lately I have been sucked in to designing some rooms on Polyvore again.  It is a good distraction.  I certainly could put my time to better use but we all need an outlet right?!?

Lots of friends are re-designing spaces and so I’ve had fun thinking about what would I do.  Confession, I do that a lot, I go to other peoples houses and secretly I am re-designing in my head.  Not that anything is wrong with their current space but I just see the possibilities.  Ahhh…probably why I love TV shows like Fixer Upper.

Space number one is a living room space.  I have a friend in search for new furniture so l came up with a plan for a brighter space using cheerful accessories and neutral furniture.  She  likes earth tone colors and is drawn to bigger scale furniture to accommodate her sweet dogs.  I love the idea of the Ikea Ektorp sofa in grey with the chaise on the end.  That is a good piece for lounging and the smaller chairs are good for company.  My first idea was a bright rug that would really pop on her new wood floors. 

I wanted to see it with a neutral rug, which I like much better.  I think this makes it look more relaxed.  I love the pops of color with orange, yellow, and blue. 

On to the next space, a teen lounge, another friend is turning her dining space into a teen lounge for her daughter and son and I think this is such a fun idea.  The use of a daybed makes a great seating area.  I included a desk for homework and shelves for storage of gadgets and books.  Red, yellow, and blue are perfect for a gender neutral and this family loves the lake and beach so I include pillows and art that tie into a theme. 

What do you think?

Now…off to plan my living room….it’s coming people!!  I bought 20 yards of fabric to have my couch re-upholstered.  Maybe by Christmas I will have it finished!  I just need to decide how much I really want to splurge on a leather chair…eek!

Have a great week!

 

April

Game Day Attire

I’m not sure about you guys but we really love college football!  We love spending Fall Saturday’s at the game and tailgating.  We are missing it a lot this year, we decided to skip most games since we have a newborn but typically we regularly attend NC State games where my husband went to college, GO Wolfpack!  I am a Pirate at heart and we try to get East Carolina when possible to catch a game….Arggg!. 

We love to tailgate which includes a lot of eating, drinking, and socializing and of course Fashion!

A friend asked me to put together a post on game day fashion and I thought it would be fun since I love putting together boards on Polyvore and it would be a bit different for me.  Also, we are headed to a game this weekend so it is neat to think about what to wear. 

I know lots of ladies love to wear dresses to football games but I don’t get it….It’s a football game!  I more of a jeans or shorts and t-shirt girl and at most games that’s what you will find me wearing, usually it’s blazing hot at the games we attend since Fall is like Summer around here. I love putting outfits together, here are a few ideas for casual and comfortable while still stylish game day attire.

I’ll start with Purple and Gold since I love it most.  I am a big fan of knee boots with skinny jeans and I love the bright contrast of colors here with the 3/4 sleeve tee and the bright vest.  I’d keep this simple and pair it with a long necklace.                                

On to the Red Black & White…This look is a bit dresser but still comfy and classic.  Love the J.Crew vest, this is one you can dress up or down. I love the idea of a big red bag to carry food and drinks if you are visiting multiple tailgates. I would add a bright pop of color with a necklace or scarf in cooler weather.    

Since we are headed to the game this weekend and it is supposed to RAIN RAIN RAIN I put together a fun casual outfit with red rain boots. I love the bright pop with the boots and a causal t-shirt paired with a scarf to brighten it up.  I should have added a rain jacket!  I’ll need it this weekend!

I basically created this outfit around that watch!  I am currently obsessed, I think I may have to buy myself a little gift!!

If you are headed out to a game this weekend I hope you are enjoying a lovely Fall day in early October and not hiding from Hurricane Joaquin like we will be!

How do you like a fashion post from me?  Be sure to check out my Personal Style Board on Pinterest, I save my Polyvore ideas there and pin other fashion wants. 

p.s. excuse any typos and grammatical errors…I’ve read this three times, our little love bug hates naps and is crying through one as I try and blog.  I am also sleep deprived but you knew that!

 

April

Dreaming of a New Living Room Furniture

I don’t know about you guys but I tire of my home décor and furniture easily.  I try to be content with what I have and make it work but sometimes you just need a change.  I’ve lived with our current living room furniture for 11 years and 4 houses!  I can at least say I bought good quality furniture.

Now that I  am home daily on maternity leave I sure have been dreaming a lot about exactly what I want.  I’d like to take advantage of the long days away from work and use some of this time to shop and hopefully purchase a new sofa and chair for the space. 

I have been “pinning” away on Pinterest, take a look at  my  Living Room  board.  Pinterest is a great resource for ideas and a great way to group together my thoughts on what I like.  Buying a new sofa feels like such a commitment, I mean 11 years have passed since the last time I bought furniture for the living room!

I also like to create mood boards when planning a space, it really helps to visually see all the ideas floating around come together.  I also think this is a great picture to show design associates when shopping the furniture stores, it always helps them to know your vision.

Here is a general idea of what I am going for.   Lighter and brighter but still traditional.  I love adding pieces that have a cottage feel as accents, you can’t see here but in reality I’d add pops of color that give that vibe. 

 

To break this down a bit, I have the rug and the coffee table already.  I have two side chairs that are in need of re-upholstering, I’d like to cover those in a solid neutral color fabric and white wash the wood on them for a similar look to these on the board.  I would love a comfy leather chair with an ottoman in a light colored leather but most dramatically I want a new neutral colored sofa. 

So, let’s talk about the sofa, the big guy in the room.   I really want a white/light sofa but everyone including my husband thinks I am crazy.  Mainly because we just had our first child and people think I don’t know that children make messes, my child will make messes and I am sure I will panic the first time soda or peanut butter and jelly even make it in the living room by tiny hands.  So with that, my second option would be a grey/blue colored fabric. 

But….I want to talk about the white sofa.  I think it is do able.  The thing that concerns me the most is our dog, she currently loves to lay on the couch and in the chair and a half.  She has probably worn the fabric the most and she is a chocolate lab so dark hair on a white couch would probably drive me insane.  That makes me hesitate.  For fun let’s take a look at some research on a white sofa anyway.   

First let me explain why I want a light sofa, currently my living room is so colorful.  I have loved that, but now I would rather add color with pillows, throws, & accessories so that I can change them with the seasons.  It’s hard to find these items to match my current furniture.

Also I love the soft colors in my dining room, I have been pretty happy with the color choices in that room since day one.  This space is adjacent to the living room so it would be nice to quite the living space with a more neutral pallet to match the dining space better.

On to the sofa debate…

I love Ikea’s Ektorp Sofa.  It looks pretty close to Pottery Barn’s Comfort Sofa and Ikea’s version is only $400 bucks!  I love the fact that you can wash the slip covers and not worry about staining.  On looks alone the one thing I don’t like is the skirt, I really would like a couch without the skirt.

 

Here are some great blog post from a few folks that own the Ikea Ektorp sofa and I love what they have to say about it.

Liz Marie wrote about her experience with the Ektorp sofa and gives an honest review.  She does a great job explaining the pros and cons.  I will admit after reading here that the sofa is a bit on the smaller size concerns me.

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Here Kelly at A View Along the Way talks about here Ektorp sofa and how well it works for her and her young family.  She also talks about how easy is to clean and replace the slip covers if needed.  

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And Melaine at Sweet Savannah gives a great review of both the Ikea and Pottery Barn versions.  You cannot tell the difference in the two!

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Even after reading these great reviews I am still on the fence.  One, do I really want to go white?!?  Two, is this couch comfortable enough for us?  Three, will the smaller size bother me?  I think the only way I could be certain is to make the drive to Ikea and try it out and see it in person.   $400 is a heck of a deal and I think I could live with it for a few years but I’d like to see it and also sofa shop a bit to look at what else is out there, specifically in a darker fabrics.  Also I plan to price out having my current sofa re-upholstered.  It has held up remarkably well so I know it is good quality. 

Just yesterday Kate at  Censational Girl did a great post on considerations when buying a sofa.  It was perfect timing and a good read.  I will certainly be using her tips and if you are in the market for a new sofa, click HERE to read the post.

Hopefully soon I’ll have a post on my NEW living room furniture.  I will keep you updated on my hunting and decisions. 

If you would like to see my Polyvore Mood Boards Follow me HERE.  If you would like to see my Living Room board on Pinterest Follow along HERE. I’d love for you to follow along!

 

April

Decorating with Rugs

One thing that really finishes a room and anchors a space is a RUG.  Rugs can be a great way to add color & texture both of which create warmth.  Most importantly rugs help define a space and pull furnishings together.  For example,  take a look at my dining room with and without a rug, the rug completely transforms the space.  Without a rug, it seems as if the furniture is floating. 

Dining Room with a Rug

(Rug from World Market)

Dining Room without a Rug

I have found that I really love natural rugs that add texture, especially when I am struggling with color choices for a room, or in a room that I want to keep neutral or tone down.  Rugs are also great as accents, they add color to a space. One of my favorite examples is our kitchen rug, our dark cabinets need some brightness and contrast and this rug does the trick.   

One nuisance with rugs can be that they slide around.  If you have pets, kids, or a rug like this one in a high traffic area, it won’t stay in place without a great rug pad.  I am guilty of not purchasing rug pads for all my rugs, the number one reason is that it is difficult to find unusual sized rug pads at big box stores.  Having a good rug pad is really a crucial piece in laying out your rug.  I was contacted by RugPadUSA.com to try out their product and I jumped at the opportunity because I know the difference between good rug pads and a cheap one.  I was excited to try their product under our kitchen rug, they generously sent a pad of my choice to try out.  I chose the Eco-Solid and RugPadUSA.com custom cut it to a 2’ 3” x 7’ 10” to fit perfectly under my runner rug and so that it would slightly taper at the edges for a perfect fit.  I chose the Eco-Solid because it has a little cushion which is great for an area where you are standing a lot and it was a recommended pad for rugs over hardwood floors. 

I really love this new rug pad, it makes a huge difference.  Abbie, our dog, runs in here daily for her treats and before the rug pad she would slide and the rug would slide around and she would scrunch it up.  Now it stays in place.  Also, I am pleasantly surprised every time I walk on it now because of the extra cushion, which is awesome in the kitchen. 

Take a look at my hallway rug,  it is always crooked!  Every time I walk by this rug I straighten it, this is the center of our house and our dog and cats run through here and constantly move it.  It moves because I have a cheap rug pad under this one!

This corner I am showing  you here is wrinkled under the rug all the time, this is the spot we step on the most often.  The rug always has a hump under it because of the pad.  You have all seen these type of pads, you probably have a few of these rug pads, you know the ones that are thin and non-specific to your floor type and they SLIDE and WEAR OUT so quick!  They are just thin and flimsy and have no grip.  I am pretty sure I bought this one in a hurry with the rug at HomeGoods and I just didn’t give it much thought…I just knew at the time I needed a pad with the rug.  I probably spent $20-25 on a rug pad that just doesn’t get the job done.  Most people simply don’t want to spend the money on a quality rug pad, especially after you have spent a good amount on a new rug. 

Cheaper rug pads can ruin a good floor over time, many are made with chemicals and those chemicals can cause discoloration on certain floor types.  You’ve probably noticed an odor when opening packages.  VOC’s or chemical odors are never good for indoor air quality. Another thing with poorly made rug pads are sometimes they are made with materials that can cause them to stick to floors to create a good grip but those materials end up literally sticking to your floors, ruining them.  Natural rubber is a much better choice, it has a natural grip and because it comes from rubber trees it has low VOC’s and out-gassing is not an issue.

I found RugPadUSA.com very helpful in finding the right type of rug pad for my kitchen quick, I loved the “shop by floor type” area and you can quickly scan ratings on cushion, durability, and grip to find a pad that works best for you.  All rug pads are made in the USA and ship fast!  They also offer custom cuts so you don’t have to do that yourself for an unusual sizes!

RugPadUSA.com  is offering my readers a coupon code to go get your own rug pad!!  Use coupon code is "PR15OFF" for a 15% discount on all orders. 

I just purchased a new rug for the hallway from Joss and Main this week and can’t wait to see how it looks when it arrives.  I think a new rug pad will be in order!

Disclosure: I was given a rug pad by RugPadUSA.com.  While I was given product to write a post about RugPadUSA.com, all opinions are my own.

April

 

Welcome Home Sweet Baby

We welcomed our baby girl into the world on July 15th.   We could not be more excited and feel extremely blessed!  She surprised us by making her appearance almost 3 weeks early but we are so excited to have this sweet Summertime with her. 

Our sweet Elaine Christine

I had newborn pictures taken at 8 days old and they are just precious.  The picture above was taken by Southern Honeysuckle Photography.  I highly recommend if you are near the Raleigh area, Sarah did a fantastic job.  Also, if you click on the link you can see her blog post with the the preview of our photos. 

I am slowly getting into a routine around here and loving on Elaine as much as I can!  I am off work until October so I am soaking it all in while I can!!

 

April

 

Nursery Reveal

Hey Guys!  Hope you all had a wonderful July 4th and had some extra time off work or to vacation.  We have kept things pretty low key around here and I have had the time to get a few things done around the house. 

So excited to share with you the final nursery reveal!  I have enjoyed working on this little room so much over the past few months.  It all came together in the last few weeks and I am glad to have it finished before we bring our baby girl home.  I will let the pictures guide you. Overall wanted a very soft color palette, something relaxing and calm.  My love for  birds lead me to stencil the wall but I did not want a “theme” so I kept the fabrics and other pieces in the room simple.  I tend to like softer colors for girls or gender neutral nursery’s but if we were having a boy I had plans to use dark navy blue with orange pops of color.  I am sure I will be changing décor often for our baby girl and by the time she is a toddler her room will be brighter and bolder. 

Come take a peek at the nursery with me.

 

Here is a small peek into the closet.  I had planned to show the whole closet because we did put in an organizing shelving system and the clothes are so sweet but it is packed FULL of baby stuff right now! 

Sadly, little Glen thinks that this is his room, he has been with me in every step of the decorating process.  He has loved every decision!  He is going to be so disappointed when he gets locked out. 

Sources

• Glider-Wayfair
• Pouf-Joss & Main
• Crib-Jenny Lind Style, Target
• Rug-Joss & Main
• Curtains-Fabric from www.babybedding.com, Carousel Designs
• Paint – Oyster, Benjamin Moore
• Wall Stencil – Royal Designs
• Bookshelves- Ikea (spice racks)
• Canvas Laundry Basket – Home Goods
• Rabbit Print Frame-Hobby Lobby
• Pink Lamp- Marshalls
• Floor Lamp – Urban Outfitters
• Chevron Throw – Kohls
• Side Table – Target
• Mobile – Blossom Hill, Etsy Shop
• Wire Baskets (closet) – Michael's Crafts

What do you think??

 

April

Nursery Bits

Hey ya’ll!  I know it has been forever since I have written a post but today I am off work and I thought I’d share a little nursery progress with you.   The room is almost complete, just waiting for a few final touches and I can’t wait to show you the whole space!!  It is just as sweet as it can be!

There were a few things I knew I wanted to do in the nursery regardless of the gender.  One was use the cuckoo clocks I had been collecting and two was to frame a storybook print I had seen on Pinterest.  These were things I had been holding onto before I even knew I was pregnant.  Once we learned we were having a girl, I knew I wanted to incorporate more birds into the space and I chose my paint colors.  I have tried to keep everything fairly neutral in the room and let the little fun things pop out. 

So here are those three DIY projects I’ve been working on.

First up the Storybook print.  I saw this idea on Pinterest a while back and the whole meaning behind the Velveteen Rabbit story meant so much to me I knew I had to use it! 

The original source is from Family House & a Cat, Marie does a fabulous job with the tutorial and I followed it to achieve the same look. 

I bought the frame at Hobby Lobby, had an engineer size print printed, and had it framed with just glass.  Overall I think the whole project was around $50.   Pretty good for a piece of art so big! 

This print hangs above my little rocking nook.

I love the meaning  behind the Velveteen Rabbit and so this print was special to me. I have a Dolly, also named Dolly that I’ve had since my first Christmas, I slept with her until I went off to college.  In high school girl friends teased me when they spent the night, but she was always real to me and comforting to have.  She is still near to my heart and in a safe place, I just prefer sleeping with Will these days!

 

Next up, I painted my small collection of cuckoo clocks.  If you have been a fan of this blog for long, you know I have a thing obsession for birds.  I’d collected 3 clocks and got them all at junk stores for under $20 each, I think in total $40.  I just taped up the clock and parts that I didn’t want painted blue and layered on the spray paint.

 

Once I finished with the blue, I hand painted the purple in the center on the left one.  Next we  just hung them up, pretty simple project….just tested my patience while I waited for the paint to dry between coats.

 

Last on the DIY round up I knew I wanted to extend the bird theme a bit once we found out it’s a girl.  I thought about a wall of bird wallpaper but then decided to give stenciling a try.  I ordered the large bird stencil from Royal Design Studio and it was perfect for one wall.  I picked three colors to paint the birds with and followed the tutorials on the company website. 

This was so easy!  Much easier than I thought it would be honestly.  I bought the stencil, paint roller, and tray from Royal Designs.  The paint used was  just sample pots of Behr from Home Depot.  This project overall cost about $55 and took less than 2 hours to complete from start to finish!! 

There  is your sneak peak of our nursery.  I hope to be back soon with the  full reveal!

Enjoy your weekend!

 

April

20 Things

Hey Guys!  My mind has been rambling all over the place lately and I know I haven’t really given you much in the way of new projects but here are some things that are on my mind!  I thought this would be a fun get to know me post. 

1) My to-do list is too long these days, so today I took things off that seemed unrealistic or non important-it was freeing!

2) I am super duper super excited about this Saturday, me and Will are headed to Clines Antiques, a dealer I have wanted to visit for years, follow along on Instagram to see what I find.

3) I am really loving Kantha Quilts, Pottery Barn has a “new” version but it is so expensive I have been looking for a vintage one.  Love the patterns and sticking.

4) I bought a paint by number tonight from www.easyart123.com, I can’t wait to paint it! I thought it would be a good de-stressor.

5) I am 23 weeks pregnant now! WOW. Over half way.

6) So far my least favorite pregnancy symptom is acne, I feel like an insecure 16 year old all over again.

7) Next week I am headed to Orlando, FL for Coverings on a work trip.  This is a huge tile & stone tradeshow, follow on Instagram for my favorite new looks.

8) I am knee deep in nursery decorating.  I’ve painted. I’ve stenciled. I’ve got furniture. A rug is on the way. Fabric for curtains has been chosen.  It’s all really sweet.

9) I am power washing our huge fence a little bit each day after work to prep it for staining.

10) Hoping the stain color will grow on me, not loving it.  Non-returnable. Should have tested it first.

11) I am still searching for a small rug for the bedroom, I bought new white bedding so you would think it would be easier.

12) We got a new mattress two weeks ago, I am sleeping much better!

13) Boy, we are spending too much money.  Glad Dave Ramsey has a new budget app to help me track it all.  www.everydollar.com

14) We are keeping the babies name a surprise until she is born.  Still haven’t 100% decided on the full name.

15) I had to schedule my feline baby, Nipper, for a teeth cleaning and I am scared of leaving him at the vet for a full day.

16) I am SO GLAD it is SPRING and the weather is warmer!!!!!!

17) I am looking forward to planting some new plants very soon.

18) I feel like I need to read more now while I have time but I am addicted to the Bee Brillant game on my phone.

19) Maternity clothes are not my favorite, not so stylish.  But comfy.

20) Baby clothes are adorable! Especially funny onesies.

Well that is my current state in a nutshell.   

Have a good week my friends!

 

April

 

Easter Craft-Bunny Jars

Good morning!  I wanted to re-post this project from Spring of 2013.  It was by far one of my favorite little crafts.  I would make more every year if I could easily find the little bunnies.  These were super easy and they look so cheerful.  If you are looking for a quick easy little Easter gift, this is easy and was well received.  Good luck finding the little bunnies though.

Say Hello to Bunny Jars!

This craft was really cheap for me.  I only spent around $15 because I already had most of the supplies.  I only needed to purchase candy, Easter grass, a few extra jars, and the bunnies of course.  The following is the breakdown of supplies needed.

The bunnies turned out to be a surprise find in the end but I had a hard time finding.  I searched Oriental Trading, Wal-Mart, Dollar Tree, and Googled plastic bunnies a million different ways and came up empty then I stumbled upon these at my local thrift store for $1.49…LUCKY!
Of course you need spray paint too, I had quite the pastel collection already.

Really simple instructions
Step 1 –Use the Goo Gone to remove the labels from food jars and then wash
Step 2-Super Glue the bunnies to the lids
Step 3- Spray primer on the lids
Step 4-Spray paint in the chosen color
Step 5-Assemble the grass, candy, lid

I can’t pick my favorite, they are all so cute.  I think they make great Easter or Spring décor as well as Easter gifts for friends or family.

Happy Bunny Hopping finding to you all!

To check out other Spring projects take a look HERE and HERE.