Birch Tree Love




 My love for birch-wood was rekindled last weekend in Maine.  But don't worry dear birch - I would never light you up - you are far too precious! 



Birch wood is...by its woody nature...very versatile - this is no shocker.  
But it's just so beautiful - clean, crisp, and lite.  
It doesn't add a they heavy feel to a room that most wood does.  


We've all seen the infamous birch tree wall paper all over design blogs, TV shows, and and magazines...

Here are few more ideas that I'm into right now...






I love this birch tree wall done on abodelove blog - she stenciled this by hand to save the budget - quite the labor of love for her nephew's nursery.

I would never categorize myself as a 'tree hugger' - but I would def hug it out with birch these days.

the thought has crossed my mind to do a birch-wood Christmas tree - we'll see what i think in 11 months.

Maine - #vacationland

wowowow.  it's has been A WHILE since I posted. 

to cover Christmas in one sentence: It was wonderful, spent plenty of special time with both of my families, and really enjoyed being healthy and blessed.

January has been a super busy month...and I don't see things slowing down any time soon.  With work, studying, and training for another half...my weekends are booked until July 1st.  

Thankfully, this past weekend was booked for a weekend in Limerick, Maine with our close friends.  It was perfect timing after an exhausting week.  Our time was spent out on the frozen lake, around the firepit (an all-time fav past-time of mine as seen below), around the table with good food and good convo, and there was the most precious baby to boot!!!! :) 

I had never walked out on a frozen lake until this weekend, so pretty.




{birchwood for days}


birchwood is beautiful in a fire place but I don't think I could ever bring myself to burn it.  
Good thing a pinetree had fallen and we had three grizzly guys to chop it down




{the grizzly guys - don't know why they are ready to kill Paul}


{the girls}


{couldn't get enough of this sweet baby girl!}


{sometimes this is the best way to spend a Saturday night}



{I loved having an excuse to get out some winter-wear}


{essentials.}

and in case you don't follow Paul on Instagram...I'll share... I really got into the north country vibe
#furfireandfirearms 




Favorite Things Swap


This Christmas a group of my girlfriends did something really fun and different when it came to giving each other presents.  Instead of the secret santa we decided to do a round of favorite things.  With a predetermined budget, each girl gifted her favorite thing and in return you receive all of their favorite things as well.  It was so much fun!  



It's completely random and unnecessary but one of my favorite things right now is a pedestal I have by my sink.  The small crate & barrel cake stand holds an old candle (which now holds my sponge), lotion, and hand soap   Instead of the items cluttering the space around my sink they are all displayed in a clutter free, pretty fashion.  


{trader joes lavender hand & body lotion is also one of my fav things and was included in each gift}


{I found all of the cake plates at home goods which helped since I was on a pre-determined price limit}








Crockpottin'

  This blog has no pictures.  Don't worry - I'm not doing a deep, thought provoking post on you... :) Just going to give you a few crockpot recipes.  My friend Amanda makes fun of me for turning the Crockpot into a verb.  "What do you want to crockpot tonight?"...."We found the best crockpot recipe!"..."I've been crockpotting a ton this week!"  It's just easier to say crockpottin' instead of we cooked a meal in the slow cooker.

   Anywho - I mentioned last week that our holiday schedule has been jam packed at times...so crockpotting has been the answer. I prepared all of these the night before, refrigerated, and turned on in the morning cooking on low for 8 hours.  I season every meal with salt & pepper - always.

Monday night: Everything but the Ice-maker.
   - We usually go grocery shopping over the weekend but we wound up not making it to Trader Joe's until Monday night.  So on Sunday, Paul through everything we had in the fridge into our crockpot - and guess what - it was delicious.
 1. Red Meat 
(expensive, cheap, small, huge, on the bone, boneless - almost any red meat will come out great)
2. Sweet Potatoes
(I stock up these, and use them in every other meal I make almost)
3. 1 onion chopped in large pieces
4. Red, Yellow, Orange Peppers
5. Half a can of left over red sauce
6. Cherry Tomatoes (they were in the fridge...so they were thrown in!)

Tuesday: Pork Tenderloin 
1. Pork Tenderloin
2. Onion
3. Garlic cloves
4. Red Wine
(side of steamed Broccoli)

Wednesday: BBQ Chicken wrapped in Bacon - thank you Erin for the recipe!
1. 4 Chicken Breast cut into halves or thirds
2. Bacon (uncured) - wrap around bacon
3. Apples (any baking apple) - sliced & I left the skin on
4. 1 Cup of BBQ Sauce (the fewer ingredients the better)
(side of baked Sweet Potato & roasted Brussels Sprouts with garlic & chives)

Thursday: Chicken Pot Pie
1. Chicken cut into 2 inch squares
2. Golden Potatoes cut into quarters
3. Carrots - cut into 3" pieces
4. Frozen Peas
5. Corn Kernels (canned is fine)
6. 1 can of creamed chicken & 1 can of creamed mushroom
6. Spices (salt, pepper, celery seed, herb de provence)
(top with a flaky, buttery biscuit in each bowl!)

Let me know if you give any a try or have any to share!



Kitchen Reno: Backsplash


I don't know why it has taken me so long to write about the back-splash.  We love it! 
Paul did an amazing job.  He was the captain of that ship since he is the more meticulous one of the two of us. In total it took about 2 days.  One day to measure, cut, and put up and the second day to remove the excess plaster and to grout.

We found the back splash at HomeDepot which really helped our budget.  We also purchased a wet saw - hoping to use that in the future...bathroom reno's anyone? :D




{much sunnier day when I took this one - sometimes hard to come by in December}



Also - just wanted to give you a little insight on what the reno looked like in the heat of things.  Like I said before, Paul was in complete control on this one.  This was a Sunday night...we had Home Alone on the TV and I decorated for Christmas...I was as happy as I could be!






mele kalikimaka

Is anyone else's calendar just absolutely SLAMMED? 

Between office parties, fundraising events (seem to have more this time of year which is great), time with family, time with girlfriends, time with everyone in general ...oh let's not forget our actual jobs, working out, cooking, cleaning (extra when hosting). It's just CRAZY!  and let's not forget that it is just my calendar and Paul's calender I'm trying to manage.  I can't imagine adding kids to the loop.  can't even think about that. guess I really won't sleep like they say. eek.

anywho - to get through this week we have been crockpotting like crazy.  and it's working.  Dinner is ready when we get home and there are left overs for lunch. 

I'm on my 3rd day straight of crockpotting and still have one more day to go.  I'll share the recipes at the end  of the week. It's been 10 minutes and I need to get back on schedule!

"mele kalikimaka!"

DIY: Table Runner


Looking for an inexpensive & cute table runner for the holidays?  Pick up some burlap at your local craft store and find some leftover paint in your basement and you will have one in less than 24 hours!  (don't have any paint? pick up a sample can for ~$3 at HomeDepot or Lowe's)

I used the green and cream I had left over from redoing our cabinets seen here.  It automatically fits in the with the kitchen - imagine that! :)







Small "Homey" Treasures

{olive wood salt cellar from friends}

Just a few favorite things...  I worked from home this week and I noticed that along with the recent big changes in the house...little items throughout the house make it feel just as "homey" as ever.

{Christmas decorations from HomeGoods are starting to go up}

{sparkle and green is going to be the Christmas decorating theme this year}

{I found these silver metallic candles at HomeGoods this week and I loveee them!}

{the Year of Cookie-Cutters Jar is out on the island for lots of Holiday baking this season}

Paleo Pumpkin Bread


I made Paleo Pumpkin Bread for Paulliiiiieeee.  
He would eat the whole loaf if I let him.  Sometimes I do.

{nutmeg and cinnamon really make a difference - plus who doesn't love the smell of nutmeg?}

{i really love the lip in a baking soda can - why don't they put this in everything?}

{I store up for at least one loaf a day...jk...one loaf every other day...}

{should be a thick consistency}

{the end.}

1 cup Almond Flour
1/4 cup Coconut Flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoons Cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon of Nutmeg 
4 eggs
1/4 cup of Maple syrup (or to taste)
1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
1 tblspoon of Coconut Oil (melted) (trader joes)
1 cup of organic pumpkin (trader joes)

Mix wet and dry ingredients separately - then combine. Bake at 375 for 40minutes(ish)


Happy Tuesday Ever'body


these are currently making me really happy this week. so I thought I would share.  

Thank goodness Trader Joe's has ridiculously cheap flowers...







DIY - Painting Kitchen Cabinets



They're done they're done they're done! Well. painting at least. back splash is going up soon - we have all of the materials - just need to find the time to put them up.  So excited for that - I think it's going to make everything come together nicely.  

{before - yellowish wood.  makes me squirm uncomfortably looking at it}

{after. there are no words}

I feel so much happier and calmer in the kitchen now. I breathe easier.


I was almost more excited for the new hardware than the new paint. almost.  the pulls and the knobs are both from Home Depot.  


{inspiration piece?}

{full shot}

{and since I was up on the stool - I swung around and took this}

{kinda blurry but this is the relationship between the cabinets and the living room}

Now for the real hard truth.  Painting cabinets sucks.  Everyone told me it was a difficult and long process but I just nodded, smiled and envisioned my new light-colored cabinets.  I knew they needed to change and I honestly thought it wouldn't be too bad.  Ignorance is bliss.  It took us a full 7 days, working on them every night for about 3 hours.  I say us because Paul was a rockstar husband when it came to helping.  We put his OCDness to use and he is now officially deemed the taper/tape-remover in our household.  
Thank goodness we are partners, I am vision, he is execution. 

There were a few intense moments...but by the end of the process we were moving along in cruise control...living harmoniously in our DIY-state.  At the end, if something went wrong, we were so far into it, all we could do was laugh and say "it's ok - I don't like perfect anyways"...




Cover-up and Updates


Life in the Lashway house is good!  We are well underway with the cabinet redo and we are motivated to put up the new back splash today/tomorrow.  Hopefully just in time to have friends over on Saturday night.  

I recently covered up one of my least favorite walls in the house.  It has an ugly intercom panel and the a/c panel as well....right smack dab in the middle of the wall...dagnabbit! 

I've heard of a few different ways to cover these items up, either with a bracketed picture frame for easy access or a deep picture/painting.  I opted for the deep painting...for 12.99 at TJmaxx.


{before}

{after}

{disgusting...}

{ahhhh so much better - see how deep the painting is? just hangs right over everything}

{such a great wedding gift from friends...I love that it has a home now!}

And now the updates...


These cabinets should be wrapped up by tomorrow...with a full post on them and the process later :)

I must say...Paul has been awesome at helping with this....I think he might be better at it than me...!! sometimes being OCD can be a good thing...especially went painting/taping.



Since painting our wine buffet navy (seen here)...I bought blue pillows to tie it all in...



And attempted to cover up the curtain rod fiasco (seen here)...still haven't fixed that...probably never will 


Living room to date...


See y'all next week! Hopefully with a bunch of updates.  Paul and I are really loving this process - we are learning so much.  We watched a video on putting up tile this morning on youtube - we're pumped!

I told him I should maybe rename the blog to "2 accountants + 1 home = Stockholder's Equity"..HA!

Two-tone Kitchen Cabinets

welp.  

The paint has been purchased...the brushes are ready...the sander is set....now I just have to start.

I did a trial run with colors last week...and even though this was just to sample...I already love the change.
(btw that hardware is getting scrapped)

I'm going with a two-tone look..with the light green on the bottom and the top left cream on the top.  

I also found this backsplash above which I love, from Home Depot. It's always tough to get true colors in pics...but I promise it goes works in person...I think.  :)


Think I'm crazy?  Check out the pics below: (all from pinterest)









Breakfast Block Party

Yesterday we had friends over....for Breakfast!  Typically you think to have friends over for dinner or drinks...but it was perfect to have these friends over for breakfast on Sunday since we were all heading to the same church (Reunion @ backbay) afterwards.

I loveeee breakfast (although I typically only eat it on the weekends - just not really into it during the week).
I think one of the reasons I love breakfast is because it is so easy to shoot - the morning light is just the best.
Plus there is coffee.


{I think napkins are sometimes the best way to incorporate a theme or color into a tablescape}

{good excuse to use serving items that I don't bother with most days}

{and always fun to break out heirloom items...s&p shakers from my great aunt}

{omelet goodies}

{home-made waffles, omelets, and crispy bacon - Paul was a great chef!}

{Paullie serving it up}

Paleo Spaghetti with Meat Sauce


Last night I made a spaghetti with spaghetti squash...it was sooooo good and so filling!
...and it was paleo! using fresh, natural ingredients.



{we're big fans of garlic - I decided to just throw whole cloves in the pot}

{before}

{love this guy - I swear it makes food taste better}

{about 2 hours later}

{traditional way to serve...}

{or you can serve in a spaghetti squash bowl!}

{it was a big hit...I plan to make it more often!}

Recipe:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. In a large cooking pot, add the following ingredients and let cook on medium heat:
1 large can of peeled, whole tomatoes
3 tomatoes chopped in large chunks
1 chopped onion
1 packaged of sliced mushrooms, chop smaller if desired
6-7 whole garlic cloves
red wine if desired
Salt & Pepper
Fresh Basil Leaf or dried basil

3. Cut Spaghetti Squash in half, remove seeds leaving as much meat as possible, drizzle open sides with EVOO, turn face down onto baking pan and cook in oven for 45 minutes.  Remove and use a fork to create the spaghetti noodles, leave in bowl or remove to a plate if desired.

4: Cook ground beef and ground turkey in pan until cooked through.  Add to the sauce 10 minutes before dinner to warm the meat.

***we topped ours with parmesan cheese which isn't paleo! :)

Neutral Navy: Wine Buffet Redo

Last weekend while my mom was in town, we painted our wine buffet.  My mom bought the piece of furniture years ago and it traveled all the way up from Atlanta to my little North End apt, and now resides @ the DOT with us.  I've always wanted to paint it, my mom even said she bought it intending to paint it.  I finally realized the perfect color a couple months ago after years of trying to decide.  Navy, I've recently decided, is the perfect neutral.  I should add that the color is not as royal blue as it looks in these pictures.

{before}

{before}

I've had those round mirrors for a couple of years, Marcia put the navy ribbon on them 2 years ago and it goes perfectly.  Makes me think of her every time I look at them! :) 



{we used BEHR high-gloss midnight blue}

I originally thought I wanted silver/glass knobs but when I saw these @ home depot...I knew they were the ones!


{I took this picture 70+ times...couldn't get it to focus correctly...arrrgggg!}

We really love it how it turned out! Love it when my mom comes up...we always get so much done.  Next project...painting the kitchen cabinets.  Stay tuned!

Fall Sugar Cookies

Sandy and I recently baked sugar cookies...Sandy made the sugar cookie dough and I took care of the cutting and decorating.  I used 3 large cookie cutters which seemed to work best.  




I believe Sandy used Martha Stewart's recipe for the perfect sugar cookie.


Instead of going to the labor intensive icing process...we decorating with sprinkles which turned out to be really easy and worked well.


Decorating before putting the cookies into the oven works best.







Seafood Festival - Newport, RI


I mentioned before (here) that I ran a half in Newport, RI.  It happens to be the same weekend of the Annual Seafood festival....which is perfect for people like me who only run to eat MORE.

It was delish.  Fresh, local food and plenty of grease for fryin' :)


{pumpkin rangoons - my personal fav of the day}


{fresh ingredients for fish tacos - another personal fav year-round}


{crab cakes}

{coffee and dark chocolate covered almonds}

{more fried lobster fritters}

{nice chunk of lobster amidst the fried batter}

{found a cute, tini-tiny coffee shop right on the water}





{it was a great day leading up to the run}

Menswear

{via pinterest}

Menswear is nothing new in the fashion world but it is definitely new to me.  I don't post much about fashion as I don't consider myself fashion forward by any means...I'm an oldnavy, jcrewoutlet, target kinda girl...with a few nice pieces here and there.  But I typically start to like something after the fashion craze of it has come and gone.

so naturally what I am really digging right now is menswear.  I love the preppy look + comfiness combo. 

{via pinterest}

{I wish I needed glasses some days...I would totally wear ones like above with that jcrew outfit}

{one of my favorite fashion bloggers and friend...mrs.eringlabets @ http://onetwosummer.blogspot.com/}


{and everyone's fav fashion blogger AtlanticPacific}

{I'm pretty sure Paul has a plaid shirt like that...and I have the pearls...now if I could only get that skirt}

{and here is moi...this morning...it's my fav shirt on paul and me}

Commute

With my new job also came a new commute.  It is a big change in a very good way.  I went from commuting in the car for sometimes 2-3hours round trip to riding the T (public transportation in Boston) for a total of 20 minutes, so my door to door is typically 30min.  AND sometimes Paul and I leave for work together...extra bonus (well at least it is on the mornings I feel like speaking...which is a 50/50 chance...I'm typically not too chatty before 10am)


{we live right in front of out T stop}




{I was uncharacteristically chipper this Friday AM}

{what paul does on the T}

{If I choose to get off for a short walk this is what is to my right - Boston Public Library}


{and this is what is to my left}

{starbucks on the wayyyy}

{packed house}

{and there is my building!}