I can't help myself

But I am obsessed with a soon to-be new member of the Walker household! She is the third on the right. I can not wait to get her in September! Welcome Finley Walker - we already love you and can't wait to be with you!!!

Stuffed Peppers

I am not sure if it's the humidity or the lull of summer, but I am wishing for Fall to get here quickly, with its requirements of boots, leggings, cool nights and chiminea fires on the patio. Some of the dinners I have prepared of late are perfect for fall! One of my favorites is Stuffed Peppers - a fairly healthy and inexpensive dinner that easily carries into lunch the next couple of days. If your husband is anything like mine, prepare plenty!

Ingredients

6 medium bell peppers
2 1/2 slices of bread, toasted just before use and then cubed
1/2 onion, chopped
4 stalks of celery, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb. ground turkey
1 chicken bouillon cube, 1/4 cup hot water
1 can diced tomatoes (liquid drained in bottom of glass dishes you plan to bake them in)
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Salt
Pepper
Grated cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Prep vegetables by chopping onion and celery, cutting peppers in half, remove white core

2. Heat pan with olive oil and add onion and celery till softened

3. Add in ground turkey, and sprinkle to taste salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder

4. Dissolve bouillon cube in 1/4 cup hot water and add to pan

5. Toast bread in toaster, and cube, then add to pan

6. Fill peppers with mixture, place in glass dishes with reserved tomato liquid

7. Sprinkle cheddar on top of peppers if desired and place in 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes

Around Here

It has been a busy summer! We've had lots of changes going on at the house, mostly a few upgrades and additions. Looking back, I have to say my husband was a really good sport and, as usual, very generous with me!

Get ready for home improvement overload:


Remember our kitchen's original look here.

Our kitchen during demo and after removal of the old nasty green counters:

We eventually got to this:

It is amazing what a little paint and updated countertops did for our tight but efficient kitchen. Counters by Natural Granite and Marble here in Raleigh, paint Secret Passage by Olympic.

I initially was concerned with how much black was part of the granite but have grown to love it over time!

This was not the original faucet planned for and purchased. We won't get into details, but my advice is to over-communicate with your granite company. 50/50 and 60/40 sinks require different faucets! I have learned to live with it and we won't live here forever, but Khaner loves it and is happy with its last minute purchase.

Love my new apocrathy jar for coffee beans - Home Goods steal!

I was slightly paranoid about our stainless fridge and white appliances but our sweet realtor, Becka came by for dinner and told me to leave as is. A piece of advice I know the hubs is happy about. 

My new dresser from Cape Fear Antiques in Wilmington - HIGHLY recommend if looking for high-end quality antiques without the enormous price tag. Karen and her husband are fantastic and I love supporting local (well, at least North Carolina) businesses.

K's new highboy. He allegedly misses his black IKEA dresser. Black veneer isn't something I associate with nostalgia but I am glad it is for him, and his many years as a bachelor. He is now married and is expected to have tasteful pieces.

Our new headboard arrived, and I have to say, am so thankful for my career in ecommerce. The reviews on this piece were phenomenal from all places - TARGET! I was paranoid about having white bedding with a cream headboard but I am embracing more of the "buy what you love" school of thought. This isn't Veranda, it's your home! Do what you love.

New shams - Euros from Horchow by Pinecone Hill and Standards from One Kings Lane. Khaner threw a fit that we now had eight pillows on the bed but I think he has moved on. What sent him over the edge was my monogrammed bodouir pillow from Etsy. I found it underneath the bed collecting dust after its debut on the bed. There was some mumbling and cussing under the breath that eventually led to him telling me no grown ass man has a frilly girly pillow like that on his bed. The bodouir pillow has not made its return.

Our new Fast Dry Sunbrella Cushions in Canopy Stripe Black and Sand from Ballard Designs. I have to admit, it took a lot for me to bite the bullet and commit to these and its hefty price tag.  I am SO glad I did. It took several weeks and dollars, but in the end, I am so glad we did it. Scheduled to host over 20 people on the Fourth, I was paranoid the first week they were outside was during Hurricane Arthur. Thursday we experienced torrential downpour and then found each of them bone dry the next day in time for our party.

One of the things I try to keep in mind when making large purchases is my mother's mantra: "Buy what you will love the rest of your life." It has been helpful in determining what is not always trendy but timeless and classic.

I think part of the blogging process is to show that you don't always make the best choices. These placements and matching coasters were impulse buys on One Kings Lane and once they arrived I definitely felt like they were loud and maybe out of place in what is a very tight and subdued dining room. Khaner came home and immediately inquired on the return policy. It's hard to remember a man has to look at all the things you choose each day too. And often times pay for them. Sorry Khaner.

We finally have a home for all of Khaner's toys - drills, tools, rakes, chainsaws, edgers, weeders, etc. They are no longer stuffed to the max throughout our laundry and mud rooms, thank the Lord!

One of the things I have learned in our home improvement projects is that very few go according to plan,  some of the vendors you will work with don't have MBA's from Harvard, and you need to have FUN! Too often I find myself over-planning every aspect and I need my husband to remind me these are all fun BLESSINGS and to roll with the punches. It's life, it's messy and it's never perfect. Do your research and be specific with what you want. And enjoy it!

Grateful

At one time, all of my closest friends from college were in the same city with me. After some time several of them spread their wings and began new chapters, new jobs, and new life experiences.

I have been lucky enough to have two return to Raleigh, and am hoping we can get two more back (ahem, Sarah and Kendall!).

Last night we got together to celebrate Mallory's recent return at Gonza's. If you live in Raleigh and haven't been, I HIGHLY recommend it.

Can you believe this picture made it to the restaurant's FB page? 

I am so grateful for the friendship I have with each of these women - so blessed!

A girl can dream, right?

Sorry for another blogging break. I have the best of intentions, but life just gets so hectic. We have been busy bees at work and especially at home (more to come on that).

My husband and many of our friends often tell me I missed my calling in real estate. But one of the things I have learned as I have gotten older is you can still have hobbies and enjoy the things you love, without making it your living. Real estate is just one of those things - it's a hobby, not my idea of a livelihood though.

With us in the thrust of the real estate market's busiest season, I often find myself wandering through MLS listings online.

This gorgeous Georgian beauty was Contingent for several weeks and then just became Active again. Naturally I immediately emailed it to Khaner and didn't get a ton of response.

I literally envision myself in this house (don't get me wrong, love my house), and all of the small changes that would make it ours.

Can you say curb appeal?

This foyer - I can stare at it all day. My plan would be to stain all the hardwoods and stairs to give more of a feel of the banister, and offset the beautiful white trim work

Looks like an ad in House Beautiful, right? I even don't mind the paint. The french doors and large windows just make me melt

I have always loved red in a dining room, but it has to be a certain shade, and I think they have nailed it. I would add drapes for additional drama.

When do you see homes these days with such gorgeous sliding doors?

The caveat - the kitchen. The bad news is it looks like the owners didn't know what to do with it. The good news is there is plenty of space to work with in a transformation.

I wonder if the middle wall is load bearing?

 I wouldn't mind having this painted white and using it as a butler's pantry-type area. Regular cabinets would have to be incorporated somewhere - you can't have everything exposed.

A little girl's dream bedroom.

Built in storage!

Adore the original tub and tile

Beautiful master

Wainscoating is gorgeous

Khaner, look, your very own study away from me 

That subway tile!! 

Can you envision nights out here?

It has my name written all over it!

Welcome friends!

This banister! 

You can't tell me it's not a gorgeous house - I better get back to work so we can one day afford a beautiful home like this one.

Khaner, hope you are reading!

Before and After - Ceramic Urns

Sorry for the blogging hiatus - it's been a crazy Spring with being out of town for both work and play.

I have been coveting cast iron urns but they are very much out of budget, so I was on the hunt to find ones that gave off the cast iron look with a more wallet-friendly approach.

Wandering around TJ Maxx during one of my lunch breaks I found these white ceramic urns that had great shape but just needed some spray paint.

before

after! voila!

A Labor of Love

Sorry for the blogging hiatus. It's been a busy past couple of months! Between travel for work, trips of our own, company in town, and nasty weather, there hasn't been much time to blog.

With Spring FINALLY here, we graciously welcomed the warm temperatures and sunshine we've been lucky enough to have the past couple of weeks. Inspired by the fresh season, Khaner and I rolled up our sleeves and got to work on our sad, very neglected front and back yard. Honest, we love our home and work hard to make it the best possible investment. But with ice, snow, rain and unfavorable temperatures, it took a massive change in seasons to get us out there.

After a trip to Lowes, our $200 bill and 2 day commitment of time was much more wallet-friendly than the $2100 quote we got from our landscaper for ONE project.

My first attempt to plant flowers - can you see how I dumped the remainder of flower fertilizer on the top -oops! The marigolds and petunias are cute pops of color near our front walk. I promised K I'd plant perennials next year.

K laid bags and bags and bags of mulch - definitely makes the yard look so much pulled together!

My parents love to complain that we don't have any pavers from our driveway to walk way. Khaner fixed that with some bricks laying around and a few pavers from Lowes.

Yes, those are all four of our "Yard" trash cans filled with wisteria, branches, leaves and debris from the backyard. The bags of leaves was basically quadrupled after I took this pic

Not too shabby!

 What are some spring projects you enjoy?