treasure!

After work today I was in the mood to run around and check out some a couple of antique stores in downtown Rogers.  I stumbled across this super cute treasure that I couldn't live without. The best part was that it was only 10.00!! What a steal! :)

It is an old pewter bird cage. 

Now.. what to do with it? I have to find the perfect place for it. That's the really exciting part! I searched the internet for ideas and came across these pics for possible inspiration...

You don't have to do much to make a cute display.. bird cages make a statement on their own just simply sitting on a shelf, bookcase, or accent table. I love the pewter color of it now, but would also LOVE it in a bright funky color too!

OR, maybe save it for a nursery one day? what a cute idea...

I love finding treasures!

What I Made Monday

Just a quick little post about what I made last night for dinner. I was introduced to this recipe by my bestie, Tiff. It is a Southern Living recipe and sure to please! It is very simple and can be made ahead.

Poppy Seed Chicken

Our poppy seed chicken recipe is a Southern Living stand-out. It's easy to prepare and loaded with rich flavor.
Prep: 10 min., Bake: 40 min.

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3  cups  chopped cooked chicken
• 1  (10 3/4-oz.) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 1  (16-oz.) container sour cream
• 3  teaspoons  poppy seeds
• 31  round buttery crackers, crushed
• 1/4  cup  butter, melted

Preparation

1. Combine first 4 ingredients. Spoon mixture into lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish.

2. Stir together cracker crumbs and melted butter; sprinkle evenly over casserole.

3. Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Keebler Town House crackers.

IN LOVE!

I am IN LOVE with my new desk! :) It was finally shipped to me a few days ago and we just finished putting everything all together late Friday night.  It came in 2 huge heavy boxes in a bajillion pieces and came with a 30 page manual...but it was sooo worth it. It has cubby holes, drawers, & a filing drawer! I know its silly to get so excited about a piece of furniture but I just can't help it. I have spent the majority of the weekend getting everything in its perfect place... from my many fun colorful paper clips and highlighters to my stationary and post-it notes.  So here is my new desk... it is in the sun room for now until we sell this house.

The sun room is one of my favorite rooms in my house. It is now a multi-purpose room as it serves as an office, the room where the dog bed and toys are, and a place to get comfy and read a good book.  I will miss this room so much when we move.

Another thing I did this weekend was FINALLY put my wedding shadow box together.  My friend, Angela bought i for me as a wedding gift for our wedding celebration in October. She had it engraved & it reads... "Kim and Patrick   October 30, 2009." 

I wish I had more memorabilia from that night but I added some pictures, our invitation, and a couple of other cute things and I love how it turned out...

I had a pretty productive weekend! I love my weekends off, just wish I had more of them.

I also found time this weekend for some other fun....

Dixie, my bestie's dog turned 8 and she threw her a dog birthday party. It was super cute and I think about 7 dogs came, including my boy, Tucker. The girls enjoyed some yummy food compliments of Tiff and the dog shared some doggy cake. They had a ball. Here is the birthday girl...

Happy Birthday Dixie!

After the party, I took Melissa and some friends to see Justin Bieber's movie, "Never Say Never." I honestly REALLY enjoyed it! It was a great movie about how Justin got started, his family, and life on tour. He is a sweetie. I might just have bieber fever now ;) 

Stuck at home.

I am off today! I normally live for my day off during the week. I wish I could run around town and shop and run errands, but the hubs took my vehicle today to his work. Its the better of the two for driving in the snow. SO I am stuck here until he gets home. WHAT TO DO?

Blog..check

Laundry...nah.

Dishes...that's HIS job :)

DIY project? maybe? but that would probably require a trip to hobby lobby.

build a snowman? no fun by yourself. and TOO COLD! It is in the single digits. no snowman today.

Check out my icicles!

I have decided to tackle THIS. my coat/craft/anything else closet in my dining room. Its a nightmare. Every time I have to look for something, I have to pull everything out. 

BEFORE..clutter, clutter everywhere.

AFTER: less clutter! more organization. I just used shoe boxes to organize things in. Not the cutest, but it works just fine for a closet.

Next, I decided to get a few things ready for my new DESK! It is coming really soon!  I have been using a table and small hutch for a desk and it just isn't working out. Not enough room for everything. I found this one on Amazon.com for a great price. I originally wanted an antique roll top/secretary desk but everyone was wanting like 500 for them. I settled for this cutie: 

I LOVE it! I sold lots of items on craigslist to make some money to pay for it. I love craigslist! I have sold TONS of stuff and have always had good luck with the people I have sold to. I dug some more stuff out of the closet above to sell. so fun!

These are some of the things I will be adding to the desk, just some simple Kimmie style organizers. :)

I am using some of my treasured blue ball jars from my granny for pens, paperclips, and markers, etc. 

Now off to find some more stuff to do, besides watching mindless daytime TV.

"SNOWMAGEDDON" 2011.

Snowmageddon hit NW Arkansas last night and it continued its fury most of today. We actually set a state snowfall record for most snow in one event. Snow totals for this area were Rogers: 22 inches; Springdale: 21 inches;  Bentonville: 14"; and Fayetteville: 18"....according to channel 5 news.

I actually made it into work today!.. but only stayed for about half of the day. Here is what we say this AM when we woke up. Patrick had to dig the car out so he could take me to work.

Poor Tucker could barely get through the snow to go potty

So then I finally got to work and this was my view from the drive through window...

a few hours later....

WOW!!

Later this afternoon when I got home, Patrick decided to dig a trail out for the dogs to go out back...

much better!

Patrick couldn't resist playing in the snow for a bit.

Here is my snow angel..

I am hoping this wintry weather is over for good very soon. We have had our fair share this year! 

Hope everyone is safe and warm today!

9.degrees.

My furnace/heater died today. Its been on its last leg for a while now so I shouldn't be surprised, but reaallly?? Tonight! when its supposed to be 9 degrees tonight?! Real Funny Furnace. The technician we spoke with said it sounded to him like its probably a cracked thingymabobber due to its age (1983)? (can't remember what it was) and if so it would have to shut down and red flagged due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. EEEEK! Oh goodness. Maybe the furnace breaking down is a blessing in disguise? 

Luckily we have space heaters, lots of blankets, extra layers, and a fluffy dog to keep us warm. I will actually be so happy to go to work tomorrow just so I can be somewhere that has heat!

I think its safe to say that everyone is NWA is sick of this winter weather. I am starting to despise this white stuff. 

I wish I was on a sandy beach somewhere basking in the warm sun. I hope Punxsutawney Phil

 is right and spring is near.

Phil sure is a fatty but he's cute!

 I am very ready for GREEN and tulips and daffodils.

ANYWAYS... on to Jimmy Johns and what I had for dinner....

Anyone else LOVE Jimmy Johns like I do?? I am forever addicted to the beach club unwich. (pictured above) Basically, its a sandwich wrapped in lettuce. It saves you tons of carbs! I had a mad craving for one tonight, but the nearest JJs is in Bentonville. I was not going to drive over there in this weather so I drove to the Harps just down the street instead. I picked up all the key ingredients (Iceberg Lettuce, turkey, cucumbers, tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts, avacado, mayo (light), and provolone cheese) and made it Kimmie style and even rolled it up in parchment paper(all I had). It actually turned out sooo good!

Ice, ICE baby...

TOO COLD! TOO COLD!

The sleet/ice/snow is coming down hard here in NWA and its only going to get worse throughout the day. Just about everything is closed, except for WALGREENS! I am one of the unfortunate ones that has to work today and tomorrow and Thursday too..BUT days like this are the perfect opportunity to get lots of cleaning and managerial things done. SO if anyone needs their meds, I will be at work!

Today's "Winter Blast" brings me back to the Ice Storm of 2009. The power outages and damages across NWA and surrounding areas were devastating.

 I have one GOOD memory of the ice storm though... During the week of that storm was when I knew I was in LOVE with my Patrick. We had only known each other for about a month. He drove me to and from work throughout the storm, checked on my house, and helped with the clean up after the storm. He was genuinely concerned for my safety and I knew at that point he was someone I could definitely trust and that would always take care of me. Two years later, he is still that same wonderful man I fell in love with.

He will be driving me to and from work later and throughout the week. Little things like that mean so much to me. I am truly blessed!
On days like this, I just wish I could spend the day on my couch, warm and cozied up like this:

reading a new book like....

OR spend the day making a hearty batch of soup like this:

The recipe comes from my favorite cookbook, Southern Living Slow-Cooker Cookbook

Tomato Florentine Soup

3 cups chicken broth

2 (14 and 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic, undrained

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (10 ounce) pkg frozen spinach, thawed and well drained

1 cup chopped onion

1 and 1/2 teaspoons of minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 (9 ounce) pkg refrigerated cheese filled tortellini

Garnish: Parmesan Cheese

Combine first 8 ingredients in a 4 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5 1/2 hours; add pasta, and cook on Low for 30 more minutes. Garnish with parmesan cheese if desired. Makes 10 cups. 

It goes perfect with a grilled cheese sandwich!