Hippity-hop

It’s been a little project heavy around these parts lately, and from the most recent blog posts, you would probably think I do nothing but craft, eat and decorate all day. And you’re close.....
But once a week I put all that to the side, throw on my baggiest pants, my toughest expression, and I break it down- in my hip hop class.

Yep- this little blonde girl is learning to tear it up.

I danced for years as a child (and have the embarrassing photos to prove it), so I’m familiar with a lot of different styles...But I wouldn't say I’m good. I’ve never been flexible, or the quickest learner in the room. But I have enough natural rhythm to get by. And perhaps the most important part: I love it. I’ve taken a few classes since I moved to Pittsburgh....but never committed to a weekly schedule. Our weeks were always too crazy with Young Life and other commitments to find time to go to a class regularly. But not anymore!

So a few weeks ago I jumped (jazz leaped?) at the opportunity to get back into dance. Point Park University, a local performing arts college, offers community classes for regular people like me, who wish they were dancers. They offer a ton of styles, and the best part is, the first week of the session is free- so you can test out as many classes as you want! So of course I dragged people with me to check out things out, and help decide which class I wanted to take.

First up- Jazz, with my friend Meg. She recapped it beautifully, and I promise she’s not exaggerating- the two of us were pretty much a disaster. Every time the Beatles sang “Help!” I tried not to convulse into giggles, because man, did we need help. I couldn’t get the counts right, the teacher kept forgetting the routine, and due to a series of spin moves on the floor, I ended up with bruises on my knees for weeks.
Overall- I gave it a B. I liked the style, and the music was fun, but I’m not sure that the free-spirit attitude of the teacher would jive with me long term. (I need a little structure in my class...even if I don’t know how to follow it).

Next- Modern, with Dustin (I didn’t have anyone else to go with, so he finally caved and agreed to accompany me....and we’ve never let him hear the end of it...). This one was MUCH more structured (as in, the teacher told Dustin to spit out his gum mid-warm up, and then made him do a plie in front of the class to show how not to do it.) and longer- at an hour and a half. By the end I was so sore I could barely move...It was certainly great exercise, but I was worried if I could hang, week in and week out.
This class gets a B too- the instructor was fantastic, and the dance was interesting, but the slooooooow cello music just wasn’t doing it for me. I get antsy. I need to shake it....

Finally- Hip hop, with my friend Lindsey, and a friend from work.
I was a little scared of this class, because I had taken a few hip hop classes there with another instructor, and knew I would be WAY out of my league. For some reason being bad at hip hop is worse in my mind than failing at any other dance. I mean, if you’re bad at ballet, you just need more training. But if you can’t hip hop? You’re not cool. But I figured at least I had company, and thought if all else failed, I could combine the running man, and the sprinkler, and tell people it’s my signature street move. (In the previous class I took, after the warm-up and routine, my teacher made everyone circle up for free-styling. Seriously. You had to stand in a circle, and clap, while everyone took a turn showing off in the middle. I would have rather peed my pants in front of all of them. Which I practically did every time I was forced to solo.) So yes....I was nervous, and not the least of my fears was what I was going to wear. I agonized over it, and lamented the fact I don’t own any high tops, and eventually landed on bootcut yoga pants, a loose tank top with a hoodie on top, and my running shoes. I figured it was close enough.....

And then we arrived.
And the class pretty much looked like this:

And all of a sudden, my outfit seemed to make me look a little more like this:



For real- there was a guy with TWO pairs of brightly colored sneakers. Like, just in case he wore one pair out from dancing so hard? There was also at least one girl with a head scarf, and several with their hair in cornrows. And everyone seemed to have gotten the “you’re only cool if you roll up one pant leg” memo. (Except they probably communicated it in hand signs. Memo’s are for losers.) But the best, was what we referred to as the 7th Grade Gang, a group of 4 girls who could not have been older than 13, who I am positive could, and would beat me up in the parking garage after, had I given them a reason. They were popping and locking things they don’t even have yet.

And I haven’t even shown you my teacher yet...I pretty much want to be her. So, to say that we were WAY out of our league is an understatement. Especially when the class actually started, and we realized this stuff was fast. And hard. But it was SO. MUCH. FUN. After a few minutes, I didn’t care what I looked like, and just got into it the best I could. I got a great ab workout, learned a new song, and laughed (at myself) a ton.

I’ve gone a few times since then (dragging a different friend from work each time), and though my outfits haven’t gotten much better, and my dancing hasn’t really improved, I still really love it. Someday I’m hoping I will look like this:

But to be honest, I’d settle for this:


For those of you who want to get your groove on at home, here are the songs we’ve been jamming to (and hopefully the level of hood in these videos gives you an idea of what we're dealing with here....):
Beautiful Monster- Neyo
Down on Me- Jeremih featuring 50 Cent
Massive Attack- Nicky Minaj

Cabinet Fever

Last summer, we were so ridiculously, unexpectedly, thrillingly blessed, and we won a free (gigantic) TV. Dustin wrote about it, explaining that it was something we had thought about buying for a really long time, so it was such a blessing to have a prayer like that answered. (Truth be told, I think we both considered this too superficial a thing to actually pray about, so God must have just known the desires of our hearts. That God. Always knowin' me....)

So with the bulk of the expense out of the way, we now had some freedom when it came to buying a new piece of furniture to house this programming beast. But we figured rather than shell out hundreds for a new armoire, we'd rather continue our budget loving streak, and search Craigslist for a suitable option. And of course, Craig didn't let us down. We found the perfect little console....well- perfect if you have the vision. And I had it...and eventually Dustin did too. (The fact that it was only $15 may have helped him see the potential.)


I had never really painted furniture (unless you count a shabby-chic little cabinet from our Cincinnati apartment...which you really shouldn't count), so I was a little nervous about getting it all right. But fortunately, I have a friend in the blogging business that is THE expert in this kind of thing. Have you heard of Barb Blair from Knack Studios? If not....you're missing out. She is a sweet, talented, crafty-genius of a lady, and our paths crossed on a work project a while ago. (I call her a "friend" but she's really an internet celebrity who is nice enough to email back and forth with little old me.) I showed her a picture of our find, and explained the plan- I wanted to remove the (fake) doors on the front, add shelving, and paint the entire thing a warm gray. She gave me a few tips, and coincidentally, had just written an online tutorial for just this type of project. Score!

So now that I was armed with knowledge and a vision, and Dustin was armed with...well, his arms, we were ready to roll.

Step one- removing the record player and the speakers. I know some people consider that sacrilege, but it really wasn't suiting our purpose, so it had to go. There are plenty more cheap 70's stereos in the world....

ORIGINAL

Oh- and I should mention that we completed this entire project in our foyer....Crazy, and a little dumb, but true.

Bye-bye fake shutters!

After that, we removed the backer piece, and cut the front panel off. The front was made to look like doors, but they didn't actually function, so we cut them off to expose the large storage area in the middle. Dustin was able to get them off without damaging the rest of it...which I'm sure was no small feat.

Now that we had an empty frame to work with, he added some MDF shelves across the entire piece, and one to stabilize it in the center. The divisions weren't exactly what we might have dreamed up, but it would be able to house our cable box and DVD player in the center, which was the basic need. And staying true to the original design helped make the entire process easier and more stable.

Time for paint! We followed Barbs instructions which made it quick and easy. We got the whole thing done in an evening, and then followed up by distressing it a little later.

And for the final detail, Dustin built new doors, to close off the side portions. I thought it might be fun to add a little bit of pattern and interest to our otherwise blocky piece, so we used pieces of radiator screen for the door panels. He encased them in some decorative trim, and painted them to match. Then it was just a matter of cutting a new back panel, and voila...we had a fully functioning piece of furniture again!

Oh- and I love its little feet!

And now for the finished product....

Isn't it beautiful? In addition to the $15 we paid for the piece originally, we probably spent another $50 or so on materials to fix-er-up. Not too bad, considering what a full price item would have set us back.

We're still experimenting with how to fill the bottom shelves, but for now they are a great home for my growing pear/ceramic animal/ampersand collections. (and hold a box containing all my camera doo-dads). And the side portions provide much needed storage for our various gaming systems and DVDs. I was worried that I wouldn't like seeing through the doors, but with the right color storage boxes, you can't really even see them....and if we want to, we could always back them with something later- to keep the pattern, but lose the transparency.

I'm so proud of it...and my husband, for all of his hard work. So proud that I think I might settle down to watch a Real Housewives marathon. I mean, I have to spend time marveling at his handiwork, right?

Guestroom: A Three Year Epoch

One of the things I unexpectedly love about decorating is that it is a long process. I say “unexpectedly” because typically I am an impatient results seeker, who wants to get the show on the road.... Part of the delay is that I’m sooooo picky...and the other part is that we’re soooo cheap. So by the time we find something we like, and can afford...some time has gone by. And don’t get me wrong, I have my moments where I wish the house was just done already, but it’s actually been fun to take our time collecting pieces, and tackling projects. But as much as I enjoy the journey....I’m also a big fan of the destination. And today’s destination is our guest bedroom! (and in keeping with the “looooong” theme- this post is a doozy. Grab a coffee and settle in....)

When we first bought the house, we referred to this room as the “triplet’s bedroom”. It has yellow and white striped wallpaper, and just seemed like a big nursery to me. You can see our tour of the room in one of our old posts (feel free to skip ahead to the second floor)...

The first step was removing the baby stripes, which thankfully turned out to be much simpler than we thought. (even if we did make a big mess).

Then it was time to paint. After living in apartments, being able to paint walls was a huge point of freedom (our previous landlord was fond of saying we could paint the place any color we wanted as long as it was antique white.) So we went bold. Like Valspar "Poetic Purple" bold.

Fortunately at this point it was not my first rich paint color rodeo, so I had learned from some mistakes we made in our dining room. That was the first room where we did a dramatic color change, and back then I was scared of committing to a deep color. The color-picking paralysis was so bad that after what felt like days in the paint aisle of Home Depot my mom finally picked a color, put it in the cart and promised to pay for a replacement if I hated it. And guess what- I hated it. I was going for a deep navy blue, and somehow ended up with a colonial color that made me feel like I should be saluting something every time I walked in the room.

No one else thought it was bad...but for me it just wasn’t right. And that’s when I learned the secret paint ingredient that makes my heart happy- Black. Yep- I took back the remaining gallon of blue paint and asked what we could do to fix it. The paint tech suggested adding black pigment to darken it. Genius! So we added a few drops, and then a few more, finally taking it to the saturation point (apparently paint can only hold a certain amount of color). And it ended up perfect. (unfortunately...I don't have any good pictures...so you'll just have to trust me...)

But back to the matter at hand. This time, when purchasing the purple paint, I felt a similar panic feeling, worrying that my Deep Rich Plum would turn out like Big Purple Dinosaur. So I asked the paint guy to add some black to the swatch I picked. Black? He questioned? Yep. Trust me sir. I know my paint, and I know myself. It’s the secret ingredient, and I have to have it. So he did. And I looooooove it.

In photos it looks really dark...which I guess it is, but in person it somehow manages to look lively and fun, and deep and cozy all at the same time. Plus it makes the white trim, and the yellow-toned wood floor look a-maze-ing. (and yes, I know that some of you have seen all this before, but you didn’t get to hear about the crazy that got us here....and that’s what it’s all about, right?)So now that the triplet vibe was no longer in effect, the next step was adding some furniture, and some bed linins, (which turned out to be quite the process). But we eventually (seven months later) made progress, and ended up with a semi-functional room.

And that’s how it sat for at least another year. Sure, I had thoughts and plans about what I wanted to do...but it came together slowly...

A few craigslist purchases here....

A painting project there...

And slowly but surely the room started to take shape. I’ve been hesitant to share photos, or say “finished” because there are still (always) things I want to do and add. But I’m thrilled with where we’ve landed for now, and want to show off the results- even if they were three years in the making.

You can see Dustin's guitar and banjo finaly found a permanent home...And we filled up some of the sad empty spaces with some furniture. We stole the chair from “my room” (the bedroom that serves as my dressing room), and while it’s a teeny bit big for the space, it gets the job done. That corner gets a little dark and really needed the white to liven it up. The suitcases are a fun version of a side table, and again, though they might not be the perfect scale (or that chair is really just too big!) I love how they add a bit of vintage-ness (totally a word) to a pretty modern room.


The thing I’m most excited about though, was finally dressing up the wall with the console table. The best part by far is the horse lamp. We found that in an antique store in our old neighborhood. And while I don’t remember how much it cost, I would pay double that just based on how happy it makes me.


As for the wall...We have about a million and one frames laying around the basement, so it wasn’t a lack of materials that slowed the process. I just had a tough time landing on a collection and layout that I liked. I cut out paper to stick on the wall...I layed all the elements on the floor....I arranged, and rearranged....and finally we landed. Then it sat empty for another month or so while I chose art. I wouldn’t say I’m 100% satisfied with it, but it’s getting there, and the best part of it is every bit of that art was free! (Or at least stuff we already owned- Left over postcards, a map given to me by a friend, old art projects of mine from college, a garage sale plate from our Cincinnati days....)

From the opposite angle you can see that we added a clock about the bed- this was from my grandpa’s house, where it used to hang above their couch. I love imagining the size pocket it would go in! (oh- and we removed the plastic from the lampshade. Because after two years, we’re pretty sure we’re keeping it). And we added a little vintage stool to serve as a bedside table. I’m currently looking for a vintage alarm clock (with the bells) to go on top....

So there you have it.... Sure, it’s been a three year project, but after all this time and effort, it’s one of my favorite rooms in the house. And you’re all welcome to come and visit.

I love you like a fat kid loves cake...

Or more accurately- I love you like I love cake. cheesecake.

Can you guys handle any more food? Sometimes I wonder if I can...but then I remember- yes. Yes I can. So it shouldn't really come as a shock that for Valentine's day this year, Dustin and I each planned a food surprise for each other. We didn't really talk about making plans for the holiday...it's not a super big deal for either of us, but somehow we both got it in our heads that we wanted to surprise the other one. So Dustin took dibs on Saturday, and I got Sunday. And though we never said that plans had to include a meal- that's actually all either of us planned. Sure, some people plan romantic get aways, or fun outings....But Dustin and I eat. (I mean...look at last year's valentines day...or the one before that...) What can we say? We like what we like.


For Dustin's part, he got me a new deep dish pizza pan....so of course we had to try it out immediately! We may have underestimated the amount of time that it took to make pizza dough though....so at ten o' clock we were still waiting for our dinner....

But we managed to have fun anyway, and when it was time to punch it down...Dustin was ready:

And then I tried....and I'm only sharing this photo because it's hilariously bad. Like, unbelievably bad. (I can only hope that you're looking at my messed up hand, as it detracts from my messed up face!)

Thankfully, the pizza turned out much better than my modeling attempts.

Delicious, no? (For those of you that are still interested, despite feeling the early stages of a food coma- we used this recipe.)

Oh- and fear not- for there was dessert. Because Dustin is the best ever, and had secretly made CHOCOLATE COVERED CHEESECAKE POPS. Oh, but yes he did. (And maybe he also took photos of the whole thing in case I wanted to blog it. For real- where did this guy come from? Heaven?)

They were yum.

Full yet? Oh no- We're not done yet!...that was only part one.

For my portion, I planned to take Dustin to a local fish market to get crab legs. He loves them, and I had never had them until I met him, so it's a fun thing we've shared over the years. but we've never made them until now....

This is my "catch of the day" photo. Too bad seafood doesn't naturally come pre-portioned in bags like that....would make fishing so much easier.

And then of course, it was time for more ridiculous photos....

But we did eventually make quite the dinner....That we ate on real plates, in our real dining room, like real grown ups. (Though Dustin did remark "It smells like Jersey in here!" from the kitchen once, and after the prayer I put two fists in the air and yelled "Release the Kraken!!" while we began to tear into our crab legs. Gotta keep it classy, right?)

(Speaking of classy, yes...those are our version of Red Lobster's cheddar biscuits you see there....)

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Best leftovers ever

The homemade marshmallows turned out great, and I loved the little heart shapes...but no matter how closely I lined up my cuts, I still ended up with scraps.


Solution? Mini-mallows! It's as easy as chopping up the little leftovers into tiny bits. Then roll them around in the powedered sugar, to keep them from forming one big glob. Sure, they're not perfect little rounds like the ones you get at the store, but they're still sugar! No one will complain!

So now that you have fun baby marshmallows...you have to make something to go with them right? Perfect choice? Hot chocolate, of course! (I mean...you know I can't turn down hot chocolate!)

How about an easy Valentine's Day present? A gift bag, a couple packs of hot chocolate, and 1/2 cup of fresh marshmallows, and you're set!

Or you could try what has become my new favorite dessert....

Frozen Hot Chocolate!

Just mix packaged hot chocolate mix with milk, and pour into containers....

Add a couple marshmallows and throw them in freezer for a couple hours....

(I made these before I discovered homemade marshmallows. I can't imagine if they got even better!)

And be prepared to fall in love. I didn't even wait for this batch to freeze all the way...hot chocolate slushies? Yesssssss.

Fluffy Love

I'm always up for a food adventure....even more so if I get to make something deliciously complicated. So when I found a recipe for homemade marshmallows, I bookmarked it....waiting for the perfect occasion to test them out. I thought they might make good Christmas presents...but when that came and went, I decided they'd be this year's Valentines! (last year everyone got pie pops...can't have them thinking I don't still love them!)

So I called up my baking-goddess friend Lindsey and asked her to help. It was a win-win because she is great at all things cooking related, AND she has a standup mixer! (and by win win, I mean I won twice....there wasn't much in it for her. Unless you count hanging out with me). And as it turns out, she had actually made marshmallows before (because of course she had!) So now it was more like a win-win-win!

I chose two recipes, unsure of which would work better....And we actually ended up using both, as part of a semi cook-off challenge. First up was a Valentine's Day themed version, and second was Marth's swirled rendition. (we didn't add the peppermint oil....just went with a regular vanilla.)

They were actually very similar, the main difference was Martha's called for eggs, and the other didn't. And the ration of sugar vs. corn syrup is a bit different. But the good news is, they both turned out delicious! The first recipe was very simple...so big points there....and while Martha's was more complicated (always!) it was a bit fluffier and easier to spread.

Both recipes are very thorough, so I won't bother giving you instructions....instead, I'll just share some photos and tips!

I had never used a candy thermometer before....but it was a must.

No idea how "prairie women" as Lindsey referred to them, used to do it!


The first batch! We split it into a 13x9 pan, and a 9x9 pan. This made each batch a little shallower so I could make shapes with cookie cutters later. But you do have to move quickly....spray EVERYTHING with cooking spray, and coat it with powdered sugar, or corn starch to keep it from sticking. Having two people really helped with this step so we could get it done before the marshmallow got too stiff.

Next tip- definitely use a stand up mixer. I don't think our arms were up for fifteen minutes of mixing per batch....

Oh- and my favorite tip? Make them at someone else's house! Then the mess is their problem! (Just kidding....I helped her...but there was powdered sugar everywhere!)

Swirl it up, and let them dry overnight.

Cutting out the hearts wasn't hard, but it did take a while...Call your mom on speakerphone while you're at it. She'll thank you, and it'll feel like it's going faster!

I rolled the sides of the first batch in pink and red sugar, and coated the sides of the swirled batch in plain powdered sugar. (this helps keep them from sticking together)

So pretty, right?!? I "heart" them!

Then I filled little bags with one of each kind...

And sealed them with Valentine's stickers.

And that's it! I was so so excited to try this out, and I couldn't be happier with how they turned out. It was a time consuming process, but who cares, when you're having fun?

Happy Valentine's Day!