A Puzzle for You

What do the above photos, three trips to Menards, one trip to Lowes, and a borrowed pick-up truck mean that we started on this weekend?

The craft nook!!! Which in some way means that we started on the nursery. Which also means that it is getting closer!

Welcome to the Family

M and I have graduated from our first living room lighting which we both purchased shortly after moving out on our own, to real lamps! It is a very exciting day for the Bowl of Cherrys household.

This little guy is from Kohls. I think that it was supposed to be somewhere around $40, but you never pay full price at Kohls. (And if you have been, you have been paying too much.) In the end I think that we got it for under $20.

I found its big brother at IKEA. Now at IKEA you ussually have to pay full price, but the price is ussually also right. (Sorry I can't give you a full head to foot shot. He is tucked between the wall and the sofa. Maybe he is shy.)

Now when we want more ambient lighting, we just turn these two warm beacons on and we are set.

(Don't worry, the old lights have a new home in our lower level. Which I am so, so excited about these days!! I can't wait for us to make more progress so we can show you.)

Foodie Friday: Individual Creamy Chicken Pizzas

The basis for this recipe comes from my dad. My mom had recently mentioned that he has been making these pizzas on the grill. While our grill is put away for the season, I figured that I could still give these guys a try.

I started with my basic dough recipe. I then divided this dough into four equal hunks and rolled them out into four individual crusts.

I then took store-bought spinach and artichoke dip and used it as my sauce. I topped the dip with some small cooked chicken chunks and finished it all off with shredded mozzarella.

I baked these at 425 degrees on my pizza stone for 15 minutes.

**Since M was out of town, I only made up two pizzas. I put the other two crusts in the fridge for a different pizza night. (I even have an idea of what kind of pizza I might make that night. ;o)**

Lookie What I Got

Isn't is just beautiful? I have been stalking electric water kettles for about a month now and finally made my move this weekend. I have been loosing that loving feeling for our regular tea kettle ever since we moved into our house. Our ceramic cooktop and the old kettle never really got along very well. I thought about counseling, I thought about buying a new tea kettle, and then I thought about upgrading to one of these guys.

I stopped by the small appliance isle at Target this weekend for a nice visit and what did my eyes behold under it? A Temporary Price Cut sign! I knew that this was the day to bring the Aroma Electric Water Kettle home and to end the relationship with the ordinary tea kettle.

And boy was it worth it!

A Good Start

As promised, here is a little more detail on the craft nook planning process. I sat down Saturday with a tape measure and graph paper and made a rough sketch of what I wanted in my craft nook. After going over the plans with M and discussing their feasibility, we headed out to Menards and Lowes to see and price materials.

M then sat down and used a computer program to take the "rough" out of my sketches. This is what he came up with:

I am a visual person and love the fact that M has the talent and knowledge to sit down and draw up such great plans. It really helps me to see any changes that I might want to make and how this project will turn out.

The laminate shelving is on sale at Menards through the end of the month, so that may help give us the kick in the pants we need to actually get this project off of paper and into our lower level.