DIY Chalkboard Refrigerator

Awhile back I decide I was going to paint my fridge with chalkboard paint. I already had some chalkboard paint from a previous project, so I googled everything you need to know about painting a refrigerator.
You need to prime it with magnetic primer, you have to do this so it's still magnetic after you paint it.

I don't have any pictures of this process. My friend Michelle and I painted the fridge and we were drinking some wine during the process so I just totally forgot ;)

I also spray painted the handle and all the accessory pieces with a silver matalic spray paint. Note: don't do this in the winter time-all windows must be open or even take the fridge outside.

Then we painted the fridge with the chalkboard paint. You can get the paint in all different colors. I already had the black so I just used that. Just take a small roller and roll the paint on. Take a small paint brush to get in the little spaces.
It takes about 3 coats of the chalkboard paint.
It makes a huge difference in the kitchen now. Then refrigerator was a ugly yellow-white color. Gross. But it wasn't broken so I couldn't justify buying a new one.

My little monsters...

Yummy....

When I sprayed it with the spray paint I covered the water and ice labels. So we improvised.

I love love LOVE. It now!
Do for less than $50 you can have a whole new fridge.

It makes the old cabinets look even more awful then they are. Not to fret, I have picked out a color to paint them so we will be doing that soon :)

XoXOxOXo
Stephanie

Eggy Pancakes

I love cooking. But sometimes I get lazy about planning it, so I end up eating kid food. It's difficult to be an adult sometimes. Hahaha. You have to make lists for the grocery store and actually think about what you need to get to make certain things. I find myself walking around the grocery store for 40 minutes buying stuff that I like. Then I get home and I don't have anything to make for dinner. I have a bunch of cookies and chips and most of the dairy aisle - I love the dairy isle, it's cold and everything looks delicious. Ok so I have the chips and such and milk, eggs, butter, yogurt blah blah blah.
So what am I going to make with this random assortment of foods?
Well, Mac and Cheese comes to mind first. But another one of my favorites is screaming out. Maybe because I have some leftover rice from when we ordered Chinese food, but I'm making egg pancakes.
What are egg pancakes, you ask?!
Well keep reading and you will find out ;)

So when I moved to Philadelphia back in 2004 I did what every cool, single girl did. I went shopping at Urban Outfitters, duh! Hahaha. That as probably pretty stupid but I did come out of it with one good thing. A cookbook. I don't know what made me buy a cookbook when I was 18, maybe it was because it was called 'Midnight Munchies' . I am a sucker for advertising.
So almost 10 years later, I still have the book and cook recipes out of it often.
And that's how we get to the eggy pancakes.
It's kind of an empty fridge/ last resort food. But it's easy and delicious.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups leftover white rice- or any rice
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons butter
Pinch of salt
Maple syrup, warmed

In a small bowl, beat the eggs until blended and add the salt. Stir in the rice, breaking up any clumps.
In a 8-inch skillet, preferably nonstick, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the rice mixture and gently pat into a flat pancake that fills the pan. Cook until nicely browned of the first side, about 4 minutes. Flip the pancake over and cook on the other side until nicely browned, about 4 more minutes. Place onto a warmed plate, cover with maple syrup and eat immediately.

Use just regular leftover rice.

Crack 2 eggs into a bowl.

Mix well and add the salt.

Add rice.

Mix until there are no clumps of rice.

Melt butter in pan.

Add egg/rice mixture.

Fry on one side for 2 minutes. Flip and fry on other side for 2 minutes.

Place onto plate and cover with maple syrup.
I was super hungry so I ate half of it before taking a picture.
Sorry

This little chef kinda helped too ;)

Now you can eat something semi-healthy and go do other more important things. Like sitting outside and reading a book. Or going for a walk. I personally am going outside and gardening with Dylan. I planted some flowers I got as gifts for Easter, but Tyler said the arrangement of them looked like a burial site. Not a good look. So I'm going to fix it.

Have a wonderful Wednesday :)

XoXOxOXo
Stephanie

Sick Day

Ok so this was not my post for today. But unfortunately I woke up feeling like death. So instead of finishing my bathroom I'm just going to lay around and watch the snow fall.

Before I do that I made some food. This is my favorite easy pasta recipe. I love pasta so I thought my favorite pasta when I'm sick would be perfect.

I usually put chicken in it but I wasn't in the mood for chicken right now.
It's a Buca Di Beppo recipe. I used to go there all the time when I lived in Philly.

Spicy Chicken Rigitoni
1 tsp butter
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp chopped garlic
3/4 cup. Marinara sauce
1/2 cup Alfredo sauce
1/4 cup peas
1/2 lb Rigatoni pasta or your favorite pasta, cooked according to package directions
Shredded mozzarella for the top

Cook pasta.
Melt butter.
Toss in garlic and red pepper.

Cook until fragrant.

Pour in marinara sauce. Mix

Add Alfredo sauce.

Mix. Add peas if you want.

Mix in cooked pasta. Top with cheese.
Boom!

I also made these little beauties.

Pre-heat the oven to 350.
Take Ritz crackers and place them on a cookie sheet.

Then place Rolo's on top of the cracker.

Place in the oven for 3 minutes. Just to get them soft. You don't want to melt them!

Take out of oven. Place on cooling rack and top with more Ritz.

Let cool.

Try not to eat them all.

Now I'm going to watch the first season of Downton Abbey and hopefully take a nap. We will see if King Dylan will allow it ;)

Here is a little peek of them bathroom I'm working on.

I hope I can finish it this week.


XoXOxOXo
Stephanie

Put A Bird On It

I love brids. I always have. So when I knew I was going to buy a house I wanted bird wallpaper. Anywhere. I didn't even care.
So I originally picked this one out.

It's Schumacher, A Twitter-Winter

But I didn't need as much as they were selling. It was sold in rolls of 2 and for the area I am doing I only need one roll. Maybe not even that much.
So I found this one at Anthropologie .

I love love LOVE Anthropologie for house things. Everything is adorable.

I mean just look at that lamp! Love!

I totally want these candle holders.

Octopus coat hanger.

I think I miss the beach....

They didn't have the wallpaper in stock so I ordered it. We will see how it turns out. I'm super excited!!


XoXOxOXo
Stephanie

Sunshine Daydream

The start of this blog and me painting this piano coincided. I've wanted to start a blog for some time but kept putting it off. Always thinking I was 'too busy'.
But who isn't 'too busy' with life?!
Suddenly a very good friend of mind passed away. It was very hard for me. Even though we haven't talked for awhile. We were friends since I was 16. That seems like forever ago now but when I look at pictures it feels like just yesterday.

It made me really realize that I need to stop putting things off. So I put the fire under my ass and started. On both the blog and the piano. I thought this piano would be my first post but it sat here for a little while till I could finish it...

The piano was here when we moved in. Left by the previous owners.
It's out of tune and one key is actually broken.
It's also extremely heavy. I pushed it from one side of the house to the other and that was hard. So there is no way I am pushing it down our long driveway.
Plus I love painted pianos!

It's actually the best thing in the house sometimes.
When people are over they will play it.
And the kids can play with it all they want and they are not going to break it :)

I searched 'painted pianos' for months now. I knew I was going to paint it yellow. Yellow or pink.
I already painted the inside of the cabinet pink and I painted the trim on the walls blue.

So I thought yellow would be good for the piano.

I picked Goldfish for the color.

So I totally got ahead of myself and just started painting. I have no patience sometimes. I should have sanded it. Or at least primed it white.
But no.
I had to be difficult.
So this is almost 4 (yes, 4) coats. Of paint with primer in it.

I am so close....

It didn't help that the piano was super dark brown and I was trying to paint it yellow.
So after I ran out of paint and went and got more.

I finally finished it!!
I can't stop looking at it.

It brings so much happiness and light into the room now.

I'm so glad I finally did it.
Please ignore the messed up floors. We ripped up the carpet when we moved in and this is what they looked like. Gross.
We are planning on sanding and staining them this spring!

So if you have an old piano you hate. Don't throw it out. Paint it!!!
And remember you are never too busy.
Pick up the phone and call a old friend or relative you don't talk to much.
Because if we don't have our friends and family, then what do we have?!

RIP TCR, I will never forget the times we spent together. Thanks for all the memories :)

XoXOxOXo
Stephanie