A Recipe

Back in the reader's survey, some of you mentioned you wanted to see more recipes. I am trying my best to fulfill all of your requests. Slowly but surely. I'm also trying to blog more often. Heck, this is my 4th day in a row and my 8th post in January. So far so good.

So, I thought I would share one of my favorites. Turkey burgers with sweet potato fries. It's quick, healthy, and gooooood.

I use the Rachel Ray recipe:
Caribbean Turkey Burgers
A couple tips:

• It calls for a mango salsa. I've made it before but it is not necessary. If you want to make it fine, if not, fine too. I don't make it.
• I always buy a pound of turkey meat and the recipe calls for 2, I just cut everything in half.
• I never buy fresh basil and throw in dried cilantro instead or skip it all together.
• I always add a bit more brown sugar because we like them a bit sweeter.
• Toss them on the George Foreman (or a real grill if you're so lucky) for about 6-7 minutes and they're done.
• I add ketchup and mayo.
  

Sweet Potato Fries
I usually use 2-3 medium sized sweet potatoes. Before I cut them, I warm them up individually in the microwave for 1 minute. They are too hard to cut otherwise. I learned the hard way and cut my finger pretty badly. Toss some olive oil over them and bake in the oven at 400 degrees. I don't have an exact time but around 15 minutes...stirring a few times in between. I usually make the fries first and then make the burgers. By the time the burgers are made and cooked, the fries are done. I like them a little crispy.

It is one of our quick but tasty recipes. JD's favorite. He would eat them every week if he could.

A Bedding Battle

Yesterday, I gave you a sneak peek into the looks of our new bedroom. I'm still trying to work out a few details so in the meantime I wanted to share the bedding battle.

Yep, a battle. Between JD and I? Nope. Between me, myself, and I. If you read my shower curtain post you'll know that I've been a bit indecisive recently which is normally out of character for me. I am usually pretty quick at making decisions and feeling confident in them.

So let's rewind...when we first got married we got a green duvet cover. Okay but nothing special. Remember it from the sore sight of our first bedroom?
Then came makeover number 1 in the summer of '09. Since it was summer, we purchased a lighter coverlet in light green (check out the whole makeover here).Now when winter comes around we pull out the heavier, infamous, dark green comforter. Needless to say it matches nothing and is just plain boring. Last winter I searched for a new duvet and came up empty handed.

This winter I was determined to find something new and the search began. Long story short, I searched everywhere and again found nothing. Partly because I didn't know what I wanted.

So I decided to go with white because it would match the room and I thought why not? I've been on a white kick anyway. Oh and to make matters more difficult, since I chose to go with white, I wanted something a little extra to make it more exciting. Perhaps a pattern or maybe a ruffle? Kind of like this from Anthropologie, but I didn't want to spend a fortune.

I had 20% off to Bed, Bath, and Beyond so I went there first. They had slim pickins for what matched my criteria which was white with some flavor and not too expensive. I was thinking around $50-$75 with my coupon. But they did have one that I LOVED but with a $140.00 price tag. Knowing it was way out of price range, I didn't dwell on it and left.

I could continue to ramble on about how I went back to the store, left again, and then went back a third time to finally purchase it and include all details in between but the point is...

• I now have a soft duvet cover that I love
• It is white but not too boring
• With my 20% off coupon and $50.00 visa gift card it landed in my preferred price range ($67.00)
  
• It adds a whole new brighter feel to the room

So without further ado...
You'll have to wait to see it 'live' in the Douglas household when I reveal the new look.

...and it goes great with our new $20.00 jersey sheets from Wal-Mart. It's like sleeping on a cloud.

One thing to take away from this debacle: If you really like something and it will last a while, don't be afraid to splurge.

Sneak Peek

Guess What? I'm changing the look of our bedroom again. We needed (ok I really wanted) a new duvet cover for our winter comforter and the rest is history. I'm going for a whole new look. I worked 4 hours tonight on a project and am not quite ready to post all the details yet. So I will leave you with a sneak peak...
Stay tuned for the new look, the long debate and final conclusion on our new bedding, and of course some major bargains.

Inspiration

I was typing this whole long thing about my design style and how it continues to evolve and how I can't wait to own a home someday...blah blah blah blah.

But all I really want to do is show you some photos that inspire me... first 4 photos found hereNext 2 photos found hereNext photo found here

I love this kitchen found here

The Hunt for a Shower Curtain

is finally over.

I've been looking for months, actually over a year now, for a new shower curtain. You would think I could just find one I like and buy it. But no. I wish it was that easy. It took me so long because I couldn't decide what I wanted.

One thing I knew for sure was I wanted a fabric curtain. Did I want some color? If so, what color? But I also liked white. Is white boring? Texture? Price? Most fabric shower curtains run around $50.00. Was that too much? Should I just pay the money since I've been looking so long? Anyway, I just couldn't decide until today.

The big deciding factor was I couldn't stand to look at the UGLY shower curtain we currently had any longer. I bought it right after we got married for $6.99 at Marshals. It was green, 100% polyester and a sore to look at. It worked great for 2 years, but it was time to be replaced.

So today while shopping at Target, I found one that fit my every need.

• Fabric curtain, 100% cotton
• White, but not too boring
• On clearance

Here's a close-up of the price
Our bathroom is so small that I had a very difficult time getting a good angle/picture of the new shower curtain. I did my best, but it looks much better in person.
I like that it is mostly white with just a little gray design on the bottom. If we weren't renting I would paint the walls in our bathroom a light gray. Gray is the new beige so they say.

Lesson of the day: don't rush into buying something. A year later, I finally found a new shower curtain and love it.

Same Name, New Look

Remember when I asked you about the blog name back in this post? Well, I debated whether to change the name and finally decided to stick with the original. I did however want to make some changes, so I changed the header and am very pleased with the new look.

I know very little about the technical side of setting up a blog, but I am slowly teaching myself some html code along the way. Don't be surprised if the blog is ever-changing in appearance.

On another note...
I really appreciate all of your feedback on the blog. Thanks to all of you who left comments.

It looks like you want to see more before/after projects, recipes, videos, inexpensive fashion ideas, DIY crafts, and more holiday-themed posts. I am already thinking of some Valentine posts, so stay tuned.

Now, for the toffee popcorn giveaway results. According to random.org the winner is...ALYSSA.

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Vintage Trunk

So, in my last post I begged, bribed, kindly asked for you, my readers to respond to a little, painless survey. Not so many of you took the plunge. If you want to boost my confidence, take the survey. Click here. Last chance to enter and win the popcorn. Giveaway ends Sunday, Jan. 9th.

I am constantly thinking about our tiny home and how we can make it our own. You know, make it ours, more JD and Mollie like. As a renter, it is difficult to put our own stamp on this little box we call home. We are beginning to like the vintage feel more and more. When we buy a home someday we would prefer an older home with some original character. Maybe some exposed brick or wooden beams? Who knows.

Last Saturday I was scrolling through craigslist and when this beauty popped up on the screen, I was quick (less than 3 minutes) to ask JD what he thought about it and contact the seller with hopes that it was still available.

Call it my lucky day because it still was. We buzzed into DC before church and picked up our new vintage trunk. It's a little beat up and worn in, just the way i like it. It's a greenish turquoise color. Not sure if I will keep it this color or sand it down and go with another. White maybe?Oh, I almost forgot to mention the best part, the price!! It was a steal. For this solid wood trunk, I only paid $25.00. Can't beat that.

Still not exactly sure where it will go or what purpose it will serve. I'll be back with a trunk update in a few weeks.

I need your HELP: Reader's Survey

I first want to say a big...to all of you who read the blog. I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your readership and comments. I cherish and absolutely LOVE your comments. It helps to know that real people are reading what I write out here in the blogosphere :)

That being said, I want to make 2011 an even better year for the blog. I would love for you to share your thoughts with me. If you could comment (which I fixed, so now it should be easier for everyone to comment) with responses to these three questions I would greatly appreciate it.

...and as a thank you I will enter all of you who comment into a fun giveaway. I will randomly choose a winner using random.org to receive one full batch of my homemade Toffee Chocolate Popcorn. If you live elsewhere, I will ship it to you. Even Germany, Elizabeth!

One more thing...please don't be bashful. Even if you are from high school and we haven't talked in years or a distant college acquaintance or my brother or mom. All are welcome so humor me people!

The Questions
1. What kind of posts to do you like and want to see more of (decor? crafts? videos? spending/saving tips? cheap recipes? inexpensive fashion? How-to's?)

2. What kinds of posts do you want less of?

3. Anything other suggestions, ideas, questions, or feedback you have for me.