Painting Cabinets

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Over Memorial Day weekend my Mom and I painted the cabinets in her half bathroom.  It's a project that we have wanted to tackle for a LONG time (right Mom?!).

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The color we used is Benjamin Moore: Mink; 2112-10.

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I didn't take a before picture in the bathroom, but here's what the cabinets looked like right before we started painting:

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We first started by priming all the cabinets with Zinsser Cover Stain Primer.  Maybe it was just us, but we had a hard time applying the primer.  With all the grooves in the cabinets it was hard to get good coverage.  We used a combination of rollers and brushes to apply the primer.

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All primed:

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And all painted:

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Isn't that a great color? 

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I love the new hardware my Mom picked out.

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See the trim to the left in the picture below?  That's our next painting project.

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I know my Mom is happy to have the old, outdated stain gone!

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Have you painted cabinets before?  Do you have any tips?

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Tasty Tuesdays: Caprese Salad

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Welcome to Tasty Tuesdays!

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I'm a bad host - I don't have a recipe to share with you this week.  Too busy to cook this week and I was sick with some sort of a virus and lost my voice for four days.  So, I'm sharing photos of a delicious caprese salad I had on Sunday.  In the summer I could live on caprese salads.  They taste like summer to me.

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I bought the mozzarella at our farmers market.  It was made on Thursday.  You can't beat that for fresh!  Combine the mozzarella with sliced tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and you've got yourself the perfect caprese.

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I'm sure you all did better cooking this week than I did!

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Thanks for all your tips last week on creating a link for printing recipes.  I will be trying out Google Docs soon.

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{ Please remember to add a link in your post back to this post or add the Tasty Tuesdays button to your post. Thanks! }

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Home Tour: Master Bathroom

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It's been a really long time since I've posted one of my home tour posts.  Up today is my master bathroom.  Keep in mind when you look at the photos that everything in the space was selected by me six years ago!  So, there are definitely some things I would do differently if I was designing the space today!

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Here is a floorplan:
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A few things I definitely would not change:  The wall color, the counter tops, and the rectangular shaped sinks.  I still love all of those things. { see end of post for all sources }.

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I love these sinks!

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The counter top is quartz.  It has a beautiful finish and is so easy to clean.  Love it.

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I have been meaning to frame some prints to hang between the mirrors for so long.  Someday soon I'll get to it!

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I stood in my closet to take the photo below.  My bedroom is to the left, and to the right is a small, separate room where the toilet is.

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I really need something on the walls by the tub too.

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Nothing special about these, but I really like having the cut-outs in the shower:
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My Aveda shampoo & conditioner bottles just fit!
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Sources:
- Paint Color:  Benjamin Moore; Texas Leather AC-3
- Counter top:  Cambria (quartz); color:  Cardiff Cream
- Tile:  Daltile {series is: Morlais, but I think Dal may have discontinued it b/c it's no longer on their website}
- Faucets:  Delta
- Sinks:  American Standard

- Bamboo Shade:  Smith + Noble
- Bamboo Tray:  Crate & Barrel
- Several people asked about the little glass jars - they are from Crate & Barrel and were only a few dollars each.
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I'm sharing this post at:
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Tasty Tuesdays: Spring Green Risotto

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Welcome to Tasty Tuesdays!

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I have a question for you guys - How can I add a "Print Recipe" link on my posts?  I've seen this feature on several of your blogs but don't know how to do it!

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I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend.  Don't you love how it's Tuesday but feels like Monday?  This weekend I went out to dinner with my Mom, Aunts, and Uncle { Hi Aunt Mary!  Hi Aunt Terri!  Hi Uncle Paul! }.  My Mom and her sisters were going to see Bob Seger in concert, but my Uncle and I were just there for dinner.  We went to Bar Divani, a wine bar in Grand Rapids.  My Aunt & I ordered a risotto with roasted red peppers and snap peas.  It was so delicious that I decided that I needed to make a risotto the next day.  I googled "spring risotto" and came up with this one from Ina Garten.  Wow, is all I can say.  This is one of the best things I have made in a while.  I loved this and know I will make it many more times.  It is easy to make - just takes a little prep time and arm muscles to stir the risotto.  If this even sounds remotely good to you, do yourself a favor and make it!

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{ convenient how all the ingredient colors match my blog, isn't it? }
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Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil

- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

- 3 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)

- 1 cup chopped fennel

- 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

- 2/3 cup dry white wine

- 4 to 5 cups simmering chicken stock {I used vegetable stock}

- 1 pound thin asparagus

- 10 ounces frozen peas, defrosted, or 1 1/2 cups shelled fresh peas

- 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (2 lemons)

- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

- 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, preferably Italian

- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving

- 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus extra for serving

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Preparation:

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1.  Prep all ingredients first.  This will make your risotto cooking so much easier.

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{ prep in progress }

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2.  Cut the asparagus diagonally in 1 1/2-inch lengths and discard the tough ends. Blanch in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, until al dente. Drain and cool immediately in ice water and set aside. {If using fresh peas, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes until the starchiness is gone.}

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3.  Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and fennel and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Add the rice and stir for a minute to coat with the vegetables, oil, and butter. Add the white wine and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until most of the wine has been absorbed. Add the chicken stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring almost constantly and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more. This process should take 25 to 30 minutes.

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4.  When the risotto has been cooking for 15 minutes, drain the asparagus and add it to the risotto with the peas, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Continue cooking and adding stock, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is tender but still firm.  I ended up using a total of 4 cups of stock.

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5.  Whisk the lemon juice and mascarpone together in a small bowl {I did this ahead of time while I was prepping the other ingredients}. When the risotto is done, turn off the heat and stir in the mascarpone mixture plus the Parmesan cheese and chives. Set aside, off the heat, for a few minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve hot with a sprinkling of chives and more Parmesan cheese.

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Click here to see Ina's original recipe.  I can't wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow!

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What did you cook this week?

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{ Please remember to add a link in your post back to this post or add the Tasty Tuesdays button to your post; you can find the button & code on my sidebar.  Thanks! }

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Spring Finally Showed Up...

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Spring took it's sweet time showing up in Michigan this year.  I really can't remember a time when Spring has been so  late.  The trees were brown and barren for so long!  Finally though, Spring made an appearance and now everything is green and growing.

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The first hint of green on the trees:

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I took that photo a few weeks ago, luckily the leaves are fully opened now.

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I don't know if it was the cooler weather, or what, but I had so many tulips this year.  Just about ready to bloom:

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Finally blooming:

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I used flowers from my yard to fill these little bud vases.  I had these out at the table when my Mom came over for Mother's Day dinner.

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A beautiful bleeding heart in my Mom's yard:

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Nothing says Spring like yellow daffodils!
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My Mom & I have a tradition of going to the greenhouses together to buy all of our flowers every year.  It's honestly one of my favorite days of the year!  I love being surrounded by all those plants.  I've been know to go a little crazy and buy way more than I need, so I really tried to show a little restraint this year.  That didn't stop us from filling up the car though!

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Here are my peonies earlier in the month.  I'm always amazed at how fast they grow.

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And here they are yesterday - almost ready to bloom.

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This blooming tree is right next to my deck in the back yard.  The white blooms are so pretty.

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It is finally warm enough to put out the hanging baskets.  I think I put them out this year maybe a whole month later than I have before.

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I buy my baskets every year from K Gardens in Byron Center.  If you are in Grand Rapids I highly recommend them.  Their baskets are the best!  They also sell @ the farmers market (Fulton St.).

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A few other Spring blooms from my Mom's yard.  A beautiful iris:

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And allium:

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And now, I'm ready for Summer to show up! 

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