Antique Tables, Gallery Walls, and Snowshoes

Hey yo. What's new? Yeah, it's been a while. Sorry I've been MIA this week. The creativity just wasn't flowing much this week. But I do have some updates I've been wanting to show ya in the living room. First, let's review: I got a table that I fell in love with a while ago. But I had no where to put it, so downstairs into the "pile" it went. As you know, we're trying to organize the space downstairs to make room for a playroom for the boys. So up the table came into the living room ('cause there was literally no other place for it) and I love it in there. I didn't know if it'd be too big, but I think it looks right at home. Check it out.

Some of the accessories are new (to us). I wanted something tallish in the background to create a layered look. But I didn't want anything to block the view/light. So I raided my in-laws' barn and found this old wicker thing that reminded of a snowshoe. So in honor of Mitch's motherland, it now resides in our living room. (note to self: ask Mitch if he ever went snowshoeing.) And it fits the bill pretty dang well--provides height but doesn't block the view or light. Perfect. Then I just layered in some random things I already had.

Well hello there, Little Miss Sexy Legs!

Love these legs. Totally was what sold me on the table. And those cute little casters. Seriously, how cute are they?

This green chair was one I picked up at the ReStore years ago. Actually now that I think about it, I think it was my first ReStore purchase ever. It's cute but not the most comfy chair in the world. And yes, that's some sort of vinyl-ish fabric on there. A designer would audibly gasp if he/she saw it.

I love my gallery wall:) It's done. I don't think you guys have seen it all done. I even painted the rest of the trim the other day, so you can officially stick a fork in it.

See that old black and white on the right there? It's a pic of Mitch's grandfather and his hunting buddies up at their cabin in central PA. The guy in the white is their cook:)

Here's a close up. The picture was taken in 1933 and Mitch's grandfather (the guy in the back on the far right) is 20 years old. Love it.

This floor lamp was downstairs waiting for a makeover (I had huge plans for this little guy) but I brought it up the other day and stuck this shade on it and now love it as is. So forget the makeover--you're staying as is, buddy. I really needed some light in this corner of the room.

Just a simple mantlescape: old bottles. 

I added this lamp to the top of the armoire. We have lots of lamps in there now, but it's nice--I love light. And the nice thing is that all but one of the lamps in the living room can be turned on at the same time by flicking the wall switch. That's right--we're awesome. (not quite sure why that makes us awesome, but...)

So that's it: just some little updates to make our room more cozy. Have you updated anything lately? Bring any random tables up from your basement? Complete a gallery wall? Hang a snowshoe in your living room? Oh and yes, we are finished the master bathroom. We just hung art on the walls the other night. Can't wait to show you guys...EEK! But I'm waiting on some pictures (we had family shots done and I want to use some of them in there) so as soon as I have those done, I'll be doing a reveal. So get excited. Get real excited. Am I a total dork for being super excited to show you guys our bathroom? Oh well. I'm okay with being a dork.

Whaddya Live in a Barn??

My in-laws live next door to us, don't know if I ever told you guys that (and they read this here blog so try to suppress those Everybody Loves Raymond-esque comments;)). They live in an old farmhouse and also have a huge barn on their little five acre farmette. I was in the barn the other day (they sell random furniture pieces out of it) and noticed that a lot of the furniture was sold, which really opened up the place. I stood there and imagined a beautiful barn party. Not the kind where you swing your partner 'round and 'round (although that might be fun!), but a wedding reception or some sort of celebration which required a long farmhouse-style table stretched out to feed a crowd. I love that look! I don't know why I didn't think of it for OUR wedding reception (shoot, Mitch, why didn't we think of that?!) But anyway, I just wanted to show you guys the barn today and let your imaginations run wild with barn party ideas or even converting this space over into a house. Mitch and I have talked about that--how awesome would it be to live in a barn?!


So here's looking from the back of the barn to the front. This would make an awesome great room with massive cathedral ceilings. Beyond those two windows on the far side is an incredible view of the Lancaster County farmlands.

This is the view from where I was standing in the last picture...

And with the doors open facing yet more beautiful farmland. (Look at those beams!)

On the right hand side (beyond where that half wall is), that's the other third of the barn. Game room, perhaps? Craft room? Any kind of room you could imagine. Shoot, even a basketball court! Or a massive master bedroom:)

This is the other third of the barn. I can imagine this space as a huge dining room with that farmhouse-style table stretched out and a couple of lantern pendants hanging above.

With the kitchen tucked in this back corner.

Some bedrooms up here perhaps?

Can you imagine all the wood it'd take if you wanted to have a planked ceiling? Which of course I would;) That would look so awesome, wouldn't it? 

 View out the front

And the back

There's a door in the floor which I guess was used to throw hay into the lower level? I don't know...that's a total guess. My boys would have fun with that! Shoot, I'd have fun with that.

 These are steps going down to the lower level which is actually ground level also. This type of barn is called a bank barn and is accessible at ground level on two different stories since it's built into the side of a hill, or bank. So you got a whole other level to live in!

The backside of the barn

So what do you think? Could you live in a barn? Obviously I have the floor plan already laid out, so you know I'd be game. I wonder how much it would cost to finish a barn...can't be cheap!

Wondrous Balls of Peanut Butter Goodness

I've renamed these little treats "chocolate peanut butter balls" (easier to remember than the title of this post) 'cause I felt like a fraud calling them "Buckeyes" since I don't live in Ohio. It just doesn't feel right. That's kinda like a Texan wanting to call his sandwich a "Philly cheesesteak." Sorry. You can't do that. Ain't nobody can do a cheesesteak like a Philly native. Nobody. 

I made these pb balls for Mitch's birthday. Every year he's supposed to bring in a treat to work to celebrate the day of his birth and every year I try to mix it up. (okay, I think this was like the second time in 10 years I've made something...whatever) So I made these as well as some pumpkin bars (recipe pending) for him and his coworkers. This was the first time I successfully dipped candy. You can check out my unsuccessful first attempt here. And they were a hit, apparently. So I made some more this past weekend for a cookout we were hosting. And now we have leftovers. Not a good thing. These little guys are way too easy to pop in your mouth and before you know it you've downed three or four or seventeen. So I'm sharing this melt-in-your-mouth recipe with you, my favorite friends (so you can get fat with me).

Here's whatcha need.

So easy. Even a non-Ohioan can do it. You just mix those four ingredients (pb, butter, sugar, and vanilla) together in a mixer and roll 'em into little 1" balls. 

Then you stick a fork in 'em...I mean, stick a toothpick in the top and freeze for at least 30 minutes to firm them up. (You can freeze them for weeks at this point and whenever you're ready to dip them, just pull them out of the freezer.) Then you dip in melted chocolate, leaving a portion of the top peeking out (that is if you want the Buckeye version, otherwise the whole wondrous ball of peanut butter goodness can take the plunge). Then just stick them in the fridge when you're done. 

BTW, I melt my chocolate on the stove. I have the worst time with my microwave and usually end up over-nuking stuff. And once chocolate is overcooked, you can call it a day--it ain't comin' back. Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything:/ I've found that you have much more control when you use the double boiler method. So I fill up a small saucepan with water, let it come to a boil, then place my small stainless mixing bowl on the rim of the pan (you can use a heat-safe glass bowl...just make sure the bottom of it doesn't reach the bottom of your saucepan), and add my chocolate. I lower/turn off the heat from time to time so as to not overheat the chocolate. You can always remelt chocolate, but you can't use overcooked chocolate. It has this nasty habit of clumping. And clumping ain't pretty. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls (AKA Buckeyes)                                    adapted from allrecipes

Ingredients

3/4 cup peanut butter

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups melting chocolate

1. Blend peanut butter, confectioners' sugar, butter and vanilla.
2. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on baking sheets lined with wax paper.
3. Insert a toothpick into the top of each ball (to be used later as the handle for dipping) and chill in freezer until hard, about 30 minutes.
4. Dip frozen peanut butter balls in melted chocolate, holding onto the toothpick. Leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top.
5. Place chocolate-covered balls on the wax paper lined baking sheet and refrigerate 2 hours. Yield: 2 1/2 dozen.

Finn's Crib

So I've decided instead of waiting to do a room reveal to show you Finn's nursery, I'll show ya bits and pieces here and there. Of course I'll do a full room reveal once everything's done, but I thought you guys might like to see where we're at and progress shots along the way. I already showed you his changing table, so today say hello to his crib. 

This was Ryder and Bryce's crib; it just underwent a little makeover. This is what it used to look like. (you can tour Ry's nursery here)

I had our cabinetmaker spray the crib in my go-to color these days--Benjamin Moore Dragon's Breath. I'm seriously going wild with this paint color. The old crib color was nice but I wanted something a little more substantial and dare-I-say "grown up"? I know, sounds ridiculous for a baby's nursery! But I didn't want it too precious in there. Do you know what I mean? With having the pallet ceiling, I felt like I could do a more rustic grown-up style. I think the antique rug really helps tie things together too.

And no, this isn't Bryce's crib;) He's just helping by keeping Finn company.

I don't do themes in rooms, but it just happened to work out that I had a bunch of star things. The crib sheet is from Pottery Barn Kids. I love it. It matches Ryder and Bryce's sheets. (they have the red version) My friend got Finn the star blanket when he was born and the colors are just perfect for his room (thanks, Karen!). The bumper was one I bought at a consignment shop. It's from PB but had airplanes on it. I asked my MIL if she could sew some fabric to it to cover up the decals--and now we have a perfect neutral bumper. (she sewed the linen-like fabric that you see on the front side.) The Roman blind (which looks kinda wonky in these pics...sorry) was made by Melissa from Windows by Melissa. I got two of them on clearance for a great price. I think they look great in this room and also help tie in that "grown up" look.



This is the first mobile any of my boys have had. I made it out of a basket handle. The basket was old and the webbing was coming apart. I really liked the handle part and I thought it'd make a cute mobile. The items dangling from the baker's twine are salt dough ornaments that the boys and I made. There are stars, hearts, and house-shaped ornaments.

This is Finn's view:)

There's not too much left to do in there--that's the good thing about having all boys:) Things to do yet in Finn's nursery:

• Paint and install hanging bookshelf
• Slipcover chair/ottoman
• Replace broken blade on ceiling fan
• Organize closet space

Hope you enjoyed the peek into our little guy's room. More to come soon! Have a great weekend.