Spring Project.

I have been wanting to fix these old chairs a friend gave me and finally got around to getting it done now that we had some nice weather finally.

I bought some outdoor material at a local craft store. I had to go out to the suburbs to buy spray paint because they don't sell it in the city because of graffiti.  Which makes no sense to me.

I choose colors that I love blue and green.  And I must say what a blast to spray paint even though I ended up getting it on my feet.  Was a great project to do and I'm now inspired to do another spray paint project.  So stayed tuned.  I am going to make my outdoor space fun for summer.

Where is Spring?

Chicago is having one of it's coldest Springs on record.  I've trying to use my grill again and savoring the sun when it comes out. The trees are just starting to bud and have seen some Spring daffodils coming up but as we all know Chicago never really gets a nice warm Spring.

I made this Sesame Noodle recipe passed on by a friend.  Great with spring asparagus and or you can add chicken or shrimp to it too if you need a bit of protein. I'll have the leftovers for my lunches during the week which is a bonus.  Enjoy!

Sesame noodles recipe:

1 lb noodles
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/2 c red wine vinegar
5 Tbsp. peanut butter
2 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. ginger
6 Tbsp. sesame seeds
4 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Cook noodles. Pour a bit of the 1/2 c. of oil over them so they don't stick together once they're drained. Mix soy sauce, vinegar, peanut butter, sugar and the rest of the oil in a small bowl. Beat together with a whisk.
Heat up the sesame oil in a wok or large pot. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and ginger. Cook until garlic
colors. Add noodles and sauce, cook for a few minutes. Heat sesame seeds in a skillet over low heat until they color slightly. Add to noodles. Chop up scallions to sprinkle over the top!

Apricot Yogurt Scones

We finally got a warm day here and I have all the windows open.  I decided to make these scones I saw on my favorite blog Apartment Therapy.  They were pretty easy to make though I made a big mess!! Great way to celebrate a taste of summer.

Earth Hour 2011

I celebrated Earth Hour on Saturday March 26th or should I say earth hours.  Lots of candles, scary movie, plenty of popcorn.  Nice way to cut back on energy for an evening.

French Market. Ooh LA LA

I finally made a trip to the French Market near downtown Chicago.  It was a cold and dreary day and I needed to escape my cabin fever.  I started with a coffee and walked around admiring the pastries, the breads, cheeses and meats.  I ended up with some yummy treats which I enjoyed throughout the day.

LIFE

I took this from my niece Maggie's blog because I love it so much. Holstee Manifesto. I am now going to work on my own manifesto.

Organize Project

I could not remember how long I have lived at my current home but I think its 7 or 8 years.  All I know is that lately I have been needing to make changes.  I think when you get used to a place or a routine its a good to do something to break out of that.  So I took on reorganizing my storage space, bedroom closet, hall closet and kitchen cabinet/drawers.  First I went out and bought some supplies. I organize people for a living so I knew a few things would help transform my spaces.  As a result I have a great new closet, tossed out a lot, donated some and found some old photos from the past.

Before

 After

Some of the best places to get organizing supplies are Target and The Container Store.

One of my photo discoveries from a trip to visit my sister Lori.  We climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge. I think this was the mid 90's looking at my hair style. Some of the other photos my hair from the 80's was just too scary to post!