Kitchen Adventures: Kale Chips

I made this recipe today, or at least I tried.

They would've been good if I hadn't dropped the cookie sheet on the oven door.

Or if I hadn't dumped all the chips in the bottom of the oven.

Or if I hadn't over salted them.

Now I'm thinking I should have taken a picture. Instead I sat down on the floor and called my very sweet husband. We laughed; I cried. Then, I took a spatula and removed the burning pieces of kale from the bottom of the oven.

Our Bedroom is Finished!

David and I lived in a townhouse for the first 1.5 years of our marriage. We moved into our current home last Thanksgiving. So, our first bedroom as a married couple was in the townhouse.

It was a large, awkward space. The furniture we used was David's from before we were married. It was nice, but not my style at all. There was only one side table, and the set was extremely traditional. Every time I walked into the room I cringed. It really wasn't my favorite space in our home.

So, when we moved to our new house a couple months back, we wanted to redecorate our bedroom. It really needed to happen, and we're so excited to share the results with you! Enjoy!

We bought a few new things for the room, so I'm going to list the sources below.

1. Ikat Curtains - West Elm
2. Curtain Rod - Target
3. Headboard - Star Clearance Outlet (@ I45 & FM1960)
4. Shag Rug - Ikea
5. Bedskirt - Bed, Bath & Beyond
6. Sconces - Home Depot
7. Side Tables - Ikea (Malm Collection)
8. Dog Bed - Homegoods
9. Basket - Hobby Lobby

Everything else we already had on hand. The throw pillows came with our couches, the sheets and comforter we got in 2009 from Target, and the decorations we've had for awhile. My favorite item (and our biggest splurge) are the curtain panels, but I truly believe they define the room!

Do you see the framed calligraphy on the left side table? I gave that to David for our first anniversary. It's our vows written in calligraphy. I think it looks great in the room!

All in all, I'm incredibly excited to be finished with this project! Every time I walk into the room I smile. It reflects who we are and both of our individual styles!

Weekends of Purging

Last weekend we cleaned out our bedroom, and it was so refreshing! We donated about 147,872,967 pieces of clothing, and we even sorted through our plastic bins of wires! (My husband graduated from the Texas A&M College of Engineering, therefore we have 8000 wires in plastic bins under our bed.) He donated more than half of the wires, bringing our wire bin count to 1. Yes, ONE!

I was excited.

This weekend we're tackling our guestroom. Currently, it's an absolute disaster. There are probably 5 boxes full of crafty things I've been saving for a rainy day. So, this weekend it's my turn to purge the things I love. If I haven't touched it in a year, seen it in 6 months, or didn't know I had it, then it's going to Goodwill!

We are also going to hang curtains in our bedroom, install the new sconces we bought for beside our bed and hopefully pick up some bedside tables. I can't wait to be done unpacking/setting up our home!

Temperature Matters

What do most couples fight about?

If you answered money, then you're probably right. However, we aren't a typical couple.

We have our biggest fights over the thermostat.

What do you fight about?

Grammar for Family Names

When I'm signing something for David and I, I write "Love, The Dietzes." I wasn't 100% sure that was correct until today!

Taken from Plural Noun Forms:

When a family name (a proper noun) is pluralized, we almost always simply add an "s." So we go to visit the Smiths, the Kennedys, the Grays, etc.When a family name ends in s, x, ch, sh, or z, however, we form the plural by added -es, as in the Marches, the Joneses, the Maddoxes, the Bushes, the Rodriguezes. Do not form a family name plural by using an apostrophe; that device is reserved for creating possessive forms.

When a proper noun ends in an "s" with a hard "z" sound, we don't add any ending to form the plural: "The Chambers are coming to dinner" (not the Chamberses); "The Hodges used to live here" (not the Hodgeses). There are exceptions even to this: we say "The Joneses are coming over," and we'd probably write "The Stevenses are coming, too." A modest proposal: women whose last names end in "s" (pronounced "z") should marry and take the names of men whose last names do not end with that sound, and eventually this problem will disappear.

One More Thing

I forgot - Rose also knows "shake" and "high five!"

She also rings bells on the door to let us know when she has to go potty. She's definitely one smart cookie!

Rose's Update: 7 Months

Here are all the things Rose knows at 7 months:

1. Come
2. Back up
3. Sit
4. Lay down
5. Stay/OK
6. Down
7. Go to your bed
8. Go to your house (her crate)
9. My turn
10. Go potty outside
11. Get your toy
12. Go get it/Fetch
13. Go to/Go get Mommy/Daddy
14. Daddy's home (She looks at the front door every time I say this!)

She really hates laying down on command. I have to tell her 3-4 times before she'll actually do it, but she knows how to do it.

Her favorite game is fetch, and she loves running around in our backyard. I wish we had moved to this house sooner. She loves it!

Siesta Scripture Memory Team

My friend Karen asked me to participated in Beth Moore's Siesta Scripture Memory Team (SSMT) this year. Each month I will memorize two scriptures for a total of 24 for 2011!!! Before we began on Jan. 1, I thought about the scriptures I knew by heart. I could literally count them on one hand. So, this challenge is two-fold: (1) Memorize scripture and hide it in my heart (2) Get better at memorizing things.

So far I've memorized Matthew 11:28-30. Here it is (from memory):

"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

The next three scriptures I aim to memorize are Matthew 5:10-12.

I'll keep you updated on how the memorization is going. Also, if you're doing SSMT, then let me know!