a little remodel

Hello friends,

I hope you had a lovely weekend!!  We sure did.....worked outside, got some much needed Vitamin D, played, ate and relaxed.  It went by way too fast!

I thought I would show you a few "BEFORE" photos of the last room we Matt has to remodel at the cottage.   The guest bathroom was disgusting the day we moved in!  Yuck!!  Since the house was only a 2 bedroom + 1 bathroom when we bought it, we had to use the 'yucky bath' for a few months.  

You will notice the beautiful floors.  I attempted to paint over the yucky vinyl tiles.  I do not recommend that..... and for the record, my husband was not happy with my idea to 'spruce the floor up a bit.'

We contemplated keeping the old cast iron tub.  It wasn't in bad condition.  However, we soon realized that we were working the entire design around this old bathtub.

It was so heavy, Matt took a sledge hammer to it and broke it into a million pieces in order to be able to get it out of the bathroom by himself.   That guy sure is a good mix of brains and brawn!

We have to power through this little remodel because we have 10 days until our Summer guests arrive.

Yikes!
At least I will have 'AFTER' photos to share with you real soon!

On a completely separate note, I made these rhubarb bars this weekend....A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

xoxo
Darci

spring cleaning

Good morning friends!  

I hope you enjoyed your weekend!!  With the sun shining this weekend, I was inspired to do some Spring Cleaning.   I thought I would share two of my favorite cleaning supplies........

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Hydrogen Peroxide gets a lot of use in the Haney Household.  Not only are we are always using it to disinfect small wounds, we are always using it to keeps things nice 'n clean.  

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White Distilled Vinegar gets a lot of use too!  I buy the large container at Costco, it's around $6 for 2 gallons of vinegar.

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We keep a good supply of empty spray bottles on hand.  You just never know when you will need brush off the mad chemistry skills and mix a little cleaning concoction!

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It's always more fun to clean house when you have pretty cleaning products.  I love wood handled brushes.  In all honesty, I seem to have more problems with the wood + natural bristles than the plastic brushes.  It's probably because I am a bit too aggressive when I scrub!

Here are some ways I use white distilled vinegar:

• Clean and deodorize the garbage disposal:  pour 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup hot vinegar, let it sit for 5 minutes, then run hot water and the disposal.

• Fill a spray bottle with 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water, spray down your countertops and appliances {including stainless steel!}  

• Use that same spray bottle to clean your windows and microwave.  I use 1/2 vinegar/1/2 water to clean everything!

• To clean mineral deposits from your coffee maker:  fill the water reservoir with approximately 1 cup of vinegar, turn on the coffee pot and let it run the vinegar through.  Run it once or twice with plain water to rinse clean.

• Easily remove a price tag, label or decal by spraying the 

Here are some ways I use Hydrogen Peroxide:

• Add 1 cup of HP {instead of bleach} to a load of whites, launder as usual.

• Fill a spray bottle with 1/2 HP and 1/2 water, spray down your shower after showering.  {This is the only thing I have found to work to help keep the yucky orange fungus/mold/grossness from constantly appearing in the shower!}

• Use that same spray bottle to wipe down/disinfect your sinks, faucets and countertops.

• Fill a spray bottle with HP and use it to wipe down your cutting boards and sink.

Happy cleaning!!

xoxo

~Darci

Easter

Hello friends!

I thought I would {finally} share a few photos from Easter.  It was a blessing to celebrate such a special day with our families.  And, it was a beautiful, sunny day.....which is a really big deal here in the Pacific NW!

New chicks, just in time for Easter......

A lot of hanging out.....

The cousins couldn't wait to get outside!

Don't you love that little ruffled back??

Enjoy your week friends......

xoxo
Darci

aprons & such

Hello sweet friends!

I have been going back on forth on whether or not to host a 'SUMMER SALE.'  

I LOVE hosting my humble little SALES.  

I love the sweet girlies that stop by, the new friendships that are forged, the creativity, going to bed completely exhausted........ I love it all!  

Now, this is not new news to any of you......we all struggle with some sort of balance, right?   It's work to {first and foremost} be a wife and mama.  It's rewarding, and I wouldn't change a thing about it, but it takes work.  We all of our "jobs."  Whether that is working at an office from 9-5 or folding laundry and cleaning dishes at home.  My work takes many forms.......

a vacation rental owner/manager/toilet scubber/gardener.......

and a bookkeeper for two small businesses...... 

and sometimes I attempt to play the role of an interior designer, gardener and cook.

All of that to say, I feel so incredibly blessed to have so many passions and a sweet, supportive husband who encourages me in all of them.
Not to mention a very talented husband who can build/make so many of my crazy, creative ideas actually take shape.  {It is the same man, it kind of sounds like I have two husbands here, one is more than enough thank-you-very-much!}

I love my role of motherhood more than I could have ever imagined.
I am sure it will always be a struggle for me to find balance between work and family.
I am learning to accept that and just enjoy every.single.day that I have to spend with my sweet baby girl and my handsome, funny hubby.
Even if it means sewing aprons until 11pm.........and waking up at 5am......

All of that to say, I am so excited that I will be hosting a 'SUMMER SALE.'
I have already starting working on some of the items, and dreaming up ideas.
You know I would love to see you there!!!

More details to come....

xoxo
Darci

almost finished.....

Hello friends!

I thought I would share a couple of photos of the latest project that's keeping my hubby busy. I can't wait to show you you the BEFORE and the finished AFTER! You will not believe the transformation!!

As you can tell, the view out the back of the house is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

Who wouldn't want to live in the Willamette Valley on a day like this??

Today is rainy, gray and cold......anywhere warm and sunny sounds divine......

Until then, enjoy your day!

xoxo

Darci

Salted Sesame & Chocolate {cookies}

Hello and happy Sunday friends!

Have y'all heard of Joy the Baker? She is seriously funny {from what I read......we aren't friends....she is famous....} and very creative in the kitchen.

I adapted this cookie recipe from her blog. The biggest change I made was swapping out toasted sesame seeds for the black sesame seeds. Apparently black sesame seeds are not widely available at WINCO......and it was pouring down rain.....and I had a sweet {but fighting a yucky cold} toddler so I didn't have the desire to drive around from store to store looking for black sesame seeds.

Anyways, below is the recipe with my thoughts in parenthesis....

Toasted Sesame & Dark Chocolate Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract {use the good stuff, you can tasted the difference!}

1 teaspoon soy sauce {I know it seems weird......but it is so yummy!}

2 tablespoons black sesame seeds {or toasted white sesame seeds}

2 cups dark chocolate chips

about 1/4 cup black sesame seeds {or toasted white sesame seeds} for rolling and coarse sea salt for topping

Place racks in the center and upper third of the oven and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside and we’ll preheat the oven after we chill the dough.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the butter mixture with a spatula. Add the egg and egg yolk and beat on medium speed until mixture is fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and soy sauce. Stop the mixer and add the dry ingredients, all at once to the butter mixture. Beat on low speed until just combined. Stop the mixer, add the sesame seeds and chocolate chunks, and fold together with a spatula until well combined. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 45 minutes.

Just before you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place about 1/4 cup black sesame seeds in a small bowl.

Scoop cookie dough by the heaping tablespoonful into your hand. Roll into a ball, and toss around in the black sesame seeds. The dough balls don’t need to be completely covered in seeds, just coated well. Place on prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 12 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven, allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container. Cookies will last for a day or two. The oils on the seeds can tend to go rancid. These cookies are best eaten within a few days......we had friends over for dinner and managed to down all but 5 of the cookies.......if you make them, you will understand!

Enjoy!!

xoxo

Darci

yummy

Good morning friends,

I thought I would share a couple of easy, tasty and nutritious recipes I found on Pinterest.

A few nights ago I made these cheese + vegetable quinoa bites. They were quite yummy! Now, to tell you the truth, when Matt sees quinoa, or hears the word, he is turned off. Seriously. He is a great sport when it comes to some of my food adventures, but quinoa isn't what he would choose to eat. He's more of a 'meat and potato' kind of guy. And, I love that about him.

Would you believe he loved these little guys?!? True success!

2 cups cooked quinoa

2 large eggs

3 carrots, shredded

1 and 1/2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

1 medium shallot, chopped

2 teaspoons garlic

4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated **Or, to your liking

2 tablespoons gluten free all purpose baking flour ( I use bob’s red mill)

Sea salt and pepper, to taste (don’t be too stingy with this)

Cook the quinoa according to package directions. Mix in remaining ingredients and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. Heat a pan over medium heat and add 2 Tbs of butter to hot the hot pan. (Now, some recipes call for you to bake the little guys. We like a bit more flavor if we are eating quinoa, so we fried them ;-) Shape the mixture into little patties and fry on a hot skillet, about 5 minutes per side.

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We dipped these in home made buttermilk ranch dressing.....so tasty!

Last night, I made this tasty Balsamic & Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower. It was super yummy.....but it made the house stink!

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cauliflower head

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tsp marjoram

1/4 Tsp sea salt

freshly ground pepper

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Pre-heat oven to 450. Toss cauliflower, oil, marjoram and salt in a bowl. Spread on large baking sheet and season with pepper. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and toss with balsamic and shredded cheese. Bake for another 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted.

Enjoy!