— A dream has power to poison sleep;— One wandering thought pollutes the day; We feel, conceive or reason, laugh or weep; Embrace fond woe, or cast our cares away: It is the same! — For, be it joy or sorrow, The path of its departure still is free: Man's yesterday may ne'er be like his morrow; Nought may endure but Mutability.I've been sidetracked from the living room by a little side project... Wouldn't we all like more space? But I grew up on functionality, not vanity. Eight people, two bathrooms, and only one shower.  {Remember when I told you about the cardboard box of heirloom books my parents kept in the closet?}  I'm sure a spacious bathroom is lovely, but it's just wasn't a high priority item for us. When our house was previously remodeled, the contractor put a master bedroom with an adjoining master bathroom upstairs alongside a smaller second bedroom. We decided to use the master bedroom as a shared kids bedroom and use the master closet as a playroom, which meant that the master bathroom belonged to the children.

That left the small bedroom and bathroom downstairs for the adults. Despite a world of "en suite" or bust, we decided it would work well for our season. 1) Paint the walls in a light color. I've decided to go with Benjamin Moore's Lancaster White. The paint is purchased and in an eggshell finish which you need for a high moisture area. What are your thoughts on bathrooms? Do you need space or are you good with the basics? This burger wasn't just the tastiest thing I've EVER eaten at home, but it did it's job curing our winter food blahs. I recently made Garlic Chipotle Love out of Aaron Sanchez's cookbook: Simple Food, Big Flavor.  I decided to use it to make caramelized onions and whip up flavored mayo for this simple turkey burger - and it was instant LOVE. Hellman's Olive Oil based mayonnaise Awhile back, I was in a bit of a muffin crazed phase. Evidence of that can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.  Not that anyone here was complaining.

Lately, we've been in more of a pancake phase, always pumpkin, spiced and grainy, with a side of berries. Sometimes white or dark chocolate chip filled if being served on a weekend.  Some days I'd make anything to keep the boys away from boring breakfast cereal. printer friendly version here I often use coconut oil when baking because of its health benefits compared to other oils. It smells amazing and has a subtle coconut flavor to it. { Though it will not be noticeable in most baked goods.} Coconut oil is sold in natural food stores, Trader Joes, online, and often in your local grocery store near the other oils in the baking section.  Some warehouse stores even carry it in larger quantities, so you can save money if you go this route. Because it is a solid at room temperature, in order to bake with coconut oil, you will need to scoop the required amount for your recipe into a measuring cup. Once you have  the correct amount, transfer the coconut oil to a microwave safe dish and microwave on med-high in 15 second increments until the solid is almost completely melted, with small chunks remaining.

Once you get to this point, remove it from the microwave {careful, it's warm!} and stir to melt completely. I'm so excited to be kicking off the New Year with Red Envelope! I've talked about how I want to amp up my entertaining now that we've got our feet on firmer ground here in our new house.  Or at least not be so afraid of it!  I recently mentioned that a certain bar cart had a home in our living room plans, and as luck would have it, no polar vortex or sick kids could keep me away from the last one.Clawfoot Tub 48 Inch For now she sits empty in a still unfinished living room.  New Homes For Sale In Kempner TxAnd in typical Sarah fashion, still with the tag on it because I really can't commit to anything.  Houses For Sale In River Village Athlone

Maybe because I think barware or drinks would look equally lovely perched on a pretty tray somewhere on this shelf, should we decide to go that route in the living room. Red Envelope has done the work for you! For starters, they have {beautifully} laid out the anatomy of a bar cart. They tell you what you need from liquor, to glassware, to barware, mixers, and more!  This may seem like an intimidating or overwhelming list if you are newly married, on a budget, newly grown up, or just finding yourself in a new home, like us!  Just remember to take it slow, inventory what you have, and tailor the contents to YOUR guests. Keeping it simple will keep you unstressed and ready to party. But what are the basics when you are starting out?  Red Envelope has a large selection in their bar & wine section. Here are some of my favorites that will give you a stylish start, and are sure to get lots of use! Hooch Owl Cocktail Tool Set | Hooch Owl Bottle Opener | Cocktail Set & Wood Tray

IPA Beer Glass Set If you can't find cranberry hibiscus juice, I'd imagine you could steep a hibiscus tea bag in a large container of cranberry juice (not cranberry cocktail) overnight for use the next day. You can use any brand of vodka, but remember cheap vodka tastes...well...cheap. Want to cut calories? Replace 2 ounces of the juice with club soda.  Not only will it taste great, but it will add a little carbonation, which I love.When talking bar anything, be sure you monitor your guests and their consumption. Have a designated driver or taxi service on hand to get everyone home safe! ***I was not compensated by Red Envelope for this post, but was invited to share ideas to kick off the new year using their bar & wine page. Red Envelope images were used with permission, and links are not affiliate. Love these ideas or the drink recipe? Please share with a link back to this post and give proper credit. Do not post recipe without link.  Thank you for reading!

Keeping in mind the thicker the toffee, the harder it is on your teeth to bite off pieces.} Since it's January and I'm feeling all fresh and lively, I did set some goals for myself for 2014, though a big one I neglected is showing our home sweet home some love. I plan to spend quality time enjoying making spaces lovely, welcoming, warm, and cozy for our family and friends. It's the purpose of home afterall. A good place to start the new year is the living room on our main level. After a big gigantic worldwide sofa search last October {except with less drama}, we finally purchased a set of sofas.   As you can see below, our sofa is missing it's partner in crime, which after a warehouse mix-up, is supposed to be delivered here mid-month. Or at least that is what they say.  So it's time to formulate a plan to fit it in this space! Opposite the focal wall, is this space below. We bought a replacement for the vintage almond thermostat, and think this idea would make good camouflage if needed.

This console table needs to go. It was a satisfactory refinish job at best, and is much too small here. Somewhere down the line, perhaps when I win the lottery, I'd love a tall piece of furniture like this or long and lean storage like this. I've also considered two of these budgetary glass shelves from IKEA here as well to eat up wall space. These could also flank the media console and TV and look nice too. To check out former home progress reports, click here. I just finished reading a book called Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way in my small group. It is a collection of essays written by a mother about how we can't really enjoy life's great seasons unless we have lived in difficult ones. (If our past few years wasn't a testament of that!) In the book, she often talks about her love of feeding people, and how some of her high moments in life are when she is seated around the table with family and friends. I'd love to share our own table more in 2014, so I was so excited to see that her most recent book, Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes, encourages me to do the same.