Build furniture: CHECK!

After the delivery guys dropped off all of my furniture boxes on Sunday, I didn't waste any time putting them together. I figured out the instructions for the bookshelf, footstool, and table no problem, but that cabinet and couch was not easy to do alone. It probably wasn't the best idea to use my neck as a support when building the couch... Next time I will definitely be a little bit more patient, and I'll wait for Mark to get home from work.

I've caught her napping on the sofa several times already.

Take a look at all of those tennis balls! Mark's work friend 

brought them over for Zoey. Needless to say, she's a big fan 

of his.

One slight problem: The cabinet and table look way cramped in the dining room. Shoot. Hopefully I can figure out a way to make it work. 

Next big purchase: CHAIRS!

The boxes are here!

Well I've finally done it! After writing that post yesterday I decided to go up to IKEA and start my living room. I may have gotten a little carried away, but at least I now have all of the big furniture taken care of!

Delivery was so painless! I highly recommend it.

In those boxes are my bookshelf, dining table, cabinet, footstool, and COUCH! I can't wait to have them all put together! More posts to follow!

Designing from scratch: Olioboard Style

So I talked about my weird nesting itch recently, but since I'm currently and unfortunately without photoshop I started looking around for some websites to help ease my designers itch. I found everything from some really not-so-good ones to some confusing 3D interior design websites, and then I found this gem: Olioboard. 

Olioboard kind of works like Pinterest, where you can tag different items from online stores, but then you can also use the items you tag to create an idea board or room. And since I get to start from scratch, due to the rule "If it doesn't fit in the car, it doesn't move to Denver," this led to hours of fun! 

I didn't want to give Mark two, hyper-feminine options, so I tried to be as gender-neutral as possible. I suppose the room option in the first picture would be the more masculine one with that leather reading chair, while the layout in the second would be the more feminine with the "Cute-as-a-button" chair from World Market.

Masculine Living room

Couch: KIVIK Loveseat, Tenö light gray; IKEA
Footstool: KIVIK Footstool with storage, Tenö light gray; IKEA
Chair: Espresso Maso Bi-Cast Leather Chair; World Market
Bookshelf: LIMHAMH Shelving unit, stainless steel; IKEA
Rug: KOLDBY Cowhide, brown/white; IKEA
Lamps: REGOLIT Floor lamp, bow, white, black and JONISK floor/table lamp*; IKEA
Side-table Tray: Mirrored Wood Butler Tray; World Market
Pillow: BIRGIT Cushion, white, multicolored; IKEA
Mirror: Regina Andrew Decor Gold Leaf Square Mirror; Layla Grayce
Picture Frame: RIBBA Frame, black; IKEA
Flower Pot: Identity Vase; Chiasso
Vase: Round Porcelain bowl with glaze holes, Large; Scandinavian Made
Candle Holder: BRÄCKE Lantern, clear glass; IKEA

Feminine Living Room

Couch: KIVIK Loveseat, Tullinge gray-brown; IKEA

Footstool: KIVIK Footstool with storage, Tullinge gray-brown; IKEA

Chair: Cute-As-A-Button Erin Chair; World Market

Bookshelf: VITTSOJÖ, Shelving unit, black-brown, glass; IKEA

Rug: Flokati Diamonds Rug; Anthropologie

Lamp: Galactic Floor Lamp; Zinc Door

Side Table/Garden Stool: Embossed Garden Stool; Pier1

Mirror: Starburst Wall Mirror; Crate & Barrel

Picture Frame: RIBBA Frame, black; IKEA

Porcelain Bust: Authentic Models Porcelain Phrenology Head Bust; Amazon

Animal Busts: Savannah Story Bust and Watchful Rabbit Hook; Anthropologie

Decorative Bowl: IKEA STOCKHOLM, Bowl, white; IKEA

Since I have a lot of paintings to hang, I wanted to keep the neutral color scheme in both options so that the artwork can speak for itself on the walls. I think I'm leaning towards the second option since, like my mom pointed out, the less light-colored furniture the better. I can just picture coming home to Zoey napping on that couch every day. And is it too obvious what my favorite stores are?

I also get to start planning my dining room earlier than expected, so here's the current plan for that room:

Dining Room

Table: STORNÄS Dining Table, antique stain; IKEA

Chairs: Jackson Metal Tub Chair; World Market

Cabinet: IKEA PS Cabinet, white; IKEA

Rug: Ivory Floral Rug; Pier1

Lamp: Classic Blue Task Lamp; Pier1

Vase: Curvy Chrysanthemum Vase; Anthropologie

Candleholder: Labra Holds 5 Candleholder; CB2

Table Runners: Paisley Beaded Table Runner; Pier1 and IDYLLISK Table runner; IKEA

Serving Tray: Moroccan Mirror Tray, small; Layla Grayce

3 Tiered Tray: IKEA 365+ Serving platter, 3 tiers; IKEA

Curtains: HENNY RAND Pair of curtains, white/brown, gray; IKEA

Poster: Privat Livemont Absinthe Robette Vintage Poster Canvas Print; iCanvasART

Plant: PACHIRA AQUATICA Potted plant; IKEA

Pot: HUSÖN Plant Pot; IKEA

Terrarium: Turning Triangles Terrarium; Urban Outfitters

Wine Glasses: BEDÅRANDE White wine glass; IKEA

Beer Glasses: MJÖD Beer glass with stem; IKEA

Plates: FORSLA Plate, blue; IKEA

Gravy Boat: Large Gravy Boat; Crate & Barrel

I'm super excited about buying a kitchen table. I haven't owned a table in over a two years, and I miss eating food on an actual dining surface! I had to move around way too much in college...

*Fun Fact: The JONISK floor/table lamp can hold up to 300lbs. It can double as extra seating!!

My Homemade Crab Rangoon Recipe

Holy sweet baby cheeks! I don't mean to beat my own drum, but I just might be a culinary genius! Okay, maybe not, but you be the judge!

I was playing with the idea of making my usual chicken spring rolls with fried rice tonight, when I quickly realized I did not want to spend that much time making dinner on my last day off for the week. Instead of spending two hours making the spring rolls, I thought about making this crab rangoon dip instead as I have in the past. 

Baked Crab Rangoon Recipe

The problem with that recipe is that those wonton chips go fast if I don't make two batches so I came up with a solution: crab rangoon wontons! I based them off of that crab dip recipe and a restaurant that my mom and I used to love called Thai Tango. My mom loved the rangoons there because she said they looked like "presents."

I'll post the recipes for these sometime in the near future

So in replacement of the above left, I give you my own shot at Crab Rangoon: 

This picture is from attempt numero uno on this recipe

Ingredients: 
1 package wonton wrappers (about 25)
1 package low fat cream cheese
12oz shredded, real crab meat (treat yo' self)
1/3 cup red onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup green onions
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/2-1 cup melted butter
a dash of powdered ginger root
1 tsp Chinese 5 spice

Filling Prep:

1.) Preheat oven to 350.
2.) Heat cream cheese in a medium sized sauce pan over low-medium heat (you don't want to burn it the cheese).
3.) Add crab once cream cheese is good and melted, and blend very well. Add in the onions, and blend.
5.) Add sauces and spices to taste, and bring the filling to a boil stirring constantly.
6.) Lower heat and begin the wonton prep.

Wonton Prep:

1.) Slice 4-5 wonton wrappers into thin strips to tie them around tops' of the bundles.
2.) Melt your butter and throw in a dash of Chinese 5 spice.
3.) Dip your wonton wrappers individually into the melted butter mixture as you go along.

Don't they look so cute!

Prepare:

1.) Scoop up 1/2-1 tsp of the filling into the middle of the buttered wrapper.
2.) Cradling the filling in the center of the wrapper, wrap the wonton around the filling making a ball with the wonton. Pinch the top of the ball so that the wonton wrapper stays together while still having the tips stick out at the top.
3.) Take your wonton strips, dip them into the butter mixture, and wrap them around the "pinched part" of the rangoon.
4.) Once you've made all of the rangoons, back them on a cookie sheet at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
5.) Cool for 5 minutes and serve!


So there you have it! They might not be as great as Thai Tango's, but this recipe is fresh and light which I love. They also go great with the fried rice I make. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Apartment Tour!

Since winter is blowing in a decent amount of snow now (more to come on Saturday), I've been getting a really weird "nesting" itch. And no it's definitely not a pregnancy scare, this is a legitimate need to furnish my empty apartment.

Notice the horrible quality of my old iphone

Check out that amazing wall of windows! They even go above the gas fireplace that turns on with a light switch! And Zoey is really loving the open, furniture-less space.

I wonder how hard (and expensive) it would be to change out that odd light fixture. I definitely need to invest in a ladder to pull that light down when we get a kitchen table though.

This kitchen - though it is small and has some weird corners and small drawers - is such an amazing upgrade from our previous apartment in Texas. For one, you can fit more than one person in it without being elbowed or bumped into every 5 seconds, and secondly, you can see into it! That huge window in the dinning room is so awesome. Most days I don't even have to turn on a light to cook. Now that is a real luxury.

That little step by the front door is Zoey's overly-used timeout spot. She has a fiendish addiction to getting into the trash bags. Luckily I finally bought a cheap trash can to tide us over! Also notice how the front of our apartment, including our bedroom, is underground yet still has a huge window. Being half-way underground means the apartment keeps it's temperature better, which makes up for our high electric bills that the 9ft ceilings bring about.

Unfortunately I did not get a picture of our blow-up mattress that we slept on for weeks, nor did I get a picture of our walk-in closet or bathroom, but you aren't missing out on much. I will say we lucked out and can both fit our clothes in the huge closet, and our bathroom will be pretty hard adding extra storage into it since it has a dozen weird angles. But I finally got tired of sleeping on the air-mattress right around Mark's birthday.

Our first meal in our apartment: Llano Estacado wine and pizza (on top of Zoey's food bin for a table as we sat on the floor), and "Marq's" birthday cake I surprised him with from Azucar Bakery.

I was very lucky to have such awesome parents. They bought me an entire bedroom set for my graduation present! We're finally sleeping in a real bed again!

That comforter has been Mark's since high school!!!

Zoey; blending into her new surroundings

Oh don't worry, those cords aren't hanging all over the place anymore

And there you have it, folks! Our new and utterly empty first Colorado apartment!

First snow of the season

Oh the weather outside is frightful. 

But the fire is so delightful. 

And since we've no place to go. 

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

Reason #167 of why we uprooted from our home-state of Texas to the colorful Colorado where we knew no one: Seasons! Having spent the last 4 years in a desert we decided we wanted to cool down a little bit in the Rockies, and we finally got to be a part of real snow.

It was too dark to take pictures when the snow started, so I woke up in the wee hours of the morning - you know, 7am - and bundled up in my pj's to take pictures. I was still tired when I was shooting, so most of my pictures turned out to be blurs, and continued to be that way until I noticed nearly an hour and 50 pictures later.

They didn't all turn out bad though, and I'm sure there will be many more opportunities. I did notice my error early enough to get one more picture of our front steps before maintenance came around to clear away the stairs. Once again, who doesn't love free maintenance?

        Past those ugly buildings you can see our beautiful mountain view!

And then of course, the dog who usually never stops playing in the snow, could not wake up enough for an action shot. All she wanted to do was eat the snow, no matter how hard I tried convincing her snow was an entertainment rarity! 

Oh well. Next time! We did buy her a cute pink and blue snowflake hoodie today though. I'll post pictures as soon as she gets used to it. For some reason she hates looking adorable.

And then there were [finally] two...

Wow! So sorry for the delay! I promised myself I would try updating at least every two weeks and I have fallen WAY behind. Well a lot has happened since September starting with having to replace our shattered - yes I said shattered - glass door!

About a month ago we got an email from our landlord saying that there were a few break-ins in a couple of the surrounding apartments. Oddly enough, nothing was reported stolen but there was signs of forced entry so they contacted police and yadda yadda... Well I didn't think much of it because I figured our overly friendly yet faithful pooch, Zoey, would scare away anyone trying to break in, that is, until Mark sent me these pictures after I left for work that day:

(Notice Mark's better quality iphone pictures)

Naturally I freaked out thinking someone obviously tried to break in. Trying to remain calm at work while sneaking off the floor every 5 minutes to check on the "investigation" is hard no matter what you do.

Luckily I stopped freaking out as much once he said the initial break was in on of the frames at the top right of the door. I still had my doubts until he said he found a metal bottle cap near the door, that the landscapers had been mowing that morning, and the cap was probably flung at our door via lawn mowers. *PHEW!* But unfortunately Mark had to spend most of his only day off tending to that as the maintenance guys fixed the door. Thankfully we still have the free handyman luxury of renting.

Too bad they couldn't have fixed the crowbar dent in the doorframe made before we moved in...

(I swear this apartment complex is a major upgrade from the last one)