Attempts at Domestication - Newlywed housewife trying to learn the tricks of the trade

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Ashley

Jesse and I are weird, as if you didn’t already know that. We like Star Wars, talking in weird voices and we eat soup in the summer. Yep, you read that correctly, soup in the summer. Soup is definitely one of our comfort foods, so when we have a day at home to just hang out we like to fill the house with the aromas of a homemade soup. Plus I make good soup, if I do say so myself. A great summer soup is Chicken Tortilla soup because it goes great with an ice cold Corona.

Ingredients
- Chicken (either leftover baked chicken or boiled breasts)
- 2-3 cups of chicken broth or stock
- 1/2 one white onion (diced)
- 1/2 one red onion (diced)
- 1 can of diced tomatoes (drained)
- Diced green pepper
- Diced red, orange or yellow pepper (I usually pick 2 or do all 3)
- 1 large jalepeno (diced)
- 1 cup of frozen corn
- 2 cans Great Northern Beans
- 1 can black beans
- 4 gloves of garlic
- Cayenne Pepper (however hot you like it)
- Cumin (to taste)
- Chili powder (to taste)
- Fresh cilantro (chop a few sprigs to cook and a few for garnish)
- 1 tsp. lime juice (or to taste)
- 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
- Salt (to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)

Let’s Get Cookin’
- Boil your chicken in about 1/2 a pot of water until so tender it just falls apart. Remove and shred then add it back to the pot set on medium to medium high heat.
- Add your broth and beans (rinsed thoroughly).
- Let it cook for about 30 minutes and then add the rest of your ingredients.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for another 30 minutes. The key is to not overcook your peppers into mush.
- Garnish your soup with cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips and fresh cilantro. This is key to a delicious soup!
- Enjoy! And don’t forget the Corona!

Does anyone else like soup in the summer? Or ice cream in the winter? Or any other seasonably incorrect meals?

Getting Ready to Party – You’re Invited!

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Ashley

Well, it’s happened. I’m officially behind schedule getting ready for my sister’s party, which also means that I am starting to freak out a little. It did nothing but rain and storm all weekend, which was good for Jesse and I because we got to sleep in, watch a few movies and relax, but it was bad for party prep. This is what my prep list still looks like: Fortunately, Jesse talked me out of doing the monkey grass right now. It’s still happening, just not before the party because ripping it all out and redoing that bed is just going to leave us with a giant, dead, mud spot in the middle of the yard. But monkey grass, your days are numbered.

That still leaves me with painting the back porch, finishing up the patio chairs, getting some flowers in around the mailbox, trimming our hedges (again) and general party cleaning and decorations. Decorations are what I’m most excited about because I get to be super crafty and my mom is footing the bill. Don’t worry mom, I’ll keep it cheap. She is renting some more tables and chairs for the yard, so I really want to have a few vases of flowers as centerpieces and hang some tissue paper pom poms in our tree and over the dining table inside. (via)

I also really want to have balloons lining the walkway to the house and the driveway. In addition to the general “Congratulations!” banner, balloons inside and streamers. Since our back yard isn’t very impressive right now, I want to dress it up a lot to make it look better. For more of my party ideas, check out my Party Time board on Pinterest!

But don’t worry this post isn’t all dreaming and pictures of things I didn’t create! I had to wait for all of my family to get their invitations before I could share my pictures! My sister’s name, my address, and phone numbers have all been blocked out so creepers don’t show up to the party. They were super simple, even though it took 2 hours to make 20 of them. I saw the rhyme “The tassle was worth the hassle” on a card at the store and thought it was perfect for fun party invitations. And of course in keeping with the theme my sister requested, there had to be a cat on it. I should probably get some more cat things before next weekend. Put a ~~bird~~ cat on it is going to be my catch phrase for party prep. I cut out the invitation using my super fun craft scissors. I seriously love using those things, even if they gave me a hand cramp within the first 10 minutes. And no project is complete without a little washi tape and stickers. The tape added some visual interest without me having to break out the ribbon and spend even more time on these things. I know they’re super simple, but I kind of love them. And my sister liked them which is what is most important.

What did you do this weekend? Any crafting? Or were you a bum on the couch like me? Anybody have any fun party ideas to add to the mix?

His and Hers Bedroom Decorations

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Ashley

It’s been almost 2 years since I started this blog, and I’ve got a sad confession. One of my first projects was to use Adobe Illustrator (for free at work) and create some art for our bedroom using our vows. (Find that tutorial here). And they’ve sat on my computer for almost 2 years. Until last week! I finally printed out the vow art prints, framed them and hung them in our bedroom. I know, I’m so proactive. Please ignore the poor quality/lighting in these photos. For some reason our bedroom is impossible to photograph unless it’s right in the middle of a perfect sunshiney day. Since I work full-time and it was raining two weekends ago and last weekend I was too busy to do anything, this is what I’m stuck with. Jesse hasn’t finished building his matching nightstand, so he’s still using this old one. I love the fun touch that the gold adds to the bottom of the lamps! And of course the vow art is just precious! Jesse and I wrote our vows together, so it’s nice to see them and have them as a reminder of our wedding day when we walk into the bedroom. And what better place is there for a little romantic reminder of our wedding day than our bedroom? I also “dipped” my lamp in gold, which is a fun touch for my nightstand. The bedroom is quickly becoming a space that I actually think is “ours.” Having our empty walls and lack of furniture in there made it feel like a hotel room. Decorations, furniture and vignettes that reflect us really make it feel cozy. Next up is filling the empty void over the bed with a giant mirror or art piece of some sort! What do you think would go best there? What kind of sentimental art do you have around your house? Does anyone else have a space that is pretty much impossible to photograph? Any of you that are WAY better with the camera have any tips?

*Linking up at Remodelholic,*

Getting Ready to Party – A Fresh Coat of Paint

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Ashley

Sorry for being absent for so long! This weekend Jesse and I had a date and saw the Broadway show West Side Story, I ran a 5k (finished in 34 minutes!! Yea!), did some yard work, attended 2 graduation parties, hosted a Mother’s Day brunch, and went to another graduation party. It was absolutely INSANE! And then to top it off, as of Sunday our wireless stopped working so Jesse and I have been Hunger Gamesing it over the Ethernet hook up. I’ll be switching up my usual MWF schedule for WThF this week so I get all 3 of my posts in for the week!

Last weekend, in addition to me doing some hedge trimming, gardening, and tearing up monkey grass, we also painted our front porch. The paint on our railings was starting to peel, but after Jesse power washed the house, and the porch, we were missing HUGE junks of paint everywhere. I woke up early last Saturday morning to Jesse removing the railings on the porch. We knew it would make it way easier to sand and paint without them attached. Removing the rails was way harder to remove than we thought, based on the condition of the bolts it looked like this was the first time they’d ever been removed. Some were so rusty they just broke apart when we tried to unscrew them. After we took down the railings Jesse got to work sanding down all of the columns, but we were still left with a lot of chipping paint and giant gashes in the wood. It just so happens that on that day I read a post over at Karah’s blog about using spackle to smooth the chipping paint and fill in holes or splits in the wood. It worked wonderfully and helped create a smooth service to paint over! So thanks for that Karah! After I spackled everything, Jesse took the sander back to the columns and then it was time for painting! We used Olympic Exterior paint with Primer in a semi-gloss finish. It was pretty much impossible to wipe down our columns before we repainted them, so I wanted to make sure the new paint was a glossy finish so it would be easy to wipe off if they get dirty. Now the columns are crisp white! So white that they look almost Photoshopped in some of these pictures! I’m in love! Now all the porch needs is a bench, a window box and a few other potted plants to add some more color to the porch! It’s going to be so cozy when I’m done! Now of course those details aren’t on the list for being done before the party, but hopefully they can be on the summer to-do list!

What were you guys up to this weekend? Were you as busy as we were? Do you love the fresh coat of paint like we do?

The Internet is Broken

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Ashley

I just wanted to pop in real quick and let you guys know that our router at home is broken. Meaning I do not have Internet access unless I’m hard-wired in, meaning I have to fight Jesse on who gets the Internet every night. Our new router should be here Thursday, but tonight is man night so I’m going to be catching myself up on all my post writing, picture editing and blog reading while Jesse is out with the boys. If it takes me awhile to respond to emails or comments the rest of the week, that’s why. I’ll try to pop in during the day, but work is still a mad house so no guarantees.

I’m seriously going crazy without being able to use my computer every night. It’s like the zombie apocalypse at my house.

Gold Dipped

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Ashley

It’s that time again! Time for another Pinterest Challenge! Hosted by the ladies of Young House Love and Bower Power with the idea to make us stop pinning and start doing. For me this challenge came at the perfect time because I am neck deep in work, party prep and yard work. Lame. So I’m using the Pinterest Challenge to push myself to work on something not lame and pretty And right now, in my mind, nothing is prettier than gold! (Image via REVEL)

I was super inspired when I saw Chelsea‘s recent gold dipped vase, plus Carmel at Our Fifth House is constantly incorporating gold into her home’s decor. It’s just gorgeous! So I decided I was going to get my gold on for this Pinterest Challenge. I used some good ole painter’s tape to make my stripes and then spray painted the whole vase in Rustoleum’s Metallic Gold (thanks for that tip Chelsea!). Simplest craft ever. Word to the wise, when working with tape and spray paint, don’t let the paint dry for more than a few minutes. There are a few spots that peeled up on my first try. Also how gorgeous are these flowers?! They are blue and white spider mums that I got for $2 at the grocery store on Sunday. Since doing gold stripes went so well I decided to try my luck with the gold dipped look on my new IKEA lamps. I love the clear glass, but they were so blah. I taped the lamp off using painter’s tape and aluminum foil, then I wrapped the cord in a plastic bag and got to work. The result is awesome. I’m in love! Also it’s hard to take pictures in the middle of a thunderstorm. The lighting is so weird. I ended up going ahead and “dipping” both lamps, which I’ll show you on Friday along with another project I finally did for our nightstands! Look at how motivated a Pinterest Challenge makes me!

Be sure to go check out Sherry, Katie, Emily and Renee‘s projects and thank them for hosting!

Did you participate in the challenge? What did you make? I think I may paint everything in my house gold now…

In addition to linking up with the Pinterest Challenge hosts, I’ll be linking up with Serenity Now, The Shabby Nest, House of Hepworths, Design Dining + Diapers, Liz Marie Blog, VMG206, If It’s Not Baroque

Getting Ready to Party – We’ve Got the Power

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Ashley

We spent this entire weekend working our butts off getting the house ready for the party. I planted some new flowers in the front yard, dug up a few other plants and moved them elsewhere, painted the front porch and got started on removing the monkey grass in the backyard. To say that I am incredibly tired and sore would be the understatement of the year. But boy does it feel good to have things marked off my list! Our sweet neighbor lent us his power washer, which saved us over $100 in rental fees! Jesse worked on that all weekend last weekend while I went with my mom to buy a few things for the party, including invitation supplies, more on those next week. It’s AMAZING how clean you can get your house by just spraying it with high powered water! It also embarrasses the crap out of me how dirty our house actually was. Our concrete patio was even more embarrassing than the vinyl siding. Yuck! Now that everything is all clean it’s time to make it pretty! This weekend was my turn to work my butt off in the yard. I spent 5+ hours in the yard this weekend planting flowers, moving some stones around that didn’t make sense, and pulling up monkey grass. Death to all monkey grass everywhere! But more updates on all of that next week!

How was your weekend? Did anyone celebrate Cinco de Mayo? We went out with some of our friends to our fave Mexican restaurant and drank Dos Equis and tequila.

April – My Favorite Month

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Ashley

Hands down April is my favorite month out of the year. Winter is on the way out, and our yard is exploding with color, plus it’s the month that I got married so that’s kind of special. As far as home decor and projects go this was a very productive month, so that helps me feel good about myself.

Jesse and I had a debate about what new refrigerator we should buy, and I won.

After painting the dining room we replaced our old gross wooden electrical socket covers.

Jesse built me a nightstand with a drawer, which I styled and showed off.

I made a cute runner for the dining room table using fabric from the Jo-Ann Fabrics HGTV Home Fabric line.

Jesse and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary with candy, flowers and Ethiopian food.

I went on IKEA shopping spree and bought some fun new curtains for the dining room.

Our plate display wall in the dining room got started and I’m in love!

We volunteered to host my baby sister’s graduation party and I’ve got quite the to-do list to accomplish before then!

Finally, I gave my mantel a splash of spring with some teal accessories and a few azalea blooms.

With all that under my belt, bring on May! I’ve got plans for a few other projects, not to mention party prep. But first I think I’ll welcome in the month with some margaritas for Cinco de Mayo! Any fun plans for this weekend on your end?

Spring Time Decorations

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Ashley

I’d say May 1st means it’s officially springtime. Last week our yard totally exploded with blooms on all of our azalea bushes, irises and cherry trees. All the springtime outside made me want to bring some springtime inside and get my seasonal decorating on. The fastest and easiest way to get the house decorated for the seasons is by updating our mantel, because our fireplace really is the focal point of the house. The bottom portion of the fireplace is decorated with our card holder from our wedding, which was hand painted by my college roommate. The milk tins with flowers inside were a recent purchase from IKEA and the AMORE vase is a thrift shop find. I used wine bottles, gold mercury glass votives, a bird house and flowers to decorate the actual mantle. I’m absolutely in love with the teal birdhouse, which I got on clearance at HomeGoods not too far back. I keep the teal picture frame on the mantle up almost all year round, it’s my constant piece of color in this room’s sea of tan, browns and blah. Plus I love the teal against the brick fireplace. The flowers are from our giant hot pink azalea bush in the side yard, I actually cut them over a week ago and they are still going strong, which is very strange for flowers from the yard. There’s nothing happier than springtime decorations and fresh flowers in the house! I seriously love coming home and seeing flowers and my cute little bird house first thing.

Have you started decorating your house for spring yet? Are things starting to warm up and bloom where you are?

Getting Ready to Party

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Ashley

It’s no secret that Jesse and I like to party, and that we especially like hosting parties, so when my mom hinted that she didn’t have a spot to host my youngest sister’s high school graduation party I couldn’t resist volunteering my services, and my house. Yep. We are hosting our first ever family party.

This will be the first time that a lot of my family, and immediate and extended, have been to our house, so I’m a little nervous. It’s so strange how I’m totally ok with having friends over in the middle of painting a room or building something, but I want everything to be as perfect as possible for my family. Isn’t that funny? With the dining room going in an excellent direction, and looking pretty good, we need to focus our efforts on the outside of the house.

In addition to this lovely list of things to do outside, I’ve also got to make invitations, go shopping for decorations with my mom, decorate, make a few dishes and just tidy and get things together in general. I’m hoping that I didn’t bite off more than I can chew with hosting this party, but I’m also very excited about throwing a real official occasion based party.

My lovely sister has only made a few requests, that the party involves cats and the colors yellow, orange and pink. I picked up a few things when I went to IKEA a few weeks ago and I’ve been perusing Target whenever I get the chance. I really want to throw my baby sister a great graduation party, because she deserves it. Isn’t she just gorgeous?

I’ll be sharing all of our party progress every Monday for the next few weeks until the party on June 1st. It doesn’t give us a ton of time, but I think we can pull it off!

Has anyone thrown a large family party like this? Any advice on throwing a family party that’s for a high schooler?

*In addition to linking up with the Pinterest Challenge hosts, I’ll be linking up with Serenity Now, The Shabby Nest, House of Hepworths, Design Dining + Diapers, Liz Marie Blog, VMG206, If It’s Not Baroque*

*For more posts about throwing parties go here, here, here or here.*

In addition to linking up with the Pinterest Challenge hosts, I’ll be linking up with Serenity Now, The Shabby Nest, House of Hepworths, Design Dining + Diapers, Liz Marie Blog, VMG206, If It’s Not Baroque

For more posts about throwing parties go here, here, here or here.