My Pinterest Home - Foyer Table

I've never seen a house with so many odd angles until we moved into our Leduc home, there is a 'zig' here and a 'zag' there ... it was time to turn to Pinterest and scour through pins for ideas to fill the space and yet still have it function for our family.

For Anderson's 1st Birthday we were practical and purchased carseats, kitchen safety items and the 'Summer Infant Sure & Secure Custom Fit Gate'. This left quite a bit of space for a designated foyer - and here's the best part - It's tucked away from little hands!

Here is the official 'Before' photo:

The ottomans match two of our living room chairs, however there isn't enough room for Anderson if they are actually in the living room, the table was originally purchased as an end table for the Guest Room, but has since housed the 'Basket O' Junk' where Dan throws the contents of his pockets daily. The large box is the new table I just picked up from Ikea!

I finally decided on a large sofa table (Ikea Malm Occasional Table $99), and a beautiful display of the family photos we had taken earlier this month with Sydney May Photography. Thanks to Kijiji I came across an ad for reclaimed barn windows, the man was very helpful and had several to choose from, I was able to pick one up Sunday afternoon ($60), all in one trip to the city!

Once we arrived home, Anderson went down for a nap and it was time to get down to business! It didn't take long to assemble the table, and give the window a good wipe down. Then I was just left to add in my photos I printed off at Walmart and dress it with items we already had around the house. I did purchase the large red canister from Ikea's Socker collection, it was a 2pc set with the matching narrow canister on our mantle, the large canister is perfect for housing my Scentsy wax bars!

After:

.. As you can see I've already started the transition to autumn, crisp cold air in the morning, beautiful sunshine the smell of cinnamon and cloves .... Mmmmmm.

Freezer Cooking - Muffin Pot Pies (Chicken)

Now that our life has settled down I have found more time to spend in our gorgeous new kitchen,  stocking our freezer with Breakfast Burritos and Mini Banana Loaves. Dan is enjoying every minute of my efforts as it puts a hot meal on the table every night, as well as provides a variety of items to get through his 12hr day.

We all know how easy it is to grow tired of the same sandwiches in our lunch and many of us branch out to try toppings such as avocado, sprouts or maybe an exotic cheese! Unfortunately Dan does not have the palette for anything other than meat and potatoes  so I was left turning to Pinterest for something hearty and portable.

Lunch

Muffin Pot Pies (Chicken) - Yields 10 Pot Pies
Ingredients:
4 strips Italian Cooked Chicken, chopped
1c. Mixed Veggies, Frozen
1pkg Grands Biscuits

1can Cream of Chicken Soup
1c. Cheddar Cheese, Grated

1. Mix chicken, veggies, soup and cheese in a bowl.

2. Separate biscuits and place in greased muffin tin, press dough as far up sides as possible without tearing and scoop in filling until level with dough.

   

                        Be sure to fill the empty tins with water for even cooking. 

3. Bake at 350 for 14 minutes, the cheese will be overflowing with ooey-goodness. Remove from oven.

4. To crisp up the outside biscuit dough, remove muffins from tin and place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for another 10 minutes.

I had a little helper for this task- Anderson sure has grown since my last post!

Where'd you go?

Starting a blog seemed like a manageable task in the beginning. However, our family decided to make a few changes to turn things upside down for awhile...

At the end of October 2012 when Anderson was just 3 months old, Dan left for work here in Alberta. The opportunities that are available here are unmatched in BC we decided that after winter was over Anderson and I would pack up and move out to Alberta as well to start our new family live and be able to provide more opportunities to our children both present and future.

Single parenthood is not for the faint-hearted, through those 6 months Dan was away Anderson rolled over, sat up, started eating, and learned to crawl. He also,cut 2 teeth, had his first cold, experienced his first night terror, received two rounds of immunizations, had many sleepless nights and boy can he throw a temper tantrum! 

...but we made it, many thanks to FaceTime. It is now May, the stressful move is over, 90% of the boxes are unpacked and put away; Anderson wakes up to his mommy every morning (and we chill all day) and sees Daddy everyday after work and that's the ultimate dream - at least it's ours.