~Cool House - Yummy Dinner~

Hello Everyone, I am happy to report that our home is finally cool! As we were getting bids on a new AC and furnace, (which by the way were shockingly high...ugggg!) after two different companies bid's had come in and then telling us the dates they would be available to install we were feeling not only hot but discouraged. We had another gentleman that owned his own heating and air company come by to give us a bid. When he looked at our old central air unit he immediately said he knew what the problem was and he left to pick up a part, came back about 40 minutes later installed the new part and we have had cool air blowing perfectly ever since! The total bill for parts and labor,.....$90!!!! We feel so blessed not to mention cool and no more sweating! The best part is we are sleeping good at night again. It is so hard to sleep when you are hot all night. Anyway, we do still need to replace our AC and furnace sometime soon, they are both 20 years old but at least for now there is no rush so we can wait for a little more convenient time. I bet you can guess who will be getting the bid for the new AC and furnace. hehehe Another great thing about having our central air working again is now that the house is cool I can heat up the oven again and actually cook and bake! Yay! Tonight for dinner I made a yummy pasta dish so I thought I would share it with you all. ~Pasta Cordon Bleu~

~Pasta Cordon Bleu~ 1 pound Penne Pasta 1 Cup Chicken Breast cooked and cubed (I sometimes use a can of chicken) 1 Cup Ham cut up (I use ham that you use on sandwiches) 1 1/2 Cups Milk 8oz Cream Cheese 2 Tbsp. diced minced Onions 2 Cups shredded Swiss Cheese Salt Pepper 1 Cup Planko Crumbs 1/2 Cup Butter Cook pasta, drain and return to pot add in chicken and ham, toss. Preheat broiler In a saucepan combine milk, cream cheese and onion heat over low-medium heat. Cook stirring frequently until smooth about 5 minutes. Stir into pasta mixture and stir in Swiss Cheese season with salt and pepper. Transfer to baking dish and top with the Planko crumbs and pour melted butter over crumbs. Broil until brown, about 4 minutes. This recipe is easy and doesn't take too long to make. Best of all my family really liked it! Hope you are all enjoying your summer! I'll see you soon, Thanks for stopping by, ~Hugs~ Denise

Winter in June...

I know you are all probably thinking,..."Why is she posting a snowy winter picture In JUNE?" The truth is our central air unit went completely out and so we have no cool air right now! Ugggg*! It is so hot! I have been keeping the blinds and curtains closed as much as possible trying to keep the warm, (or rather HOT) air out. Windows are open in hopes of getting a little breeze blowing through and every fan we own is on full speed! We got our first bid on a new unit today which includes a new furnace...scary! But our home is 20 years old next month and so everything is due to be replaced. Any way, more bids will be coming in tomorrow and then hopefully SOON we will be getting the old AC and furnace replaced and I can stop sweating! I thought maybe by posting a snowy, winter picture I would feel a little cooler. Sorry to say it didn't work. But it is still a beautiful picture so I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks for stopping by! ~Hugs~ Denise picture found on brightboldbeautiful.com

Hi everyone, Years ago I bought a hutch/china cabinet with the intention of painting it one day. Well, that day never came. I guess I just felt a little nervous about painting it even though I love the look of painted wood I realize not everyone does. I have been looking at before and after pictures on the internet of of similar wood items and now I am excited to FINALLY paint my hutch! Here are a few pictures of before and after painted items.

And here is a picture of the cabinet I am hoping to make-over! (This is a really old picture.)

Now I am excited to get started but I am getting ready to leave on a Pioneer Trek with our Church for a few days so when I get back I really want to get started on this project! I re-done a buffet and I am very happy with how it turned out. You can see the before and after of my buffet in an older post October 12 2010. Take a look! I would love to know your opinion on painting wood items. Please feel free to share your thoughts on this in the comments. See you soon, and thanks for stopping by! ~Hugs~ Denise

Lately I have been feeling like there is something that is just not feeling right in my homes decor. So the other day I started picking out some pictures on the internet of kitchens that appealed to me and the thing I discovered when looking at the pictures that I liked was that they all have a French Country Style and they all have COLOR! Red, Yellow and Green to be more specific. So I guess the thing I need to do is to somehow start incorporating these colors into my home. Here are some pictures of three of the kitchens that caught my eye.

The French Country Style seems so happy and yet cozy at the same time. Hopefully I will soon be adding some fun changes to my decor and then I will share the pictures with you all. Thanks for stopping by. ~Hugs~ Denise

~Fall Soup Tureens~

I love soup tureens! In fact, I collect them but I have never seen any like this acorn soup tureen and soup bowls. I would love to buy these or some similar. If any of you know where I can purchase them please let me know. I am really loving the cooler temperatures of fall and have been making more homemade soups, (our favorite comfort food.) I love this time of year and hope you are loving fall as well. ~Hugs~ Denise

I have some old ice skates that I have been trying to decide how to decorate them for the winter/Christmas season. Here is just one idea I like.

Happy Fall

Happy Fall everyone. Sorry I am such a terrible blogger. I can't believe it has been since Valentines since I have blogged anything. I wanted to wish you all a happy fall before it is over. Fall seems to come and go so fast. I love this time of year with all of the beautiful warm colors and the crisp cool temperatures. I know Halloween is this week and for all of you that like Halloween I want to wish you a happy one. For me, I am happy when it is over, (sorry) not my favorite holiday but I Love fall and Thanksgiving! Thanks for being so patient with me and my not so good blogging skills. I love looking at your blogs! You all inspire me. Have a great fall! Hugs Denise