So, I have recently discovered Young House Love, a blog about home decor created by a young couple who have grown their family and turned their home into something to be proud of. I am seriously obsessed! I spent an entire day just reading post after post. If you haven't checked out this blog, stop reading mine and go check it out, jk : )
But in all sincerity, wow, what an amazing blog. And talk about inspiring! All their DIY projects and creating the gorgeous space on a budget, hello, have you met me? Perfect fit! I know I am just getting started in the blogging world but I am so looking forward to posting about our journey through this thing we call life, specifically making this house a home.
One thing that I realized while reading Young House Love was to take time and enjoy the ride. The house will not get done in a day, and it probably will not be perfect the first time around. You have to make small changes over time to get to the ultimate goal of a finished space. If that means living through a reno or choosing a bad paint color and living with it for a few months or even a year before figuring out exactly what you want, then so be it. It is not the end of the world!
We all know that it is so hard sometimes to envision what you want your home to look like, especially with so many Pinterest posts that are just gorgeous (and probably expensive). It can be discouraging. But this blog has some great advice and after reading a few posts (by a few I mean literally their whole blog) I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders realizing, hey we aren't the only ones that are going through this with a tight budget and we won't be the last.
Rome wasn't built in a day, and this house won't be either. So cheers to the JP project and keeping track of all our progress! I'm counting on this blog to keep me motivated. And to keep me honest about my expectations, wants, hopes, and dreams in comparison to what our needs are and budget will allow. Here's hoping H and I can find a happy medium : )
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
JP
Monday, September 30, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
Stuffed Peppers
Remember way back when in the CSA post where I said we got Cubanelle Peppers? Yea well, I had no idea what to do with them so I did some research and apparently they are great stuffed. So I used my trusted stuffed pepper recipe and sure enough they were delish! Super easy and can be changed up any which way you want. Try using quinoa instead of rice or add some beans and veges in the mix. You can even use sweet or spicy italian sausage in place of chorizo. Get creative! No matter which way I have made stuffed peppers, they always turn out amazing, and they are a great crowd pleaser too!
Ingredients:
- 4 large bell peppers (In this case I used the Cubanelles)
- 3 or 4 links of chorizo
- 1 jalepeno, minced
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 2 tsp worcheshire (spelling?)
- handful of chopped cilantro
- 1/4 c tomato sauce
- 1/2 c shredded jack cheese (or really any cheese that you want to use)
Directions:
- First, Cut the peppers in half and clean out the ribs and seeds
- Uncase the chorizo and cook, breaking it up, in a saute pan
- When the meat is cooked, add the onion, jalepeno, and garlic
- Cook for a few minutes (you can even add a splash of wine or chicken stock to get up the brown bits from the chorizo) then add tomato sauce and worchshire sauce
- Mix the rice into the meat sauce and add any extras that you might want, I just happened to have some black beans so I just threw 'em in : )
- Stuff pepper and top with cheese
- Cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until the cheese is melted and the peppers look cooked through
Man these look good!!
Enjoy!
JP
Saturday, September 21, 2013
House Tour
I have finally added a house tour page to the blog. When I originally started The JP Project, my hope was to focus on home decor and the process of creating our dream home. But, I can't move forward until I show what we are working with. So, check out the Home Tour page above and take a look around. I am going to be updating the page from time to time as H and I get around to updating the house and adding our own personal touches.
Enjoy!
JP
Enjoy!
JP
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Butler's Pantry
Who ever heard of a butler's pantry? I sure had no idea what it was until recently. When we were building the house, our layout had the option for a "butler's pantry" between the dining room and kitchen. Now, as you can imagine, it was pretty pricey. You had to upgrade to the same cabinets and counter top as what was in the kitchen, and since we went all out in the kitchen, this would have been a huge expense. Plus, there was only one option available. You couldn't add a space for a wine frig or change out the upper cabinets, so it was very restricting and not what we wanted anyway. Made it easy to say no.
When the builders were installing the kitchen cabinets, apparently they had an "oops" moment with two cabinets, in turn making them damaged goods. These cabinets couldn't be used so they just put them out in the garage to be taken out with the trash. H and I were lucky enough to stop in that same day to check on the progress of the house and we saw these two cabinets in the garage. We then checked out the kitchen and the entire space was full with cabinets already installed. Very confused, we went back into the garage and checked them out, there was no visual damage, so we decided to ask what the heck they were doing there and if they were not going to be used, if we could keep them? Sure enough, the builder told us they were trash and if we wanted them we just had to haul them away. Yup, we got two free cabinets in excellent condition, and we knew exactly where we would put them - the butler's pantry!
So months and months later, well after moving in, H decided he was going to install the cabinets. Never having done anything like this before he watched lots of youtube videos and called his dad numerous times to get advice. Took him the better part of a day but they are finally in! Annnnnd he did an excellent job! They are level and in the prefect spot to leave just enough room for a wine frig : )
Here he is working hard on the installation with Pepper, Daddy's little helper. She wouldn't leave his side while he was working. She even took naps right outside the gate, so sweet! She had a minor bike injury, more on that later, which is why she has a bandage on her leg, but she did make a full recovery!
So after the cabinets were in we had to switch the door on the one cabinet to open the other way, and realign one of the drawers. This was probably the "damage" that was done previously which is why they weren't used in the kitchen. But, with a little elbow grease they look good as new! Once they were in we had to find granite that matched what we already had in the kitchen. Now, it didn't need to be exact because they aren't side by side (thankfully) but they still needed to be similar. So off we went to the local marble and granite store looking for the perfect slab.
When the builders were installing the kitchen cabinets, apparently they had an "oops" moment with two cabinets, in turn making them damaged goods. These cabinets couldn't be used so they just put them out in the garage to be taken out with the trash. H and I were lucky enough to stop in that same day to check on the progress of the house and we saw these two cabinets in the garage. We then checked out the kitchen and the entire space was full with cabinets already installed. Very confused, we went back into the garage and checked them out, there was no visual damage, so we decided to ask what the heck they were doing there and if they were not going to be used, if we could keep them? Sure enough, the builder told us they were trash and if we wanted them we just had to haul them away. Yup, we got two free cabinets in excellent condition, and we knew exactly where we would put them - the butler's pantry!
So months and months later, well after moving in, H decided he was going to install the cabinets. Never having done anything like this before he watched lots of youtube videos and called his dad numerous times to get advice. Took him the better part of a day but they are finally in! Annnnnd he did an excellent job! They are level and in the prefect spot to leave just enough room for a wine frig : )
Here he is working hard on the installation with Pepper, Daddy's little helper. She wouldn't leave his side while he was working. She even took naps right outside the gate, so sweet! She had a minor bike injury, more on that later, which is why she has a bandage on her leg, but she did make a full recovery!
This was MUCH harder than expected. Santa (or St.) Ceceila comes in so many variations. Our granite in the kitchen is a bit lighter with a lot of black veining, apparently hard to find. Awesome. So we finally found a slab that would work for us, and it was a remnant which made it even cheaper (huge bonus)! H made the template using cheap hardboard we purchased from Home Depot and a hot glue gun, yes, very high tech. But by making the template ourselves it saved us easily $200. Then, a few weeks later we had in installed. We even were able to talk them down from $300 to $150 on the install since there were no cutouts and no corners to cut. $150 saved on installation, plus the $200 for the template, plus the free cabinets, we easily saved over a thousand dollars on this project, making us very happy homeowners : )
Once the granite went in, all we had to do was find a wine frig that fit ~ 15 inches. Tight fit, but totally doable! We did some searching around. Spent many weekends at Sears, Circuit City, PC Richards, you name it, we went to see what they had in stock. Everything for that size space was way over our budget. Apparently, this size is a common custom wine frig size, custom = expensive. Took us forever to finally agree on something but we actually found one online from Best Buy. It was the right dimensions, right price and the handle even matched the hardware we purchased for the kitchen, total bonus! We also just so happened to have a $250 gift card from credit card points to Best Buy that we didn't know what to do with. What better way to spend it then on an unnecessary appliance. Well, in this case very necessary. Mama loves her wine!
So we ordered the frig, is was delivered, and H and I installed it. Voila, butler's pantry complete! Well, almost. We still have to decide what we want to do with the top half. We would both love to do upper cabinets, but when we priced them out they were about $1500. Way more than we can afford or want to spend. Right now I am thinking we are going to hang these two shelves I have from our apartment in the city. I got them from Pottery Barn and I just love them! Perfect for a wine bar. I have yet to hang them but you can check them out here on their website. I would also like to hang the fingerprint tree from our wedding on the other side. I figure it is a good conversation piece. I drew it myself (saving a ton of money) and it turned out to be a great way to document all our friends and family that attended the wedding. A great memento that I cannot wait to frame and hang now that I have the perfect place for it!
Here is the bulter's pantry as it stands now. Check back later for the final reveal, once the area is painted and the shelves are hung : )
 |
| looking from the kitchen |
 |
| looking from the dining room |
I am so excited to actually use this space. It will be great for entertaining and is a great transitional space between the dining room and kitchen. Hopefully we will be able to try it out for our next gathering!
Check back later for updates!
JP
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Heirloom Tomato and Basil Soup.. Yum!
As promised, here is one of the best tomato soups I have ever had!
First, I have to say that the cook book I got this recipe from may very well be my favorite book that is in my kitchen, Williams Sonoma's Soup of the Day. There are 365 soup recipes in this book, and they go by season making it easy to use up what you already have on hand and what is on sale at the food store.
Ok, so back to the recipe: This one calls for heirloom tomatoes and there is something about heirlooms that just makes me smile. They are sooo good. Fresh, flavorful, and brightly colored. The perfect tomato. The problem is that the grocery stores don't sell them so you would have to either have a CSA or go to your local farmers market. For those who don't know what heirloom tomatoes are, basically it's how they are grown. The science dork in me would go through the details of basic genetics just for fun, but I will spare you guys the boring details. Basically what it boils down to is that tomatoes are bred (for lack of a better word) for their color and shape, NOT flavor. Most consumers want to by the perfectly round and brightest red tomatoes at the store, an heirloom however is not round and and usually not bright red. So most people shy away from them. If no one is buying them then no one is going to sell them which is a total sham.
Anyway, if you cannot find heirlooms, I think you could use regular slicing tomatoes. A coworker of mine asked for this recipe after I brought it into work one day and I am pretty sure she made it with your regular everyday tomatoes and seemed to love it. So next time I make it I'll try it out and see how it goes.
Ingredients:
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 red heirloom tomatoes (~2 lbs), coarsely chopped
- 3 yellow heirloom tomatoes (~2 lbs) coarsely chopped
- 2 cups chicken or vege broth
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbs heavy cream (or just use milk like I did)
- 1/3 cup chopped basil
- salt and pepper
Directions:
- In a large pot, add oil and heat
- Saute onions, garlic, and carrots until soft (5 min)
- Add tomatoes, broth, and sugar, stir to combine and bring to a boil
- Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 30 min
- Remove from the heat and let cool slightly
- Transfer half of the soup to a blender and puree
Or.... you could use my all time favorite tool in the kitchen - the immersion blender!!
Seriously, if you don't have one, get one. Period. I personally love to make soup so this is something I use all the time, but it is also great for sauces and it comes with different accessories like a mini food processor that uses the same motor. If you have one, then just put it in the pot and blend about half of the soup. I find that using a larger pot with more surface area allows me more control with only blending half, and it only takes literally ONE MINUTE. No muss no fuss. And no extra clean up of a blender, just saying.
- Return to pot and add cream
- Stir in the basil and add salt and pepper to taste
I made this chunky soup for dinner one night for H and I and also made some fancy grilled cheese using garlic crusty bread and it was delish!
Enjoy!
JP
First, I have to say that the cook book I got this recipe from may very well be my favorite book that is in my kitchen, Williams Sonoma's Soup of the Day. There are 365 soup recipes in this book, and they go by season making it easy to use up what you already have on hand and what is on sale at the food store.
Ok, so back to the recipe: This one calls for heirloom tomatoes and there is something about heirlooms that just makes me smile. They are sooo good. Fresh, flavorful, and brightly colored. The perfect tomato. The problem is that the grocery stores don't sell them so you would have to either have a CSA or go to your local farmers market. For those who don't know what heirloom tomatoes are, basically it's how they are grown. The science dork in me would go through the details of basic genetics just for fun, but I will spare you guys the boring details. Basically what it boils down to is that tomatoes are bred (for lack of a better word) for their color and shape, NOT flavor. Most consumers want to by the perfectly round and brightest red tomatoes at the store, an heirloom however is not round and and usually not bright red. So most people shy away from them. If no one is buying them then no one is going to sell them which is a total sham.
Anyway, if you cannot find heirlooms, I think you could use regular slicing tomatoes. A coworker of mine asked for this recipe after I brought it into work one day and I am pretty sure she made it with your regular everyday tomatoes and seemed to love it. So next time I make it I'll try it out and see how it goes.
Ingredients:
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 red heirloom tomatoes (~2 lbs), coarsely chopped
- 3 yellow heirloom tomatoes (~2 lbs) coarsely chopped
- 2 cups chicken or vege broth
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbs heavy cream (or just use milk like I did)
- 1/3 cup chopped basil
- salt and pepper
Directions:
- In a large pot, add oil and heat
- Saute onions, garlic, and carrots until soft (5 min)
- Add tomatoes, broth, and sugar, stir to combine and bring to a boil
- Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 30 min
- Remove from the heat and let cool slightly
- Transfer half of the soup to a blender and puree
Or.... you could use my all time favorite tool in the kitchen - the immersion blender!!
Seriously, if you don't have one, get one. Period. I personally love to make soup so this is something I use all the time, but it is also great for sauces and it comes with different accessories like a mini food processor that uses the same motor. If you have one, then just put it in the pot and blend about half of the soup. I find that using a larger pot with more surface area allows me more control with only blending half, and it only takes literally ONE MINUTE. No muss no fuss. And no extra clean up of a blender, just saying.
 |
| Notice the paint swatches in the background! |
- Return to pot and add cream
- Stir in the basil and add salt and pepper to taste
(oh btw, these photos did not turn out as well as I thought they would, sorry!)
I made this chunky soup for dinner one night for H and I and also made some fancy grilled cheese using garlic crusty bread and it was delish!
Enjoy!
JP
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Family Room To Do List
First, before I get blogging away with my projects, I wanted to take a minute to reflect on 9/11. It is a day for remembrance and reflection on the things that matter in this life. Even though it has been 12 years, I can still remember that day and exactly how I felt (which is very hard to put into words). It will forever be one of those days that people talk about. Like the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated. People always used to say, "Where were you the day JFK was shot?", well for our generation, 9/11 has that same effect. "Where were you when the towers fell?"
Wherever you were, however you were affected, remember the victims,... never forget.
---------
Ok, on a lighter note, I have been kind of scatter brain lately with the house. There are just so many projects that H and I want to accomplish and I am getting overwhelmed. When that happens, I know I have to refocus my energy on ONE project and get that finished before moving on. So with that said, I am focused on picking a paint color for the family room/kitchen area and getting this space painted!
I originally wanted to hire someone to paint this space because it is just so large and will require so much taping and time and hard work, ugh.. but then I remembered, I never shy away from hard work and if we can save some serious $$ by painting it ourselves, then that is exactly what we are going to do! We will have to hire someone to paint the foyer just because we don't have a way to reach the super high ceilings, but that is ok, I can justify hiring someone for that space. The kitchen and family room, not so much.
After getting the paint chips in I think we have narrowed it down to just 2 colors, so hopefully we can get a few samples and get them on the wall, pick one, and get moving. It is between "Northern Cliffs" and "Revere Pewter" at the moment. I really love both colors, but I am leaning towards northern cliffs, I am just afraid it will be too dark. Hopefully paint samples will clear things up.
Here are a few inspirational photos of the two choices:
Revere Pewter
Northern Cliffs
Ok, so in order to get ready to paint there is one major project that needs to happen - Hide the surround sounds wires!!
This includes drilling holes, running wires, and patching up the mishaps (which are inevitable). Currently we have those cheap-o plastic wire hiders around the ceiling and while they work great and I barely notice them anymore, it is not that crisp finished look that I would like for our main living space. So, instead of wire hiders, and instead of running all the wire behind the walls (two of the 3 walls are exterior so that would not be fun) we are going to put up crown molding and place the wires behind it.
Now, while this seams like a great option, I know it is easier said than done. Especially since H has never cut crown molding or put it up before. Should be interesting. But hey, there is a first time for everything, right? Sigh. We will be getting some extra molding to practice on before getting started, so hopefully that will help us get into the swing of things before diving in.
I originally didn't even want to see the speakers, but I lost that battle, so at the very least I just don't want to see the wires.
So, step one, find similar crown molding to match what is already in our foyer and dining room. Let the search begin!
JP
Wherever you were, however you were affected, remember the victims,... never forget.
---------
Ok, on a lighter note, I have been kind of scatter brain lately with the house. There are just so many projects that H and I want to accomplish and I am getting overwhelmed. When that happens, I know I have to refocus my energy on ONE project and get that finished before moving on. So with that said, I am focused on picking a paint color for the family room/kitchen area and getting this space painted!
I originally wanted to hire someone to paint this space because it is just so large and will require so much taping and time and hard work, ugh.. but then I remembered, I never shy away from hard work and if we can save some serious $$ by painting it ourselves, then that is exactly what we are going to do! We will have to hire someone to paint the foyer just because we don't have a way to reach the super high ceilings, but that is ok, I can justify hiring someone for that space. The kitchen and family room, not so much.
After getting the paint chips in I think we have narrowed it down to just 2 colors, so hopefully we can get a few samples and get them on the wall, pick one, and get moving. It is between "Northern Cliffs" and "Revere Pewter" at the moment. I really love both colors, but I am leaning towards northern cliffs, I am just afraid it will be too dark. Hopefully paint samples will clear things up.
Here are a few inspirational photos of the two choices:
Revere Pewter
Northern Cliffs
Ok, so in order to get ready to paint there is one major project that needs to happen - Hide the surround sounds wires!!
This includes drilling holes, running wires, and patching up the mishaps (which are inevitable). Currently we have those cheap-o plastic wire hiders around the ceiling and while they work great and I barely notice them anymore, it is not that crisp finished look that I would like for our main living space. So, instead of wire hiders, and instead of running all the wire behind the walls (two of the 3 walls are exterior so that would not be fun) we are going to put up crown molding and place the wires behind it.
Now, while this seams like a great option, I know it is easier said than done. Especially since H has never cut crown molding or put it up before. Should be interesting. But hey, there is a first time for everything, right? Sigh. We will be getting some extra molding to practice on before getting started, so hopefully that will help us get into the swing of things before diving in.
I originally didn't even want to see the speakers, but I lost that battle, so at the very least I just don't want to see the wires.
So, step one, find similar crown molding to match what is already in our foyer and dining room. Let the search begin!
JP
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Paint swatches, Penn State and Anniversaries...
I am so excited to post that we have finally gotten the large paint swatches in the mail! Yay!! I have to go around and take some picture of each room in the house with the swatches taped up so you can see what I am dealing with here. It is so overwhelming but I am really hoping that with the narrowed down list of colors I can finally start making some decisions.
I am sure I am going to need to purchase a few paint samples because I know that there could be a huge difference between what it looks like on a piece of paper vs. on the wall. So we will see how it all works out. I will try to post pictures of the house soon so check back for that! Next step, finding a painter!
In the mean time, H and I have been very busy! We spent Labor Day weekend with friends tailgating the Penn State/Syracuse game which was a lot of fun! Good food, good friends, lots of alcohol... can't get any better! It also helped that it was a win, 23 to 17, GO STATE! It was however a very boring game in my opinion. I think the halftime score was 6 to 3 or something crazy like that. Anyway, a win is a win so I will take it! Great way to kick off the College Football season : )
Living so far away from State College only allows us to get to maybe one game a year, and sometimes we don't get to any. So we were very happy to go to the first game of the season and to be going up for homecoming this year. We are renting an RV with a bunch of friends so it is sure to be a good time. It also just so happens to fall on our one year wedding anniversary, awesome. H had to do some major convincing to get me to agree to this. I believe his best friend, the best man in our wedding, said it best, "What better way to spend your wedding anniversary than by being surrounded by your friends who stood with you on your wedding day, in the shadow of Beaver Stadium where it all began?!" hahaha very typical.
Anyway, lots has been going on lately, busy busy busy, so I am just trying to bring myself back down to earth. I need to get reorganized and refocused on one project at a time. Hopefully by blogging about it all it will keep me focused on getting things done!
JP
I am sure I am going to need to purchase a few paint samples because I know that there could be a huge difference between what it looks like on a piece of paper vs. on the wall. So we will see how it all works out. I will try to post pictures of the house soon so check back for that! Next step, finding a painter!
In the mean time, H and I have been very busy! We spent Labor Day weekend with friends tailgating the Penn State/Syracuse game which was a lot of fun! Good food, good friends, lots of alcohol... can't get any better! It also helped that it was a win, 23 to 17, GO STATE! It was however a very boring game in my opinion. I think the halftime score was 6 to 3 or something crazy like that. Anyway, a win is a win so I will take it! Great way to kick off the College Football season : )
Living so far away from State College only allows us to get to maybe one game a year, and sometimes we don't get to any. So we were very happy to go to the first game of the season and to be going up for homecoming this year. We are renting an RV with a bunch of friends so it is sure to be a good time. It also just so happens to fall on our one year wedding anniversary, awesome. H had to do some major convincing to get me to agree to this. I believe his best friend, the best man in our wedding, said it best, "What better way to spend your wedding anniversary than by being surrounded by your friends who stood with you on your wedding day, in the shadow of Beaver Stadium where it all began?!" hahaha very typical.
Anyway, lots has been going on lately, busy busy busy, so I am just trying to bring myself back down to earth. I need to get reorganized and refocused on one project at a time. Hopefully by blogging about it all it will keep me focused on getting things done!
JP
Monday, September 2, 2013
Bucket List
So a very good friend of mine who has been blogging at Pearls & Pilots for a while (and who inspired me to start blogging myself) has this list of things she wants to accomplish in life. She has already accomplished so much, but she is always striving to do more, not only for herself and her family, but for all those around her. So when I saw this "bucket list" she had on her page I thought, what an amazing idea! By writing a list of the things to accomplish in life, you can check them off as you go and see what you have completed over the years.
I guest everyone needs a bucket list and I have finally created mine.. check it out on my pages above!
Happy Blogging!
JP
I guest everyone needs a bucket list and I have finally created mine.. check it out on my pages above!
Happy Blogging!
JP
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