Mr. Prof designer home

Hello fellow Bloggers and all others that enjoy reading our blogs!
Well I think I’m finally over my Sinus Infection…man that was a long one – I am especially glad the headaches are gone. That was worse than the infection.

I hope your week was wonderful…mine was okay – nothing to write home about but I’m still here and kicking, so I guess that’s a good thing for me huh?

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I know there are many of you that are on your way today to Ohio for the SIMPLE GOODS SHOW…hope you all have a safe and very eventful time….there should be lots of wonderful treasures just calling your name.  Guess my name wasn’t on anything this year as I didn’t get to go…but there’s always another year God willing.

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Oh, I have a wonderful sale on my website right now until the 15th of this month.  5 Christmas Penny Rugs have been reduced 30%…never taken that much of a reduction before so I hope you will take advantage of it!   kmprimitives.com

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We are in the process of re-doing our bedroom closet…needed many years ago but like so many things in an old home you just never can keep up.

Our closet started bugging me not only because of the small size but there was a built in dresser taking up 36 inches (width) and as high as the closet…and the wood was old and really smelled old – not good!!!!
So on Monday we started ripping it all apart…goodness you never know what lurks behind old walls. Lots of gremlins waiting for us – made the job a bit harder for my husband. Bad patch jobs on the plaster, holes in the floor (under where the dresser was), and a heat pipe going straight up the middle!!!!  So we had someone come in and tear out the pipe – it led to the guest room upstairs…but not anymore (there’s another heat pipe going up there on another wall so it will be just fine). 
Just look at all the different colors that closet was painted….green, blue and gray  (and I assume the room as well) . UGH!!!!
We will be putting in new shelving and hanging units…nothing fancy but way better than what we had before.

See what I mean about floor boards missing and that horrible patch job on the wall….

More pictures after this weekend when the drywall is replaced and painted and new trim

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Last Saturday we had a Halloween party here with our family and to draw names for Christmas. We had snacks first and enjoyed the evening and then had dinner of Pulled Beef Sandwiches, Mostaccioli, Ham and Cheese Sliders and all the goodies to go with it.
I made a Pumpkin Bean Bag toss and there were a few rounds of it throughout the night…along with some good ole fun.
I found the game idea from PINTEREST and made my own version of it…maybe for Christmas I’ll change it out and make it a Snowman Toss.

Aidan didn’t want to play a real game but he had fun just going up to it and dropping the bags in

The kids got Glow Sticks in there treat bags and had to try them out…Aidan couldn’t get a real spin going but he had fun just the same – he just kept giggling the whole time Joe was spinning his.

For our snack table….Heather made a wonderful Mexican layered dip, MaryAnn made the Mummy Hot Dogs.
I did a bunch of other things that aren’t showing on the table…but among these are String Cheese Fingers in Marinara sauce, Vegi Dip with Carrot fingers (Almonds for fingernails)….these two were from PINTEREST as well.
I made Chocolate Cup cakes with Fluffy frosting and there were candy Eye Balls on them but I didn’t get a picture up close.  And a Cream Puff Torte with a Chocolate Spider Web on top…no picture either.

 

Snack Bags
 


 

The bunch of us…Jesse was the only one missing.
 

Brett and Heather brought this lovely little Fall flower too!  After the party I set it in the carved out Pumpkin.
 

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I received a couple of wonderful little surprises in the mail this past week – both from LINDA’S…one was from my friend in Pennsylvania – we missed seeing each other a couple weeks ago and she had a gift for me and so she mailed it off – and it’s an adorable sheep (with real sheep’s wool for his body).
Thanks so much Linda…you always know how to brighten up a blue day!

And from Linda Parker over at Parkers Paradise Blog http://parkersparadise.blogspot.com/  I received a wonderful surprise package…she is just the sweetest Lady in Blogland…always thinking of others and I was one of the recipients of her generosity…look at these adorable Pillow Tucks she sent – just perfect Linda…THANK YOU SO MUCH.  You are a very beautiful Lady inside and out.

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I’m busy grunging some Warm and Natural today…I want to get some Primitive Ornaments made for Old Lady Morgan’s Ornament Exchange and I’m really pushing for time…I wonder what this will turn into!!

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GOODBYE DEAR FRIEND:
Phyllis Durrant 1930-2011
 
And last….one of our dearest friends passed away this past weekend…we have known Phyllis since 1972 when we built our house in Janesville. It was a brand new subdivision going in and we were the 7th home to build there…right next door to Phyllis and her family. We met during the days we went over there building our home…and have been friends ever since.

Long story short…we all became fast friends…if you saw them you saw us…what more can I say.

So we said goodbye to her on Tuesday…and I bawled like a baby when I greeted her husband – but not for her…she’s at peace finally and smiling and TALKING.
It was all the remembering of the laughs and good times and all those lost years.

WHAT IS APHASIA?
Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder that
impairs a person's ability to process language, but does not affect intelligence.
Aphasia impairs the ability to speak and understand others, and most people with aphasia experience difficulty reading and writing.

See why this is a horrible disease…she knew but couldn’t communicate!

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Going to our grandchildren's Church tonight for a Chili Supper…should be delicious!

Thanks for hanging in there with me on this long post…didn’t intend for it to be that way but as you all know I can be chatty!
Blessings,
Karen

Want to see what other Thanksgiving Side Dish recipes were made during the swap? Here is the link to the Soup/Stew Recipe Swap Roundup

The theme for this week's recipe swap was Thanksgiving Side Dishes. I know some people like to try new dishes each year and I foresee the roundup as a good starting point for people looking for new recipes to try.

I have to admit, I wasn't excited when I saw that my recipe would be Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts, even if it was submitted by my friend Jaida. Like most people, I'm not a fan of the little cabbages, but I will admit I've never tried pan roasting them before so I was willing to give it a shot.


I halved the recipe since my store sells brussels sprouts loose, but kept the amount of shallots and garlic the same to add flavor. I also skipped the browned butter part because I was too busy making the rest of the dinner. These weren't bad and they are definitely better with plenty of salt and pepper so don't skimp. Even so, I don't think we'll be making these again; not because the recipe isn't good but because we just aren't fans. But if you are a brussels sprouts fan this is a great, simple recipe.

Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Browned Butter
Slightly Adapted from Sweet Beginnings

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound raw brussels sprouts, stems cut off then cut in half
2 shallots, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Add shallots and garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Add in brussels spouts cut side down, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook for 8-10 minutes, tossing every so often, until browned.

Meanwhile, heat a small saucepan over medium heat and add butter. Whisk fairly continuously until butter begins to get golden in color and brown flecks appear. Remove from heat immediately. (I didn't do this step. I combined the oil and butter initially and just cooked everything together to save time)

Remove brussels sprouts from heat and drizzle browned butter over top, then serve.

Hi, so I'm Ullis... I live in a house amongst stacks of interior mags, with a head full of interior ideas, unfinished projects and a wish for my very own handyman to come and execute them all. I wouldn't mind if the handyman had a generous wallet too...

I have a particular obsession with lighting in all shapes, sizes or forms. Any lighting signed Tom Dixon is a particular favourite and more than welcome into my home! I love the play with contrasts - industrial vs. organic, hard vs. soft, cold vs. warm. Like his Bulb Chandelier (below). It almost looks like a diamond ring.

Shown above is the geometrical Etch Light. Pictures are from Tom Dixons catalogue which you can find here.

Lighting doesn't always need to be a source of light, it can just serve the purpose of an illuminous installation. I am seriously contemplating something like this to greet guests in the hall...

A scavanger hunt for desk lamps at the 2nd hand stores, a saw, some spray paint, glue and light cords later and you could create something like the above. But sometimes it's not even the light itself that's of interest, it's where or how you place it!

Credit owed where credit is due - I have a folder full of inspirational pictures I have saved over the years making it difficult to trace the source. If you know where the above three pics are from, please let me know and I will update the post!

That's all from me. Lights out!

Niki is back after the weekend. Have a bright one!

I saw this recipe for Spaghetti with Shrimp, Roasted Tomatoes and Spinach in a recent issue of Parenting magazine, but for some reason it isn't showing up when I search their website. I had a pound of shrimp in the freezer and this seemed like an easy weeknight recipe.


I learned something very important while making this recipe - we do not like whole wheat pasta. The texture was gummy and the flavor totally overwhelmed the other flavors in this dish. Unfortunately it was all we had on hand and I thought it would be a good time to see if the healthier substitute would work. SP loved the shrimp but was trying to eat around the pasta. Next time I will go back to good old regular pasta, although I've been told to try Dreamfields before swearing off the healthier pasta options completely.

I made quite a few changes to the original recipe, mainly because I can't stand loose skin on tomatoes. The texture always makes me gag, so I subbed one can of drained diced tomatoes for the 1/2 pint of grape tomatoes in the original recipe. I also added white wine because I thought it would add better flavor then chicken broth, threw in two chopped leeks because I had some that needed to be used up, and coated the shrimp with flour to make them crispier. I can't wait to make this again with good pasta.

Spaghetti with Shrimp, Roasted Tomatoes and Spinach
As seen in Parenting magazine

1 can diced tomatoes, drained, juice reserved
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 pound linguine or spaghetti
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 leeks, sliced, soaked in cold water to remove grit and drained
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups baby spinach

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a baking dish, toss together the tomatoes, half the garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the Panko and roast for another 5 minutes.

Boil the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Add two tablespoons olive oil, butter to the pan and heat until smoking. In a plastic food storage bag, toss the shrimp and flour together to coat. Add the shrimp and sauté until they're pink and cooked through, about four minutes. Remove to a plate. Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the leeks. Cook until the leeks are soft, about 2 minutes, then add the wine and deglaze the pan. Cook for an additional two minutes, then add the pasta, roasted tomatoes and baby spinach and cook for another minute. Toss well and serve.

Morning! I'm off somewhere very exciting for a great friend's wedding this afternoon - as mentioned on Monday, I love weddings - so I can't wait! Time away from home and my two little angels also means uninterrupted SLEEP! I love this bedroom. I could sleep here, couldn't you?!