One Month in the Books

Cook pasta according to directions, drain.
Cook and crumble sausage with onion, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes. After sausage is cooked, add garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in tomatoes, cream, and basil. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until thickened. Add pasta and heat through. Serve with cheese

As I write this we are anticipating a “big snowstorm”.  Isn’t it funny how the media hypes it up and people react?  I stopped at the grocery store yesterday (not because of the pending storm) but because I needed a couple of things to make the recipe you will find as you continue reading. 

It was a madhouse! Lots of bottled water and TP in people’s carts.  I was happy to use the self-checkout because I didn’t want to wait in the other long lines.  Patience

When I was thinking about what to include in this newsletter, the word patience kept coming up.  Patience means having the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. When remodeling or making decorating changes in your home, think about how patient you and your family members are.  We live in a world where we want instant gratification.  I remember saying years ago that “good design takes time”. Patience to wait 16 weeks for the new sofa you love. Do you have the patience to wait or will you settle on something else because you can’t wait? My dad used to say “do it right the first time or do it over”.  This all requires patience.

I recently met with a client that wanted to paint her kitchen cabinets to lighten up space.  We selected a color that worked well with her existing granite.  She asked me how long it would take.  I explained the painting process, time frame, and what she would need to do to prepare for the painter. She was fine with everything until the next day.  She called me early in the morning to say she hadn’t slept because she was concerned about the mess and time her kitchen would be torn up.  She then said, “I’m not a patient person.”  She didn’t want to go through the painting process; it would be too upsetting to her.  Have you considered your patience level prior to starting a project?

I recently redecorated my home office.  It’s not finished yet because I am (not so patiently) waiting on the natural shades for the windows.  They are a beautiful texture and will add a much-needed dimension.  The paint color, Sherwin Williams Cargo Pants, is calming and warm.  It changes with the light.   It is more green and warm on a sunny day and more gray on cloudy days.

I planned on having a wall of words – framed sayings in black and white.  After the desk was back in place and I was ready to put some things on the walls, I changed my mind.  I only had one large framed saying but I have several colorful prints of places we love to visit.  I decided to fill one wall with those colorful pieces.  Here is that space.  The sunset picture from Round Lake (my most favorite place) is in the works.  I love seeing those memories throughout my day.

In the not so distant future (I hope) my office will be complete and I will share more pictures.

Since we are still staying home more, whether it be from the weather or Covid, we have watched more television.  Have you tuned in to the show on HGTV, Escape To The Chateau? It is on Saturdays at 8 pm. The couple (Angel and Dick) moves from England to France and buys a 45 room castle that doesn’t have heat or modern plumbing.  They have 2 small children.  For them to knock down a wall, it is 18” of stone!  Angel is really creative and not afraid to tackle what some might say is impossible.  Tune in and enjoy!

A Recent Before and After

This recently completed project gave the homeowners a larger dining room to host their growing family; a new open kitchen; and rustic touches they love. The luxury vinyl flooring that was installed in the entire space has the look of old planks.  The entire space feels so much larger since we created 2 large openings between the rooms and eliminated the spindle wall.

ear the end of this project, we decided to make some budget-minded changes in the adjoining laundry.  The wall that is visible from the kitchen was papered in this dimensional paper that really looks like old tin. 

The sink cabinet got a fresh coat of paint and a new stock countertop, sink, and faucet.

Before
After
After
Before
After
After

Tasty Pasta

Here is a yummy pasta dish that’s good on our cold winter days. Adjust the amount of kick you like with the red pepper flakes. It doesn’t take much!

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8 oz bow tie pasta
1/2 lb bulk sausage
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Shredded parmesan cheese
1 can Italian stewed tomatoes chopped
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 tsp dried basil
Salt and Pepper

Cook pasta according to directions, drain.
Cook and crumble sausage with onion, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes. After sausage is cooked, add garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in tomatoes, cream, and basil. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until thickened. Add pasta and heat through. Serve with cheese.

Until Next Time