Does absence make the heart grow fonder?

I didn't realize how many people read this little blog until I started getting emails last week asking where my latest post was. I must say, I feel loved:) Life has been so busy lately that the blog has gone on the back burner, and for that I am sorry. To make up for lack of blogging....here is a monster blog!

Our latest culinary favorites...

I recently discovered a new marinade that we love! I've used it for chicken and pork so far and we have yet to be disappointed. Here it is:

Combine 1 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp dijon mustard, and a handful of chopped rosemary in a large ziploc bag. Season your meat with salt and pepper, then place in the bag. Move the meat around until covered in the marinade, then refrigerate for 30 minutes. We have been grilling our meat and it has been amazing!

I have also found a new favorite summer pasta recipe...thanks to my best friend, the Pioneer Woman. This Baked Lemon Pasta has such a light taste that is perfect for summer....and it goes well with the above marinade:)


House Tour continued...

It's about time for some new house pics, so here we go! Today will be a bedroom/bathroom tour. First up...the master bedroom! We haven't done too much with this room yet...but here it is so far. I still need to hang curtains of some kind and I would love a huge mirror at some point.


Our bathroom is also still a work in progress, but it functions:)


Ahh, the infamous "Arts and Crafts Room." I plan on painting the walls at some point...just not sure what color.
The computer desk is one of my most favorite pieces of furniture. It was actually Ryan's dining room table that I painted white. Pottery Barn sells a piece that is very similar that I loved, but could never afford. It provides a great surface for big craft projects too...


We got very lucky with our guest bathroom. Everything was updated before we moved in! We just added the shower curtain, towels, and crown hooks. I am still searching for some kind of shelving unit to hang on the wall ...



I love these crown hooks. They were a Hobby Lobby find and they are great for hanging towels on.
House Projects...

We have started a new painting project...the shutters. Here is the current, super drab shutter color.



Here are a few of our color options....feel free to vote! Picking a color for shutters is more difficult that I thought. The colors are navy, black, light blue, and sage green. I'm sure the neighbors are loving this rainbow look:)


Our front courtyard area has a gate entrance. The gate was the awful, faded redish pinkish color.


We spray-painted it today and I love the outcome! Apparantely this warm weather has gotten us in the mood to fix up all kinds of things around the house.


And to end this super long post....our new doors! I completely forgot about taking pics of the old doors...but they don't matter anymore:) We are so happy with our new doors! They really make the house look better!

I love the storm door! The middle is interchangeable so we can have a full glass panel or a full screen panel!

It's hard to tell a huge differene in pictures with the new back door. The old door had an old, rusty aluminum frame. The new door has a beautiful, white frame. This was definitely a good update for our house!
Well, I think this blog has enough information to make up for lack of blogging lately. More to come!