It's Crystal Clear

I found it! Last Sunday my husband and I ventured to the antique district in our town and found the perfect chandelier for our dining room . It had all it's crystals and some cute little flower rosette details, I love it! We need to clean it up and find an electrician to hang it, but it will be beautiful. Here's a sneak peek...

"Indulgent"

I've been suffering through American Idol for the past 2 weeks. Last night was disappointing, why don't they help these kids pick the right songs? They are being criticized over and over for a bad song choice.  Randy needs to increase his vocabulary beyond dog, yo, and check it out. Worst of all is hearing Simon tell the contestants they are being "indulgent"! What he means is 'self-indulgent' , but he continues to say it wrong, now Kara is picking it up too! Look it up judges!

indulgent: –adjective

characterized by or showing indulgence; benignly lenient or permissive: an indulgent parent.

Self-indulgent (Self`-in*dul"gent) ,

Indulging one's appetites, desires, etc., freely

The weather last Sunday was beautiful, 85 degrees here in sunny SoCal. We had some friends over for an asado (Argentine style BBQ). I made my lemon cake for dessert, so easy and refreshing. It never fails to be a big hit! Try it.

Ingredients

1 box of lemon cake mix

juice of one lemon

1/2 - 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions

Prepare and bake cake according to package directions using a 13"x9" pan.

While cake is baking, squeeze lemon juice into a small bowl. Add powdered sugar to juice, stirring to dissolve sugar. Keep adding sugar until mixture reaches the consistency of pancake batter. The amount of sugar will vary depending on how much juice your lemon produced.

When cake is done, remove from oven and poke holes all over the top using a toothpick or slender fork. Pour glaze over top of cake. Spread gently, allowing glaze to soak into cake. Cool.

Finished cake will be glazed, moist and deliciously lemony.

Pretty Desk

Remember the little desk from this post ? Here it is all fixed up and in it's new place in our family room.

BEFORE: This is how my cute little desk looked when I brought it home.

AFTER: This desk was once a dreary green, and now is a soft, lemony yellow with new glass knobs.

I love the pretty carved details.

Day Dream

They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.

Edgar Allan Poe

Quart and Rose

Went to Lowes and came home with this pretty miniature rose plant and a quart of paint.

I'll show you what I'm painting as soon as it is dry.

(see this post to view what we painted)

Light Thoughts

My dining room is missing something, feeling incomplete. I have been looking at pendant lights and chandeliers, thinking that might be what it needs.

I haven't found anything yet. The crystal ones I've seen are a bit too fussy and too expensive. The black iron ones are too heavy looking. I saw this red one (designspongeonline) that someone painted, it used to be an old dated brass fixture. Got me thinking that I could find a deal on an old ugly one and paint it pewter or espresso, so I'll be scouring my favorite thrift and consignment stores. Wish me luck!

Fireplace Updated

There used to be nothing above my family room fireplace, just a yellow wall. We added the molding and painted it and the wall above the mantle white, added a silver leaf mirror and a variety of crystal vases and daisies. Much better.

See the little green desk in the bottomcorner? I found it a couple weeks ago at a consignment shop. I loved the desk, solid wood, dovetail joints, pretty carved details, but not so much the antique green paint color. Planning to paint it, but not sure what color yet. Before and after pics soon.