Chocolate Biscotti

I made chocolate biscotti for the first time last week. It was fabulously easy with this recipe my SIL posted a while back. Hope you get to try it! It's ridiculously scrumptious with coffee or tea...

This was a part of Hubby's gifts during his birthday week :) We're enjoying the excuse to sit down with a cuppa more often so we can have some biscotti. Yum.

Today I'm out on the balcony potting plants in the gorgeous warm weather. It's about time Spring decided to stick around and Baby Boy and I are loving being outside! We spend lots of time out there during the warm months. With the typical apartment lack of a yard, it's the perfect relaxing spot for me and play space for Baby Boy.

I'll be taking some time to work on my hair (still haven't dyed it yet...procrastinator) and hopefully get a foot soak in this evening. Hope you choose to pamper yourself a little today... You deserve some guilt free relaxation. Happy Spa Night, Beauties!

Peaceful Space: Master Bath

On a recent thrifting trip I came home with these dried tropical-ish flowers. 

Oh yeah! Now that's my kind of bargain for meaningless dust collectors.

After arranging them a bit.
They're now adorning my island themed master bathroom. Aren't they lovely?

Why yes, that is a salsa jar that I hot glued shells to.

I had originally planned to cover the entire bottom half of the jar with shells but ran out and couldn't find the rest. I still may complete the bottom half if I ever find those stinking shells! I know I have them!
Anyway.
My solution to this was to stuff loose raffia into the jar to cover the stems.
I kind of love it. Odd though it is.


Aaahhh... hello pretty thrift store dead plants!

Top shelf.
Still working on it, but it's coming along nicely.
Tropical-ish "painting" was a yard sale find from last year. $4 I think.

My organic, homemade beauty treatments from American Samoa.
There's this amazingly talented woman who has a shop. She makes all the products and they're just lovely!
I was addicted, but now the cheapo in me is winning out and I'm making my own for less than a fourth of the cost.
Oh yes, I'm using the last of my supply sparingly....trying to draw out the inevitable.

Moisturizing oil body spray, lavender healing creme, my homemade soothing bath salts, moso'oi scented coconut body oil, more lavender creme, and my favorite products from that organic shop: Coconut oil based facial soap. I had nearly 12 bars and these are the last brave survivors.
Oh well, I use them for bathing now anyway, since finding the Oil Cleansing Method.



Ooh, my scent bug from Bath and Body Works with their home fragrance oils.
I have scent bugs in the guest bath and living room as well. All gifts from some wonderful family members.

The two oils used to scent the master bath are : 1)Caribbean Salsa  2)Sensuality: Black Current Vanilla. 

I mix them on the pad to create a unique fragrance. Mmmm... romantic and islandy.

Hey, we're going for an island resort feel on a very tight budget. Work with me here! 

Second shelf.
My basket full of Bath and Body Works goodies. Also gifts. Wow, I have frivolent tastes. And some very wonderful family members (enablers) who know what I like!
And yes, I love homemade bath products, but this stuff is a deliciously fragrant habit I have not been able to kick yet.

I realize it may not be the 'thing' to decorate with things that would typically be in storage but, hey I'm in a teeny apartment and having them up here really frees up my limited space under the sink.
What's sad is that I used to have twice as much, but only now put up the shelves.



I love this Dollar Tree flower pot holding one of my repotted African violets.
It's twin is also holding a plant in the master bedroom.

And one look at the entire thing.
I'm feeling a little closer to Samoa already. *sigh*

Hubby saved the shelves from being thrown out at a construction site when we first got married. They're solid wood. And brand new. What, are construction companies crazy now, throwing away quality shelving??
Yes, I love my frugal man. And I love those shelves!

The green lei twisted with white flowers is actually from our wedding. Sent with beautiful aloha from my lovely Aunt in Hawaii who also blessed me with the sheepskin rugs I'm so crazy about.

The bamboo box on the commode was full of gorgeous tropical flavored tea from my sisters.
So I transferred the tea to a kitchen cabinet and couldn't wait to get the tropical looking box to the master suite. It's empty for now. I'll eventually find something to put in there.


Thanks for stopping by to see my progress! I'm really enjoying putting our home together :) Each room is an adventure. It's slow going but so far I'm extremely happy with the results!

Ooh, Guess what? In the first photos are the brown shelves from my To Do list in the sidebar! I get to mark that item off! Sweet!!

Linked to:

Tutorial Tuesday: How to Split and Repot a Spider Plant 8/03/2010

Having never owned a spider plant before, I used this eHow article to split and repot my spider plant. I had been eagerly awaiting little root systems to start branching out on the 'babies' and was so happy to see them appear this week!

Thinking all I had to do was break off a few babies and pot them, I was surprised to find through my online research that there is so much more to it than that.  Apparently, when a spider plant outgrows it's container or becomes 'root bound' with the roots forming a tight tangled mass, it will ensure survival by creating little replicas of itself (the babies). My plant abounded with babies when we brought it home from the store so it is past due for repotting!

Before repotting.

I have a terra cotta pot, so before anything else, it needed to be washed an soaked in water for an hour. Great tip from the article! I never would have known that.


Before washing.

I found these good sized pots at a landscaper's flea market booth selling these by the truckload. A great deal at 3 for $2!

Poor thing! It's almost all root and no soil.

A little section of a coffee filter to cover the hole in the terra cotta pot, letting the soil breathe and drain while keeping all of it in the pot.

I was repotting my new african violet as well, as you can tell by the pot on the right already equipped with my homemade drainage.



I ran out of potting soil mid procedure! What chagrin (alright, maybe it was more like panic) filled my green loving soul as I realized my newly split spider plants might die a horrible death. Then, my wonderful man rode his motorcycle to pick up some more potting soil. My hero!

One inch of potting soil on the bottom before adding the plant and filling the sides and surface with more soil.

After a thorough watering, here are my 'new' spider plants, looking much more comfortable in their spacious containers. I now have 5 total! Aren't plants amazing?

I was particularly proud of the blue baskets turned planters, which were a Dollar Tree find I was saving for a master bedroom project. Ah well. I was out of pots and my spider plants needed containers! I lined two baskets with spanish moss, which I use as a mulch on a few ever thirsty plants to hold in moisture. A layer of soil on the moss lining, followed by the plant, followed by more top soil and I had new containers. I truly hope the spider plants thrive in these baskets. I have no idea if they will. We'll see!



The rest of my repotted spider plants and my repotted African violets.

 I can't wait until my repotted plants have really begun to flourish. Once I'm certain they're doing well in their new containers, I will definitely be rotating them in the house and outdoors like the rest of my happy green things.



After all that, I just had to break off one of the many babies and put it in a glass of water to (hopefully) propagate. I've never done any of this so, even though I now have more than enough spider plants, I'm excited about trying this method of creating a brand new plant. All I have to do is make sure it doesn't run out of water. Easy, right? Oh, I really hope I don't kill it!

If all goes well, this little baby will start to sprout roots and keep growing without soil. Once a healthy root system is in place it will be ready to move into some soil in it's own container.



That's my latest contribution to creating little pockets of peaceful space in our new home. Is there something small like this that could make a big impact in the peaceful feel of your home? Take a little time to mark it off your list so you can start enjoying the benefits! I'm off to water my plants along with my little helper.

Who always pays attention to what he's doing :). Later, All!

I'm linking to:

Makeover Monday: Virtual Broom Closet

Bim!

Select the drill bit and the bit of wall to mangle.

Bam!

Drill holes (check with a spirit level) and tap in wall anchors.

Boom!

Place fixture and secure with screws. 

I've had this for a while and it's a relief to have it finally up on the wall! I originally went to the store to get a broom and mop organizer, but there was none to be found. After several trips, I pretty much gave up. However, on my way out of the store that last trip, there was this "small umbrella holder" in the clearance section and my cheap little heart went all aflutter. I had found my organizer!

Booyah! 

A virtual broom closet, which is really the unused space near the fridge where my swiffer, dust pan and broom used to tumble all over in an unsightly heap. It works just as well as this one. At least I think so.

Many thanks to Tresa @ Reese Dixon whose post made me aware of these wonderful things in the first place!

I think this counts as a makeover and a peaceful space post, don't you? It's made such a difference in keeping things orderly in our tiny kitchen. I like it! 

Ta for now, beautiful people!

Peaceful Space Inspiration: Little Changes That Make a Big Difference

Today's post is focusing on the little changes that we've made around our little home. The changes are so minor but make a big impact in peace of mind and the overall feel of a space.

I finally put up my plant hange to add a touch of happy (isn't that what all plants are?) to the kitchen/dining area.

Great suggestion, Res. I really like it there.

I changed out the light switch plate in Toa's room. This is from his old nursery in Arkansas. It has so many happy memories attached to it, like the friends who gave it to us and our grand plans as we welcomed our Baby Boy home from the hospital.

You knew it was coming, right? My new addiction, happy growing things. These are all the plants Mom and Dad got me throughout their visit.

Right to left (oh yeah, we're pretending we're Japanese. Don't you feel international?):

Random pretty plant
Azalea bush (to save Mom-mom's Toababy from falling through that gap in the railing!)
African violets
Random tropical plants (what can I say? I like to do my research),
plant box with vines and Mother in law's tongue- a very tough leathery thing (hey, I didn't name it!)
more random pretty plants
an Aloe plant (yay! I finally have one!)
and my die hard African violet from Arkansas.

Continue to the left and up.....

Oo la la!

Spider plant. I miss Mom!

Aren't my plants gorgeous? Thanks to my visiting bro for putting up the hangers and to Mom for being our placement consultant!

Another flea market find that I just fell in love with. A wrought iron coat hanger. LOVE it! Thanks, Dad :)

Of course, I just had to get it on the wall. It now graces the tiny bit of walking space in the living room I like to call, wait for it...... wait for it.....: The Entryway.
Oooooohhhhhh.... Sounds so grand, doesn't it?

In reality, it's the path you'd naturally have to take if you wanted to move forward when coming through the front door, but hey, a girl can dream!

I love the look of it.

More on how the rest of 'The Entryway' is being transformed later. Do you have some tiny adjustments that can be made to make your space more lovable? Don't wait! Get it done so you can enjoy your home! You'll be so glad you did.

UPDATE: 7/29/2010
I'm linking this post to

More Outdoor Peaceful Space Transformation

I used this tutorial as inspiration for making citronella candles. However, I used paraffin wax blocks that resisted food coloring. Bummer.

I still love the effect of candle light. And the citronella oil gives off a very pleasant smell.

I was ecstatic to use my candle for the very first time and see that it was working! No bug bites!

However, my repurposed salsa jar was a little lack luster. Time for a quick fix.

Some adhesive spray, a sheet of pretty paper and a bit of ribbon later.....

Aaahhhh.... now to enjoy my plants in my bug free outdoor space

Mmmm.... I feel so relaxed piddling around my plants or just sitting outside looking at them.

And I'm loving my homemade citronella candles!

That's the latest update on my Outdoor Peaceful Space Transformation. More to come :)