Poppyseed Pasta Salad

I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing Memorial Day weekend! Ceci is at the age where she is excited to learn about history and the meaning of holidays like Memorial Day. Dan took her to a ceremony to help instill the importance of this day. She came home with a lot to say! Thank you to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to allow us to live in this amazing country! 

Over the weekend I made a batch of my favorite pasta salad. I love having a prepared salad in the fridge ready to pull out for lunch or dinner, especially during summer months. We spend so much time at the pool, playing in the yard or with other activities so it is nice to have one part of a meal ready to go. 

Poppyseed Pasta Salad is a recipe I started making in high school so it has survived the test of time! It is delicious and easy too! The recipe is courtesy of my first "real" employer, Mocha Mike's. It was a coffee shop in my hometown - think Central Perk but way ahead of its time where I grew up.

~ Poppyseed Pasta Salad ~

- one box spiral pasta (I like Barilla tri-color rotini)
- 3-4 carrots, chopped
(the original recipe shreds them with a peeler but they tend to clump at the bottom so I chop)
- medium cucumber, seeded & chopped
- 1/4-1/2 c. black olives, sliced
- 1 bottle poppyseed dressing
(I prefer Marzetti. I've tried others but this really is the best, IMO.)

Cook pasta according to directions on package. When finished, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Once cool, add to bowl. Add carrots, cucumber and olives. Stir to combine. Add enough dressing to coat the salad. Serve immediately or chill in fridge. Add more dressing, as needed, if it starts to dry. 

Enjoy! 

Hope everyone has a great week! 

xo,
Stephanie 

Tasty Tuesday: Chipotle Bowls!

Today I am sharing one of our favorite meals at the Dodd house - Chipotle Bowls! Our kiddos are really good eaters who love a lot of flavor so this is a perfect fit. Oh, and this meal could not be easier!

This is how I make them:

Rice

I tend to use brown rice. Combine 1 c. rice, 2 c. water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil then lower to the lowest setting on your stove. After 25-30 minutes (less time with white rice), you have perfect, fluffy rice. Rice freezes nicely so you can make a batch and pull out when needed.

Black Beans

Simmer canned black beans with cumin and a bay leaf.

Meat

This meal is great for a busy weeknight because the main part of the dish is cooked in a slow cooker. Two of my favorite recipes are Skinny Taste Chicken Taco Chili and Chipotle "Copycat" Barbacoa. (Follow me on Pinterest for more of my favorite recipes). Neither of these recipes is too spicy but are full of flavor. 

Toppings

Last, top your bowl with cheese, sour cream, salsa, freshly chopped cilantro and more! I always have these toppings on hand. 

These are always a hit even with our toddler! Hope you enjoy!

xo,

Stephanie

Weekend Recap!

We had another busy weekend! It was a weekend full of great memories and big celebrations. 

On Friday, Ceci's 1st Grade class hosted a Mother's Day Tea. They served us tea, lemonade and homemade cookies. Each child then read a poem they wrote for their Mom. So sweet and such a wonderful idea by their teachers! 

My favorite first grader!

Friday evening, our niece was confirmed. I still cannot believe she was just a year old the first time I met her! I cannot say much about the Mass because I spent most of it chasing a very active (and grumpy!) toddler outside. 

We were able to capture a picture of all the Dodd girls! Even my SIL from NJ flew in for the weekend!

On Saturday evening, we celebrated my FIL's 75th birthday! We had a delicious meal and sat around for almost three hours eating, drinking and laughing. Thank goodness for private rooms so the kiddos could run around! We missed having the rest of the NJ family with us but look forward to seeing them this summer.

Hope everyone has a productive and enjoyable week! 

xo,

Stephanie

ORC: Week 4

So, here we are...week 4 of the One Room Challenge. 

To say this week was unproductive is an understatement. Well, I suppose that depends what I am talking about. I owned so many things this past week but the ORC was not one of them. I really should have looked at our calendar before committing to this project. Every weekend is crazy busy! 

Enough with the excuses! I want my favorite space ready to go by Mother's Day! 

So, onto the things I did accomplish this week:

- I purchased paint

- I scrubbed the heck out of the walls

- I found the perfect ceiling color

Please pat me on the back for these huge accomplishments. 

My reasonable goals for this next week:
- get artwork framed (I am really excited about a piece I found!)
- paint
- work on the dreaded ceiling

If I can accomplish all of this, I think I will be in decent shape but am planning for some long nights.

Now onto some pictures. 

I had to bring the furniture back inside because we have a big celebration this weekend. Our sweet baby boy is turning 2! This is a big part in the delay of the ORC. I decided to try a new layout. What do you think? The room is so narrow and it is hard to find the perfect flow. I am going to see how this plays out on party day. 

I scored some fun pieces at the Lilly Pulitzer for Target sale. How fun is this candle holder? I am excited to see it lit at night. 

I, also, found the Lilly basket which is much larger than I thought it would be. I am thinking about putting a large tropical plant in it. Or it will end up holding blankets in the girl's room.

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to check out the progress on the other spaces!

ORC: Week 3

Three weeks into the One Room Challenge to update our three season room and I have few things to update. Because of the Easter holiday and a busy, busy work schedule, my progress has been minimal. 

I decided on paint colors for the walls and door but am still looking for the perfect shade of blue for the ceiling. For the walls and trim, I am going with Sherwin William's Westhighland White (SW7566) to make the space appear as large as possible. It is a narrow space and I know how cramped it can look when I add in furniture. 

For the door, I am moving away from red and trying out a very new to me color, Sherwin William's Naval (SW6244). I really wanted to go with a pop of color but the door opens into the rest of our home and the colors would not flow. 

I love the way this blue-navy blue door looks with the green ferns and black containers. I always decorate the three season room with ferns and plan to include pops of green. I think this color will bring out the blue tone colors in the entry way floor.

My plan of attack for this weekend and upcoming week include: 

- giving the walls a good scrubbing to prep for paint

- removing the popcorn ceiling

- selecting a ceiling color

- paint

- giving more thought to decor

Thanks for following along! Be sure to check out the other ORC participants here.

One Room Challenge: Three Season Room - Week 1

Hello! It's been awhile. I've been thinking about returning to the blogging world for quite some time now. I often think to myself "this would be good for a blog post", "I should share this recipe", etc., etc. 

Over the past year I have started following more bloggers (I will share my favorites in another post!). One of the most fun projects I came across is the One Room Challenge! 

So, here is the rundown. Created by Linda at Calling It Home, this is a six week home renovation/design/decorating challenge! Pick a room, get to work and blog about your progress weekly. There are no winners or losers just plenty of inspiration. 

I am by no means a designer or decorator but I do like pretty things, enjoy a good DIY project and have a room that needs some love! I thought this would be a fun way to show my progress, style, struggles, frustrations, successes and much more. 

I will be redoing our three season room. This is by far my favorite space in our home. We spend a lot of time here especially in the warmer months. I love feeling a warm breeze, listening to the birds chirp and the sounds of the boats on the water. Honestly, the sounds remind me of the beach...the smell, not so much! In the evenings, we can even hear bands playing at the on-the-water bars on the lake. 

Over the years, we put in new carpet, installed a new ceiling fan, installed a glass door and plantation blinds. My goals for the next weeks include: clean, remove popcorn ceiling, paint and decorate. 

Here is my inspiration board. 

The before pictures:

It looks so organized! 

Oh, that's better! The kiddos love this space too which is something I will be tackling.

This blank wall is ready to be decorated! It is so close to the entry that I struggle with how to decorate. I have a few ideas though! 

Another challenge for me: this slate floor! Great quality but the colors are a challenge.

I hope you will follow along and find some fun, inspiring bloggers along the way! 

Catching Up!

As with every mother, I had/have good intentions to keep up with our family blog. But, the hours turn into days, days into months, months into almost a year since my last post. 

Since then, we've welcomed a beautiful baby boy into our family making us a family of five! He is a joy and as each day passes I think to myself "oh, I want to capture this and remember it forever." Hence, this post and what I *hope* to be a more successful attempt at capturing our lives. 

So here it goes! I've got some updating to do! 

SLD