M.I.A.

Food. Fashion. Home.

Moving

So, I have been MIA for eighteen days now and have a really good explanation.  No, I didn't quit my blog, but I did make a really big life change.  Remember when I posted about selling our home?  Well, the house was sold in Northern VA and we bought a new home in North Carolina.  There have been lots of big changes these past few weeks which is why I put Food Fashion Home on the back burner. It was about time I took my face out of moving boxes and back into the world of blogging, where I really would rather be.  Jeff and I are officially moved into our new home.  All the boxes are unpacked and the place is relatively how we will keep it for a few months. 

If you have ever moved, you know how much work goes into preparing your home for sale; organizing, packing, cleaning, moving, cleaning again, unpacking, and organizing again. Pretty much a palindrome of actions; doing the same things again in a different order.  After a little over a week, we have managed to do all this work and have it ready for a family visit this past Thursday.   Please keep in mind, I am a teacher and literally finished work the day I moved down here so I have not had to go to work.   Also, I have no children, Jeff doesn’t count (only sometimes).  So, getting it done in this period of time is not realistic for everyone.  I couldn’t imagine working and having kids and doing all this. OVERWHELMING!!  I am just happy to say the last box is unpacked.

So, now that I am back in the “blog-o-sphere” and our house (inside anyways) is livable, the projects are piling up in my brain.  There are tons of outdoor projects to be done as well as little inside jobs that I would like to do.  Here is a list of things I am really looking forward to doing soon to the new house.

- Outdoor curtains- I really want to do something similar to this inspiration pinned by Blissful Mediocrity.  We have a similar under deck area that needs help. A few Adirondack chairs and even a swing would look sweet. 

- Hammock-  We have two trees that are the perfect amount of space between them.  It would be perfect for a two person hammock. 

Source

- Pantry organization- My new pantry is triple the size of my last one.  I love the way this one has the wall paper in the back and most things are labeled in similar style baskets.  There are so many ideas for organizing pantries that I am sure there wont be an issue finding inspiration. 

- Garage Organizer- Organizing your garage can be done in so many ways.  The one above is made by Rubbermaid and would be perfect for the outdoor gadgets.  Jeff also has many tools that he uses for the cars and DIY renovations so we will also need to create an area in the garage for that.  I am going to leave it up to him on how he wants to organize that space because mainly he will be working in there.  

Of course I will still be writing about food and fashion (beauty) and not just home.  I am really looking forward to all the new ideas that present themselves with the new house and the new state.   The next few weeks will be filled with some moving posts about things we did and learned over this big adventure this past month.

<3 mk

Pinterest Reorganization

Food. Fashion. Home. 

Do you constantly talk about things you have pinned on Pinterest?  It somehow finds its way into my conversations numerous times a day without me ever intending it to. Its ok, because my other friends also have this problem! My husband thinks this is hilarious because he knows he can find the same information on the internet without the necessity of "pinning" it.  I don’t take offense because I know that we (men and women) just don't do think the same way, but it got me thinking about what I have pinned.

Source

I also overheard someone talking about our pins not defining us a few days ago.  I really thought about it and realized yes, this could be a true statement.  Things are pinned, but often not always done. So ultimately we might view it as a failure in our lives.  I honestly pin my ideas for Food Fashion Home  inspiration and tons more ideas for my new home, but I can't say that my completion percentage is high based on the amount of pins I have - at least in my mind.

So instead of this comment being a Debbie Downer, I turned it into an opportunity to assess my pins and then organize them so they are more manageable.  Below is a screen shot of my boards before I reorganized.

First, I looked at my different boards and realized that too many things went into one category.  Seriously…I would never use half of the ideas if they were all grouped into one.  So I organized into even smaller categories.  For example, I had a category for home, but I organized it into more specifics like kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, bar area, etc.

In the end, I reorganized from 15 boards to 22 more specific boards.  I was also able to revisit many of my posts and remember why I pinned them in the first place.  I really don't want to be one of those people who pin and don't use the idea or complete the project.  With a new house in the near future (very near future), I really want to put as many of the ideas into action.

Yes, I know it seems silly, but If you are truly using Pinterest for it's intentions as inspiration to use, why would you not want to remember or even use your ideas. 

<3 mk

Follow me on Pinterest

Food. Fashion. Home. Review

Food. Fashion. Home. 

I have been wanting to do some sort of review of all the things I have been doing for a while, like a recap of some of my favorite posts.  With all the craziness going on with moving, selling a house, and buying a house, new projects aren’t really on the top of my priority. So... I decided that monthly I will be doing a review of my favorites in food, fashion, and home.  

Since this blog has just started I am going to choose my favorites from all time…well three out of about 90 posts.  Yeah, this should be easy.

Food.

Loaded Baked Doritos Chicken Nachos

I have been craving the crunchy cheesiness of these nachos for a few weeks!  There is nothing better than eating something you know tastes so good, but isn’t as guilty as the original version.  This meal was a brain child of both Jeff and I and boy was it a good idea.  Its easy, cheesy, and delicious!

Fashion.

Inexpensive Deep Conditioner

This post is one of my most popular.  Coconut oil is all the rage right now and I use it quite often for tons of needs.  I have been deep conditioning religiously using this method for a long time.  Even my hair dresser comments on it when I go into her every six weeks. Don't you love my alien head in this pic?

When I say fashion, I always include beauty into that category.  I love my clothes and shoes, but I am still going to leave some clothing choices up to my other fashion bloggers who really focus on just the clothes.  I am still very shy why it comes to my choices in clothing, but I know one day I'll break out of my shell.  For now I'll focus on what has been working for me.

Home.

Personalized Subway Sign

I am super proud to say that my lack of accuracy lead to me creating this method of creating my family subway sign.  I am not going to lie, I am not really detailed and would have really messed this project up if I were to use stencils.  There was nothing better when I peeled those sticky foam letters off the canvas and it looked as I had imagined.  Angels were singing!   I am super proud of this personalized sign and would recommend everyone to make one.

There are so many Food Fashion Home posts that I have done that I have really liked.  As I said before, I have done 90 plus posts….that is crazy cakes!  I look forward to doing this recap more often because the review reminds me of all the fun and helpful things I have been able to share with you.

<3 mk

Prepping Your Home for Sale

Home.

Do you want a quick sell at top dollar? Start packing up the clutter and start staging.  There isn't a need to pay money for a stager... just follow these simple tips and it will be done.

Moving is a daunting task, but before you move, you probably want to sell your home first.  You want to do everything in your power to make every person that steps in your home love it and want to buy it.

Here are a few tips that Jeff and I learned as we were selling our home.

Decorative picture frames with no pictures!

- Un-personalize the house: That means remove any pictures that would identify the owners;  the pictures that I could not take off the wall, got decorative paper coverings that allowed us to keep the frames and design on the wall.  The framed pictures that aren't attached to the wall need to be stored away or even packed for the move. Personal nicknacks also need to go. The buyers want to picture themselves in the house, not you and your friends and family.  You also want to remember, give the impression that "nobody in particular lives in this house" - except for someone with great taste of course!

* Tip- Put decorative craft paper in the framed pictures that you don't or can't take off the wall.  Card stock is cheap and will look better than plain old nothing.  I did this with all of my pictures ont he walls around the house and it only took a few minutes per picture.*

More decorative frames with no pictures

- Do a walk through and make a list of the little things that you want or have been meaning to do.  Some of the smallest things can turn a picky buyer off. When your house is on the market, act like everyday could be an open house.  It needs to look just as good as the day of the open house.  Put everything away and always wash your dishes.  Yes, it sucks, but do you want to sell your home?

- Fix squeaky floors: Sometimes squeaky floors don't bother you when you live somewhere for a long time, but once someone comes into your house to assess it, you will notice every squeak.   We did a post about fixing your squeeky floors with carpet.

- Streamline your furnishing. You want minimal furniture to clutter the space. 

- Make your house sparkle: wash the windows, clean away the old cobwebs, hire someone to come in a give it a good scrub.  It is worth your money for the clean and it also will eleviate some of the stress associated with the house prepping.

- Walk around your house and fix anything that can be fixed easily.  Change light bulbs, touch up paint, fill in cracks in baseboards with caulk, fill in cracks in drywall, etc.

- Open all the window coverings and let in the light.  Nobody wants a dark house. If there is a view that isn't desirable, then maybe you should keep it closed or get window coverings that look a bit better.

- Put away all of your valuables, including medications.  Jeff and I went away for the weekend we had our open house and took all of our most valuable items with us or locked them up in our in-wall hidden safes.  It alleviated the stress and solved the problem of where to put them when people were wandering around the house.

- Kitchen: Clear kitchen countertops of almost everything, with the exception of the bare necessities.  We even took our knife block off the countertop.  Remove everything from the top and sides of fridge (pictures, kid's art, magnets, etc.).

- Bathrooms:  Clear the bathroom countertops of ALL toiletries. Leave only a few decorative items or a floral or plant arrangement. You can leave out your nicest towels or replace the shower curtain if it is looking old.  Remove all soaps, shampoos, etc from the shower.

- Pets:  We don't have pets, but if you have any remove all signs of their existence, as sad as that may be!

- Kids toys:  You can't remove them all, but store the toys in any areas that are out of sight, but can be used when actual life does take place. You know you don't need all of those toys, so store some of them away or actually get rid of them.  This is the time to down size the kid toy collection before you move.

  

- Outside:  Treat your outdoor space like it is another room in your home.  You want everything to be clean, organized, and neat.

• Hide your trash cans
• Coil or hide your hose and gardening tools
• Open up your umbrella and put out the cushions for the outdoor furniture
• Uncover your bbq, pool, or water features
• Freshen up flowers, mulch, etc.

Yes, prepping isn't be fun, but selling your home is.  You will need to step out of your comfort zone when selling but remember it isn't a forever thing.  Happy selling!

<3 mk and jeff

SOLD!

Home.

I have been holding out for a few months now to make it Internet Official, but it no longer needs to be a secret…we sold our home!  In just two short weeks our life as we have known it for six years will drastically change, but in a good way!   Yippie!

This is totally not a picture of Jeff and I, but it was too funny to pass up.
I would put a picture of our sold sign, but it hasn't gone up yet. I promise that when
 it does go up, Jeff and I will re-enact this photo for you.

Being located in the DC Metro area, our town house was under contract extremely quick.  We would like to say it was our hard work, but in reality, the market for sellers is fantastic here.  The shock of being under contract so soon made it even more stressful knowing we needed a new home and fast.  If we were staying in the area, finding a new home is extremely difficult because as you just read, houses are snapped up in a day here.  However, we aren’t staying in the area, we are moving many hours south near the beautiful city of Charlotte, North Carolina.  We have found a home, but that will be kept quiet for a few more days.  We don't want to jinx it.

Blogging about fashion and food over the next few weeks is going to be a bit difficult with all of our essentials being packed up. I’ll be happy if I actually get some meals cooked as we try to get everything ready to go.  I will be filling you in on the process we went through starting with prepping the house for sale, staging, and some packing tips that we have learned as we get ready for the big move.

If you primarily read this blog for the Food and Fashion, there will be an increased focus on the Home over the next few weeks.   If you are not in the process of selling, buying or moving, the way real estate is this spring, you are sure to know somebody who is about to move or put their home on the market.  Please share with them what we have learned!

 <3 mk