WHERE MY LIFE HAS TAKEN ME....

GOSH, IT HAS BEEN FOREVER SINCE I HAVE BLOGGED....please FORGIVE me!  I was hoping to stick to my New's Years Resolution of starting this NEW BLOG, but some things can happen so fast that you feel like you are in a whirlwind!!!  

MY LIFE LATELY  - 

WORK: is extremely busy and I am so honored for that!  I am having the time of my life designing gorgeous New Homes and Renovating others!  I will post updates very soon!  

FAMILY: my oldest has broken her foot and has turned 6 this past month (so planning a birthday party took most of my free-time up) the 3 year old has stopped napping so I don't have those few hours of freedom to blog during that time / Just had spring break and went to enjoy a wonderful get-a-way with some family at the beach!  / Easter is fastly approaching around the corner...Crazy!  Summer will be here before we know it!  & among all of this,.....

We have decided to FINALLY sell our HOME and hope to BUILD again very SOON!  So, all of my organizing that I started this BLOG with motivated me to get the HOUSE ready to SELL!!!

We have been amazed at the number of People interested!!!  If you know of anyone looking in the Madison area, please let me know and I would be happy to talk with them about it!  

I know God has a plan for our family, and we are just putting it in HIS hands and will follow HIS path he has for us!  We have been wanting to build again for almost 4 years when we bought another LOT, but we decided to let the girls get older and be in School more often, before I tried to Tackle another PROJECT for myself....

We both have such mixed emotions about leaving our HOME that we designed and built over 8.5years ago!!! We LOVE our home and hope that whomever buys it (if that happens), will LOVE it as much as we do!!! The girls are going to miss it but are so excited to see the plans we have for their new rooms!!!  

That's another thing taking LOTs of time away from blogging, is meeting with all of the SUBS and getting everything selected, lined up and priced!  (I GUESS MANY OF MY NEW BLOGS WILL BE OF THINGS I AM WORKING ON FOR OUR NEW HOME!)

UPDATE on New Construction project!

Sorry for not blogging lately...We have all been under the weather around here with the CRUD....Finally getting back into the swing of things and playing catch-up with work...I thought on this yucky rainy night that I would download pics I took while out on a few jobsites...

I posted a while back a NEW construction project that was just getting underway...Well, we are moving extrememly fast and I thought I would post some pictures of the TRIM work going into this home!  

DEN - furniture like cabinets to tuck away on either side of the fireplace

KITCHEN 

FRONT OFFICE

MASTER BATHROOM

WET BAR

LOCKER AREA

THESE ARE JUST A FEW AREAS...MORE TO COME SOON!  

What's COOKING....

I haven't cooked as much as usual this week due to being so swamped with work...But the few NEW recipes I have tried are absolutely delicious and very HEALTHY!!! Sometimes it is so hard to find the Healthy recipes that are actually TASTY!!! I thought I would share a few of them!  

MEDITERRANEAN LENTIL SOUP 

Ingredients:

2 ½-3 cups lentils (washed and sorted)

6 cups water  

1 onion 

1 tablespoon olive oil (to be split in the recipe)

1 bell pepper (I used orange)

1 teaspoon salt  

½ teaspoon black pepper  

1 teaspoon cumin 

1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 ½ garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup fresh lime juice 

Directions:

1. Combine the lentils and water in a pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer while preparing other ingredients.
2. Saute the onions in half of the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat for about 4 minutes.
3. Add the bell pepper and saute for a minute or two longer.
4. Add the onion mixture to the lentils. Simmer 15 minutes.
5. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin. Simmer for 15-20 minutes longer.
6. Stir in the cilantro; remove dish from heat.
7. Combine the garlic, lime juice and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a food processor or blender and blend well.
8. Add garlic mixture and lime juice to the lentil mixture. Mix well and serve.

GRILLED LIME CHICKEN with KIWI AVOCADO SALSA 

Ingredients:

Chicken:

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken breast 
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1tablespoon lime juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Salsa:

• 2 medium avocadoes, diced
• 3 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 kiwis, peeled and cubed
• ¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• salt to taste

Directions:

Mix olive oil with lime juice. Brush chicken with olive oil mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Spray a grill rack with nonstick spray. Grill chicken until no longer pink.  For salsa, place cubed avocado in a bowl. Add lime juice and stir to coat. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Kitchen VENT-A-HOOD designs...

I get asked the same question atleast once a week about what type of vent-a-hood design would I do if it were my house....Well, there are so many great designs out there, that it truly depends on what style you aim for the most...With that, you have to consider the whole envelope of finishes...(countertop material, backsplash, cabinet style and color, flooring, ceiling detail, lighting, etc...)  I tend to go for something more unique but I still have some clients who are traditional. (nothing wrong with that, but I think it is just what they are familiar with)  I am posting a few favorites that I have seen lately and are more drawn to. (some are more functional than others)  I would love your feedback and see what my readers are liking more these days!  

 VIA: ALL PICS FROM PINTEREST

BEFORE, DURING (& AFTER coming soon!) - Renovation project in Jackson, MS

This is a major renovation project in the Jackson Area!  I went by this week to check on the progress and thought I would share some of the pictures of BEFORE and now (DURING).  We should be completing the interior very soon & then I will share the AFTER pics!  We are also renovating the exterior but it hasn't started yet... I will post as soon as it begins!  These are only a few of the rooms!  We took in another large downstairs den area and made into a garage, laundry, playroom, office & powder bath!  I will show those pics very soon as well!  

KITCHEN #1 (BEFORE)

KITCHEN #1 (DURING)

KITCHEN #2 (BEFORE)

KITCHEN #2 (DURING)

WET BAR/HALL TO NEW LAUNDRY/POWDER BATH (BEFORE)

WET BAR/HALL TO LAUNDRY/POWDER BATH (DURING)

BREAKFAST (BEFORE)

BREAKFAST (DURING)

DEN DOOR TO BACKYARD (BEFORE)

DEN DOORS TO BACKYARD (DURING)

DEN #1 (BEFORE)

DEN #1 (DURING)

DEN #2 (BEFORE)

DEN #2 (DURING)

LIVING -looking into foyer/dining (BEFORE)

LIVING -looking into foyer/dining (DURING)

DINING - looking into foyer/living (BEFORE)

DINING - looking into foyer/living (DURING)

BACK HALLWAY (BEFORE)

BACK HALLWAY (DURING)

HALL GUEST BATH (BEFORE)

HALL GUEST BATH (DURING)

MASTER BATHROOM #1 (BEFORE)

MASTER BATHROOM #1 (DURING)

MASTER BATHROOM #2 (DURING)

MASTER BATHROOM #2 (DURING)