Dreaming of my next home

Things around here have been on hold lately in the "decoration," "remodel," and a "fix-things" way due to an uncertainty of where we'll be in the next year or so.  My husband is on the search for a position in academia which could take us anywhere in the world. However we'd like to remain in the U.S. (to be within an easier distance to family.)  This Fall he'll hopefully land a dream job in a place where we can raise a family and be happy.  We love Durham, so it's a possibility we could stay here. Our current house, a mere 1,495 square feet is quickly closing in on us with three kids.   So I'm dreaming of what style our next house will be.

Do we go with what we find really convenient with lots of masculine style, a one story mid-century modern ranch like this:

A cute two story shingle style house with a wrap around porch:

An old two story house with lots of potential for remodeling:

A super hip modern block house with a fun punchy front door:

A modern country house with lots of open windows in a beautiful setting with lots of space between neighbors:

Or a Victorian row house in the heart of the city close to shopping and fun, but not much outdoor space for the kids:

There are so many choices when it comes to house style and we go back and forth as to what style we want. We definitely know we want enough outdoor space for the kids to play, a fair size house for our big family to spread out, and at least a two car garage to park some cars and have some space for a workshop. We would prefer a house that is a fixer upper so we can turn it into a house that's perfect for us. They always say find the worst house in the best neighborhood, so that is always on my mind.  Good schools is a definite must have on our list.  Our school-age child goes to an excellent school now, so if we end up staying in Durham, anywhere around a certain radius of the school would be okay, although high schools are a factor. 

We'll see what the year has in store for us.  Once Joe lands a great job, the real house hunt will begin I suppose. Until then, I'll keep dreaming about all these beautiful houses. 

xo

Cathleen

All images are found on Houzz.com. 

Where's the crust Pizza

Here's the dilemma in my house (of many food dilemma's when trying to eat differently from the rest of your family.)  Every Friday around 3 PM I start pizza dough in our bread maker to make fresh pizza that evening. It takes about 2 hours in the bread maker, 20 minutes to assemble it, and 20 minutes to bake it. By the time it's finished, it's well worth the wait and tastes delicious. However lately I've been trying to cut carbs in order to cut some fat!  So even though I still make pizza for my family, I make this little recipe for myself instead. It tastes great and I found it on Pinterest. My "go-to" source for low-carb recipes lately. I have left overs for a week too, so bonus!

So here it is, "Where's the crust pizza"

Recipe:

Crust
1 (8 oz) package of full fat cream cheese, room temperature
2 eggs
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Topping
1/2 cup pizza sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
toppings - pepperoni, ham, sausage, mushrooms, peppers, olives, pineapple (pretty much whatever you like on your pizza.) I used only veggies and Tofurkey brand sausage.
Garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350.

Lightly spay a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. With a handheld mixer, mix cream cheese, eggs, pepper, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese until combined. Spread into baking dish. Bake for 12-15 minutes, our until golden brown. Allow crust to cool for 10 minutes.

Spread pizza sauce on crust. Top with cheese and toppings. Sprinkle pizza with garlic powder. Bake 8-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Enjoy your guilt-free pleasure. :)

xo
Cathleen

Summer side dish

I'm sorry for being so lax about the blog lately. It has been a long relaxing summer with the kids all home.  It's so hard to get home projects done in the summer for some reason. Maybe's it's the heat. The humidity. The relaxed family time on the weekends. Trying to soak it all in and chill out for a bit on the home repairs.  I've also been focused like crazy on eating right and exercising.  It must be bathing suit weather!  I've been on a low-carb kick lately, so I wanted to share some of the recipes I've been trying on Pinterest.  This pin inspired me to use my fresh basil from the garden to make a Basil, Mozzarella, and Tomato salad. 

The recipe is simple:

Cherry or grape tomatoes

Fresh mozzarella

Fresh basil

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix everything together and serve!  This recipe stayed fresh all week in the fridge too.

Hope you're enjoying your summer and all the fresh eats!

xo
Cathleen