Curb Appealing

Over the past month I have been giving some sneak peeks into the front of my home.  There have been a few new projects this Spring to spruce things up and now I am ready for a reveal!!

Welcome to my “Home Sweet Home”

I have a passion for older homes, but not all of the problems associated with them.  We bought this house 8 years ago and I fell in love instantly.  Here we get a little bit of the feel and charm of an older home in a new house.  Our whole neighborhood was created to to embrace this feeling.  Every home has a front porch, many have garages on the back that lead into alleys or garages that are set back from the front of the house, and all are made to replicate the styles of older homes.

While the house is more of a farm style, I have a small passion for cottage style and have tried to bring that out in the accents on the outside.

You may recall these Chevron window boxes that I finished up this spring.  The flowers are already filling them up nicely!!Many years I go with a simpler color pallet for my flowers.  This year I really wanted a wide variety of colors to play off of the colors on the boxes.

You may also recall these House Number burlap planters that I made for the front steps.

Almost every year I do something different with the pillows on the front porch.  This year I went bold and colorful.

I can’t imagine a front porch without a fern surrounded by vintage accessories.  Could you??  Just wouldn’t be right.

I had to have a red front door, it seemed like the only logical color to go along with the yellow house.  And, it provides a great contrast to any color of wreath.

 

The day I painted the door red I thought I had better bring a little bit of red to the garage side as well, so I painted these planters red to try and tie the two areas of the house together.

And, of course I had to introduce you to my two favorite plants:  Brad and Angelina.  These two vines, who were transplanted to their current location last year, have long been a competition of sorts between my husband and I.  His is obviously named Angelina and mine Brad.  What’s the competition??  Whose grows the fastest of course.  Pretty much a tie so far this year. :(

Working on the outside of my house is my absolute favorite thing to do and I love that I get to share this with you.  Thank you for visiting and coming on the tour with me!

 

 I don't always make it to all of these parties each week but I sure do love them all.

Mondays

Alderberry HillAsk AnnaBetween Naps on the Porch

DIY Home Sweet HomeMaking the World Cuter

Be ColorfulSumos Sweet StuffDebbie Doo's

The DIY ShowoffSouthern Hospitality

My 1929 CharmerThe Southern Institute

Tuesdays

Crafty Texas GirlsJillify ItTip Junkie

Not Just a HousewifeMy Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Wednesdays

Handy Man, Crafty Woman Embracing Change

Savvy Southern StylePrimitive and ProperThe NY Melrose Family

Thursdays

The Shabby Creek CottageYesterday on TuesdayThe Brambleberry Cottage

The Vintage FarmhouseSomewhat SimpleHouse of Hepworths

Fireflies and JellybeansA Glimpse InsideSaved by Love Creations

Seven Alive Crafty, Scrappy, HappyThrifty DecoratingThe Charm of Home

The Crafty BlogstalkerThe Artsy Girl Connection 52 Mantels

Fridays

Blissful and DomesticShabby NestRomantic Home

Finding FabulousRemodelaholicThe French Country Cottage

WhipperberryChic on a ShoestringStuff and Nonsense

Naptime CraftersSimply DesigningOne Artsy Mama

Days of Chalk and ChocolateAt the Picket Fence

RedouxAddicted 2 Decorating Tatortots and Jello

Saturdays

Funky Junk InteriorsLolly Jane Boutique

Serenity You Too Much Time

Be Different Act NormalSix Sisters StuffPositively Splendid

Love Notes by LaurynIt's Overflowing

Sundays

I Heart NaptimeNifty ThriftyPetite Hermine

Cherished TreasuresTwigg StudiosFlamingo Toes

Thank you to all of these amazing sites that are 

so gracious to host each week!

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Half- Bath Dilemma: Beadboard or Board and Batten

 

The last few days I have been really contemplating a new project and I love it when one pretty much slaps you right in the face.  We have a half- bath that is right off of our kitchen that has not been touched since the day we moved in…kinda sounds like the perfect candidate for an overhaul!

As you may have noticed, I love cottage style.  It may be a small obsession of mine to turn our two story into a cottage.  

There are two things that scream cottage to me:  1) beadboard and 2) board and batten. So of course I have gone straight to these to get my inspiration.   Now what to choose???  Here are some amazing pics that I have found to help me get started.

I am loving on this beadboard with the bold contrasting color above.  Such a clean and crisp look.

 

via BHG

This is a shorter version with an all white, very vintage style.

 

via BHG

Does anyone else love how they went with an almost grey/taupe beadboard in contrast to the super white walls???  I sure do.  And, of course, love the black accents.  Totally having some of those in my bathroom.

 

Via pinterest- no original source found

 

Here again, I so love the shorter beadboard, black accents, and of course the wallpaper is to die for!!

 

via The House Creative

This next bath has a more distressed beadboard which I am kind of loving on.  And that little round mirror looks just perfect.

 

via BHG

And now onto the board and batten.  Again with the grey and the super white walls…love it!  The simplicty is awesome but, I may need a little punch of color.

 

via My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

This board and batten with the sweet little shelf atop is perfection. 

 

traditional powder room design by seattle architect Goforth Gill Architects

via Houzz

So, what do you think?  If you have any inspiration pictures or ideas that you would like to share they would be so appreciated!!

I will keep you updated on what I decide. :)

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Memorial Day Strawberry Cream Pie

 

This special holiday marks the beginning of summer for many.  And of course summer means pie. Right?

 

 

I had to share my favorite summer pie with you. If you love strawberries and cream cheese this will be heaven in your mouth. Guaranteed!

Sometimes the best recipes come from the strangest places. Our electric cooperative sends out a newsletter every month. In it is a section for recipes, the best recipes…ever!! I found this in that newsletter years ago and have been loving ever since.

 

 

Strawberry Cream Pie

1- graham cracker pie shell

filling: 8 oz. cream cheese softened

1/4 C. powdered sugar

2 tsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

topping: 3/4 C. sugar

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 1/3 C. cold water

1/4 C. strawberry jello powder

(I use the whole package of the small sugar free jello)

3 C. sliced strawberries

Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Carefully spread mixture over crust. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and cold water until smooth, bring to a boil. Boil and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin powder until dissolved. Cool to room temp and refrigerate until slightly thickened. Arrange strawberries over the cream cheese filling and spoon gelatin mixture over the top.

Refrigerate 4-5 hours.

Enjoy!

 

And on a special note….

As I was out out antiquing with the family today I found this old American Red Cross poster from WWII. I love how, although it is from years ago, it stands as a reminder of how important it is for those of here in the United States to support our troops in any way that we possibly can. What we do does matter.

And, on this day of remembering those who have lost their lives to support our freedoms it becomes even more important.

 

 

Thank you to all of our current service men and women and to those who have come before you, you will be remembered.

 

 

 

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Milestone and Giveaway!!

 

I believe in celebrating the little things in life.  As of yesterday, The Hell on Heels Housewife has been visited by 100,000 people.  Yeah!  Truly, when I started this whole thing,  I didn’t know if I was going to even hit 100.

So I felt a little bit of a celebration was in order.  I have been approached by My Memories Suite to offer one of my readers a free copy of their digital scrapbooking software.  I thought that this might be the perfect way to thank my readers for following me on this crazy journey!

I have had my own copy of the My Memories Suite for awhile now and have had the opportunity to play around with it…super fun and easy to use!

 

 

This scrapbook software has been rated #1 by Amazon and Top Ten Reviews.   What I like the most is that there are so many options and so many free items to download.  The possibilities are endless!

So, are you ready to get your own free copy??  Here’s how to get entered:

 

1.  This is a must to get entered.  Go to mymemories.com  and find your favorite digital paper pack and come back and leave me a comment telling me what it is.

2.  For a second chance, but not required.  Help me celebrate my milestone and get me on my way to my next 100,000 by either following me via GFC, LF, or Bloglovin.  I would totally love it if you would.  Leave me a comment so I know!!

3.  And,  if you really feel like partying you could share this giveaway with your own followers.  Let me know this too so I can send some props your way!

This giveaway will end on June 1st.

Of course, if you feel like you just want to order your own software you can go to my sidebar and find the code to get $10 off your purchase of the digital suite and a coupon for $10 off at the My Memories Store.

Thank you so much for stopping by and helping me celebrate today!  I appreciate all of you so much for the friendships and for the incredible support that has been extended to me!!

Have a great weekend!

 

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Piece of Cake Party

My sweet baby turned seven a few weeks ago and I wanted to do something special for her on her special day.  The girl loves dogs so it was a natural assumption that the cake had to be dog related.

I had two hours and two 10” round cakes…here’s what I came up with!

Here’s what I used:

2- 10” chocolate cakes.  I use one chocolate cake recipe in each 10” pan.

2 cans of Duncan Hines Chocolate Fudge frosting

Peanut Butter M&M’s for the eyes/paws/tongue

Wilton tips #3 and #7

It was a fun surprise for her when she came home from school that day and a super fun project to work on!!

We had this cake for her “family” birthday.  Does everyone else have to have two birthday parties for their kids??   One with family and one with friends.   I don’t know how this trend started but it seems like it has turned into a birthday week instead of a day.   Probably my own fault.

For her “friend” party this year we hired Piece of Cake Parties by Paige to come and do the party.  Paige is a former co-worker of mine who has started this awesome birthday party business.  Let’s just say that I left my house to go to the party with nothing.  I had to do absolutely no planning and the price was way less expensive than having a party at home.  Crazy right??

The party was a “#1 Chef” Party.  We went to a local café where the kids made their own pizza and cupcakes and Paige kept them busy with crafts the whole time.  It was awesome.

Here’s my daughter Abby sporting the apron that she created.

Here’s the birthday girl working on making an I-Spy bottle.  The kids filled their bottles with colored rice and little trinkets.  Paige then super glued the lids on the bottles and attached a list of items to find in the bottle.

Making and enjoying cupcakes.

Fun pizza toppings!  Yep, they could even put mac and chees on their pizzas!!

There is nothing better than an egg race while you are waiting for the pizzas to cook.

It was a perfect, stress free day!  All of my kids want Paige to do their next party…thank you Paige!!

To top things off, this is the view out the window from the café…had to throw this in!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

I don’t always make to all of these parties every week but I sure do love them all!

Mondays

Alderberry HillAsk AnnaBetween Naps on the Porch

DIY Home Sweet HomeMaking the World Cuter

Be ColorfulSumos Sweet StuffDebbie Doo's

My 1929 CharmerThe Southern Institute

Tuesdays

Crafty Texas GirlsJillify ItTip JunkieMy Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Wednesdays

Handy Man, Crafty WomanThe Shady PorchEmbracing Change

Savvy Southern StylePrimitive and ProperThe NY Melrose Family

Thursdays

The Shabby Creek CottageYesterday on TuesdayThe Brambleberry Cottage

The Vintage FarmhouseSomewhat SimpleHouse of Hepworths

Fireflies and JellybeansA Glimpse InsideSaved by Love Creations

Seven AliveAKA DesignCrafty, Scrappy, Happy

Thrifty DecoratingNot Just a HousewifeThe Crafty Blogstalker

Our Delightful HomeThe Artsy Girl Connection 52 Mantels

Fridays

Blissful and DomesticShabby NestRomantic Home

Finding FabulousRemodelaholicThe French Country Cottage

WhipperberryChic on a ShoestringStuff and Nonsense

Naptime CraftersSimply DesigningOne Artsy Mama

Days of Chalk and ChocolateAt the Picket Fence

RedouxAddicted 2 Decorating

Saturdays

Funky Junk InteriorsLolly Jane Boutique

Serenity YouTatortots and JelloToo Much Time

Be Different Act NormalSix Sisters StuffPositively Splendid

Love Notes by LaurynIt's Overflowing

Sundays

I Heart NaptimeNifty ThriftyPetite Hermine

Cherished TreasuresTwigg StudiosFlamingo Toes

Thank you to all of these amazing sites that are so gracious to host each week!

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We Need a Vacation Newport Beach Style

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Newport Beach. All opinions are 100% mine.

A few weeks ago we decided that we were going to cut back on a few things, including going out to eat, to try and save money to take a real vacation.  My husband and I have never been anywhere, not even on a honeymoon.  We spent our honeymoon money on a down payment for a new house!  Priorities, right?? 

Our kids have been begging us for years to go somewhere that is out of the state.  Unfortunately, this has always been hard since my husband owns his own small business.  If he is not there things come to a stand still...not good!  But, my kids are growing up.  I am sad.  I need to experience everything I can with them before they don't want to hang with me anymore.  I need to take them on a real vacation. 

I am not a huge fan of the fast paced, commercialized vacations.  I like laid back, quality family time activities.  So, when I was approached by Visit Newport Beach it was like it was meant to be.  Newport Beach is a gorgeous, idyllic laid back beach town with beaches that are ranked in the 10 best for families.   The Newport Beach video drew me instantly!

   

I knew I had to dig into deeper and check this place out. I love it when you can go to one website and get all of the information that you need to make your vacation plans.  The Visit Newport Beach site does an excellent job of making vacation planning simple.  On this site you can choose a tab such as "What to Do" or "Where to Stay" and get all of the information that you need to find a hotel or destination and make reservations.  Perfect!

We are an outdoorsy family.  We love water and all things associated with it.  Within minutes I had a complete vacation planned that met all of our outdoorsy needs.  Here's what we would do: 

1. Take a whale watching cruise with Newport Landing Spearfishing and Whale Watching.  You can't do any whale watching here in South Dakota!

2.  Go sailing in Newport Bay.  We have sailing in South Dakota on a river...cannot even imagine what it would feel like on the ocean!

3.  Take a photo walking tour.  This tour hosted by TourWalking.com takes you on a walking tour led by a professional photographer who  gives you photo tips on the way. 

4.  Hiking in Upper Newport Bay

5.  A vacation would not be complete without a kayak adventure.  China Cove Kayak Adventures offers a kayak tour of the Newport Harbor which includes viewing multimillion dollar yachts (totally cool) and a trip to Pirates Cove Beach, where Gilligans Island and Gidget were filmed!

6.  Newport Beach also has neumerous kids camps.  I found one at Newport Sea Base that offers week and day camps for kids that focus on things like sailing, canoeing, kayaking, and basic water skills.  How fun!!

I would love to hear some feedback if anyone has ever had the pleasure of experiencing this amazing place and of course would love any other suggestions on places to visit while we are there. 

When we are done on our adventures we would head back to our hotel.  My kids love hotels...totally their favorite part of a vacation.  So, where we stay is super important.   I found the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach Hotel  to meet all of our needs. 

Can you imagine a hotel with 3 outdoor pools, golf course, bike rentals, volleyball, table tennis, shuffleboard, and tennis courts??  Ok, this would blow my kids minds!!  And they allow pets, which is an essential for us!!  I love that they are a family friendly destination and even have a special if you buy one room you can get a connecting room for the kids at 50% off.  With three kids this is essential.  If you are headed this way call 1-800-233-1234 for more details. 

While the kids and hubby are hanging at the pool, I will definitely be headed to the boutique shops at Balboa Island Marine Ave. Probably taking a lot of pics and blogging about them the next day ;)

Sounds like a fabulous vacation.  Now is the time to get away from the hustle and bustle and make memories with my family!!

 

 

   

 

 

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Cowboy Caviar

What you may not know about me is that I hate to cook.  Baking I enjoy, cooking is torturous. 

This winter was a little hard on my waistline, so I have decided to strive to make more things homemade with healthier ingredients.  My stipulations are that they are recipes with fewer than ten ingredients and take less than ten minutes to make.

This weekend I put together one of my favorites.  This recipe is so simple and delicious.  And, it is so healthy that I don’t even count the calories when I eat it!!

 

 

Here’s what you need to make this perfect summer treat:

1 can black eyed peas

1 can black beans

1 can white corn

1 large green pepper (chopped)

5 roma tomatoes (diced)

1 bunch green onion (chopped)

8 oz. Italian dressing (I use the fat free)

Mix it all together and you have the perfect accompaniment to baked Tostitos scoops or whatever kind of chip you prefer!!  Serves many!!  (It is hard to stop eating, so if you are watching your salt intake you may want to take it easy on it).

My summer veggies are off to a great start and the next time I make this I am thinking I will have fresh veggies to use!

This salsa garden is probably already to big for its container and I am thinking I may have to do some transplanting.

 

 

I get so excited when I see the first veggies of the year!  Sometimes I add a jalapeno to this recipe to give it a little kick.

 

 

I am always looking for great recipes that fit into my criteria.  If you have anything that you love and would like to share with me please pass it on!!  It would be so appreciated!!

Have a great week!

 

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