Sometimes I like a very soft and subdued color palette.  Sometimes I don’t, but I always love to mix lots of patterns.  This design board is my dream office.  I guess it actually does look a bit like my real life office space (minus the washer, dryer, exercise bike and litter box).  Maybe one day I can have a quiet and non-stinky office.  Until then I will keep dreaming over at Oilioboard.

      This past summer I was lucky enough to get a special tour of this Utah Valley Parade of Homes model.  This model is special because it won “Best In Show”  for decorating.  And I am very proud to say that my sister-in-law, Lyndee was one half of that winning design team. 

      I don’t even think I can begin to tell you how much I loved this house.  I mean just look at that view.  I love that this great room is flooded with light.  And I love the sleek and modern (but comfortable) feel of the place.

      I often dream of having a clean and streamlined room like this, maybe because it is opposite of what I have now.  With four kids everything is always rumpled looking (and often downright messy).

 This stairway speaks right to my love of all things Industrial.

      And I will leave you with the view from the living area into the adjoining kitchen.  Yeah I’m going to be mean and make you wait until next week to take a closer look at the gorgeous kitchen.  Thanks for stopping by for this week’s “Inspiration”, hope you all have a great week!

      It has been a full month of healthy eating for our family.   So far everything is going pretty well.  We are however missing some of our favorites, like Poptarts.  Who doesn’t love Poptarts?  They are warm, yummy, and quick to fix.  The only thing holding me back from buying cases of these is one, the price and two, they aren’t “clean enough” eating.  I think I found a way to make everyone pretty happy with this recipe.

     This first thing I did to make my homemade poptarts ”clean enough”  was to find an oil pie crust recipe.  You can click on the link for the recipe.  I used olive oil for the oil in this crust.  I put the oil in the freezer for 20 minutes before I mixed up the dough.  I also sifted the flour before measuring it.  Before I rolled out the dough, I refrigerated it for 15 minutes.  To make it easier to roll out and clean up I rolled the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap.

      I made my own template for the poptarts but you could just wing it too.  I used my fancy new wheeled cutter/crimper.

 Pumpkin poptarts.  I used store-bought pumpkin.

 Cherry poptarts.  I used canned cherry pie filling.

      Add a top.  You will have to seal the edges to keep the insides in.  I just wet the lower edge with water and pushed the top down into the bottom.  I poked a little hole in the middle for venting.  I baked these at 400 degrees for fifteen minutes.

      I finished these with a bit of glaze (store-bought, I’m all for easy if it’s not too unhealthy).  I know these aren’t really picture worthy but hey, they taste a lot better than they look (and better than the real thing, if I say so myself).  These poptarts did take some time to make.  I usually make a batch Sunday morning when we aren’t rushed.  But they are fairly guilt free and they are a heck of a lot cheaper than the real version.  The best thing though is you can make any kind of poptarts you can dream up.

     I say this is having fun with Fiestaware.  Handy Hubby says this is a little O.C.D.  I don’t know about that.  I may be obsessive about designing.  I may be compulsive about making every little thing pretty (even things people rarely, if ever see), but may I say one thing?  This was not my doing.  I opened the cabinet door to get a bowl and found this beautiful rainbow arrangement.  My daughter did this little bit of decorating (yes, the chore jar is still working, yeah!).  So, I guess whatever you want to call it runs in the family

     Sometimes, it’s fun to get on Olioboard and play “What-If”.  I love my real-life kitchen but sometimes I think it would be more exciting if I added more color and pattern.  I would also like to have a more sunny breakfast nook, not to mention finally  install a backsplash.  At Olioboard I can play around with what I already have, butcher block counters and beadboard cabinets and add stuff on my wish list like this copper apron front sink.  Or I can go in a completely new direction.  I am working on a new kitchen board that is sleek and modern, something I love but Handy Hubby hates (see Olioboard saves marriages too).  Come on over to Olioboard and play with me.  Have a wonderful weekend everyone!