Blog - A Life From Scratch.

Paint color tip.

June 10, 2015 / By Courtney / 3 Comments

Is there anything more stressful than settling on a paint color for a room? I know that for some, the thought alone induces sweating and major anxiety (hi mom).

In spending some time (ok, ok lots of time – like many many hours of time) researching the perfect colors for our new great room walls and our cabinets, I stumbled upon this quote and it completely resonated with me:

Why do I like this color? Because of the way it reflects on your skin. It’s feminine and soft. It’s almost like you’ve got a little glow in your cheeks. That’s what you want in the morning when you wake up and have no makeup on. – Charlotte Moss

In the past, I always thought about paint colors in terms of what would flatter the room itself, not the occupants who live there. But this completely made sense and was such a fresh point of view. Of course you want a flattering shade for yourself on the wall! Take the wrong shade of white for instance. It can yellow and even (gasp!) make you look older. Not cool.

From now on, paint choices will be made in terms of how they look in the room, in certain light, and next to skin tones, preferably us moms. Because let’s face it. We can use all the help we can get.

Oh and what color is she talking about? Well that would be Benjamin Moore’s Pink Damask. It’s a crazy fleshy almost nude pink. It’s filed under their white collection and made the cut for their 2015 paint colors of the year. Score.

Here’s hoping it works…

And the cabinets. I have to laugh when people say they have ‘white‘ cabinets. Oh my goodness there are so many different shades! After staring at 4 samples of white for nearly 3 months, I landed on Benjamin Moore’s Simply White. It’s perfection in the room. Creamy and warm, but still reads white white that has a beautiful glow. I love it.

How do you choose paint colors? Are you quick and effective or do you agonize over the decision? I’d love to hear about your process in a comment below!

Grilled fajitas.

June 8, 2015 / By Courtney / 8 Comments

An entire meal – protein, veggies, starch – that I can grill?

Well, being kitchen-less, that is music. to. my. ears.

It’s funny what went down the day my kitchen was ripped apart. I had about 6 offerings of dear friends’ garage codes (‘just come in any time to cook!’) and many texts and phone calls that started with… ‘are you ok?’

People! There is more to me than food!

Ok, that’s a lie. But in all seriousness it – gasp! – hasn’t been that bad.

Yep. I may still be in the honeymoon phase of it all, and perhaps it’s the ‘expect the absolute worse’ in me that generally leads to being pleasantly surprised about these shenanigans. I honestly think the anticipation of it all was way worse than the reality.

Look, we did this at the smartest time possible. It’s nice out. We grill. The pool is open. We eat there. We are jam packed most weekends with friends’ bbqs and parties and baseball and birthdays. This is playing out seemingly well so far.

And the best part? Cabinets are already here. And mostly installed. Yep. Next up, countertops and that means a SINK! We are in the final stretch, my friends.

But back to the featured food because it’s worth discussing. It doesn’t get any simpler than these grilled fajitas. The only other ingredients not pictured are olive oil, salt, and pepper. It’s all you need (i.e. minimal prep and clean up). Score. Major bonus that these are absolutely delicious and the perfect thing to eat on the patio in June with a stiff margarita.

Grilled Fajitas

2015-06-04 14:59:24

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Ingredients

1.5 lbs skirt steak
1 red pepper, cut into large chunks
1 yellow pepper, cut into large chunks
1 red onion, cut into large chunks
tortillas
olive oil
salt
pepper
cilatro, chopped
homemade guac, from the store

Instructions

Preheat a grill to medium heat.
Rub steak, peppers and onions with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grill veggies until nice char marks appear on both sides - roughly 5-8 minutes. Grill meat a few minutes a side.
Remove and slice everything up. Place tortillas on grill for 20 seconds or so on each side.
Scatter cilantro on top and dig in!

Adapted from a kitchenless ALFS

A Life From Scratch. https://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Father’s Day gift guide.

June 7, 2015 / By Courtney / 24 Comments

Let’s hear it for Dad! I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a pretty great one, and M totally follows suit. I can’t tell you how many times I tell friends ‘he’s such a great dad.’ He’s that diaper changing, take them golfing at age 2, coach the baseball team, handled the 3AM feeding (sometimes), runs them in the yard while mom gets a pedicure, joins in for school conferences Dad. Couldn’t ask for anything more for my boys.

So, it’s time to spoil him! Here are a few things that caught my eye for Father’s Day…

1. This card made me laugh.

2. Because his sandals from last summer are oh so gross.

3. A super manly and practical way to jazz up the bar cart.

4. Because his love for the Cubs never ends. And he always seems to need a pen.

5. Whiskey spheres are all the rage right now.

6. This tie strikes the perfect balance between summery and festive, but not cheesy.

7. Because he loves to grill.

8. You can’t go wrong with this polo, which M has in a few colors. Please note he also calls it his ‘skinny’ shirt since whenever he wears it he gets asked if he’s been working out. That would a no. When would he have the time?

What do YOU have planned for the special dads in your life this year? I’d love to know your ideas – leave a comment below!

*The fine print: this post contains affiliate links which means that if you use these links to make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. Of course, you are not obligated to use these links to make your purchase but please know that when you do, it supports my blog and for that I thank you.

Shaking things up.

June 5, 2015 / By Courtney / 24 Comments

Last week we got the news that a dear friend of L’s was having a rough few days. Typical routine kid surgery that went a bit off; she was stable and OK (thank goodness!), but needed a little cheering up and cozy comfort for her recovery.

My mom had the oh so wonderful idea of making her a DIY no sew blanket. Normally, I would run from something like this at lighting speed. I don’t have the patience for the exact precision that these types of events need, but, my mom assured me we could do it and the video guiding us through made it look like a piece of cake.

And it was.

Like, so easy I barely needed my mom’s expertise… although she did help me a lot by hunting down the adorable fabric and getting it all started. Isn’t it darling? I have to say, this was the exact perfect thing to do to shake up my usual routine. I was feeling a bit lost without the ability to be creative in the kitchen. Major bonus that there was a shot of hot pink in my home!

Even if it was for only a day.

Feel better O, we love you!