More Decor Updates In The Dining Room

As you read this, I am more than likely covering my little grandson, aka Peanut, in hugs and kisses!  I have been posting photos on my Facebook page so be sure to head over there after you are done here.

Of all of the rooms in our new home I'd have to say I am enjoying decorating the dining room most of all.  Of course I am now 99.9% finished so, next time, another room could be my favorite LOL.  But when you consider that we moved in a bit over 2 months ago, the dining room has seen some major transformations already!  

It's gone from this

To this

To this! 

Do you see one of the new additions?

How about now?

Mr. B and I knew we wanted to add 2 more chairs to the dining set and I was sooo excited when I saw that Cost Plus World Market had their furniture on sale for 25% off! (actually, I see that the sale is still going on!) I high tailed it to my local store and picked up 2 of the Verona chairs that match our set. Luckily, they were still in the box in my car because, the next day, Mr. B saw the ad and upon discussion we decided to take them back and get two of the Greyson chairs.

Perfect choice if you ask me!

I believe they add just that right amount of elegance without being stuffy. 

The new chairs aren't the only change in the room. I had been keeping an eye out for "something" to go over the buffet.  A mirror, art, etc., I just knew that perfect "something" would let me know it was right when I saw it.

And by golly, it did!  Right next door to my Cost Plus World Market is a Ross store.  After I loaded up the second set of chairs I thought I may as well stop in and take a look around.  I rounded a corner and Voila!  There she was!  

THE PERFECT SOMETHING! And, at less than what I had budgeted to pay too!

The aged silver compliments all of the brown tones in the room without being too contemporary.

And, the size is just right for over the buffet.

I love the design on the frame too!

Now for the final decor update for today! When I saw this 3-piece mirror set in the Target ad, 

I had knew I had to get it!  Am I glad I didn't hesitate!  It was the last one in stock at my Target!

Just the right thing to fill in the wall between the drapes!

Each frame has a different design with the middle one mimicking the pattern on the drapes! Squeee!  Perfect, right? 

I am still on the lookout for a different table to go under the front window to complete this room but, it can wait.  

That spot will soon be filled with a Christmas tree anyway!

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Pumpkin Trifle With Caramel Sauce

This post brought to you by Carton Smart. All opinions are 100% mine.

 I was given the opportunity to Become Carton Smart as I start my holiday baking. Have you ever noticed or paid attention to the package our holiday baking ingredients come in? I was thrilled when I saw that the Carton Smart Pacific Foods Organic Pumpkin Puree that I used in my recipe below came packaged in a carton instead of a can! It is one small step in the right direction! 

As small as the packaging is, it doesn't take up a ton of room in my pantry or the waste cycle! 

And, I know I will be using the Pacific Foods Chicken Stock to make turkey gravy as well as putting the Pacific Foods Cranberry Sauce on the Thanksgiving table in a few weeks!

This infographic explains more about Carton Smart

I was challenged to create a holiday recipe by swapping out one of my ingredients with one of these ingredients from Pacific Foods. I, of course, chose the Pumpkin Puree because, we all know, I am a huge Pumpkin Eater!!

Pumpkin Trifle With Caramel Sauce

Adapted from The Daily Meal

For the cake :

• 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the Bundt pan
• Flour for the Bundt pan
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• One 16-ounce Carton of Pacific Foods Organic Pumpkin Puree
• Whipped cream topping

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 14-cup Bundt pan. Set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together for 3 minutes, scraping the bowl down as needed. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping the bowl down in between additions. Add the vanilla extract.

Add 1/2 of the dry ingredients, followed by all of the sour cream. Blend in the remaining dry ingredients. Mix in the pumpkin purée.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 75 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and cool completely.

For the caramel sauce :

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Place the butter, brown sugar, and salt in small saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream. Set aside to cool completely, stirring occasionally.

Assembling the Trifles:

Cut a large slice of cake, (save the rest of the cake to eat at another time) crumble and place about ¼ cup into each trifle bowl. Drizzle with caramel sauce; add another ¼  cup of crumbled cake, drizzle with more caramel sauce. Top with whipped cream and finish with another drizzle of caramel sauce.

Here is even more information about how you too can become Become Carton Smart:

Tweet @CartonSmart  Follow #CartonSmart on Pinterest

Now, tell me, how do you plan on being #Carton Smart this holiday season? Will it be your New Year's resolution?

You're Gonna Love It - Week 79

Happy Veterans Day!

I want to thank all of the men and women who give up their lives everyday for our safety and the privileges we take for granted! Whether on the battlefield or here at home, your sacrifice to life and family is never to be forgotten.

I hope you have all been well this past week. I am furiously getting ready for my quicky trip this next weekend to see my son and his beautiful family!  It's been over a year and I miss them every stinkin' day! To be able to hug them all will be a dream come true!

Because I will be gone, there will not be a party next week. I want to spend every second with them and I hope you understand.  I will post double features the following week to make it up to you!

I'm ready to party, how about you?

Last weeks most viewed link came from Alice who blogs at Mums Make Lists

Alice shared a poem about the sadness all of us moms feel as our children grow up.  Watching them go from babies to men and women is something we seemed to all related to. If you missed it, you must go by and read it, tissue at the ready!  Thank you so much Alice, be sure to grab yourself an I've Been Featured button and display it proudly!

Let's Party!
Feel free to link up anything you have created.

Recipes, decor, crafts, written or photographed.

Anything you are so proud of

you just gotta share it with others.

I will reserve the option of deleting

any post that I do not feel fits the

theme of my blog. 

Please limit your link ups to

just 2 or 3. 

I love to spotlight

some of my favorites on my

Facebook page and pin them to my 
You're Gonna Love It Tuesday board on Pinterest so,

be sure to follow me there too!

As always, you don't have to
be a follower
in order to link up.
 I want you to follow
Kathe With An E
because you want to.
Not because it is required.

Sign up to receive my updates by email.

I would also love it if you would link back

in some way so that others come and party with us.
Either grab the party button
or add my blog link
to your post or on your
  blog party page.
But again, it's not required.

I ask that you please 

DO NOT link up

giveaways, Etsy shops or anything for sale.

Save those for the first Tuesday of each month
when,

Anything Goes!

Please remember, this is a party

so, after you link up,

mingle around
and visit some of the other party guests.

*By linking up your post, you are giving Kathe With An E permission to use your pictures as a feature on this blog and other social media outlets.

Be sure to stop by and visit these other great linky parties this week!

DIY Christmas Decor Craft

I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet but I was in a crafting mood and what better craft than a Christmas craft?

A quick trip Michael's, coupons in hand of course, and I had my supplies.

I started by painting the wooden oval block all white, except for the edges. 

I then painted the bird house a robin egg blue, with some white craft paint to give it an icy cold look.  Finally, I painted the roof and edges bright white with just a touch of gold on the tip of steeple. 

Once it was all dry I I hot glued the bird house, the tree and the figure all to the board and then slathered the roofs and edges and the wooden block with Mod Podge and sprinkled the frosted snow all over.

The puppy and the squirrel make me think of Max.

This was such an easy project I can see making more and creating my own DIY Christmas village!  

How about you?  Have you started on your Christmas projects yet?

Follow my blog by email

Click here to see where I may be partying this week.

AND
Don't forget to come by on Tuesday's

for the link party.

You're Gonna Love It - Week 78

Happy November friends! 

I hope everyone that celebrates Halloween had a safe and fun day!
We only had a handful of trick or treaters so, next year I will not buy as much candy as we have waaay too much left.  I will be putting some aside and freezing it for cookies and such though. Not that that will keep it from migrating to my hips and further south!  

In the good news department, Mr. B was able to score me a cheap, fast trip to Connecticut in a few weeks for my youngest son's birthday annnnd to see my little peanut!  It's been over a year since I have kissed those sweet cheeks and, I am so excited to see him, my son and my beautiful future daughter-in-law!! 

Sounds like a great reason to party to me so let's get to gettin'!

Last weeks most viewed link came to us from Bev who blogs at 
Tablescapes By Bev

Bev shared her estate sale finds which included these gorgeous vintage blue goblets! I would have been first in line to grab these myself! Thank you Bev! Be sure to grab yourself an I've Been Featured button and display it proudly!

Now on to the party!

It's the first Tuesday of the month so,

Anything Goes this week!!

You can link up your regular posts as always 

but, this week you can also link up your giveaways, 

your Etsy shops, your Ebay stores,

your own link parties!

Anything and everything!

All I ask is that you keep it clean and

family friendly and try to limit your posts to only 5 link ups.

I reserve the option of deleting any post that I do not feel fits the

theme of my blog.

As always, you don't have to be a follower in order to link up. I want you to follow Kathe With An E because you want to. Not because it is required.

Sign up to receive my updates by email.

I would also love it if you would link back in some way so that others come and party with us. Either grab the party button or, add my blog link 

to your post or on your blog party page. But again, it's not required.  

Just remember, this is a party so, please, after you link up, mingle around and visit some of the other party guests.

*By linking up your post, you are giving Kathe With An E permission to use your pictures as a feature on this blog and other social media outlets.

Be sure to stop by and visit these other great linky parties this week!

Guest Bedroom - A Work In Progress

As you can see from the new look of the blog, some changes have taken place. I love the new look and again have to thank Brooke from 

Uplifted Designs

Brooke was the one that did my blog redesign last year too.  

I love how easy she is to work with and how she just "gets" me and what I want! If you are thinking of updating your blog, give Brooke a shout 

and tell I sent you!

In keeping with the new looks theme, I believe I have mentioned somewhere in the past that the previous owners of our new home had several little girls? And that they had decided to paint their bedroom a very very pink pink? In high gloss paint?  Well, If I haven't before, yes, all of that is true.

These photos don't even begin to show just how bright of pink this room was.

And shiny bright pink.

What you don't see are all of the princess, butterfly and other stickers little girls love, all over the walls.  

Suffice it to say, we kept the door to this room shut at all times!

A few weekends ago, I was lounging on the couch and I heard something going on in the back of the house. I got up and and found Mr. B with a can of primer and a brush in his hand.  He'd had enough and could take no more of this assault on our sense of sight.

He had already begun the tedious task of cutting in when I found him.

In no time at all he had all of the walls primed and ready for paint.  

He could have left it like this and it truly would look so much better than before.

We had already discussed that when the time came that we painted this room we would use the color that is in the rest of the house.  The previous home owners had left a tiny bit left in a can in the basement so we went to Home Depot and the fine folks there were about to get a darn near perfect match for us.

By the end of the weekend, he had two coats up and it looks beautiful!

I got the some pictures and other pieces up on the wall to help add to the warmth the room now has.

And, I am on the lookout at the thrift stores, garage sales and Craigslist for a dresser to go on this wall.  A mirror would be a nice find too as well as some beside tables. Just like everything else, 

the guest bedroom is a work in progress.

My goal is to make the room a restful place for weary guests to lay their heads and be able to enjoy there visit with us.

Follow my blog by email

Click here to see where I may be partying this week.

AND
Don't forget to come by on Tuesday's

for the link party.