Our Dresser Re-do

I can't say that we haven't done anything this month. We've actually been really busy and done a lot of fun things. This project has been finished for a while and just waiting to be posted, so I guess there's no time like the present!

Our place in NY has a lot of space, much more than we're used to. While that is a very good thing, it means that I'm keeping an eye out for pieces of furniture to add to our home. (Amit would probably say I have too much stuff, but technically I have lots of decor, not a lot of furniture.) Our second bedroom serves as a guest room right now and since our bookshelves need to be moved downstairs to fill the basement with some furniture, I needed something to add to upstairs. Since we obviously enjoy building things together, we've decided that if we need a new piece for the house, we're going to try to either build it or do a little re-do.

I found this dresser on Craigslist and since it was right in our price range, Amit ran over after work and snatched it up. I love the idea of two-toned furniture, like this piece, but we went with a more subtle look, based on this one.

Oops. I forgot to take a "before" pic.

Here's what I got!

(Amit didn't want to put the knobs back on the other shelves,

I guess I can't really  blame him.)

Drawers are out...

Let the painting begin (again)!

In the middle of painting...
(Obviously we focus more on painting, than picture taking.) 

And our finished product!

I think we'll be going with a beach-themed guestroom, since the dresser has some shell accents. It'll be our little piece of the east coast in our NY home! Now I just need to find a new piece of furniture to work on...

Our Latest Primal Recipes

Apologies for the lack of posts! Between school assignments, student teaching, and my quick weekend visits to NY, time has gone by way too quickly! (And I've been slacking on my blogging!) I'm back in Mass now, busy with school and student teaching. It's so great being back in the classroom! I've already been busy with assignments, and I have my first faculty observation tomorrow (eek!). It's hard to believe that we've already been in school for three weeks! Now I only have to survive three more months before I'm back in NY for good. I have a feeling that with all the work I need to do, it will fly by! Now that I've talked about the work I'm supposed to be doing right now, I'll get back to my blogging break.

Aside from our occasional "cheat" treats, I'm primal and still going strong. Amit's been mostly primal, though he can't quite give up the beer, burgers, and wings. My favorite part of being primal has been finding new recipes to experiment with! Cooking together is one of our favorite things to do, and we definitely miss being together in the kitchen every night.

Here are some of our favorite new recipes. Some aren't totally primal, but we tweak it to make it work!

Taco Salad

So easy and we don't even miss the tortillas!

A really easy veggie bake.

And a burger made of  local, grass-fed beef!

Zucchini Lasagna

It wasn't too bad, but I wasn't impressed.

Think I'll just skip the whole lasagna thing. 

Too much work!

Our absolute favorite new recipe - 

Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers.

AMAZING!

I'm trying to get creative and eat more vegetables.
Brussels sprouts with cranberry-pistachio pesto works for me!

For my sweet tooth - 

Fruit with whipped or plain cream.

Oh, and the occasional piece of dark chocolate.

Hopefully I made you good and hungry! In addition to the cooking and schoolwork, we've been doing some hiking, but haven't taken many pictures. Next weekend, Amit is headed back to MA and we're planning to head up to Keene to do some hiking. I promise, I will take pictures then!