Where do you blog?

I saw this question on Centsational Girl and I thought it was a really interesting discussion to have. We're all bloggers and we're all inspired by our blogger friend's posts. But we all have crazy lives and have to make time to blog.

So where you do sit when you blog?

Is there a special place in your house where you can go and hide to catch up on your favorite blogs?

I'd like to show you were I usually blog...

1. The family room couch

I sit right in that crack between the seats so I don't lean to one side or the other. I set up a tray table to put my computer on and another one for my food.

I usually sit here when I want to watch tv on our big flat screen. It's also the perfect space to hang out while I'm doing laundry since the laundry room is only a few steps away.

2. The bed

I'd live in my bed if I could! It's comfy, it's light, and it's relaxing. I usually blog from here at night when I'm browsing blogs or hanging out in the bedroom with Hubby and Kitty. I use this little lap desk to keep my laptop from burning my legs.

And here's my tv so I can watch while I blog.

So show me where you blog!
I'd love to see where you hang out when you're reading blogs!

Yummy Toffee Coconut Cookie Bars

Over the weekend, Hubby and I were sitting in bed watching our usual Saturday night crime shows. (I call it Crime Time Saturday) Anyway, he left to get his laptop and disappeared! I didn't even realize how long he was gone until he came back with a smile on his face. He told me he had dessert in the oven!

Good hubby! He knows how much I love surprises and dessert! Once the timer went off, he came back with a huge plate of these and a cold glass of milk to munch on while we watched Law & Order SVU. I was in heaven!

So in honor of his yummy surprise, I wanted to share it with you.

Toffee Coconut Cookie Bars

Ingredients:
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3.5 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup toffee bits (I used Heath Bits O'Brickle toffee bits)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 3 eggs

Preheat over to 350.

Lightly grease 9x9 baking pan.

Beat all dry ingredients in a large bowl until blended.

Add wet ingredients gradually and beat until blended.

Pour into greased baking pan and spread evenly.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy with a cold glass of milk : )

Chicken Couscous Salad

I'm always looking for easy, healthy recipes I can make on the weekends. Then I can just heat up leftovers during the week when I'm tired after work. I came across this recipe (adapted from Cooking Light) and thought it would be perfect for a few dinners last week.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1.5 cups)

Ingredients:

Salad:

• 1 1/4 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
• 5.7 oz. box uncooked couscous
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
  
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/4 c chopped red onion
  
• 1 cup diced cucumber
• 1/4 t dried parsley
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1/2 crumbled feta
• 1 T lemon juice
  
  Dressing:
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 T olive oil
• 1/2 t ground cumin
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/8 t fresh ground pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Directions:
1. Boil chicken broth in a medium saucepan.

2. Once boiling, gradually stir in couscous. Remove pot from heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

3. Pour couscous into a large bowl and let it cool. Add chicken, feta, onions, cucumber, parsley, and pine nuts and mix well to combine.
4. To prepare dressing, mix all dressing ingredients listed above in a small bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss to combine.
*Optional: You can toast pine nuts quickly in a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Stir frequently, and as soon as they become fragrant, remove the nuts from the pan.

As I said, great leftover or for a quick snack!

Linking up to:

What's on the Menu Wednesday

A great bargain = a big smile

I wanted to show off some of my newest bargains!


White desk lamp for the craft room
I paid: $2.50
All it needed was a little cleaning and it works perfectly!

American Apparel v-neck tee
I paid: $1.00
Love this shirt and it's super comfy!

Vintage brown sweater
I paid: $3.50
I love the fleur de lis buttons and the orange lining.
Every time I wear this, people ask where I got it. : )

Bed Bath & Beyond frame
I paid: 99 cents
Also for the craft room with a super cute print inside

What bargains have you gotten lately? I'd love to hear about them!

Freshing Watermelon Salad

It's almost the end of summer, but we can still enjoy some of the fresh summer fruits available for a little longer. I came across this recipe and it looked interesting. I have to admit that it seemed like an odd combination of ingredients, but it turned out to have an amazing flavor!

Ingredients:
• small watermelon
• 1/2 medium-sized sweet onion
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 2 oz. crumbled feta cheese

Cut the watermelon into bite size pieces.

Peel and dice half the onion into small pieces.

In a small bowl, mix the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Add the mint and mix well.

In a large serving bowl, add the watermelon, onion and feta cheese. Pour oil mixture over the fruit and mix gently.

Be sure to prepare right before serving as the watermelon will make the salad watery if it sits too long.

So yummy! And a great healthy snack!

 

Pretty Dresser Makeover

Meet ugly brown dresser. This dresser has been through a lot since I've known it for the past 8 years. During the summer when my sister was in college, we saw this dresser sitting on the curb across the street. She thought it would be perfect for her first apartment in college, so she grabbed it from the neighbor. Turns out it was a really nice dresser and very good quality, but just a little ugly. So she used it in college and then brought it home and used it in her bedroom in my parents' house.

Then when she moved out, my parents put the ugly dresser in the garage. There it sat all sad and lonely for 2 years. After some convincing, they made me take the ugly dresser for my guest room/craft room. Well, I was sick of seeing it looking so ugly, so it got a fabulous makeover!

First, we added 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of white paint. For the detailed top drawer, we used white spray paint and then did a final coat with a paint brush.

I planned to buy new drawer pulls for the drawers, but this turned out to be a much bigger ordeal than I ever thought. The size was really hard to find and I couldn't find even one pull that would fit right.

I figured I would try spray panting the pulls just to see how they would look. If I didn't like them, I'd come up with a new solution. Luckily, I really liked how they turned out. The silver looks much fresher and more modern and I don't mind the detailing as much.

So now we remember the ugly old dresser before...

And it's new, pretty transformation!

Glamorous and happy dresser : )

Linking up to:
Works for Me Wednesday