The Blue Door & More

Pantry Makeover

Posted on August 16, 2017August 7, 2019 by Leah

pantry close up

The pantry. Where 5% of its residents are used and rotated on a regular basis and the other 95% sit there only to expire or get pulled out a few times a year for use. At least that’s how I view my pantry. Correction: used to view it.

Two years ago we were in the final stretch on completing the building of our house. We (okay, Landon) general contracted it ourselves. For the most part, we had two handymen doing all the framing and finishing touches on the inside. Those finishing touches included closets with shelves and/or rods. Our floor plan had a corner pantry and since it was obvious it was a pantry, we said go put shelves in. And that is what they did.

Pantry before — Nice deep shelves, but not much access to most of the surface area.

Now, when two middle aged men are putting shelves in a pantry for a twenty-something first time homeowner, the idea of shelves can differ. I was up to my eyeballs in work and wedding stuff so it never occurred to me to explain more. We got shelves though. And they were deep, like 2 feet deep! In most cases, the deeper the shelf, the more surface area, therefore it can hold more. In a tight little pantry with corner shelves, that is a myth. You see, most things couldn’t be reached behind other things. The easy to grab space was like lakeshore property, minimal and with high demand.

Because of this, most food things went into a different cabinet. The pantry was left to small kitchen appliances, serving ware, and the tall or bulky food (like cereal and tortilla chips). It wasn’t that bad until we somehow made it a medicine cabinet. And then I decided I want to use those smaller appliances more regularly. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to take out some vitamins, pain meds, 3 boxes of cereal, a big bag of coffee, and a canister of oatmeal just to get to our griddle so I can make a bunch of pancakes in one shot. And forget about my Kitchen Aid mixer accessories. If I can’t reach the juicer, we don’t need freshly squeezed juice, no matter how easy it really is to make! ??

I’m not sure when I reached my breaking point, but I did. And so the pantry makeover ideas were pinned and researched like crazy. I didn’t want to spend a lot so we opted to cut the shelves we had to make them shallower. I also only wanted them all on one wall with more of them spaced out better than previously. This way, I could actually step inside and have everything easily within reach. We also have a step stool to reach the higher shelves, but they won’t house daily things.

I was really good at drawing straight lines on the old shelves because Landon cut them perfectly with a circular saw. (We thought about getting a table saw but decided the cost wasn’t worth it for the few projects we have in mind.) We bought a couple extra shelves and left the bottom two 16 inches deep while the rest are only 12. Using the wood we had kept the supply cost down a lot. We then went to Menards and bought the two tracks for the wall and all the shelf brackets that attach to it. Sadly, our Menards didn’t have the right length tracks in white but the gray didn’t end up looking that odd – it is a pantry after all.

The most time consuming part of this project was patching the holes from taking the old shelf supports down. And then realizing we were out of paint to cover them.? We were about to drive an hour to Sherwin Williams to get the same paint that was used but luckily the extra ceiling paint at Landon’s parents’ matched well enough. They were only a golf cart ride away!

I actually have one more shelf to put up and got another set of the glass canisters to help organize things too. I currently have all my baking supplies and spices in our upper cabinets but want to rearrange those and keep them in the pantry instead. Since I’m just getting used to reaching things (I still am pleasantly surprised when I open the door), I find every few days I’m changing where things are kept. I would like to get more baskets to corral various food items but haven’t found any I love. I also have plans to line the shelves with something sassy to give the space some pizzaz. ?

Overall, this was a really easy makeover. While the permanent shelf placement is still underway, it has made life so much easier! I can’t wait to redo other closets and shelves in our house now! (Sorry for making you cringe Landon! ?)

Green Chef Review

Posted on August 9, 2017August 7, 2019 by Leah

This past weekend we tried the meal kit delivery service Green Chef. I had been accumulating a list of meal kit providers and am curious to try most of them. It seems the standard is they send you a box with just enough ingredients to make three meals that they also provide recipes for. Recipes should take around 30 minutes to make. This is a great incentive for people on the go or with children. Each company has it’s own differences and pricing structure.

Green Chef is all organic and has 6 different dietary options to choose from; vegetarian, omnivore, vegan, carnivore, gluten-free, and paleo. I recently have gone dairy free so I chose the paleo option for us.

Signing up was super easy and quick. The first box was heavily discounted which made it very affordable. Paleo is the most expensive per serving ($14.99) but with the discount we got 3 meals (6 servings) with a $9 delivery fee for $33. Not bad at all!

When I first signed up I could see the first two weeks out. The second week had shrimp which would be great but shellfish triggers migraines for me. I really wanted to not like Green Chef because they don’t let you tailor beyond paleo. We also live in a very remote area so we couldn’t pick our delivery day, it was Friday or nothing. I do prefer cooking more on weekends and using leftovers during the week but we often are out of town so Friday delivery doesn’t work. It also would be nice to have the fast meals for week days.

But I couldn’t dislike Green Chef. I knew right away what we were getting and I was excited to try things I had never heard of before. We have been in a recipe rut so this was perfect to introduce us to new flavors! Look at these meals:

Making the meals together was really efficient and fun to do. Usually I do all the cooking so making the meals with Landon seemed less of a chore. And. They. Tasted. So. Good. It was amazing. I felt like I was at a high end restaurant but I didn’t have to worry about if I met dress code or if I used the wrong fork! ?

Note – I am not a food blogger or food photographer so ignore my mediocre plating. On with the pictures…

We decided to make the fish first and we will definitely make fish like this again. The coriander chutney was delicious! I also am not a huge sweet potato fan but really enjoyed it with the finer-cardamom spice blend and currants. I would totally make it again.

Green chef chard wrapped fish — The ingredients and recipe cards are color have a color code system. Fish = orange.

Green chef chard wrapped cod — We would have had wine but Landon was a bit under the weather so water was a safer bet.

The next night we tried the Vietnamese chicken. This meal was also amazing! It took a little longer than the 35 minutes to get the chicken cooked through but that was the only hiccup. I really liked that the salad wasn’t leafy greens. Landon liked the chicken seasoning the best.

Green chef Vietnamese chicken — Vietnamese chicken = purple.

Our last meal to try was the Cajun pork and eggplant. We had the perfect weather to grill the skewers out on our deck and it was nice that Green Chef does seasonal things like that. This was Landon’s favorite. He liked the mix of pork and eggplant. I had never had eggplant before this so it was nice to try (and enjoy!) without worrying about how to shop for one the first time. I didn’t care for the cooked collard greens with smoky tomato sauce but really enjoyed the parsley chimichurri sauce on the cauliflower.

Green chef Cajun pork and eggplant — Cajun pork and eggplant = yellow.

Overall, I am now in love with Green Chef. I am constantly looking to see what meal boxes they have in the coming weeks. I want to get them all! The full price of the paleo option for 3 meals and delivery would come out rounded to $100. Definitely pricier than doing it all yourself but cheaper than order similar options at a restaurant with a cocktail. It was also a great opportunity to try new things and cook together. I will definitely get more boxes, but probably for special occasions more than on a regular basis.

If you are interested in trying Green Chef, you can go here and also get your first 4 servings (2 meals) free!

Pillow Covers from a Curtain Panel

Posted on July 26, 2017August 7, 2019 by Leah

Pillow Covers from a curtain panel

In the spring of 2015, Landon and were in the middle of planning our wedding. Construction was just starting on our house. We were both driving an hour one way to work (although Landon would soon be off for the summer). Landon’s brother and his wife had recently bought a house two miles from where we were building and half the distance to my job. They were heading out of the country for a two month honeymoon and we graciously agreed to house sit. I was able to save an hour every day commuting and Landon was so close to general our house.

We decided we would buy a new bed and have it moved into one of their empty bedrooms for those two months, and then it would be a short move into our house once it was completed. So off we went, mattress shopping. But before we bought a bed, we purchased our leather sectional for some ridiculously low price. And we kept that in baby wrapped up in plastic in his grandpa’s garage for months before we ever got to sit on it. It was a great find and I was so excited. Except I was actually disappointed to find out it came with the pillows that were displayed on the floor model.

I hated those pillows. They really aren’t that bad looking but they are so not my style. And if you have ever had couch pillows that can’t be washed, you aren’t too keen when people lay on them regardless if they are sick or healthy. The obvious solution was pillow covers. So I looked on and off the first six months or so but didn’t find anything I liked in the right size.

Our great room "before" the pillow covers — Our great room before the pillow covers

Last summer I was ordering curtains for our guest room from Target and they had a major sale going on. I thought to myself, “Hey! Curtains are made of durable fabric that can be used as pillows!” And since our ottoman is Threshold, I figured the same brand of curtain would coordinate. By adding that curtain to my cart I saved $10 and the curtain was $15. Making the total $5 for the fabric to make pillow covers. And when they arrived, we hung up the guest room curtains and this curtain, well, it went to hide in the ottoman for nearly a year. And I spent an hour making pillow covers last week. Some things just can’t be rushed, okay?

sewing pillow covers

And here are the pillows now! They are teal and I basically love them. Plus I can wash them whenever I want. (No Landon, this is not a free pass to eat in the living room. ?)

Our great room "after" the pillow covers — Our great room after the pillow covers – so much better!

I even kept the finished edge of the curtain to be the finished edge of the cover. This saved me time not having to finish edges. It was also a really good thing because the tension on my machine seems to be a little off and I wouldn’t have been able to get the seams to look so nice. (Note to self, fix tension!)

I love how all these little projects just keep making our house a little more homier and a little more “ours.”

Pillow Covers

Homemade Eyeliner DIY

Posted on July 19, 2017March 3, 2023 by Leah

Homemade eyeliner

About 3 years ago I made the successful switch from pencil to liquid eyeliner. I had tried different liquid eyeliners before, but they all irritated my eyes. When I finally found two brands that didn’t hurt, I was pretty happy. Since then, I have made changes to remove unnecessary chemicals out of our lives and after making my own makeup remover, I felt my actual makeup was next. Continue reading “Homemade Eyeliner DIY” →

Unity Braid

Posted on July 12, 2017August 7, 2019 by Leah

It’s a wedding tradition to have some sort of unity ritual within one’s wedding ceremony. I think candles are the most common, followed by sand. I have seen a tree planted by my matron of honor at her wedding on their farm. And my parents attended a wedding that used glass that was later blown into a unity sculpture (this sounds so cool!). For our wedding, we made a unity braid. Landon and I truly believe God brought us together and He is equal in our marriage so it made sense that our unity ritual involved God’s knot.

Unity braid and rings — Our braid with our rings ?

I also like that it is something that can hang in our house as a reminder and a symbol of our wedding and marriage. Sometime last year I put up blue painters tape on the wall just outside our bedroom door. It was temporarily representing the space our unity braid would someday hang along with a few wedding pictures and bible verse. As much as the blue tape grew on me, it definitely became a weird conversation starter every time someone came over!

blue tape where unity braid goes — Blue tape wall art…

About a month ago I finally took the plunge to see how much a shadow box frame would cost to be custom made in the measurements I had taped on our wall. $140 was a bit high but I hadn’t really thought about what was a realistic budget. That same day I got the quote at Hobby Lobby, I found a shadow box (in almost identical dimensions no less!) in their aisle with all the other display boxes and frames. It also happened to be 50% off. So I bought it for all of $15. Score! After finding that piece, I had three matching frames already on hand waiting to be used and my wall was set to be completed in no time.

Unity Braid Background

Traditionally, a unity braid uses cords of three colors; gold, purple, and white. Gold stands for God, purple for the groom, and white for the bride. Our wedding colors were navy blue and white so I swapped the purple for navy. Our pastor read the following verses as Landon held the hoop and I braided the chords.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

unity braid ceremony — Us braiding during our ceremony

I love that we have this little wall space outside our bedroom to hang our unity braid. It’s a beautiful daily reminder of our special day and the vow we made to each other and to God.

Mid-Year Resolutions

Posted on July 5, 2017August 7, 2019 by Leah

Mid-year resolutions

I’ve never been good at following the norm. In fact, I refused to see Avatar when it came out because everyone seemed too obsessed with it. I often like to take the road less travelled, walk the other side of the tracks, question trends (I get it from my grandfather as well as his sense of direction). Sometime way back in high school, I decided New Years Resolutions were just too mainstream. Really, what I dislike about them is the same reason everyone else does: they are hard to maintain. I decided then that I would make resolutions on my birthday because my year in life made more sense than a calendar year.

Well, I’m about to break my old rule (I really wouldn’t call it a rule) and come up with something new: Mid-Year Resolutions. Why limit yourself to the new year, new month, new age, tomorrow, Monday, etc, etc, to start something new? Now is as good of time as any.

With all that said, I am making a goal list for the rest of the year. Most of these are projects around our house, which is why I’m sharing the list here. I figured it would hold me more accountable to finish them before December 31st if I can link it to this list! So without further ado…

The list:

Decorate my cubicle at work. My old desk had basically zero space and now I’ve switched departments and have more wall space and surface area than I know what to do with. Well I do know I want to do something with it!
Get our unity braid on the wall. We have a little wall outside our bedroom door that I have had plans to hang our unity braid from our wedding on with a few photos and the verse for it. I finally have the right sized shadow box for the braid so I need to get the rest of the pieces in order!

Fix our pantry. The shelves are just all wrong and lately I want to cry every time I have to open that beautiful hickory door and see the ugly inside.
Make some pillow covers for our couch. Because I can sew and pillow covers are easy and I’ve had the fabric for nearly a year…
Make my own makeup. Eyeliner, mascara, concealer, eyeshadow, face powder… I make my own makeup remover so why not?
Speaking of makeup, I really need to find nail polish that doesn’t make my finger nails freak out. I wouldn’t say I’m allergic but it’s not pretty and I miss having colored nails. ??
Try those meal service kits. You know, those companies that send you a box with a recipe and all the ingredients to make it. (Read my Green Chef review here.)
Speaking of food now, I want to find a beans and rice recipe that is good. No, we are not eating beans and rice for money reasons. I recently learned a little about the Blue Zones of the world and want to start adopting their habits. Even Landon is on board!

Back to décor stuff, signs for our house. I have two I want to make, one above our front door and one for our guest room. (Don’t hold it against me if the guest room doesn’t meet the year end deadline!)
Draw up some plans for our Amish friend to build our laundry room bench. And then of course, have bench installed. Also, redo laundry room shelves. (Yeesh, I have shelf issues?)
Make my vision for our Christmas mantle a reality since we finally have one! I have ideas for stocking holders and last year I bought fabric to make stockings (because I didn’t see any I loved) but we didn’t get the mantle up until after Christmas so really I should make the stockings now – like Christmas in July or maybe it will keep me cool while the heat index climbs to over 90 this week. ☀️❄️

Well that’s all for now. I have so many other ideas I feel the list for our house is never-ending (but I love that?) and many of those are more in the distant future.

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