Category: Home organization Page 1 of 2

Mexican Hacienda Wedding

On April 23, 2016

March 26th,2016, we got married in a “backyard wedding” with about 65 guests…just family and friends that we consider family.. And we did it just like we wanted. …With tacos.

If celiac can sometimes be hard, it can make planning things really easy. Fernando and I occasionally spoke about some of the amazing weddings we had attended or heard of… Fireworks, doves released, arriving on boats.. Fernando always said he didn’t understand why you couldn’t just celebrate with friends, family and tacos. And tacos, my friends, are gluten free.

And so it started. Our favorite Mexican restaurant, located in south Miami, the MexZican restaurant and food truck, has a food truck and/or catering side. (http://www.themexzicangourmet.com) They are amazing! Once we were set on that, the rest just came into play.

At our ages (we are old.), we really focused on how do we want to celebrate us? Colorful, fun, music, lights, family LOVE … And that was it!

I tried to do it on my own… But arranging table rentals and dishwater etc seemed mission impossible on a working woman’s schedule. I found wedding and event planner extraordinaire Mercy Iglesias of LadyandLiv events, began ordering outdoor lighting from places like IKEA and lights.com, decided on purely paper flowers except one arrangement for the welcome dinner that I would also have at the wedding and my bouquet, which were made by ELENA, and went crazy on the website amols.com. Truly, a fun website… I ordered my girls flowers, all the decorations, sugar skull candies, all the table runners, the mustaches and sombrero for the photo booth… And then.. When the shipping costs were extravagant, I emailed them and they sent me a free shipping coupon!!! Holy money savers!!!

I ordered a whole bunch of tequila and decided to serve tequila shots in keepsake Talavera shot glasses at the door and create a signature margarita..a blood orange margarita made with blood orange juice, simple syrup, herradura tequila and vanilla extract.. Served on the rocks with a chili rim… Darn that’s good!!! Additionally, we ordered mini tequila bottles as party favors and decorated with stickers from Zazzle.

I found a DJ using the Thumbtack app (I do love thumbtack and have used it sooo many times) and the party was rocked by Rodolpho Pessoa – who not just played great music but incorporated videos as well as a “light monogram” that scrolled “Holly and Fernando” over the Coral Gables Waterway until the wee hours… One word. Amazed!
It’s really amazing how much fun a backyard wedding can be.. Your style. Your budget. Our favorite people, things, drinks, music and food…. Just how we wanted it. A party for us, by us, for our families and friends.

For photography, I chose a wonderful, artsy, talented photographer who really gets into the essence of the family in her work… Corinne Sheppo O’Connell.. She has taken our family photos before and I was super impressed by the way she was able to capture each child’s personality in the photo session… She starts talking to them about school, their dogs, their friends.. And next thing you know you have Real Images of your real kids. Not the fake family, the real one.. The one that you crave to remember at every age and stage… With that look in their eyes.. Wearing a tutu and cowboy boots…

Well.. Anyway.. I spent a bit of time on Pinterest, scoping out “how to’s” and ideas that appealed to me. I found the cutest bar area made from a potting table and redesigned that for the “kid’s bar” with aqua de Jamaica and Jarritos (que buenos son!)
I also found so many great ideas for table decor with fairy lights and glass jars from ikea mixed with various shapes and sizes … Some with sand and succulents.. Others with gel beads and flowers… The possibilities just endless and all of them inexpensive! Now dessert…

My BFF just happens to be Misha of Mishas cupcake fame. We all know she’s got stellar talent, but she set up a dessert table to DIE FOR! A 3 tier wedding cake modeled after the Mexican hacienda theme (contained gluten, but Misha’s rocks the most amazing gluten free cakes and cupcakes!), gluten free Meringues, and cakes in the jar to go for each guest!

From welcome “shot” to dancing under the stars, to tacos set up in a buffet brought in hot from a food truck parked in my driveway, I have never had so much fun at a wedding and I’m so happy that it was mine! It turned out just how we wanted… Tacos (they were sooooo good!), tequila, family & friends. Now that’s a way to celebrate a new beginning.

Be well, have fun, be happy, live, love, gluten free.❤️

Project- Oasis by the Pool. If I can do it… So can you!

By GlutenFreeHolly

On November 8, 2015

In Home organization, Uncategorized

I love to hang out with my kids in the pool.. And their friends and so on.. For hours and hours. And, as you may know, I’m the “pool gal”. So I deleaf, de green and in general try (sometimes unsuccessfully) to keep my pool beautiful.

I decided that the pool area was missing a little something…. It lacked that feeling of “oasis”. It was plain Jane. Now nothing takes “oasis” from me faster than the thought of paying someone to renovate, so I tried to come up with less expensive concept. I settled on re arranging existing furniture to de clutter the patio and creation of an accent wall with bright paints and Mexican tiles.

Step 1 Choose the Color

I decided to go bright blue… Like the color of painters tape… At first it seemed too drastic, but by morning, I was in love!

Boring! well nothing like a blank canvas to start with!

ok.. it didnt look this blue in the can… iI told myself it would be ok since i live in Miami , and we paint walls lime green here.

one coat done, one to go… at this point i honestly thought i had heatstroke…

Step 2- How do you Tile?

Well I went on line… And as I only wanted an accent line, this was easy. Choose tile, grout and go!

I got beautiful tile from “Direct from Mexico” with free shipping and great customer service.

a 20$ tile cutter will cut tile pretty easily.. if you just need to cut a few

leftover patio tile in the back and the mexican tile in the front

this tile from Direct From Mexico is so pretty!!! happy, happy, happy!

Step 3- Decorate

I repurposed a bench and painted it the same blue as the wall with a little accent paint.

ok… it needs some “refreshing”

i didnt have red or pink paint… but I’m a Florida Gator.. so the orange stays!

I found some large clay pots at HomeDepot for less than 20$ each and added some pretty plants.

big clay pots with the extra tiles stuck to the front

Finally, I moved around the furniture to provide seating in the shady areas around the pool.

comfy, relaxing, practical and ahhhh… it feels like home and I’m happy!

Step 4- celebrate!

It’s time to enjoy the oasis! Little changes can have big effects!

❤️

Happiness is a Choice …and so is gluten free Pumpkin Bread…

By GlutenFreeHolly

On October 25, 2015

In Gluten free, Home organization

Sunday morning with the kids. They aren’t with me every weekend. As with so many families, they go to their Dad’s some weekends. But the weekends I have them, I really relish… And the ones I don’t… I usually take call! Might as well! My middle child loves waffles and the little one loves any sweet bread and the oldest… Well chocolate…

all my little pumpkins

For some reason I just woke up hungry! At 6! Well I lounged around my room for an hour and a half and finally decided to get up and make something delicious.

I whipped up some yummy pumpkin waffles (see prior posts) but decided with the other half of the pumpkin to make pumpkin bread! My Favorite!! And while it cooks, I’m going to clean my dirty house… Well me and my scooba (by the way- I love this one… I’ve had them all.. But this one rocks!!)

scooba:)

Pumpkin bread- gluten free

Mix dry ingredients by hand or in mixer

get ready!

theres going to be Sunday morning deliciosness!

2 cups all purpose gluten free flour (I used Pamela’s artisan blend)

1 cup brown sugar

2 t baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 t pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp ginger

3 cloves, crushed

Dash salt

Honestly- the measurements are not exact…

Add mixed wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just mixed

when you see this… do you think pumpkin eggnog? yum

Wet ingredients-

1/2 can pumpkin purée

1/3 c milk

1/3 c butter melted

2 eggs, plus 1 egg white

1 T apple cider vinegar

1 t vanilla

Pour into greased rectangular pain

Drizzle with 1 T melted butter

2T raw turbinado sugar

1/4 c walnuts (more if you like)

Bake in preheated oven 350 degrees for 45 mins.

you should smell my kitchen… it smells like HOME

Happy October!?

CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY?

Not sure where to start… but I’ve rode in this rodeo before And you have to DEFINE what it means to Do It All

By GlutenFreeHolly

On August 25, 2015

In Gluten Free Dining, Home organization, Uncategorized

yep. It’s true. Lack of confidence is not my game. But this back to school thing… Wow. Nothing gets a Mom like seeing her kids stressed. I even started taking Zantac and am having a Tuesday glass of wine. I think I’ll title that terrific Tuesday to make it seem legit.

Gluten free cooking? Well let me share a true story and pearl of wisdom… The pearl… It’s ok to ask for help… It’s ok… Just use the Dominos App. Oh… And in case you were wondering… Their gluten free pizza is yummy (I get tomato, spinach and mushroom) and I’ve Never gotten sick.

The story… So Monday is back to school… I take the day off (because my oldest is 14 and my youngest 8 and I’ve riden this bull in the rodeo before…did you guys know I lived in Texas for 8 years???) The problem is that I have expectations… Easy 545 am drop off to the metro with the 14 year old, easy walk in and drop off 8 & 10 year old Girls, time off from 8-130, pick up 14 year old and take him to swim team tryouts and them swim team practice and Viola! I’m done!

Well… It’s pitch black at 545. (You and I know that… But 14 year olds don’t). Suddenly, it’s a good idea that I ride the metro to find the school bus.. Ok cool.. I’m in. All ok. I support the decision wholeheartedly .. Back to get girls… Fine.. Except my 8 year old won’t speak once we get to school… Like not even her name… Not Hi to her friends… She’s pale… Hmmmm… Well, yes… Actually I am a doctor… She’s … Wait for it .. Terrified.

So I get home and I embark on my day’s project… Paint a wall, a bench, plant 6 planters with flowers… (I do have goals… After all… I took the whole day off):)

Then I get the text that the swim team tryout application is incomplete… The papers downloaded (last week) are last year and have to be redone… Wow. Because I spent Saturday finding a notary to do it… Wow. So super dad steps in and gets it done… But the office still won’t take it… Until the next day. Bureaucracy… Alive and well.

So, we go to club swim team practice, drop rice in rice maker for sopes and rice and beans, head to Office Depot, next kid to swim practice … When I realize… Dinner will not be on the table until 9….best case scenario.

Uff… Breathe. Yep. If you can’t get it done, accept it & make a change. Dominos it is. Done.

Sometimes it’s just gotta be… You can’t be 200 places a one time. You can’t control the traffic, the hideous line at Office Depot… Make choices that work. You can have balance… But some days, you have to define what it means to do it all.

Tuesday …this time 0600 metro… he’s confident on his own…All good. Swim team tryouts attended…Will find results out tomorrow. The usual homework difficulties… Printer broke (hallelujah for Amazon prime NOW.. Printer arrives in 2 hours)…laundry -CHECK…. Homework -DONE… Teacher of stressed out 7 year old -EMAILED…. Dinner… Sopes and rice and beans complete and delicious. Bedtime stories read, homework assistance provided… You can do it all… You just need to define “all” and realize that it is okay to ask for help… (And to cry… And to have terrific Tuesday) YOUVE GOT THIS, and so do I.

845 and ALL children asleep.

Buenas noches…. Good night.

Parenting isn’t easy, but it’s not the nights that knock your socks off, but the beautiful feet that you put the socks on.

❤️

Sunday afternoon project & a quick delicious gluten free lunch! Amy’s Tomato Soup and Gluten free Cheese Bread

By GlutenFreeHolly

On August 2, 2015

In Gluten free, Gluten Free Dining, Home organization

A year ago, I redid my pool deck tiles (they were so slippery that it was just a hazard) and saved 2 of the wood pallets, with the idea that I would do something AMAZING with them….but…..I never did. Last week they fell over with thunderstorms twice… And they are quite heavy…so back to a dangerous situation, I decided it was time to do something with them. I looked at so many amazing vertical gardens on Pinterest, but the shape of the pallets, and the need for chicken coop further delayed progress. Then…came a near fatal hit to my idea of reclaim, reuse, beautify….my fiancé said “they are really ugly, and heavy, and that’s my opinion”. True… They are plain Jane, and heavy…. So, in their place a bought 3 planters and stuck in some lime and lemon trees and was about to call it a day when I remembered the exterior paint samples I got last year to paint the patio wall.

last years project! aftee we finished, Queiro construction added tile to the floor and a cool wood slab atop this wall.

You can buy these little samples at Home Depot and have them colored to your liking. I have used these little sample bottles so many times on projects inside and out of my home!

I decided, before throwing them away, to try one last thing. So while our delicious lunch was cooking, I got out the paints! First lunch!

I needed a fast, east, yummy lunch…something like soup and sandwich, but yummier and gluten free. I decided to mix up a modified pão de queijo and serve it with Amy’s Tomato Soup. That soup is so good that even my tomato hating so loves it!

For the cheese bread, I blended

2 cups tapioca flour

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup oil

Once well blended, I added 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, the remaining mozzarella (?1/4 cup), and 1 cup of shredded Italian blend cheese. I blended some more and then baked in muffin pans (greased) at 350 for 40 mins.

Lunch is served!

let’s eat!

While the cheese bread was cooking, a painted a base coat of blue and turquoise on the boards and moved them to the ugliest outdoor are of our house… Right by the front door. I chose this for the reasons 1. This wall cannot look worse…2. it’s close to the trash pile if I’m unhappy with the result.

the ugliest area… also used for tennis… note the poor light

My yard has a section entitled “the graveyard”. It is where all the plants that I have killed go, along with their containers…One year, I took all the dying orchids and strapped them to the trees, leaving their maintenance to nature (wise move… They’ve done great). This left a pile of hanging orchid baskets in the graveyard. I gathered these up, plus a trough basket recently purchased at Home Depot and got started.
First the base layer was painted. Next, my daughter, Anna (a wonderful au pair from Germany), and I painted some designs on the wood.

painting away

ready for the next step

The next step was to fasten the old hanging baskets and the trough basket to the pallets. We lines them with black plastic and filled them with potting soil.

the baskets could be hung by cutting the hangar off and twisting the wire behind the frame, or by nailing it to the frame

I found it easier to nail them in

The baskets were then filled with heat tolerant plants…. At this point I was wishing I was heat (and mosquito) tolerant (bienvenidos a Miami) and epiphytes that we found after yesterday’s horrible thunderstorms were placed in the natural nooks and crannies of the pallet.

finished!

So, what do you think? Keep or toss? Send your ideas for reusing pallets… Would love some inspiration!

Happy Birthday!! Room makeover for my 7 year old!

By GlutenFreeHolly

On July 27, 2015

In Home organization

My daughter turned 7 last week and she asked for a room makeover… Well and an iPad, Apple watch, party with all her friends, Legos, dance music…. The list goes on and on…. Of course, yes! She could potentially have ONE of these each year (maybe)…, but this year, I’m doing the room do-over. You see my daughters shared a room until February, when I converted the playroom into a sleek, modern, Preteen paradise! It was a great idea, but left the other room over crowded, dated, poorly coordinated and well, ugly.

horrible, dark and crowded

a panorama of chaos

The bummer of being divorced, as all divorcees know, is that sometimes, and sometimes for very special occasions, you are not with your kids physically. For me, that can be sad and difficult… especially birthdays and holidays…. But really anytime. I know they also need their Dad and I also know that I have them so much of the time… So I try to find constructive ways to spend the time that I’m not with them and deal with the strange emotion of celebrating the day I gave birth to an unbearably beautiful and unique human without being with her (I know… Wait a few more years and I’ll be lucky to get a phone call).

I put that energy to use! I go for a cleansing run or swim or clean the house from top to bottom, or work… But this time, I have a project… And honestly I’m worried that it will be hard to finish in a week!!! The room was a light moss green, but she loves pink, purple, pink and yellow and pink…

So first… I settled on a trundle bed from Wayfair. As always, it arrived fast, and in perfect condition and was super easy to assemble! It was important to both of us to have extra space – without another piece of furniture or a room darkening bunk bed.

Before setting up the furniture, I painted the room eggshell beige (took 4 coats to cover the moss…). I chose a wall for chalkboard accent stripes in “raspberry” and voila!

Remember, after placing tape, “seal” the tape lines with the base color to prevent the color from running

starting to take form!

Next I assembled an IKEA Micke corner desk (LOVE IT) and standing mirror (ISFJORDEN), and flower lights from IKEA’s past years. I decided to bunch the lights into a bouquet and paint a vase to help remind her to hang on tight to her “awesome”! I painted an accent flower over the headboard, and recoated some IKEA shelves with the same chalkboard paint. I picked up coordinating curtains and a rug at IKEA, as well!

its a little pink, right??

youre awesome… put it on your wall!

this was so easy! a canvas from michaels, a ruler and paint… done! I feel awesome, too!

coming together!

My arms are sore, but my heart is full… And I hope she loves it!

That’s it! Now it’s time for a big plate of cheese and gluten free crackers!

Have a beautiful night!

❤️

Happy Saturday ..& a great Sangria

By GlutenFreeHolly

On June 20, 2015

In Gluten free, Home organization, Uncategorized

I always have a hard time deciding… Red or white sangria… They are both so yummy… Red reminds me of spiced oranges and cloves and white of summertime on the water….ahhhh.

So, I got up this morning and cleaned my house… Like the kind of cleaning when you get the funky stuff from around the faucets … Scrub the showers until your arms burn… The kind of clean where you wish you hadn’t added another bathroom…

And then, aside from making incredible chilaquiles with egg for brunch and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch (my kids don’t understand brunch… They just think it’s breakfast with a tardy slip), I painted some horrible looking doors…

Isn’t it amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do… Honestly, so often I feel like I’m doing that for my life… Not covering up the grime, the scars, the imperfections…. But relishing them… Remembering when I redid my daughters room and scratched the door… Enjoying the wrinkles, the scars… The momentos… But then doing a deep clean to wash away the bad and start fresh… But with the knowledge and experience from before.

Well… The doors look great… As does the house.. And to celebrate, I made a glass of sangria and headed to the pool… To relax and take in the sound of the parrots, the jumping fish, my crazy dogs and appreciate.

Anyway… THE SANGRIA!!!

1/2 bottle red Zinfandel.. I used Cline

1/2 bottle rose

1 cup margarita mix

1 cup crushed ice

I cup organic mixed berries

Mix, pour… Relax

Appreciate what you have… Little or a lot … For you Dads… happy Father’s Day. You truly have something to appreciate.

❤️

Room Decor! You can take the boy out of Texas… But you can’t take the Texas out of the boy.

By GlutenFreeHolly

On June 13, 2015

In Home organization

My youngest turns 7 this summer and she asked for a room “makeover” for her birthday. Well, that room is such an over furnished, Barbie over populated mess that I’m having a hard time getting started!

Step 1… Get the excess furniture out of there! I have an IKEA futon that is awesome for sitting and reading and sleepovers that used to be in the playroom before I split the girls to give each their own room.

So, I decided to rearrange the furniture in my 14 year old son’s room and out the futon in there, transforming his room into a teen hangout. Yes… I got completely distracted and redid his room…My son was born in Houston and then we lived in Dallas for 2 years after that… Despite moving to Florida at age 4, he defines himself as a Texan… Which of course I think is funny and cool all at the same time…

Once I moved the furniture around (3 times to get it right) and iced my back, I realized that it was missing something… A feature wall with a flag of Texas.

Oh… And since this started with my daughter, I had bought chalkboard paint (and dry erase paint too!!! Fun fun fun!!) and decided to make a door sign to replace the “pirates of the Caribbean” that has been there so long!

The door!

I repainted the door a glossy white, and then taped out a rectangle with painters tape and also a star. I placed them on the door and leveled them and then applied a light coat of white base to prevent bleeding.

Next, I applied the chalkboard paint, 2 layers 4 hours apart.

I peeled off the tape but thought…”BORING”, so I ran out to Michael’s and got a 6$ frame… As rustic looking as I could find.

boring… and messy…

I painted the frame with the flag

cool…

and VIOLA! lOVE THIS!!

The Room!

I taped off the areas and painted away!

I ran out to Bed Bath & Beyond and got a star!

Ya! FINIS!

Happy Saturday!

I’m off to the surgery residents graduation with just a little paint on me…

Dreaming of an Outdoor Oasis…..

By GlutenFreeHolly

On March 28, 2015

In Gluten free, Home organization

its it such a pleasure to have an outdoor space to relax in! It doesn’t have to be big. A small balcony, a large backyard, or even an urban yard with a zero lot line can all be converted into a nice space for relaxing, dining or entertaining! I started today with some pretty lofty goals, and I finished the day with exactly what I wanted… My Coral Gables Oasis….and an upgraded balcony at my boyfriends apartment to boot!

We started out at IKEA, Friday night… Where we got a patio set for the apartment and some lighting (solar powered!) www.ikea.com, then we dropped by Home Depot for some drought hardy, sun tolerant flowers….watering plants is definitely not my strong suit, and I have a plant graveyard to prove it!

Mission #1 – apartment oasis

We headed to downtown early, before Ultra traffic became a problem and set up the Grunnet IKEA patio set. With such a great view, it was really a shame not to have an outdoor space to sit and enjoy it! This set was not the easiest IKEA set that I’ve put together, but the table is sturdy and the seats very comfy, and for the price of $269 for the table & 4 chairs, it’s a great deal, too!

this is a NOasis

what a view! this needs high table seating to allow dining & relaxation without compromising the view

imagine coffee here every day? Definitely OASIS

Mission #1 accomplished! We head back home for some more hard work!

Break! I’m HUNGRY!

First, a yummy omlet! I made this with left over black beans from taco night, and cheddar cheese! Gluten free and SO DELICIOUS!

lunch break! black bean & cheddar omlet

Mission #2 – backyard lighting & color!

I started out last year with the IKEA Äpplarö outdoor set. storage benches ($70) with wall panels ($35) really created an relaxing seating area with adequate storage, but today, I want to add some lighting and color! I started out with trimming of all the hibiscus ($ = i buned that omlet) that were peeking out above the fence line. Once done, we installed LED solar powered pendants and lighting chains (Solvinden ($5-9.99) with Solarvet ($12.99 for 24 LED lights). I also found some beautiful indoor/outdoor solar powered stars by “threshold” at Target ($11). These were both super easy to install, and really worth it. I used small clear cable ties (like in 50 shades of my-yard-is-about-to-be-awesome!!!) to secure the light chains. My patio looks so good….and these lights with the wood panels could really turn even a zero lot line yard with a view of a cement wall into a peaceful garden!

We added some drought resistant flowers to an IKEA socker ($39.99) plant stand, and used electrical tape wrapped just below each pot bracket to improve performance & reduce slippage. Socker flower boxes were filled and hung over fence ($14.99)… Final result… The oasis I was dreaming of! Happy 🙂

before… overgrown & old, drooping light chains

hibiscus trimmed and bulbs being assembled for the light chains!

handpainted wall by my daughters & I, IKEA seating, flower boxes and lighting done!

solar powered LED stars from Target & IKEA solared powered pendants

oasis day & night! even my dog loves it!

avocado tree with pendants and stars lighting the evening sky….peaceful

welcome home….

Where’s the Car? In the GARAGE!

By GlutenFreeHolly

On March 18, 2015

In Home organization

I always wanted a house with a 2 car garage…. But the idea of parking one car, let alone 2 has always seemed preposterous! With no basements in Miami, my garage had become the mainstay of my storage system. The whole garage, the entirety of it, was cluttered with containers and boxes, toys and crafts, all spilling over in a complete mess. Over the last year, I have cleaned, contained, organized, sorted, donated and disposed of garage items until finally reaching the point where I thought, with a system of organization, perhaps I could use my garage for its intended purpose.

A lucky silent auction purchase at a fundraising gala introduced me to Garage Transformation & Organization, LLC. www.garagestoragemiami.com

They quickly came and installed a “Monkey Bar” system that spans 4′ and was able to organize all of our bikes as well as store 4-6 large containers on the top.

The next step was to find unused space. The team at GTO suggested overhead storage. This storage solution allows streamlined overhead storage and frees up much needed floor space.

overhead storage

Finally, the teetering , unstable, wood shelving was tackled, replacing it with a combination of free standing commercial grade wire metal shelving (Sandusky), a MonkeyBar unit, and a set of 36″ drop down shelves. The result is clean, streamlined, organized storage, with more than enough room for the cars!