hidden corner, hidden controls

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Yesterday, I played with adding 1T buckwheat groats, to my Scottish oats mix.  This morning, I was curious to see what a bowl full of buckwheat groats would be like.  I loved the crunchy chew, and thought a whole bowl of that would be spectacular. 

It was far from being bad, but it wasn’t my favorite.  Buckwheat is pretty bland, whereas oats actually have a lot of flavor.  Oats are also sweeter.  I think I’ll stick to cooked oats in a bowl and buckwheat in bakes. 

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I used 1/4c of raw buckwheat groats, 1T raw buckwheat flour, and 2T oat bran.  I added the oat bran + flour to help make it creamy.  I enjoyed it more as I continued to eat, but still prefer yesterday’s version. 

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This is what was in the mix, in case you’re curious:

  • 1/4c raw buckwheat groats
  • 1T raw buckwheat flour
  • 2T oat bran
  • 1t cinnamon
  • 1t vanilla
  • 1/2 sliced banana
  • 3/4c almond milk
  • 3/4c water

I added [thawed] cherries, almonds, honey cashew butter + raw honey on top.  It was quite delicious, but there was something I just didn’t love about the texture. 

What I am loving however, are the concrete counters as photo backdrops!  That may or may not have been planned. :) 

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2 exciting house things! 

Our fridge now makes ice + dispenses water! 

Our drawers have handles on them!

Both thanks to Chris, and he’s currently working on the door handles + leveling the stove.  I noticed it wasn’t level, when I saw the oil roll to the front of the pan, while I cooked. :)

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Totally unintentional, but the shape of our drawer pulls exactly math the dishwasher handle.  I should have gotten a side shot, [as if you really care, haha], but the pull is curved just like the d/w + oven handles.  We are so happy with our dishwasher choice.  Our favorite part is that the controls are hidden.  We definitely did not get, top-of-the-line appliances.  We tried to get the “best bang for your buck” appliances, and I think we did a pretty good job.  I researched online, read reviews, and looked up a lot of information on Consumer Reports.  We were also lucky to hit a 30% off sale on Kenmore [Sears] appliances.  Our d/w, stove, and w/d are all Kenmore. 

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I can’t wait to add some pops of color!  Oh, and the concrete guys delivered our 3rd piece today.  It looks great!  Although, I’ll miss using that drawer like a basket, haha.  Sometime soon, we’ll be getting the bar piece about the range.  Can’t wait to see how that turns out.  They’re doing a more creative design for it!

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This is the state of our 2nd bedroom.  Eeek!  Once the 3rd bedroom construction is done, we can finally start getting everything sorted out.  I’ve emptied almost all of the kitchen boxes.  Still so much to do!

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I spy….

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I did a “fast wash” for all of our packed dishes.  I didn’t want to run 4 full-length loads, since they were clean before being packed.  The 30min wash, did the trick for removing any packing dust + grime.

Can you tell what my favorite store is??  I was laughing about this, as I loaded the dishwasher.

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I made a lot of progress filling shelves.  This one, 36” cabinet, holds SO much.  I cannot believe it!  We got extra tall cabinets, since the kitchen is fairly small, and I’m so glad we did.  It’s definitely helping with the storage.  I have a LOT of kitchen things.  hehe

You can see the “hidden corner” feature in this photo.  There is about 1’ of space that you don’t have straight on access to when you open the door, but it’s not hard to reach in that space at all. 

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Still super cluttered, but much improved from yesterday.  And, as of tonight, we officially have a cleared off table!

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The dogs are really enjoying their new yard.  Lately, they’ve been getting more outside time and still getting walks.  They are always pooped when they come in!!

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Love this backwards position on the bed.  :)

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The bean [Kenna] was snoozing in our bedroom. 

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Silly pups!

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I just kept going + going with the kitchen!  Shelves were installed in the pantry and I started filling it up.  I am SO excited to have the microwave hidden away behind the doors.  This will free up a lot of counter space!  We bought that microwave, for $15 on Craigslist last year.  Not the best, but it gets the job done.  I’m hoping to not have to rely on it, now that we have a full kitchen again.

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My organizing ended with a broken plate.  First broken plate in the new house.  I was extra salty about this because Chris bought it for me.  Bah!

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I just wanted to thank you all for being so patient while we get everything in order here and for all of your sweet comments + encouragement.  It means a lot and we really appreciate it.  I have a few recipes I’m dying to make and share with you.  Hopefully soon!

Time to relax for a few + then bed!

Ashley