Health(ier) Shrimp Scampi

I'm not going to lie, nothing beats fresh pasta. The taste, the texture, the carbs!! It is a comfort food for a reason. It fills you up, makes you sleepy and you just want to crawl in bed after a big helping. I didn't realize how BAD it made me feel though, until I started cutting back on the carbs and substituting healthier choices such as zucchini noodles, the new trendy "zoodles". As a healthier alternative, it comes in as a close second, and it's super easy to make.

The garden is really coming in and I've already harvested 7 zucchinis this past week! If you don't have a garden full of fresh veggies, don't fret. Zucchini is relatively inexpensive. It does take quite a few to make a decent helping, so I usually spiralize 5-6 at a time and keep them in a Ziploc in the fridge til I'm ready to use them.

I usually either combine 2-3 recipes I like into one, or just experiment with the measurements and make it up as I go. For this Shrimp Scampi, start with a pound of large raw, deveined shrimp (21-25 count). Saute them in 2 Tablespoons of butter with a couple cloves of garlic and red pepper flakes (1/4 teaspoon is plenty unless you really want to spice it up)...

You can add a little salt at this point too. I don't cook with a lot of salt but when I do, I use sea salt or pink himalayan salt, sparingly.

Next comes the best part! WINE!!! Once the shrimp are pink on all sides and just about cooked through, add about a 1/3 cup of wine and let it simmer for a few minutes to cook off the bitterness but to give it that sweet taste and fragrant aroma. Don't tell anyone, but then I add another 2 Tablespoons of butter to thicken up the sauce a little.

Now for the oodles of zoodles!!!

Be careful not to cook too long. These delicate "noodles" only take a few minutes in the sauce to soften up.  Too long and they get mushy, so pay close attention. Then add some parsley, shredded parmesan and Bon appetit!!!!!

And don't expect any leftovers... or the need for a nap!

INGREDIENTS:

1 - 1 1/2 lb Raw, deveined shrimp
4 TB Butter
2-3 Zucchini, spiralized
2-3 Cloves of garlic
1/4 Teaspoon red pepper flakes
Dash of Sea Salt
1/3 Cup of white wine
Parsley (to taste)
Shredded parmesan

A Fresh Perspective.

BEFORE

AFTER

The "desk" is done! It belonged to my aunt, and it was passed down thru 4 generations of women to her great-granddaughter, Ellie, who is one extra-special and well-deserving nine year old.

Ellie picked out such a great color and I was so excited to paint this piece for her. She and her mom allowed me to take this old heirloom, give it a fresh coat of paint and a trendy new knob, and turn it into something fun and new, while still treasuring it's roots and authenticity.

It seemed to be in pretty good condition but I was a little concerned about how loose the top seemed to be and I wanted my husband to take a look at it before we gave it back. After I was done with it, I picked it up to move it, and the whole top piece shifted!! I thought, "Oh great. Now that's it's all finished, I've broken it." To my surprise, though, the "desk" turned out to be more than just a desk. My husband and I discovered that it wasn't broken after all. The entire top piece swiveled, and the overlapping piece opened up into a table! What a cool discovery!

As always, I learned something new through one of my projects. I've been contemplating going back to work, but have had mixed emotions. I promised myself when I left my last job that I would be my own boss and work for myself when I decided to go back. I was torn at first, but after taking the advice of this little table, I swiveled my thought process. I am still my own boss and have not only one, but two of my own businesses. And now I have a great new opportunity as well - to get out of the house, make a little money, meet some new people and do something a little different. I have a fresh perspective on things now, and the best of both worlds! So, this week, when the kids go back to school, I will continue to paint and write and help out my clients, but there will be one more lunchbox in line on the counter and a few of my days will be spent at my new part-time job!

Sometimes I Wish God Had a Different Name

My kids started Vacation Bible School for the first time today, and when we walked into the church and my 6 year old saw the line of pews and stained glass walls, he looked up at me and said, “What is this?” I said, “This is a Church, and this is where you learn about God.” Right then, I knew this was going to be an important day, but I was nervous about the messages they were going to receive there and wondered if it would line up with my own personal beliefs, which I wasn't sure would be found in a church. 

Sometimes I wish God had a different name.  When I think of the word “God”, I instantly see the image of a man with a human form and a white beard that lives in the clouds and dictates how people should live their lives, or else face His wrath. This God has always been scary and confusing to me. So I guess I have shied away from the conversations with my kids altogether, leaving them grasping for answers to questions like, What is Heaven? Who is God? What happens when you die?

I want them to know God as something else. To me, God is Energy, God is a Universal all-encompassing entity. “God” is not a “He” or a “She”. God is everywhere and God is everything.  It is you, me, the flowers in my yard, the stars in the sky and the air that we breathe.  God is in you and God IS you. I don’t know how to convey this to a 6 and 3 year old- it’s a concept I still have a difficult time grasping myself. Instead, we talk about LOVE and KINDNESS and HELPING and SHARING and HONESTY. At the end of the day, that is what I believe the Universe is trying to teach us all anyway. God is LOVE, pure and simple. 

When the boys got in the car, my youngest said, “We learned about God today!” I said, “What did you learn?”  His eyes got really big and he smiled and said, “GOD IS EVERYWHERE!”  And then he gave me very vivid details of the snack he ate there.

On the back of the pamphlet they brought home, it explained that even though we can’t see God, we can see evidence of God’s presence and it encouraged us as parents to help our kids see these things. It could be a sunset or a flower or food or a hug or a friend that makes us smile. Yes… 

GOD = LOVE. 

LOVE is EVERYWHERE. 

LOVE IS EVERYTHING. 

I think we will go back tomorrow. J

P.S. If you are interested in a LOVE sign like the one above, please feel free to contact me for more info!

Mom's Gift This Year...

I found this old banged up candle holder a few weeks ago...

My mom and dad have a great screened in porch that they use frequently, and I think this will work perfectly out there... just need to go buy a candle! Happy Birthday Mom!

A Work of Love

This dresser was a work of love on more levels than one.  I fell in love with this ugly old yellow thing the minute I saw it.  Over coffee one morning with my dear, dear friend Erin, I showed her a picture of it and it was love at first sight for her too.

Later that day, I got a text from her saying, "I am slightly obsessed with that dresser. Can you send me the picture to show my mom and Brad? Can I hire you to paint it?"

My heart stopped. I was beyond excited that I was going to get to paint this beauty, and beyond touched that my friend trusted me to do it!

She chose a color that made me even happier. It was so fun to watch it's transformation. I loved every minute I worked on this. And loved it even more because I was doing it for a great friend. She and her husband will be buying a new house in the near future, and I'm honored to have worked on one of the pieces of furniture that will make it a home!

I was originally going to paint some light gray accents around the borders but I really loved the idea of having some of that original yellow and white show through. As I was typing this, my 6 year old peered over my shoulder and asked, "What's that?" I told him it was the dresser I had been painting all week and escorted him into the dining room to see the finished product.

He said, "You missed a few spots."

I tried to explain to him that it was "distressed", so the layers could show through and even though it was made to look new, it gave it some of it's old character and personality.

He was not impressed.

What does he know? Check out these knobs! They just made this piece pop!!! And that yellow/gray combo??? LOVE it!!

Thank you Erin, for putting your faith in me to do this for you and for your encouraging words this past week. I can't wait to see it in your future new home!!!

Flaws and All...

I swear my nightstand whispered to me as I was painting her these past few days. "Step back," she urged, quietly begging me to put my brush down and step away from the table. As much as she enjoyed her makeover, I think if she could have, she would have screamed, "Enough already!" Instead, she graciously let me sand and paint and scrutinize her every last detail. She let me get so close to her curves and grooves, I got paint dust in my eyes. She patiently let me judge every detail of her body and soul, until finally I put the brush down and stepped back.  What I saw was pretty cool.

It's funny the life lessons I'm learning through these projects that have nothing to do with sandpaper, paint and wax. This week, the Universe made it clear that sometimes you just need to take a step back and look at the big picture to see its beauty.  Sometimes we get so up close and personal with our feelings, judgments and scrutiny that we lose sight of the good stuff.  We criticize our family and friends for the little things they didn't do and forget to notice all of the things they did. We are quick to discipline our kids and sometimes overlook their good behavior. We judge strangers without knowing the full story. And worse, we look so closely at ourselves, we sometimes go cross-eyed from the self-criticism. If you look at anything too closely, you are going to find flaws. Nothing and nobody is perfect. I fretted over every nook and cranny of this table. I found every imperfection in my brush stroke, and questioned every placement of distressing. Was it too much? Not enough? The poor table must have felt so exposed! It wasn't until I heard her silent pleading to back off that I saw how great she looked.  And furthermore, her imperfections are what made her perfect. At least to me.

What I learned was that I wasn't just asking "Is this nightstand good enough?", but "Am I"? Wouldn't it be great if we took a step back today from all of our judgments and criticisms, of each other and ourselves? Instead of looking so closely at each other's faults and at our own imperfections, what if we saw the beauty of things from a broader point of view?

My nightstand and I are about to have a cup of coffee before I move her to new home in the guest room. And I'm not even going to use a coaster!

The Before...

3 Little Gems

I found these 3 little treasures and I almost couldn't bring myself to paint them... that ugly gold started growing on me, and I considered leaving them alone... but I didn't! (I will admit I let a couple little gold flecks peek through though!)

They turned out great! I tried two different techniques on these, including double layering and sanding, and dry brushing. Can you tell which is which?

I can't wait to hang them up in my new guest room. Of course, unless someone claims them. Keep in mind that 99% of the items I post are for sale!