New Blog!

Spring “Wreath”

AMAZING Alfredo!

Hey there!
Let me start off by saying… Don’t.. I repeat, don’t make this unless you want to make it every other week!
Or every week if you want to get crazy with it.

Personally, I make it once a week (:
One week I’ll make chicken Alfredo, and the next I’ll make it with shrimp!

It’s seriously so amazing, and way too easy!
My awesome Brazilian mother in law was just visiting last month, and it was my mission to learn her recipe while she was here.
She made it for us years ago, while Phillip and I were still in school, and it hasn’t left my taste buds since.
Thankfully, now I can make it on my own! (:

This serving will feed about 4 people!
It feeds my husband and I, as well as leftovers for two! (:

INGREDIENTS:

-THE STEPS FOR THE NOODLES ARE NOT LISTED-
So, make sure to have your noodles cooking while making the sauce & shrimp (:

For the SAUCE:

-16 oz box of Noodles (I use Fettuccine)
-2 TBS of flour
-2 TBS of butter
-1 TBS of olive oil
-3 cups of milk
-1 half pint carton of heavy whipping cream
-1 cup of Parmesan cheese
-3 TBS of corn starch

For the SHRIMP:

-Pre-cook, de-veined Shrimp; we use about a 1 lb bag, it just depends on how shrimpy you want it.
-2 TBS of minced garlic
-3 TBS of olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

FOR THE ALFREDO SAUCE:

Combine 2 TBS of flour, 2 TBS of butter & 1 TBS of olive oil into a big pot.
Once your butter is melted, it will look’a like’a thissss’a.
(That’s Italian, right?)

Next, mix your 3 cups of milk into the butter mixture.

Stir it until the butter mixture dissolves into the milk,
it should look like buttery milk (:

Add your carton of heavy cream to your buttery milk!

Also, add the 1 cup of Parmesan cheese to the butter milk mixture!

Now it’s time to thicken the sauce!

Stir the mixture of medium heat for about 5 minutes, stir it in 30 second intervals,
30 seconds on, 30 seconds off.

Next, add 3 TBS of cornstarch, mixing well in between each TBS.
Since cornstarch tends to clump up, you have to do this step with a whisk!
A whisk seems to do the best job at breaking up those clumps (:

Turn the heat low after your cornstarch is mixed in.
Keep stirring on & off until your sauce reaches a thick consistency.

After your sauce has thickened up, add salt to taste.

Does your sauce look, smell, and taste like some bomb.com Alfredo?!
Well, it should!

Now for the SHRIMP:

Put 3 TBS of olive oil & 3 TBS of minced garlic on a pan.
Let it simmer until it’s golden brown.

Next, rinse off your shrimpy’s!

Place your shrimp in the pan with the oil & garlic.

The purpose of cooking the shrimp with with oil & garlic is just to give them some flavor,
& warm them up.
Make sure to cook them only to the point where they’re warm!
Taste testing is necessary at this step (:

Drain your shrimp, and combine them with your sauce! (:
Add your noodles, and you’re golden.

Speaking of golden noodles..
Apparently my camera has the midas touch, because it sure turned those noodles to gold!
BOOM!

Only the best golden noodles for my baby!

I hope that you all try this out, I can assure you that you won’t regret it (:
If you have any questions at all, comment below! (:

XOXOXOXO, The Little Wifey ❤

Faux Granite Porch Table

New Home Dream Sheet.

Elloooo!

In a little less than three months, Phillip and I will be moving into our new home!
FINALLY.

It has definitely been a long time coming up until this point, and we still have quite a ways to go.
All the waiting has definitley done some good for my decor planning though!

I’v had so much time, (Probably too much time) to just scroll up and down pinterest and plan out every detail of our new home.
I’m sure that Phillip is fairly close to getting tired of me showing him pictures & saying, “Hey babe, you know that one corner in the house.. we should do this there!”. 

He’s such a trooper!
I really am so thankful for him giving me decorating freedom, he’s never made a complaint! Only complimented my efforts (:

Oh & I have no idea what sort of ‘look’ I’m going for in this house. I’m thinking for of a clean, bright, crisp look.
But, knowing myself, I’ll probably slowly creep my way towards an eclectic look.

Let’s start with this dream of a color scheme..
I’m really loving orange walls right now.
Not all the walls, just like a light orange accent wall.
Maybe I’m just overly excited for fall (:

I loveee this one! Maybe a tad too girly for the entire house.
But, I do love it (:
I’ll definitely be incorporating these colors somewhere.

What I love most about this color palette, would be the orange & grey!
I know that I definitely want to incorporate these colors somewhere, and I love that they’r also shown in a scheme with the pinks that I love (:
Also, I fell in love with some turquoise dining chairs that you’ll see a little further down, so it’s good to know that turquoise goes with these lovely colors as well (:

Alrighty, If you could guess, which palette do you think that I’m going to say is my favorite!?

Well.. if you said either the top left, or the top right, your correct!
The reason why I chose these palettes, is because they both have the pinks & the hint of blue that I love, BUT, they also have green.
Which I LOVE.
I especially love that ‘lime yellow‘ look in the top right.

So pretty much, I’v made my own palette of colors from these!
I’v never followed a scheme before (besides for my wedding), so i’m pretty excited about this!
The only way we could go wrong with these colors, would be if we used them in the wrong places.
Which is why I’m planning now (:
Some mistakes are unavoidable though!
What can ya do?!

Now onto the kitchen..

Backsplash backsplash backsplash!

This is what our kitchen looks like now.
(There’s a fridge there now)
One of the first things that I want to do , is install a backsplash!
& thanks to HGTV, I think this will be a DIY project.
With the mass amount of help from my hubs ofcourse (:

This is the prize that my eye is on!
I love the dark grey subway tiles, with white grout
& I love the way that the white cabinets look with it (:

Dining Room Time!
This excites me the most (:

& these are the looks that I love!

I mainly just like the idea of this picture!
I love the little round table & the upholstered chairs.

Same thing with this picture, I love this look! (:
My plan is to have the bench along the window in the dining area, a small round table, then 2 large upholstered chairs opposite of the bench!
(:

Here’s the chairs that are current candidates!

I love these!
They’r from Target & I’v had my eye on them for awhile!
They’r a bit pricey, but they have good reviews, so it might be worth the one time investment (:

These are the little blue babies that I mentioned earlier! 
I love these bar stools & have seen them in store at Target, and they’r just as cute! (:
I think these will be the bar stools that I go with..
They’r also pretty pricey, but hopefully worth the investment (:

As far as the rest of the house, I’m still planning!
We’ve been couch shopping for awhile now, and haven’t found anything that hit the spot.
We want something small enough to not overcrowd our living room, but big enough so that we can both comfortably lay it on while we watch our shows (:
Were probably going to end up with a sectional! (:

I can’t wait to move into the house, that  the progress of our abode! 

Thanks for reading!
I hope that everyone is having an awesome week! (:

XOXOXO, The Little Wifey ❤

Printable Obsessed!

Exciting things in the works!

Hello, hello!

It has been almost 2 weeks since I last posted on my ol’ bloggy!
Although no reason would be a good excuse, my excuse is that some exciting things are in the works at the Walker household!

Exciting things = busy-ness!

Exciting thing #1:

Phillip & are in the closing process of buying our first home!
Yippy!
Who would have known that buying a house consisted of a TON of waiting, and waiting, and hoping, and waiting?
Since the closing process is not done yet  we’re still waiting!
But, our estimated closing date is the end of June. When we do close, happiness will rain!
We weren’t even looking for a house when we came across this one, we (I) just go so excited when I saw the pictures. I had Phillip call the bank and get pre-approved before I even saw the house in person!
I have an amazing hubby.

This is our baby!
Not ours yet, but hopefully soon!
That porch though.. I’m so excited to just sit out there with my sweet tea & hubster!
And future baby walker…
Baby Walker will not be coming into the world for another few years, but a girl can dream!

Another perk about the house, is that the owners are AWESOME!
They’r so nice, and are also a military family.
It’s so nice to be able to trust, and get to know the sellers, it just makes the stressful process, so much easier!

Oh & my blog will BLOW UP with DIY’s once we move in.
The best thing about moving off base is that we can do whatever the heck we want to our home.
No housing rules, no lawn requirements, nothin’!

Exciting thing #2:

As mentioned in my Dream Sheet post, it has always been a dream of mine to open a boutique!
So, one night I did some research, and found out that it was easier than I thought it would be.

Definitely am not saying that it is in any way easy.
(that was a tongue twister!)

But, what I discovered is that it is not hard to obtain the license or I.D.’s required to buy and sell retail.
Sooooo, I’m starting a BOUTIQUE!!

I’m so so so so so excited!
My week has been completely consumed with shopping on tons and tons of sites to decide what sort of retail I’m going to have at my store.
So far I know that I will have Women’s Clothing, Jewelry, Shoes, and Makeup Products (Such as bare minerals, Too Faced, Urban Decay, and Mac).

I’v been searching long and far to try and find a reasonably priced Maternity Clothes wholesaler for all my mommies on base, but it’s tough!
Also, I hope to eventually carry children’s clothes, that’s another thing that has been time consuming this week, SEARCHING.

As of right now, my store will be mainly on facebook, and Etsy.
When we move into our new home, the boutique will be home based, with a room dedicated to it (:

I’m ordering my first batch of items next week, so hopefully I’ll be up and running online in about a month!
I’m so excited & can’t wait to what my store has ‘in store’ for me.

If you get a notification on Facebook, asking you to join a retail page called “SIMPER.“, That’s me!
Simper is a synonym for smile, and I love smiling, so I thought it was perfeito! (:

Every single day, something exciting happens in our lives!
For example;
Waking Up
Being able to Walk
Being able to Eat
Having food to Eat
Smiling at your loved one
Petting your dog or cat or chinchilla, whatever! (Or if your like me, kissing your dog over & over & over)
Being able to see
Being able to smell

I could go on FOREVER.

There is always, ALWAYS something to look forward to, and something to be thankful for.

Make it a goal to live more positive, and don’t let the little things get to you.

If your complaining on Facebook about having a horrible start to your day, because you have a flat tire, or you lost a bet, or whatever..
Always remember that someone just woke up and realized something a lot worse.
Save your worries for something that truly matters, and be thankful for what you have, not what you don’t have.

Adios Amigos!

XOXOXO, The Little Wifey ❤

Dream a little dream…

Here it is people… My Dreams!

I’m sharing this because I wanted to express how important I think it is, to dream. I also think that it is very important to write all of your dreams down, and work on making them a reality!

I didn’t number any of the dreams on my list, because they can happen in any order.

It is so so so easy to get caught up in life, and just take the ‘easy way out.’ And settle for less than you deserve. The reason why ‘dreams’ always seem so far off, is because no one seems to take the effort to accomplish them.

For example, the biggest thing I am trying to accomplish right now, is being an actress. It is very easy to think, ‘there are so many aspiring actresses, my chances are so small.’

There are tons of aspiring actors/actresses, but a lot of people give up when the going gets tough. And the people who don’t, are the people who become successful. So that’s my goal.

I have always said that if you have a dream, and you never give up, it seems nearly impossible for it not to come true. Perseverance pays off.

My reason for this post, is just to motivate others to reach their dreams. Just think of all your goals in life, write them down, and then start with the first one.

Say your dream is to create a line of beauty products like me,

First, make products!

There are tons and tons of soap, lotion, etc. tutorials on the internet. Figure out what you want to treat, say wrinkles, or dry skin, and then use ingredients that treat those problems.

Next, figure out your packaging.

Packaging is key! I’m guilty of buying something just because it’s in a cute bottle. Marketing truly sells the product!

Last, sell your product!

Give free samples to friends & family, and they can promote it for you. Go drop of free samples at stores, boutiques, malls, whatever!

And after you do all this, improve! You can’t ever fully improve a product or yourself. There’s always room for improvement (:

Now I’m gonna go start my line.. (:

My husband wants to be a pilot & always has, so you can bet your bottom dollar that I’m not gonna let him settle for anything less! (:

All it truly takes is initiative. Just do the initial research on how to reach your goals, and go from there!

I hope this motivates you to reach your dreams, we need more dream reach-ers in the world!

Good Luck!

If you need motivation or even an idea of how to get your dream ball rolling, email me at thelittlewifey@yahoo.com.

I would love love love to help motivate you to reach those dreams!

HAPPY DREAMING!

A Day in the Sorento…

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Yesterday, Phillip and I went full force DIY-duo and decided to devote this beautiful Saturday to it. And not to mention, we wanted to get our new car out onto the town a bit! I say that so nonchalantly, but I’m SO excited about it!

We wanted to go yard sale-ing, so I googled yard sales in our area, and a there was a long list! We went to all the yard sales that had things such as ‘furniture, antiques, & home decor’ listed.

Oh & have I ever mentioned that I have a serious addiction to anything that holds stuff; crates, baskets, buckets, barrels, OH MY!

If it holds stuff, i want it. 

So of course, when Phillip pointed out this baby, it was all mine!

You can’t tell in this picture, but it’s huge! It’s sitting on my kitchen table here, & it’s almost the width of it.

& as if it needed to be justified…

We also bought a pile of scrap wood for future projects, and a poker set for Phillip. He went yard saleing with me, so he deserved a treat!

Next Stop:

POL (petroleum, oil, lubricants) Picnic! That’s Phillip’s job, so everyone from his shop got together for a picnic!

I went home after yard-saleing & made some Buffalo Chicken Dip.

Buffalo wing dip is always my go-to party food. Ever find yourself wondering what you should bring to a get-together?

Your Welcome.

Buffalo Chicken Dip folks! It’s just a chip-dip, but you can really dip anything into it. Fried chicken is especially yummy!

& this is a one stop shop for guys, I promise you they will not go more than 15 ft. from where the dip resides.

Buffalo Wing Dip recipe HERE!

On the way to the picnic! Phillips holding the dip, because I didn’t want it to spill in my new car!

& I’m driving of course, because I’m just obsessed with driving my car right now.

We can’t judge the gas mileage on the car yet, because I’m driving so much more than I normally would!

And.. I’m just a happy camper about a beautiful day & a new car!

The picnic was awesome, and so was the food & friends that were there!

On the way home from the picnic, we saw this cute little bar stool on the side of the road, in great condition!

It appeared to be in great condition anyways, there could be a reason it was on the side of the road.. :O

(I love the back of it!!)

And as if this day couldn’t rock my socks off anymore, a nice girl on base gave Phillip & I this patio table.

FOR FREEEEEE.

(Ignore the power tools on top!)

I’m gonna get an umbrella & chairs for it, and possibly paint the white!

The awesome thing about a military base is that everyone is so giving & caring.  Kindness really is contagious! Someone gave them this table, so they gave it to us. We plan on returning the favor soon with our old washer & dryer that was given to us when we first got our house!

..ONE DAY LATER..

Today, we took on that lovely bar stool that we found!

I unscrewed the seat from the stool & headed to Lowe’s to find the perfect color!
Voila, here it is!

I’v accepted the fact that Phillip is a way better & WAY more patient spray painter than I am.
So, here he is, practicing perfection.

Conrad really wants to help paint!

Drum-roll Please….
Here she is! I love the way it turned out!

Bucky Approved!

That’s all we have for today!

As you can tell, it was quite the eventful day.

And Phillip & I were ready to rip each others hair our by the end of the day…Just being honest.

I hope that everyone had as great of a day as I did!

Adios Amigos!

XOXOXO, The Little Wifey<3

DIY Mother’s Day Gifts!

ACCESS DENIED TO MY MOTHER:

Seriously Mommy, I don’t want you to see your gifts yet, so stop right there!

Don’t read any further.

For everyone else reading,  these are the DIY/ store-bought gifts that I got my mom for mother’s day, all bundled up into one cute DIY box!

Mommy, if you’re still reading, you better stop! 

Okay, I think we’re safe now.

So, first of all, I attempted to do a DIY canvas! And it was so much easier, and turned out a lot better than I thought it would (:

This is what ya’ need!

-Glossy Mod Podge

-Craft/Acrylic Paint

-Canvas

-Picture (I printed mine on computer paper)

-Paintbrush

Paint all sides & the outside edge of the canvas.

I did this, because my picture was just a bit smaller than the canvas!

Once your paint dries, apply one coat of Mod Podge to the entire face of the canvas.

You’ll want to do this step fast, because it dries so quick!

Here we are.. just lay your picture on the canvas!

If I could do it again I would have done it a lot slower & steadier.

As you can see, mine ended up with a few wrinkles!

After you lay down your picture, you do an all-over top coat of Mod-Podge.

Give it some time to dry, and then you’re golden!

Next up, we have the DIY car trash bag!

Nifty, huh?!

And a nice little commissary bag for the lining!

I also made myself a bag, and I love it!

I no longer have an excuse for a messy car… as if I ever did!

I did not do a tutorial on this one, because I followed this tutorial right here (:

It’s actually very easy, and is great practice for beginning sewers.

And, as seen in my Jewelry Making post on the home page…

Made these babies for a whopping $1.00 total!

I bought all the stuff on clearance, and didn’t have to use any ‘jewelry tools’ to make them.

So easy, I wonder why I didn’t do this earlier!

And what else, but a bracelet to match?!

I love the simplicity of this one!

And some not-so-DIY, shirts from good ol’ T.J. Maxx! 

I have noticed that you can go into T.J. Maxx, not needing to buy a thing, and you end up finding all these things you never knew you ‘needed’!! 

It’s such a great surprise (:

Next step is to bundle it all up in some pretty pink tissue paper!

This is a bag that I saved from my Bridal Shower!

It’s super cute, and perfect spring/mother’s day colors!

So, whoever gifted this bag… thank you, you’re awesome!

I just cut the bag into squares that covered the front & back of the box, and mod-podged it on!

Took a sharpie to those circles & now I’m done! (:

For those who don’t know, my mama currently lives 17 hours away!  ):

So, this is a to-go mother’s day gift!

I also have a wonderful Mother-In-Law, but she lives all the way in Brazil, so we’ll have to make up for Mother’s Day, next time we see her (:

Which will hopefully be soon!

“My mom is literally a part of me. You can’t say that about many people, except relatives… and organ donors.”

Happy Mother’s Day!

I hope that everyone has a great day, filled with great mommies, and love!

XOXOXO, The Little Wifey ❤