Hi friends!
Lots of construction going on around here as Matt and I attempt to move some wooden shelves that were in one room to a closet. Things are falling, wood is cracking, curse words have been uttered. They are IKEA IVARS and I would not recommend them!
Which makes me really nervous because we’re getting a PAX closet for our master bedroom and the Billy Bookcases for the living room (I think!) and if the simple wooden shelves are this hard to install…
We think we just got them…pantry solution solved!
Here’s someone who knows what he’s doing: Justin the painter of LTD Paint Company. Email me if you want his number “for all your painting needs.” 
We’ve had fun hanging out all week! (And the house looks brand new!)
While the brown doors went white, I was out at meetings – like making a radio commercial for Great Harvest! We’re sponsoring the Golden Apple Teacher of the Month award here and are excited to be on the air!
On-the-go: gosh this was chocolatey good!
Home in time to make a gourmet dinner:
Wild Copper River salmon seared and oven finished:
And then topped with some Dr. Pete’s Praline Mustard Glaze! Love that stuff on everything.
Roasted fingerlings from Tracy’s garden – 400* for 40 minutes with lots of french fry-tasting kosher salt and a rub of olive oil
And simple steamed kale with a drizzle of maple
Served with a small glass of brown ale from a blog reader! Wynona’s Big Brown Ale!
I’ve had this Cadbury Cream egg since…Easter!! Seamane actually gave it to me and I froze it for the perfect night. I really wanted to savor it but the right night never came…until now! Easter never tasted so good.
Back to our projects!
Courtney says
Your new house looks amazing! And that dinner…mmmmmm!!!
Sweet and Savvy says
Wow! What a fabulous dinner after such a productive day! Congrats On your move and everything you have gotten done!
Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat says
Don’t worry about the Billy bookcases – I’ve got them, and if I can do it, you can do it!! 🙂
Erika - The Teenage Taste says
Haha! I love that you saved that creme egg for a special occasion. I should try doing that – normally I just shovel them down! 😉
Annie @ On a Back Burner says
haha I love that last picture!
Sarah says
Ok hugh is it really Copper River Salmon season !!? It is seriously the best salmon I have ever tasted.
White doors are the best…. Red comes in at a close second 😀
I have so much random chocolate in my freezer right now hahaha it is so much fun to random ally break in to! Most of what I have are York peppermint patties for sure… Love those things super cold!
KathEats says
This was frozen salmon from the season, which I think is just now ending 🙁
Cait @ beyond bananas says
Love that GH is supporting teachers! Thank you for that! And you are so smart to save that cadberry! I wish I had stocked up on a bag of good jelly beans for a mid year indulgence! They sell the best ones At Easter!
kathleen @ the daily crumb says
we had salmon for dinner tonight as well — nothing beats a mustard glaze! our favorite is a simple evoo, dijon, honey, lime juice mix.
justin’s not too tough on the eyes 🙂
cathy says
i have two full walls of my zen den covered in billy bookcases – they are a cinch to put together and i’ve been super pleased with them!
KathEats says
yay!
Alison says
He looks like Ken!
http://www4.images.coolspotters.com/wallpapers/105334/mattel-ken-doll-mobile-wallpaper.jpg
(I just got back from Target and was checking out the Ken dolls for my daughter’s birthday tomorrow… so I have Ken on the brain.)
KathEats says
Hahaha
Laura says
I totally agree! He’s my brother and we bought that Ken doll for my daughter (his niece) for her birthday. She calls it “Uncle J”. Haha
Caitlin @ Cake with Love says
Salmon and roasted potatoes with ketchup are a staple in our house!! oh, how I love them!!! That painter is very cute good that I am married and in NYC 🙂
Stephanie @cookinfanatic says
That salmon looks great, I’ve been craving salmon lately! Maybe I need to make a trip to Charlottesville sooner rather than later, hello cute painter Justin!! Not tough on the eyes at all… does he like blondes 😉 hahaha
kaila @ healthy helper! says
I had salmon for dinner to! So delicious and buttery!
Lea @ Healthy Coconut says
We have a few big IKEA items in our house, some took longer to assemble than others (the lamps are the easiest, lol) but I think they are a value and worth it. I haven’t had a bad purchase from IKEA yet.
Molly says
I am a teacher and I’d like to thank you for sponsoring the Golden Apples in your area! Thanks! 🙂
Morgan says
I have absolutely been in love with the Billy bookshelves for the past 8 years! I love them.
Soleil Doux @ Soleil Doux Blog says
I love Cadbury Creme Eggs, and wow, that dinner looks fantastic. Your post made me hungry, haha! 🙂
Jen says
Can we email him just for his number? 🙂
Michelle says
I’d say .. hello, hottie!!
annie says
Yeah, I think I have some “painting needs”, hehe 🙂
Lauren @ Oatmeal after Spinning says
I have to just add a big “Ditto” to all of these comments. 😉
Jil @ Big City, Lil' Kitchen says
Ohh – now I’m craving salmon.
erica says
“for all your painting needs” hahaahhaa. that cracked me up.
Cat @Breakfast to Bed says
I think most of your single lady straight readers will be thinking “does he do bodypaint?” just sayin. He’s not ugly.
Emily @ the doodlebug says
Hahah I was literally scrolling through the comments: “COME ON! Someone’s gotta be commenting on the cute painter!” 🙂
Holly @ The Runny Egg says
Too bad about the Ivars — my sister has a bunch of them and they’ve been great for her — maybe they were put together incorrectly? (I’m assuming they were already in the house when you bought it?)
How cool to record a commercial!
J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) says
The salmon and potatoes looks SOOOO GOOD! Def one of my favorite meal combos. Yum, yum!
Easter?! It’s almost Halloween. That eggy would have been eaten long ago at our house, lol.
stacey says
We have had PAX organizers in our bedroom and the Billy bookcases in our living room for 4-5 years. My husband had no issues putting either one of them together and they are both holding up very well! We get a ton of compliments on the Billy bookcases.
KathEats says
So glad to hear it!
Lauren @ What Lauren Likes says
Definetly a fab dinner! Love the plates too btw 🙂
Katie @ Peace Love and Oats says
Easter candy wouldn’t last that long in my apartment! and tell justin to check out my blog… haha.
Amy says
I have a Billy bookshelf that made it all the way from Victoria BC to Toronto in perfect condition. Of course I let a friend put it together for me! 😉
Claire says
Billys are great!! We have 3 and they hold lots if heavy books. They even survived move!
lindzjane115 says
Your kale is such a light (and bright) shade of green! Mine is always dark and deep forest green looking… what variety did you use tonight?
KathEats says
It was a local kind – no idea! The kind I usually get is darker
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga says
Love finding freezer stashes…of chocolate! I do the same thing with all my desserts that I know I am not going to eat right away..freeze them for a rainy day.
And Justin is a hottie. (married 10+ yrs, love my husband, but I’m not blind…lol)
KathEats says
“I’m not blind” <-- haha!
jane says
ha love it.
Kathy says
I read the comments just to see the ones the ladies were going to put about the painter! Awesome ladies…Lol
Angela (Oh She Glows) says
I think fingerlings are the only potato that can literally make me DROOL at the mere sight!
Angela (Oh She Glows) says
ps- your painter comment made me laugh out loud!!
Anna says
I’ll add another Justin the painter comment…does he travel? I live 45 min outside of C’ville! 🙂 I live in an apartment that can’t be painted but I’m sure I could think of something…!
KathEats says
I bet he would! I can ask
Annette @ EnjoyYourHealthyLife says
The house is looking so SO good! I need to try to steam kale…..good idea!
Lindsay @ bike before bed says
What good advertising for your painter!
Ashley says
Oh shoot! We just bought an IVAR shelf! I guess you can’t expect much when you’re paying IKEA’s prices. We’ll know for next time. 🙂
KathEats says
It’s great now that it’s installed!
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says
We had wild salmon with a mustard glaze tonight too! Israeli couscous and green beans on the side for us 😉 Justin doesn’t seem like bad company (if you know what I mean ;))
RachelSD says
Hi Kath, everything is looking so good so far! What a ton of work you have been doing!
I’ve had really good luck with Billy bookcases, but friends of ours have had a really terrible time with the PAX closet system (and another of IKEA’s closet organizing systems– I just can’t remember the name). I don’t know why, I just know that they said the install, etc., was ridiculous and it just doesn’t work right. But hopefully you will have more luck!
Nikki says
I actually have a large pax unit in our master bedroom with the cream doors. We put crown moulding at the top to trim them out and tied it into the rest of the room, and it looks like built-ins. I actually picked my trim colour based on their colour. They are going on 5 or 6 years old, with some shelf reconfiguring even, and still going strong, so no worries! Most things from ikea I find do not stand the test of time, but I have been very happy with them!
KathEats says
Oh so glad to hear that!
Angel7 says
The roasted fingerlings look sooo good–dreamy 🙂 I love starchy foods 🙂
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
Sara says
Hi – don’t forget to take off the door handles when painting doors! Truly helps
Julie H. of Spinach and Sprinkles says
When that painter is done…. send him to Kansas. 🙂 because your house looks great!!!!
…Eating out of season candy is my favorite!!!
Cait's Plate says
That dinner just looks perfect from start to finish.
And you officially have a studly stud on your hands painting your house!! Did you move to Wisteria Lane?? 😉
Christine @ BookishlyB says
We have the Billy bookcases and they are really easy to put together. Just be careful if you ever move again to protect them well because their back “panel” (i.e. heavy cardboard) isn’t very durable.
Jennifer @Peanut Butter and Peppers says
OMG! He’s hot! I’d being staying home and trying to find things for him to do. Your so lucky! By the way your house looks great! Love, love, love the backyard!
katie @KatieDid says
gosh I’m on a kale kick lately and your making me jealous with that heaping pile because I just ran out. My apartment is in dyer need of a paint job in fact 😉
blair says
my opensky granola was waiting on my doorstep when I got home from teaching at the studio tonight…made my night!
KathEats says
Whee!
Jess says
That’s hilarious—I was staring down a cadbury cream egg (also leftover from easter) after dinner trying to decide whether to have that or an apple for dessert. The apple won, if only because I’m super-excited that Macintosh apples are finally in season.
Ashley @ My Food 'N' Fitness Diaries says
Ah I’m sure that Cadbury Cream Egg was such a nice little treat! Easter always is my favorite holiday for store candy: Cadbury Eggs and Reese’s Eggs. 🙂
Shaya (Eye Girl Eats) says
Haha hilarious that you’ve kept the Cadbury egg– I’m the type that I just don’t like to eat things ‘out of season’, because then I wouldn’t get excited for them to be IN season! Like, if pumpkin pie were available year-round, I’d probably never ever want to eat it (blasphemy, I know!). But since it feels so seasonal, I love having it on Thanksgiving and thereabouts!
The doors look great already!
Khushboo says
“for all your painting needs”..hahahah love it!
lynn @ the actor's diet says
frozen cadburys are so good! i don’t think mine would last that long though
Aine @ Something to Chew Over says
Wow I didn’t know you could get Cadburys Creme Eggs in America! Roll on Easter 🙂
ciely says
IKEA “a meatball store that sells furniture” gotta love em! You get what you pay for, and that’s fine with me. Where else can you find modern minimalist designs so cheap…nowhere.
Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin says
Those Cadbury cream eggs are so sickeningly sweet, but so good!
Stephanie says
Justin the painter’s kind of cute! Ha! Your dinner looks amazing. My dinner after a day of building Ikea stuff (which is just another clever form of torture) looks more like a microwaved veggie sausage. On its own. And then maybe some toast with peanut butter.
Michaela says
billy bookcases are fab and very easy to get together. the pax system is a bit more complicated, but I managed to set my pax closet up together with a girlfriend, it really was ok! but still, good luck 🙂
Molly @ RDexposed says
I LOVE (love, love, love) salmon and roasted potatoes…but I do enjoy a caramel egg more than the cremes! And then there are the Reese’s holiday shaped peanut butter cups that I don’t even allow myself to look at!
Ally at A Girl in her Kitchen says
Good luck with the moving in process! I remember when we bought our house. We sanded, painted, and constructed for what felt like forever but it is so nice when you are done!
Hillary says
The comments on here about your painter made me giggle. Hilarious!
Eleonora says
My experience with Ikea furniture has been excellent so far (apart from one case, totally my fault). It even endures move and multiple disassembling/reassembling if everything is done correctly. One suggestion: do NEVER put wheels under your Billy bookcase (not even the small ones). That was the only case a piece of Ikea furniture actually broke down into pieces. And several books fell all over me 🙁
Christena says
Had to read the comments to see if anyone would say something about your supercute painter! Love it!
JenATX says
I find that holiday candy only tastes good to me at the holidays! oh gosh… i just realized that Halloween is on the way & I went a little overboard with Halloween candy last year
laurie says
Not that you need any more positive comments on the Billy bookcases or your painter (no wonder you’ve had every room in your house painted!!!) but I’ve had our bookcases for probably more than 20 years and they’ve moved twice in Hong Kong to Utah to Taiwan and back to Utah with us and they’ve been fantastic every step of the way!!!
KathEats says
Oh wow – that’s the test of time!
Cristen says
I would like his number “for all my dating needs” haha!
Katie @ Plates and Paste says
Haha the Cadbury egg cracks me up!
Lara @ TresLaLa says
I”m not a fan of the Cadbury Creme eggs, but the caramel eggs… Swoon! Dinner looks fab, as always.
Patti Schenkel says
Justin, the painter I,m proud to says is my son! Not only is he the best painter but he,s also a sweetheart. If you need a recommendation I’d be the fist to give you an excellent one!
KathEats says
Awww thanks for stopping by Patti!
Laura says
Justin’s my brother and yes he’s always been that cute. 🙂 Even better, he’s an awesome painter who you can trust to always work hard and get the job done right!
KathEats says
Hi Laura!
Patti Schenkel says
My son always seems to be the talk of the town! But he’s also very humble! My husband says he’s not only an excellent painter but very efficient too! Thanks for using his services! Your cooking looks fabulous!