Let's Clean!

Today marked a pivotal point in the transformation of my home; we got our carpets cleaned! A while back I fantasized of replacing the "blah beige" carpets you see in all new construction with bamboo hardwood floors, and then the state decided to withhold a large chuck of money from our state refund to pay Kyle's old college bills. Mind you there is an automatic payment on these bills that is automatically withdrawn every month, AND he's back in school so should be able to have all of his loans "suspended"....I'm sure you can imagine that I was somewhat frustrated. So, a couple hundred dollars later our cats got to save what is left of their lives collectively after the destruction they had caused to our carpets and they're amazing!
To make this miracle possible we had to clean out our loft, the room that is soon to be my new home office and client meeting space! I am GIDDY with excitement to design this room, and even more so that I have a blank canvas to work with now!
Here's the room layout:

And here are some photos of what the space looks like...not much yet, but had to share the before photos!

Please forgive the couch in the corner on its side...had to expose the floor space for cleaning! That couch will be in our yard sale in a couple of weeks! I'm starting to think we may need to have more than one yard sale because I'm not sure our driveway and garage can hold everything we have to sell!

After we cleaned we had a mini dinner party! It seems like this happens often in out house. It's not a full blown dinner party because I never have time to really hostess or get fun with it, and it's usually just "family". Tonight it was my mom and my aunt, the "uncles" (Clay and Anthony, our business partners), Clay's girlfriend, Kyle's mom, and the three of us. The starter was an amazing Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup. I could eat this all day! Abby liked it too, so it works as a baby recipe!

Ingredients - 4 servings
24oz. Chicken stock           8oz. Granny Smith apple peeled, cored, dice
2oz. unsalted butter             2tsp. Fresh Thyme leaves, chopped
4oz. diced onion                 1tsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped
1oz. minced shallot             Kosher salt - to taste
4oz. half-n-half                   Pepper - to taste
Butternut Squash, peeled, diced - 16oz.

Pour stock into 3-4qt. saucepan, bring to simmer over med-high
While that is heating, melt butter in 10" saute pan over med-high heat, add onion and shallot to butter and saute until translucent ~4-6min
Add squash to saute pan and cook for 3-4 minutes
Add sauteed squash mixture to stock. Add apples, thyme, rosemary, and simmer covered until all veggies are soft and tender. ~30 minutes.
Puree the soup in a blender or Cuisinart (in batches if need be) and pour blended mix through medium mesh strainer into clean sauce pan. 
Place saucepan over medium heat, stir in half-n-half, simmer for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Season with salt and pepper


This soup is great as a starter, or you can toss in some shredded chicken and make it a meal! Abby loved the flavors, so it gets the "Dablet Seal of Approval"! I think this would be even better in the fall or winter as a warm you up meal!
I am crazy with yard sale things, fun collaborations, and getting mom set up over the next 10 days, but I will be sure to share with you my Olioboard process along the way! Also, I'm taking paint color suggestions for just about any type of room, so leave me your comment with your favorite paint colors!