Plantation Shutters in the Bedroom and More Instapot Feedback

I posted several months ago how much I loved the new shutters in our bathroom and transom windows in our bedroom. 

Then.  I decided I needed to replace the woven woods with plantation shutters too.  Our room is pretty dark and I felt like they would brighten up the space. 

Gulp.  Expensive. 

We ordered Graber through Costco and the designers, measurers and installers are wonderful to work with.  I highly recommend them after using them twice.

As before Kyle showed up in his van with all the building supplies, constructed the shutters outside and then came in and quickly installed onto the windows.

The woven woods are still really beautiful and in good shape so we are saving those if we decide we want a different look in the future.

I have actually been on a little spending binge lately and have a few more purchases to share with you for reviews and recommendations.

Shopping Recommendations

As I mentioned last week, I ordered a replacement Kindle from Unclaimed Baggage.  It came in just a couple of days with the same beautiful packaging as before and the condition of the Kindle and cover as described.  Recommend this vendor!

From Walmart.com, I ordered an Ion UV sanitizing case.  This case is about the size of a cosmetic travel case.  It plugs right into a USB port, allows for electronics such as phones and tablets or keys to get sterilized in about 10 minutes.  There are a couple of glitchy things, but for under $20, no complaints and it’s nice to have.

What I’m Eating

I’m not really eating this delish dish, but my DF Jimmy in Dallas was whipping up some Hatch chilies chili in his Instapot and shared his recipe.  This is what he does:

Instapot Hatch Chilies Chili

• 2lbs ground meat
• False Alarm or Fire Alarm chili kit
• Two cans of beans of choice, I use pinto
• Three small cans of Hatch green chilies or green chilies, not hot
•  One large can of tomato sauce or purée depending how thick you want it, don’t add water, don’t drain cans just dump them in
• Salt to taste 

After meat is cooked and ingredients are in I put the Instapot to pressure cook for ten minutes then let it simmer for an hour.

What I’m Reading

On audio I finished Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine.  At first I was a little confused because I didn’t understand that it is sort of an interwoven series of short stories.  After I got used to the narrative, I was able to relax into the story and just enjoy the heck out of it.

I always think of Bradbury as a scifi writer, but this book isn’t really scifi at all.  He captures both young characters and very old characters perfectly.  He captures summer from a boy’s standpoint, but with such nostalgia, I could picture it from my own memory.

The writing is beautiful, the characters sweet, the setting is its own character.  If you want to revisit a little magic in your own life, I recommend this book.  Loved it!

Instapot Reviews

Thanks to Jimmy for sharing his Instapot recipe.  Many of you have added this appliance to your kitchen and are looking for success stories of new recipes or the ability to adapt old ones.

I used my Instapot this week to quickly boil eggs and potatoes for Grandma’s Potato Salad.  I didn’t boil the two things together, but it was nice using one pot for both and it’s nice not having to watch potatoes on the stove since they boil over so quickly. 

It may not save that much time in the long run, but the ability to multitask and not worry about a big mess is a big win in my opinion.

As always thank you for sharing my humble journey and God bless you this week.