eyeheartorange

an education

2011-02-13T21:55:00.003-05:00

A friend and I have been wanting an excuse to get together more often and spend quality time chatting, bonding, and, if it worked out, making something pretty white we were at it. We researched classes that were being offered in our area and decided upon an intro to jewelry-making class at a school near work. We envisioned meeting up every Tuesday night and mindlessly, effortlessly, second naturedly crafting stunning works, sure to elicit compliments to which we could reply, "Thanks! I made it!"

So far, I can see myself neither wearing anything I have made nor claiming it as my handiwork.

You read above that this is Intro to Jewelry, right? Intro? Lies. Everyone else in the class has taken it 3 or 4 times in previous semesters and is there for what I can identify as a few reasons: to use fancy metalsmithing jargon that has no place in everyday conversation, to wear crocs in an appropriately fashionless environment, because they have dreams of someday making this more than a once a week hobby, and to enjoy the high that goes along with showing up the newbies.

In short, we feel dumb. My friend E and I are both generally fairly type A, and we really thought we would rock this class. I don't generally like activities at which I don't excel or at least enjoy (ahem, kickball?) so I generally really don't like this! I do enjoy watching the demos, there is something very soothing about watching our teacher (whose day job is the real life version of CSI Atlanta) bend metal this way and that all while telling stories in a charming way, avoiding any real cursing by using words like unpleasant, uncomfortable and unfortunate. Love that. But this week marks class 4 and I am barely beyond the first lesson. I think this will turn into Intro to Patience, Humility and No Taking Oneself Too Seriously for me. That's cool. I already have enough jewelry.

I should mention that last week I went to happy hour right before the class and that the 3/4 of a beer I drank seemed to make the class much more fun. The teacher was so busy with the advanced students that E and I talked and walked around the halls of the school with coffees for the first 45 minutes. It really is like being in high school. Maybe even middle school if you consider the amount of self doubt and humiliation we are facing. So I am basically paying $175 to relive my youth. Well worth it.

a week of meals

2011-02-13T12:51:00.002-05:00

Back to posting, I promise! It has been a very busy couple of weeks. My boss left the company just as my part time gig was set to start, so that threw a wrench into all my lots-of-extra-time-to-myself-and-my-freelance plans. And Brett has been out of town a lot, so cooking has been on the back burner.

So to make up for it, here is a super week's worth of meal planning. And guess what? These, and most of the other recipes I have been sharing, are Weight Watchers recipes! I have been doing this plan for a few months and I love it. I'm not going to talk numbers just yet, but I put on a pair of pants today that have been skin tight for years and they were loose! And are now one of my favorites again as they were when I was 23. Yes, 23!

SUNDAY : Ropa Vieja with Spinach Salad

MONDAY : Curried Quinoa with Chickpeas

TUESDAY : Tomato Soup with Roasted Squash

WEDNESDAY : Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms

THURSDAY : Coconut Shrimp and Mango Salad

FRIDAY : Nutty Sweet Potato Salad

I'll post a few recipes later this week, for now I just needed to get a blog post in. xoxo

a week of meals

2011-01-23T16:45:00.003-05:00

Here's what's cooking in our kitchen this week, a few of these things sounded really good and we already made them this weekend. Brett is gone again this week but I am determined to treat myself well and still cook. Some of our favorite recipes lately are below. Did anyone try the healthy brownies? I'd be interested to hear your opinion.

Sunday : lunch | CHICKEN + RICE SOUP with BROCCOLI and MUSHROOMS, dinner | BEEF and BROCCOLI

Monday : post swim practice burritos

Tuesday : leftovers before jewelry class

Wednesday : TUSCAN VEGETABLE CHOWDER

Thursday : CHICKEN SANDWICHES with GOAT CHEESE and SUN DRIED TOMATO SAUCE

Friday : CHIPOTLE BEAN NACHOS

Last night I made the bean nachos for an easy Saturday dinner and a movie. They were awesome and so was the movie (Invictus). Today I made the chicken and rice soup for lunch and ate it with Brett and BIL Nick while we watched the Supercross race... at least I enjoyed the soup. Tonight I'm going to make the beef and broccoli while we watch football. Hope ya'll have a great week!

STUFFED PEPPERS with MEDITERRANEAN QUINOA

These remind me of the stuffed peppers my mom made growing up. I loved them!

1 tsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with liquid

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1 cup water

4 bell peppers

10 kalamata olives, chopped

1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 1/2 tbsp pesto

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 375°. Heat oil in a large saucepan and sauté onion for 5-7 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and their liquid, water and quinoa to pan, stir and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until quinoa is tender.

In the meantime, cut top off peppers and clean out any ribs and seeds. Make a thin slice off the bottom so they stand easily on a baking sheet.

When quinoa is done, stir in chickpeas, olives and pesto. Taste and add salt to taste. Spoon quinoa mixture into the peppers and bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Then remove from oven, sprinkle with the feta and continue baking another 5 minutes or until feta is melted.

CHIPOTLE BEAN NACHOS

Obviously I don't have kids and hardly ever cook for kids, but I suspect kids would like these.

1 tsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 14 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup shredded cheese

1/2 cup salsa

1/4 cup fat free sour cream

10 kalamata olives, chopped

fresh cilantro, chopped

baked tortilla chips

spices (I used a cajun seasoning and cumin)

Preheat oven to 400°. Heat oil in a skillet and cook onion and garlic until soft, about 8 minutes. Add black beans and spices, mix in with onions. Smash them with the back of a fork, creating a paste. I added some water during this process and kept the heat on low. Spread the beans over 20 or so chips and top with cheese on a baking sheet. Bake about three minutes until cheese melts and then remove and top with salsa, sour cream and cilantro. I generally am not a huge fan of non fat dairy, but in this case where it is more about texture than taste, I used fat free sour cream and it was perfect.

Another note, I used home made chips for this recipe. It is so easy, they make any snack or dip feel fancier, look prettier and a little more wholesome. Slice fresh corn or flour tortillas into wedges. Throw them on a baking sheet, spray with some olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 425°, keep checking them and flip once. Bake til crisp.

bath time!

2011-01-17T18:25:00.009-05:00

We have had some set backs to our bathroom remodel, so while we finally have a toilet after about 9 days, it'll soon get to relive its glory days as hunk of non functional ceramic art, beautifying our living room in a sort of Marcel Duchamp/R. Mutt tribute. In other words, it's getting ripped out because the floor needs to be redone. In the meantime, I'm focusing on the prettier side of bathrooms: (although as toilets go this one is a stunner) mirrors and other accoutrements.

Today I picked up three mirrors at Target, I'm going to try to keep this on the cheap. Option one is just a plain, frameless beveled 18" edge round, $19. I like the simplicity of it, but think it might be a little small. The second is a larger round in a metallic wood frame by Thomas O'Brien, on clearance for $56. The frame color doesn't match the other chrome finishes in there so my plan would be to paint it with the same paint I used for the new closet. I painted a teensy swatch on the bottom edge just to see how the color looks in there are I am liking it. It is sort of my whimsical option. Third is a rectangle mirror with a mirror frame, $29. It is really classic looking, I think it would let the tile and fixtures be the stars, and it will work well with the light fixture. Hoping to post more on this project soon, along with the $29 cabinet we found to add storage to the room. Yes, $29!

Above are some other style elements I will try to work in. The blue is the color of our closet and a deeper version of the color of our living room walls. I don't want to paint the bath walls this color (too much of a good thing) but I definitely envision this fitting in somewhere... This is our new light fixture, bought on clearance from Restoration Hardware, except we have fancy black shades. The LOVE sculpture I own, I bought the milk glass lotion pump today at Target (bye bye Aveeno bottle), and the artwork is something I've had my eye on. Imagine my surprise when I received a similar print from a photographer friend this Christmas! I'm loving this fabric, it is just from cheap-o Ha
ncock Fabrics but I think it is so mod. I seem to buy wire baskets every time I go antiquing. That is our new faucet! It was a splurge, but I think it will be worth it! And I just love that monogram style. Towels? Toilet paper? Kidding. I do have an idea to frame a piece of tp that I managed to salvage from the unruly (not) Weezer crowd. I mean Rivers Cuomo touched it! Hopefully it will all look as good as it does in my head.

photo by Alex Martinez

a week of meals

2011-01-16T13:22:00.005-05:00

Somehow we got through most of this. One mishap - Brett thought I meant ground sirloin so we had burgers instead of beef and broccoli. Below is the recipe for the healthy brownies, they really are quite good! Just don't overcook.

Brett is out of town this week, so I am going to try to munch my way through any leftovers and not shop for much other than some fruit and veg for snacks. Here is my single gal meal plan for the week:

Monday: making the STUFFED PEPPERS I meant to make last week.

Tuesday: leftover pepper before jewelry class

Wednesday: ROASTED ACORN SQUASH with CINNAMON, CUMIN and maybe a few RAISINS

Thursday: EGG WHITE OMELET with CAPERS, TOMATOES, OLIVES and SPROUTED BREAD TOAST

Friday: FISH TACOS

BROWNIES

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup cocoa powder

6 eggs

1/2 cup stevia for baking (I used Truvia)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted

1 cup chopped walnuts

In a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil and blend in cocoa powder. Set aside to cool. In another bowl, blend together the eggs, stevia, salt and vanilla. Stir in cocoa mixture. Whisk in coconut flour and then fold in nuts. Spread in a greased 8"x8" pan and bake 30-35 minutes.

so many things to discuss...

2011-01-14T12:02:00.002-05:00

None of them terribly important, but still... First up, this zodiac thing. I just got a text from my sister informing me that I am now a Taurus. Um, no. Sorry. Not giving up my right to exhibit dual character traits (the sugar-coated Gemini way to say moody) to be a stubborn bovine. Although, she did point out that I can now be lazy without guilt. Sweet. This deserves more research. I am not crazy into the stars, but when your reply to,"what's your sign?" has always been as such... it will be an adjustment. Can you imagine looking at Cosmo and pausing on another sign? Unthinkable.

Next, my meal plan has been derailed this week. By snow. We have been stuck at home, staying up late, sleeping in, and generally being far away from any semblance of normal. And, not really craving the healthy stuff. I made the tilapia (awesome) and did try those healthy brownies (double awesome, especially if you like coconut) but the ingredients for the stuffed peppers and sun dried tomato chicken are languishing. Perhaps I will rally tonight. Or, maybe we'll go see Black Swan, True Grit, The King's Speech or Country Strong and have a popcorn and diet coke dinner instead.

Also, my blog. More specifically, my blog's background, Little Miss Sunshine. It's no longer available, so I chose a new orangey offering. I have always felt like a huge cheater using ready made blog wallpaper anyway, I should learn how to do it myself. Maybe in 2011!

In case you're still reading, we are getting organized! Or at least our clothes are. Ever since moving to Atlanta, home to two Container Stores, I have salivated over the elfa closet system. But living the apartment life doesn't allow for anything that needs to be installed, and investing in a permanent system for a temporary home didn't make much sense. Since we'll be in the condo a while, and I noticed that the annual elfa 30% off sale was going on, we did it! I think I'll now have room for exactly 36 pairs of shoes, so I will have a real excuse to weed. That will feel good. This weekend we are painting the closet a Tiffany blue so it will be ready for the installers. I have a feeling I'm going to want to move my office in there, too. All that order...

One last thing: Barbeque Fritos make great croutons. That's all. Thank goodness it's Friday!

a week of meals

2011-01-09T09:54:00.005-05:00

Our week 1 menu with annotated reviews by Brett

Last week was a success. I didn't make the soup, we just didn't need it but something tells me we might need a hot bowl of soup this week in Atlanta! Only one real dog: the quinoa salad. For some reason the quinoa didn't cook correctly, it had an oatmeal consistency instead of its usual fluffy quality. The best was the wheat berry waldorf salad - recipe below.

Here is this week's lineup:

Sunday night: STUFFED PEPPERS with MEDITERRANEAN QUINOA

Monday night: swim practice - eat burritos with the team.

Tuesday night: jewelry class! I'll probably grab a smoothie.

Wednesday night: PAN FRIED TILAPIA with ROASTED TOMATOES

Thursday night: BEEF + BROCCOLI

Friday night: CORNMEAL CRUSTED CHICKEN with SUNDRIED TOMATO SAUCE

I have a recipe for gluten free, healthier brownies made with coconut oil and coconut flour. Gonna give it a try! The ingredients were pricey - but something tells me spending more than 99 cents on a brownie mix and some canola oil might be the right decision anyway.

WHEATBERRY WALDORF SALAD with HAM

1 cup wheatberries (soaked overnight to soften)

little bit of ham, I used a 7 oz. prepacked ham steak from Whole Foods, diced.

1 Granny Smith apple, chopped

1/4 small red onion, minced

1 cup golden raisins

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chhopped

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp orange juice

1 tbsp each honey, olive oil, Dijon mustard, and freshly grated ginger*

Boil wheatberries for about an hour until very tender. Allow to cool a bit and then mix with all other chopped ingredients and raisins. Whisk together the dressing from wet ingredients and ginger and pour over the wheatberry mixture, tossing to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

* I thought the ginger was a bit strong with the onion and when I make this again I will probably eliminate or reduce it. Overall though, awesome and made a great next day lunch.

Any cooking success last week for you? Have a great week!

beauty and the book

2011-01-09T00:55:00.004-05:00

When we were first engaged, I decided we should get one of those marriage preparatory books and go through some life altering questions together. I found the single volume fitting this description at Borders and B grudgingly agreed to do it with me. We started answering a question or two each night. We never finished, I can't even find the book, but one question that begged an answer was, "Do you find any of your spouse's friends attractive?"

Hmmm, intriguing question, little pink book.

I think I pointed out that one of Brett's good friends looks just like a hot ex boyfriend of mine and that I thought his boss was cute for an older guy. And then, to prevent any awkwardness, I jumped in and volunteered that yes, I do have quite a few attractive girl friends. Like, a lot. Brett murmured assent. We didn't name names.

I had sort of forgotten that conversation - until tonight. Have I ever mentioned that supermodels also excel at marketing hair accessories? We were out tonight celebrating some coworkers' birthdays, first dinner at a beloved Atlanta taqueria and then a private room at Happy Karaoke. Back in the car at the end of the night and I turned to Brett and said, "Does your spouse have any friends you find attractive?" He snickered and we left it at that.

Hope all you pretty ladies had a fabulous weekend!

Now read this...

2011-01-05T14:53:00.005-05:00

Yay for my husband! His article is the top story today at espn.com/action. Woo hoo! Congrats, babe! No, we can't retire now...

a week of meals

2011-01-03T12:26:00.003-05:00

No way to get started on a resolution than to just jump right in, eh? I am at home today, playing housewife (and loving it, btw). Our pantry is heavy on the dried grains so I picked recipes to help us blow through them. And use up the frozen peas that I keep buying for some reason. The other step I took to keep costs down was to choose 2 recipes with the same herb, dill. I love fresh herbs!

This week we don't have a lot going on in the evenings, except for a swim workout tonight, so we'll have time to make and eat dinner 4 nights. Saturday night we have plans, but I still want to make an effort to eat at home on the weekends. So, I am planning 4 meals that we can eat for dinner and lunch and a soup we can grab anytime. And I try to cut up tons of fruits and vegetables and bag them for lunches and snacks all week. I'm sure no one cares, I'm just talking this through for myself and making a plan :)

Tuesday night: QUINOA + SHRIMP SALAD

Wednesday night: DILL MUSTARD CHICKEN with BROCCOLI

Thursday night: WHEAT BERRY WALDORF SALAD with HAM

Friday night: FRIED RICE with CHICKEN

Soup: CREAMY TOMATO BASIL

What are some of your weeknight favorites? Have a great week!

welcome, 2011

2011-01-01T22:26:00.007-05:00

Needless to say, I am ready to start anew. Although, 2010 was pretty great for the Smiths; we decided to become outdoorsy, got a new lease on religion, nutrition and tradition. Spent time (and sky miles) with family, did the right thing, created, celebrated and collaborated. As of today, I am self employed. Eek. Some of my hopes for the new year include meal planning to get our food budget under control, finding my way with my intentions for my design work, strengthening my friendships and making sure people I love really know it, being a support to my husband - as he is to me, figuring out my faith a little better, and creating order - thereby creating ease. I know I need to work on metrics to measure these goals, maybe tomorrow. Happy 01.01.11, everyone!

JCP

2010-12-21T12:31:00.002-05:00

I lost my dad yesterday. It was a shock and doesn't feel real but we are dealing and we'll be ok. I wanted to share the obituary I wrote with my sister in the car this morning as we are driving to Watertown. It's not perfect, but we wanted to contribute something to his memory. I really wish I'd remembered to mention his affinity for mallow cups, Limburger cheese and peanut butter and baloney sandwiches, but i have a feeling I'll be posting about him more soon, so those tidbits won't be forgotten. No idea how this will format, it was typed on my iPhone and uploaded from the car. Anyway, please pray for my dad. I'm ok but he needs us now. xo

John C. Pike has died. He lived a too brief but adventurous and ambitious life, touching the lives and souls of many. John gave generously and compassionately, and all who felt his love were warm when he was near. His personality was his art, much larger than his small stature, he could fill a room with his smile. He welcomed those who felt out of place, could create a poem or song on a whim, and inspired people to do great things. John was born in Watertown, NY in 1951and was blessed to have many lifelong childhood friends, from cub scouts, catholic school, football and just bombing around town, charming young and old alike. John was a member of the TKE fraternity at Eureka College, he liked to tell about sleeping in Ronald Reagan's old bed, and graduated from SUNY Brockport, not cum laude, but a gentleman and a scholar. He married Shelley Ryan in 1974 and their two daughters were born in Portland, OR, a place John loved and always called home. John was a true go-getter, no one worked harder for his family and his values. He had a long career in human resources and loved helping people in that role. He especially had a soft spot for servicemen and their families and strove to make their transitions easier. JCP's true passion was the St. Lawrence River, he spent his best days there and could always be found helping a neighbor, craftimg stories around the campfire and taking on his santa alter ego, ever the jokester. John also loved to fly, a proud event was crossing the country in a Cessna. jcpflyer was a coast guard petty officer and volunteered his time and talents protecting our borders and waterways. John was the most silly, sweet, devoted father and his daughters cherish memories of his creative games, dinner table questions and remember him as an example if character and integrity. John's bond with his daughters and sons-in-law was strong and they know he's in a better place and honor his memory. John was married to Patricia Donovan on a summer day at the River, and truly enjoyed step-grandfatherhood. John ended absolutely every phone call with God Bless; his family and friends wish the same for him.

cool blog

2010-11-30T12:54:00.003-05:00

I just found this fun blog for girls like me who like slightly nerdy, adorably charming guys. It's called nerdboyfriend.com

enjoy.

ever evolving wish list

2010-11-29T12:18:00.002-05:00

Is this not the cutest thing ever?

well rounded or one track mind...

2010-11-28T21:42:00.002-05:00

Today was jam packed, as usual. Church at 7:30, after that a relaxing but quick breakfast at our favorite spot, then to storage to retrieve our bikes (we are up to a collective 5, soon to be 6), a Target stop and then home for some chores. Met up with friends at 1 for a bike ride, and it was super challenging for me, as usual. I have been wondering on and off for a while (truthfully, since I picked up this hobby) if it is worth it for me. I am just ok at this sport. I am a fairly coordinated person, fairly strong and athletic, but not really fearless. ie, I have a fear of smashing my face on a rock or ripping up my elbow, knee, or any other appendage. I think I took up this activity too late in life to ever be an accomplished mountain biker. So what has stopped me from quitting? Pride. The fact that I shelled out a lot of cash for my bike. Pride. Spending time with my husband and the fluttery feeling I get watching him do something at which he truly excels. The new friends I have made riding, whose company I enjoy. Did I mention pride? Every time I go, I get better. It takes me about half an hour on the trails to regain my confidence though, since I don't go ride too often. During that first half hour, I really doubt my abilities and repeatedly hear my inner devil voice shouting, You're crazy! Why are you doing this? And then I do something cool, like get a teeny bit of air off a "jump" or smoothly cross a narrow bridge or tackle a tricky switchback, and the angelic voice on my other shoulder smugly replies, Because she rocks.

Today I was really struggling with this. It was a hard ride. With very few fun rewards. I just thought the whole time, I am spreading myself too thin. What am I doing here? I should be home, designing something. Making something. Thinking.

News flash (for the few readers who don't know): I quit my job! And then decided to stay, kind of. I will be working as a contractor for my current company as of January 1. No benefits, no insurance and at the mercy of the budget for hours and a paycheck. So, I will have two days a week to become someone, do something, think, create, work, design, make art. Exciting. Thrilling, in fact. But scary, too. Why scary? Because I literally have no clue what I want to do/make/be. I know I could find work, brochures & annual reports aren't going out of style. But I don't think that's what I want. And right now I am so so fortunate to have the luxury of discovering exactly what it is I do want to do. I guess I just feel like I am not discovering that on a bike, or on a kickball team, running marathons or even at the jewelry class I am signed up for this winter. This stuff is starting to feel like work.

As adults, especially childless ones, is it better to never stop learning? Or to stop and focus. Not sure...

Dear Brett,

2010-11-13T17:46:00.003-05:00

You are away this weekend and I am home alone. I cannot find the tool box, a hammer or a nail any sturdier than a thumbtack. Have you hidden these things from me on purpose? I promise to use the stud finder and only make one hole. It will not be like the time I sorta undid the lamp, and you had to turn off the power and balance precariously on a stool, carefully threading it and re-wiring. No way. And not like the time I hung those drapes and didn't really really like 'em after all the time you spent expertly installing the curtain rods... I like them now though, so we're good? And, not like the time we had to repaint the living room after a couple of months. I told you, the old color was for staging. So babe, for realz, where's the hammer?

You're not still sore about those other things, right? I think if anything, it shows that you actually are a handy husband, you've had to get me out of some real scrapes. Okay, well guess I'll just keep looking. You boys have fun out there in the woods, I'll just keep myself plenty busy. Although, if I don't find the hammer soon, I might have to go to Target and get another one and we both know what happens at Target... On second thought, maybe I'd better just go ahead and go. It's never good to waste time searching for something, total waste of time. And we could always use a back up hammer. Yeah... Target... See you tomorrow night, honey!

Love,

your T

tryin' a tri

2010-11-13T17:19:00.002-05:00

Today was the official kick off of my Team in Training triathlon! I am so excited to be doing this, for a few reasons. I have always wanted to get into triathlons but it was just never the right time for me. Well, I've decided the time is right... now! It is going to be fabulous training the right way, with coaches and a team for motivation. Also, I have obviously done endurance events before, but never really with a big fund raising element and I figured if I'm going to do it anyway, might as well be for a great cause. I will more than likely be posting about fundraising sometime soon, and maybe a few more times til May. It is a hefty amount, feels daunting right now... So, perhaps you could think about that when you're thinking tax write offs later this year? Pretty please?

Cannot wait to get back into a pool that isn't surrounded by lounge chairs and sun worshippers; it has been twelve years since I swam a lap or did a flip turn. My god, can that even be right? I do have one swimsuit left over from those days, but I decided to start fresh and treated my self to a new one (not that they've changed much). And I needed goggles. Uh, goggles have come a long way since 1998! They didn't have any Swedish goggles like I used to use, but that is probably a good thing. I don't think the 31 year old skin of my delicate eye area needs to be subjected to hard plastic, I've done enough damage on my own and there's no night cream strong enough to smooth out the lines from those suckers. But, to seal in my feelings of middle age insecurity a little more, I found something amazing that I wish they'd had at MVP Sports circa 1994: prescription goggles! I was worried, this girl is in glasses all day and I don't tolerate contacts well. Presto, prescription goggles. Love. Totally worth the $20 price tag compared with the black foam variety at $7. And feeling like an old lady who needs her glasses at all times.

Woo hoo! Updates to come.

happy halloween!

2010-10-31T14:27:00.005-04:00

Truly the only scary thing around here is the condition of my closet (a mess to rival the most haunted of houses). And maybe all the political ads for the two jerks running for Governor of Georgia. OK, and how many episodes of Guiliana and Bill I watched this morning. Other than that, we are having a pretty mild Halloween. I'm making this for dinner tonight, I actually have everything on hand and plan to throw in the shiitake mushrooms I've had in the fridge for a while (ok, that, too, could be scary).

No costumes for Brett and me this year, so I thought I would share some disguises donned at our family camping trip this summer. Cuz they're just fun. What? All families don't play cards wearing fake mustaches?

Donnie and Steve

Darryl and Lloyd

Merle and Adolf

Happy Halloween!

Weezer!

2010-10-30T17:49:00.006-04:00

Tonight we headed out to relive our teenage years with an all-time fave. It was a fabulous show! So much fun; I knew all the words and so did everyone else. But there were a few instances of feeling, um, old.

• The woman who sold us our beer telling us we look "really good for the year we were born."

• Rivers Cuomo made multiple references to 1994, which of course makes sense, but still :)

• The kid in front of us was young enough to be our son but incredibly well-versed in all things Weezer.

• As we got out of the truck, a teenager pulled up in a golf cart and asked if we wanted a ride to the theatre, a whopping .25 mile (tops) walk. Admiring his entrepreneurial spirit, we obliged and I slipped him a ten spot because a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

• I cared absolutely not at all what I wore.

• They announced an upcoming show during which they will perform their first two albums in their entirety (awesome). The name of the tour? Memories. Ouch.

• The best? They threw tp rolls out into the crowd and when I snagged a piece the thought that immediately went through my head was, "I am so going to frame this and put it in my new bathroom..."

And now we're off to bed at a very reasonable, responsible hour. Say it ain't so!

let's be friends...

2010-10-28T21:51:00.004-04:00

In an effort to make nice with at least a few of our 200+ condo neighbors, Brett and I are planning a chili cook-off. Hopefully it will be more than me, him, brother-in-law and the lady with the really barky dog, because I'm pretty sure I don't want to be her friend. Here's to building community with theme events and cash incentives! I love adulthood.

splish splash : bathroom on the brain...

2010-10-25T21:53:00.006-04:00

1-2-3-4, tell me which one you adore

We've decided to try and redo the bathroom before we have company at Thanksgiving. Our contractor said that means we need to start asap! He's coming over on Thursday to discuss the specifics and I am having trouble decided on exactly what to tell him... starting with the sink. I love all 4 of the above options. I know it is kind of a no-no to have a pedestal sink in your only bathroom, but I just love the look. We are planning on having some floating shelves for extra storage and we are not Costco shoppers so I don't forsee a need to house 47 rolls of tp.

I was sold on the simple look of white subway tile about half way up the walls and white penny tiles with black grout on the floor. (Or, depending on how hip I was feeling the day we place the order, black penny tiles. Take that, Parisian chic!) But today at lunch I snuck out to Restoration Hardware for inspiration and saw a display bathroom with grey subway tile, oooh... So pretty, kind of a game changer. So, I am now on a hunt for that.

Onto the fascinating yet vitally important subject of toilets. I either want something really cool, or don't really care. What constitutes really cool in my book? Industrial chic. Tankless (a.k.a. Sloan valve, I just learned), like what you see in every rest area, department store, and, actually, many boutique hotels! What do you think? Too much? Too truck stop? Or too cool? I just love the extra pop of chrome, not to mention how fun it is to flush with your foot. We were at Lowes tonight and I am astounded to see that while No, they don't carry classic penny tile, that is special order, ma'am, they do have an abundant selection of padded, embroidered toilet seat covers. You know the ones... Why?

which flush makes you blush?

Other than that, I'll paint or wallpaper above the tile, add some simple and inexpensive chrome fixtures and find a pretty vintage mirror to hang. Thinking about closing off the door to the bedroom closet to make more wall space for a proper towel bar (and more space inside the closet, too, desperately needed), but that might add a lot to the pricetag, so we'll see. We have a shower curtain similar to this one (in Kate Spade's guest bath), I think it will stay for now. Maybe someday I'll get it together and learn to do some of this myself...

image now appearing on blog number 2,567,453...

And they say Irish food is bad...

2010-10-24T22:00:00.007-04:00

So not true! We had great food there. While not everything we ate was traditionally Irish, it was interesting to see how passionate about fresh, local food the Irish are. I've never had greens as diverse and delicious and all the menus listed sources for meats and fish, most coming from farms in the area. I miss the brown, dense soda bread with Irish creamery butter (one of my true food loves), creamed vegetable soups and the official vacation license to eat fried fish and mash, um, often.

Some Dublin restaurant highlights were the Tearoom at the Clarence Hotel (I had the lamb pie, amazing. I couldn't even come close to finishing it, and our cute waitress from Lithuania kept insisting that I eat more), Avoca Café (vg cappuccino, charcuterie plate and sparkling lemonade), Nude for breakfast and Davy Byrne's for drinks our last night there. In Galway, we had an super fresh lunch at the Galway Museum café, perfect curry at the House and a really memorable family meal at Ard Bia's. Irish coffee and biscuits welcomed us at our B&B in Doolin and then more fish and chip gorging at Gus O'Connor's. We ate there the next night, too, I opted for mussels and there were plenty for the family to share. One last indulgence at a cafe tucked away in the Clare countryside included a HUGE tuna melt, more bacon all over everything and homemade ice cream. Too too much. But so good. We realized after a few days that you will never be just handed the check, you almost have to get snippy to get it. But it made for some relaxed times. So fun.

sew cute!

2010-10-24T21:37:00.002-04:00

I would love to have window treatments like this in my bedroom... We have really oddly proportioned windows in there, so maybe I should try my hand at sewing? Although, making Roman shades from scratch sounds like an engraved invitation to disaster town for a beginner seamstress... Mom? You busy? My mom made us beautiful things as kids. I remember my Halloween bunny costume from 1983, it had wired ears with pink satin lining and I can still picture the hook and eye closure under the chin. Time to apply that craftsmanship to a new fall project! Pretty please?

Moments in time...

2010-10-03T14:57:00.004-04:00

This time yesterday, we were getting dressed up for a wedding in Michigan. This time tomorrow, we will be having a pint and celebrating the first anniversary of our own wedding in Ireland. At this moment, we are enjoying a post work out tuna sandwich, watching football and getting ready to walk to the train. Suffice it to say, leisure time is my dear, dear friend...

Snozzberry? No, Wheatberry

2010-09-25T09:30:00.005-04:00

I have always wanted to try cooking wheat berries, those chewy little grainy bits in the Kashi meals and other healthy, organicy, trendy delights. We were at the farmer's market a few weeks ago looking for bulk quinoa and found hard winter wheat, which looked like the same thing, even though a quick google search right there in the aisle did nothing to confirm my guess. Anyway, yes, they are the same thing

and I made this delicious recipe this week, found on wholegraingourmet.com. Enjoy!

Wheat Berry Salad with Cranberries and Pecans

1 cup wheat berries, soaked overnight

1/2 cup raw wild rice

2/3 cup toasted chopped pecans

1 cup dried cranberries (I tried to find some without added sugar with no luck)

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

small amount of red onion, minced, to taste

3 tbs lemon juice

1 tbs honey

1 tbs Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Cook wheat berries for about and hour and then check them and stop or continue cooking based on how hard or soft you like them. I stopped at an hour, I like texture. Cook wild rice according to package directions, usually about 45 minutes. Combine the two grains in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, honey and mustard, add salt and pepper. Pour over the grain mixture and toss to coat. Then add the cranberries, pecans, onion and parsley and give it a final toss.

I have made a similar salad/stuffing at Thanksgiving using dried apricots instead of cranberries and I bet that would be good in this recipe, too.

Guess what?

2010-09-24T18:25:00.003-04:00

My alphabet monogram paintings will soon be available in the coolest baby boutique in Atlanta! I stopped in there today to get a gift for a shower and just blurted out to the owner what I do and she loved the images I had on my phone. I wasn't planning to talk about it today, but the opportunity sort of presented itself so I took it. Yes, I was in running clothes, no I didn't have an actual sample, just a tiny screen and some snapshots... Something I've learned that I think is very valuable is that conditions don't have to be absolutely perfect for progress to be made. I used to just skip a workout if I didn't have a full hour and a hardcore workout planned. Now, I just squeeze in a walk where I can. At the office I wouldn't bother starting a project until I had a totally free afternoon, and we all know how often that happens. So I started working bit by bit and am amazed at what gets done. I had myself convinced that I couldn't even talk to stores until I had an iPad and several samples, press kit, business cards, etc and I am sure all of that won't happen for months. What a great testament to the powers of just going for it and confidence (yes, even if you're sort of faking it).

I am so excited about this, the store carries all kinds of cool brands (Dwell Studio, BlaBla, little nest...) and I am so honored and flattered to be associated with them. I'll post on that project soon!

This weekend is kicking off with a Korean BBQ dinner party, baby shower tomorrow followed by dinner with friends and then church and date night Sunday. Hopefully there will also be healthy doses of downtime. Have a great weekend! Life is good.

to summarize:

2010-09-16T13:12:00.003-04:00

This text exchange from this morning pretty much sums up everything that is going on in our lives right now.

T : I am buying a pillow, it is $57. (decorating)

B : A camping pillow? (camping)

T : No, for the house. (It's all about the house)

B : Is the ceiling jealous because the floor gets pillows? (Brett's passive aggressive way of poo pooing a $60 pillow purchase)

T : No, but the porch is sad because it only has one pillow and feels lopsided. (Me justifying spending. If our budget had a house psychotherapy bucket, this would go in it)

B : We have a pillow on the porch? (clueless as usual)

T : Yes - pay attention, husband! (actually I am glad he doesn't notice, makes it easier to sneak in new stuff)

B : I guess this means we need to use the porch more. (Agreed)

T : We will now that is is cooler. (thank god)

B : True, maybe we could grill some kale and beans. (haha, we are trying to eat less meat)

T : I hear grilled quinoa is lovely, too. (hmm, maybe a quinoa log or something?)

when...

2010-09-13T22:40:00.002-04:00

All-that-excess at Forever 21...

will minimalism be back? I like layering and jeweling and overdoing just as much as the next girl, but really, what happened to less being more? Looking back through personal photos from the past few years, I witness the overdressing trend evolve. A photo of me from 5 years ago wearing a then-very-chunky necklace and bracelet looks oh-so-demure and understated now, when at the time I thought I was pushing it. I think we have gradually given ourselves permission to be more and more self indulgent, owning not one or two nice bags but twelve - and well, let's not talk about shoes. Accessories and clothing are so low cost now that they almost seem disposable. I think sometimes about the boxes of my grandmother's costume jewelry I used to play with as a little girl (and would KILL to have now, alas) and how it took her a lifetime to amass such a collection. Then I think that my granddaughter's dress-up drawer is almost fully funded now and I am scarcely out of my twenties. Something is a little off...

The same really is true with product design in general. Walk Target. Everything is "designed." Kitchen sponges are purply patterned, air fresheners are meant to be smelled and seen. And then there's the bevy of dishwashing liquid in overdone scents like ylang ylang and persimmon pomegranate. All of this is meant to give the shopper more choice, and more opportunity to showcase their individuality, but through utilitarian objects? Good industrial design is one thing, I have a huge appreciation for a well designed fork or a chair with some character, but when it comes to products that should be tucked away anyway? Not so sure. Is this a reaction to the economy being tough and therefore bringing small affordable treats to the marketplace, making every day objects feel luxurious? Same with the influx of cheap-o but cool accessories? I suppose I get that, sometimes a little boost is what you need, I guess it's about balance. It's a catch 22: I like that there are affordable, fashionable options out there, but I hate that it seems to encourage excess consumption. It is mind boggling to think about how much stuff is designed, manufactured, ordered, shipped to a distribution center, shipped to retailers, shipped to consumers, re-shipped as gifts, returned, re-gifted and eventually thrown out.

I cleaned out my closet this weekend and realized how much crap clothing I have bought in the last couple years... How many wrap cardigans from Target and H&M can one girl have? Seven, the correct answer is seven. So, this fall I am going to try to focus on fewer, better pieces and really think before I spend or bring something home. Not just because I want to look sleeker, simpler or more modern, but frankly we are running out of space chez moi. Maybe I'll even end up with a few real heirlooms in the process for my sure-to-be adorable granddaughters.

another shoe giveaway...

2010-09-12T11:32:00.002-04:00

A couple weeks ago I went to a painting class with some girlfriends. I admit it pained me to pay someone to teach me how to make "art", but I had not seen some of these girls in a while, and, there were frou frou drinks and lots of laughs involved. So now I have this cute, pink, girly painting that really doesn't fit into my home's decor. At all. Anyone want it? Perhaps for a daughter's room? A fabulous walk-in closet? A fun powder room? To re-gift? Please let me know, I will be happy to send it to you.

When I got home from the class late Friday night, Brett was like,"Um, that's really nice, T. Yeah, Good job..." It wasn't until the next day when it came up in conversation that he realized in these classes, everyone paints the exact same thing :) In order for me to really be inspired to paint a single pink shoe on a fluffy cloud background, there would need to be something extra frou in the drinks...

freebie

2010-09-09T11:05:00.002-04:00

And who doesn't love free? Kate Spade has a free playlist waiting for you to promote their new perfume, Twirl. It is a cute mix, go get it!

This weekend we...

2010-09-07T12:04:00.003-04:00

Did what any super cool 30 something couple does on a Friday night and went to see Jonathan Franzen give a reading from his new book, Freedom, remarking that we were thankfully still among the youngest people in the audience at a geeky, bookish event. People asked questions just to ask questions and at times it was awkward. He said something interesting about taking comfort in things that are managed by adults/experts, like real newspapers vs wikipedia. I appreciated that insight.

Got up early and drove to Tennessee to go white water rafting and mountain biking. Our friends said their cabin was the first right past the paved driveway on Calvender Road. Paved. Not. We probably should've taken the truck instead of the Jetta since a steeply inclined, deeply rutted, gravel covered hill was a fair match for German engineering. But we made it. Sunday morning we left them and went to Ellijay, GA for our first Patagonia training hike. I didn't have all 45 pounds in my bag for this hike, but it still gave an idea of what the extra bulk might be like. Not too bad. I felt like we were so badass, hiking through the wilderness on a trail called Bear Creek (ooh, scary) until we met a couple of three year olds and their grandpa skipping along the trail, and a lady with a baby in a weird ropy sling wearing flip flops.

Refueled at the restaurant that is the real reason anyone goes to North Georgia, Colonel Pooles BBQ. I think it's where Republicans go to die. We stuck out a little as we were not A. dressed in church clothes and B. obese. But it is some dang good food and they have a pig mobile.

Spent the remainder of Sunday packing away the camping gear til next time, making a pizza with all the left over veggies in the fridge, getting the mountain washed off the car, and watching Sherlock Holmes. That is a crazy movie made by some talented people. Except for Rachael McAdams' hair and makeup.

Made a huge brunch on Monday, I painted and made good use of the remote's Previous Channel button toggling between the US Open and a Hoarders marathon. Then Brett tried to coach me on not looking like I was "chasing seagulls" when trying to catch a ball. We have joined an adult kickball league and I don't know what the HELL I was thinking. I am horrible at team sports and I know this about myself! I guess I thought it wouldn't be too competitive. People in their 30s should not care who wins a kickball game played in a park on a Tuesday night in cheap, scratchy t-shirts, followed by cheap, scratchy beer, but they do. I am giving it a few games before I quit, thus spending lovely weekend afternoons, that are meant to be devoted to sitting quietly by the pool, trying to avoid ridicule. Feeling a David Sedaris moment coming on. Oh, and we also decided it is ridiculous when you ask someone what they did yesterday and they start with, "Got up..."

Capped off the holiday weekend with Mad Men (yes I know we had sworn it off, but we caved and have been watching on iTunes). I have been disappointed with Mad Men this season, I think if I had started watching it now I would never understand why people love this show. But the season is SLOWLY gaining speed and DD is as hunky as ever. Now I need a few more days off...

September

2010-09-01T23:14:00.002-04:00

I didn't consult the archives, but I think July was my most prolific blog month ever. August? Not so much. I do have lots to say, report, post, etc. but no time to do it properly slash thoughtfully. So, until then, I leave you with a wine review.

Thumbs Up for Santa Ema Chilean Merlot 2007. Mmmmmm...

beauty everywhere

2010-08-20T20:04:00.004-04:00

On a recent family trip I was moping around, feeling a little out of my element, and generally sulking and being a b-r-a-t. Then we walked down to the beach and I thought about some of the things and objects around us. They were all so simple, not especially cool or well designed, but as a whole, there was beauty.

new blogger!

2010-08-20T19:04:00.003-04:00

new blogger on the block!

My hubs has a new blog. He is a funny sort. Might be worth checking out. He gets paid to blog for ESPN, but it's about icky boy stuff like motorcycles, motorcycle riders and dirt. So I don't shout out those blogs. But this one is fun :) The link is to the left, WILT (what I learned today) Go comment at him!

Davis

2010-08-20T08:48:00.004-04:00

I did a painting recently for an eagerly awaited baby named Davis. My friends who were giving it as a gift sent me this snapshot from the shower. They held it at a cupcake bakery in Atlanta. What a cute idea for a shower! Anyway, the Davis looks great on the exposed brick.

The painting was made to match the adorable Owl Sky pattern by Dwell Studio.

group hug!

2010-08-17T21:45:00.003-04:00

Pardon my absence, I've been far too busy making memories to record them. Hopefully soon, but for now, a photo. I cherish these peeps!

the Pike-Smith-Norton crew plus Finnegan.

customer service test...

2010-07-29T19:34:00.000-04:00

I just went to change into workout clothes, and the buckle fell off my favorite sandals. Like, completely off, sort of disintegrated. Boo! I live in these shoes. I bought them with my mom this spring, they have brought life to many tired dresses, spirit to ho-hum shorts. In short, I need them. I have had good luck with Coach customer service in the past, but I hate the idea of giving up my favorite pair of sandals smack dab in the middle of summer, possibly for weeks. I am secretly thinking it would be nice if they had to give me a new pair, and it had to be the nude ones. Sigh, guess we'll have to wait and see.

*post edit: Yes, I do realize this is quite shallow and there are many more important things in life. Noted. Gaining perspective now.

1960something

2010-07-29T18:47:00.000-04:00

We have become 1960philes. Ever since Mad Men, we can't get enough. I am dying to get the book Take Ivy that is being rereleased in August; makes me think of nice things like Ali MacGraw's clothes in Love Story, J.D. Salinger, Harper Lee and an awesome documentary we saw recently about a 1968 football game between Harvard and Yale. I admit I am not too into modern preppy boys, but 50 years ago? Yes please.

So that's why we had to buy this last weekend while out enjoying the AC at Kudzu Antiques:

Cool, huh? I love the color, the type, 1962, and the reference to BH&G, which was probably the 1960s equivalent to Domino, Blueprint, Lonny, etc.

I was about to check out and this older lady says, "Does that say BH&G? If I had seen that I would have bought it for my friend, she works at BH&G, she's a stylist. My friend works at BH&G, I would have definitely bought that for her if I had seen it. Ida, did you see this sign? Wouldn't it be perfect for Gladys? It says BH&G! Our friend works at BH&G." Brett and I looked at each other, thinking should we give up the sign? Then Brett says in true Brett form, "I'll let you buy it from me for $1000," and the woman backs off. She is not amused.

Oh well, we got the sign. We are good at getting our own way. We also scored a huge, amazing map of the world that is giving me inspiration to makeover the bedroom in sort of a library theme. Stay tuned for details on that. I love having projects!

dizzy?

2010-07-28T09:04:00.000-04:00

I have been trying to use one of the standard fonts at work in more interesting ways. It does not come with an italic version, which is a bummer. I like the very thin hairline weight and have been playing with doubling it to give it some movement. But tell me, does it make you dizzy? I would hate for people perusing the web for hair notions to suddenly feel nauseous... Unless of course they were on the Conair site, tee hee. Just a little hair accessory humor early in the morning.

Ask, and you shall receive...

2010-07-25T19:06:00.000-04:00

Our new/old tin.

I have just the perfect follow up to a post from June... I did not get one Amaretti cookie tin like the one my grandparents had, but two! Ali found the grandmother of all tins at a flea market right in our home town. This thing is seriously a monster. I joked in my thank you note to her that we would not only store our loose change in there, but our life savings. Seriously, large and in charge. This could even act as a cool little end table. Right now it is enjoying life atop an orange chair and they seem to be getting along.

thank you thank you, Ali!

cool label on the tin

When I heard that the tin was on its way, I of course told my husband, beaming. His face actually dropped a bit, and he admitted that he, too, had found a tin, on its way to Atlanta via eBay. Lucky me! Brett's came a few days ago and he surprised me with it, fully loaded with coins. How sweet.

Toasted Almond, yes please!

We celebrated with an Amaretto cocktail, the Toasted Almond. 1 part Amaretto, 1 part Kahlua, and 1 part cream. Delizioso.

It's pretty cool to think that one day I might play game with my own grandchildren and tell them the story of how I got the tins. Ask, and you shall receive.

Mad Men Returns

2010-07-22T13:26:00.000-04:00

...but we won't be watching! While this is hand's down our favorite show, Brett and I have decided to wait until season 4 comes out on Blu Ray and then we will watch them all at once some cold winter weekend. Doesn't that sound cozy? Although I'm not sure any episode will ever compare to the lawnmower debacle of 1963. Sort of goes down in my tv history books with the restaurant episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Please tell me you've seen that. Anyway, I am hoping I can get through the fall spoiler free!

what's a girl to wear in...

2010-07-21T22:01:00.001-04:00

Ireland?

We are going on a trip to the Emerald Isle this fall and I am already putting some thoughts into what to pack. All that came to mind initially were the J Crew fisherman sweaters that were all the rage in high school, and well, I just don't rock a chunky sweater. The good news is that the weather is cool then (around 45-55°) so jeans, boots and scarves will definitely make it in my bag... Fall is the best time for clothes! Here are some other ideas:

plaid - It's not Scotland, I know, but the whole Catholic school uniform thing comes to mind.

my Wellie boots - Any chance I have to wear these I take!

leather jacket - I envision Brett renting a motorcycle with a side car for me and us zipping through the lush countryside like James Bond and his flavor of the movie.

trench coat - Just because Ireland feels proper, and I want an excuse to buy one.

left trench capelet is Burberry and a little ridiculous, but so cool.

right is J Crew, and slightly more reasonable...

something cozy and flannel for nighttime - OK, but not too cozy or too flannel.

smocking, pleats, gathers, buttons, hooks, grosgrain ribbon and other haberdashery details - All old school touches that remind me of the matching dresses we wore as little girls, since I'll be there with my little sister. Katie taught me this Gaelic phrase recently that she said I should teach my husband, and I think it is fitting for this post:

PHRASE:  Iocfaidh mise don gach rud!

PRONOUNCED: uck-igg misha dun gock rud

MEANING: I will pay for everything!

Oh dear!

2010-07-20T21:31:00.000-04:00

meet my alter ego, Darla Jane Smith!

Not sure if this means I really get into following a theme and savoring details, or that I am a redneck at heart (please oh please be the former) but I have won quite the contest. Or contests.

I'm sure some of you saw my distasteful facebook post about how to create a fake baby bump in a jiff? Tried a basketball, tried blankets, tried different mixing bowls, but nothing was as maternally authentic as my bike helmet. Strapped to my torso with duct tape. Add a retro-capped-sleeve-3-sizes-too-big-bought-on-a-whim-housedress, bright pink lipstick, blue eyeliner, big hair, faux bling, some fake moles and you have an instant, John Waters inspired pregnant lady. Now just add a husband in a mullet wig and some PBR and you have the winner of a White Trash Luau costume contest.

Then, add Road Kill Dip (aka Buffalo chicken dip), served in an aluminum throw away dish and a box of Chicken in a Biskit crackers and you also have the winner of the White Trash Luau Rare Delicacy competition.

Like I said, oh dear! Wish I had more pics but this is it. That's probably a good thing. You can hire me for your next party. People were convinced I was actually a pregnant alcoholic.

Dear Readers,

2010-07-20T21:28:00.001-04:00

Dear Readers,

If I ever complain about my life, do please kindly tell me to stuff it. I am so lucky/blessed/grateful in so many ways, and good things continue to happen. That's all, updates to come! And no, I am not pregnant.

xoxo,

Liz + Scott : save the date

2010-07-20T21:02:00.000-04:00

I am meeting with bride Liz this week to review her save the date design. Here is a shot of the materials I gathered to give her for inspiration at our last chat and a shot of the in-progess save the date. Hope she's pleased! And yes, I think I would plan to cut out the notches on the side of the "tickets" with a hole punch. Should make a fun project for a Saturday night with the girls :) But no drinks! These need to be straight. I'd love any and all feedback on this! xo

I have saved that postcard of the Ferris Wheel in the foreground since I was applying to colleges in 1996! I think it is an ad for Dartmouth. Sometimes is pays to be a packrat, er, I mean future-predicting amateur archivist.

all kinds of awesome

2010-07-16T18:10:00.000-04:00

This has been a good week. (But of course I am glad it's over and I am home drinking margs) I completed a painting to give to baby Kinsley that I think is the cutest one yet, and got three new orders! So now I am working on a P, a D and a yet to be named baby :) The P is for Presley and the D is for Davis, such adorable names. I love thinking about baby names. Mommies, was that a fun experience for you? Too much cuteness. I also have a new idea for some custom paintings that will be adorable and meaningful, but not nearly as time consuming as the alphabet monograms. I hope. I want to work on a prototype this weekend and I might ask ya'll for some feedback!

Tuesday I sat down to plan some travel and ohmygod we have seven sets of plane tickets to buy between now and Christmas : Brett's gramma turns 80, camping with my dad, girls weekend, wedding, trip to Ireland with K and K, Christmas in Philly, and we really want to go somewhere warm alone right after Christmas... Atlanta, I love you but this is getting crazy. I sort of hope no one gets married in 2011. Sorry, guys.

And what do you think of me as a blonde? I was waiting to get my hair done today and tried on this random wig, which I sort of love. I went through a phase where I wanted really platinum blonde hair, but never did it. Hmmm...

Happy Friday! xoxo

food fight

2010-07-14T12:44:00.000-04:00

okay, not that kind... but I couldn't resist.

I read a sort of cute, semi-entertaining, better-than-working article today. It was about families competing over who orders the best, etc.

Sort of appropriate for my family, we always have order envy and then of course, there is the Shelley Bite. My brother-in-law aptly named this phenomenon after my mom because if she asks for a bite, she will do everything but stick her fingers in it to ensure that she gets a little bit of everything, and generally bites right in the middle, unless of course there is a delicious crust involved, then she'll nibble the edges :) We also like the phrase, "First one done helps the others!" and "You're saving some for later" if there is a crumb or a smear on someone's face. I could probably write a book on my food life with my family. Entire chapters could be devoted to topics like Katie's Thumb Must Taste Like Chocolate or Tera and Gramma Duke It Out Over the End Piece (of Italian bread) or Uncle Tom Ate All The Crinkles. Dad's Flip Flop Flap Jacks would also be a clutch chapter and I could have him guest author the chapter about Creamed Doody on Toast and other Depression Era foods. Don't ask.

So the article was a fun quick read, but then I made the mistake of casting my eyes downward and seeing the ENORMOUS COMMENTS SECTION. People were fighting back and forth about what a ridiculous waste of time this was, or that families who do this must be so cold and competitive that they had nothing else to talk about. Crazy. What is it with this era of zinger commenting? Talk about waste of time...

inspirational!

2010-07-12T13:42:00.000-04:00

I just saw a post on little green notebook that is far too good not to share. Check out this very cheap room makeover! I need to check out Craigslist more often. So cute!

let's talk shop

2010-07-09T23:41:00.000-04:00

...or shopping. More specifically, my lack thereof as of late. I've mentioned it many times on the blog in the last year or so, but I'm on a bit of a spending diet when it comes to personal items. We have definitely been doing it up with the household purchases and have not been wanting for plane tickets, but clothes, makeup, etc. have not been a priority, or even on my mind, really. I read somewhere the other day that very few people have equally cool homes and wardrobes, and I believe it. It's exhausting to think about both and I really cherish my home. That said, a few new pieces here and there are nice. Just the other day, I went to the Container Store to pick up a basket to match one I use for paper recycling, figured I would use it for plastic. They are on backorder, but I still felt compelled to linger on my lunch break, and I came away with the cutest makeup bag. It sort of warmed my heart and gave me a little boost on a recent, rather stressful trip home. Isn't it amazing what an $8 splurge can do for you? So, in the spirit of paying it forward, I'm giving one away. Comment if you want it! And really, who wouldn't?

Oooh, it would also be cool at the pool, a peach at the beach or a groovy gift.

Also, I found a new blog that I think is going to ramp up my clothing enthusiasm, sorellina. She's in Atlanta, so unfortunately, everything is right within reach. One of her first posts featured my very favorite antique store here, so I fear I will be wanting what she wants. Maybe $50 cash in my pocket would be a good diet friendly plan for a Sunday shopping trip?

We are also doing much better thank you on the food spending. Thanks for all of your awesome tips! We went to Charleston a few weekends ago and on the long car ride home, I was looking at martha.com and found a cool section of the food site called grocery bag. They basically plan a week's worth of meals for you and supply a handy dandy shopping list! The meals are beautiful and creative and we are cooking things we've never done at home before. Swiss chard, polenta, etc. I love having a menu in my mind during the day and knowing exactly what I'm making that night. And it's nice to have a pretty dinner with the husband each night and leftovers for lunch. Did I mention that the week's worth of groceries is usually no more than $60??? And I still need to pare down the recipes a bit more, they make way more than enough for two. Do it. It's fab. That's all! Happy Friday Night.

it's a kitchen!

2010-07-08T21:00:00.000-04:00

At long last I am happy to present pics of our kitchen makeover! Is it possible to be actually in love with a room? I am at the very least quite smitten. The whole process took about 6 months, from tearing out wallpaper on a whim (and some tequila) one night in March, to saving for and buying new appliances one by one (and doing lots of homework). Then painting little by little, finding a company to do the work, looking through countless blogs and magazines, and finally pulling the trigger! We still have a few things to finish (installing cabinet hardware, painting baseboards) but it is pretty much done and I can't believe how much it has changed the way our whole place feels. I mean, when you live in 850 square feet, something like that has a big impact :) Enjoy the pics!

reminder Before shot

tada! After

I swoon for this sink! Cute white bowl from World Market.

Vintage basket for our linens and towels, scored for free when our office moved. Napkins are Dwell Studio for Target, I love that line!

Vintage timer that works! I use it all the time.

Trivet on sale from Urban Outfitters.

salt, pepper, etc. Katie treated me to that aqua pepper mill

one day at Anthropologie.

another sink/backsplash shot

We're going with the drawer pulls on the right.

Anybody need 9 of the rounded sort? I'll sell 'em or swap 'em real cheap!

vintage hands... white ones from ATL, green one from Dekalb Junction flea market!

Yet another vintage clock! Did you know I collect these? This one is plugged in and works,not to mention, matches. There is an identical one on the office set of Mad Men. The marbled notebook next to it was a souvenir from my mom's trip to Italy. Love the colors.

Did you notice that we trashed the microwave to make extra space above the stove? We might get a tiny one for the countertop, but I think it was a good decision. I love how airy that space feels and the extra light from the new range hood is really pretty. The granite we chose is called Kashmir White. Don't even talk to me about how insane I acted when making that decision. No really, don't. And maybe don't mention it to Brett either. Yep.

Also, that little button next to the sink is for the garbage disposal! They granite guys messed up and drilled three holes instead of two so they threw in that cool little detail for free.

I love it but I feel like these pics don't do it justice. Oh well, guess you'll just have to come visit!

*Special thanks to brother-in-law extraordinaire Kyle for advice throughout this daunting project! And to my sweet husband who sort of just went with it. You rock, babe.

*Even more special thanks to Dream Home Renovations! If you're in Atlanta, these are your guys.

no comment

2010-07-07T15:04:00.000-04:00

Meaning, no comment from my Gram on the cookie tin post. As in, she woke up in the middle of the night, decided to check the blog to pass some insomnia twilight moments, and wanted to leave a comment but couldn't make it work just then. We've all been there, I have slammed my laptop shut in frustration after getting the word identification wrong three times in a row! Anyway, I guess I wanted to document for myself that we had a lovely chat about the tin and the memory and all the house details. She said she cried, but I think in a happy, I've been a great grandmother and shared so much with my granddaughter sort of way.

Yes, Gram, you have. xoxo!

someone...

2010-06-25T21:30:00.000-04:00

wanted : not nostalgic now, but think of it as a future heirloom

2010-06-24T15:35:00.000-04:00

In my last post I waxed poetic on old stuff. Yeah yeah yeah, that's lovely, but right now I am itching to get my hands on some brand spankin' new mass produced consumer goods, namely bedside tables. Oh, ok, and barstools, too. But I just love these tables!

Renee side table - Horchow

My plan is to paint the bedroom a mustardy yellow (it is currently and uninspiring shade of blue that Brett picked before we were married) and play up my chocolate brown suede headboard, the West Elm dresser we scored earlier this year and then, in an effort to avoid trying to match woods exactly and keep the room feeling light, add some white accents. Just loving these tables. They are a great modern shape but have a bit of traditional styling for good measure. And I love the nailhead accents. Um, they are a teeny bit expensive though! So I think they will be on the wanted list for a while...

wanted : nostalgia in a can

2010-06-18T21:48:00.001-04:00

there were no cookies in our tin

While perusing a decor magazine today, I came across an old amaretti cookie tin being used in a cute office for storage. My grandparents had that same tin in their house for as long as I can remember. They used it for loose change, and it was always full and verrrry heavy (especially when you're 8). Sometimes they let us help lighten this load. Everyone gathered around the kitchen table (wood, covered with a round table-topping "coaster" that can best be described as a giant doily, and then covered with glass) and someone would lug it out from its shrine under the sink. We got to plunge our hand into the jar, digging deep down, up to the wrist, through coins packed tight like wet sand and then keep whatever we got in that greedy handful. Oh, and it was greedy. Sometimes I'd get lucky and there would be some "big ones," as we liked to call them, in my haul. How do grandparents always seem to have unusual denominations? Thick silver dollars, hefty fifty cent pieces, crinkled two dollar bills, tarnished wheat pennies. I don't remember if this game had a name, but it probably did. Something obvious and functional, like the name of their street, Tall Oaks Drive.

Recently they sold that house and I never got to go and say goodbye. I remember every square inch of it. Faux brick linoleum in the entry and the kitchen. The muffled sound the floor on the sun room made. Oversized pillows on the floor of the den, shiny cotton decorated with old timey cars. Pink tiled master bath. Tiny brag book photo albums resting in the night stand next to "my bed." And boxes. Just little department store boxes stashed in dresser drawers. Belk, Bells, Chappel's, Lord & Taylor, Sibley's. The sound a clock made on the hour, the half our, the quarter hour, even at night. So many sounds and smells and collections.

So, I am on a mission to find some of those tins. Especially a tall one like the one they had. Ebay has not been helpful so would you keep your eyes peeled for me when you find yourself antiquing? I'll even pay you back in big ones!

kitchen sneak peek

2010-06-17T18:37:00.000-04:00

We are getting close on the kitchen! I have primed, painted, pored over, picked out and procured. Oh, and panicked. The contractors are installing counters and tile early next week. I am so excited, I have never had anything that's new and mine like this before, what a huge treat. But, it has not been without headaches. I think the painting of the cabinets took about 2 months total, between little touch ups and second coats. I am still finding areas that need a little help but maybe now I am just being picky. And the countertop decision was not an easy one. I am still not sure if I did the right thing but at this point, I am just going with it and letting the decor gods guide me.

Today when I got home it was like Santa Clause had come, driving a UPS truck instead of a sled. The coveted faucet has arrived... I LOVE it. The only concern I have is that it is sort of tall. Will it look too tall in comparison with the cabinet above it? Here's hoping not.

Here are a couple sneaky peeky pics and I cannot wait to be able to post some before and afters!

me and my shiny new toy. this may make washing dishes semi-fun!

Valspar Aspen Grey and Cath Kidston towel.

wedding work!

2010-06-11T00:02:00.000-04:00

Scott and Liz are getting married! Their wedding is next summer so there is lots of time for beautiful details to come to life. Scott proposed on the Ferris wheel at a county fair (awwww), so there will be a fun fair vibe to their celebration. Liz and I met this week and I am so excited to be helping her make her day pop. Here is a look at the style file I am working on. Loving the colors and Liz's idea to give cotton candy as their favors!

ding ding ding

2010-06-09T22:06:00.000-04:00

Sorry, Eames Hang-It-All not included.

We have a winner! June wins for her comment on the food/budget post. It was very scientific. There were 6 unique authors so I shouted at Brett when he was in the shower to pick a number between 1 and 6. Done. June, hope you like this cute insulated lunch bag! Also good for bringing drinks to the pool or on a picnic, etc. It comes with adorable mini plastic cutlery, too. Enjoy!

etsy shop

2010-06-08T19:59:00.000-04:00

eyeheartorange now has an etsy shop! Right now I have some paintings in the gallery that people can view and then order their own custom piece. Check it out. I would love any feedback on how to make the descriptions better, etc. I will probably create a cute header eventually but for now I just wanted to get it up before I lost motivation... Maybe you could even heart my shop :)

eyeheartorange.etsy.com

a little Italy

2010-06-06T09:55:00.000-04:00

Yesterday afternoon we were at the pool and saw a friend with her two year old nephew Enzo. He was the typical Italian flirt and charmed all the ladies. When Enzo and his mamma were leaving, she mentioned that they were going home to make meatballs and so I made the snap decision that we were, too. Luckily, per my post below about using the food we have, we had almost all the ingredients so it fit right into my new plan :)

Brett's brother Nick is now our upstairs neighbor and pretty much constant dinner companion so I told those guys that tonight is Italian night and that we should watch The Talented Mr. Ripley and salivate over the scenery and our supper. They had never even heard of this movie, one of my old favorites. I never get to pick the movie when those two are together. But I rattled off a really good, slightly racy quote from the movie and I think that impressed them, so they conceded. What is it with men and movie quotes?

Anyway while they were gone shopping I inspected the fridge and made an onion, garlic, mushroom and white wine sauté with veggies that needed to be eaten. The boys dove right into that with some bread when they were back from the market. Movie was of course great. Don't watch this if you have even the slightest travel bug. Do watch it if you think you were probably born in the wrong decade and are hugely nostalgic for printed dresses, streamlined cars, the days before spf warnings and a time when men wore collared shirts, not ironic tees.

not a plastic cup or playmate cooler is sight.

Did you guess that maybe I am one of those people? The nostalgic type? Last weekend we went to a show at the High Museum called the Allure of the Automobile. Absolutely amazing. I have always been a fan of old cars, wooden boats, Vespas, etc. I used to love to walk through the vintage car show in Ives Park in Potsdam and see the cool upholstery and shiny knobs, levers and rims. But the cars at this show were way beyond the '57 Chevy. A few were owned by Clark Gable, one was a Mercedes that was a birthday present to a 16 year old baroness named Gisela. It sat in storage in NYC for decades, she refused to sell it even when she ended up dying in squalor surrounded by numerous cats.

Sorry, that was a huge side note. Italian food is good. Tonight we are going out for an Italian date, courtesy of my lack of attention to detail.

I had purchased a couple restaurant gift certificates from one of those half off websites, thinking we could give them as gifts. But when they arrived Brett noticed they were not valid Thursday through Saturday, a dead giveaway that they were some kind of shady bargain.

So, basically I need to stop being so cheap. But the upside is we have to go to this place twice. Poor us. Ciao!

baby bites

2010-06-05T13:34:00.000-04:00

Last night we had two of our good couple friends over for our monthly game night. Usually I make something very bad and very delicious for snacking, like Buffalo chicken dip. But, I made that last weekend for another gathering and it disagreed with me, so it's riding the recipe bench for a while.

Instead, we had the fun idea to make sliders which then evolved into making baby sandwiches in honor of one of the game playing wives who is expecting their first. Here was the cutest menu ever that turned into a hit with our guests...

flank steak, avocado and jack cheese with spicy cilantro mayo on crusty wheat - the most delicious variety! I will be making this as a meal real soon.

grilled sharp cheddar cheese, ham and granny smith apple on very thin ciabatta - mmm, make sure to put cheese on both sides of the bread and just pop in the oven for 20 minutes or so right before your guests arrive.

pulled barbeque chicken with cole slaw on tiny cornbread squares - this was the biggest cheater sandwich since the chicken and cole slaw came from the Whole Foods barbeque bar.

fresh mozzerella (pasteurized so Mrs. Pregnant could partake), tomato and olive tapenade on grilled ciabatta - I also had chopped up some basil but we forgot it as we were gluttonously stuffing our faces.

banana and nutella on crusty wheat - this was originally going to be grilled peanut butter and banana but we made the switch to nutella when I remembered J can't eat pb right now since it might be linked to peanut allergies for the baby. Um, gee that's too bad, it was really hard forcing down all that nutella.

and don't lets forget about dessert: teensy ice cream sandwiches - I used the premade cookie dough that is cleverly marketed as mini, when really it is just cut differently. But hey, I bought it. Then smeared on some vanilla Hagen Dazs and called it a day. They were gross. Nobody even wanted to try one. JK, go make this right now.

btw, last night we plated the game Smartass. Very fun.

ladies who lunch?

2010-06-03T15:26:00.001-04:00

I am calling on all you ladies who lunch, breakfast, dinner, snack, etc. We are having a bit of a food spending crisis. This year we have really been watching the Smith budget, because when we don't, trouble comes a calling :)

Okay, not trouble exactly, but when I think about what I used to spend money on? Ay yay yay. Bad news. Anyway, one thing I always want to cut back on is food spending. I have a bad habit of not planning meals in advance and running to the grocery a few times a week. It adds up. So does all of the eating out we do in these damn charming city restaurants, not to mention the food we end up throwing away.

So, I am asking you what you do. How do you plan? What are your go-to meals and ingredients? How do you force yourself to use what you have but not go crazy by eating a soon to expire jar of pasta sauce on orzo? Has anyone tried a meal planning service like eMeals or something like the Dinner Affair?

Leave a comment and I will randomly choose a winner. I have the CUTEST foodie prize to give away.

masculin/feminine

2010-05-28T19:54:00.000-04:00

I have been feeling a tad stifled at work lately, or just a little unloved or maybe sick of peoples' horrid ghastly egos? Yeah, that might be it right there. I find when I am not feeling it at the office, I branch out and do way too much freelance. I once heard a wise woman (an executive at our company with a little boy and myriad other commitments) say that the more you do the more you can do and I find that to be true. Woo hoo. Don't you just feel great when every stinking minute of your day is predetermined? Fifteen minutes of down time with your honey is penciled in between coffee with a client and late night retouching.

I might sound sarcastic but I am totally serious. And... those packed days make downtime So. Much. Sweeter.

Like tonight! I blogged a few posts back about hell month, as if I were pledging a sorority for women with something of a creative void to fill. Lucky me, I was initiated and I feel like tonight is like the first big kegger after all those nasty sorority girls are really mean to you and smack you on the bum, only now you're besties and it's cool. Except there is no beer at my party and I am by myself in a tidy condo with a cleared to-do list. Oh, and a thunderstorm. Bliss.

Out of all that work has come some really cool, well, work. Looking back over the past few weeks' worth of projects, it's funny that they don't relate at all. All over the board.

First, la feminine. Really cool product shoot for Goody's new trend line that will be out this fall. I think this is one of my favorite kinds of jobs, prop styling and art direction for photography. A shoot I do all alone with just the photographer, his assistant and THINGS. I love things. No models, no drama. This shoot was focused on vintagey stuff, so poor me had to go antiquing. I even stealthily asked Katie if we could go shopping on her birthday... didn't mention it was prop shopping. But we did have some fun times and overhear an older gent gossiping about humping at a fabric store and encounter a 100% authentic Bal'more accent. I loved how this shoot turned out and am really excited about the final piece. Here are some of the lovely, moody shots.

Act II : le masculin. Ahhhh, men. Specifically, guys. More specifically hockey guys... My brother-in-law asked me to design a logo for his hockey team's new jerseys. Their name? The Fockers. Lucky me. So from prim and proper to rude and raunchy. I'm not claiming that this is my best work or anything, and in all honesty, I didn't devote as much time to this as I should have since I love Kyle, but whatever. We all love fake swearing.

Note: this is looking yellowy, it is punchier.

I like the one with the pink asterisk, Kyle chose the second from the top. Thanks, Kyle! The Focker Files were a fun distraction.

Other projects right now are work for a solar farming start-up, work for a mountain biking group (tagline - we play dirty) and a painting for a baby's room. Never a dull jpeg, er, moment. Sorry, bad design joke.

tiny coworker

2010-05-21T08:59:00.000-04:00

My cube mate's 4 year old son is in the office today. He is the sweetest. My heart is literally melting and slowly dripping down my chest.

square edged to space aged

2010-05-20T20:43:00.001-04:00

I just saw a new Honda commercial on tv, and had major flashbacks to my life in the 90's. This commercial showed Honda models throughout the years, from square edged to space aged.

Two cars come to mind :

'88 Accord : I think this was my parents' first truly new car, or at least the first one I remember. Lots happened in this car, including cruising around the 'hood with dad and the Dirty Dancing soundtrack; being trapped during a long car ride with mom, desperately wanting to escape as she gave me the birds and the bees talk; learning to drive stick and failing; and that fateful day when I opted to skip church and decided instead to go for a drive to calm my fried 17 year old nerves, flipping the car into a ditch. Then hanging there upside down, Honda certified seat belt keeping my bratty butt in that bucket seat, wondering if a tree trunk skewering a car from windshield to tailpipe qualifies it as totaled, and hoping not.

'88 Prelude : A's mom's car. We all loved it. Seems like yesterday we were riding around, finding excuses to use the awesome car phone, driving past a boy's house or to Massena for swim practice. Can I tell you how cool I thought A was, driving that car?

mmm hmm, that's the stuff

Hondas made all the same sounds. Deet deet deet, deet deet deet, deet deet deet when the door was open with the keys in the ignition and something like a minor sonic boom when the car started.

okay, not a Honda brand ambassador or anything, just thinkin' 'bout happy times and cool cars.

wallpaper disappointments and other minor details

2010-05-12T22:14:00.000-04:00

My life has been insane lately. And so, it seems, has everyone else's. So many of my little tasks have gone undone. My cabinets are indefinitely sporting casual Friday attire, without their jewelry (drawer pulls) installed. My wallpaper front runner turned out to have broken the most important tenet of the online honor system and posted a picture of himself as a much younger, slimmer man (I ordered a sample and let's just say it was not as pictured). I haven't had time to look for something better. The bedroom situation is remains uneven, Brett still has the lone bedside table and lamp, and I drop whatever I'm reading in a messy pile, Chelsea Handler and Alexandre Dumas vying for the top of the heap. And the list goes on. But I am hopeful! Next weekend I got nothin'. Or the weekend after that, or after that... Bliss. Chores. Décor. Workouts. Something other than Kashi frozen meals...

Must. Get. Through. The. Week.

a happy milestone

2010-05-11T20:41:00.000-04:00

Sunday was the year anniversary of the day Brett proposed to me :) What a sweet little milestone.

It is sort of weird, I already feel like we've been married forever so it's funny to think about the engagement. When I say forever, I mean it in a good way, not in a bad ball and chain way. I can honestly say I love being married. All of it. And I have been surprised by how different it feels to be married than to be dating, even if you spend every night together and pretty much live as a couple. On our wedding response cards, we asked our friends and family for bits of advice to sprinkle into our ceremony. One of my favorites came from the lovely L, she said something to the effect of finding small reasons to celebrate and celebrating often. I don't think she said to use the nice dishes and cloth napkins when she wrote that but I'd like to think she meant to :) Anyway, sometimes I feel silly thinking about all of our lesser anniversaries. First date, first kiss (no, not the same day as our first date thanks to Brett and his morals), engagement, etc. But Leah's advice gives me permission to do that, and I'll take it!

Happy Anniversary, darling!

a spring wedding

2010-05-11T20:09:00.000-04:00

Oh, did I say a spring wedding? Because I meant a spring wedding in the north country. Which, as most of you know, could be accompanied by lovely, bucolic*, spring-like weather, or a freaking hurricane. *Can you use bucolic to describe weather? I love this word. I'm using it.

My whole family got together last weekend to attend the wedding of a good friend on the St. Lawrence River, complete with a cocktail cruise through the islands, which sounded charming and romantic on the invitation I received weeks ago. It conjured up visions of guests in stylish sun hats and seersucker, not mismatchy umbrellas and garish gore-tex. Take a look at my mom as she is whisked away by the wind, her husband and sheer vanity to get out of the gusty wind and hail.

Yes, hail.

Ominous view from the boat. Yikes! The word "foreboding" comes to mind.

Mom caught in the storm! Not pleased. But still looking cute.

What did we ever do before pashminas?

Dave to the rescue! Note the angry willow in the background.

It's not just weeping, it's sobbing.

See mom run. Run, mom, run!

Shel finds shelter!

I like weddings that come with a workout. Then I don't feel guilty eating cake.

They say that a little rain during a wedding is good luck. I think Matt and Sara are the luckiest couple I've ever met!

wife porn

2010-05-01T23:25:00.000-04:00

I came home to this today...

me likey

derbylicious

2010-05-01T17:22:00.001-04:00

derbylicious

I wanted to buy some mint julep cups - they are expensive! So these cute glasses from Pier One will have to do. Super Savers. wink wink. We are watching the Derby with some friends, macaroni and cheese, a bourbon marinated flank steak and roasted tomatoes. Good company. Er, the friends, not the food.

stuff it!

2010-04-22T21:49:00.000-04:00

I saw this today in traffic (I was at a stop light, don't worry) and it warmed my heart. If you know me well, you know I have an odd ball soft spot for stuffed animals. Old ones, new ones, their little faces get to me. I don't buy them, I don't like to receive them as gifts, I just feel for them. I always feel sad at holidays when I see holiday inspired stuffed animals sitting there, staring at me, boring into my heart and my wallet with their beady little button eyes. I just know no one will possibly buy the entire stock of St. Patrick's Day teddy bears at Walgreens. Brett likes to egg me on, he gets great pleasure from sucker punching a defenseless pink giraffe or giant Sponge Bob. Basically, if it has a face, I want to love it.

Sort of how I can't watch Disney movies with little talking woodland creatures? Torture.

This is also why I still have Night Night Doggie, the pajama clad pup I got at age 2. I mean, really what am I supposed to do with him? He's rather unsightly, probably full of germs and has had more surgeries than I've had, but so loved. I sort of blame it on children's literature.

The Velveteen Rabbit? Sniff. Corduroy? Stop, you're killing me. Oh, and the Island of Misfit Toys? Can I move there please?

So yeah, I was happy to see this. They were all strung up on the side of a Sandy Springs, GA municipal truck. I guess the truck's owner takes pity on cast off stuffies and rescues them, allowing them to disintegrate with dignity in public service. A noble way to go.

Did you see this guy? Look at that expression, so much character. I mean, I know he was made in China from low grade materials, but there is just something about a face.

easter

2010-04-11T00:05:00.000-04:00

My mom has made the same delicious eggy, yeasty rolls for holiday dinners my whole life. This Easter I decided to make some homemade rolls, too. Just because we weren't together I should not have to miss out on some high quality carbs, right? I didn't have her recipe so I turned to the Joy of Cooking's Easter menu which suggested finger rolls. Strangely grotesque name for a holiday celebrating new life. Turns out they were very good and yeast was not as intimidating as I thought.

My finger rolls came out more like fat big toe rolls.

We had quite a few kids over for Easter brunch, so I tried to spruce the place up a bit with some festive details, a.k.a. a good excuse to buy candy :)

A nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

paint test

2010-04-03T18:26:00.000-04:00

bye bye, wood grain!

I bought a $2.49 paint sample last night and slapped some on this morning. Love.

Also, notice that the wallpaper behind the cabinet is gone!

My brother-in-law told me I need to prime the cabinets first because this kind of wood could swell when painted, but it is sooo tempting to just go ahead and paint them. Nope, going to be good and do it the right way.

Anyway, a couple steps closer to a kitchen makeover!

freedom from the gym

2010-04-03T10:29:00.000-04:00

A few months ago, I got really sick of my gym. Really. So I quit! Then Brett quit, too. We have been amping up home workouts and even just walking more in the nice weather. I love it. This morning he is out mountain biking and I did P90X legs. Yesterday we walked for about 4 hours, seeing the sights of our neighborhood and trying to save a runaway teacup chihuahua named Prancer, with no luck. Thursday was a mountain bike ride after work with a group of friends. Tuesday I took a walk after work while on a conference call, how's that for multi-tasking?

Anyway, I'm sure you don't care about every drop of sweat I've shed this week, I'm just sayin', I love not feeling like I have to get to the gym. And of course, the money savings are nice.

Now for the opposite of working out... time to think about my Easter dinner menu. Cooking for 8!

chop chop

2010-03-27T10:02:00.000-04:00

This weekend I am home alone, Mr. Smith is off filming some manly men and their manly motorcycles so I get to have time to, well, waste time. Last night I stayed late at the office since there was no one to rush home to, and then made a few stops on the way home. One was at Target, for Q-Tips.

$2.99.

Right.

Unfortunately, they are smart cookies and put the women's clothing at the entry to the store and the Q-Tips all the way at the back.

One purchase was a very cute, fancy looking dress for under $30! No buyer's remorse here. And this morning I operated on this dress. It has many tiers and was a little long. So I chopped off the bottom tier. And added a stitch to the top to make the straight across neckline into a sweetheart. Now it's so cute! Loving it.

Liberty of London for Target Smocked Top Tiered Ruffle Dress

Please be seated...

2010-03-23T12:31:00.000-04:00

I think we need to add some seating to the living room. Katie and Kyle were here this weekend and I could see there were some gaps. At one point, Brett dragged out our yoga mats for extra seating during a game of Scrabble and I had a hissy fit. Partially because of those rubbery eye-sores, partially because I am very bad at Scrabble.

I have been thinking 2 slipper chairs might be good, on either side of the credenza below the tv. People would not really sit in them to watch tv ever and we could move them around for guests. I have been searching all the usual suspects for good armless chairs and there is not a huge selection. Nothing jumped out. Until it occurred to check out Target. Motherload!

Check out all these cute options. Admittedly, they are not as cheap as you would think, but since none of us can ever leave Target for less than $100, are you surprised?

Whatcha think? Do tell.

wallpaper!

2010-03-14T22:36:00.000-04:00

click to enlarge

So many cute options! These are a far cry from the Sherwin-Williams catalogs with my mom :)

Any favorites?

Condo Project: kitchen

2010-03-14T15:16:00.000-04:00

Another exciting project is the kitchen. Our kitchen has pretty good bones and is a good size considering the overall space. It has a breakfast bar and that seems to be where people congregate. I don't want to spend a lot, so I am going to paint and add a backsplash. I am loving the grey painted cabinet trend. I first saw it in the house we rented for our honeymoon and fell in love. This will be a great fix for the cabinets. This is a shot of the kitchen now, please pardon my mess.

Not pretty, but these cabinets are pretty good for 1989.

Oh dear. Sigh.

Right now the kitchen has olive green herringbone print wallpaper. Obviously it has to go! So Friday night (after 2 of Brett's deliciously strong margaritas) I thought it would be a good idea to start stripping the wallpaper immediately. What did I find under the green? 80s country plaid. Great. And that stuff ain't budging. This is going to take some time.

Here are a bunch of inspiration pics. I am thinking grey cabinets, white subway tile backsplash and maybe some nice but not expensive new countertops, like a Corian perhaps? And lower end stainless stuff. We don't want to spend too much because the condo market will just never give us the return we'd need. I'm thinking a pop of paint above the cabinets for a hint of color.

I love an apron sink. Ikea has a good version for $89!

Our floor actually looks a lot like this. It is a nice stone, thank god no linoleum.

My barstool inspiration.

Would love open shelving but that's too much construction.

I already bought 9 of these. I get a great company discount from Amerock since its a sister company of Goody. Now if I could just get a discount on 3 of these!

Condo Project: office space

2010-03-14T14:27:00.000-04:00

Hey! We're all moved in finally and have pretty much fit everything into our new smaller space. I am getting so excited thinking about all the changes we're going to make to this place to make it ours. It's amazing, it already feels totally different than it did in Brett's bachelor days when I'd come over and sit on the futon in a claustrophobic feeling red room. Just rearranging the furniture and repainting has helped.

So far the biggest change has been creating an office space in the former dining area. We have a breakfast bar that will suit our dining needs and I'd rather have a workspace, although nothing can replace my pink studio :(

View from the office space into the living room. The kitchen is to the right.

The space has an 9 x 8 wall behind the desk that, until last week, was floor to ceiling mirrors, yuck. I know it was intended to make the room feel larger, but it was just really 80s looking and I cannot abide being surrounded by full length mirrors! Especially next to the kitchen! Gone. Bye.

Now I've decided to wallpaper that wall and install Lack shelves on it. The largest size shelves will almost fill the wall of that nook and I think it will look really cool! Here are some inspiration pics I've found while consulting my design buddy, the interweb.

Oddly, I have this exact same vintage cart in white! I am stealing this idea and making a bar.

This is my number one pattern after a little hunting. I wanted something with a little more color, but maybe accessories will give that? I just looooove this. If not the office then maybe the entry or the bathroom. My mom has offered to help me wallpaper! She is a champ at this. I have really fond memories of sitting with her at Sherwin-Williams or Ace hardware and looking at the swatch books. Or checking them our and lugging them home. And then watching her hang it. I liked it because everything was clean and wet and shiny perfect. And it smelled good.

So, we'll see what happens!

sorry, more productivity in your day will soon be lost...

2010-03-01T12:07:00.000-05:00

There is a blog out there that my mom actually introduced me to and I am soooo hooked. I know I personally am cutting back on shopping, but I can have virtual fun delighting in what she puts together, right? Too cute, why aren't we all this talented?

http://blog.mrslilien.com/

Are You... Part three

2010-02-25T22:05:00.001-05:00

Okay, okay, you might be over this by now but I think it's fun :)

Are you a size 6 shoe who is more Charlotte than Samantha? More Zooey Deschanel than Megan Fox? Do you love wingtip details, spectator styling, grosgrain ribbon and an office-appropriate 3" heel? All in shiny chocolate leather?

Leave me a comment.

Oh and by the way, have you noticed that the sizes I have mentioned have varied from size 6 to 8? Yes, I am one of those girls who will squeeze her foot into something gorgeous and on sale or swear that a Dr. Scholls insert will make a too big shoe fit just fine.

*Note: These shoes, too, have very few miles on them. The cuteness did not override the pain this time!

Are you... The Sequel

2010-02-25T21:40:00.000-05:00

Hello!

In an effort to streamline my shoe wardrobe, clean out my closet and my life, and pretty much just do whatever it takes to fit into our new 800 square foot existence, now's your chance to benefit!

Are you a size 7 or 7.5 shoe who loves shiny black patent leather, soft black suede, 5.5" heels and the opportunity to flaunt your inner pin-up girl via your footwear?

If so, please leave me a comment. I'll leave this open a little longer than I did for the last pair!

culture schmulture

2010-02-20T13:53:00.001-05:00

A few posts back I went on about how this was to be the year of the classics, citing Dumas, Bronte, Tolstoy, and while I am slowly making it through the great books, I have sort of stumbled upon some equally great books.

To preface, I sort of rejected the whole chick lit movement for a long time, I just felt like those books were whiny and too stereotypically female and just not worth my time. Then a couple years ago I picked up an Emily Giffin book at the airport and just could not put it down. I think it was Something Borrowed. The flight during which I devoured most of the book was to NYC for a photo shoot and I just could not get through that shoot fast enough! I had to get back to my hotel room and finish the book. I did finish it and then left my hotel in SoHo just long enough to find a bookstore to get her follow up novel,

Something Blue. So obviously they were good enough to keep me more entertained inside a Holiday Inn express in Manhattan than exploring that city! I later learned that Emily Giffin is married to one of the execs at my company and I met her at a local signing. She's great, read her books :)

This past week at work was full of very tedious retouching and was virtually meeting free, so I had a lot of me time at my desk. I often will listen to an audio book while I work and while perusing iTunes, I saw the Shopaholic series. I downloaded the last book first (Shopaholic and Baby), don't ask me why, and it was so cute. I never realized those books were by a British author and set in London, which for some reason, elevates them for me just a tad. Now I am obsessed, almost through the first one (Confessions of a Shopaholic). It is scary how relatable this book is. I think I used to be one. Not just a shopaholic, but just totally blind to my finances. I really had no idea what I used to spend money on and would have no problem dropping obscene amounts at the mall a couple times a month. I was

alone in a big city and I guess I just felt I owed it to myself to splurge. I have been a lot better in the past couple years and since we got married, I don't think a dollar has been spent that I can't account for. And I feel sooooo incredibly good about it.

Guess what movie I'll be renting this weekend?

We are currently going through a class, Financial Peace University. It is taught by Dave Ramsey, a financial guru who is funny, smart and very down to earth. We coincidentally started the class about a month into our marriage and I cannot recommend it enough for couples. It just puts you on such a good path together. For me, it has become sort of a game now to see what I can avoid spending or at least to really consider most purchases. Not to go on about it, but if you have any turbulence in your financial life or want good, easy to understand advice about investing and retirement, I highly recommend it. We have also made some great new couple friends at this class and, miracle of miracles, we have started going to the Catholic church where the class is held. I guess that's what we need right now and I feel so happy to be back in a church routine. I don't know why really. That is another post entirely.

Anyway, has anyone else read these books? Thumbs up or thumbs down?

last night...

2010-02-14T18:26:00.000-05:00

Last night I ran to Border's at the last minute to get Brett a little something for Valentines Day, (he got me orange roses) and had a fun surprise! I was headed towards check out and noticed a girl crouched by the wedding magazines so I decided to see if maybe, just maybe, our magazine had been published yet and there it was!!! It was kind of a downer to see it by myself, I wanted to run up and show a stranger, but I contained myself. I may have mentioned it to the cashier when he asked why I was buying 9 copies, but I think I sounded really cool and casual. Not. Anyway, exciting.

I feel really lucky to have this. I have been struggling to decide what wedding stuff I should/need/want to keep. Do I keep every card we received? Will I want this stuff in 50 years? I have been in a major tossing out, downsizing mood lately but don't want to be too hasty. I know I love looking at my relatives old things...

Brides, please tell me, what did you keep? What did you toss?

They did a great job with the write up! A couple's relaxed ceremony at a midtown bistro celebrates the season and the bride's love of color and design. Perfect!

happy valentines day

2010-02-13T22:25:00.000-05:00

metallic bronze ink and pearlescent paper

I made these cards at a silkscreen class, I am addicted. It's nice to actually create something (mix up inks, choose papers, etc.) instead of all the clicking I do all day everyday. Hope everyone had a Happy Valentines Day. I was lazy and only got a few cards out... so please be my virtual valentine :)

xoxo

If I weren't already married...

2010-02-11T20:09:00.001-05:00

this guy might be the one. I love his jam packed-modern art-board game-Catcher in the Rye sensibility. All in 178 square feet. Here is a link to an article and here is some eye candy/designer porn/small space inspiration...

condo project #1: part 2

2010-02-08T22:11:00.000-05:00

I think I may have found a good solution for the bedside tables. I love tray tables, modern design and items that are not too feminine, not too masculine, especially for a couple's bedroom. At first I saw butler tray tables at West Elm that I liked, but they definitely went over my price restriction and when I actually measured, they were too bulky for our small space. Not to be deterred, I continued to scour the internet. Um, when you search for tray tables, you sure do find a lot of crap. I just happened to be on the cb2 site today, not during work hours of course, and found this! I think it's a great solution. I can glam up my side and he can man up his side. About $50 each, they are just within my budget.

Side note: they do come in orange, and I really should go for it, but with the blue bedroom walls it would be a little too Lady Stoners. But can you ever really be too Lady Stoners? Yes, probably.

Other side note: when the West Elm clearance dresser was delivered, it had a little flaw in it. While it was just a small flaw, and it was on sale, I still felt like this would bother me every time I looked at it for years to come. So I called and didn't out right complain, just expressed my disappointment. West Elm to the rescue! They didn't have any more of the dresser in that finish, but agreed to send me a different finish (that I like even better) at no extra charge! They are awesome. Customer service A+

her fabulous prize!

2010-02-07T14:37:00.000-05:00

Here's what A has won! I got these shoes on clearance when I was shopping for my wedding and they were too big but I couldn't return them. I am cleaning out all sorts of stuff to get ready to move and just couldn't give these to the Salvation Army, they're too cute!

Hope you enjoy, Alison :)

Are you...

2010-02-05T13:44:00.001-05:00

a size 7.5 or 8 shoe and love orange? If so, you may have won a fabulous prize. Please leave a me comment...

Saturday...

2010-01-23T20:55:00.000-05:00

can be described with the following sequence of events:

belly dance : My first belly dance class was a blast. I'll be back for more.

bird poop : On my head. Yes, head. Does anyone know if there is a statistic on this? Like a one in a million chance of being shat upon? Are my chances of a repeat greatly diminished now that this has transpired?

barnes and noble : More specifically the fight we were in (siding with the rest of a long line of patient, cheery, happy to be buying bargain books on a weekend afternoon customers) with one very ornery old man in a Cosby sweater.

condo project #1

2010-01-18T20:40:00.000-05:00

Our housing situation is about to shift! We will be moving from my spacious, much loved 1920's apartment complete with 4 walk in closets, a sun room/studio, large second floor porch, original hardwood floors, gallery style hallway, vintage tile and fixtures in the bathroom, charm to spare, you get the idea, I could go on but I won't, to Brett's rather "compact" first floor condo. Yes, it too has original fixtures and vintage charm, but they are of the 1988 variety. But, I am ready to move onto this next chapter of our lives and I embrace it as a design challenge. We have already made some huge strides and made it over to get it on the market, but I just don't think it's going to sell in 6 weeks. So, I am already mentally moving and settling in.

bedroom, dining room, playroom...

This weekend I got an email from West Elm that sale furniture was an extra 20% off. A dresser I have always loved was on sale and I had a gift card, so we decided to pounce. We saved about $700! And I figure it will be a piece we can use in many rooms in many houses in the future.

Yup, looks good now! No one lives here!

These are some shots of the condo bedroom, the dresser will go on the wall facing the foot of the bed under that large painting. Doesn't really match the dark wood sleigh bed that is in there now, but that will probably be replaced by my upholstered headboard.

So, to tie the headboard to the light wood dresser and complete the room, I need some bedside tables. I have always had my heart set on a pair of Saarinen marble top tulip tables, but that is not really in the budget right now and I don't want to invest too much into the decor of this condo since I hope we won't live here for long. So I am giving myself a budget of $100 for the pair, hopefully less! Make? Buy? Find? We'll see what happens.

Atlanta flea markets, here I come!

torture

2010-01-17T16:48:00.000-05:00

Yes, torture. I am sick and have no sense of taste left. First torture session of today? Our Sunday going-out-to-breakfast ritual. Today we picked Java Jive just down the street and I could not taste any of my food. So I skipped the usual cheddary, mushroomy, turkey-y omelette and had a boring granola yogurt thing. Then we came home, I moped around and Brett suggested that we get in bed and watch the movie he netflixed for me. This was a great idea and just the thing really, except that we watched Julie and Julia. And I all I want to do know is make boeuf bourguignon, which would be a waste. Soooo, guess I'll be channeling all that foodie inspiration into a cup of tea and crackers. Delish.

Sniff.

secret crush

2010-01-16T15:32:00.000-05:00

Oh, Mr. Rochester! You're ever so dashing. I honestly had given up all hope that you and Jane Eyre would ever see each other again, let alone get married. But you did and I wanted to cry. Only, you really will never see Jane Eyre again, since you are now blind. But you are still a dashing enigma and I heart you. xoxo, Mrs. Smith

I just read Jane Eyre. Can you tell? This is going to be a year for the classics. My brother-in-law gave me The Count of Monte Cristo for Christmas. I will get through it! All 1179 fine print pages. And I commit to finishing Anna Karenina, which I've been reading for about 9 months. If nothing else, I love it for the names. There is a glossary of all the Russian characters' names in the back and I sometimes just like to read that out loud, by myself. Try it:

Ekaterina Alexandrovna Shcherbatskaya

Darya Alexandrovna Oblonskaya

Konstantin Dmitrich Levin

Sergei Ivanovich Koznyshev ( I really like that one )

Stepan Arkadyich Oblonsky

Fortunately, they all have nicknames in the book. Can you tell I am not leading any book club discussions? No, I don't think I really analyze these books as they deserve. I just like stories and being sucked into something. It's also neat to think about all the other people who have read these books over the years.

the little things

2010-01-13T14:56:00.001-05:00

Do you know what this is? Um, it's Barbie furniture. By Jonathan Adler. I would like to say I would have killed for this as a kid, but I probably would have thought it was just weird. My dollhouse décor was really more of a nice mix of eighties country chic with a few nice accent pieces from My Little Pony, a bible June and I used in a kick-ass English project in eight grade, and service for 4 from the Barbie Camping Dinnerware Collection.

Oh how I loved that doll house. Legend has it that my dad and uncles waited until the last minute and were putting it together Christmas Eve when I was 4 or so. I suspect there were a few beverages involved and the doll house was never quite finished to her lovely faux Victorian balsa wood kit glory. But that's ok, I still loved it. There is something intriguing about miniatures, don't you think? I am amazed by detail that can be achieved on a small scale and how we can own things in their tiny versions when we've maybe never even seen the real thing. I have a tiny version of the Robert Indiana Love sculpture that was $5! Gotta love $5 art.

a little love in the kitchen

Oddly, I find cast off minis all the time. I was one of those kids who was always touching stuff and picking crap off the ground. Once I found a squirrel's tail on a walk with my family and I brought it home and saved it! Nice. But another time my mom and I found $110 in 5 minutes on a walk. Really nice. Here are a few things I have found lately: the minute monster hand, petite piggy and teeny dice came from my apartment yard a various times in the last three years; the mini marlin fish is from the beach in Mexico and the baby Barbie shoe is from the beach where we spent our honeymoon.

this little piggy...

This is a strange post, eh? Oh well. This is just a day when I am stuck in my kitchen, glued to CNN watching the horrors that people are suffering. Strange post, strange day. xoxo

a cutting mustard

2010-01-09T23:31:00.001-05:00

Not sure we'll finish the ENTIRE jar...

Whenever my dad visits and asks if he can bring us something from home, I always request horseradish. Real, hot, fresh horseradish root; none of this "prepared horseradish sauce" that you get down here that is really just spicy mayonnaise. Dad opted to throw in a Hotter Than Hell mustard this batch. We found it in the fridge today, and it's getting used since a big portion of my new year's resolution has to do with making use of what I've got. Brett stepped up to the lunch plate today and slathered some on, pretty much a wasabi-roast beef nightmare. There were some tears, some light sweating, milk consumption. Thanks, dad - youch.

application prowess: 3.5 out of a possible 4 stars

pepper jack cheese for extra kick

only real men can cry

I should reaaaaally...

2010-01-09T11:56:00.000-05:00

go out for a run. Like right now. It is almost noon, Brett is getting a haircut and we are going to se Up in the Air at 2:10. So perfect window of opportunity. Alas...

exciting news...

2010-01-03T21:47:00.000-05:00

We just found out that our wedding is going to be in print! We will be featured in the Real Weddings section of the summer 2010 edition of Bride's Magazine, the Atlanta publication. I don't love all the pictures of me that they chose, but not much I can do about it. I'm more excited about getting a credit for designing the invitations...

ski trip!

2010-01-01T14:19:00.000-05:00

Ski bums

Some differences between the last time I skiied

(probably in 1998?) and now:

Rental gear now is way nicer than the gear I owned then.

My calves fit into the boots better, thank god.

I am no longer fearless, way more cautious.

I did a test run on the bunny trail. They have this new thing called a magic carpet that has thankfully rendered the T bar obsolete.

I drank wine in the lodge.

I sat between 2 boys on every chairlift ride.

I didn't match and didn't care!

I was scared for other people's children. Especially the three year olds bombing down the black diamonds.

They don't use the sticker and paper clip thing lift ticket anymore, now it's this hi-tech paper and a plastic zip tie :(

I noticed all the parents skiing in jeans and old jackets and ratty equipment while their kids were decked out in designer outfits and brand new gear. Gotta love parents.

EVERYTHING is logoed, sponsored or a place for advertisers to catch your eye.

There was the hum of everyone having a great time in the lodge and on the slopes, scurrying along to wherever they needed to be. I had lots of flashbacks to hauling gear on the ski trip bus, the time my dad set all of our locks to the wrong combo, eating fries, drinking cocoa, quarters for the lockers, and driving home from Titus Mountain in Megan's Taurus, singing along to Alanis Morrissette and feeling safe and warm. Oh, and spending actual cash money, all wadded up in the awesome ski wallet hanging from a cord around my neck!

Us with some weird parasite that infected us out there!

lazy afternoon

2009-12-30T14:55:00.000-05:00

This is the kind of day I love. Got up at a slightly lazy 7:45, dressed in jeans and flats and headed to work. Office was deserted. Worked on a cool, cute project and actually spent the time on it that it deserved, unlike my normal forced work process in which a project with all new creative is done in 3 hours or between meetings. Left my desk neat and tidy at noon - noon! - and headed home.

Brett greeted me at the door playing a new Wii game like a big kid, I just laughed. Then researched some fondue recipes for New Year's Eve. Lot's of people had lots of opinions on the subject on Food Network's message boards, some downright vicious! Geez, peeps, it is cheese and wine. Oh, and kirsch. More about that later.

Walked to Whole Foods for ingredients and had a strange experience. We saw one of our pilates teachers there, said hello, etc. and then I saw her walk right by a woman I know from our web agency at work. I always think it's so weird to see people from different compartments of my life converge! Like at our wedding. Awfully bizarre to see childhood friends with new friends with coworkers with grandparents with my godfather, etc.

Then to the liquor store, or as we say in the South, the package store :) Needed the aforementioned kirsch. Here's where my packaging snobbery kicks in to high gear. Yes, I spent over $30 more on the wax sealed, more authentic looking bottle of Kirschwasser instead of the cheesy DeKuypers cherry flavored brandy. Sooo, now we're looking for drink recipes that feature kirsch since I only actually need one tbsp for my recipe. Come on, I know ya'll agree!

Now my husband is cooking an early dinner and we're relaxin'. Finally. Holiday Season, I love you but you sure are exhausting.

Happy Happy New Year, everyone!

holiday indulgence

2009-12-22T13:10:00.000-05:00

Since I am in the office this week, I find myself eating a bunch of crap that someone made and unloaded on their coworkers, as I often do.

My favorite being a minty cookie/candy confection made with melty mints like we used to eat as kids. Probably full of partially hydrogenated substances, but I don't particularly care right now. Not to mention dyes, nothing in nature is this particular shade of green. Ho Ho Ho.

That's how I laugh now since my innards are saturated with

sugar n' spice.

favorite Christmas songs

2009-12-20T12:12:00.000-05:00

I have 4, one for each member of my family:

Dad's: Here Comes Santa Claus

I don't really know why, but this song makes me think of my dad. Probably because my dad always did so much for us to make the holidays fun and has been known to take on the Santa persona himself now and then. I especially like the line, "He doesn't care if you're rich or poor, he loves you just the same." I heard it this morning in bed and I really missed him. XOXO, dad. Love you.

Mom's: Feliz Navidad

I can totally remember my mom singing this and getting into it when I was tiny. My mom was not often silly while I was growing up and I remember loving it when she would just lose herself in a silly moment and let me see her truly joyful side. Now it's easy to goad her into the giggles and we have so many special jokes. Love you, mom. Glad you're in a joyful place.

Katie's: All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey

I probably don't really need to explain this and I suspect it is the Christmas themesong for many sisters! We love it more. I remember dancing to this a few years ago at one of the first Christmases we spent with our stepdad and stepbrothers and them just looking at us and sidling out of the kitchen like, oh my god, this is what its like to have girls in the family? Great.

Miss you, Katie. Have fun with the all the little girls this Christmas. Lucky you!

Mine: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Love the sentiment. Love Rosemary Clooney's version and the John Denver version from the Muppets Christmas album that I'm sure we wore out as kids!

bonus* Walking in a Winter Wonderland

We sang this in some ridiculous winter chorus concert, probably circa 1993 or 1994. Makes me think of all my girls, misbehaving in the music room and walking in the genuine Potsdam winter wonderland for so many fun and SNOWY winters! xoxoxoxoxoxo to all my Potsdam friends! Love you all so dearly.

bonus bonus* Sleigh Ride, the instrumental version

Especially when the big brassy crescendo happens. Nothing screams holiday festivities louder. Maybe because it was in a Gap commercial when my young and impressionable mind was forming ideas about what's cool. I also love the Ronnette's version.

Merry Christmas!