Lavender & Lilies

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

2012-02-15T07:00:00.002-05:00

Continuing my walk down memory lane, here is one of my favorite recipes I featured on my old food blog Peonies and Peppermint. Here's the original post from 2009...

I stumbled upon this recipe at Her Active Life and it's amazing. The cookies are relatively healthy at under 100 calories each. They are delicious. Here goes...

¾ cup all purpose flour

1 cup regular oats

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

¾ cup chopped dried cranberries

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Mix all of the ingredients together. Drop in rounded tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet or silpat and bake at 350 for 10-14 minutes. Makes 2 dozen and you can freeze any extra dough. Delicious and guilt free.

V-Day

2012-02-14T06:41:00.000-05:00

Source: suchprettythings.typepad.com via Jessica on Pinterest

I hope you all have a lovely Valentine's Day. I am so excited for my first Valentine's Day with my new little Valentine and my sweet husband.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Crab Benedict

2012-02-13T07:00:00.005-05:00

Another old recipe that I love. Here's the post from July of 2009 featuring one of the best breakfasts ever, Crab Benedict.

In my effort to get out of my food rut I wanted to make a great breakfast for Saturday morning. I went to Williams Sonoma's site to get some inspiration and there it was... Crab Benedict. Being from South Carolina, we eat seafood all the time particularly crab and shrimp. This recipe consisted of crab cakes topped with poached eggs and hollandaise. I modified the Williams Sonoma recipe and used Ina Garten's Hollandaise recipe from Barefoot in Paris. This was also the first time I had ever poached an egg and I was nervous but it was easy. Here's my modified recipe for Crab Benedict, serves 4.

Crab Cakes:

12 oz white crab (doesn't have to be lump and canned is fine too)

1 Egg

2 Tablespoons of mayonnaise

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs (panko is fine too)

3 sliced green onions (save some of the green parts to top the dish)

salt & pepper to taste

feel free to throw in any dried or fresh herb you like but stick with something mild

Mix all together and pat into thick small patties. Put them in the fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes or so and the longer the better. If you don't chill them you'll have a hard time getting them to stay together when you cook them. I used canola oil (free to free to use the oil of your choice as long as it doesn't have a strong taste) and filled a small frying pan about 1/2 inch deep and cooked the crab cakes turning once. The trick with crab cakes is once you put them in the oil LEAVE THEM ALONE. If you agitate them they might fall apart so let them cook until golden and wait until you can flip them easily before turning.

4 Poached Eggs

If you don't know how to do this it's really easy. Pour water into a saute pan and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer. Crack 1 egg in a small bowl. Take a wooden spoon and stir the water so it's flowing in a circular motion. Quickly and carefully slide the egg into the water. Cook for about 3 minutes for runny centers and remove with a a slotted spoon. If they are really misshapen you can trim them with kitchen sheers. When I took them out I set them on top of an ice bath to stop the cooking. Probably not necessarily but it was fun nonetheless.

Hollandaise Sauce (mostly from Barefoot in Paris but with a bit of modification)

Note this is the best and easiest hollandaise recipe in my opinion.

1 1/2 sticks melted butter

Juice of 2 lemons

4 Egg Yolks

1 pinch of salt

2 pinches of cayenne pepper

Blend the egg yolks, salt, pepper, juice and pepper in a blender. Once blended turn the blender back on and slowly pour in the butter and voila! Ina is a genius.

Place one or two crab cakes on the plate, lay the poached egg on top and pour the hollandaise over the dish. I topped the whole dish with the excess green onions but a fresh herb would be great too. It was really good. A lot of dishes for a Saturday morning but it was excellent.

Friday I'm In Love

2012-02-09T21:23:00.000-05:00

pinterest.

I hope everyone had a fabulous week! I'm looking forward to spending time with the my family this weekend and an early V Day celebration with my husband. Here are a few of my faves this week...

1. What I'm Reading. Steve Jobs Bio.
2. Tea Collection Dress for Baby Ella.
3. TOMS Flats. They came! I am so excited. I love them!

Sweet Potato Pancakes

2012-02-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

I am reviewing the recipes that I featured on my now defunct blog Peonies & Peppermint and this one is my definite favorite. Here are Sweet Potato Pancakes and the original post from September of 2009. I still make these.

My husband and I spent last week on Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. While we were there we ate at this great local restaurant called the Flying Melon. They had these incredible Sweet Potato Pancakes with Orange Butter. They were great so I came home and tried to recreate what I had eaten there. It's not exact but this is pretty close.

Sweet Potato Pancakes with Orange Butter

Makes 8-10 Pancakes

Adapted from this Recipe

1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour

3 1/2 Teaspoons of Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon Cardamom (optional)

1 Cup Sweet Potato Puree (1 Large Sweet Potato boiled and pureed)

2 Eggs Beaten

1 1/2 Cups Milk

1/2 Stick Butter, Melted

1 Stick Butter, Softened

1 Tablespoon Orange Marmalade

Peel and dice the sweet potato. Boil over high heat until tender when pierced with a fork (about 10 minutes). Drain and puree in a food processor. If you don't have a food processor you can puree it by hand easily. Measure out one cup of the puree and discard the rest.

Sift together the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, combine the puree, butter, eggs and milk. Mix with an electric mixer until combined. In three portions add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Do not over mix.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Coat the skillet with vegetable oil (I like this a lot better than butter). Once heated use a ladle to drop a ladle full of batter onto the hot skillet. Use the ladle to spread out the pancake. This batter is heavy so you will need to spread it out. Cook until golden brown. Repeat.

In a small bowl combine the stick of softened butter and 1 tablespoon of orange marmalade until combined. Serve the pancakes with a dollop of this butter.

Girl Style

2012-02-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

I love this outfit for the little girls in your life. Those wellies are about the cutest thing I have ever seen!

Bucket List

2012-02-07T07:00:00.028-05:00

Who has an actual written bucket list? I don't. I have all of these things bouncing around in my head that I want to do but I was so inspired when I found the Perfect Bucket List on Tumblr. A lot of you will recognize these from Pinterest.

I love this idea so I decided to steal it and start memorializing my own bucket list. My bucket list is about 90% travel related. Here are my first five...

What have you checked off your bucket list?

I checked out my #1 when I was in college and that was seeing the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.

What about you what have you checked off already?

What is on your bucket list?

V-Day Creative Gifts

2012-02-06T07:00:00.014-05:00

I love love love Valentine's Day. Most people roll their eyes at me when I say that but I do. I don't care if Hallmark created it. I think it's great to take a day to show everyone in your life how much you love them.

I also think its a great holiday to give a small creative gift. A beautiful book and a cup of coffee, a new collar for your furry valentine, a big stuffed gorilla for your 9 month old...

Here are some great V Day gift finds I found.

LOVE Print from Keep Calm Gallery.

Great bangles from For Nash.

Mason Jar Valentine and NYC Tote from Pink Olive

Spatula from Sur La Table. I love practical V Day gifts that someone can use all year and remember you. Chris bought me a set of pink mixing bowls from Williams Sonoma our first Valentines and I have used them for nearly 10 years.

Pride & Prejudice BabyLit book and Haba Heart toy for your smallest Valentine. Available at Amazon.

Happy Weekend!

2012-02-03T09:23:00.002-05:00

Source: tumblr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Baby Food: Roasted Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

2012-02-02T07:00:00.008-05:00

Source: realsimple.com via Genna on Pinterest

I remain a baby food making machine. I started out making all of Ella's food and then I ended up buying a good bit as well because there were lots of foods that I wanted her to try but did not want to make. Now I am back to making all of her food (except when my mother fed her EASY MAC!).

Seriously, fed her Easy Mac. I hit the roof.

Anyway, here is Ella's favorite breakfast. This is great for older kids too and its freezes well and is easy to heat up in the mornings.

First up, half and roast your apples. Do not use Granny Smiths they will not work (not sure why but I speak from a messy experience). I used Gala. Just cut them in half. Remove stems (you can core them later) and put them flesh side down on a baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350. They should look like this.

Then core them, and scoop them from their skins into a food processor or blender. In the meantime, make 1 cup of uncooked oats according to package directions. Once it is done add it to the blender or food processor. Add 1 tsp of cinnamon. Blend.

I then put them into my baby food containers like this and freeze them overnight (I love these containers. They are awesome). The next day I pop the food out of the container and put in bags. Did I take a picture of the finished product? No. Not sure why not.

She loves it. If you want a shortcut just use jarred unsweetened applesauce instead of roasting your own apples. It's not as good but Ella hasn't complained.

A warning, consult with your doctor before starting any kind of baby food and cinnamon is somewhat of a controversial ingredient in that children can be allergic. Ella had cinnamon before so I knew she was not allergic. I am just sharing what worked for my child so be sure they have been exposed to all of these ingredients and you know they don't have an allergy before making this recipe.

February Shopping List

2012-02-01T07:00:00.014-05:00

My February Shopping List!

Romeo & Juliet BabyLit Board Book. Precious. Available at Amazon.

Pink Car from Quirk Gallery

J.Crew Bubble Necklace in Turquoise and Jenna Bracelet

Gorgeous pink necklace from Elephantine on Etsy

Pantone Notebook from Quirk Gallery

Custom Canvas Bag with Elephant Graphic from iomoi

Dabney Lee at Home Cell Phone Case

Scotch Naturals Nail Polish available at EcoMom

Glitter Clothespins

2012-01-31T07:00:00.019-05:00

Ever since I saw this pin I knew I wanted to glitter some clothespins.

Source: carolinaeclectic.blogspot.com via Candace on Pinterest

Sounds weird but ever since I saw this pin, I knew what to do with them once I glittered them.

Source: stylemepretty.com via Jessica on Pinterest

So this weekend I glittered some clothespins and it was super easy and took about 5 minutes.

Here are the ingredients...

I upcycled by Birchbox box and used it to glitter my pins.

I coated one side of each pin with Glittering Glue by Martha Stewart. It's probably no different than Elmers but I'm a sucker for packaging and it was on sale. Then I covered (and I mean covered) each pin with glitter. I did gold for some upcoming events I have and red for V'Day.

Here they are after the glittering.

Isn't it cute?

Style Review and Preview

2012-01-29T21:59:00.000-05:00

Coming up this month on L&L...

Did you watch the SAGs last night?

These were my faves.

I loved Emma Stone's McQueen, Emily Blunt's green, Diane Lane's ponytail, Michelle Williams simplicity, Jayma Mays cuteness and Lea Michelle's dress although her posiness gets on my nerves. She poses too much and the slit was too high. The hot messes? I decided I won't be mean this time. There were three though. Really bad.

As for the awards, I am so uninformed this year but I was super excited that Viola Davis won! She is one of my faves and has been since Doubt and I loved The Help. I love love love her. I was also excited for Modern Family and The Help but a little disappointed that Brad Pitt didn't win. I loved Moneyball.

Anyway, what did you guys think? Who did you love?

Happy Friday!

2012-01-26T21:40:00.000-05:00

I love these Pantone Toothbrushes from Quirk Gallery. I am totally loving Mythic Oil by Loreal Professional. It's the most amazing hair product ever if you have thick hair like mine. Amazing! The J.Crew Boatneck Sweater is so cute and they paired it with pink pants. I also included my fave pin this week of that awesome kitchen and another quote I found on Pinterest this week and loved.

Happy Friday!

Recipe: Cory Jo's Cranberry Cookies

2012-01-26T07:05:00.000-05:00

Some of you will remember by short lived food blog Peonies and Peppermint (cute name right?). I am working on incorporating those recipes into L&L so I will be featuring my favorites on L&L. First up is one of my favorites, my cousin Cory Jo's Cranberry cookies. They are delicious.

Cory Jo is a my sweet cousin who gave us the ingredients for these delicious cookies for Christmas last year. I loved them so much I stole my mom and my sister's jars and made their cookies. These are delicious!

Cory Jo's Cranberry Hootycreeks

1 1/8 Cup All Purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Rolled Oats

1/2 Tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 Tsp. Salt

1/3 Cup Brown Sugar

1/3 Cup White Sugar

1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries

1/2 Cup White Chocolate Chips

1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans

1 Stick Softened Butter

1 Egg

1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract

Preheat to 350. Place all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) beat the egg, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Add to the dry ingredients and mix by hand. Drop in heaping spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool for 2 minutes and then move to cooling racks.

Absolutely delicious!

Baby Room ReDo

2012-01-25T07:07:00.000-05:00

I have never been thrilled with Ella's room. It's very plain and simple. I did want plain and simple so that I could add touches that matched her personality as she grew but I also think I failed to really finish the space mainly because I was tired so here are my nursery redo plans.

I love the Aqua Trellis sheets from Serena and Lily. Ella's bumper is white along with her crib skirt and I don't want to make the room too pink so these looked precious.

I love the baskets for toy storage and the turquoise pouf from Serena and Lily.

I also have planned an Eames Elephant in pink and a baby sized plastic rocker.

I love the precious sign from Wicked Paper on Etsy and the LOVE print (which we already own) from Pottery Barn Kids.

Finally I have planned one of these clusters of pom poms and paper lanterns to hang above her crib and some great gold garland like this from Nice Party on Etsy.

I Need This

2012-01-24T20:58:00.002-05:00

Source: google.com via Nicole on Pinterest

Creating Your Own Facebook Timeline Cover

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

I was very slow to switch over to the Timeline format on Facebook. I don't spend very much time on Facebook. I check in usually once a day and check and see if I have any direct messages or requests and that's it. I decided to switch over to Timeline and create a cover (the long horizontal picture that goes across the top of your page) and I love it.

It's super easy to create your own and here's a step by step tutorial. All you need is Word.

First off, start with a Word publishing layout document. This is what it looks like.

Step 2. Go to Page Setup and change the dimensions of the page to 18 inches square. This will give you ample room to work. Your image can be the length of the page (stay within the margins) and about 1/3 down the page. That is pretty accurately the size of the facebook cover photo.

Next up, I dragged and drop images and elements on my page and positioned them including this pink gingham background and this photo overlay that I positioned Ella's picture over. All of my elements I downloaded for free at Pugly Pixel.

Then, I added a few more elements like the February calendar, tape strips, love picture that I snagged from Pinterest and my L&L logo. I positioned the images however I wanted. Remember that your profile pic will be in the lower left corner.

When your image is all ready. Select all of the elements and photos and click Group. This will group all of the elements into one big image.

Then right click and hit Save as Picture. Name the file and save it to your desktop.

Then go to your Facebook page and click on Change cover. Upload this picture. You will want to keep the Word document in case you need to make any changes. This is how mine turned out...

The possibilities are endless. Hope you enjoy it!

Random Round Up

2012-01-23T07:00:00.035-05:00

Hi Everyone! Things have been crazy since the holidays. I admit I always have a hard time getting back into the swing of work after having some glorious time at home with the baby but here is what we have been up to in the last few weeks...

Reading List.

I just finished a book called Women Food and God. I saw it on an Oprah re-run on OWN. It's about food and your relationship with food. I always heard people say if you had a weight problem then you had issues and I never really related to that statement. I have never had any trauma in my life but this book helped me realize that it can be much simpler and much more unconscious than that. Basically if at some point you began to deal with your emotions with food then you became comfortable with eating when you weren't hungry or eating things that your body doesn't want or things that don't make you feel good. It's a great book on that front. A slight warning. Do not let the word God in the title make you think this is a religious book. I really do not understand the title at all but the author does not have traditional Christian beliefs but I think you can very much relate her lessons to your own faith no matter what it is.

Currently I am reading Onward which about Starbucks. I am really into reading books about companies and how they started out right now. It seems good but probably not for everyone.

Next up, I want to read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and the Steve Job's Biography.

I got my January Birchbox and I love it. If you have no idea what Birchbox is or want to join click HERE. I got some great samples including this face cream called Algenist and it's amazing.

Did I mention that this is a bad dog?

This is Jack and on Saturday I stepped (literally one foot) outside my door to grab the mail and he sneaked out and took off down the street. We did not notice that he was gone for about 10 minutes and luckily our sweet neighbor grabbed him as he stood in the middle of an intersection causing me to run down the street in the pouring rain to grab him. Anyway, he's a bad dog (at least right now otherwise he's pretty great).

Otherwise it's been work and Baby E all of the time. Baby food making, playing, learning to pull up and walk, etc. Hope everyone is going great!

Love- Jessica

Happy Weekend!

2012-01-21T10:36:00.002-05:00

Source: felicia-chicathome.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Joshua

2012-01-19T20:25:00.000-05:00

It's been a rough week so I am hanging onto this.

Source: etsy.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Happy Weekend!

I Pinned It, I Did It! Mexicali Corn and Southwest Chicken Wraps

2012-01-19T07:00:00.007-05:00

So I made these two recipes (Mexicali Corn from The Lovely Cupboard and Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps from Mels Kitchen Cafe) that I found on Pinterest and they are to die for! Go make them right now!

Girl Style

2012-01-18T07:00:00.008-05:00

This is my favorite outfit for little girls this month. E is still far too small for this but this was too cute not to post.

Not to leave baby E out, this is what she's wearing this month. We got this precious outfit from babyGap from my aunt this Christmas and I couldn't resist the the Baby Bloch baby shoes.

I Pinned It, I Did It! Macaroni and Cheese

2012-01-17T07:00:00.006-05:00

I pinned this delicious macaroni and cheese recipe (here's the recipe from Martha Stewart) and made this delicious recipe. It was great. Very cheesy and you can easily substitute cheeses. I served it with a small salad because somewhere a few years ago I decided that eating really cheesy mac and cheese is okay if you serve a green salad. :)

Some Potatoes, Golden Globes and Psalms

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

I watched the Golden Globes last night. I love award shows although I have to say I have never seen less movies than I have seen this year. Spending time with E is more important than going to the movies so I am severely uninformed except for Moneyball, Midnight in Paris and The Help, which I loved.

Nevertheless, here were my faves of the evening.

I had decided I was not going to mention my least favorites but I have to say Sarah Michelle Gellar looked like someone threw paint on her, Leah Michelle looked like she was being attacked by some weird lizard bird creatures that were crawling up her body and Kelly Osborne has no business judging anyone's fashion when her hair is gray/pink/blue.

I couldn't find pictures but I also loved Emily Blunt's dress! I'm really into yellow right now.

Onto other subjects, YouTube is the best parenting tool I have found so far. E loves this short on the Disney Channel called Small Potatoes. My sister and I sing it to her and we even harmonize. She gets so excited she claps. Adorable.

I'm reading a book called Women Food and God and when I saw this pin on Pinterest I thought it fit perfectly with the book.

Source: etsy.com via Jessica on Pinterest

I am very hard on myself about everything and this Psalm is one to remember.

Happy Monday!

1.15.12

2012-01-15T19:46:00.000-05:00

A snippet from my new blog Pick a Day where I am documenting my challenge to take one photo a day.

Butter Cake

2012-01-14T20:46:00.001-05:00

My friend Krista over at One Beautiful Life did a foodie Friday yesterday and asked that everyone feature what they are cooking. Today I tried out the butter cake recipe out of my Miette cookbook. Here it is after I applied the crumb coat. Very good.

Happy Weekend!

2012-01-12T21:13:00.000-05:00

Faves

2012-01-12T07:00:00.024-05:00

Pinterest week has been fun (for me at least) and I wanted to wrap up with my favorite pins so here goes...

Source: classy-in-the-city.tumblr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: livebreathedecor.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: ramblingrenovators.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: citified.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: livecreatingyourself.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: youpaidmorethanme.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: ideas.thenest.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: weddinggawker.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: herebewitches.tumblr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: atelierrueverte.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: marthastewartweddings.com via Jessica on Pinterest

My To Do List Is Longer Because of Pinterest

2012-01-11T07:00:00.019-05:00

I find myself always pinning things that I want to cook, bake, craft, sew, build, etc.

Here are a few Pinterest ideas that are on my to do list...

Felt Flower Pouf

Source: jandjhome.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Felt Food for Baby E

Source: flickr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Make Some Large Scale Wall Art

Source: mintlovesocialclub.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Gold Mason Jars

Source: theglitterguide.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Cook These Potatoes

Source: stabroeknews.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Bake this Neopolitan Cake

Source: sweetapolita.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Make One of These Pouf/Lantern Thingies for E's Room

Source: etsy.com via Jessica on Pinterest

I have also collected loads of photos of places I want to visit like this gorgeous one from Vienna.

Source: google.co.uk via Jessica on Pinterest

Follow Me

2012-01-10T07:00:00.024-05:00

I just checked the other day and I have like 700 followers on Pinterest but I only follow like 100 people so there is obviously a disconnect somewhere.

Source: besottment.tumblr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Pinterest has just become my favorite social media. I feel like I keep in touch with people by looking at their pins. My mom, sister and cousins all pin now and I have reconnected with a college friend (Hey Amber!) and kept in touch with one of my oldest friends (Love ya Jaime) via Pinterest.

So I need to follow more people...

I thought it would be fun for everyone who is on Pinterest to answer a question and leave a link to their Pinterest page so I can start following. Here goes...

We all pin recipes and design ideas but what is a quirky thing that you like to pin (i.e. kittens wearing glasses, a fave celebrity, etc.)?

My answer is that I have an entire board dedicated to my love of Harry Potter. I also like pinning old school stuff like the see through Swatch phone my sister had in high school and that little calculator I had that looked like a professor with a beard. I also have an entire board dedicated to wallpaper.

Source: weheartit.com via Jessica on Pinterest

So leave me your answer and your link so I can follow you. Leave your email if you want me to send you an invite to Pinterest.

Pinterest Addict

2012-01-09T07:00:00.014-05:00

I am a total Pinterest addict. I have been on Pinterest since last spring and I am total freak about it. This week is going to be all about Pinterest. My favorite pins and pinners. Today, I am starting off with fun pins.

I have a board called Fun Pins, which are just things that make me laugh or smile so here are a few of those to brighten up your Monday!

Source: absolutelybeautifulthings.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: snorgtees.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: thechive.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: tumblr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: quickmeme.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: thebedlamofbeefy.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Coming Up On L&L

2012-01-08T16:32:00.000-05:00

I downloaded all of these awesome clips from Pugly Pixel and they were free!

1.5.12

2012-01-06T07:00:00.012-05:00

Here is yesterday's picture from my 365 Days, 365 Pictures project. I am actually finding it much more difficult than I imagined. Anyway, this was the contents of my purse, which was surprisingly tidy.

Happy Weekend to you all!

Also, next week is going to be all about Pinterest!

I Pinned It, I Did It! Tomato Soup & Cilantro Lime Shrimp

2012-01-05T07:00:00.015-05:00

I Pinned This delicious recipe for tomato soup.

Source: 365daysofcrockpot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

I made it! It was delicious. Go try it!

I also pinned this recipe for Cilantro Lime Shrimp.

Source: lanascooking.com via Jessica on Pinterest

It was good also. I think these would be great as shrimp tacos. Here is my result.

I love Pinterest!

1.4.12

2012-01-04T21:23:00.002-05:00

watching football

Scarlet

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

I totally get that this years colors are supposed to be tangerine and cobalt but I respectfully disagree. I think this is the year of red.

Source: 1700louisiana.blogspot.com via Heather on Pinterest

Source: lovelyindeed.com via Lesley on Pinterest

Source: thecolorsofmymind.tumblr.com via Anna on Pinterest

1.3.12

2012-01-03T21:48:00.000-05:00

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.

Winter Shopping List

2012-01-03T07:00:00.020-05:00

I just found the Quirk Gallery and I am in love so lots of these selections came from there.

Practically Perfect Dishtowel, Yellow Bamboo Letterpress Cards, Ceramic Vases, Dinosaur Puzzle, Woodgrain MacBook Skin, Crab Dog Toy, Headband from Quirk Gallery. The white flower is also from there and it's a Birthday Card! How cute!

Fig Bud Vases, Williams Sonoma. Fleur de Sel Hand Soap is my favorite also from Williams Sonoma.

Pink Sweater from J.Crew.

Pencils from Orla Kiely.

1.2.12

2012-01-02T17:08:00.003-05:00

2nd day of my Photo a Day challenge. Just realized that I am going to be spending a lot of time with my camera. Also you can see my cool new sparkly Starbucks sleeve. Snapped with the Vintage Camera app on my iPhone.

I Pinned It, Did It, Watched It, Read It!

2012-01-02T07:00:00.015-05:00

This weekend we had all sorts of fun. We've been lucky to have some time off this holiday and we enjoyed our last few days hanging out with the baby without the stress of work.

First up, I had pinned this recipe from The Pioneer Woman.

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Jessica on Pinterest

This is Penne a la Betsy and I made it Friday night. Here it is courtesy of my Vintage Camera app on my phone (with which I am totally obsessed).

Next up, we watched Moneyball.

I loved it. Brad Pitt for an Oscar!

Also I finished up the book by the Founder of TOMS and starting reading Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling. It is a really fun quick read. I laughed a lot.

My favorite passage has been when she is discussing a co-worker who constantly talks about how stressed she is. Here is Mindy's take...

"I do not think stress is a legitimate topic of conversation, in public anyway. No one ever wants to hear how stressed out anyone else is, because most of the time everyone is stressed out. Going on and on in detail about how stressed out I am isn't conversation. It'll never lead anywhere. No one is going to say, "Wow, Mindy, you really have it especially bad. I have heard some stories of stress, but this just takes the cake."

I thought that was hilarious.

Anyway that's a quick sum up. Happy Monday!

1.1.12

2012-01-01T19:58:00.000-05:00

One of my New Years Resolutions was to take a picture a day. I am collecting these over at my new blog Pick a Day. This is the first.

High Hopes

2012-01-01T07:00:00.009-05:00

I have high hopes for 2012!

Source: decor8blog.com via Megan on Pinterest

Happy 2012!

2011-12-31T20:00:00.000-05:00

Roundup and Farewell to 2011

2011-12-30T18:55:00.000-05:00

This is E's 8 Month Photo. She is such a ham.

Here's a quick roundup before the holiday weekend...

I have been trying to be more frugal lately and one area I struggle to control myself is baby clothes. Almost anything is cute in size 6 months, I swear. Today E fell asleep in the car so we were driving around as to not wake her up (you all know you do it :) and I ran into Old Navy and found the cutest outfit.

They didn't have the shoes in her size but if they had she totally would have those too.

Then I came home to the sweetest email from Krista Ewert who owns the blog One Beautiful Life. Krista was seeking my advice about blogging and growing her readership. I headed over to her blog and found these gorgeous pictures.

I was hooked at these pictures so if you have a moment head over and check out her gorgeous photography and her beautiful family. I love sweet emails seeking advice so don't ever hesitate to contact me about my blog or blogging. I love blogger friends.

I also watched the Eames documentary while E was napping today and it was awesome. At least for us design dorks who are obsessed with mid-century furniture. Charles (and Ray) Eames was the Steve Jobs of his time. It's a great documentary.

Finally, I have to share how much I loved Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie, the Chief Shoe Giver at TOMS. The book was excellent. Go grab it at your library or pick up a copy. It's excellent. While we speak of TOMS I am so excited they are going to start making ballet flats. I am all set up to get emailed when they come out and I can't wait. I already told my husband he will have to forgive me because I might buy one of each.

I'm off to finish cleaning up and to tuck the little one in. Happy New Years Eve to you all!

Resolution Time

2011-12-30T07:00:00.025-05:00

Source: afieldjournal.blogspot.com via Sally on Pinterest

I love New Years Resolutions. I love the idea of trying to be better each and every year. This year I picked 5.

I like most people have some financial and weight loss/fitness goals. As I mentioned yesterday I am challenging myself to take a photo a day for a year. The two more generic ones are to enjoy what I have more. I love to shop and I always find myself wanting something new or worrying about E having shoes to match every outfit. I want to start being more thankful for what I have in the present. This is a tall order but a good one. Lastly I want to make a conscious effort to talk less and listen more. A good one always.

Pick a Day

2011-12-29T07:00:00.014-05:00

I will be sharing my New Years Resolutions tomorrow but I am going to share one today. I am challenging myself to take a picture a day for a year. I am really excited about it. I think it will be awesome to take the pictures and make a book at the end of the year or just to look back and see how far we have come in a year.

To share the pictures I have set up a new blog... Pick a Day

Check it out here! Pics will start being posted on New Years Day.

To Plan or Not to Plan?

2011-12-28T07:00:00.002-05:00

Source: fredflare.com via Ashlyn on Pinterest

My husband thinks I am crazy so I want to get other opinions. How many of you still use day planners or calendars? My husband thinks I am crazy for not using my iphone. I have tried to do it in the past but I end up never entering anything in. I love a real paper day planner.

What do you think?

What I'm Reading and Watching

2011-12-27T07:00:00.001-05:00

Ron Suskind's book, Confidence Men. Very dense political and financial read. It is fascinating for those interested in politics and the financial crisis of late. You really have to be committed to get through it but now I know what a collateralized debt obligation is!

I am reading Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie (founder of TOMS). I am almost half way through and it's a quick very enjoyable read.

As for the movies, we rented Midnight in Paris and I loved it. The beautiful shots of Paris make it worth every penny.

I also don't think I ever mentioned how much I loved The Help. Both the movie and the book. The book is now one of my favorite books. I truly missed the characters when I was done. The movie does not disappoint either.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T22:39:00.000-05:00

Christmas recap from the Vintage Photo App on my iPhone.

It was E's first Christmas so it was very special. We opened lots of gifts and then tried to figure out where to put the mountains of new toys. We spent lots of time with family and aside from a spit up on a custom velvet sofa incident things went perfectly.

Hope you holiday was wonderful!

Love to You All

2011-12-25T00:00:00.006-05:00

Source: flickr.com via LaylaGrayce on Pinterest

Happy Christmas!

2011-12-24T19:00:00.000-05:00

Signing Off For The Holiday

2011-12-23T20:58:00.000-05:00

Starting bright and early tomorrow morning our Christmas festivities begin.

All the presents are wrapped. (Don't you love this French Bull paper?)

Everything is packed up and organized. I organized my gifts by where we have to take them.

Now we are taking a few minutes to watch our favorite holiday movie, Love Actually.

Off the subject, if I had known this existed (Jonathan Adler Owl Ornament) it would be on my tree...

Anyway, Merry Christmas to all and I will see you on the other side hopefully with lots of cute pictures!

Back at the Ranch

2011-12-23T10:28:00.000-05:00

Just realized for the first time in months that I forgot to do a blog post so here's a glimpse of what's going on at my house right now.

Assembly line of goodie bags. We have three baking sheets rotation in and out of the oven with chocolate chip cookies and I'm getting ready to get cracking on some cream cheese mints.

I'll be back with more later. Happy Holiday'ing!

What I Wished For

2011-12-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

What did you ask for this Christmas?

I asked for...

New PJs, lots of body and bath products, lip balm, which is my new obsession, notebooks, a new iphone case, a good book, the Anthro charm necklace!

What did you ask for?

Scrub a Dub

2011-12-21T16:20:00.000-05:00

So I might be a touch obsessed with Ella's first Christmas being perfect. I scrubbed my bathroom floor on my hands and knees with a magic eraser. I might be going overboard.

While scrubbing my kitchen sink, I started to think about painting my cabinets black. What do you think? I love the drama!

Source: houseandhome.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Black & White

2011-12-20T20:56:00.000-05:00

Some classy and festive holiday outfits!

Classy Christmas: Turtleneck, J.Crew. Skirt: Anthro. Shoes: Kate Spade

Festive Holiday: Dress: Anthro. Clutch: J.Crew. Shoes: Kate Spade

I Pinned It, I Did It! (Twice)

2011-12-19T22:25:00.000-05:00

After the whole mint chocolate chip cake debacle, I am happy to say I pinned two more recipes and they turned out great (well the one I tasted did and my dog approved of the second).

First up, I made these adorable dog treats!

This is the original pin which takes you to this recipe for dog treats.

Source: pinkpistachio.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Simple and easy and Jack loved them.

Second up was Cajun Chicken Pasta.

This is the pin and the recipe. Super easy and delicious. I swapped out the whipping cream for half and half to cut down on calories and it was still great.

Source: plainchicken.com via Jessica on Pinterest

What pins have you tried out lately? Any you are anxious to try?

Dashing

2011-12-19T07:00:00.026-05:00

I am so thankful to be off for Christmas. Obviously I will be busy working getting ready for the holidays. I have lots of baking and packaging to do not to mention my end of the year cleaning out and donations. I love being busy at home.

What are your plans for this busy week?

Also in the interest of full disclosure I feel it necessary to explain this...

It's one of those I Pinned It! And I did it but..... not so much.

This was the original pin.

Source: foodgawker.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Gorgeous right? My husband loves mint chocolate chip so I thought it would be a great cake. Since I was pressed for time I made a box cake and that wasn't the best idea. It was ok but the main problem was the icing. The recipe is from the UK so I imagining there may be some conversion problems but the frosting became almost like fondant. I added milk and it thinned out and then just had a weird consistency but it was delicious. My advice to anyone who wanted to try this out, make your own buttercream recipe and add 1 and a half teaspoons of Peppermint extract, green food coloring and chopped dark chocolate.

Happy Monday!

So Proud

2011-12-17T21:33:00.000-05:00

Today my husband graduated from college. I am so proud of him.

When we first met I was a junior in college. I have always been a school person. I love school. The books, the post its, highlighters, the professors, the flip flops... everything. My husband is not that way. He attended a lot of college but after switching majors he left. As our relationship grew I was amazed at how smart he was. Much smarter than me. I might have him in the area of book smarts which totally helps me win Trivial Pursuit but he can fix anything and figure out how everything works. His mom told me stories that when he was a little boy he would take apart his toy cars to figure out how they worked and he would tweak them to make them faster.

When we first got married we moved so I could go to law school. Once I was settled Chris said he wanted to start working on his degree. I was excited and he enrolled and we hit the books together. Us in a tiny one bedroom apartment and our cat Griffin. Through the next semesters he worked and worked all while supporting us as I was in law school. Then I took the bar exam and we moved and I started working as an attorney and he continued to work. His incredible experience in his field and his education landed him an amazing job with an hour or longer commute daily. He continued to plug away. Then we had Ella and he continued to work and finally this weekend he graduated. With honors.

I am super proud of him. Although he says I helped, he did it all himself. He is amazing. We celebrated with the ugliest cake ever (a failed "I saw this on Pinterest" recipe). But it tasted good.

So honey I am super proud of you! You are the best ever! Onto graduate school!

Our Card!

2011-12-17T11:46:00.000-05:00

What I Gifted

2011-12-16T07:00:00.001-05:00

These are a few things I have gifted this year.

Birchbox!

Charms from Anthropologie (to myself :)

Blocks from FAO for E

Bag from J.Crew

Outfit

2011-12-14T22:24:00.000-05:00

It's been a long time since I did an outfit. I forgot how fun this was. Love this.

Top and Pants, Anthropologie. Shoes, Kate Spade. Bracelet, Moon & Lola.

Can't Get Enough

2011-12-14T20:23:00.002-05:00

Source: etsy.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Christmas lights!

Holiday DIY

2011-12-14T07:00:00.019-05:00

These were a few of my holiday DIY favorites (from Pinterest of course!)

Cookie Garland. I will figure this out one day.

Source: glorioustreats.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

How to Take Photos of Your Tree

Source: augustteaphotography.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Cutest Thing EVER!

Source: suziebeezie.tumblr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Ruffle Tree Skirt (did It! Well I did half of it)

Source: mycrazylife-lauren.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Cutest Christmas Tree Cupcakes

Source: cutestfood.com via Jessica on Pinterest

To Tackle Next Year...Felt Tree for Baby to Decorate

Source: johnnyinadress.com via Jessica on Pinterest

So Excited

2011-12-13T06:36:00.000-05:00

When I got home last week, there was this package on my doorstep.

I subscribed to Birchbox finally. If you don't know Birchbox is a company that will send you a box monthly filled with all sorts of deluxe beauty samples. Here's a link to check it out.

These are the goodies I got!

Holiday Favorites

2011-12-12T06:30:00.000-05:00

Here are a few of my favorite holiday decor ideas.

Source: atfirstblush.onsugar.com via Jessica on Pinterest

I love this for a small space...

Source: amymeierdesign.com via Jessica on Pinterest

I love this bannister!

Source: poppytalk.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

A bit more fancy...

Source: becolorful.typepad.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Literal boughs of holly...

Source: picasaweb.google.com via Jessica on Pinterest

A Vintage Fave...

Source: catchingfireflies.typepad.com via Jessica on Pinterest

A Cottage Living Favorite...

Source: myhomeideas.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Wishing You a Lovely Weekend!

2011-12-09T07:00:00.005-05:00

Source: Uploaded by user via Jessica on Pinterest

From Me, To Me

2011-12-08T07:00:00.011-05:00

Source: yvestown.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Do any of you do a little from me to me Christmas gift? Not necessarily something expensive but something you want that you would not typically buy for yourself. A tiny indulgence. I am considering doing this. Here's what I have my eye on...

Source: etsy.com via Jessica on Pinterest

A custom calligraphy name stamp and return address stamp. I have always wanted one so I can make my own stationery. This one is from pink ink paper on etsy.

Thanks!

2011-12-07T19:30:00.000-05:00

Remember this over at Brooklyn Limestone?

Well I won! Today when I got home I found this little package on my doorstep and when I opened it up...

I found this! It's such a cool vintage camera! Thanks so much Stefanie!

Check out Brooklyn Limestone. It was my very first favorite blog.

Sometimes

2011-12-07T07:00:00.004-05:00

I miss Oprah so I watch some DVR'd Oprahs and I watched her interview with Facebook after the final show. This was the lesson and I love it.

Family Pics 11

2011-12-06T07:00:00.012-05:00

We had some family pictures made right before Thanksgiving. A very talented local photographer Lauren Gossett did them. Here's her blog. Here are a few of my favorites.

Happy Monday!

2011-12-05T07:00:00.009-05:00

Source: lottaagaton.blogspot.com via Kayla on Pinterest

Happy Monday.

1. We got the pictures from our family photo shoot. They are so precious. More on those tomorrow.
2. This DODO Case available at J.Crew makes me want to get an iPad 2
3. Anthro has the best charm necklaces and bracelets. I designed my own for Christmas.
4. Smile and Wave. Words to live by!

The Stocking Stuffers

2011-12-02T07:00:00.033-05:00

Last but not least, the stocking stuffers...

First I would like a little credit for cramming this many items into this moodboard.

I love doing stockings for my family members. I am so excited to do Ella's first stocking this year. I pride myself on doing great stockings. No slipper socks here!

Marvis Toothpaste or other high end cosmetics. Think tortoise toothbrushes, lip scrub, luxe lip balms, fancy hair bands (from Anthro), etc.

Small pack of stationery like these cute notes from Sugar Paper.

Swanky nail polish. Think glitter, gold, candy apple and other fun colors.

Recipe cards like these from Anthro or bookplates for the reader.

Journal from SuzyJack at See Jane Work

I love to tuck a cute pair of earrings in my mom's stocking. She always wears them and I love seeing her wearing them all year long. These cuties are from Anthro.

Crayons from Anthro. I love other cute art supplies for the kids. Land of Nod has a great selection.

Minimergency Kit for Him from See Jane Work.

Great umbrella from Jonathan Adler.

I also love to hide in a higher end stuffer like this sparkly coin from Kate Spade.

Hope you enjoyed this years Gift Guide. I had loads of fun doing it!

For Those With Paws

2011-12-01T07:00:00.010-05:00

Sources: Bed & Pink Collar and Leash, Blueblood Living. Catnip Monkeys and Dog Toys, Trixie & Peanut. Flower Collar from Pecan Pie Puppies on Etsy.

gift guide: for the kids

2011-11-30T07:00:00.023-05:00

For the kiddos!

Disclaimer: I have no idea what to buy boys. Sorry!

From Santa Gift Tags from Sugar Paper. I'm picturing big red boxes with those tags.

Great books like this one available at Amazon.

Nesting blocks for baby and the Union Jack Guitar from Grasshopper

Cheetah pants from J.Crew

Sparkly flats and Apron from Anthro

Headband from Tadpole and Lily. Ella lives in these!

Bunny Walker from FAO Schwarz.

GIFT GUIDE: For the Guys

2011-11-29T07:00:00.017-05:00

For the guys!

I have the sweetest husband. He's a great Daddy and a wonderful husband who makes sacrifices constantly for me and E. He was even sweet enough to approve this list.

Toms Aviators. I love a gift that does some good too.

iPad Stand from Brookstone. Chris loves this.

Steve Jobs biography. You can't go wrong.

Watches from J.Crew.

Messenger Bag from Banana Republic

Jack Spade iPhone case.

Gift Guide: For Us Girls

2011-11-28T07:00:00.033-05:00

It's time for my gift guide! I decided to start with the ladies so here are my fabulous gift ideas for all of us girls.

I love the get things I would never buy myself and a Serena & Lily Moroccan Pouf is certainly one of those items.

Birchbox is a great monthly program where you can subscribe monthly or yearly or purchase gift subscriptions and you or the recipient will get a box filled with deluxe makeup, skincare and hair samples each month. So much fun!

Beautiful books for the bookshelf. I love this embroidered Secret Garden available at Anthro.

These drawer liners from Hammocks and High Tea will make anything look fabulous!

Gorgeous dotted scarf from J.Crew.

I recently discovered Moon & Lola and you can't go wrong with their jewelry.

Funky prints are a great gift. This letterpress print is from Sugar Paper but they are available from all sorts of sellers.

Recapping

2011-11-26T17:29:00.000-05:00

We had a great holiday weekend. E had a great first Thanksgiving and got to spend lots of time with our family. We watched the parade on Thursday morning. I don't know what's up with this face she keeps making but she was actually laughing in this picture. It cracks me up!

For small business Saturday, I picked up this adorable First Christmas ornament from Inside Irwin's in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It's precious.

The L&L Gift Guide starts Monday!

TODAY

2011-11-26T07:00:00.007-05:00

Today is small business Saturday so make a point to go out and buy something from a small local business. I plan to visit one of my favorite stores and to buy at least one thing. I'll come back and show you what I find. I'd love to hear what you find. This is such a great idea!

Happy Shopping!

2011-11-25T07:00:00.001-05:00

Source: flickr.com via AKH on Pinterest

With A Grateful Heart

2011-11-24T07:00:00.003-05:00

Source: luxefinds.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Happy Christmas!

2011-11-22T18:58:00.000-05:00

I am super happy to have my Christmas decorations up. At least on the inside. I have the lovely garland in my living room and this is the rest of the house. Sorry for the quality of the pics. I had to do them quickly while E slept to get them up today.

The tree. I stuck with gold and white ornaments and some fun ornaments. I used tendrils of white ribbon instead of garland.

I made room for some fun ornaments on the tree. As pretty as I want it to be I love the fun ornaments that mean something to us.

Bowl of ornaments! I love this little shiny collection in a beautiful silver bowl in my dining room.

Baby trees!

Ella's Room.

I put up a white tree. It's 7.5 ft but we are lucky to have large rooms and 10 foot ceilings so it works. I used some unbreakable pink sparkly ornaments and some cute ones I have collected. Her tree sparkles when it's lit.

I also added this cute Believe garland from PB Kids to her bulletin board.

Lastly, remember that adorable picture of the baby with the Christmas lights from Pinterest? I tried my hand at it and look at this cuteness!

I'll put up some more later but one of these is potentially my Christmas card so I don't want to post it quite yet.

Click Click Click

2011-11-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

Source: greigedesign.blogspot.com via Diane on Pinterest

I didn't have time to get Christmas decor pics up. We are having family photos made today so I was busy getting ready for that. Pray for dry weather! Our pictures are supposed to be outside.

I Pinned It, I Did It! Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes

2011-11-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

I pinned it and I did it! Again!

I have been eyeing these Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes I saw on Pinterest so I decided to make them. They are from Picky Cook and they are fabulous! Here is the recipe.

The only thing I changed was I did not add macerated strawberries. I made my own strawberry syrup and here's the recipe.

Cut up 1 pint of strawberries. I thinly slice but you can chop, dice or just cut them into quarters if you want. Then I add 1/4 cup of granulated sugar. You can adjust up or down dependent on your taste. Then I add the juice of 1/2 of a lemon. Stir and put in the refrigerator. If you are going to leave them in the refrigerator for more than a couple of hours you will need to stir them every hour or so.

The longer you leave the strawberries in the refrigerator the more syrup will form so if you leave them overnight they will form a great syrup. I just left mine in while I made the pancakes and this is how they turned out.

Pour them over those delicious pancakes and it is to die for! I think this is going to be my new Thanksgiving morning tradition.

Last Leaves of Fall

2011-11-20T19:59:00.000-05:00

Before we slip into the sparkles of the holiday season, I want to share these pretties that inspired me this autumn.

Source: jcrewing.tumblr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: google.com.au via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: sweetsomethingdesign.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Falling

2011-11-17T22:11:00.000-05:00

Source: imgspark.com via Jessica on Pinterest

We had a gorgeous week here with all of the leaves falling. I was so sad to see the city come by and start hauling them away. I am ready for a week off with my baby girl, some family pictures, Christmas decorating, Thanksgiving and some shopping. I also got a new copy of the Miette Cookbook and I can't wait to try something out. Happy Weekend to All!

Leaves

2011-11-17T07:00:00.004-05:00

Source: Uploaded by user via Jessica on Pinterest

Before the fall turns into the holiday season, I must find time to do the above.

What On Earth....

2011-11-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

So I really really really want this couch from Serena and Lily. Color is lemon linen.

Isn't it gorgeous? Now the question. What on earth color do I put with it? I pride myself on being great with color but I am totally stumped. So what colors do I use with it?

Don't say gray or aqua. I want something unexpected.

Navy?

Simply Thankful

2011-11-15T07:00:00.001-05:00

Source: everygirlneedsalittlesparkle.tumblr.com via Kristen on Pinterest

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love the spirit of gratitude and I want to share some simple pleasures I am thankful for. We are all obviously thankful for our families, our babies, our careers, our homes, etc. but I am talking about the simple pleasures that we often don't take time to think about like....

Gingerbread Lattes

What simple pleasures are you thankful for?

Ornament Garland!

2011-11-13T22:33:00.001-05:00

It's Christmas Craft Time!

A few years ago we went to NYC at Christmas. We left in the afternoon on Christmas day and spent a few days in NYC. We went to eat at Serendipity 3 and the decorations were worth the wait. They were incredible. Check out that post here.

Since that trip, I have wanted to mimic the garlands hanging in Serendipity. Then I saw this garland on Pinterest.

Source: pretty-quirky.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Now I am proud to say....

I made this

It's it amazing?

It was tedious but not difficult at all. It just takes garland, lights and a lot of ornaments. Here's a quick tutorial.

I started out with several boxes of shatterproof silver ornaments, a 20 ft pre lit garland, 2 extra strands of lights.

Then using floral wire, I wired the two strands of lights to the garland. One strand is sufficient because mine is super bright.

Then I started with 4 boxes (18 ornaments in each box) of silver shatterproof ornaments and I wired the ornaments to the garland.

After that due to the weight I had to go ahead and hang the garland up and I started wiring probably 150 more ornaments to the garland. Thankfully my sister used to make Christmas wreaths and had boxes of leftover ornaments I was able to use. I would predict there is 250 ornaments on the garland.

Here is my finished product. I love it!

Thankful!

2011-11-12T19:22:00.000-05:00

A big super thanks to Laura of Bright Bold and Beautiful for featuring me in her series about Thankfulness.

Check it out here!

Happy Friday

2011-11-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Source: jordanferney.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Wishing a happy weekend to all!

Here's To...

2011-11-10T07:00:00.003-05:00

Finding the Beauty in a Rainy Day

Public Service Announcement

2011-11-08T19:22:00.001-05:00

I feel strongly about not using my blog to push an agenda so I don't talk about politics, presidential candidates, the economy, etc. This is hard for me because I am very interested in politics and in general have very strong opinions. Nevertheless I have refrained because I don't want to offend anyone or alienate any of my readers.

The time has come for that to end because there is something I feel so strongly about that I must address. I don't want Ella growing up in a world where things like this continue to go on and the good citizens of the US stand by and let it happen. It is time for it to end...

Source: roadkilltshirts.com via Erin on Pinterest

We can stop them. We can. As a human race we have a duty to end the nonsense and to stop the Kardashians once and for all.

The wedding was a publicity stunt and we all know it. Her diamond ring was worth millions and millions of dollars was spent on that wedding. I frankly am appalled that in this worldwide economic crisis millions of dollars are going towards this ridiculousness. People are literally starving and homeless in this country right now.

Think about how many schools that could have funded...

How many children that could have been fed...

How Greece could have been bailed out (they gave us tzaziki sauce, we kind of owe them).

It is time for this nonsense to stop.

I don't wish anything bad about upon these people. I don't know them and I wish no ill will. They are more than welcome to continue being beautiful and rich in California far away from me and without my knowledge. They contribute nothing, they have earned nothing and they do not deserve our attention any longer.

So here's the deal and I truly believe if we ignore them they will just go away. Here's the plan...

Do not buy any magazine with them on the cover.

Do not watch any television show that they are on particularly the one that bears their name.

Do not buy their products.

Do not even look in their direction.

If we ignore them maybe they will go away.

It's time for us as a human race to act.

Tartan

2011-11-08T07:00:00.013-05:00

Dresses from Anthro and LL Bean. Shirt from J.Crew. Shoes from Toms.

Store Front

2011-11-07T07:00:00.039-05:00

I have this lifelong dream of owning my own store. I always like to think about what my store would look like and I always go back to Miette in San Francisco which I saw featured in several magazines and websites. Isn't it lovely?

Weekending

2011-11-04T07:00:00.006-04:00

Cake Pops

2011-11-03T07:00:00.052-04:00

Ever since having my first cake pop I have wanted to learn how to make them. I decided Halloween was the perfect time to learn. I found a great tutorial here which I followed and it was fairly simple.

Step One. I made two layers of a butter cake and allowed the layers to cool completely. The tutorial I found said to avoid any cake that has oil added.

Step Two. I made a buttercream icing. I used my favorite recipe for Magnolia Bakery Vanilla Buttercream. I only made half of the recipe and probably only used 1/3 of that so you don't need very much.

Step Three. After the cake cooled completely, I crumbled the two layers into the bowl of my stand mixer. I then added the buttercream one spoonful at a time until the mixture formed into a dough. I probably added about 4 spoonfuls.

Step Four. Using a small ice cream or cookie dough scoop, scoop out uniform balls of dough and roll into balls. Place the balls onto a dish and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Step Five. After the balls of dough have cooled, melt a small amount of chocolate in the microwave. Dip the end of the lollipop sticks in the chocolate and then insert the sticks into the dough. Place your pops back in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes.

Step Six. It's time to melt the chocolate. Use a baking chocolate like this that is meant to be melted. Do not use chocolate chips. It will not work out well so just save yourself the trouble (I speak from experience and a trash can of a dozen cake pops). Melt your desired chocolate until smooth.

Pour the chocolate into a deep narrow bowl or I used a mug. You want the chocolate to be deep enough for the cake pop to be totally immersed in the chocolate. Dip the pop in the chocolate and allow the chocolate to drip until it stops dripping. You might need to double dip with white chocolate especially so you would need to allow the pops to dry after the first round and then dip the pops again. After dipping, allow your pops to dry on parchment paper.

Decorate and Enjoy!

Fun Times

2011-11-02T07:00:00.015-04:00

We had a lot of big events this past week.

First up was Ella's First Halloween!

She was a Pea in the Pod and slept through most of Halloween night. :)

Chris and I celebrated our 8th Anniversary on Tuesday. Here are the gorgeous flowers he gave me.

Also, we celebrated Ella turning 6 Months Old!