understated

IKEA Hemnes Night Stand Makeover

2012-01-20T18:20:00.000-08:00

I found this on Pinterest and freaked out a little. I liked it so much, I thought I could try my hand at updating my four year old Hemnes night stands from IKEA.

This was a $6 makeover. $5 for a tiny can of stain and $1 for the two foam brushes. I could have used stain and foam brushes that I already had, but I'm pretty sure the stain is in the garage is either a. frozen or b. dried out because I didn't put the lid back on it all the way. And the foam brushes? I know I have some, I just figured it was easier to buy them rather than rummaging through the house. The paint I had on hand.

Before:

After:

And now for staged photos with random props gathered from my house:

Bon Voyage Note Cards - Gift from Ashley

White Ceramic Owl - Gift from my mother

Gray & White Tray - Ikea circa 2010

And check me out. Pizazzing up the insides!

Wrapping Paper cut to size - IKEA circa 2010

You were pretty cute before little thing, but you're fitting the beach cottage chic of my bedroom even better now!

Stain: Minwax Red Oak

Paint: Martha Stewart Driftwood

Both available at Home Depot.

If you're thinking of tackling a small project like this, it's easy! You could get away with purchasing a tester bottle of the Martha Stewart paint for around $3, a small can of stain for $5 and a couple foam brushes (one for the paint, one for the stain). I applied two less than perfect coats of paint with a large foam brush and three coats of stain. I wanted a worn, shabby look, so in between coats I sanded a bit with an ultra fine sanding block I had on hand and rubbed a little stain along the edges of the drawer and door.

And that's that! Hope you enjoyed!

diy: wine bottle lamp

2012-01-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

I was never much of a wine drinker before. But now, quite often. Often enough to have a few empty bottles lying around. I've come across the idea on Pinterest in the past and thought it might be fun to try.

Yesterday I took down our Christmas tree. I packed up everything and had it all ready to be stored away when I realized I hadn't packed two strings of lights. Instead of opening the boxes back up and packing them away, I started furiously stripping labels from wine bottles.

I fed the lights through the top of the bottle and doctored up the back. There are other ways of doing it for a cleaner look. Battery powered lights in the bottles, drilling holes or cutting the bottoms out, etc. I took the lazy crafter's way, and I'm still happy with it.

If you're interested in more information about wine bottle lamps, here are a few links: one & two

dear ashley,

2012-01-06T00:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a peek. Let me know when you get it.

- C

weekend mornings

2012-01-04T11:19:00.001-08:00

It's my first day off after a full week back to work. We slept in until 8:00 & spent time lounging in bed. Now I sit here in the quiet on this blustery island morning, enjoying a hot cup of tea. Love lazy mornings.

good day sunshine

2012-01-03T15:16:00.001-08:00

Today I woke up to this chubby face. I heard him wiggling around in his cradle before my alarm went off, but that's normal for him. As it sounded, he started to babble. I jumped right up. There he was, big smile on his face. He's never awake that early! I got in some good quality cuddle time before work. He really makes getting out of bed right when the alarm goes off, the easiest thing in the world.

You say goodbye, I say hello

2012-01-02T13:22:00.001-08:00

2011 was a whirlwind. I've made pretty lofty goals for myself the last two years, none of which I've followed through. This year I have goals I'm hopeful to see through, but they're much more manageable.

1. Take care of yourself!
We all make health and fitness goals, and really, how often do we actually accomplish them? No goal this time. Just a promise to do things that make us healthier, happier people. Be more active. Eat more vegetables. Eat more meals at home.

2. Family is forever!
Now that I'm back to work, I miss Ryan like crazy and I sure see Jim less. With 12 hour shifts, I don't get a lot of you're with either of them. It's time to start making it count! Male the best out of the 30 minutes of family time we get on those days and continue to show Ryan how much we love him.

3. Money matters!
I sure love to shop, no secret there. But this year I want to be more mindful with our money. Less spending and more saving. Instead of buying lots of little things we might not need, save money for the big things we will use for a long time. Meal plan and grocery shop more wisely. Stop buying beauty products I won't use consistently.

4. Finish a half marathon!
This is the only "lofty" goal I have this year. I want to lose my baby weight so badly, I'd do just about anything to get it. I registered for a half marathon with a fellow mom of mine and I'm going to complete that thing even if she has to drag me across the finish line. I was training for one in 2010 and never showed up on race day. I'm not making a big training plan or a time to finish the race in, I just want to finish.

Those are my goals for the year! Hope you'll help keep me accountable and maybe even share your goals with me. Inspire me!

-C

Baby blues

2012-01-02T12:00:00.001-08:00

There's not a lot, it seems, that Ryan takes from me. Besides the red hair, fair skin and chubby cheeks, I'm not sure you'd know he was mine. He came out looking identical to his daddy

While waiting for the ferry a few days ago, I noticed something spectacular! Ryan's eyes are changing color. They started out a pretty dark blue-gray, but now a beautiful golden brown spot has started to grow. Just like mommy! I have hazel eyes with lots of fun golden brown spots and speckles. Needless to say, I'm thrilled.

Thanks Ryan, for finding something to share with your mommy!

today

2011-12-29T20:02:00.001-08:00

Curious hands & chubby fingers made me happy.

Our Christmas

2011-12-26T02:48:00.001-08:00

As I lay here in bed listening to Ryan while he sleeps, I can say without a doubt, this was the best Christmas ever.

Hoping you and yours had a very special holiday and we wish you the best for the new year.

-C

our first family photos

2011-12-14T23:58:00.000-08:00

This last Saturday we had a friend take our first family photos. I was starting to have a lot of regret for not having maternity or newborn photos taken of myself and Ryan. I mentioned it to Jim and he said we could still get photos done while Ryan is still itty bitty. Though he's not his newborn 7lbs, these are still so fabulous.

All photos were taken by Ciera of Pixiedust Photography. She's an incredibly talented photographer with a passion for child and family photography. You can find her work on her blog, Pixiedust Photography and her Facebook page.

discovering new things

2011-12-12T15:10:00.000-08:00

I've seen a lot of change in Ryan over this last week. He's suddenly becoming so much more aware of the things around him. He has been grasping at his blanket or burp cloth, feeling and inspecting it, and moving them around.

I had literally given him a toy just last weekend to see if he'd like looking at it. I'm not even sure he realized it was there. After this new discovery, I pulled out a little stuffed elephant that was given to him to see if he'd be interested in it. My goodness, does he like it!

He loves to hold on to it. Regardless of whether he's actively playing with it, his little hand is grasping an ear or a foot on that little elephant. He'll sit and have a whole baby conversation with it. Cooing, smiling and giggling at it. I find it so fascinating. I was afraid of losing that tiny, cuddly infant, but these new discoveries sure are fun.

let's get real here: the weight debate

2011-12-10T19:42:00.000-08:00

Today I'm just going to vent. Sometimes I feel so much better when I can just write (or type) out my feelings.

My pregnancy was smooth sailing. I couldn't have been luckier. I casually exercised at the beginning of my pregnancy, but really let it take a back seat because of how tired I was most of the time. By the time I hit the mid point, I was so used to doing nothing that I continued doing nothing.

I've always had a huge self image problem. I was never thin enough regardless of my weight. I'm pretty sure what I saw in the mirror was not how other people saw me. I currently weigh the most I've ever weighed in my entire life (not pregnant). Not a single thing I wore when I found out I was pregnant with Ryan in January fits today. Part of me knows I had a baby just 10 weeks ago - 7 of which I was not cleared for exercise. But the other part of me feels like this has always been my life. Like I've always had Ryan and I should just be thin again already.

I return to work soon and had to go out and buy new clothes, just so that I didn't have to wear too-big maternity clothes back to work. The size on the tags were like a huge blow to the gut. It made me want to cry.

I'm obsessive compulsive about it. I count calories to death, I work out - but there isn't much more I can do beyond that, but sit and think about how much weight I have to lose and how much time it's going to take. It's terrible. It makes me feel terrible. I always knew this was part of pregnancy. I tried so hard to talk myself through it ahead of time to make it all ok. I'm now realizing just how hard of a time I'm actually having with it.

I've been counting calories for a week and a half now, going to the gym or getting on the treadmill at home. I've registered for a half marathon with a friend who had a baby in July and we're working our way in to training for the June race. I have half of my baby weight to lose still, plus the pounds I was up when I got pregnant. It's going to be a long hard road, and I wish it didn't have to be.

my little winter kid

2011-12-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

I said I wasn't going to be that mom that bought stupid clothes. I just shouldn't open my mouth sometimes. That's because this reindeer hat is completely awesome.

life with Ryan

2011-12-08T08:21:00.000-08:00

These last two months have been a whirlwind. This little boy has grown so incredibly fast.

In the last two months Ryan has been sick with an eye and ear infection and struggled with weight gain. He's started smiling and cooing. He's had his very first set of vaccinations and only just grew out of his newborn size clothes a week ago. He's happy, healthy and pretty darn agreeable to just about anything I ask him to do.

In just 3 short weeks I return to work full time and I'm going to miss him so much. I chose to work just a handful of days this month with my first day being this last Tuesday. I was away from him for 8 hours, and it seemed like the longest 8 hours ever. The sheer excitement that came from that adorable child when he laid eyes on me after that 8 hours absolutely melted my heart!

Here are some photos from Ryan's first month:

Ryan & Daddy

Auntie Erica

Grandma

Grandpa

On the way home!

First time sleeping at home.

Cuddled up with daddy.

Daddy loving his little boy.

So tiny on Grandpa's chest.

Ryan's first Halloween

I don't spend a lot of time on the computer anymore, he keeps me pretty darn busy, so I hope to start updating more often soon.

Welcome Ryan!

2011-10-08T12:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the world Ryan James!

October 1st, 2011 - 8:43pm

7lbs 14oz - 19 3/4"

Ryan is truly the single greatest joy in our lives. He was welcomed via c section last Saturday evening perfect in every way. Being parents to this beautiful child has been far more rewarding than we could have even imagined. Each day we look at him, we can't believe this is our life. We have been truly blessed over this last year.

The things I'll miss the most.

2011-09-15T06:02:00.001-07:00

The days seem to be passing so much slower. I've felt like my weekends have been extra long. I still don't feel as though I'm in a hurry to meet this little guy, but I think that's because of the things I'll miss the most.

21 weeks ago I felt him move for the first time, knowing it was really him. It's been incredible experiencing him grow and the change in his movement over the months.

Not that I want to be selfish, but I love having him all to myself. I like "taking him to work" and feeling like all I have to do is poke at him and he wakes up and keeps me company.

A soapy belly. As weird as it sounds, I love washing my belly in the shower. It's like it tickles him, and as I swirl the loofah around in circles it's like he's stirring in my belly.

A dang good excuse for a pedicure. Since I can't reach and all!

Relaxing. I may not always be comfortable, but I'm a relaxing pro.

Preparation and anticipation. I think that's going to be replaced with worry to an extent. Who doesn't worry about their children?

In turn there are things I won't miss. Growing out of the biggest maternity clothes I have. Horrid heart burn. Swollen hands and feet. The round puffy face. Having to pee every hour! Hearing how huge I've gotten. The sore back.

But all those things have are minimal compared to the entire experience. I love pregnancy and will venture this road again. Just not too soon.

38 Weeks

2011-09-14T02:11:00.001-07:00

I'm 9 days away from my due date as I write this. I don't know where the time has gone over this last year. It's been the best year of my life, with just a few months left that will give even better moments.

Coming in to this week of pregnancy was rough. I was exhausted, my blood pressure was high at my last appointment and I'm experiencing major fluid retention. In the prior weeks I'd simply overdone it. I was told to stop pretending I'm not pregnant and to restrict my activities. It's hard, but I'm making it work. No sign of our handsome man as of now, but that's ok. I'm huge and uncomfortable, but he's been asked not to come early (we had a talk!). I'm finishing up last minute nesting and trying to enjoy work as much as I can in these last couple weeks. It's going to be great having a long maternity leave, but I'll miss the job.

I don't know what this whole parenting thing will be like, but I'm sure looking forward to the challenge.

To my fellow blog friends expecting, I hope you're all well. Kate, I hope the new baby girl is just wonderful. Leah, I'm hoping your little man makes his appearance soon. Care, I'm hoping all is well with you and you're feeling good! December isn't far away for you!

Weeks 34 - 37

2011-09-03T03:57:00.000-07:00

I hit 37 weeks yesterday and I have to say, I think I'm done. My little body has expanded to it's limits and I feel like my belly is going to pop every time that baby boy moves around. I still love the movement, and I know I'll miss it, but I'm also getting anxious to shed a little weight and feel lighter and more flexible.

34 weeks

35 weeks

36 weeks

37 weeks

It truly amazes me how big one's belly can actually get once I put all the pictures together in order. It's too weird. I have started to feel this week like I don't know how I got here. I feel like I literally just found out I was pregnant. Now my little boy is full term and will be just fine making his entrance from here on out. Oh baby boy, please spare mommy and don't get too much bigger! I'm getting tired!

In other news, we've finally completed the master remodel enough to move in. It's an amazing space! So much larger, it has a bathroom of it's own and the laundry is right there. We still have some finish work to do in the bathroom and a sink to plumb, as well as the last of the trim and beadboard in the laundry. Two more days of work maximum at the rate we're able to work together right now. My husband has been a complete joy to spend time with and he's worked so hard. The guy definitely deserves something special for creating me such a great space! I always mention how I'll share "after" photos when my projects are done (who remembers the kitchen that's never been seen?), but I do fully promise on this one. I'm far too excited not to share.

Just 20 days until my due date. I'm still working on the last minute stuff like installing the carseat, packing the hospital bag and finishing up the baby laundry. Wish me luck and this whole journey starts coming to a close!

The Baby Shower

2011-08-23T22:07:00.000-07:00

I was treated to the most beautiful shower I've ever had the pleasure of attending. My mom and her friends are absolutely amazing when it comes to planning. The decor was gorgeous and the food was delicious. I'm lucky enough to have cousins who bake like professionals and they provided the most amazing cake and cupcakes.

Myself, my mom and my sister.

The shower theme was nautical. We love living on Whidbey Island, we love the ocean that surrounds us and we love our boat. We are so excited to introduce the northwest island life to our son and nothing fits us better than all things nautical.

The afghan on the left with the anchor was hand made by my cousin, Rachel. She did an amazing job. The quilt on the left was made by our close friend and neighbor, Uschi. The quilt was one of my very first gifts for the baby. I completely skipped a bedding set because of this quilt. The rocking horse is from my friend, Alison. She stained it to match his bedroom.

Poms, eyelet lanterns and stars hung above the food table. They've all come home with me to hang in his bedroom. The giant frame was held chicken wire - I took photos early so you don't get to see all the adorable photos that were attached of his ultrasounds, my weekly belly photos and a few of me as a child.

The shower was at 11:00am, so we had a brunch spread. It was delicious. Mini crustless quiches, strawberry spinach salad with the most amazing dressing I've ever tasted and fresh bakery bread.

There was a great sparkling fruit punch along with lemon water. We drank from mason jars and each little straw had the cutest little striped red and blue flags on them.

The cupcakes were made my the Cupcake Queen herself, my cousin Rachel. She knows how much I love fondant and she made marshmallow fondant star toppers for each cupcake. I'm also a frosting girl, and she totally outdid herself on the frosting for these cupcakes. I was in heaven.

My cousin, Brynn made the blue velvet ruffle cake. I'd come across a picture of one on Pinterest and had to have it. This is the absolute best velvet cake I've ever eaten in my life. The frosting was cream cheese and sadly didn't like the sun. But I don't care, it was delicious! My sister came across this adorable whale topper and my brother colored it for her. It was pretty sweet of him!

The blessing table was incredible. Each guest wrote a sweet note to our baby boy and hung it on the line. At the end of the shower they were collected in a small album for me to take home. I'll get to read each blessing and prayer to him as he grows.

Pinwheels made the center pieces on each table and were the favors for our guests to take home. My mom let me help with these, which I loved. I'm a crafty person so I was happy I got to help with something!

The little guy was spoiled rotten!

Carrie, Jennifer, Mom & Lisa

These are the ladies that made it happen. Carrie hosted in her gorgeous back yard, making for one heck of a garden party. They all helped my mom collect and implement ideas. They set up and took down the entire thing and also helped prepare the food. They're amazing and my mom is so lucky to have the best friends.

There are more pictures floating around on other cameras. When I end up with those I'll post more of the fun. A big thank you to everyone who made the shower so incredible special. I felt beyond blessed. From those who helped plan and put on, to those friends and family members that attended. It was an amazing day I'll never forget.

A project! Baby Boy's Cradle

2011-08-11T06:27:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to be sharing this before and after. I couldn't be bothered to take any better pictures, but they still show just how beautiful this piece of furniture is.

I was searching Craigslist several months ago for a dresser for the baby's room. I had no luck with a dresser, but I did find this great cradle! I sent a picture of it to my husband who immediately replied that we must have it. The next day I picked it up from a darling military family in town. Her very last little boy had outgrown it and she was (not so ready) to part with it.

We wrangled it in to the back of my sister's Volkswagon Beetle (boy was that a task!) and went on our merry way. We made a pit stop at the grocery store on the way home, and while inside a woman spied the cradle in the back seat of the car. She was in the process of leaving us a note about it when we came out. Her daughter-in-law was due in September and she wanted to know if we were selling it. Nope! Sorry! She was bummed, but wished me well.

It's an old piece that had obviously been modified and that was just fine. I'd take it apart to paint it and put it back together ensuring it's stability. It also came with a brand new mattress, off white sheet and set of bumpers (only 3 months used). I'd started pulling it apart to prep it and realized I should probably take a before picture.

I absolutely love the way it turned out. It took some sanding and wiping down to prep it. Then it took a tedious 4 coats of paint with a foam brush. I actually chose to pick up a quart of Martha Stewart's Wrought Iron (the lighting doesn't really do the color justice) rather than using spray paint. Baby boy's color is a dark muted navy blue. There just weren't a lot of options in spray paint matching what I really wanted for this piece and it would have been far more expensive for the amount of cans I needed. I didn't even use 1/4 of my quart of paint and now I have more left over for other projects for his room. I did pick up a can of spray paint matching the hooks the cradle hangs from for the rest of the hardware.

This picture doesn't show the completed project. The eye bolts currently on the cradle are old and rusted. We weren't able to find the same size at the hardware store so we attempted to spray them to match the hooks. Problem was, we can't tighten the bolts at the bottom any farther up. This means the stop on the cradle (the function is there, but we have to create a new stop) won't work. Can't have the baby unsecured while sleeping and unattended. We've picked up some marine rope that we'll be replacing the eye hooks with, keeping with my nautical feel. We can then adjust the height to ensure the stop works properly.

The stop is a small dowel that I painted the same color as the hardware. We picked up a small crystal knob to attach to the end of the dowel to place and remove the stop. It will be attached to the frame with a piece of marine rope so that it doesn't get lost. If I don't attach it, I'll lose it for sure. That's just how I am! I am overall pleased with the quality of this old piece and the stability after modifying it. I can't wait to have baby boy sleeping in it!

Total project cost:

Cradle: $40

Paint: $13

2 foam brushes: $1

Spray paint: $8

Dowel: $1

Decorative knob: $4

Rope: $5

Total: $72!

Still less than half the price of a brand new cradle and the bedding was included! I love to restore old peices and I know that as we use this for our son and future children, that mommy and daddy made it just for them. Love that!

The cradle will be decorated with a custom pillow that I plan to make, along with two very adorable blankets I've crocheted for my little man. It will all be ready for his arrival so I'll have pictures posted of it in it's final resting place before he gets here!

Weeks 29 - 33

2011-08-09T06:26:00.000-07:00

Life is good here! Time flies by at the speed of light and sometimes I find myself overwhelemed at the things I feel need to be done around here. Time, please slow down just a little!

My pregnancy is still progressing beautifully. I'm down to the last 7 weeks before my due date and I'm starting to finally understand what uncomfortable is. I was just asked last night if I "turtle" out of bed. I gave a quizical look and realized exactly what they were talking about - yes, I get stuck on my back when trying to roll from one side to the other or trying to sit myself up out of bed - turtling is a great description of that!

29 Weeks

30 weeks

31 weeks

32 weeks

33 weeks

(I love the roundness of my belly from the front!)

Baby boy moves constantly. It's the one thing I will miss the most about pregnancy after he's born. It's so nice having him with me all the time. Getting to "take" him to work with me, rubbing my belly to wake him and "spend" time with him. I love all of that. My husband and I were discussing the other day how we know we will be so tired and sleep deprived, but we've just waited for him for so long, that we kind of feel like that won't matter. We'll just want to spend every waking moment we can with him.

I'm now attending appointments every 2 weeks. We're getting down to the wire. As of right now we have 6 weeks and 3 days until my due date. Friends and coworkers are starting to place their bets on when the little man will make his appearance. At my last appointment a week ago his estimated weight from measurements was 4lbs 3oz. He looked incredible. I'm so blessed this pregnancy has been problem and complication free and that my boy continues to grow as healthy as possible.

My baby shower is on August 20th and I'm very exicted to get together with family and friends to celebrate my son. I can't wait!

Nursery Inspiration

2011-07-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

I was asked to share pictures of little man's nursery. I'm so sad to say that we won't be finishing his nursery until after he arrives. We are currently working opposite schedules and it's hard to get everything finished around here that needs to be done prior to his arrival. Since he'll be rooming in with us for a the first few months we decided we'd put off any serious nursery work until my maternity leave.

But all of that doesn't mean I haven' started buying things. I have a great collection of baby stuff going thus far. So I figured I'd let you all in on the things that will be going in to his room when it's time.

The white Jenny Lind crib. This was the same style crib both my sister and brother had as babies. I remember it being the most beautiful piece of furniture ever. I even had a twin Jenny Lind in my room in middle school. I loved that bed. I knew it's exactly what I wanted for my own baby one day. It was the very first baby something I bought after we found out we were expecting. I searched and searched Craigslist and found the most perfect deal. Brand new, bought only 4 months prior and never used. She sold it to me for a whopping $80 including a Pottery Barn mattress. Amazing.

{via}

The Expedit shelving unit. I got my way immediately with the crib. However, my husband has not been so agreeable to everything else. We finally agreed on utilizing the Expedit unit like in the photo above. Dresser, shelving, changing table in one. Done deal.

The Dorel Monaco Bentwood Rocker. It took a long time for us to agree on a rocker. He wanted a glider, I wanted a rocker. He wanted a regular glider, I wanted a vintage rocker. After lots of searching I finally came across this piece. It had great reviews, a mix between old and new, and it was the right price! My mother-in-law so kindly gifted this piece to us for baby's room. Thank you so much Mom!

His room will be lots of navy blue, whites and grays. We knew navy blue was our color well before I was even pregnant. I'm not color biased. If I'd been having a girl, it still would have been blue. His room will carry a a light theme of classic nautical. Old maps and ships will be added in to the decor. Along with his giraffe collection. Mommy's favorite animal has been the giraffe since she was little and she was nice enough to make sure he has plenty of stuffed giraffes to cuddle.

Like I mentioned before, until his room is completed he will room in with us. He has a faboulous vintage cradle I'm in the process of finishing up - it needs to be painted and reworked for safety - that will be downstairs with us, along with his dresser and rocker. We'll move it all upstairs when we're ready to set him out on his own :) Getting closer every day and I couldn't be more excited!

28 Weeks! It's a busy one.

2011-07-04T23:22:00.000-07:00

Hello gratuitous bathroom shot of my pregnant belly. 28 weeks has been a really fun one so far. I hit 28 weeks on July 1st, turned 28 years old on July 3rd and today celebrated Independence Day with my extended family. I haven't been to our family 4th in years! It comes with my line of work, sadly.

Not a ton has changed pregnancy wise except getting bigger. Baby boy is a mover and a shaker. He has the ability to contort my belly now based on how he chooses to hang out in there. He's not shy to spread out from side to side, making my belly look like a football and causing some serious hip pain. But I still love him.

I've been becoming increasingly more stressed about my age the older I get. I tried my hardest to embrace my 28th birthday with open arms and it was rather successful. I feel like this will be my greatest year yet. I spent a wonderful sunny day out with my mom, sister, aunt and cousin. We went shoe shopping and treated ourselves to manicures. We followed up with lunch at my favorite cafe in Coupeville and Coupecakes from the cupcake shop. It was super fun.

This coming weekend we head back to Winthrop for our last trip sans baby. We stayed in an adorable cabin there last year and decided it was too great not to go back. 3 nights just the hubby and I out in the warm Eastern Washington woods and weather. Can't wait!

Hope everyone had a safe and fabulous 4th!

Dear Younger Self,

2011-06-19T05:07:00.001-07:00

I was studying my changing pregnant body in the mirror recently and noticed a few things have changed. And I don't mean stretch marks or varicose veins. They were things my younger self chose to add. I began drafting a letter in my head;

Dearest 18 Year Old Cassie,

Do you remember when you got your belly button pierced? I do. Do you remember you thought you might have it forever, but if you ever chose to take it out, you were sure it'd close completely. It didn't.

And do you remember that tattoo you put on your hip when you were 19? I do, I see it daily. Do you remember you were pretty sure with the placement, that it probably wouldn't stretch IF you ever got pregnant? Mostly because you were sure you most likely would NEVER have children? Oh, it's stretching. Take a wild guess why. You're pregnant! And both are on the verge of looking a complete mess.

Thought I'd let you know you were wrong. Just sayin'.

Love,
27 year old (and much more mature) Cassie

My letter sounds bitter, but it's not. It's actually rather humorous when I say it out loud. I can't believe I chose to be so naive. But we all live and learn, right? I wouldn't change what I did then one bit. I wouldn't be who I am now and I'm a pretty darn happy person. One day my kids will face these decisions and just maybe they'll chose more wisely than I did. Or maybe not, and that's ok too.

25 Weeks

2011-06-13T01:43:00.000-07:00

Well, there's the belly in all it's glory. It decided to grow a mile and drop while on an awesome visit to my mother-in-law's in Oregon last week.

I'm having some minor back pain just under my shoulder blades, but nothing that I can't tolerate. Otherwise I feel totally normal! Except for the rolling over in bed part, that's getting harder. I'm up 18lbs and I'm hoping it starts to lay off my face. It's already round as it is and I don't need it to fill out any more!

Baby boy moves a ton and responds to being poked at. He's really such a joy already. We met the main OB of our office and he's really nice and informative. We feel pretty confident about either one delivering when the time comes. He was also very sweet and let us take a good long look at our little guy last visit. I think he used the word perfect about four times when describing him and his anatomy scan results. Love that!

My motivation to blog has been minimal. I've been doing virtually no cooking or thrifting at this point. I find myself to be far too busy working and planning. I've been working hard on simplifying the house and ridding ourselves of unnecessary items that are just taking up space. My project lists are miles long and I only have 102 days until his due date to get them finished.

I haven't been able to comment on my reads for weeks. Google simply won't allow me to log in to leave comments and it's really frustrating. I'm not an anonymous commenter, so I just move on. It really disconnects me from the blogging world and those I really like keeping up with.

I'm not sure I'll continue blogging the way I used to when baby arrives. It may just become something more simple and as time allows it. Life has gotten far too busy for me and I've been making it a habit to spend less and less time on the internet knowing I won't have much time for it soon.

I do have a couple of projects I'm working on that I'll be sharing before our little one arrives and I'll get them up as I get finished. Hope all of my blog friends are well!

This week I felt like selling all my clothes.

2011-05-28T04:06:00.000-07:00

Then never leaving the house again. Seriously.

I promised myself and my husband I wouldn't freak out, then I did. Why? Because I got stuck in a dress. I'm not kidding. I put on a dress that I was convinced would fit and planned to wear it with leggings. I put it on and it was a little snug in the shoulders and belly.

"How do I look"?
"Fine".
"I'm taking it off... Ok, I can't get it off, so help me".
"Um, babe, I'm not sure how we're going to get this off of you".

Then I cried. I had a meltdown over the fact that things I thought were going to fit weren't. Was I completely crazy to think that I could wear my regular clothes throughout my pregnancy? And even a few maternity items that specifically said to order in your prepregancy size? Yes. Yes I was.

I'm not 23 weeks! I'm not sure where the time has gone but we're moving right along. He's a growing boy who is crazy active on a daily basis. I've been feeling movement since 18 weeks and he's getting stronger all the time. I can't say what he does and doesn't like, but he responds to hands on my belly. Most of the time he moves away from them. He responds by moving wildly when Zoey, our little long haired chihuahua, lays on my belly. Enough so that he's scared her because she could actually feel him moving underneath her.

Here's my 23 week gratuitous bathroom photo. My belly photos are simply not spectacular, but hey, I found out I was pregnant in this bathroom. It's kind of fitting.

I'm still loving pregnancy 100%. I get more and more excited for my little guy every damn day. I just can't wait for him to arrive in September. I'm off to dream land now. I need to fit in a nap before I head off for some local tourism today with my sister! I plan to post a food review of our lunch from today. It's the entire reason for the trip!

staycation

2011-05-17T01:20:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, when we had our anatomy scan, we invited my husband's dad and his wife up to join us for the appointment. They made a mini vacation out of it, and I was lucky enough to have an extra long weekend and made a staycation out of it!

Two full days chock full of tourism. We love being tourists at home and taking full advantage of places people travel to see. The little water front towns, the shops, the food and the ocean. So it was fun for us to take family along for what we like to do as often as we can.

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival takes place in my home town every year during the month of April. We hit the festival on it's very last day this year. I haven't been since I was a kid and it was so fun to walk through the fields of flowers.

Row upon row, field after field. It was a beautiful sunny day with happy clouds filling the sky. Because of the crazy cool and wet weather we're having this spring, the tulips were late. There were still many that hadn't even made their break out of the soil. It's so rare. And though there were a few fields that had been topped, there were still plenty of flowers to see.

Tulips don't smell good. In fact, most of them don't smell like anything at all. So strange for a flower.

It was so nice to be "home". To walk through the fields and remember what it was like to be a child growing up there. Before the town grew to be a city. Before I grew up to be an adult. Before I became jaded.

Jaded, that makes me chuckle to myself.

Overall, it was just a really beautiful day.

The new neighbors upstairs.

2011-05-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me in person would look at me strangely if I told them I had new neighbors upstairs.

{weheartit}

On the back side of our house, the mesh screen that covers the attic vent has long fallen off. Probably in one of our many wind storms since that seems to be the side of the house the wind likes to blow from best. Last year we heard birds in the ceiling above our bedroom. They often scratched and pecked and made all sort of ruckus. We'd just pound on the ceiling and they'd be done. No biggie, right? We kept saying we'd cover that hole with new mesh when they seemed to have left for the winter but never got around to it.

Yesterday I realized that we have new neighbors. I picture them like the cuties in the nest above. They're whiny. They chirp, chirp, chirp all the time. Where are their parents? I feel like I should be calling bird protective services or something. As cute as I imagine them, I sure hope they learn to fly soon and take off from my attic. That way we can patch the hole and be done with upstairs neighbors for good.

Recipes: Spaghetti with Olives & Lemon

2011-05-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

This recipe was so easy and made for great leftovers. It literally only takes as long as boiling your water and noodles. It could be a one pot meal if you wanted to skip mixing the 'sauce' in it's own bowl and just dump everything on top of the noodles and mix from there. I think it would also make a pretty tasty cold pasta salad too!

{Spaghetti with Olives and Lemon}

1 pound spaghetti
1 can black olives – drained, halved
juice of 1 fresh lemon
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
handful fresh basil – roughly chopped/torn
salt

pepper

Place a large pot of salted water onto boil. Cook spaghetti until al dente. Drain, place spaghetti back in pot.

While the noodles boil, add olives, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and basil to a bowl and stir. Add to the noodles and toss to combine.

19 Weeks: It's a...!

2011-05-03T13:50:00.000-07:00

Here's the baby bump just 5 days before our gender appointment. I swear I feel like I've already doubled in size from this picture. Oh my.

We had my husband's dad and his wife up for a visit and to attend our appointment with us. We couldn't have had better weather to act as tour guides and well, the appointment wasn't half bad itself. My parents and sister joined us for an early lunch, and when my sister headed off to work, we took our parents on a drive to the hospital where they patiently waited far too long to join us in the ultrasound room to see their little angel.

Here's our adorable little guy. Yes, it's a boy! I had mother's intuition the whole time. I was so sure he was a boy and there he was, in all his glory, showing off the goodies. The tech says, "As a disclaimer, I can't promise you 100%. But come on, you see what I see, right"? She was quite funny. He's active and healthy and already measuring ahead of schedule. We are so excited and blessed to be waiting on a little boy.

I've already been so spoiled by wonderful family and friends with baby gear and hand-me-downs. We started organizing it today and I was shocked at the sheer number of items already. It's awesome. My most favorite gift as of late was a little package I received in the mail... I was beyond exicted to see the most recent installment of penpal packages and this one did not disappoint! If my computer was agreeing with me, I'd post pictures right this moment, however it's not. So I'll save that for another post! But I must say, thank you so, so much Ashley. You're truly the best!

Numbers and such.

2011-04-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

1 day until my weekend is over. Technically.
4 days until I'm off work for an entire week.
6 days until my father-in-law and his wife arrive from Oregon for a few days.
9 days until I find out whether the baby is a he or she!
11 days until shift change at work and I go back to the 'busy' days each week. Yay!
13 days until I'm half way through my pregnancy. WOW!

I've got a pretty exciting two weeks ahead of me! I'm very much looking forward to it. I am so lucky to have a job that literally only has been working half the days of the year. Yes, I work 12 hours at a time. Honestly though, anything less that 10 feels like a waste of a day to me.

Pregnancy weirdness. My milk allergy has lessened. So weird. My tolerance for gluten? Horrible! Even more weird! It's totally miserable. My stomach doesn't handle bread or pasta well at all, and I pretty much hate meat. I sound like a ton of fun, huh? Thankfully I love fruit smoothies, oranges and cold cereal with lots of fresh strawberries sliced on top. I had high blood pressure at appointment #2, but I cut back on my salt and increased my water intake and I'm great. Total weight gain so far is 6lbs. Not doing too bad at all. The belly has lessened my love handles and I love that!

Speaking of gluten intolerance, guess what I'm making for dinner tonight? Pasta. I've gotten myself some digestive enzymes to help with the stomach ache that comes with carbs. But seriously, I can't starve my husband, and I can't pass up this vegetarian pasta to save my life!

{Spaghetti with Olives and Lemon}

Today I'm going to try and motivate myself for greatness. I'm napping with my husband for a bit this morning (he works tonight), I have some overtime today for a few hours this afternoon, I have this crazy delicious looking dinner to cook, some laundry to wash and a house to clean! I can do it! What is everyone else up to this weekend?

17 Weeks: Baby bump

2011-04-16T23:33:00.001-07:00

Here's a 17 week photo I took at work today. Sorry about the lame bathroom background, but I don't have a full length mirror at home. I use my husband's most honest opinion for that!

I was told belly and baby are measuring right on track. This is one of the only times I'll ever get away with a gut. I'm taking full advantage!

17 Weeks

2011-04-15T22:38:00.000-07:00

17 weeks already. Where does the time go?

I had one of my silver chalkboards up in the kitchen that I'd write important monthly plans on. I took it down in February when my sister was stopping by and quickly hid it in the closet as she didn't know I was pregnant yet. I pulled it out yesterday and realized that was 10 weeks ago! My pregnancy counter said 7 weeks. Too funny.

I can no longer button any of my regular pants. I wear my belly band like an addict so I can still rock my regular attire. The only early purcahses I made were a single pair of maternity pants from F21, two belly bands and a spandex maternity tank for layering. Those have been serving me really well with the majority of my regular wardrobe.

The baby is growing like a champ. I was told I'm probably one of the most boring pregnant women ever. No sickness, no complications, no bad tests, healthy baby... Can't complain, can I? No new picture from the 17 week check up. Baby is too big to take a full body photo now and given the position the little one chose to lay in yesterday, we only got a shot of the head and belly. I honestly couldn't even point out what was what in the picture she sent us home with!

Just two weeks away from our anatomy scan! We're really looking forward to finding out he or she. I have this feeling it's a boy, and a lot of family have guessed boy as well. I only have two fans rooting for a girl. So feel free to leave your guesses! I'd love to hear what other's think :)

Visited our nephew Riley and the family this weekend. Holy cow, that kid is just so neat. He's so big from the last time we saw him and already so smart. He loves to sit up and look around. He pays very close attention when you talk to him and has to be the cubbiest little thing I've ever held. Perfect little rubberband wrists and ankles. Oh, and do you see those eyes? This picture doesn't do justice to the beautiful blue and full set of eyelashes. They're to die for!

My sister-in-law gave me two big bags of amazing baby stuff during our visit. Riley never fit newborn size onesies, so I came home with at least 10 brand new ones for our baby. She included milk storage bags, a milk organizer, nursing pads, a book, a few receiving blankets and a doppler. She also gave me a whole garbage sack full of maternity clothes collected between her and her sister. It was such a sweet thought from the both of them. I have so much stuff now, there's no need to buy a thing on my own. All I have to worry about is finding the perfect dress for my shower in August. I couldn't be more blessed with a great family!

Hope all of my lovely blog friends are well. Life has just been so busy with work, house work, family and of course, the energy I'm now sharing with the baby! Can't wait to share the gender news. Soon!

Recipes: Turkey Meatball Soup

2011-04-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

Another great recipe posted by my dear blog friend Kate. This was one of the first things she made when her appetite returned when she hit the middle portion of her pregnancy. I was at the beginning of mine and nothing but this sounded good. We ate every last bite of this wonderful soup.

Turkey Meatball Soup

via Best Recipes Ever

3 cups (750 mL) sodium-reduced chicken broth

2 green onions, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

1 rib celery, sliced

1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper

1/4 tsp (1 mL) dried thyme

1 sweet red pepper, chopped

1 cup (250 mL) vermicelli egg noodles

1/2 cup (125 mL) frozen peas, thawed

Turkey Meatballs:

1 egg

1/4 cup (50 mL) grated onion

1/4 cup (50 mL) grated parmesan cheese

2 tbsp (25 mL) minced fresh parsley

1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt

1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper

1 lb (454 g) lean ground turkey

Turkey Meatballs: In bowl, combine egg, onion, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper; mix in turkey. Shape by 1 tbsp (15 mL) into balls.

Bake on greased baking sheet in 400°F (200°C) oven until digital thermometer inserted in centre of several reads 165°F (74°C), about 15 minutes.

Soup: Meanwhile, in large saucepan, bring broth and 3 cups (750 mL) water to boil. Add green onions, carrot, celery, pepper and thyme; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add red pepper, egg noodles and meatballs; simmer, covered, until pasta is al dente, about 5 minutes. Add peas and heat through.

* I increased the water and broth to 4 cups each, and omitted red peppers & peas as I didn't have them on hand.

14 Weeks

2011-03-30T03:07:00.001-07:00

This post is late, I was 14 weeks on Friday.

At Kate's request, a bump photo! And, um, I look huge. Holy crap. I have a bump, but this photo exaggerates I think. People have started to notice though, even under loose clothing, and I've gotten lots of sweet comments about it's cuteness.

The gender ultrasound was scheduled for May 2nd, can't wait!

Blog Love: The Way We Are

2011-03-29T06:15:00.000-07:00

I'm starting a new feature here on understated, sharing my most loved daily reads. Here's the first installment, enjoy!

I don't remember how Leah and I crossed paths here in the blog world, but I'm so glad we did. She shares the same eclectic style that I love for my own home and posts really wonderful inspirational photos of things she's found and of her fabulous house! Leah is so sweet and bubbly and shares her time with her readers, keeping up with their blogs too!

Her 'Monday at my Home' posts are some of my favorites! I love watching her home evolve.

{all images via The Way We Are}

Please stop over and see Leah, say hi and soak up all of her dreamy inspiration for your own home!

Recipes: Beef Stew with Beer & Paprika

2011-03-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

Another trusty PW recipe here today. I will always love her. My husband raved over this stew. I think it was a tad too bitter for my taste, but it didn't mean I didn't eat it until it was gone. Good and gone.

If you're a beer lover like we are, go ahead and experiment. We used Deschutes Red Chair NWPA for this, and that is exactly why it was on the bitter side. IPA's are hoppy bitterness. Love IPA's, just not in stew I guess.

Beef Stew with Beer & Paprika

via The Pioneer Woman

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Butter

2 pounds Stew Meat

1 whole Medium Onion, Diced

3 cloves Garlic, Minced

1 can Beer, 12 Ounce Can

4 cups Beef Stock (or 4 Cups Water + 4 Beef Bouillon Cubes)

2 cups Water (additional, If Needed)

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

½ teaspoons Paprika

½ teaspoons Kosher Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1-½ teaspoon Sugar

4 whole Carrots, Washed, Unpeeled, And Roughly Sliced

4 whole New Potatoes, Quartered

Minced Parsley (optional)

Preparation Instructions

Heat oil and butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown meat in two batches, setting aside on a plate when brown. Cut pieces in half. Set aside.

Add diced onions to the pot. Stir and cook for two or three minutes until softened, then add garlic for another minute. Pour in beer and beef stock, then add Worcestershire, tomato paste, paprika, salt, pepper, and sugar. Add beef back into the pot. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

The liquid should cook down to a thicker state. If it gets too thick/reduces too much, add additional water as needed.

Add carrots and potatoes, then cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes. (If stew gets dry, just add a cup of hot water at a time to replenish the liquid.) Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Serve in bowls next to crusty French bread. Sprinkle with minced parsley, if desired.

Etsy Love: the Greedy Seagul

2011-03-26T06:41:00.000-07:00

I've been enjoying looking through vintage clothing on Etsy for summer ideas. I don't love a lot of the maternity looks I've come across (with the exception of Asos Maternity), and I've been trying to find pieces that could be worn while I'm huge during the warm months, but also after the baby arrives. I'd rather not buy clothes for a short time. Most of the clothes that I currently wear or buy are things I keep for a long time.

{50's Vanity Fair Sheer Nylon Nightie}

I think this would be great for a night out with a contrasting slip dress underneath.

{40's Robins Egg Blue Vanity Fair Nightgown}

I don't know why I'm so drawn to the "nightgown" look. I love the sheer, flowy fabric. This would be fabulous with a white slip dress underneath. Even altering the length might be a consideration.

{70's Soft Floral Print Tie Back Dress}

I love empire waists. Lots of belly room before and after. Especially after, for someone like me who is already a little belly concious anyway.

{70's Gunne Sax Prairie Dress}

Ahh! Love. How great would this be with a wide belt around the waist.

{Vintage Nine West Flat Black Prairie Boots}

These would be too cute with the floral dresses.

{80's Ivory Cuffed Leather Boots}

Or these adorable boots. These would look so great with my skinnies.

{50's Light Peach Cabochon Bracelet}

I don't wear a ton of jewelry, it's got to be just the right piece that I'll want to wear all the time. This is one of those pieces.

Even if you're not preggers, check out the Greedy Seagul. They have tons of wiggle and sheath dresses I'm not remotely capable of wearing anytime this year and someone should give them a home! I hope you love their vintage selection as much as I do.

Bump beginnings.

2011-03-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

I've always had a little bit of a "pooch". I'm one of those rather thin gals, but have never had a great flat stomach.

I was at my heaviest in at least 5 years when I found out I was expecting our new little one. Lame. I shouldn't have gotten so lazy and slacked off on my running.

For a newly pregnant gal, it's always too soon to be showing. You hear, "Most first timers don't show till at LEAST six months". Cool. So that means I'll be rather thin until then, right? So if I look at all pregnant before then, it's just because I'm "fat" right? Eating too much? Something, I'm sure.

But when you're outside chatting it up with the neighbor, you turn to the side to point at the apple tree (the one that's grown in to his evergreen, the apple tree that loves to share it's caterpillar infestation every summer) to let him know you need a huge ladder to cut that darn thing back, and he excitedly asks you if you have news... I guess you might be showing a bit already.

"That stance you had there for a minute when you were pointing at the tree, totally let on that you might have some news"!

I guess when you're asked if there's anything new, you should tell them you're pregnant. Ha! It's the beginning of the bump, folks. Though I'm only 14 weeks and still a bit in denial, he sure made me smile today.

Bootie Cuties!

2011-03-23T01:30:00.001-07:00

I signed up for a new online community that shares patterns for crocheting and knitting. I gave a look through baby booties and found a pattern that looked pretty simple. I gave it a go!

Holy cuteness! After 6 hours and many tries, I figured out the pattern. These are so easy and quick. Looking forward to gifting lots of booties and having many to sell at future craft fairs!

Recipes: Breakfast Quinoa

2011-03-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

This is my very own recipe I made up off the top of my head during the height of my quinoa obsession in January. I'm not much of a vegetable person from the beginning, and definitely not during breakfast. This was fabulous! You can find my recipe here on Tasty Kitchen.

Etsy Love: liddle

2011-03-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

I love Etsy and vintage finds. When I found liddle, it encompassed both worlds. An Etsy shop, with great vintage finds. That includes baby of course!

yellow tricot dress

preemie sailboat romper

growing hearts dress

car romper

baby's first christmas jammies

Check out liddle for yourself or someone you know! There are a few things on here I'd love to snag up for handsome Baby J, who made it by the way! And when I say handsome, I mean it!

Good luck M!

2011-03-14T03:35:00.001-07:00

I've been talking with my dear friend M all night in regards to her early labor. She's been keeping me updated on her status. She visited the hospital with contractions 4 minutes apart, but as she could still walk through them and minimal dilation, she chose to go home and ride it out.

Three hours later, at 2:57am I received this text: "At hospital. In labor. Getting admitted this time".

I'm excited, nervous, overjoyed and scared for her! I'm so happy that I've been a part of her pregnancy since day 1. I can't wait to meet baby J, her very first child and first son.

Come on J! Don't keep us waiting too long!

12 Weeks

2011-03-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

I'm 12 weeks today! It's funny to look at my little calendar and see I have 28 weeks left. When it first said 35 it seemed like I'd never get in to the 20's. The time moves a lot faster than I think it does.

I'd like to count my blessings thus far, I feel like pregnancy has taken it pretty easy on me. I've been tired a lot. I used to sleep for the fun of it, because I liked being lazy. Now I sleep because I'm crazy tired, yet I never get a good solid sleep in because I'm up to use the bathroom way too often. The perks.

Morning sickness has been minimal. I've had my bouts with crazy nausea but nothing that lasted all day. I've had my food aversions and those are sticking. The nausea pretty much went away between weeks 9 and 11, but have returned within the last two days. Things I don't like? The smell of garlic, coffee and bananas. I also found out last night I don't like the smell of pasta and tomato sauce. I also don't at all like the way chicken tastes. All things I had no problem with in December. It's so weird how it works. I dry heaved in to my napkin last night at dinner when I was trying to put my leftovers in to the box. Gross pasta and chicken.

If something doesn't sound good, I just don't eat it. I think that's why I've avoided feeling gross over the last two weeks. I've been craving pizza, sushi (California rolls), fruit smoothies and Mexican food. I've always been obsessed with sushi and Mexican, and I've liked pizza and smoothies, I just really like them now.

No weight gain so far, and my next appointment is on March 17th. Looking forward to the progress and seeing if they say anything about my lack of weight gain ;) I mean, I'm clearly eating!

A new chapter in life.

2011-03-05T04:36:00.000-08:00

I'm so very excited to announce to my friends here that my husband and I are expecting our first baby September 23rd, 2011!

One thing I've kept to myself throughout blogging has been my struggle with getting pregnant. The bug to start a family hit us in 2009. After months of deliberation, we threw caution to the wind that September and have been waiting ever since. It's been an up and down roller coaster of emotions as we've watched so many friends and family members bring new little ones in to the world. I just simply couldn't understand why it wasn't happening for us.

In November of 2010 I decided I needed a mental health break. We chose to ensure we had an expected outcome at the end of the month to avoid all disappointment. And would you imagine, just three months later my husband just had this "feeling". His feeling was right. I was pregnant!

During the time of my mental health break, my dear blog friend Kate announced she was expecting her 2nd! I was so happy for her! Then, within a week of finding out I was pregnant myself, blog friend Leah announced she was expecting her 2nd as well! The best part is? Leah is due just two weeks ahead of me! Super exciting!

I'm looking forward to sharing our progress here as the pregnancy continues. We are so happy and blessed! Hoping for a happy and healthy 9 months!

Recipe Lust: Rare Roast Beef

2011-02-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

I couldn't tell you when the March Food & Wine arrived in the mailbox, but I do know it was waiting in all it's glory on the dining room table as I was walking out the door for work last night.

Food & Wine is my own personal food porn. It's disgusting that I can sit for hours pouring over the magazine admiring the pictures and reading every recipe page by page, word for word. This recipe had me from the moment I laid my eyes on it. I plan on trying this very soon. As soon as my very busy schedule allows, that is.

Rare Roast Beef with Fresh Herbs & Basil Oil

via Food & Wine

1 1/2-pound beef eye of round roast

1/2 cup mix of finely chopped rosemary, mint and tarragon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups fresh basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 475°. Generously coat the roast with half of the chopped herb mixture and season with salt and pepper.

In a large ovenproof skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over moderately high heat. Add the roast and lightly brown it on all sides, about 3 minutes. Wipe out the skillet, return the meat to it and roast in the oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 110°, about 25 minutes. Transfer the roast to a cutting board and season again with salt and pepper. Cover loosely with foil and let rest for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil and fill a bowl with ice water. Blanch the basil in the saucepan for 15 seconds. Transfer the basil to the ice water; drain well and squeeze out all of the excess water. Transfer the basil to a blender. Add the remaining 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt and blend thoroughly.

Thinly slice the roast and drizzle each portion with 1/2 tablespoon basil oil. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup chopped herbs and serve.

baby.love.

2011-02-15T04:33:00.000-08:00

Our nephew is already a month old. We live closer than the rest of the family, but still too far away to see him as often as we'd like with our busy work schedules.

When I see new pictures his mommy posts on Facebook, I just want to snuggle him up! Kiss his little head, admire his little nose and let him squeeze my finger with those tiny little hands.

Oh, how this sweet little one just makes my heart burst! Totally love him ♥

Day away from home.

2011-02-13T04:33:00.000-08:00

On Friday I spent a day out with my mom and sister. We headed to a little town called Snohomish to hit up a big antique mall that was having an annual sale. I love old stuff.

First stop was a little shop across the street that had a ton of great looking stuff in the window. I really loved this little dish on the left. I still keep thinking about it and of course, the sale on it is over now. Not to mention it's almost a 2 hour drive away from home. I don't know what it was, but I'd put cupcakes in it. It was like a cake plate, but the sides were a little too high for cake cutting. I also really loved this old chandelier taken from an old estate in my home town. Very pretty, very expensive and very not practical for my house!

Back over at the Star Mall there were about 90 booths of antique dealers. Lots of really awesome stuff. Old colorful hats, lots and lots of vintage aprons, and pyrex of course. I scored just one small little find after lots of digging through a bunch of old linens. No photo now, but I have a project in mind for it that I'll post when finished.

If you live in the Northwest and you enjoy antiques, absolutely make a trip to Snohomish. There were many more shops in view from the corner where I took this photo. It would make for a really great day out!

The Green Monster Smoothie

2011-01-22T00:57:00.000-08:00

Sounds good right? Maybe not to some, but I promise it's absolutely delicious.

My smoothie following a 10:30 yoga date last night.

Well over a year ago now I came across a blog called Swell Little Life. Ange was a new mom to Chloe and was determined to live a healthier lifestyle after the birth of her daughter. It's been very rewarding to follow what she has going on in her life. A personal trainer studying to become a holistic nutritionist, at the end of 2010 Ange started Health & Swellbeing. This is one of my top blogs to read daily.

Ange started the Swellbeing Project January 1st and I've really enjoyed following along. I've adopted quite a few new healthy habits and have kept up on my exercising this month. Yoga has been doing me well. One of my favorite posts was the Green Monster Smoothie. Boy, is it a treat after a workout!

Green Monster Smoothie

via Health & Swellbeing

1 cup almond milk

2 cups spinach

1 tbsp hemp protein

1 tbsp rice protein

1 tsp maca powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp chia seeds

1 frozen banana

1/2 c frozen berries

In a blender combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.

I like using frozen blueberries for my smoothie. My banana is frozen in a sandwich bag for easy use, but before throwing in the freezer, mash between your fingers.

For easiest blending I add in this order; almond milk, all powders and chia seeds, banana, blueberries, and spinach on top. Then blend away!

Ange suggests drinking this smoothie within an hour of your workout. She has a post daily including a video talking about the new challenge for each day. She's adorable and they're so fun to watch. I've learned so much and look forward to the rest of the month! Please check her out!

Vegan Moroccan Spiced Spaghetti Squash

2011-01-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

Fridays are days that I spend with my mom after she gets off work. I've been a slacker and really need to add more family time to my life. We planned a yoga & vegan dinner date this last Friday. It was totally fun.

When I decided I wanted to start incorporating more vegan meals in to my diet, spaghetti squash was the first thing to come to mind that I hadn't tried yet. I don't quite know how I stumbled upon this recipe, but I do know I found it one late night at work. I promise, even if you swear you need meat, you'll love this.

Vegan Moroccan Spiced Spaghetti Squash

Recipe via Eat Drink Better - Serves 4

1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) spaghetti squash

5 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt (or to taste)

3 tablespoons golden raisins

Half of a 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds (either discard or save to roast later). Brush the inside of the squash with a tablespoon of olive oil. Roast the halves face-down on a baking pan or sheet for 30-40 minutes, until the flesh of the squash is fork-tender and has separated into spaghetti-like strands.

While the squash cooks, heat the remaining oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Stir in spices, salt, raisins, and chickpeas and remove from heat.

When the squash is done, remove from oven and let it sit for five minutes, or until it’s cool enough to handle. Using a fork, scrape the squash flesh out of its skin into a bowl, separating the strands as you go. Toss the squash with the spiced oil mixture and cilantro. Serve warm, over quinoa or sautéed winter greens if you like.

Baby Love: Little Riley

2011-01-12T03:28:00.001-08:00

I'm happy to share a couple photos of the baby!

Our nephew Riley was born January 10, 2011 at 9:52pm. He weighed in at 8lbs 9oz and 20 inches long.

We think he's just amazing. I was so thankful to snag a few photos from his other auntie until we can make it down to see him on Thursday.

I'm crazy with anticipation, I feel like a kid on Christmas day. I love learning new levels of love as I get older. Riley is sure to teach me just that <3

New babies are the best :)

2011-01-11T04:29:00.000-08:00

We are so happy to announce we are a first time Aunt & Uncle!

Welcome to the world baby Riley!

We are so proud and love you so much already.

No pictures to share just yet. Sadly we are stuck working and wont get to see our nephew until Thursday. I absolutely can't wait!

5 for 2011

2011-01-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

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These are my objectives for the year. I want to become a better person and enrich my life.

Eat vegan all day, one day a week. And then two and three and... My intention is quite the opposite of why most people eat vegan. I'll be the first to admit I love meat. I have on the other hand mentioned my dairy allergy. Vegan recipes are amazing. No dairy! If eating vegan wasn't good, vegans wouldn't exist. I need less dairy and more vegetables in my life. Incorporating vegan recipes will do just that.

Choose happiness. It's a choice. It truly is. I've lived so much of my life anxious, stressed and just plan angry. Why in the world did I waste so much time on all of that. I'm going to make a concious decision to choose happiness each and every day when I wake up.

Enjoy our boat more. We live in a beautiful place. We need to use what we have around us, because one day we might not live here anymore. We need to get out on that boat and explore the Puget Sound.

Quality over quantity. I think everyone likes to have friends. Lots of them. But I don't want a bunch of people to hang out with, I want a few people who I can spend time with. Share life with. Confide in. I want meaningful and lasting adult friendships. Whether that's in a coworker, a long time friend or even a family member. I want to be the best friend I can be to those who want the same thing.

Cherish my husband. I often neglect all of the wonderful things my husband does for us on a daily basis. He works hard and makes life pretty damn good. I want to take the time in our busy life, to spend quality time with him and truly thank him for all of the wonderful things he's done for us.

I'm very excited about this year. They just keep getting better and better. Good luck to everyone with their resolutions. I'm looking to sharing 2011 with all of you.

Last year & this year.

2011-01-08T02:18:00.000-08:00

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The first week of the year had to be a super busy one.

I had just enough time to think about last year & this year. I made some pretty lofty resolutions last year and I didn't accomplish a single one fully.

Like running. I just couldn't stick with it. I love it more than I can express, but it's a mind game getting out there and actually doing it. It's completely rewarding, just hard. The hardest part is starting again because I know how much it's going to hurt, how slow I'll be, how slow progress will seem to come. I made a mileage goal and didn't make it.

Or cooking. Of the five I set, this was the most realized of them all. I wanted to learn a new recipe every week all year. I don't think I learned 52 new recipes, but pretty darn close. I only have just under 40 shared on the blog, but there were a lot I just never got around to posting. So I don't feel so bad about this one.

Cleaning. To be better at it. My chore chart sucked. It didn't happen. Better luck this time I guess ;)

Shopping and less of it. I was great for a couple of months. But then it all started again. Mostly with thrift store junk. But I had some pretty cute DIY projects.

Home improvements were another area that actually came along nicely. Though I've posted no pictures (horrible, I know), the kitchen and dining room were overhauled and just beautiful. We had the great flood of the basement and that's still a work in progress. You're awesome insurance company!

This year I've made some pretty fun goals that I either do or I don't. And if I do, I succeed. I'll be back to share those later.

The best part of my day?

2011-01-06T15:48:00.001-08:00

The sunrise.

Greenbank Holiday Market

2011-01-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

My first craft fair was a pretty cool experience. For someone who was rather shy growing up, sure had no problem standing around for 7 hours with a ton of other people selling things I made by hand.

It was a long day, but so worth it. I worked the night before and didn't get off until 7:00 that morning. By the time I made it home, I had been up for 26 hours. Can you say tired?

Here is my partner, Alison. She went in on the booth with me and made tons of stuff to sell too.

Here are the washcloth sets we made out of cotton yarn. Mine are the sets on the right packaged with black string.

Here's my little corner of the table. I went simple with my stuff. When we found out we'd only have one day to sell (we were scheduled for the wrong weekend), I made less than I would have for two days. It gave me a chance to concentrate on my quality of work.

We picked up frames from the dollar store and I used the tea stained tags to make price signs. They are so dang cute!

Baskets from the dollar store and old Starbucks cups made great display pieces.

Some of my very first cozies. They keep getting better and better every one I make. They were a huge hit!

Here's Alison's end of the table. She had tons of cute hair bows, scarves in all sizes and washcloths. She was a VERY busy girl!

It was a lot of fun and we're looking to do another fair in the next couple of months. I've been busy with custom orders which I love. I got a lot of great stuff finished up for Christmas. For something I used as busy work in September, I still absolutely love it and I'm looking forward to continuing my little business.

DIY: Tea is for Tags.

2011-01-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

The last minute touches for the craft fair was probably the best part. After working my little fingers to the bone creating some of the cutest stuff, stuff I loved, it was nice to get to be creative in a different way.

Gather up a 9x13 glass baking dish, a few tea bags (the darker the better), note cards or card stock (I used 2x3 lined note cards), and 1 very hot pot of water.

The Stash Vanilla nut Creme Tea even gave the tags a light vanilla scent. It was a cute touch.

Open the tea bags and place them in the dish. Pour the hot water over the top filling almost to the top.

Let the tea steep for at least 5 minutes. You want the tea water nice and dark.

Place the note cards in to the tea. I tossed in a couple at a time and pushed each one to the bottom making sure it was completely submerged. If you throw in stacks they stick together and wont completely stain on each side.

Here are 100 tags soaking. I let them soak for about 30 minutes. Vary time based on how dark you'd like them.

I took them out and laid them on a towel. I folded the towel over and blotted the excess water off. You could also use paper towels.

Double use here, I used my cooling racks for cookies to lay out the cards. Overlapping is ok, they'll dry in a few hours. I let them be and they were completely dry by the next morning!

Pretty vintage looking cards. If they curl, you can leave them or iron them flat if you like. I used a silver sharpie to write out the tags, punched holes and attached them to my scarves with string!

Fun and easy! Enjoy!

Turning 1: Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T02:06:00.000-08:00

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I was thinking my 1 year blogging anniversary was today. As in the 31st. It was the 29th. I'm not good at this anniversary thing.

But honestly, 1 year? Wow! I stuck to a hobby for one whole year! I'm really excited. I love the friends I've made and the things I've accomplished. Life is good :)

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Wishing everyone a happy and safe New Year. I'm looking forward to everything to come. See you all back here tomorrow with new posts. I have a new wireless router and it's being testy. I can't upload any of my photos I've taken of the craft fair and such. I'm hoping to get this fixed soon. It was so fun!

totally, absolutely love!

2010-12-19T18:16:00.000-08:00

I was making my daily visit to Miss Elsie and came across this beautiful photo:

If she loves it, of course I would. Katie's DIY Glitter Bangles are absolutely beautiful. They're totally must have stocking stuffers I hope to get finished up this week! Visit Katie and check out her collection of holiday DIY posts for December. 18 in all by Christmas Eve!

Craft fair was AWESOME today! Super tired today (been up since yesterday) and just winding down before an early night to bed. Will share everything tomorrow, including sales AND finds!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

catching up.

2010-12-18T02:46:00.000-08:00

{via weheartit}

December is absolutely the busiest month of my entire year, every year. I really wish it was the opposite so I could sit back and really enjoy the holiday season. I've just realized Christmas is in a week and I'm not nearly finished with my shopping. Good heavens.

On top of being busy, I've been sick. TWICE. I usually get sick every November with my typical illness that causes me to lose my voice and I get an impromptu vacation from work for 10 days. This year I didn't lose my voice, but I've been struck by death TWICE in the last month. I've been out of work two days in November and December. I'm on the upswing today, but my head hurts and I'm still super congested. A coworker's grandfather has just passed away and I absolutely hate creating overtime for the other shift and I'm going to try my best to get in and work tonight so she has the chance to be with her family.

Sunday is my craft fair! I couldn't be more excited! We ended up being scheduled for the wrong week and only get to take part in the fair on tomorrow, but I sure hope it's a success! On Wednesday I finished up the last of my projects and attached cute little DIY price tags to every thing (tutorial to come on the tags, so cute!). I have a few tags left to attach to a few of my items and I have tons of cute things for setting up the table. I'm excited to take pictures and share in the experience. I'm not sure if I'll keep doing craft fairs, but I've already had a great interest in custom orders and have filled quite a few already for Christmas. I'm learning a lot about my creative side and what fuels me. Thrilling I tell you!

As this next week will be busy for all of us, I wanted to wish all of my blog friends a very Merry Christmas! You all mean the world to me and I truly cherish the connections I've made on here. I'm looking forward to another fulfilling year of blogging with the people I've grown to "know" so well :)

Lots of love!
Cassie

2 years and counting.

2010-12-17T03:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Anniversary to my handsome husband. The best 2 years I've spent in my lifetime so far, and the years that have moved by with the greatest of ease. I'm loving knowing there are so many more ahead.

Receiving is the sweetest thing.

2010-12-16T22:09:00.000-08:00

This post is so overdue. On Thursday I received a package on my doorstep from none other than my blogging BFF, Ashley! I was so excited.

I found it on my way out the door, so I put in the car and opened it at work with in front of my coworkers. They were just as excited as I was. I wish I'd had the patience to remember to take pictures before I tore in to it, but I didn't.

She made this! I was beside myself. I love it so much! It fits perfectly with my love for all things yarn, my love for traditional Christmas colors, yet a fabulous vintage touch. Man, this girl knows me!

I've wanted this Asker from Ikea since she first showed it in her kitchen. Super clever to hang on the wall for your sponge!

Two gorgeous nail polishes. Hidden Treasure on the left, Chinchilly on the right. I wore Hidden Treasure on my nails to a Christmas party on Saturday.

Thank you so much, Ashley! I love this little blogging community and the friends I've made. Can't wait to get the next package out in the mail to you!

I'm not making any promises

2010-12-09T04:33:00.000-08:00

But I'm trying to jump back on the wagon. I bought a treadmill from my husband's coworker last week, a great piece of lightly used equipment for the right price. I've been working up the motivation to get on it.

Did you have any idea that it would take my husband using it first to get me to hop right on when I got off work at 0300? I didn't, but it was a great motivating factor.

I did it, I feel good and I plan to do my best to keep up. I'm not promising myself anything or making big lofty goals, just a small one of trying to get some activity in a few days a week. I have to work off all these Christmas cookies somehow.

38. Cornbread Dressing

2010-12-08T00:06:00.000-08:00

I didn't learn until this year, the difference between stuffing and dressing. But now I know.

And though this was good, I think I'm more of a stuffing girl. But I do promise, this was good.

I went to work, my husband made lots and lots of cornbread. When I got home that nice I diced up mushrooms, onions and celery.

Early Thanksgiving morning I got up to begin prep. Popped oil & salt coated mushrooms in to the oven.

Browned up some breakfast sausage.

Cooked up the onions, celery and brown sugar.

Popped open a bottle of wine for the dressing, and to enjoy a little later.

I added all three types of bread to my giant bowl. Cubed french bread, sour dough bread and corn bread. Added the sausage and vegetables, then mixed with the chicken broth.

Fresh chopped parsley. Yum. Mix and you're ready to cook.

We love stuffing the bird and that's exactly what we did. Doesn't he look cute?

The rest was put in to a pan and cooked for 30 minutes until browned.

Oh that turkey turned out so handsome! We really need to cook another for no reason.

Cornbread Dressing

adapted from The Pioneer Woman

16 ounces, weight White Button Or Crimini Mushrooms

4 Tablespoons Canola Oil

½ teaspoons Kosher Salt

3 dozen cornbread muffins, Cut Into 1-inch Cubes

1 loaf French Bread, Cut Into 1-inch Cubes

1 loaf Sourdough Bread, Cut Into 1-inch Cubes

½ pounds Italian Sausage

1 medium Onion, diced

1 bunch Celery, diced

5 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

1 cup White Wine

½ teaspoons Kosher Salt

32 ounces, fluid Low (very Low) Sodium Chicken Broth

1 teaspoon Ground Thyme

½ teaspoons Turmeric (more To Taste)

2 teaspoons Rosemary, Leaves Minced

½ teaspoons (additional) Kosher Salt

Black Pepper To Taste

Fresh Parsley, Minced

Allow diced bread to sit out on cookie sheets for several hours or overnight, until dried out.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Wash mushrooms thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels. Chop, toss in a bowl with canola oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spread mushrooms over baking sheet and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven when mushrooms are deep brown. Set aside.

In a large skillet, crumble and brown sausage over medium high heat. Remove sausage from skillet and set aside. Without cleaning the skillet, add in diced onions and celery, brown for five minutes. Increase heat to high and add brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until deep golden brown.

Decrease heat to medium and pour in wine (be careful if you’re using an open flame). Stir and cook to reduce liquid by half, about two to three minutes. Pour onion mixture into a bowl and set aside.

Return skillet to medium heat (again, without washing) and add thyme, turmeric, rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Heat for a few minutes, then set aside.

Add bread to a large bowl, then add browned sausage, mushrooms, and onion mixture (and juice that might have accumulated.) Next, add broth mixture gradually as you toss the ingredients, being prepared not to use all of the liquid according to your taste.

Check seasonings at the end and add in minced parsley. Pour into a large baking dish (I used an iron skillet) and bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

37. Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce

2010-12-03T05:30:00.000-08:00

The cranberry sauce is my brother's favorite. The only positive to him not coming over for Thanksgiving dinner is the fact that we didn't get him the gelatin cranberry sauce in a can. I'm pretty sure he would have complained.

You'll need 1 bag of fresh cranberries, a 16oz bottle of pomegranate juice & 3/4 cup of sugar. More or less to taste of course. We would have preferred more. We like it sweet!

Stir everything together and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. The mixture will reduce and thicken slightly.

Place in to a bowl or serving dish and transfer to the fridge and allow to cool. Of course, don't pour it in to a bowl that's too small, then messily pour in to your serving dish. If you do, you get the mess in the picture above. None the less, it was good.

Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce

via The Pioneer Woman Cooks

1 bag fresh cranberriess, 12 to 16oz

16oz bottle pomegranate juice

3/4 cup sugar, more or less depending on taste

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Mixture will reduce and slightly thicken while it cooks.

Transfer to bowl or serving dish and allow to cool in the fridge. When cooled, serve with dinner!

Pretty easy recipe. Hope you try it and like it!

36. PW's Favorite Turkey Brine

2010-12-02T04:15:00.000-08:00

We will start off the Thanksgiving recipes posts with the brine! Really, this would make more sense to have posted all of these prior to Thanksgiving, but I wasn't making them twice. There just wasn't enough time. Though you could use them for Christmas. Depending on how my family is feeling, depends on what we eat for Christmas dinner.

We've brined meat before that we've smoked. Though PW (the Pioneer Woman or the love of my life) didn't smoke her turkey, we chose to this year. Amazing!

I went back to work and told my coworkers about this brine. Somehow I managed to recite the entire recipe by heart and had only put it together once. My freakish mind never ceases to amaze me. I mean, seriously, we have partial caller ID on the business lines at work (number only, no name) and I know who the number belongs to. So strange.

Water, apple juice, brown sugar, salt, whole peppercorns, fresh rosemary, garlic and the peel of three oranges. It smelled devine. But nothing quite like how it smelled after it started boiling. We brought it to a boil then removed it from the heat and covered it to let it steep. I breifly lifted the lid for a whif and the aroma filled the entire house. It was heavenly!

We left the brine to cool that night and had the turkey prepped in it's big bowl waiting for the bath of a life time. The next morning we poured everything we could manage to fit in the bowl over the turkey and covered it. It sat and bathed in the fridge for 24 hours. Just the tiniest part of the breast poked out above the brine so my husband was sure to flip it over half way through the soaking process to ensure an even brine.

Here's my honest review of the brine recipe: She gives lots of tips on how to prevent the turkey being overly salty when prepared, and I'm sure most aren't a fan of an overly salty meat. We purchased a fresh turkey, containing less salt product than a frozen turkey, and followed all of the instructions to the letter when preparing the brine and turkey.

It was still just a tad too salty for our taste. Don't get me wrong, the meat was amazing! I've never had a jucier turkey in my life. The flavors imparted by the brine and the smoke, a mix of hickory and alder, were just delicious. We will absolutely use this brine again, but will lessen the salt used.

I even think just a fraction of this recipe would be great for a roast chicken and even pork chops. Something to try in the future.

PW's Favorite Turkey Brine

via The Pioneer Woman Cooks

3 cups apple juice or cider

2 gallons cold water

4 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups kosher salt

2 cups brown sugar

3 tbsp whole black peppercorns

5 bay leaves

Combine all ingredients in a large pot, stir until salt & sugar dissolve. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat and cover. Allow to cool completely.

Remove neck and giblets from turkey & rinse. Place in a large pot, bowl or brining bag & pour brine over the top. Cover and place in the fridge 16 to 24 hours.

When turkey is ready to be roasted, remove from the brine and submerge in a pot or sink of fresh cold water. Allow to sit for 15 minutes to remove excess salt from the outside of the turkey.

Remove turkey from the water, pat dry and prepare to your roasting desires! And be sure to discard the brine, we don't need it anymore.

Please try it & enjoy!

Nothing ever goes as planned, but you have to be thankful anyway.

2010-11-28T18:33:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving. Where to start?

Dad and his wife weren't able to make it. I cried. It was the right choice, given weather, but we were so disappointed. No Dad meant no boat trip. And really, it would have been a silly attempt.

Why you ask? Who the heck asked for snow! That's what I want to know. I like looking at snow. I don't like having snow. This is why I continue to live in Western Washington. I don't hate rain, we get plenty of sun, it never gets too cold and I can wear flip flops almost year round. I don't like snow. I don't appreciate the temperatures that come with it and I absolutely refuse to drive in it.

So thank you snow for ruining part of my Thanksgiving. Moving on.

I was pretty excited about hosting at our place. The problem every Thanksgiving is that I'm a crazy control freak that tends to throw fits. This in turn, I'm sure, makes no one thankful for me. I'm the queen of awkward moments with my family. I got off work at 1:00am Thanksgiving day and began additional prep.

Around 4:00am I went to bed, setting my alarm for 9:00am. Excitement woke me at 8:00am and I got right to work. Made stuffing. Stuffed the bird.

Put together my centerpiece. I thought these flowers were too pretty not to incorporate.

I had help making the rolls that weren't ready in time. The rising time took way longer than the directions stated and we ended up with store bought rolls. We also tried making non dairy mashed potatoes and they turned out HORRIBLY. My dad made a second trip to the grocery store ( thank you Safeway for being open all day) and picked up mashed potatoes from the deli.

I've been dying for a set of white dishes and I picked up this set just for the occasion. They're white ceramic with an adorable beaded edge.

They turkey ended up done almost two hours before everything else. Holy crap, what a crazy day. In the end, the food was amazing in spite of the screw ups. I've learned a lot about time management this year and what can be done ahead of time next year. I'll absolutely be writing a how-to guide for myself that includes a cooking schedule. This is serious business folks!

I'll be sharing all of the recipes we used throughout the next week. They're delicious and can be made for just about any special occasion. Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving! We ended our day by laying around on the couch in front of the fire and enjoying pie. I sure love my family. I hope every enjoyed their weekend and happy Monday!

Busy, busy & Thanksgiving prep.

2010-11-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

Holy crap. Thanksgiving is coming! It is my absolute favorite holiday of the year. Christmas is great and all, but there's just something about Thanksgiving that I love oh.so.much! Are you as excited as I am?

I figured I'd take this opportunity to update my poorly neglected blog to fill everyone in on the happenings around here.

1. I noticed I've gained several new followers and I'm tickled pink! It makes me so thankful that people want to take the time to read my entries and enjoy my little contribution to this world. Hello and welcome! I'm so happy to have you! Please leave me a comment and say hello, and a link to your blog if you have one so I can follow you back :)

2. My husband's father and his wife will be making a very long and snowy trip up from southern Oregon to our beautiful island for Thanksgiving. I'm so damn excited I could just have a fit. This will be the first time they will be meeting my parents in the years we've been together and the first time they'll be to our home. This will also be our very first Thanksgiving combining members of his family and mine. Thrilled I tell you!

3. Work around the house has been in full swing. My awesome husband has been such a huge help. After the great flood of our downstairs, projects have been moving a long at a better pace. Motivation maybe? Perhaps. I have totally finished my dining room makeover. I have no wall decor, but the meat and potatoes of it is finished and I'm so happy. Today I'm putting the final touches on the cabinet doors in the kitchen and they'll get new knobs. Then the cabinets are DONE! Holy cow, big project. They do look fabulous though. We'll also be trimming out the rest of the kitchen and the last bit of the living room we didn't get to in 2008. Visiting parents make for wonderful motivation!

4. The master bedroom flood: At this time we're waiting on the last step from the insurance company. We are working with a local flooring company to finish replacing the damaged vinyl in the laundry and bathroom. Once that happens (hopefully next week, hopefully), I have touch up painting to do, we can install the new toilet, vanity and mirror, and purchase our new washer and dryer. We'll then install the two interior doors and trim out the rooms. Then I go to work on decorating and moving in. Yay! So close, yet so far away. And the best part? The room is like brand new. It smells brand new. No more musty basement smell and I absolutely love it.

5. I don't really like to show off unless it's some cool project I've done, like my cabinets or painted candle sticks, but I did want to share a couple of things we've accquired over this last year that make us very happy. This is because we're taking Dad and his wife on a very special trip while they're here this weekend and I'm so excited to share the experience with them.

We bought this beauty over the summer. Husband bought it for his birthday in July. He'd wanted a boat forever and I told him to buy one, be quiet and leave me alone. So he did. It's an '85 21 foot Bayliner Trophy in immaculate condition. He bought it from it's second owner and they took wonderful care of it.

It has a beautiful canvas top and all the fittings for a full enclosure. It has a great heater, sink and fridge right on the deck. The cuddy cabin sleeps 3 and has a head. We will eventually give a weekend on the boat a shot. Just have to get the cushions for the cuddy reupholstered. Those were the only thing on the boat that needed a little help.

This is why he wanted a boat so badly. Living on beautiful Whidbey Island is a dream. It's so beautiful out here. I lived on the mainland just 45 minutes away from here growing up and always said I'd never live on this strange island. Then I got a job here as an adult and never left. It's beautiful and there are few places I'd choose over here.

The deal was sealed the first time I went under that bridge in the background. The beautiful Deception pass bridge is almost 1/3 of a mile long, 185 feet above the water. It connects us to Fidalgo Island. Fidalo has a bridge about 1/4 mile long connecting them to the main land. Stunning.

I can't wait to take Dad and his wife out on the water. It will be a chilly trip, but we'll be sure to bring lots of cozy goodies for the tour. I pray for a fogless day (though my first trip was in the fog and it was still amazing) with calm waters. I can't wait to take them out on the beautiful Pacific Ocean!

6. The craft fair is starting to overwhelm me. I'm so nervous we're going to be two silly girls sitting with a bunch of crocheted goods. I've got some great cowl neck scarves I've designed and love. I'd rather just keep them all for myself so I have one in every color. After the craft fair I'm going to host a giveaway of some of my favorite things! I think we're about two weeks out and I need to get working faster!

7. Thanksgiving menu is planned and this afternoon is shopping for the food with Mom. Looking forward to it! I absolutely love cooking big extravagent meals and this is no exception. I can't wait to share my whole Thanksgiving menu and I have a few ideas up my sleeve! If any of you have a fabulous Thanksgiving dish you can't live without and would like to share, please, please share! I'd love to feature your recipe and photos and if you feel so compelled, I'd love to see your table scape! Email me if your interested!

Happy Monday to all of my wonderful blog friends and I hope you have a wonderful week of family and friends!

Blogging BFF's

2010-11-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

I mentioned sending gifts to my dearest blog friend, Ashley from The Thing About Daisies last week. I was so excited putting the package together, I didn't snap any photos for myself.

However! Ashley snapped a few of her own to share on her blog and I can't tell you how dang excited I was to see the stuff in her home. So fun to know that just a few weeks ago I was putting it all together by hand and here they are gracing her home!

I sent a few glossy black refurbished candlesticks, just like my white ones I made earlier in the summer. I ended up liking the black much better so she's lucky I still sent them!

Here are my handmade cozies and the scarf I put together for her. If only she knew that I crocheted and tore out this scarf twice before I got the final product done. It had to be perfect! The little notpads came from my stash in my bill drawer. I have a thing for notepads on Etsy.

Like Ashley mentions in her post, we are truly blogging BFF's. She's fun, sweet and inspirational. She's absolutely worth following and I sure hope you'll give her a visit!

why didn't I think of that?

2010-11-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

Too many ideas. There are just too many. They're the ideas that keep me up until 4:00am while my husband has been fast asleep for hours.

Well, not really. I mean, I did sleep until 2:30pm. I got off work at 3:00am, ok? Ok.

I follow this blog through Bloglovin. I love it. She's now started this blog, where I found this post with this idea. It's a mad world I tell you.

(And Mom, this is how I find blogs)

Can I ask why I didn't think of this already? Genious. Here I've been wanting an all white set of dishes because I just can't find the set I really love. And it turns out I love this! Service for 12 will be easy. Probably time consuming, but easy.

But please, take a look at the blogs I've linked, I think you'll like them too! Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

35. Alfredo a la Husband

2010-11-15T04:00:00.000-08:00

This alfredo recipe is the brain child of my husband. This happens to be the first dish he ever cooked for me when we started dating. I was super impressed. Of course, once he bagged the lady, he pretty much stopped cooking.

That is unless it's being smoked on his Traeger, but that just came about this year. Anyway.

I've been sick and was in no mood to leave the house. Cooking gets me excited and I love having something to do, so I made mention of this long lost recipe and asked if he'd let me give it a try. A trip to the grocery store later (by him, not me), I had everything I needed to make us a wonderful dinner.

And damnit, if I didn't forget the bread! We had bread to eat with it and it's still sitting up in the cupboard. I always forget something.

This recipe is a quickie. What took me so long was setting it all out for this first photo. The things I do to myself.

Grab yourself 2 jars of alfredo sauce, 1 box of linguine (or any noodles you'd like to use for that matter), olive oil, 4 roma tomatoes, 1lb (ish) chicken breasts, 4 cloves of garlic, a small can of sliced olives, cheese (this is Italian blend, feel free to use parmesan), and the trusty salt & pepper.

All 3 pans were set out. Water is salted & oiled and put on to boil for the noodles. Sauce is simmering away with a little salt & pepper on top. Chicken has been salt & peppered and placed in a pan with a little olive oil to cook over medium-high heat.

I'm feeling so efficient right now. And maybe even organized (this is the only place in my life I'm remotely organized. Oh, and my yarn bin).

While these little things are cooking away, dice your tomatoes. Cut them in half, squeeze out the seeds and goopy middles (let's avoid watering down the alfredo peeps), and dice 'em up. Then please open your can of olives and drain them.

Brown the chicken on each side, throw on to a cutting board and slice it up.

Add the chicken, 4 pressed cloves of garlic, the diced tomatoes and as many olives as you'd like. I only used half the can because I wanted to eat some of them. Then I realized I would have liked the whole can in there. Cook over medium heat to warm everything through again.

And now I should just learn to wait for dinner to be done, but I'm an instant gratification kind of girl.

When your water boils, add your noodles and cook for the amount of time instructed on the package. All this time your alfredo sauce has been cooking on medium-low heat and is ready for it's job. Drain your pasta, place it back in the pot and pour about 1/3 of the sauce over the noodles just enough to coat them. Then combine.

In a bowl, add your noodles and top with MORE sauce. The noodles soak up the sauce folks, and what fun is that? It means it's sticky and not creamy. Then top with your delicious chicken mixture and sprinkle liberally with cheese.

Wow.

Absolutely delicious. I can't believe my husband thought of this himself.

And honey, if you didn't, don't tell me. Ok? Thanks.

Chicken Alfredo

2 jars alfredo sauce

1 box linguine

4 roma tomatoes

1 small can sliced black olives

4 garlic cloves

1lb chicken breasts

salt & pepper

olive oil

parmesan or italian blend cheese

Salt & pepper chicken on both sides and cook over medium-high heat until browned. Remove from pan and slice.

Cut tomatoes in half, squeeze out seeds and dice. Drain olives. Press 4 cloves of garlic in to the pan the chicken was cooked in. Add chicken, tomatoes and olives, stirring to combine. Cook over medium heat to warm throughly.

Cook sauce and pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and add about 1/3 of the sauce, tossing to coat noodles. Layer noodles, more sauce, chicken mixture and cheese.

Serve and enjoy!

Project Heaven!

2010-11-08T10:21:00.000-08:00

With the craft fair nearing in about a month, I've been hard at work on my projects. The hard thing? I keep coming up with new ideas. What do I do about this? I need some sort of plan written out, don't I? I've never done this before so I'd love input.

This is literally only half the bags of yarn I've collected since September. Mind you, these are half yarn, half completed or almost completed projects. I'm running out of storage space. I need a craft room, stat!

I absolutely love these. Cotton wash cloth sets. I don't think I'll ever buy wash cloths or dishtowels again when I can make such beautiful pieces that are completely functional.

Coffee cozies have been a HUGE hit at work. I've already sold my first cozy, which I was totally excited about, and I have a ton of these to put together still. I even sent a few to Ashley in her gift box last week.

I couldn't find my "demo" cup from Starbucks I'd kept, so I slipped it on my travel mug for the picture. When I went to Portland for sis-in-laws baby shower, my mom and I used our cozies on our Starbucks cups throughout our trip. People stared. I'll take that as a compliment!

This all started with the dream to have a baby blanket making business. If you really just try saying that on a whim, it usually comes out baby making business... Yikes. They're beautiful, plush and soft. My sis-in-law loved hers.

Yellow! So cute! I really hope these find good homes. Should I make a few more blankets? Or would the smaller stuff be a better eye catcher? I'm not sure.

Scarves galore. I found a killer pattern for neck warmers (on the left). Just trying to find the perfect buttons to adorn them. And the ruffled scarf (on the right). Oh my. I also sent one of these to Ashley in her gift box, but her's is way cuter than this one!

I would absolutely love feedback on what works, what doesn't work for these things. I'm new to the world of craft fairs and selling handy work.

Today is a house day. We've got a garage to clean out and organize. Looking forward to a full day of work and a nice relaxing evening to work on my projects. Wish me luck!

I've also linked up with the lovely Malia!

I've turned in to an old lady.

2010-11-02T05:13:00.000-07:00

My husband said something the other day to a friend of ours, something along the lines of 'married a good looking girl almost 10 years younger than myself... she wants a hobby... and takes up crocheting'.

I've turned in to an old lady.

I have to admit, we find this really humorous. It was something my grandmother taught me as a child. My mom-in-law helped me revive the skill last year over our Thanksgiving visit and here I am a year later, picking the hook back up and crocheting my head off.

I've decided to venture in to the possibility of a mini side business and a coworker jumped on board. we've been crocheting like crazy getting ready for our first craft fair in December. Today we're headed off island to search for more inspiration.

Not that I need more inspiration. You should see how many skeins of yarn I managed to collect over the last month. Makes for a lot of adorable things I can't wait to share :)

I've accomplished something!

2010-10-29T04:37:00.000-07:00

I accomplished two things yesterday that are kind of a big deal to me.

1. I finished the intended housewarming gift for my blog friend, Ashley.

It took me forever. I have no concept of time. I exchanged addresses with her two months ago. Fear not my dearest Ashley, your gift is on it's way TODAY! I hope you like it. Lots of time (ha!) and thought went in to it.

2. I WORKED OUT.

I did. I'm serious. I worked out for the first time in... Oh, I can't even count how many months. Two motivating factors. My husband started working out again last week and I found all of the cupcakes and gummy bears I've been hoovering down over the last couple of months planted firmly around my middle and reflecting a larger number on the scale. Bummer. I started Insanity which is strongly suggested by my husband. It was HARD.

All in all, good week for me! Happy Friday everyone!

Doing it the right way: The kitchen cabinet edition.

2010-10-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you a long drawn out story before I get to the heart of this post. I know, you're just thrilled.

I moved in to my beloved home in January of 2008. The love of my life asked if I would like to live with him, it helped us both financially, and I was much closer to work. I gave it thought over a couple of months and in the month of January moved in my things from my apartment 30 minutes away and was officially a resident.

My dearest boyfriend at the time had owned our house for 9 years. In those 9 years he'd done nothing to the place to change the atmosphere. There was nothing wrong with the house, it was just outdated. He was more than up for a change and I helped him make that happen.

The cabinets were painted the very faintest green, with a sage trim. Sure, maybe great for when I was 12, but not so much now. I repainted them antique white with black trim. Suited my taste at the time (and I was hardly that handy when it came to design). Just over 6 months later after I had gotten my debt paid off, we were living debt free (house and cars excluded) and ready to invest in remodeling the house. This is where my first blog I ever followed came in. She painted her kitchen cabinets black. I LOVED black. So I went for it. Painted them black, and threw the doors back on with stainless hardware.

Great for the first bit, not great six months later. I've sat on them until now. I hated the paint job, the finish, the color. Everything. They literally sucked.

WOW. I told you it would be long winded. Last month I realized I have ten thousand and one projects started but none of them completed. I had to choose something I could do on my own (almost) start to finish. Kitchen cabinets it was.

I was blog surfing and came across a link that led me to Sunset for a tutuorial on making window valances of some sort. I poked around on the site and came across How to give your cabinets a makeover. SOLD!

If you want to repaint your cabinets, read this and soak it up. When they say your kitchen will NOT be of use to your daily life, they're serious. No cooking. I lived off cupcakes and coffee for three days. It was bliss. They say to set aside 4 days. This literally took me 4 days. No joke.

So here's what I did:

1. Empty every cupboard and drawer. Make a huge mess of the rest of your house by placing the contents throughout every available room. When I ate cereal, I fetched the bowl from the dining room table and the silverware from the couch. Empty it, seriously. The first time we "did it right", we didn't empty them. Then I had to wash every.damn.dish. They were covered in dust and paint flecks.

2. Sanded any and all imperfections I could find. There were drips from the previous 3 paint jobs. Sand away baby. Keep the vacuum handy. It's so much easier to vacuum up in stages rather than going back to after it all.

3. Clean the cabinets with TSP Solution. It comes in a spray bottle for $5. I found it in the paint section at Home Depot. It was down the same aisle as the wood glue and other random crap, like GIANT buckets of Zinsser Primer and so on. This takes all grime off the cabinets and also helps dull any sort of glossy finish. It helps avoid all over sanding and ensures your cabinets are perfectly clean for primer and paint. This stuff stinks. I'd reccommed wearing a mask when spraying it, keeping the room well ventalated and pets away. It makes you cough like no other. Wear gloves. It makes your hands dry and itchy. It's a no-wash solution, so there is no need to soap down the cabinets afterward.

4. Prime your cabinets. Be sure to use a good quality primer. If you have stains, be sure to get something that blocks stains. They will bleed through everything. Primer and paint. I chose not to get the stain blocking primer and have one spot that continues to bleed through. Thankfully it's inside a low cabinet and my baking sheets sit of top of it. I used a Zinsser Primer that cost about $18 for the gallon. Zinsser is the favorite primer of Shannon at The House Creative. She does great work and speaks highly of the brand, so I went with it. Day 1 I primed all of the cabinets. Inside and out and allowed to dry over night. Day 2, I primed in the morning a second coat. The better coat of primer you have, the less paint you have to use, meaning less expensive project.

5. Start painting! Use good quality paint in a semi gloss finish. I used my good old Ralph Lauren in Sisal. Home Depot doesn't carry Ralph Lauren paint any longer (booooo!), but still have their color codes in the computer and can mix them with Martha Stewart (recommended by me) or Behr (not recommended by me for interior). I started painting the evening of Day 2. I finished half of the outside of the cabinets and called it a day after 13 hours of work. Day 3 was a long one. I had to paint the inside and outside of all the cabinets, including cutting in all of the edges. This was the biggest pain in the ass. I painted the inside of all of the cabinets because they desperately needed it. I did two coats on the upper cabinets as some of them will be left as open concept shelving. Two coats on the inside certainly isn't required if you're only looking to "clean them up". Day 4 was my third 13-14 hour day. My body was sore like I'd just run 8 miles up hill. Man, what a workout. I put the second coat on the everything that needed it, and a third in places along the trim I felt looked a little funny. It's so important to give your paint 24 hours dry time between coats! This allows adequate drying and avoids any sort of soft layers, prevents dust from collecting and keeps any finger prints away that may want to leave their mark.

6. Put everything back! I gave two days dry time before I put all of my stuff away. I was able to do this because Husband was out of town for the week training. Otherwise I would have felt a little more rushed. He's not one to like sitting in chaos and clutter. I however don't mind that much when I know I'm in the middle of something.

Steps I haven't covered are the doors and drawers. I don't have either of those done yet. The link provided up top will give you instructions on those. Follow them to the letter friends! I promis it will be worth it. We have 6 drawers total that need painting, and we plan to build new doors for the cabinets to give them a face lift. They would have been done at this point, but with the basement flooding, it put a that plan on hold.

If you're still here, thank for sticking through this hugely word heavy post! This was a great experience, even with the long hours I put it. I absolutely love how my cabinets turned out and I get to admire my dedication and handy work every day.

To my blog friend, Mrs. D over at The Pink Lemonade Blog; I'm so sorry your recent cabinet update is failing you. I sure hope this helps! If I could fly to Virginia to help you with the project again, I would! But know your cabinets are the post that helped me find my way over to your little corner of the world and I still think they're fabulous.

Starting my wish list early.

2010-10-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

This is the second time since 2006 that I will have Christmas off, since starting my job at the dispatch center. I worked '06, '08, and '09 (thinking back to 2006 seems like an eternity). I'm super excited!

We will get to take part in our morning childhood ritual at my parents house of letting Mom wake us up early, because she doesn't know what sleeping in is. We'll open our stockings while Mom makes coffee and Dad gets the camera ready. Dad will pop the cinnamon rolls in the oven and we'll dive in to our presents. When we're done, we'll enjoy coffee, cinnamon rolls and usually omelettes. This year I'm sure there will be football, naps and then an afternoon dinner.

Can you tell I'm totally looking forward to this?

The family has serious problems with gift giving. We often tend to go overboard. Collecting over the couple months before Christmas, not remember you've already gotten a little something, then have far too much to wrap. Makes you feel like a kid again, but not always a friend to the pocket book. This year we've decided on a price limit of about $25. Mom wasn't sure this would work, but listen, I've already found some really good ideas! Let's take a look, shall we?

Spring Mix Apron - $32

(yes I know, more than the limit, but not by much!)

Dining Room Measuring Spoons - $24

Tea & Toast Butter Dish - $12

Wingspan Bottle Opener - $16

Castle Key Bottle Opener - $12

Seasonal Specialties Oven Mitt & Pot Holder - $12 (each)

Juxtapose Dishtowels - $24

Tapestry Dishtowels - $24

{all gift ideas found via Anthropologie}

We're all so hard to shop for, it's nice to have a good list of inexpensive ideas.

So dear family members who read my blog, get to making your wish list! I've got some shopping to do!

a bouncing baby boy!

2010-10-23T05:00:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've mentioned on here before that my husband and I will be an uncle and aunt for the very first time ever in January. Husband's older brother and his wife are expecting their first child together, a bouncing baby boy, and we couldn't be more thrilled!

This will be the first grandchild for either side of our families. I should mention that we do in fact have a nephew in the family and he's one of the coolest kids you'll ever meet. Q (we really do call him this) is my sister-in-law's son. I'm sure to him we're just us, not really an aunt and uncle, but if he wanted to call us his aunt and uncle, we'd sure take it! No matter how he looks at us, we still love him to death. I mean, he taught me how to play Guitar Hero. And then on the way home from their house, we stopped by the closest Walmart to pick it up for ourselves! That's how cool of a kid he is.

We're excited about the newest addition to the family, and I hope Q is excited to be a big brother! Today is my sister-in-law's baby shower in Portland, and this is in fact where I am at this very moment. My mom and I left yesterday for the 5 hour drive two spend two nights away in Oregon. I couldn't share my gifts for her and the baby until now, because I know she reads my blog, so I waited until today.

The first two sleepers I just absolutely adore. The owls and the stripes just kill me. I'd really just like to keep them for myself so I can stare at their miniature cuteness when I need a pick-me-up. Impractical? Probably. So I'll give them to baby S.

The second two outfits I bought in a larger size. We found out he was a boy during the summer, so I did the math on my fingers and bought these in the size he'd be during the summer of 2011. Can't wait to see little chubby legs sticking out of his jean shorts!

I think onesies are one of the best inventions in the world. I also happen to love stripes. So I picked up all the boy onesies I could find locally in a striped fashion. Love them!

And last but not least is this darling, silky little thing. This is a blanket made with love by Auntie Cassie for baby S. Yes, you heard that right. I made this! I was absolutely thrilled with how it came out. It's really beatiful yarn and so plush and soft.

I really hope my sister-in-law loves it.

I hope my mom-in-law loves it to! I told her I had made a blanket for the baby, and I know she's been waiting to see the finished product.

I'll post pictures of the shower later this week if sis-in-law is ok with me sharing :) Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

love.

2010-10-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

I've been crocheting in my spare time. While watching tv, in my down time at work, while I'm winding down before bed. It's been enjoyable and I'm making great progress.

A friend and I will be creating as much stuff as we can over the next month for a craft fair in town. I've been creating baby blankets and she's been creating the cutest scarves. Hopefully we have enough finished for a reasonable sized booth!

While searching Etsy for some insight on how granny squares are joined together, while still looking good, I've come across a ton of inspiration.

via

Can I just say, WOW! This is absolutely stunning. I wish I was talented enough to create something this detailed. I hope my talent continues to develop and one day I may just try my hand at something like this!

Visit Hookaholic's Etsy Shop for more beautiful blankets and baby goodies! You'll be inspired.

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34. One Bowl Brownies

2010-10-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

My neighbor started on brownies. She had been making cupcakes like crazy until she found out I was banned from them. No sugary treats were allowed to be delivered from her house for two weeks. Her husband has a good memory. I swear exactly two weeks later, he arrived at the door with brownies she had mad.

They tasted like a chocolate cream brownie, but not quite as dense and moist as we like. We've discussed making brownies for the last week, but I just haven't bothered. I've really done nothing more than crochet, cook a few soups and watch endless amounts of Dexter via Netflix.

I was hungry. Well, I'm always hungry. So I immediately got on to Tasty Kitchen and looked for an enticing brown recipe. I found exactly what I was looking for and promptly made it.

Add eggs, sugar, oil, flour, cocoa, salt, vanilla and baking powder. Mix until just combined.

Scrape the edges of the bowl and give it a brief mix again.

Pour in to a greased 9x9 baking pan, or in my case a muffin pan. I threw out my 9x9, so this was the best I could do. I also filled them a little too much and only ended up with 10. But then you have brownies almost the size of cupcakes, and we all know I love cupcakes!

In a separate bowl if you so please (I do), combine powdered sugar, chocolate chips and chopped nuts of your choice.

Top your batter and pop in to an oven heated to 350 degrees. If using a 9x9 pan, bake 30-35 minutes. If using a muffin pan, listen to your husband when he says they smell done. So perhaps cook 20-25 minutes. Check with a toothpick and they're done when the stick comes out clean. The less you cook them, the more moist they are. I've learned this. Sometimes I hate telling him he's right.

Pull them out of the oven and run a knife along the outside edge to loosen them up. I plopped one on a plate and drizzled it with the Starbucks Caramel Sauce my mom gave to me in my fall care package.

Cute and delicious!

One Bowl Brownies

adapted from Tasty Kitchen

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup flour

4 tbsp cocoa

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup nuts

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a bowl. Mix until just combined. Scrape sides of the bowl and mix again briefly. Pour into greased 9x9 baking pan (or muffin pan).

Mix together last 3 ingredients and sprinkle on top of the brownie batter, covering evenly. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes (20-25 for muffin pan). Test centers with a toothpick, done when it comes out clean.

Serve hot from the oven or after cooling. Either way, they're delish! Enjoy!

33. Smoked Salmon Chowder

2010-10-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

I was sent this recipe by a friend. She makes this for her husband and he has nothing but good things to say about it. When my mom handed over the Mimic Creme for me to try, this recipe was the first one I thought of for what was left after the corn chowder.

I couldn't tell you where she got the recipe from. She scanned a cook book of some sort and emailed me the scan. I got off work at 1:00am, didn't have to be in until the next day at 3:00pm and got busy cooking while winding down from the day.

Poor lighting, so I only took two pictures. The mix of veggies in the pot sure were pretty and smelled pretty tasty. This was a super quick and easy recipe that anyone can make successfully.

When it was finished at 2:00am, I quickly ate two huge bowls worth. I was stuffed and happy. Then went promptly to sleep snuggling my two cute pups.

Smoked Salmon Chowder

adapted from my friend B

6 tbsp margerine (or butter)

2 tbsp oil

2 carrots - finely diced

2 stalks celery - finely diced

2 potatoes - cut in to small cubes

1 onion - finely diced

6 tbsp flour

1 - 32oz carton of fish or seafood stock (or clam juice)

3 cups mimic creme (or milk)

1 cup water

2 bay leaves

2 garlic cloves - minced

1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp pepper

2 shakes of nutmeg

8 oz smoked salmon - flaked

In a large pot over high heat, combine margerine and oil. When melted, add vegetables and cook until vegetables are softened. About 7-8 minutes.

Pour in stock, milk and water. Increase to medium-high and stir while bringing to a boil. Add garlic and seasonings, then reduce to low to simmer for 15 minutes, uncovered.

Add smoked salmon, stir and simmer for an additional 15 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Serve and enjoy!

32. Corn Chowder with Chilies

2010-10-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

The next two recipes I'm going to share are both chowders. I personally love chowder of any kind, but they don't really like me. With my milk allergy, it puts a big lame damper on enjoying anything involving creamy goodness.

Until now that is.

It had been a good long while since I had made a Pioneer Woman recipe or even stepped foot in the kitchen to cook. While at my parent's house last weekend for my dad's birthday, my mom made a delicious chicken bacon stroganoff. We share the same milk allergy and she's not afraid to use non-dairy substitues for things like sour cream and cream. I am.

We didn't end up needing cream for the stroganoff recipe, only the sour cream. She was nice enough to send me home with something called Mimic Creme. Dairy free, soy free, made from almonds & cashews. Looks like cream, has the consistency of cream, but tastes like almond milk. That is, until you add it to your dish. I'm not joking.

I used fresh ears of corn, slicing the kernels right off the cob in to the pan. I had a hard time not snacking on the corn as I went. It was so sweet and tasty. For a little spice add two kinds of chiles. It gave it a nice smoky, spicy flavor without being too hot.

Bacon, onions and corn. I could have just added the mimic creme and pasta and been happy! But I finished the recipe. I was really impressed with the chowder, non-dairy and all.

Served with a fresh loaf of garlic bread and a few episodes of Dexter. And when I say garlic bread, I mean bread with roasted cloves of garlic baked right in. No, I didn't make it. I have issues with bread. But the store that did, well thank you. I truly enjoyed it.

Corn Chowder with Chilies

adapted from The Pioneer Woman

4 slices of bacon - cut in to small pieces

2 tbsp margerine (or butter)

1 1/2 yellow onions - diced

4 ears of corn - shucked

2 whole chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - diced

1 - 4oz can diced green chilies

1 - 32oz carton low sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 cups mimic creme (or heavy whipping cream)

1/2 tsp salt (more to taste)

3 tbsp masa flour

1/4 cup water

Slice bacon in to 1/2 inch pieces and add to a pot over medium heat. Cook until fat starts to render. Dice onions, add to pot and stir, cooking for 5 minutes. Add butter and allow to melt. Cook together while dicing chipotles chilies. Add chipotle and diced green chilies to pot and stir.

Add chicken broth, cream and salt. Stir and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.

Mix masa and water, stirring to combine. Pour in to the chowder stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Cover chowder and cook for 20 minutes over low heat. Should your chowder not be thick enough, add 1 tbsp more of masa combined with water until you reach your desired consistency (I used about 2 more tbsp of masa), allowing to cook for another 10 minutes.

Dish up and enjoy!

It wasn't the first time.

2010-10-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

When the basement flooded, it put the last of the kitchen & dining room project on hold. The dealings with our insurance company has been a back and forth issue, but thankfully I've managed to keep my head in it all.

The downstairs is now dry. Many of the walls have the bottom two feet removed and insulation pulled out. The contractor has been to the house and given the estimate for repairing the walls. We've chosen to do half the work ourselves which will give us a check from the insurance company for what we choose to not use the contractor for. Insurance has chosen not to have the flooring in the laundry and bathroom replaced, so the money we will receive will cover the cost of flooring for both of those rooms and replacement of the vanity, toilet and mirror. If we're thrifty enough with our choices, possibly the deductable too.

As we get the basement finished up, I just can't wait to share the progress I've made in the kitchen. It wasn't the first time I've painted the cabinets since moving in here three years ago. It's the third time to be exact. This is the first time I really educated myself and made sure to do it right.

I had seen a great kitchen on my first blog I ever followed a few years back. She had repainted her cabinets in her tiny condo black and added stainless hardware. I was in love. Black is my favorite color and I thought I'd totally love my cabinets. After painting them in 2008, they lost their charm rather quickly. I finally found the motivation to tackle the kitchen and dining room project on my own and don't miss the black cabinets one bit.

I'll give one sneak peek before the entire project is finished. Please don't mind the huge mess on the counters.

I think it looks so much better already. Can't wait to share the finished project soon!

31. Bacon Tomato Capellini

2010-10-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

I really like keeping up with Tasty Kitchen and the new recipes they feature. I'm being perfectly honest when I say it's half for the photos. I love food photography. I often wish I had better than a point and shoot so my food photos would be spectacular rather than just photos of food.

I used to HATE bacon. Sometime this year I didn't mind it so much anymore. I'm pretty particular about how it's cooked, but over all, I'd much rather have in in something. I like spaghetti. I like bacon. Combine them and you've got magic!

This recipe literally contains all things love of mine. Tons of fresh basil, tomatoes, green onions, garlic. Oh, yum.

I made the entire package of bacon. I only needed two thirds of it (it was a 3lb package!). That's because we have a serious problem with eating it as it comes out of the pan. I've always hated cooking bacon. It's hot and messy, but my husband is an absolute pro when it comes to cooking bacon. It's taken a few times to get it right, but I've got it down now.

This is a rather time consuming recipe. The biggest challenge is cooking up all of the bacon. Once you get it finished and start combining the rest of the ingredients it's so easy.

Once adding the tomatoes and basil in with the rest of the ingredients, I boiled up my noodles and let the sauce simmer and meld. It smelled amazing.

The noodles to sauce ratio is absolutely perfect. There was bacon and basil in every bite. My mouth waters just thinking about it, and I've definitely had PLENTY to eat tonight.

I garnished husband's bowl with shaved parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves. He then inhaled 3 bowls. I love my husband for a ton of reasons, but eating my cooking is near the top of the list.

I can't urge two things enough when it comes to this recipe. DON'T use bacon bits. Fresh cooked bacon is the only way to go. DO make this as soon as possible. You'll absolutely love me for it.

Bacon Tomato Capellini

via Tasty Kitchen

2 - 16oz packages of bacon

1/2 cup reserved bacon grease

2 - 28oz can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch chopped green onions

2 tsp salt

1 - 16oz box of capellini or angel hair pasta

Open both cans of tomatoes and pour them in to a bowl. Mix 1/2 cup of torn basil leaves in to the tomatoes and allow the flavors to meld.

Fry bacon in a large frying pan, cooking through - avoid bacon that is too crispy. Drain bacon on paper towels and set aside to cool. Reserve 1/2 cup bacon grease.

Dice the garlic and green onions, add them to the frying pan with the reserved bacon grease. Cook over medium heat and brown. Crumble bacon and add to the pan. Reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Add tomato & basil mixture to the pan, stir and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add up to 2 teaspoons of salt if desired.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain noodles and add to the sauce mixture. Combine well and serve immediately topped with shaved parmesan cheese and torn basil leaves.

It's delicious and makes fabulous left overs! Enjoy!

feeling like a kid again.

2010-10-15T04:25:00.000-07:00

We celebrated my dad's birthday on Sunday with dinner, a trip to the pumpkin patch, chocolate cream pie with coffee and a batch of chocolate pumpkin muffins. It was a great day feeling like a kid again.

The older I get, the more thankful I am for my parents and siblings. Each time we get together, it reminds me of how absolutely self absorbed I can be most of the time. I'm not say I intentionally ignore my family, but we live busy lives. We have a busy work schedule, spend almost a whole 24 hours each weekend recovering, then have our own to-do list. Whether it be house work, cooking or crafts, or even dinner with friends. It seems I lose the importance of time with my family.

After my mom treated us to an amazing chicken bacon stroganoff for an early dinner, we hit the pumpkin patch for some quality parent-kid time.

We made a quick trip in the last hour open to Schuh Farms located on Memorial Highway in Mount Vernon. They've got the great barn seen behind the sunflowers and across the street. It has already picked pumpkins, a coffee stand, cider and other goodies for sale.

My mom's favorite color is yellow, so naturally she loved the sunflowers. She also loves taking pictures. Weird I haven't seen any of them yet. Hint, hint, Mother!

My husband had never been to a pumpkin patch before. I wasn't sure if he was really having fun. In all honesty, as immature and childish the two of us are together, we're really adults. The joys of marriage, right?

The good man that he is, he picked out a pumpkin and even hauled back every last one the whole family had picked. There was still a little joy in this photo. That was until we got to the scale, he realized I had 3 large pumpkins and near 72 little ones weighing in at a healthy 84lbs. Come on! It's part of the fall spirit! We plan to carve a couple and we'll try our hand at homemade pumpkin pie straight from the source.

It was such an awesome day. I love my dad to the moon and back. I'm one of the luckiest girls alive having him to call my dad. My mom couldn't have picked a better man to care for us.

Hope everyone is enjoying what fall has to offer. Happy Friday and enjoy the weekend!

I should be sleeping.

2010-10-06T11:56:00.000-07:00

By the sounds observed through the floor, you'd perhaps believe the person installing the water heater has no idea what they're doing.

I'm locked upstairs in the bedroom with two small dogs who are less than pleased to be spending time with me. I am probably 100% correct when I say the man installing the water heater might not want anything to do with our dogs.

We should both be sleeping for work, but I guess this is the sacrifice you make when you've gone without running water for two days. But really, I've thought it was rather cool that my husband fills the back of our toilet via bucket. Thanks neighbors for sharing the water from your hose!

I don't think there will be hot water ready for me today. Good thing I showered before bed last night and I look halfway decent when I woke up. I'll probably just wash my face and brush my teeth at work and look forward to a 3:00am shower.

But it's all coming along! Once we have the water back on, the rest will be really easy. As of now, we don't use the downstairs except for laundry anyway and since that's all clean (thank you, Jeremy) it will be easy to be patient until the rest is done. Wonder when the demo crew will be here to tear out the drywall and insulation? Good question.

Hope everyone is enjoying their week. It's already half way over!

an update of sorts

2010-10-05T18:51:00.000-07:00

We still have fans and a dehumidifier going in the basement today. It was still wet and mold has started showing on some of the walls. Tomorrow the cleaning company will be back to take down the sheetrock and insulation from the wall between the bathroom and bedroom.

The water heater installation was pushed off from today to tomorrow morning first thing. The tech for our area called out sick today. We're lucky enough to have good friends in town that allow us to use their shower, washer and dryer. I'm hoping I'll have hot water by the time I have to be up for work tomorrow, but I think that's not going to happen.

The insurance company has agreed to cover our damages at this time. As long as they sign off on the summary from each of the companies we are working with everything will be replaced. This includes things we already had the intention of replacing. The flooring company will be replacing our carpet pad, the existing carpet is fine and will be placed back over the top. We'll have new flooring installed in the laundry room and bathroom and they've said as long as we purchase the new sink and toilet they'll install that for us as well. This is great news! If all goes well, we will only be responsible for paint and interior doors. This big mess may mean the entire downstairs remodel will be done at minimal cost to us and done professionally.

Because the sheet rock and insulation will be coming out of a few walls, we'll have a contractor coming in to replace them. I'm hoping this whole process takes no more than a month and by the time it's finished we'll be able to move in to our new bedroom! I tell you, staying positive in a situation like this is more likely to create a blessing in the end.

When this mess comes to a close, we'll finish up the kitchen. I'm so close to being done. Just doors and drawers and we'll be done! It's looked better than ever before.

I'll keep the updates coming!

a life of 8-15 years

2010-10-04T14:20:00.000-07:00

Ah, and I was making such progress.

Here are a few of the things I've learned this weekend.

I'm a hoarder. I have A LOT of stuff. EVERYWHERE. I collect stuff but never quite do anything with it because the house isn't "finished" yet. I've come to realize I need to stop collecting stuff.

Water heaters have a life of 8-15 years.

Our water heater has gone to that big water heater heaven in the sky, but not before seeping it's contents all over our basement. I went down to do laundry last night and discovered a pond. It wasn't as pretty as some I've seen, and I think they look much better in back yards. Just my honest opinion there.

We aren't sure how long it's been leaking or how much damage we're looking at, but the restoration service has arrived and they're starting to paint the picture for us. We have the new carpet and pad that's soaked. The water ran under the wall from the half bath in to the laundry room, and also under the wall in to the master bedroom. It's evident where we have no doors that water has inflitrated our drywall and studs. We haven't yet had the chance to take a look in the crawl space under the house to see if there is any standing water there.

I'm praying this will not be a financial burden bigger than we can handle right now. I don't feel anxious or stressed about it, and I hope the insurance company finds favor in our situation and helps us get this cleaned up with little expense on our end.

Until then, I'll sit in our bedroom upstairs and contain two naughty dogs that should absolutely be visited by Caesar Millan.

I'm suddenly happy that the plans for the master were haulted over the summer. I'd have about lost myself if all that work had beed flooded. Wish us luck!

busy work.

2010-10-02T04:08:00.000-07:00

I've kept my self busy, busy, busy, over the last couple of weeks. Work and home improvements have occupied most of my time. I needed something to quiet the mind after the loss of my best friend's 4 month old daughter. Busy work has done just that.

My mind has always moved much too quickly to get just one thing completed at a time. The master bedroom has been stalled for a long time, but I've made up for it in the kitchen and dining room. I used my spare time when my husband was gone for a week to refinish the kitchen cabinets. We are just mere few hours of work before the whole space will be completed and I'm so excited to share the final product here.

I've also began to crochet again. I was taught by my grandmother as a child, and my mother-in-law renewed my love for it over our Thanksgiving trip last year. I've been keeping my hands busy by making baby blankets. So many friends and coworkers have buns in the oven. No better gift that something made by hand, straight from the heart.

Today I'll be attending a women's conference at my church with ladies from my family and a close friend. I'm meeting my friend early just to present her with a very special gift for the baby she's expecting in March.

My first blanket finished! It's beautiful and soft. I found out while in the middle of it, this is the very color she ordered the new baby bedding in. I'm so excited it's going to match!

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

My favorite season

2010-09-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

Fall is my favorite season. I love the colors, the smell, the weather. Everything about it.

My mom also has to be the sweetest person alive. Knowing I loved fall, she put together an adorable box full of things to welcome my favorite time of the year.

The box included spiced cider packets, a bottle of Starbucks Caramel Sauce, a cute cup from Pier 1 with it's own spoon and a bunch of other cute goodies packed in to a recipe card box. It was fun to unpack today and enjoy my first caramel apple cider of the season.

Thanks Mom :) I love you!

I hope everyone is enjoying the start of the new season.

♥

2010-09-20T02:44:00.000-07:00

If this was mine, I'd never need to leave my bedroom. I'm afraid it's a touch to girly for the husband though. A girl can still drool though, right?

{via belle maison}

If you haven't checked out belle maison, you're truly missing out. By far my absolute favorite decor blog. Julie has a true talent here.

Sweet Child

2010-09-15T22:42:00.000-07:00

Dear Olivia,

You changed life dramatically for so many of us in this last year, and most importantly for your parents.

From the moment your mommy told me she was carrying you, she was glowing to know you were her baby. So many times throughout her pregnancy there were moments we were worried for her health. She did everything in her power to make sure you were healthy and well cared for.

To hold you the day you were born was such a magical moment. You were so tiny, your whole 4lbs 9oz. You were so warm in my arms and smelled like heaven. Sweet child, I enjoyed every moment I had to hold you and watch you live. You made your mommy and daddy so happy and I don't think they could have spared one more ounce of love for anyone but you.

Yesterday, I felt like my world had been turned upside down. To learn of your sudden passing at just 4 days shy of 4 months old, I hurt in a way I couldn't imagine. Your mother is such a dear and true friend to me, enough so she allowed me to be Auntie Cassie. Olivia, my first niece, I already miss your presence. To see your parents hurt the way they do is just heart breaking, so much I feel overwhelmed and completely helpless. It's not right to be with your parents at home, surrounded by so much belonging to you and not having you there. To hear your cooing and whimpers. To hear your giggles and see your smile.

I feel comforted to know you're with God now and knowing you served a very important purpose to so many of us here on earth in your short amount of time. I just hope we find the meaning sooner than later. Our hearts will ache for a long time and our lives have been changed forever.

I love you with all my heart,
Auntie Cassie

{via}

30. Fluffy Chocolate Frosting

2010-09-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

Frosting for your cupcakes? Absolutely. Better make it LOTS of frosting.

This recipe is also an adaptation from my KitchenAid booklet. It's almost dairy free. I didn't have corn syrup so I used sweetened condensed milk in it's place.

I used 'I Can't Believe it's not Butter' sticks for my frosting. It's dairy free and I think tastes a lot better than margarine. Maybe it's the same thing and I'm dillusional. Could be.

Whip the butter and sweetened condensed milk together. Slowly add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time until completely combined.

Add 1/4 cup melted chocolate. Choose anything you like, I used semi-sweet chocolate chips. However, the sweeter you go the more rich your frosting will be. After the chocolate is combined, mix for about 1 minute then stop and scrape the bowl. Turn back on to a medium speed and give it a good spin for a couple of minutes. The fluffier the better!

Spread on with a knife, or however you please.

Beautiful! Enjoy!

Fluffy Chocolate Frosting

adapted from 'Instructions & Recipes for your KitchenAid Stand Mixer'

1 cup butter alternative, softened

2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup melted chocolate

Mix butter and sweetened condensed milk until creamy.

On the slowest speed add in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time until completely combined. Mix on a medium speed until fluffy.

Melt chocolate and add to the frosting. Stop and scrape the bowl. Turn back on to a medium speed and mix for a few minutes until well combined and fluffy.

29. Quick Yellow Cake

2010-09-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

I was going to make myself a blueberry peach pie and found husband had eaten all the peaches. Avoiding a trip to the store, I took a survey of what I had in my baking cupboard and got to work on cupcakes.

This recipe comes from 'Instructions & Recipes for your KitchenAid Stand Mixer'. I altered it, because I do that. This is dairy free! Just the way I need it.

For dairy free cake batter you'll need flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, shortening, almond milk*, vanilla and eggs.

*As a side note on the almond milk, you could also try soy or coconut if you wanted. I have found soy milk makes cakes a little more dense than I like, and I've yet to try coconut milk.

This is a fabulous one bowl recipe, so throw it all in and mix it up. I lined my muffin tin and plopped a good 1/3 cup of batter in to each. Makes for HUGE cupcakes. Yum.

Pop in to an oven preaheated to 350 degrees and pull out your new flowery oven mitts. Oh, that might just be me. Couldn't pass them up at Ross though. $4 for the pair!

20 minutes in the oven and they should be about done. Just test them with a tooth pick and make sure it come out clean.

Place on to a cooling rack and make sure they're completely cooled before frosting. The frosting will become warm, start separating and look like a disgusting mess.

Is frosting supposed to be the fun part? I found this rather annoying. Probably because my little sandwhich bag I was piping frosting through burst and made a bit of a mess. I smeared it on with a knife. guess it's time for a pastry bag.

And it's time to eat! I think they're beautiful. They are so light and fluffy, the frosting is rich and just chocolatey enough. Check back for the frosting recipe tomorrow!

Quick Yellow Cake

adapted from 'Instructions & Recipes for your KitchenAid Stand Mixer'

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cups sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup almond milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and set aside.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in your mixing bowl and give it a stir. Add shortening, almond milk and vanilla. Mix on low for about 1 minute, stop to scrape the bowl and add eggs. Mix on low for about 30 seconds to incorporate the eggs, stop to scrape the bowl then mix on a medium-high speed for about 1 minute.

Add 1/3 cup of batter to each cupcake paper and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Check with a toothpick to ensure they come out clean. Don't over bake or your cupcakes will be dry.

Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Fresh Face

2010-09-06T04:03:00.000-07:00

I'm not an Avon girl and don't own anything from them, but I was really kind of impressed with an email I found in my junk mail box this morning.

(Why do I get emails from them, you ask? I don't know, and I can't make it stop no matter how many times I unsubscribe!)

It was actually an email from their mark. line. An old coworker of mine from a few years back began selling mark. products and she really liked them. Up until recently their face was Lauren Conrad. She's alright. I was never impressed with her makeup looks.

I have a reason to be impressed, people.

{via}

I may be slightly biased. I do happen to love Ashley Greene, and that's because I love Twilight. The books much more than the movies, boy they're almost awesomely bad. It doesn't keep me from watching them though.

I'm pale. Pale just like this. Can I look this amazing, please? I love the bold, yet simple look of her makeup. It's almost got me thinking I want to order everything on her face. I'm sure this is the point.

You can find it all here. Well done mark. - you win.