Test Shots and Some Laughs!

I am a bit of a stickler when it comes to taking photos. I am no pro, but recently I have started taking A LOT of test shots. I thought I might just throw some in this week for fun. My poor husband is usually the one that gets tested on.... This is us trying to get an acceptable shot on New Years Eve.

Champagne...

...on ice...

How long is this gonna take???

Seriously though, how long?

New Year's Kiss!

New Year's head lock...dedicated to a certain friend of Philip who will remain unnamed in hope he can retain some dignity

 Droid.....

This one is actually kind of sweet

Primping

Too much movement, plus what is with my face?

Finally, a Happy New Year!

Thanks Rob and Nicole for being brave enough to share yours!

Snow Crab with Garlic Potatoes and Parmesan Risotto

As I have posted before, Phil and I were engaged on New Year's Eve 2010. That night Phil cooked up some live lobster for us with garlic potatoes (the potatoes plated a key role in the proposal by the way!) We didn;t spring for the lobsters this year, but one dish we celebrate with a lot is snow crab. Here is how we prepare it. We usually buy 2lbs of crab for two people.

Snow Crab

Ingredients:

2lbs Snow Crab

Old Bay Seasoning

1 Lemon

1 Stick Butter

1. Rinse the crab.

2. In a large pot combine water, a couple shakes of Old Bay seasoning, and half a lemon. Bring to a boil.

3. Add crab. Bring back to boil, cover, and let boil for 7 mins. Serve immediately 

4. If you like to dip in butter, melt in microwave safe bowl. We usually squeeze the other half of the lemon into the melted butter...it's yummy.

Note: When you serve the crab you will want to have a bowl on the table where you can put the shells.

Garlic Potatoes

Ingredients

Baby Red Potatoes

2 Tbsp Parsley coarsely chopped

1 Tsp Garlic Salt

2 Tbsp Butter

1. Bring a medium size pot of water to a boil. 

2. Chop parsley.

3. Add desired number of rinsed potatoes to boiling water. Boil until potatoes are tender. (if making these with snow crab you may want to begin the potatoes about 20 mins before the crab is ready to be served)

4.  Drain potatoes and place back in pot.

5. Add butter, garlic salt, and parsley to pot. Stir to cover potatoes.

Parmesan Risotto

Parmesan Risotto was the side dish at our wedding and I found a great recipe at from Real Simple, you can find it on there website, just click on link

We paired out dinner with a bottle of Frog's Leap that Phil has purchased last year for our engagemnt and that we saved for this year!

Enjoy!

Stand Mixer Mayhem

I thought, and everyone told me, that having a stand mixer would make me enjoy cooking and baking more (I still don't think I am domesticated quite yet, but I am getting there. We received one from my in-laws as a wedding gift. From the first time I used it there was something wrong with the latch and it wouldn't lock when I put the arm down. So I usually ended up holding it down...which kind of defeats the purpose and I am sure not what my in-laws would have wanted. It took me six months to get around to calling KitchenAid. When I originally started this post it was intended to focus on the great customer service KitchenAid provided and how much I loved their 1 year total replacement warranty. I was going to tell you how I used it to make pizza dough this weekend and how much easier my life was now that I didn't have to stand next to the thin and hold the top arm down.

Below is that problem latch I was telling you about. I was so happy when I used the new one how perfectly it latched....

...the old one had already been shipped free of charge back to KitchenAid and I was a satisfied customer. But when I turned it on the mix and knead my pizza dough what I found that in order to use the "stir" setting I had to go to the "2" setting and then move back to the "stir" setting, which make flour and water fly everywhere! What's more is that after about a minute of kneading I realized that I  had been sent what I am calling a "walking mixer". The thing would have wobbled its way off the end of the counter had I not been there to hold it down ( the same thing I had to do with the old one but for a different reason! It was maddening!)

And that shot is after I had cleaned up a bit. It was a mess. I am hoping KitchenAid can make it right...I haven't given up on them yet. Stayed tuned to see what happens and I promise to keep you posted.

New Life for Dining Room Chairs

The nice thing about hubby cooking is that it gives me time to blog! I have not been able to share as much this week as I would have liked and I am glad to be back online! Recently I took advantage a snow day to snap some photos of what I like to call our "Party Seating". I have never been a huge fan of taking kitchen chairs, or heaven forbid folding chair, out when guests arrive. That is why it was important to me that we had some cohesive seating available for when guests arrive. (Don't get me wrong we still have to pull out additional seating every now and then for larger gatherings, but in that case you do what you have to do...like it or not). Anyway, here is what I did!

Yes...my secret is out, that is a fake plant in the corner and I am not sure I am crazy about it. but it snuck it's way into the photo....I may be moving that tonight. Back to the seating though. When we moved in I had this problem area, not only was it bare, but I also need a way to hide the cable cord you see running along the floor.

 I was hopeful that I might already have something that might work in lieu of buying new furniture. When we were preparing to move in together there were a few things in Phil's apartment that I was not in favor of having in our apartment. One was a dining room table with a clear glass top, The last thing I want to see when I am eating are my thighs! But it was a good table and we figured if we ever needed it we would use it, so now it sits in storage. Along with it were four black leather chairs. Little did I know those four would all be put to use. Two of them found a home in my problem area.

Definitely needed more, so I ran to Target to see what I could find in the way of side tables. I found this one for like 60 bucks.

  

From there it just needed some warming up and I again used things I already had. I had registered for some pretty neutral pillow shams from Pottery Barn without an exact place in mind for them, so I hadn't gotten the fillers yet, however, Phil had these hand me down safari pillows that I was not sure what I was going to do with either. I was a perfect marriage of pillow and sham!

A few finishing touches...again things I already had and we were set. I added a rug that belonged to Phil's grandfather...we think it is from Turkey, my in-laws can correct me if I am wrong....just going with what Phil told me :) and a few chochkies to the table. I still debating it I have too much there though...I would LOVE for you to leave me your opinions in the comments section and I will post updated photos with your suggestions!

So the cord can still be seen but it is not so obvious now. I can tell you this arrangement comes in handy for small gatherings...which are my favorite kind! I think the take away message is that you can use furniture in rooms other than what it was intended for in the first place. Here dining room meets living room without looking out of place. I intend to post about where the other two chairs found homes in our apartment in future posts.

Fresh Flowers, Celebrations and Home Decor

I love fresh white flower arrangements any time of the year! This is what I came home to this evening. My husband surprised me with this beautiful arrangement tonight to celebrate our six month wedding anniversary. I LOVE them...and him! Our wedding arrangement had the same fresh white and green tones and it was sweet of him to recreate that for me tonight. I usually gravitate toward fresh white and green leafy tones, but use whatever you love the most. That is how you will "personify" your home (not just with floral choices, but all your design decisions)... and after all aren't the personalities that inhabit our homes what makes them home in the first place.

I wanted to share this with you not just to brag about how great my husband is, but because I don't think any thing warms a home more that fresh flowers. If I could afford it I would have fresh flowers in every room everyday of the year. Flowers are a universal sign of joy and comfort... I mean they are the first hing we send to help a sick friend feel better, to express our love, to celebrate our lost loved ones, to acknowledge accomplishments like graduating from high school or college. They point us to what true beauty is in the times we need it most in life.Your home should be no different..it is one of the most important places in your life, you and those find shelter under its roof should be celebrated! It is important to have beauty in our lives and it is important to find beauty in ourselves and in our homes.

                   

What kind of flowers express the personality of your home best. Share your thought in the comments section, I would love to hear and it will help me get to know my wonderful readers just a bit more! I am looking forward to hearing from you!

The End of Christmas

All of these have been opened.....

The Christmas season, officially or unofficially, is coming to a close. That means all the decorations go back in boxes and we have to wait a whole year before we can pull them out again...well, you could pull them out sooner, but people might start to talk :)

Before I take my decorations down I wanted one last chance to spread the Christmas Cheer. I kept it very simple this year since we were traveling the week of Christmas and wouldn't be home to enjoy it that much, but I still think it is worth sharing. It took very little effort. A trip to a local big box store and and about an hour later we had an apartment that was ready for the season.

First I used things that we already had....We got a beautiful Waterford crystal bowl as a wedding gift from my Uncle Bill and Aunt Colleen. Phil brought these wonderful silver bauble ornaments to the marriage and then TADA!...A seasonal centerpiece.

The only other thing we adorned in the house was our fireplace...our gas fireplace :( Again I kept it VERY simple,. Picked up some 9 foot garland with lights already wrapped in it....(this was why we needed to go to Wal-Mart, Phil had the same thing, but it had colored lights...that is not what I was going for this year. Maybe someday we will have two fireplaces and we can use both!) I got a couple stems of red and gold flowers to tuck in as well. I was going for a classic Christmas look so we got classic red stockings. Next year I hope to knit some stockings to hang, but these did the job in the clutch. We even got a teeny tiny stocking for Stella. Meow. 

Phil and I had a wonderful holiday. Here we are celebrating together on New Year's Eve, now married and exactly one year after our engagement. So much to be thankful for this year!

Nostalgic Nightstand Ideas

This is what I get to begin and and each of my days with...well in terms of decor, that is...Phil is also usually always there now. But one of the great things about being married is that there is his side of the bed and there is my side of the bed. I not only think my nightstand is gorgeous, but it also holds a lot of meaning for me. I truly believe that when you begin your day with a reminder of the things that are most important to you, you set yourself up for better, fuller days.

It is so easy to let these spaces get filled up with random things; half read books, nightly medications, used tissues, charging cell phones, to do lists I say clear all that out, when your environment is better organized it will be much more relaxing, relaxation = a clear mind, and a clear mind=better sleep! Find just a couple of things that have a lot of meaning for you. and fill in with other items that bring you joy. A great place to start is a photograph. Put it in a frame that is fitting to hold such a treasured keepsake and build around that. For me, I actually began with my dried bridal bouquet and the silk flower I had worn in my hair. I loved my bouquet when it was fresh and it has a different but equal beauty now that is is dry, and I am so glad I chose a silk flower, I will have it forever.

 Soon after we got our wedding photos back and it was at that point that I began to take picture frames much more seriously and I fell in love with silver. I found this great frame on sale at Pottery Barn. Always check sale bins. There is a timeless romance that goes along with a black and white photo in a silver frame. I love it.

The clock was a wedding gift, but also points to the past, present and future. The brushed finish of the lamp compliments the polished silver nicely and also provides great light for bedtime reading or journaling. We found these at JC Penny. I couldn't be more pleased. I hope you find inspiration in you own life and in your own home, and if you do I would love for you to share it with me!