Travels

Ringing in the New Year

January 2, 2013

Despite knowing that New Years Eve comes each and every year at the same time… I can’t help but to never have plans made in advance.  This year was no exception, and 24 hours before the ball dropped we through together an impromptu get together and scored a table for 12 at a local restaurant. 

What does one do who worked a 9 hour day on NYE and got home an hour before everyone was about to show up?!  Throw together an impromptu dessert bar (we luckily we’re going out to dinner and only needed to host cocktails and dessert):

– Oreo Cake (just stack Oreos in the shape of a cake)

image

– Champagne Jello Shots

image

– Rice Krispie Treats

image

– Red Gummy Candys

image

I went with a Red-Black-Champagne colored theme for the night and just lit a bunch of candles and brought in fresh flowers.  Nothing crazy… but it helped add to the fun of ringing in 2013!  Cheers!

Domestic

New Years Resolutions

January 1, 2013

Being it is January 1st, what better a time to think about things we’d like to work on for 2013.

The last weekend of December I got my house ready for the new year – I emptied and organized every drawer, closet, shelf, and cabinet.  

I was most proud of my closets and wanted to share some of my thoughts:

1. Your closet should be a place that has you excited to get dressed every morning – beautiful things come in all shapes and sizes.  Put them on display! 

2. Your belongings should be easily accessible and visible – clear containers, shoe racks, jewelry displays… anything to help enhance the beauty of your belongings

3. Don’t keep something if you don’t feel or look good in it – so many times I’ve held onto something because I paid a lot for it, or it was my favorite shirt for a summer, but bodies change, styles change and sometimes you gotta let things go

Other tips: 

– Group clothes by “type” (I have my closet divided into work dresses, cocktail dresses, work tops, day tops, skirts, pants and jeans) then group them by color 

– Rotate your closet depending on the season (I keep a large Tupperware to hold either winter or summer clothes depending on the season)

– Display your scarves on belt racks, hold jewelry in clear divided containers, etc. Bed Bath and Beyond sells some great closet additions – check out: Handbag Organizer, Velvet Hangers, Shoe Racks, etc.

– Purge when the mood strikes.  I recommend starting small (sorting your sweaters or bathing suits) instead of going through your whole closet on a Saturday afternoon – it’s less intimidating and can make purging fun!

Hope that helps… Happy Organizing!

Tasty

Sunday Night Dinner

January 1, 2013

With the playoffs approaching football games have been fun to follow the last couple of weeks (even for me!), so we invited over my family to watch the games and share a relaxing Sunday dinner.  

During a Saturday morning Costco run we invested in a new slow cooker and I couldn’t be happier – here is the journey of its christening ..  

Pulled Pork with Caramelized Onions 

Homemade Sweet Potato Chips 

Bread and Butter Pickles

A couple tips I learned along the way… 1. Make the meat the day before, refrigerate it and skim the fat off of the top (the cut of meat is a little fatty for my taste), 2. Invest in a mandolin – they are a dream for a making a meal like this (evenly cut chips/pickles/etc.), 3. The pickles were really good on the sandwich (a vinegar based slaw would have been great too). 

Party, Tasty

Birthday Brunch

December 26, 2012

Luckily for my family we get to celebrate two birthdays on December 25th – Jesus’s and my mom’s! And what better way to kick things off than with a Martha inspired brunch!?  Check out my menu below:

Bloody Mary Bar

image

White Cheddar and Apricot Puffs

image

Chocolate Filled Croissants

image

Winter Fruit Salad with Basil Syrup

image

Potato, Scallion and Goat Cheese Frittata

image

Cider Braised Slab Bacon and Smoked Country Apple Sausage

image

And voila! Happy Holidays!

image


PS. I doubt it was my breakfast… but I must have been on the nice list because my husband got me a gorgeous new big girl camera… translation – I will be able to post legit food pictures now… goodbye iPhone photos!