Dining Room makeover

I"m already thinking ahead. I'm hosting Thanksgiving at my house this year and really need to start putting some thought into my dining room area. Right now it has a table and a desk in it and that's it (the desk isn't staying). I need a rug, some plants, wall hangings or some kind of decoration. Maybe a sideboard but I"m not going to rush that until I find the perfect one. I also need to recover my chairs. So you see I have a long list of things I have to do and not really that much time to do it. Time to start planning.

Lisa :)

Some stuff on my "I really want" list

Does your list of "wants" fall into two buckets like mine? The ones you can go out and get anytime and the ones you have to save for and really think about if they're worth it? These are some higher priced items that have been on my want list for a while and who knows if I'll end up getting them but it's fun to dream. :) Below is art from Jennifer Lanne. I love her style and the colors and her subjects. She has a fun blog too that I like to check out.

Then there is the wonderful dutch oven. I like this color and would probably mostly used it in the winter or to decorate my stove top ;)

I love, love, love this rug from Pottery Barn and am really hoping it will eventually make its way into my dining room. It's been on my dining room's wish list for some time also.

I am crushing on this pattern from Emma Bridgewater called "Starry Skies" I really want the mugs. I think they would go perfectly with some yummy hot chocolate and whipping cream.

What's on your wish list?

Lisa

Farm Chick giveaway

So the wonderful Farm Chicks are having a giveaway. You can check them out here. They are so awesome. I bought their cookbook earlier this year and love it. It's full of crafts and awesome recipes and the book itself is just so darn cute! And I love cute ;)The cookbook isn't included in the give away, you'll have to go out and get that on your own. But what is included is this yummy stuff below. Purl Soho

They just got back from a trip to NY and were so sweet to bring back prizes. I've been to NY once and it was for work and I was only there one day so it doesn't really count. I didn't get to go to any fun stores like the ones below, which means I definitely need to go back. No, not just to shop! I plan on eating lots of good food too :)

M&J Trimming

Penzeys Spices

Anyway, go here and you can enter the drawing too!

Lisa

Makeover

I really need a makeover, bad. I am probably one of those people who would get stopped on the street by the TV shows that makeover people on the fly. My hair and make-up are ok but I am very into comfort and not so much on style. I also tend to spend my money on making my house look good, not me :) Anyway, today I got a couple skirts and a sweater from Garnet Hill that I have been eyeing forever and they were on sale, so I picked them up. I love this pink sweater and orange skirt combo. The skirt has stitching the same color as the sweater. I also bought the pink skirt belowI'm going to Montana in September so I bought some hiking shoes because there is going to be a lot of hiking on my vacation, can't wait! I also need to start buying vacation clothes. I don't know that my cute skirts above will fit in Montana. Might have to hit up LL bean for MT gear.

Gotta go, husband and I are going to a movie and dinner. ;)

Random #2

Sorry, I'm not very good with titles. A couple years from now I'll probably be posting Random #600. I completed a couple more layouts this week. I plan on blocking out some time to work on some more pages tomorrow. I've got a good stack of pictures building up. I also need to work on my picture taking skills. The pages look lopsided, but I promise they're straight :)Speaking of scrapbooking, I won a contest with my Poker Face layout featured a couple blogs down. I'm so excited!

I bought these placemats and napkins on sale today. I love gingham, it's so summery and such a happy pattern. And it goes with my house perfectly. I really need to stop buying red accessories though. Red is a very dominate color in my house and I really need to work more on bringing in the blue and cream in for a little balance.

Tomorrow I plan on planting some flowers in the front of the house to replace some that have died. I do not have a green thumb at all. Also, I am going to make Ina's Lemon Yogurt cake with a blueberry sauce. Yumm!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Lisa:)

Happy Fourth of July!

From my family to yours,

Lisa :)

The best summer dessert!

Mixed Berry Pavlova

Ingredients
4 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch kosher salt
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/2 pint fresh blueberries
1/2 pint fresh raspberries

Directions
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees F.
Place a sheet of parchment paper on a sheet pan. Draw a 9-inch circle on the paper, using a 9-inch plate as a guide, then turn the paper over so the circle is on the reverse side. (This way you won't get a pencil mark on the meringue.)

Place the egg whites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites on high speed until firm, about 1 minute. With the mixer still on high, slowly add the sugar and beat until it makes firm, shiny peaks, about 2 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the mixer, sift the cornstarch onto the beaten egg whites, add the vinegar and vanilla, and fold in lightly with a rubber spatula. Pile the meringue into the middle of the circle on the parchment paper and smooth it within the circle, making a rough disk. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off the oven, keep the door closed, and allow the meringue to cool completely in the oven, about 1 hour. It will be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

Invert the meringue disk onto a plate and spread the top completely with sweetened whipped cream. Combine the strawberries, blueberries and raspberries in a bowl and toss with about 1/2 cup of raspberry sauce, or enough to coat the berries lightly. Spoon the berries carefully into the middle of the Pavlova, leaving a border of cream and meringue. Serve immediately in large scoops with extra raspberry sauce.

Sweetened Whipped Cream:
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Whip the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (you can also use a hand mixer). When it starts to thicken, add the sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until firm. Don't overbeat!
Yield: 1 cup

Triple Raspberry Sauce:
1 half-pint fresh raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup seedless raspberry jam (12-ounce jar)
1 tablespoon framboise liqueur
Place the raspberries, sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 4 minutes. Pour the cooked raspberries, the jam, and framboise into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until smooth. Chill.
Yield: 2 cups

Recipe by Barefoot Contessa (of course)

Enjoy! Lisa:)

Random

Here are a couple of layouts I did this past weekend using the Jenni Bowlin kit I had purchased a few posts down. I am really happy with how they turned out, such great colors! Perfect for summer.Normally, I don't use such bright colors but I might change my mind.Of course, I am anxiously awaiting her July kit. The fun never ends! I bought this awesome jean jacket at J. Jill last week. I've been eyeing it for a while and it finally went on sale, so of course I had to scoop it up. The only problem is that it's a 100 degrees where I live...I won't be wearing it anytime soon. I do have a trip to Montana coming up in September so I'm sure I'll have plenty of opportunity then. I love going on vacation. It means you have to buy vacation clothes and I love buying vacation clothes. That's really the only time I shop. For clothes that is.

My husband and I are celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary this weekend. I am so excited, we are going to see the musical Wicked (really, it was his idea, I'm going for him). I have wanted to see this show forever. I already bought the CD and it's fab.

I've got this beauty coming in the mail. It's a replica of a Frances Palmer vase. I first saw it in a beautiful table setting in Country Living during this past Christmas and as soon as I saw it, I needed it.

I did title this post random for a reason :)

Lisa

A second home of my own

If I ever win the lottery and am able to own a second home, I want it to be located in a quiet coastal town surrounded by hydrangea bushes. I want to wake up in the mornings and go for a walk along a quiet road and pick wildflowers, which I'll put on my table when I get home. After breathing in fresh sea air, I would come back to a homemade breakfast of strawberry french toast, which my husband made and we would go eat it on our wrap around porch while we listened to birds chirp and discussed what we wanted to do for the day. He would suggest taking a nice bike ride into town and looking through a few antique shops (stop laughing, this is my fantasy) and then we would stop and have a little lunch at some cute cafe where the waitress greets us by name. I'm not sure what I would have for lunch, but there would definitely be pie involved for dessert (hold the calories, thank you) and then we would hop back on our bikes and head down to the beach to go hunt for seashells. Eventually, we would head back to the house and unwind in our hammock until it was time to start preparing dinner, because we had friends and family coming over. At the end of the day, I would curl up in a comfy bed on a screened porch and let nature sing me to sleep.

It doesn't hurt to dream a little. Let me go make sure hubby bought the lotto tickets :)

A piece of ...pie!

I've got pie on the brain big time. It's such a pretty dessert. And even more important, it's delicious warmed up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum! A couple of weeks ago I bought these cute mini pie makers and I am dying to use them. I bought the heart and the star at Williams - Sonoma. They have little cut outs that reveal the flavor. I love pie paraphernalia, especially if it's cute! I love this pie plate with the big fat edges. I wonder how it looks after it's baked. Very artsy.I made a cherry pie from scratch one time. It's VERY messy but oh so good! If you're going to make a cherry pie, you'll need a cherry pitter. I would do it outside or over a sink and definitely don't have your favorite shirt on. I think cherry juice stains. If you make your own crust you're also going to need pie weights or beans work just as well and will save you a few bucks.

I love all kinds of pie but my favorites are Strawberry-Rhubarb, Cherry, and Blueberry (Pumpkin too but that's a fall dessert). The more I think about it, I don't know if there is a pie I don't like. :) What's your favorite kind of pie?



Lisa :)

Rescrap anyone?

Has anyone ever done a rescrap? I started scrapbooking about 6 years ago and at that time all I did was find some pretty paper and a few stickers, add some pictures and I was done. 6 years later my tastes have matured. My pages are much better now than what they were (not that they don't have plenty of room for improvement). I've learned a couple of techniques and even my taste in the papers has changed. I doubt I will rescrap every page I've ever done, but it's kind of fun to revisit the oldies but goodies. If I had thought about it sooner, I would have done a before and after picture. I'll remember to do that in the future :)

Aside from rescraping, it's also fun when you come across pictures that you never scraped at all and you wonder why. I must have had so many events and plenty of pictures to choose from at that time.

I do have some goodies coming in the mail which I should be receiving soon. I ordered Jenni's June Paper Kit below. Don't you just love the colors . Totally summer! There are still some left.I also ordered a Junque box filled with a bunch of vintage finds and a wonderful assortment of patriotic vintage goodies, which I am super excited about.

On a really exciting note, I think my parents are coming to visit us next weekend! Lucky us, perfect picture taking opportunity. Of course, when my mom and I get together, we usually just take pictures of each other because the boys won't cooperate :)

Have a great night,

Lisa