.To Sew.

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Take a look at the new supplies for my upcoming sewing projects. Yes. 2 of them.

I figure it's about time to get back in the saddle so to say. Miss (err, now Mrs.) Crafty Erinn will be out in full force shortly. It's been a while since I've tackled any sort of sewing project (actually since christmas and our new stockings) and I'm going to start off small (you'll soon see).
I do have one problem: I need to finish that other 'little' project of mine, currently in the works...
hello craft room!
I feel the creative vibes coming on strong.
And I Cannot wait.

And don't you just love those colors! Eeeek!

Now I just have to sit down and get at 'em....ohh, and finish all the others projects currently on the go!
So typically me.
Note to self: Finish one thing before starting another.
Ohh, But the colors get me so excited.....
Tutorial soon to follow.

P.S. The hubby returns today from a night of skiing and debauchery with the boys. This has me very, very excited as well. I seriously missed that scruffy boy.
Shh. Just don't tell him that.
xo

.Yesterday.

What a successful day yesterday was.

Friday's generally tend to be pretty fantastic for all the obvious reasons, but my Friday was extra busy. And extra Fantastic.

And that's just the way I like it.

Here's my rundown:

7:30 am - Seriously I was up. Like 2 days in a row now....what's that all about?

 But I still hung out in bed reading this book for an hour or so.....

(ps. thanks Andrea for the recommendation)

9:00 am - Outta bed. Into painting hell. Yep, I started my creative space. I chose a medium grey paint for the walls and actually got started on it. I also forgot how much I hate painting, but at least I got started. (ohh, and side note: upon seeing it after it dried I think I may have chose a grey paint with a little too much blue tone in it. Bummer. Ohh well, I'm stuck with it. I mentioned how much I HATE painting right?)

12:30 pm - Shower, Change and Beautify.
Did my nails (it's been a while) and I'm loving this shade of Greige!
Little shot of my favorite thing in the World too! My precious ring!

1:30 pm - Performing my bridesmaid duties for a lovely gal. Miss Fiona Morris (but more on her to come in a later post...stay tuned). On our checklist - Wedding dress shopping.
FYI: This is NOT the dress. So no real peeking till the Big Day next summer.
Sorry Folks.

3:00 pm - Home time to prepare for our Dinner Guests.

4:00 pm - Prep time for my Prime Rib Dinner. Seriously YUM. I recommend trying out this super simple recipe to have a little WOW factor for your dinner guests. It almost can't fail (ohh, except the time I totally overcooked it. Ya, try NOT to do that.)

4:30pm - Prime Rib cooking in the oven. Time to clean. Vacuum, Bathrooms, Dusting, Dishes, Laundry,  Setting the table, Pouring the wine (doesn't everyone group that into their weekly cleaning?) 

6:30 pm - Guests arrive!

Dinner Served. More Wine Poured. Cake Cut (HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES! aka. BatBoy).

Dishes Left. Laughs Had.
Bedtime. Phew.

.Prime Rib Dinner.

So Very Delicious.

Yes, this is what I made yesterday for some friends.

It was awesome, and tasty, and so super simple.

Looks pretty yummy too. 

(pic's not mine....I got too excited and forgot to take a picture of the finished product. These are however, beautiful, and from the same source as the recipe, with my adapted notes on the side)

Enjoy!

Prime Rib Dinner

2 Stalks of celery, cut in half (we actually forgot to buy this, but I DO suggest putting them in)

2 carrots, peeled and cut in half, lengthwise (I used like 10 carrots to eat as a side afterwards)

1 onion, cut in half

5 pounds Prime rib of Beef, bone in

Coarse salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

1) Preheat oven to 450F

2) Rub roast liberally with S&P (seriously get in there. When you think it's good on the salt, rub in more, it will just flavor the beef more and make it more tender. Win. Win.)

2) Lay celery, carrots, and onion on bottom of a roasting pan large enough to hold the roast. Place the roast on top of the vegetable rack. Place in the hot oven and roast for 15 minutes.

3) Without opening the oven turn the heat down to 300F and continue roasting for 15-20 minutes per pound until a meat thermometer registers 120F in the thickest part of the meat, and then roast for an hour more.

4) Remove from the oven and pan and place on a cooling rack. Cover with several layers of aluminum foil. The meat will rest and relax and as it does the temp. will ride a bit more to a perfect medium rare. (I actually just left it in the pan and just tin-foiled the top of the roast. It will still cook and lets the juices out.)

5) After at least 20 minutes, you may begin carving. Plenty of time to make the gravy (See below)

Horseradish Gravy

2 cups red wine (I found this to be quite a bit of wine....yes, that's a first for me...so I 

suggest cutting it in about half for a thicker gravy. For a glaze, keep recipe as is.)

1 cup Beef stock

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp horseradish

1) Make a slurry by mixing the cornstarch and water and stirring until smooth.

2) Pour pan juices from roast beef into a pan. Pour off fat if there is any. Turn up the heat to high and add the wine. Reduce this by half while stirring. Add beef stock, and let simmer and then add the cornstarch slurry. Stir until thickened.

3) Add horseradish at the end, to finish the sauce. Yum and Yum.

.New Job.

So Folks. It's time to share my good news.

I got myself a spiffy new job.

Yeppers. And I'm so Happy about it!
So here I am, Mrs Serious Working Girl (this rejuvenation is intoxicating!)
And the best part. I get to wear my Big Girl Working Heels. Gosh, I love Heels....
And I'm sooooo extremely excited to get started.
But wait...2 paid weeks off at home first.
Well, okay. I guess I'll get started after that... 

.Long Weekend.

Miss Isla. xo

I just had the most relaxing and marvelous long weekend. 

Which included, but was not limited to:

Watching my little superstar Hubby play some hockey.
Sleeping in till 10 am.

 A glance at the grey paint I bought for my 'Creative Space' (but that can wait till another day). 

Dinner with the Birthday Girl and Friends at Sabor Divino.
A Sunday FULL of sleep (and the hangover...that wasn't so fun).
Eating some late night nachoes.

Enjoying some friends over at our house for some wine and watching wedding speeches. AGAIN.

Ignoring pretty much all of my housework until right now (my house is seriously SOOOO messy).

Shopping spree for Hubby, who desperately needed new shoes (he got 3 pairs).

Seeing my new little niece, Isla Mackenzie, and snuggling her to bits.
Dinner at the In-Laws, and enjoying the most delish dinner. Thank you Chef Zofia!
Baking some No-Knead Bread (recipe to come)
Being sent back to reality (wait - that wasn't till this morning)
Prepping for the day ahead of me.
Being Today.  

Isla's new toy from Auntie Erinn.

.Party Animals.

You'll have to excuse me for yesterday and the lack of a post.

You see I had a very important Birthday celebration to attend.

A certain big '3-0' for this lovely lady friend of mine. Miss Gillian.

Yeppers, can you believe this little number just turned 30!

We got picked up in a big shiny white limousine (we like to travel in style around these parts), popped a bunch of champagne, and headed boardwalk-downtown to a lovely Mediterranean restaurant called, Sabor Divino, which came highly recommended. And I'm happy to report, it didn't let us down. I dined on duck breast, the husband on calamari and shrimp. The birthday girl enjoyed a seafood feast (lobster, mussels, clams, shrimp, calamari, prawns - it was just scrumptious!), which she shared with her equally gorgeous sister. There was sea bass, eggplant Parmesan, and lamb ordered for a few of the others. And all Seriously Mouthwatering.

Then we all piled back into the white beast, and headed over to the coolest wine & scotch bar. EVER.

And this now just might be my new favorite hangout.

Brothy's, you've stolen my heart with your sharp witted Scottish tongue.

Go there. You won't regret it. I promise. 

Our Sexxxy Limo Ride. No Big Deal.

The Sexy Sisters.



So there you have it. One spectacular night out with some very good wine, yummy food, and

Great friends.

And one heck of a hangover. 

Happy 30th Birthday Beautiful. xo

.Time to...

...CELEBRATE!!!!

Cheers to me and my good fortune (am I allowed to say that?!?)

.....more news soon-to-come.

xo.

Happy LONG Weekend Friends!

.Right now, I am.....

:: pondering what it would be like to live in a warmer climate. Where you don't have to put on 15 layers before taking the dog for a walk.

:: marveling how this February is flying by in such a blur, embracing that, and riding the wave right on into March.

:: revisiting memories of family and friends, and enjoying every minute spent in my head.

:: plotting our spring garden, all while sitting by the fire wearing three layers of wool and sipping warm tea.

:: finishing winter organization of our house. Once spring comes, it's only outdoor projects for this girl.

:: stopping myself from re-painting our entire house different shades of white or grey.

:: wondering if there really is anything better than a meal cooked by my mother-in-law.

:: learning how to work my new mac. and camera (coming soon). 

:: listening to the new kings of leon album and love, love, loving it.

:: following my intuition with my career. Lets hope it pays off.

:: missing my family. Mother's in Turks & Caicos, and Father's in Amsterdam. 

:: loving my husband. And my outfit a little today.

:: hoping that everyone has a little bit of that kind of good love in their lives.

:: wanting to get out my beautiful spring/summer heels and actually wear them.

:: thinking it would be nice if I didn't have to go to the gym tonight.

:: reminding myself that some gym time today might be a better option for that summer bod that I keep whining about.

:: making fish (cod with horseradish cream sauce) with wild whole grain rice for dinner tonight. Yay to being healthy and interesting.

:: planning on eating a bunch of pickles for a snack before that.

:: wishing you a lovely thursday and a beautiful start to your almost-here long weekend!  

xo.

.My Obsession Continues.

It's true.
I can't deny, nor hide it any longer.

My obsession with mustard and grey continues. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/uniform-studio/4639537714/

I thought it would fade out after my wedding (if you remember, I used Black, White, Mustard, and Grey in everything I touched for my Big Day), but sadly it's now creeping it's way slowly into my wardrobe. And into my home.

Everything I am leaning towards purchasing is in either of these colors.
Wanna take a peek at my wishlist?
Ohh, and when I say wishlist, it's really only a matter of time before I start to tick them off....but shhh,

 lets not tell the Husband.

 Cute tops for work.

anthropologie.com

MUST have this top!

anthropologie.com

I am sooo in love with this entire outfit. LOVE the shoes especially!

anntaylorloft.com

Cutest Jacket. Yes, please!

anntaylorloft.com

Just want this entire outfit. Cute for a wedding, or night out.

http://www.etsy.com/error.php?error_id=8

 Just dreamy.....

vera wang

LOVE this. So MUCH.

desiretoinspire.com

Grey + Yellow

desiretoinspire.net

Soft and Pretty. I totally can imagine myself sitting right there, smack dab in the middle of that couch!

ideastoinspire.com

Well, there you have it. I need to get me some mustard and grey. Pronto.

xo

.Raw.

Raw Foods. Or Raw Food Diet. Ever heard of it?

Well, I have. And I have to say that the 2 items I've tasted, being classified as 'raw' were Marvoulous!

Peter's Mother, Zofia, would be so proud of me. Why? Because I am about to attempt the following.

A Raw Dessert.

First, I should clarify what the definition is of Raw Food Diet: a diet based on uncooked and unprocessed plant foods, such as fresh fruit, veggies, nuts, grains, seeds and beans. You cannot heat your food above 116 degrees F as it is believed to destroy enzymes in food that can assist in the digestions and absorption of food.

So there you have it. I am attemping to cook a Raw Dessert for Peter for Valentines.

photo: Roostblog

Meyer Lemon, Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

(Adapted from Roost Blog, which was tweaked from Emily Lee Angell's recipe)

For the Crust:

-2 cups raw almonds soaked overnight

-1/2 dates, pitted (about 7 or 8 dates) if dates are really dry, put them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes, discard water

-1/4 cup non-sweetened coconut flakes

Place almonds and dates in a food processor and mix until chopped and well incorporated. Cover the bottom of a 9inch spring form cake pan with the coconut flakes (this prevents the cake from sticking the the pan). Pour the almond mixture on top of the coconut flakes , spread out and mold into the cake pan.

For the Filling:

-3 cups raw cashews soaked for three hours

-3/4 cup fresh meyer lemon juice

-3/4 cup raw honey (you can use regular honey if you don't want to go 100% raw)

-3/4 cup raw coconut oil (I couldn't actually find this, so I mixed oil with a little coconut flakes, and it turned out pretty good....I used a little less oil than called for)

-1 tsp vanilla or 1 vanilla bean, split open and seeds scraped, pod discarded

-1/2 tsp celtic sea salt

To make the cheese, blend the cashews, lemon, honey, gently warmed coconut oil (do not use microwave), vanilla/vanilla bean, and sea salt. Blend until smooth and adjust to taste. (For the best results you need to use a high speed blender!)

Pour mixture on top of the "crust" and carefully tap the pan on the counter to release any air bubbles.

For the topping:

-1 bag of frozen blueberries (or any berry that you prefer)

-honey or dates to sweeten (I didn't measure I just poured and tasted)

-1/4 cup orange juice (this is optional, but my mixture was too thick so I added the orange juice to smooth it out....apple cider would work great too or water if needed)

Place honey, berries and cider/juice in a high speed blender and process until smooth. Pour over "cheese" mixture. 

Place the pan in the freezer for at least three hours or overnight. Before serving place on counter to thaw slightly. This is best served semi frozen, soft enough to run a serrated knife through. 

photo: Roostblog

**So that's that. And just to let you know it was pretty damn good. Light, refreshing, with a 'healthy' taste to it. Even the husband was quoted saying "Good dessert Erinn. I like this better than normal desserts". Guess that's a winner.

And doesn't it look devine?

I think so.

.Sweet Pea.

So I have some very exciting news to share with everyone.

As of tomorrow, I am going to be called Auntie Erinn to a very sweet little miss!

Our friends Nicole & Cory are about to welcome their daughter into this world, after stubbornly taking an extra week nesting in her mommy's tummy.

I so already love this about her.

She's going to be stunningly beautiful (after her momma),

 and one of the kindest people on this earth (like her poppa).

She'll most likely have very dark hair, but maybe surprise us all with a head of red.

She'll be a happy girl, who likes to laugh and giggle. And very girly.

She'll also be goofy like her poppa, and love to dance.

When she smiles, her dimples will show. She'll love hot dogs and the color pink.

And I cannot wait to meet her.

xo.

.Love Nest. For Two.

Ohh sweet day of love.
Filled with hues of Red and Pink. Chocolate and Flowers. Kisses and Cuddles.

I hope you found yourself having a lovely day, whatever you did.

xo

As for me and the Husband?

Well this year we decided to stay in for V-day. It was our first one as Husband and Wife, and I have to say. It was the best one yet. 

With a little effort, and a lotta love. It was close to perfect.

Peter surprised me with a full 4 course gourmet meal (and listen to this line-up: 1. prosciutto-wrapped scallops with honey mustard glaze + jalapeno yogurt dipping sauce; 2. sweet chili tiger prawns with a wasabi-mayo; 3. crab cakes with a pepper yogurt sauce; 4. sundried tomato + goat cheese heart shaped ravioli.  And they were ALL home made. I know right. UNBELIEVABLE!), we had to save the 'raw'dessert that I made for tomorrow (too full), but we did have chocolate dipped strawberries, a little wine, camped out in our living room, gave each other massages, played with Peter's new toy (a Macbook Air...Geez, aren't I a great wifey?) and watched movies pretty much all night. A chilled and romantic night with the man I adore.

My treats. Got so excited I forgot to take a pic of the crab cakes....sorry.

I enjoyed every minute of our 'love nest' and I think the husband enjoyed the effort I put into it, Amongst with other things, but we'll keep this PG......

Needless to say, I'm already excited for next year.

Love you Mister P.

Our little couch love nest.

Presents!

Today I am so thankful for finding my heart. You, husband of mine, are pretty damn awesome.

xx

.Happy Valentine's Day.

Just wanted to wish Everyone a very

Happy Valentine's Day!

xx

Stay tuned to see what the Hubby and I have planned.

.Homemade Pizza.

So this is Pizza 101. Start to Finish.

Not that I'm an expert or anything, but we sure do enjoy making a homemade pizza around here every now and again (especially since the husband is into making his very own pizza dough. And it seriously rocks.
I know right. I so lucked out with him).

So anyways, since I'm having a hankering for some doughy goodness, I thought I'd give it a whirl. My turn at a thin, crispy + chewy crust baked to perfection (or we hope at least).

Wish me luck.
***See note at bottom of page.....Things didn't go totally according to plan***

No-knead pizza dough
Adapted from http://www.foodhappy.com/ , where it was adapted from Jim Lahey, Co.
Makes 3-4 medium pizzas (see note below)

Ingredients3 cups all purpose flour
¼ tsp instant yeast
1½ tsp salt
1½ cups warm water

Directions1. Whisk the first three ingredients together in a large bowl. Pour in water and stir until combined (dough will be sticky). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at warm room temperature for 12 - 24 hours.
2. After dough has rested, transfer to a lightly floured work surface. Dust dough with bit of flour and fold over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 15 minutes.
3. Divide dough into 4 pieces* and shape each piece into a ball. Place on a well-floured surface and cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap and towel. Let rise for 2 hours.
4. Stretch, toss, or roll each ball out to be about 12 inches wide. Add toppings and bake in a preheated oven on top of a very hot pizza stone**.

5. Bake the pizzas at 450°F for 10-15 minutes or until the crust is browned and the toppings looked tasty.

*You can divide it into 3 pieces to make slightly larger (~13 inch), thicker-crusted pizzas.

**If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can use a heavy baking sheet that’s been heated for 5 minutes in a 500°F oven. Just roll the dough out on cornmeal-dusted parchment, add the toppings, and transfer the whole thing (parchment and pizza) to the hot pan (much easier than trying to transfer a floppy, uncooked pizza!). 

FYI. With this dough, it’s best to go easy on the toppings - this’ll keep the crust crisp and let its great flavour come through. Here are some tasty combo's:

Roasted garlic + Zucchini + Parmesan + Chili's

- Smush together one head of roasted garlic (or 6 cloves of fresh garlic, bashed or whizzed to a paste) with a large pinch of salt and 2 tsp olive oil. Spread evenly over dough. Add a single layer of thinly-sliced zucchini (~1 small zucchini). Add a light drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle each of salt and dried chili flakes, and a small hand full of good quality grated Parmesan cheese. Bake.

Pesto + Baby Shrimp + Goat Cheese (One of Husband's Favorites)
-Spread a thin layer of pesto over dough. Top with a small handful of mozza, and spread the cooked baby shrimp over this. Crumble the goats cheese all over.

Fig + Spicy Sausage + Goat Cheese (Husband's Favorite!!) 

 -Cut up and fry the sausage. Chop up the figs (we bought the ones that have already been dried and are sticky a little. I'm sure you can use fresh figs too, but we haven't tried that yet). Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over the dough. Add a little mozza over sauce. Add the cooked sausage and figs. Crumble the goats cheese all over. And sprinkle some Basil. Bake.

Margherita

- Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over dough. Top with a small handful of fresh basil and a bit of fresh mozzarella (sliced-1/8 inch thin or torn - a little will go a long way!). Sprinkle with a pinch or two of salt. Bake. 

Reverse Margherita

- Spread a thin layer of good pesto over dough, leaving a bit of an edge. Top with thinly-sliced fresh tomatoes, a small handful of fresh basil, and a bit of fresh mozzarella (sliced 1/8-inch thin or torn - a little will go a long way!). Sprinkle with a pinch or two of salt. Bake.
Thai Inspired
-Spread peanut sauce over pizza using a relatively thin layer. Top with seasoned chicken, bean sprouts, cheese, and chopped green onions. Bake. Thanks to Kinga + Edward for this suggestion!

Some OTHER tasty (and unique) combinations to try:
*Caramelized onions + Waxy Potatoes + Thyme
*Potato + Rosemary + Mozza + Olive Oil
*BBQ Sauce + Chicken + Red Onion + Mozza Cheese
*Fresh Pineapple + Good Black Olives (Seriously, Yum)
*Flat bread/ Pita Bread + Arugula + Sun-dried Tomatoes + Goat Cheese + Chicken
**Or Try placing some fresh Avocado slices on top (after baking), or a Tomato-Basil Bruschetta topping! Fun!

We halved one of our Pizza's in case you where wondering.

Just remember. Try to have some fun with this.No better way to enjoy it than with a group of friends or even get your kids involved. Each can top their own pizza and everyone can share in the results afterwards!

Bon Appetite!

****Ohh Dear. So after slaving away and typing this post up early this morning, then running to the store for the ingredients to create my 'masterpieces', I get home and start to prepare. Well, low and behold, I should probably have actually read the recipes before trying to blog about them. Let me explain. I bought all the ingredients needed, but didn't actually read the preparation of the recipe. Sooooo, I kind of missed the 18 - 24 hour dough rising part.
Yep. Seriously.
Guess what happened next. The Husband comes to the rescue. My knight in shining armour. He swoops in after my lip is protruding (I have a serious pout when needed) well below it's normal droop, and saves Pizza Making Sunday!
My Hero.
He makes his own tried and true dough recipe for me to top with some of the flavors listed above. And it was good. So even though I didn't get my crack at making the homemade dough (next time I swear it's MY turn, and I'll be trying out the dough above. Promise.) my craving was satisfied.
 What a guy.
Thanks Babe.

p.s. Went for a hour walk with Miss Bella + Peter today. Yah me and so loving this weather!
p.p.s. I'm thankful for my husband always saving the day. Love you mister.
p.p.p.s. As mentioned, I got this recipe over at a new super fun food Blog called Food Happy. Seriously check it out. Loving her style! http://www.foodhappy.ca/ 

.Bucket list - 2011

Even though we're a month and a 1/2 into 2011, I figured I'd put together my 2011 bucket list. Better late then never right.....

Bucket List of Awesome Things That I'll Actually Want To Accomplish In 2011.

* Take a real live {most likely exotic} vacation with husband (a belated honeymoon)

* Develop my photography, and learn to take a great picture (ie. Andrea style)

*Keep my house clean (for the most part) everyday

    *Finishing at least one book with my husband. Together.

    *Make our bed daily

    *Have one sit down meal a week (at the actual dinner table, maybe with some candles)

    *Actually finish projects on our house (deck, yard, concrete & painting are all on the list this year)

*Grow a gorgeous garden

*Try to have an amazing monthly date night with the husband. And document all of them.

*Keep up with my blog daily (if possible)

*Cook more at home. Make more breads.

*Learn to Sew. Anything.
*Learn to Knit. Anything.

* Be physically active every single day (and recording the fun ones) . Either a gym visit, long walk with the dog, yoga classes, swimming, bicycling around the river valley. In fact, just trying outdoor activities for a change!
*Learn photography. Take loads of pictures.

*Celebrate Valentines Day + Anniversary + Our Birthdays. For reals this time.

*Become a Style maiden. Try to step outside of my grey + black + white bubble.

*Become a working powerhouse (a reminder to work hard and great things will come of it)

Perfect. Now let's get started.

Love this too!! Plan a monthly 2011 Resolution (might then actually accomplish them!)
 bowerpowerblog.com

Ohh, and Today I'm grateful for amazing friends having us over for dinner and the best conversations that are sure to follow. xx

(bucket list - check. Now off to make some bread....bucket list - Check)

.Friday. Date night.

An excited Wife.

So it's date night. And damn it, we're so lucky.

Lucky to have each other to do this with. Seriously. It's so easy to forget how important you are to each other during the normal day-to-day routines, and then a night like tonight comes around, and Whoa!

I love this man way to much and boy, he loves me too.

Now let me explain all my mushiness. We discovered a few things about ourselves on this date night.

First, amazing things happen to your relationship (hello! refresh!) when you take the time to go out and treat your date like it's one of your first.

Questions like, "What's your best date night idea that you would like us to do?" or "What's one thing that you don't already know about me, but you would like to know?"

or "If you could take me anywhere in the world, where would we go and what would we do?"

It honestly felt like a first date. And ended up triggering some mega laughs.

Second, we learned that we are major foodie snobs (opps, cat's out of the bag). Sorry we are.
**But, I should clarify for all our friends out there who may now be scared to cook us dinner - this only applies to restaurants (please, don't stop inviting us over. please. we sort of really like you).**
Anyway's, we've been known to only go to new restaurants (except when you find an absolute home-runner, like tonight), and they MUST be small, non-franchised, and have local inspired dishes. In fact this is one of those times when 'smaller IS better'. Then we order the weirdest thing off the menu (actually this is would be the Husband, the more adventurist one of our duo), and we always, always order an appetizer (even if we're not that hungry) just to try and re-create it at home (because we can 'always' make it better).
And just to prove my point, tonight we ordered two.
Then took my meal home for the husband to spice it up some more.

See what I mean. Food snobs.

Appetizer 1: Tuna Carpaccio with a Mango Salsa... Yum.

Third, we learned that we actually enjoy each others company. A lot.

I sometimes wonder who else would have the patience to deal with either one of us, especially because we're both so shy about voicing our opinions or feelings, and both so quiet.
Insert roll of the eyes here.
But we continually make each other laugh, are honest and thoughtful with each other,
we try new things together (gotta keep that spark alive), and love each other unconditionally.
Guess our compatibility is what keeps us coming back for more. xx

Ohh and it helps that I may have just learned to lap dance.

So, yes.

We had a jolly good time. Just us two besties.

xx

The Manor. Super cute right! xx

.It's Friday Kids.

Hey Ho! It's Friday and boy I am happy that you're here.

This week had been one-of-those weeks. For example (please let me vent for just one sec): This morning, after putting on my favorite, flowy, bohemian, and perfectly creamy white silk top to go with my dark indigo skinny-ish jeans (I would call this my not-trying-to-hard causal Friday attire), I was happy and ready for the day. Put on some cute kitten heeled pumps and was out the door.

Didn't get very far however....leaning into my car with a bunch of folders and my laptop, I feel a little poke on my stomach. Weird. But into the car I get. After pulling away, I start to think about what 'stabbed' me, so I look down and discover the largest and brightest blue pen streak across my favorite shirt.

And it won't come out.

Ughh. I have to be the world's biggest klutz.

So, on a more happier note. It is Friday and it's Date Night.

The husband and I are heading out to one of our favorite restaurants, the Manor (side note: this is the same restaurant that Pete took me to the night he proposed, so it's pretty darn special) to enjoy some great food, and some even better conversation. Can't wait. xx 

photo by http://www.pinksugarphotography.com/

Also, I think I want to try out something. And actually try to keep it up (although I am doing pretty darn good at keeping up with this blog-of-sorts). A "thankful for" everyday. Here goes:

--------------------------------------------------

Today I am thankful for the red-headed animal in my life. She keeps me warm + loves me when the Husbands working nights. xx

Please feel free to share your "I'm thankful for" as well.

.New Project.

Hiya pals. So it's Thursday. And I really, really like Thursdays. Thursday's mean that there's only 1 day till Friday and we all know how great Fridays are. So yes, I really love Thursdays. This Thursday isn't really anything special (besides the fact that I just clarified), but I do have a HUGE project that I'm currently undertaking and this Thursday I am going to plan out my attack. And with a tight budget (not my favorite), I need all the planning I can get. So want to know what's my newest project?

A Creative Space.

And not just an Office. but a Craft room. A Library. And a Dressing room (of sorts). A space just for me. Not too much to ask for a itty-bitty room, right?

But, Ohh how I am in desperate need of a this new room. First of all, I absolutely love crafting, but with crafting comes a mess, and I certainly have that. You should see all the stuff I have. It's everywhere. In random boxes, bins, on the floor, in baskets, closets, EVERYWHERE! I also need an Office. For actual work (and some play). I just want the Library (reading a book in a big chair is a little bit of heaven). And the Dressing room, well read on....
So I have told the hubby that I am taking over the current home office/library (poor fella, it's also where his closet is located, as I have already taken over our closet in the bedroom too). My new space will still function as a working office for the days when I am at home (and actually working), but now there will be an element of happiness there....it'll be a creative space. All mine. Enter if you dare, but you may be put to work (and I mean crafting work). Where do I begin to design this room on a limited budget?
I begin to make my list (god, I LOVE lists).

Items needed:

* 'L' shaped desk (leaning towards white and long/skinny)

*New paint on the walls (Going for a light grey)
*2 Office chairs (again, leaning towards white and sleek)

*Big comfy armchair/rocking chair (reading space)

*Side table with lamp (check: See picture below)

*New Bookcases (2 of them would do - I think)

*Inspirational pictures

*New Curtains (Colors? Patterns?)

*Storage (lots and lots of Storage-MUST)

So I guess I have some work ahead of me.......and Thursday has begun. :)

More white. LOVE!
http://www.housetohome.co.uk/

Ohh, the storage and fun energy this room has!

Inspirational Words. Live by them.

My Room. My Inspiration. THIS IS IT!
http://www.arhzine.com/

LOVE this. So much.
http://www.thisnext.com/

http://www.pinchdesign.com/

http://www.marthastewart.com/

LOVE this idea. Might not do it right on the walls, but definately feel a craft coming on! Picture frames??
http://frecklednest.typepad.com/

Ohh the Organized Storage!
http://thenestuk.blogspot.com/