goals: let's recap

well no surprise here, i botched my goals, again this month.  maybe with the emergence of spring weather, i'll get re-focused and recharged. 

craftiness :

-seriously get sewing machine up & running : fail.

-complete one craft project : check out the pom pom tutorial.

-start sharing more inspiration photos : check out what i'm loving.

healthy habits :

-visit gym 3 times a week : techincally its a fail.  but i did get physical.

-finish reading up in the air

-research composting : fail.

food & fun :

-entertain friends : hosted dips & desserts party.

-see alice in wonderland : fail, but hoping to see it this weekend.

-enjoy my visit to atlanta : pictures coming soon.

other :

-re-organize kitchen : fail.

-re-organize closet : fail.

april's a busy month for me.  i'm traveling a bunch and i won't have a single weekend in d.c.  so with that in mind, i'm altering my goals for things to accomplish while traveling.  here's my goals for april:

craftiness :

: make craft project to-do list 

healthy habits :

: explore cities while on travel

: eat a healthy breakfast

food & fun :

: ride the peak 2 peak experience in whistler, bc

: enjoy my trip to sonoma, ca with ryan

: sing along at carrie underwood concert

: try one new dish authentic to my travel destinations

other :

: take pictures while traveling

: send postcards

: weed through my stack of magazines

budgeting bonanza

so up until last night ryan and i tracked our joint expenses using paper and pen.  i know, so old school, right.  and embarrassing given that i use excel spreadsheets to track my budgets at work.  i decided i'd had enough since i was the bookie in this relationship and i finally created a spreadsheet.  now i don't feel a nagging pain in my right hand when it comes time to tracking our expenses.  


we don't have many joint expenses since we aren't married and don't own a home.  we each pay our share of the rent, and our own bills (car insurance, credit card, etc).  the expenses we share are electric, cable & internet, cell phone, and major purchases (new tv, furniture, etc).


the way we handle our bills is each of us is assigned a bill to pay for the year.  take me for instance, i pay for our electric and cell phone.  ryan pays everything else.  in order to keep a level playing field, we add up the totals and then whichever one of us has paid less, pays the remaining balance into our joint vacation fund.   its the only fund we share together (at this point until we get married) and helps to fund for a big trip once we get enough cash to cover it.


what creative ways have you tackled your budgeting?  i find the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality works especially well in my case, and automatic transfers are my new best friend.

pom pom tutorial

remember the awesome pom poms i made for my dips & desserts party?  well here's how to make them:

materials needed:

tissue paper (8 sheets for one pom pom)

scissors

wire

ribbon

all set, let's start making some pom poms!

: gather all your tissue papers.  most tissue paper is 20x26, but i found that trimming down the width to 17 inches is the best size.  here's the width of each of my pom poms [the 20 inch one has more papers, probably close to 16]

: once you get your paper cut to size, just accordion fold down the width, trying to make each fold about one inch wide.  i used a bone folder to make my folds crisp but you don't need to.  

: once you have it finished folding, cut your ends to give the ball some shape.  i did triangles and scalloped edges.

: now take your wire and wrap it around in the middle of the tissue paper and form a circle so you can attach the ribbon.  don't worry, you won't be able to see the wire after you've pulled the tissue apart.

: now carefully & patiently start pulling apart each layer.  its OK if a few pieces get a little rip, that's why this project is so awesome, it hides imperfections.

: once done, attach your ribbon and hang.  and admire the beauty that beholds you.

i'm definitely going to keep these up for a long time, they make me smile.  if you create some, please share a picture!

my weekend plans

anyone recognize this guy?

he's kevin gillespie.  and he competed on the last season of top chef las vegas.  and i'm hanging out at his crib [woodfire grill] tomorrow night.  that's right, i'm in atlanta for the weekend.

i'm also planning to visit this guy's restaurant.

he's richard blais.  and he competed on top chef chicago.  and he owns flip burger boutique.  but don't worry, he makes non-beef burgers i can enjoy too.  

you could say i'm slightly obsessed with top chef on bravo.  rumor has it they are shooting the next season in washington, d.c.  and if that's the case, i'm there for restaurant wars.  so i'm on a culinary expedition this weekend while visiting my sister, jessica, in atlanta.  and who knows, maybe i'll even see some real housewives of atlanta while i'm out and about.  hahaha.

dips & desserts party

last night i hosted a dips & desserts girls night.  it was simple - bring a dip or dessert to share [homemade or store bought, no one was judging].  the results were yummy.  from oreo truffles to cupcakes to brie cheese & crackers, my tummy was in heaven.  i wanted some new decor for the party but didn't want to spend any money, so i sat down and put together some tissue paper pom-poms. 

thirty minutes later, i had whipped these up:

are you loving my new tablecloth too?  its from this ultra fancy store, you've probably never of it before.  target.  ring any bells?  

 

using the bold pattern for my table cloth really made a statement.  and covered up my ugly table.  that's a project on my summer to do list - a fresh coat of paint on the table and chairs.  i didn't get a shot of the table after all the food was laid out, but just picture something awesome and that would be my table.

stay tuned for a tissue paper pom pom tutorial....

e-readers : love 'em or hate 'em?

i've been travelling a lot lately and have noticed an abundance of e-readers in my travels.  from the sony e-book to the amazon kindle to the barnes and noble nook [and for all i know there are other kinds out there...]  - electronic readers are all over the place!  and its not just young adults with them, i've seen grandparents.  and kids. 

every time i see a stranger with one, i wonder:  

are they worth the price tag?  what compelled you to buy yours over getting a paperback book?  how's the battery life?  and the font size [i'm practically blind without some form of corrective wear] could i still make out the screen?  where'd you get that snazzy case?  do you have to blink a lot to avoid dry eyes? why'd you pick that brand instead of the others out there?  how's the book selection?  and most importantly, are there still pictures?

now, i may be the last person not on the e-reader bandwagon, but what's your feeling on these?  love 'em or hate 'em? 

granola recipe : warning, this is addicting!

one of my favorite snacks is granola.  i love it by itself or paired with yogurt for breakfast in the morning.  my sister, jessica came across this recipe and shared it with me.  its absolutely delicious.  and did i mention addicting?  don't say i didn't warn you.

granola [adapted from jessica]

ingredients :
4 cups old fashioned oats [not the quick cooking kind]
1.5 cups splenda [or sugar, whatever your preference]
1 cup oil
*mix all these ingredients together and let soak at least 8 hours.

2 eggs
1 t. salt
1 T. vanilla extract
2 T. almond extract
1 box golden raisins

[i like more fruit in mine, so i add dried cranberries and cherries & sometimes blueberries.]

how to : 

mix all these ingredients together.  fold into oat mixture.

preheat oven to 350.

cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread mixture on top [make it slightly thicker at edges and thinner in the middle]  

cook for 30 minutes or until granola is browned and the mixture is bubbly. 

let cool completely then break into pieces and enjoy!

grilled peaches

last night i tried something different for dessert.  grilled peaches.  my gosh, i could have eaten an orchard if they were all prepared in this way.  the recipe is super simple [no measuring tools needed!].

ingredients :

peaches, halved and pitted

honey

cinnamon sugar

how to :

brush honey on both sides of peaches and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar.  and i mean generously.

place on grill, cut side down and cook until tender, about 8 minutes, flipping halfway through.

next up on the grill : pears and apples

 have you cooked anything new on the grill?  please do share. 

thomas jefferson vin blanc

today's featured wine is one that i discovered on our valentine's day weekend at the wineries.  one of the first stops was to thomas jefferson vineyards.  not only was thomas jefferson a founding father of the country, he was also a founding father to the country's wine industry.  while he didn't have much success as a winemaker during his time, he did develop varieties that were all american and helped to influence future winemakers. 

wine : jefferson vineyards, vin blanc

price : about $13 a bottle

this wine is a blend [you know i like a blend - menage a trois] of chardonnay, viognier, and vidal.  it goes great with poultry, cheese, spicy seafood, pasta and fruit, aka my favorite food groups.  i picked up a bottle straight from the vineyard but i imagine if you lived in virginia you could find this in total wine & more.

recommended reading [for the men in your life]

ryan's started a blog : schaichpetey.com.  its about sports, music, and women.  i'll have to monitor it for this "women" talk, however, he is thrilled with his new venture and i'm so proud of him.  so if you're husband, boyfriend, brother, dad, uncle, etc. is looking for a new read, please send them to schaichpetey.com - and you'll even learn the back story of the name schaich petey.

i heart ruffles.

on my clothes, accessories, shoes, and now, for my home.  i am particularly smitten with these images.  now i just need to work on convincing ryan that he loves the ruffle look as much as i do.  perhaps if i start off small, like with a table cloth...

and then add a few ruffled pillows to the couch.  i think as long as i don't put one in his leather recliner, he may not even notice.  

and then i replace the shower curtain, after all he's half asleep when he goes into the bathroom in the morning.  

i'll let you know how operation sneak ruffle into the house goes.  


[all images from countryliving.com]

dreamy pantry organization.

as you know, one of my goals this month is to reorganize the kitchen, specifically the pantry.  it's already pretty organized, but i want to improve upon it.  and reevaluate where some kitchen items are stored.  like my kitchenaid mixer, it is stored in the cove about the microwave, so if ryan's not home, i have to drag a chair into the kitchen to get it down.  those mixers are heavy, ps.  


naturally, i turned to google for some inspiration photos.  i long for the day i can have a pantry like this :

i love this pantry for many reasons, the pull out drawers, the different sized shelves to accommodate large and small items [i see the perfect shelf for my kitchenaid], and the wine storage.  oh the wine storage - the glasses, the bottles, it is perfect!


or this : 

i will definitely paint the interior walls of my next pantry a bright cheery color.  i love the use of the door for added storage.

now should space in my next home not allow for a walk-in in pantry like above, i will definitely have something like this :

how great is this?  and what a space saver.  

so stay tuned for the unveiling of my re-organized kitchen.  i know you're anxious.  
[images from google]

busy bee.

i am here. all is well. i am super busy at work with another conference in april and it has really cut into my blog time. i am hoping to get caught up and rejoin the world by the weekend....in time for march madness. ryan is running a bracket pool this year [email me if you want in].

in the mean time my craft to do list grows longer by the day [when i do get to venture to my google reader for a hot second] and i fear i will never get my sewing machine running!

how do you balance work & life? glass/bottle of wine? getting up early? only one of those sounds appealing to me.

beer can chicken

virginia has been experiencing some spring like temperatures this week so ryan and i have been full taking advantage of it.  in the spring and summer, we love grilling out.  we've got a great patio [maybe i'll show you one day after we clean up the snow destruction] so i love sitting outside with my glass of wine and a book gossip magazine while ryan acts as grill master.  

last night we fired up the grill and made one of our favorites, beer can chicken.  the recipe is pretty simple but the taste is amazing.  naturally since i hate touching raw meat, i let ryan handle the rub.  we like it spicy, so we use a mixture of spices [red pepper, old bay, black pepper, onion powder, etc.]  but anything flies, the key is to remember to brush your chicken with olive oil to keep the skin tender.  after applying the rub, get yourself a beer.  open it and take about two hearty sips.  any can beer will work, so go with your favorite.  in this case, we chose yuengling.  

then comes the tricky part.  getting the chicken to sit on top of the beer can without tumbling over.  this just takes practice and patience.  i've seen some kits in bed bath & beyond that you can purchase, but why do that when this part is so entertaining? 

by this point, the fire should be blazing so you can set your chicken on top of the grill.  cover and grill for about 1 hour and thirty minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees.  slice and eat.  and enjoy!

febuary goals: let's recap

by now it feels like we are half way into march however i still haven't posted my goal's recap. 

february goals:

craftiness:

-practice sewing and start a project [fail]

-organize inspiration projects & ideas [my google reader organization is scary]

healthy habits:

-introduce more veggies into meals

-meal plan for each week [fail]

-participate in class at the gym [fail - but i have been going]

food & fun:

-bake new recipe for valentines dessert [fail]

-enjoy valentine's trip [check it out here]
-try a new seafood recipe
-entertain friends [fail]

other:
-organize home files
-write two letters to friends this month [fail]

so this month got away from me and i didn't do nearly anything on my goals list.  i blame the blizzard and my travels.  and my laziness.  that's why i've got march to pick up my slack.

march goals

craftiness :

-seriously get sewing machine up & running

-complete one craft project  

-start sharing more inspiration photos i come across

healthy habits :

-visit gym 3 times a week

-finish reading up in the air

-research composting

food & fun :

-entertain friends

-see alice in wonderland in imax 3d

-enjoy my visit to atlanta at the end of the month

other :

-re-organize kitchen

-re-organize closet

honey, i'm home!

after 10 days on the road, i'm home.  and couldn't be happier.  if you follow me on twitter then you already know i got to meet steve young, former 49ers quarterback.  too bad it wasn't a dallas cowboys player, ryan would have gone nuts!  

now that i'm back, i'm on a detox - after eating out for 10 days straight, who doesn't need a detox.  i also came home to find that the mac i recently bought from my sister crashed while i was out of town and we lost all our photos.  guess its time to start pricing out a new laptop...


i look forward to catching up on each of your blogs...and on my dvr as its currently at 80% capacity.  lots to do :)

771

the number of my unread posts in my google reader.  looks like i've got lots of catching up to do!

i'm in vegas now working my last convention before heading home on sunday.  i can't wait.  i'm mentally exhausted.  but i am going to see love by cirque de soleil tonight at the mirage!