Lately

Lately I have been sssssuper stressed.  About work, home, holiday weight gain, etc.  I worry too much and this is a fact that I am coming to terms with.  I believe that you should give your worries to the Lord and He will never give you more than you can handle, but there is that control freak in me that thinks I can handle it all.  I am up against several deadlines at the office and all are due yesterday I feel like.  At home, the Christmas decorations are slowly coming down and I need to clean it thoroughly. My other stress is my weight, and I just didn't care what I was putting into my mouth during the holiday season.  It sure was fun, but now I am paying the price.  I went for a jog last Wednesday and it kicked my hiney!  So per usual start to the new year I am trying to get back to a healthy, happier and less stress routine.  

So for today, since I haven't posted in a while, just wanted to keep my blog afloat and talk about some fun things.  I recently tried out a shellac manicure for the first time and really loved the results.  However due to my nail biting habits it only lasted 1.5 weeks, as the promised 2.  But I do love to have painted nails and my absolute favorite brand is Essie.  Then the $8 price at checkout just kills me for some reason.  I'm like, "What if I don't like this color?" then I'm stuck with this polish forever and have dropped almost $10 on it!  (That's the deal finder in me).  So, sometimes what I like to do for trial reasons is to buy a different less expensive brand to test out different color types.  Then if I use that color quite a bit I will go all out and buy the fabulous Essie version. 

Vintagey.

I bought this Petites brand in the color Vintage Gray and have worn it several times.  It lasts about a week and that is with a base and top coat.  Sometimes with this gray I will imprint newspaper using rubbing alcohol so that my nails resemble a newspaper (thank you Pinterest!).  But now I think it's time to upgrade to the good stuff.

This past week my Dad was out in Phoenix on business and being the fabulous only child that I am, I invited my Mom to come join my husband and I for dinner this past Wednesday.  I made Mini-Meat Loaves which is a super recipe I found in a local cookbook called Beyond The Fence.  And for dessert:

All-American.

The Pioneer Woman's Flat Apple Pie!

Her recipes have never let me down!  I love them all!  My Mom got me her cookbook and biography for my past birthday this year.  This was my first technical pie in the baking department.  I have made cold pies such as peanut butter pie and lemonade pie.  So I was very excited to make this American treat on a cold winter's night (although today will be a balmy 56 degrees).  This recipe is not available online however, ya gotta get her cookbook.  But I'm sure a quick google search can solve anyone's recipe search problems.  This pie was easy, fast and DELICIOUS! 

Tonight I am going to give her steak with a whiskey cream sauce a try, so wish me luck!  Here's to a stress free weekend everyone!

Pinning Accomplishments (Part 1)

Who doesn't love Pinterest? People that haven't discovered it yet, I say.  All joking aside, it is quite difficult to focus on just one thing on Pinterest.  So many wonderful images, craft ideas, fashion inspirations, dream home wants and beauty tips.  And I always wonder if I will ever really accomplish or try any of the things that I pin.  So I am going to take a look at some accomplishments that I have achieved thanks to this wonderful virtual pin board.

Today I am going to focus on the recent holiday season and how Pinterest helped me:

Inspiration Photo: Link here.

Placing a toilet paper roll in the center of vase displays to help the ornaments display better.

Oh, stunning.

In my case, I actually used a white candle.  I liked the option of being able to light it up with my other candles on my mantlepiece. This picture makes it look like the candle is leaning.  This would be a fire hazard.  I assure you, no fires took place here.

Inspiration Photo: Link here.

I loved this mantle display.  My main Christmas colors in my home are green and silver as well.  This year I didn't have the pine branches, but what a nice textural touch.  See my attempt below.

Feeling festive yet?

My silver candelabras were relocated to decorate above the kitchen cabinets. I have talked about mantel decorating in a past post and my troubles in deciding what I want as my permanent focal point.  This all takes time and I will be patient until I find the perfect layout and items.

Inspiration Photo: Link here

This wreath was one of my earliest pins.  I fell in love with it when I first saw it.  Here is my recreation and new interpretation of it:

I added our last name initial to the bottom and my wreath has square edges rather than round. Mine is also larger and this took a while to make.  I had to individually glue each piece on! It took about three days to make, but I am very please with the end result.

TGIF! Happy Weekend!

Catching Up

Last night I met one of my BFF's for our annual Christmas Dinner.  We elect to go out to dinner, just the two of us, to catch up and sip martinis rather than trying to find each other a gift. It's a great date that we always have around the holidays.  Since she doesn't live in the same town anymore, keeping in touch and getting together just gets harder and harder.  

We always go to Bonefish Grill.  And we love their pomegranate martinis! They are delicious!  Rather than olives found in a traditional martini, frozen grapes are the garnish of this drink.  So scrumptious that I have to stop at two, although I could probably drink eight because they taste so good!

And of course, their classic Bang Bang Shrimp for our appetizer!

It was wonderful to catch up and get to see one of my dearest friends.  I love these times and keeping in touch is so important for friendships to last.  But every time me and my friend get together it's like no time as passed, we just leave off where we were last. 

Blessed Beyond Belief

I hope the holiday was a happy, safe and relaxing one. Ours was fantastic and the husband and I both are back at the office today. Vacations never last long enough, I always want one more day! My husband and I were able to spend time with both of our families on Christmas Day, which was exhausting, but wonderful!  We finished off Christmas with our own gift exchange at the end of day, just us.  We are so blessed that everyone made it to where they were going safely, that we are able to give gifts and share scrumptious meals together!  This was the best Christmas I think!

My big gift from my parents was an iPhone 4S and I am in love with it.  I am sure the excitement will eventually wear off, but right now I can't keep my little paws off of it.  It's amazing all I can do with this little thing!  From my husband my big gift were these:

Michael Kors Black Pumps

I had asked for a classic pair of black pumps and this is what he got!  There are comfortable, beautiful and the perfect staple for almost any outfit.  I am wearing them to work today actually!  Thank you honey!

Our 11 month old pup Hudson was off course along for the ride and Santa brought him a huge braided bone shaped like a candy cane.  He carries it around with him everywhere!

On Christmas Eve.

We are all so blessed and are thankful that we have a reason to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior! What a great year 2011 has been.  We are looking forward to 2012 and the surprises and blessings it holds.

Just Call Me Professor

I cannot, cannot believe that I haven't posted in this long amount of time! For this, please forgive me.  Time has just slipped away this holiday season!  Thanksgiving was a busy weekend for us, considering we still have to go to both my husband's and my family's house to eat (but I don't complain about the whole eating thing).  It was wonderful to be surrounded by family that loves us all under one roof counting our blessings.  

Hudson, our pup, has happily turned 10 months old and is still going through some teenage growing pains, defying us at every possible turn.  But we find ourselves excitedly planning on what we are going to buy him for Christmas!  Ah, having fur babies is always an adventure

Thoughtful pose.

Sure, he looks sweet now.

Last weekend I attended a retirement celebration for one of my favorite college professors, Terry Rothgeb.  He traveled with a group of us in school to Germany and he was a blast to travel with.  He was a wonderful educator, mentor and friend.  I can't imagine my school without him.  But, I am very happy for him and hope he has a wonderful retirement (he told me about his future travelings to Palm Springs, Munich, Berlin, just to name a few).  

 The title of this post is referring to a new adventure for me starting in January.  I have accepted a part-time teaching position at University of Kentucky's College of Design and am looking forward to it so much. My class will be only two nights a week for two hours each class, so this way it won't interfere with my full-time position.  I can't wait to give back to my school that I am so proud of.  I am also excited to teach the students about the "real world", and what it is really like to practice interior design day-to-day.  The Lord has blessed me with this opportunity and thanks to a wonderful friend's recommendation of me, I finally get to educate!  Wish me luck!

And another update, I have been working on a new hotel/restaurant project that has taken up every waking minute of my work week!  Very exciting new project though and very blessed to have it.  I have been waiting 5 years to work on a hotel and the opportunity has finally arrived.  Hooray!

Hopefully this weekend the hubby will be painting our kitchen and living room.  It was one of my hot items on my Christmas list.  And tomorrow night is our family's annual family dinner at Sal's (an absolutely fantastic restaurant here in Lexington).  My husband'sHere comes the weekend!

Home-made Holiday

Feeling a little more crafty than usual this holiday season when it comes to your gift-giving?  Like I said in yesterday's post, it focused on more of the store-bought items.  These below take a little more time, but a great result in the end when you see the person's face when they receive that home-made gift.

Check out this link here to make these yummy hot chocolate truffles.  I think these are great for that person that loves to stay in when it's cold and snuggle up next to the fire.  The truffles can be frozen until you're ready to enjoy them.  Just place in a mug with milk and heat away!  For gifting you can place several truffles in a cute Christmas mug, wrap in clear plastic and tie with a ribbon.  

Gift Basket.  But how is this home-made you say?  With all the thought into compiling a person's favorite things, shared memories or common items that they've been wanting, it's a great way to show someone that you care and love 'em. This website has so many wonderful gift giving ideas along with free printables, see link here.  If you have a friend who loves movies, create a movie night basket: popcorn cups, candy, DVD, theater gift card, popcorn, blanket or whatever else you want to add!  

How sweet is this?  If you like to give custom scrapbooks, why not make one with a twist? 

Dabney Lee makes these super cute and trendy phone cases.  This is an awesome customizable gift, a little on the pricey side but my goodness aren't these gorgeous iPhone cases?  They are also available on some blackberries.

This was a great idea I found at Clover Lane Blog.  A custom cookbook that hold your family's favorite recipes and favorite photos.  Kind of a recipe scrapbook.  This project you might have to give someone next Christmas, in order to compile your favorite recipes and photos, but I thought this was a wonderful idea.  Make one for your family, but I think grandparents would enjoy it as well!  We have a few cookbooks from local churches and organizations, but this cookbook is all about you and what your family loves to eat! I hope to do this one day and can pass this on to my children.

Today is my last work day of the week, hooray!  Tomorrow I'll be preparing the house for the holidays and maybe helping my dad clean out the basement storage that is full of stuff from high school/college/childhood!  I hope everyone has a fabulous Turkey Day!

For the Woman who has Everything

I hope your weekend was a great one!  Our Interior Design Thanksgiving went off without a hitch and we were up until 1:30 laughing and talking! It was wonderful.  Now I'm preparing for Thanksgiving coming up with our families and the official start to the holiday shopping season.  I've talked about some stocking ideas for the men in our lives, now I'm going to switch gears.

We all have one in our lives, the hard to shop for lady.  She has everything, and if she doesn't have it, she'll just go out and get it tomorrow.  Whether it's our mother, sister, best friend or co-worker......it's just plain hard to find the perfect gift for these people sometimes.  We exhaust all thought, energy and time into trying to get something we think they would want/use/need/love! 

My goal is to hopefully help out a clueless shopper to come up with a Christmas dilemma when it comes to shopping for the gal that has everything! 

Birchbox

I have talked about Birchbox in earlier posts and this is a great gift idea for the make-up lover in your life.  A box of 4 to 5 mini samples are delivered right to there door for as many months as you give.  This gift runs about $10/month, purchased in 3 month increments.  So this gift will be at least $30, keep in mind.  But it's a gift that will keep surprising them.  Ask about products that they tried out and fell in love with to put in your back pocket for her next birthday or something.  It's a pretty unique gift idea that no one else has gotten her.  When you present the gift you could include some samples (which you can easily get at make-up counters or Sephora) so that way she has something to open.

Capri Candles from Anthropologie

For the scent-obsessed gal pal in your life, these candles from Anthropologie are wonderful!  These Capri candles are also available for local Lexingtonians at House (located on Delaware Avenue) and Joseph Beth Booksellers (located at Lexington Green).  I find there scents much more mature and beautiful than other candles.  When you walk into a space with these burning, you can't pinpoint what that luxurious scent is, but you know you love it!  These are my favorite candles and are hard to find compared to Yankee or something comparable.  Also, these scents are much more mysterious and spell-binding than Cucumber Melon!

Mag Rack

I think a magazine subscription is a great gift, for the right person.  Last Christmas I got the hubby a subscription to Bourbon Review and he loves getting that magazine every quarter.  If you have a fashionista friend, perhaps Vogue or Vanity Fair.  The workout-aholic might enjoy Women's Health (which I love!) or Fitness.  The curious traveler would like National Geographic, while the dining connoisseur would love Food & Wine Magazine.  Interior Designers like myself enjoy Hotel Design magazine and Interior Design magazine.  Entertainment hogs can catch up on gossip through People and InTouch, while reading movie reviews in Entertainment Weekly.  Subscriptions are actually moderately inexpensive depending on the magazine and the number of issues.  To show them the subscription, wrap the latest issue in a gift wrapped box and place the subscription order in a card.

The cutest porcelain dish from Anthropologie

Does this person have tons of great entertaining dishes/napkins/glasses?  Or do they love fresh produce and visiting local markets?  I found this at Anthropologie and thought how stinking cute is this dish!  It resembles berry crates from the farmer's market, except this will last forever!  It is dishwasher safe, awesome, and comes in white or blue.  Too cute.

from J. Crew

Infinity Scarves are very trendy right now and if you find a great basic pattern or color, they can integrate into anyone's wardrobe.  I just really really want one and I think my mindset is, "if I blog about it, it will come."  Haha!  But seriously, these are great for the trendy girl in your life.

Drink up! via Pinterest.

Coffee-Lovers Unite!  This is a cute way to give someone a Starbucks gift card.  Ask the barista for an empty cup, top and straw.  Stuff with brown and white tissue paper to resemble a frappucino and place gift card inside.  Place gift tag to the top and you're set!  Gotta love the creativity! Thank you Pinterest!

I hope this sparked some imagination when it comes to the hard to shop for lady.  This post is talking about store-bought/ordered items, I hope to do another gift post to talk about custom/handmade/diy gifts too, stay tuned!