Dinning Room

The strawberries that are beginning to show up in local markets have been so delicious and remind us that spring is just around the corner.   I picked these up yesterday and they are so sweet and juicy that we didn't have to add any sugar to them.   They were also so pretty that I wanted to take a few photos of them in this cute little container I picked up at Anthropologie .  I love little containers like this to hold fresh produce and can't wait to use it to harvest our cherry tomatoes from the garden this summer. On another note, hubby and I had so much fun celebrating our anniversary yesterday.  The weather was gorgeous, we shared lunch together outside and he brought me beautiful tulips, my favorite.  Nothing fancy but the absolute perfect day with my man. I hope everyone has a beautiful day today.  I am home sick in bed with whatever strep/fever/sore throat virus my children have been passing around since Christmas.  So I'm going to treat myself to some movie watching

Twenty years ago today, my man and I were married.  Wow!  It really seems like it was just yesterday.  I can't even begin to describe how much I adore this man.  Before we start celebrating, I wanted to share with you the special gift I made him. He has been asking me for a while to make him a drive in theatre sign whenever I had time.  So, I thought it would be really cool to make a sign inspired by the drive in theatre in his favorite movie, Grease.  I got to work and this is what I came up with. I built a simple frame with 1 x 2's and then attached lattice strips to the front of it with a nail gun.  Then I stained it with Minwax Special Walnut and printed a few stencils off the computer.  I just used plain white for the words and then, to give "Drive-In Theatre" some pizazz, I took a pencil and dipped the eraser end in black paint and added dots in the words to resemble lights. That's it!  I always like to give my hubby something made from my heart.  I know tho

Happy Monday!  Last week my hubby purchased the contents of an old home and while a lot of it was junk, we did find a few goodies, one of which was a very cool vintage metal cart/table.  I immediately remembered seeing something similar at Pottery Barn , so,  I was pretty happy that this was among all the junk. We thought this was the perfect space for it.  And I thought it would be great to use as a snack or drink cart for our own kiddos or when we have guests over since this is usually the room we entertain in.    Another special little find was this set of glasses with a "G" on them, perfect for our family.  I almost didn't find them as they were in the bottom of a box covered in ick.  But after a couple of hand washes and a go through the dishwasher, they are like new. The cart is metal with castors and the shelves are heavy porcelain, maybe?  I'm not really sure, but they are very heavy.  I didn't have to do anything to it other than give it a good cleaning.

We aren't huge chocolate fans around our house so I usually make desserts without it for Valentines Day.  One of our favorites, Sticky Toffee Pudding.  However, I make my own version and turn it into individual trifles.  It somehow seems easier that way and I'm all about giving everyone their own little individual container with their own little dessert.  It just makes it more special. This recipe is pretty easy and uses ingredients that you probably already have, with maybe an  exception to the dates.  Start by chopping 3/4 cup of pitted dates into fine pieces and throwing them into a small bowl with 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Pour 1 1/4 cups of boiling water over them and set aside.  Next, in another bowl, combine 1 cup + 1 TBS all purpose flour and 1 tsp baking powder, combine and set aside. While those sit, combine 1/4 cup room temperature unsalted butter and 3/4 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer (or using a hand mixer) and mix until light and fluffy. Add one egg a

I happen to love the month of February.  It's a whole month of love for us, not just Valentine's Day but our anniversary happens in February along with a couple of our kiddos birthdays, so, it feels like we celebrate our family the entire month, which I just love. On Valentine's Day, I like to go all out at dinnertime and make something for my man and kiddos that we don't eat on a regular basis, just to make them feel extra special.  Around our house, that is homemade Fettuccine Alfredo with fresh pasta.  I just don't think there is anything better than a rich creamy pasta dish eaten with those you love on Valentine's Day.   This recipe is really simple for those that think homemade alfredo sauce is hard to make, like I used to.  It's not.  And it tastes so much better than the jarred variety.  I wouldn't say it's healthier, loaded with heavy cream, cheese and butter, but at least you know what's going into it.  And there is nothing wrong with en

Hey there!  Happy first day of the LOVE month!  Speaking of love, my amazing man brought home more loot this past week from his picking adventures and put it in storage.  I was able to go check it out over the weekend and pick what I wanted out of it.  I came across this huge wood frame that I HAD to have.   As soon as I stumbled across it, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. Yes, I know, chalkboards are everywhere but I really don't care and this thing makes me so happy.  Plus, I am so inspired by this quote from one of my cookbooks.  I have this quote on another chalkboard at our shop to inspire me while I work on bread boards. I also picked out this vintage wood cutlery tray and silver tray.  I didn't get a good shot of the silver tray but I love it and that sucker is so heavy.  And it goes perfectly with our vintage silver flatware. I think this might just be my favorite corner of the house.  To make the chalkboard, I simply attached a piece of plywood that I had pa