Christmas Decor

After perusing the stores near and far for holiday decor I became increasingly depressed. I was finding a lot of Santa and reindeer. Well, that is just NOT us... So, in keeping true to our personalities and the feel of our home I spent a day at the craft store last week dreaming up the perfect Christmas decor. I came home with my arms full of packages and I have been quite the busy little crafter. My fingers are sore and my camera is dead... I will post pictures soon :)
Enjoy the Christmas Season and remember Jesus IS the reason!

Mother-in-Law Intimidation

I know you've been there... Those married longer may have forgotten by now... It's our first holiday as a married couple tomorrow, which I should be elated by right? Wrong, I just happen to be married to "Betty Crocker's" son. My mother in law can literally cook/bake/homemake circles around me.

Tomorrow we will gather with close family and extended relatives. I'm sure there will be a lot of food, fun, and laughter. I am just getting butterflies about the dishes I am bringing. This literally shapes our holiday future. If the center is not done on my cheesecake I might get asked to bring the drinks from now on, if someone gets food poisoning because I used bad eggs I might get asked to just not return :)
Ok the fear and trepidation is not that severe, but I am sort of dreading it.

I was not sure whether I should play it safe and just buy my pies, but then I got to thinking... My mother in law may be Betty Crocker incarnate but hey, I'm a Martha Stewart hopeful!!! So with my head raised high I will be taking Pecan Tassies, Caramel Apple Cheesecake, and Pumpkin Cheesecake.

Here is a picture of the Caramel Apple Cheesecake, I have made it one time before. Click here if you would like a game-changer recipe for your Thanksgiving.




As far as decorating for Thanksgiving I do not get the priveledge of setting our table for Thanksgiving but here are some ideas that I like.


                                                 A very natural option from HGTV



                                           Clean and beautiful, also from HGTV                                 




                                          Cozy option from HGTV, seriously I am a fan.



                    
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

House Updates

 I finally am achieving the chill house theme I am going for. The walls have yet to be painted and that one picture looks so lonely on the wall, but it's coming along :) That is a jute rug on the floor, thanks for the advice Janie. I especially love my authentic vintage surfboard that my husband brought to the decorating table!

I'm taking suggestions for coffe tables and lamps. I'm thinking a metal accent would be nice.

The Happiest Girl

So today I am happy. Today I am singing and dancing. Today I found out that I am officially an RN. After two years and a summer of stress, no sleep, and lots of studying I finally achieved one of my BIGGEST dreams ever!

So for now I will proudly wear this:



And never this:



I will do more of this:



And less of this:

But for this weekend and this weekend only I will do a lot of this:

And some of this:

And I will think often of the beautiful lady that inspired me to become a nurse, held my hand through school, sympathized with me, shared gross stories with me, believed in me, and always had my back.

A Little Bit of Chaos

So I complained about not having a job for two months. When I finally started my job I was so excited, then I got a call about another job. . . I have been working so many hours that I have neglected this blog. I have good news though. Tomorrow I go to Ikea, ya, and I will be getting some more things for my living room! I am so excited. I hope everyone is enjoying the cool weather.

As the days carry on..

I've decided that I'm a particularly bad blogger. Other people have excuses for not blogging, kids, work, sickness, etc... Not me, I am at home, at the beach, doing laundry, or baking most of the time. So I have no excuse.
Anyway, my moaning aside I will tell you about this great recipe I tried last night.  We had just finished dinner, a fancy oven baked pizza and salad (not every night can be stunning), and my husband wanted something sweet. So I consulted the baking goddess, Martha Stewart, to see what I could make with minimal time, effort, and ingredients. The recipe I decided on was the following:

                                Almond Fruit Bars

1/2 c. (1stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinammon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 c. packed light-brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
3/4 c. sliced almonds
1/2 c. fruit jam such as cherry, strawberry, or grape. I used grape :)

Preheat oven to 350. Butter an 8-inch square baking dish. In a bowl wishik together flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder.  
In a mixing bowl, cream buter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy; beat in egg yolk. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture. Stir in almonds.
In a small bowl, whisk jam to loosen. Gently press half of dough into bottom of prepared dish. Gently spread the jam over dough leaving a 1/4 inch border. Sprinkle remainign dough over top all the way to the edges; press gently to form top layer.
Bake until top is golden, 25-30 minutes (mine took a lot less time); cool completely in dish. Cut into bars with serrated knife.

Can I just admit to how delicous these were without sounding too proud? The entire stick of butter, while not being that great for you or your dress size, makes this a tasty crumbly dessert that is quite delectable. I can imagine that they would taste good with coffee. Mom, I know that Dad would love these. :)

It is officially fall and I am loving it! Although it is still in the eighties and nineties here the wind is starting to blow more and it is cooling down at night.

My groceries made a great fall centerpiece, that is until I had to use them. It was sad to watch the fun centerpiece disappear.

Last Wednessday a tropical storm, Nicole, made my day so much better. My husband got to stay home, I wore my rainboots out, we watched a fun movie together, we had homeade chinese, and these yummy lemon-vanilla tarts filled the house with a great aroma.

But seriously, the best day of the week was Monday! The husband took me to the home decorating metropolis, otherwise known as Ikea. We picked up our couch, which is awesome! I love it

The possibilities are endless...