WEDnesday WEDding Shot :)

Here's a teaser from my most recent wedding that I can't wait to blog in full!

It was such a relief to see the vision executed as, or better than hoped :)

Thanks to lots of willing hands, and a wonderful bride this turned out to the prettiest receptions ever held in the venue that was chosen :) That's not my opinion, that was said by a few seasoned veterans. I love my job :) Thank you God

Thursday Purseday - Something Festive and Not Too Expensive :)

Purchase here to complete your next party outfit, paired with a simple dress and killer heels perhaps :)

TUESDAY SHOESDAY!!!

I can't pick one pair of shoes today :P

So, here is a link to some favorite special occasion heels in my boutique :)

Enjoy!

http://www.boutiques.com/userprofile.py?viewmode=favorites

this post shall be titled simply, food :)

I just whipped up my second ever batch of hummus, and it is even better than the first! 

SO I had to share the recipe :)

1 small red bell pepper

1 small yellow bell pepper

2 small roma tomatoes

1 can chickpeas/garbanzo beans

3 cloves garlic

3 T lemon juice

1 t salt

1 t pepper

1 t red pepper

1/3 cup sesame tahini

2 T olive oil

Sautee the bell peppers until tender. Chunk all ingredients in the blender. Voila! 

I know! TOO easy! :P

But o so yummy I think you can get past the ease factor ;) Happy munching this turkey season!!!

TUESDAY SHOESDAY

Weekly showcasing of favorite shoe finds!!! :D 

I ALWAYS brake for sparkle :)

http://zapp.me/7713945

Still looking for the perfect pair, but these are pretty dang nice :)

Beverages

   Liquid sustenance.

   I have recently concocted some new beverages as part of my hydration campaign against the common cold. Chai Wassail...Black Tea with Cream and Honey....French Press Coffee with Molasses... and those are just my favorites ;) I was desperate when I felt the telltale scratchy throat just a week before a long awaited weekend trip to NYC. Happy to report, that sniffles, laryngitis, and all their relatives were kept at bay.

   Here are some inspiring and tasty fillers for your closest, trusty mug :)

Chai Wassail:

1 mug full of Natural Pressed Apple Cider

1/4 cup Tazo Chai concentrate

1 to 2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 to 2 Tablespoons of honey

Heat the first five ingredients. Add honey and stir. Optional add in's are 1/4 cup of orange juice...cloves...a slice of pineapple...w/e strikes your fancy :)

*sidenote: There is a big difference in taste between generic honey and brands such as SueBee. This is because generic brands mix honey from all over different regions, even countries, while higher quality brands keep the supply pure.

Whole towns are known to give over a night of the week in celebration of this fair drink...ok, just one town that I know of :P It's New Braunfels, Texas :)

The population of the surrounding area turns out for a night of parades and concerts in the streets downtown, that are blocked off to normal traffic. Christmas lights are everywhere and each business has concocted their own wassail recipe for pedestrians to taste and vote on. Free cookies are flowing through the streets.... I don't know how it can get much better than that, or how I can paint a more compelling picture for you. 

...It's the first Thursday in December :)

ahhh... :)

Now! on to...TEA (and not Sweet Tea, as any Southern born blog readers will first think) ;)

I tried my whole life to get into tea...to no avail...UNTIL a friend brought some loose leaf apricot&citrus tea back from England that was absolutely pungent :) THEN family from South Africa showed me the British tradition of adding cream, and I can now happily indulge in a hot cup of leaf steeped water at will :) Tazo Chai is a favorite, for its spicy caffeine kick. Rooibus (pronounced roy-bus) is a creamier red tea alternative, but still possessing a nice warmth. Green tea tends to make me feel ill so I can't tell you much about it. :P

 Next time you need a vitamin C boost, look for a tea containing rose hips :) They have the highest natural concentration of vitamin C on the planet.

Blogging about hot drinks is hard .... there are so many tangents I'm tempted to follow :P 

   At the moment I'm drinking a caramel latte :) I make lattes at home because the closest Starbucks is 45 minutes away! BUT this has augmented my cappuccino machine savvy and latte flavoring creativity. Honey and molasses are now common add ins with the standard raw sugar. (once you taste the difference, you cannot go back to white sugar!) Come to think of it, the same is true of French Press coffee....but coffee is a whole other blog post...or 12 :P :-)

For now I bid you good night :)

...and blissful sipping ;-D

Unique Color Schemes

I have recently discovered there are whole websites dedicated to helping the masses create their ideal color scheme. It is comforting to know there are many other color matching fiends in the world :) Nothing like a novel palette of ivory, turquoise and red....lime, emerald, and brown....fuchsia, burgundy, and silver...

Anyhooo! All that to say, I am very excited about the palette for my friends wedding next month! I have the best job of the whole wedding - decorating the reception hall!!!

Without further ado, here is the inspiration board I just whipped up :)

As you can probably tell, they are quite the interesting couple. Officially, the colors are champagne, black and red. There will be some burgundy thrown in there as well. I can't wait to see this come together! :D

Leave me your thoughts, ideas, experiences, please :)

Foray's in food....

...ever flirt with the idea of becoming a foodie??? (How exactly does one do that anyway?)

Here are a few creative spurts in the form of snacks, pizza, and an egg dish :)

Giant Wheat Thins with honey dijon mustard, applewood smoked cheddar, and jumbo red raisins. 

Deeeeeply satisfying :)

Thanks to my inspiration over at simplybreakfast.blogspot.com/ I tried whole wheat toast spread with pesto then topped with eggs cooked over medium, and sauteed baby bella mushrooms. 

(the type of mushroom is important, as these have significantly more flavor than button mushrooms)

THIS was absolutely scrumptious with every bite. Using remnants of food found in my fridge, this pizza was born. Whole wheat crust, spread with pesto, turkey spaghetti sauce, spinach, tomato basil feta, and mozzarella...MMM!

BUT, you don't have to take my word for it ;) (a thousand points to whoever can place that quote)

and if you're a burgeoning foodie, share your concoctions! :)

Happy eating

cheese - a new love

I was not born with a fascination of pasteurized dairy products. Although I drank milk prodigiously, my experience with cultured milk, in the form of cheese, was limited to cheddar for grilled cheese sandwiches, and mozzarella for pizza. That has all begun to change.

   I think it began with a jaunt to Europe and seeing how they generously slathered toast with herbed cheese spread wherever I went. (Also Nutella, but THAT's another post :P ) Happily, I found said spread available in the states. If you'd like to have a German breakfast experience try the classic http://www.alouettecheese.com/products/spreadable-garlic-and-herbs.aspx .
   Months later I randomly selected a small wheel of smoked gouda for snacking, and fell in love. The creaminess with a slight hint of woodsy fire was perfect on a cracker with honey dijon mustard, tomatoe, and sometimes avocado.
   Recently I had the pleasure of strolling through Fredericksburg Texas with my mother. It is an idyllic German town, yet I stumbled upon a French named cheese shop. (Of course, all things brilliant for your mouth are French ;)) Enter

 

where I soon hoped to greatly further my cheese education :) I was not disappointed.

   Although initially abated by the price tag of these fermented gems, once I tasted my first sample, I knew my life was changed. That is not some poetic ditty. The cheese exploded with flavor that left smoked gouda looking like a glass of pond water next to a bottle of Perrier. 

   My first experience was with Cahill Porter. 

This cheese is made with a porter akin to Guinness. There are no alcoholic flavors left, although I have never had a glass of porter either :P It was rich and powerful yet creamy and smooth enough to not overwhelm my next sampling....

Applewood Smoked Cheddar. :) I knew I liked applewood smoked bacon, so this cheese was a shoe in. But I underestimated it. This cheese stood on it's own two feet and told me what real cheddar tastes like :) I like a cheese that speaks it's mind.

   By this point my eyes had rolled back into my head untold number of times, and my mother happily fed this ecstasy by giving her budget strapped daughter a donation so that I could take a bit of this newfound joy home with me. 

   Tonight I experimented with the Applewood Smoked Cheddar on baked apples (per the recommendation of the shop proprietor) Using Fuji, Golden Delicious, Gala, and Pink Lady apples, I grated a small mound on top of each. This turned into a lacy, crunchy shell that vied equally for attention with the apple, cinnamon, and molasses flavors of the finished product. 

I didn't have my senses about me in time to snap a 'before' pic :P

   I am happy to report the Applewood Smoked Cheddar is also stellar for snacking simply with cheese and mustard.

   I am happier to report I have found my next conquest - my own 1/2 pound of Cahill Porter - at a manageable price, at http://www.gourmet-food.com/gourmet-cheese/cahills-porter-cheese-1000300.aspx

Happy snacking!!! :D

  

Events...

   Another favorite thing is my part time occupation of Event Coordination. This has spanned everything from church conferences to weddings. Here is my prettiest event to date :) The Villasana-Warren wedding, in May.

They chose to have a 'First Look', where the bride and groom meet alone, before the wedding ensues.

I highly recommend it to every future couple.

You cant beat these expressions  :D

Instead of a traditional arch, we framed the altar with Jean's favorite color :)

I love how kids make the simplest things adorable! 

The bridesmaids dresses were a bit tricky...

The perfect color could only be found in a floor length style. Thanks to a quick thinking bridesmaid, and invaluable seamstress, these were easily altered :)

...and came out stunning :)

Word of advice; brace yourself for all kinds of nutty behavior, from the ones you love most, on your wedding day. Sad but true. In their defense, they are completely unaware of what they are doing ;)

ahem. :) Back to the wedded loveliness...

... a few more lovely details that made the day :)

...for the guest book table...

...for a table at the reception...

tip: Buy flowers in bulk, have them delivered to a trusted friend who will make your arrangements. The selection might not be as varied, but florists charge five to ten times what bulk costs.

finally some r&r for the wedding party...

AND last but not least, the best part of all....

havin a PARTY!!! :D

p.s. I would recommend having a good dj/playlist, to help everyone find their groove ;) There are no professional pic's but the MOG was seen doing the cuban shuffle ;-D

Also helpful, for an amazing wedding overall, is a stellar photographer like Alex Maldonado :)

See his blogs on Jean and James at

http://alexmphotography.com/20100412/bridal-photography-palestine-tx-2/

and

http://alexmphotography.com/20100602/wedding-photography-palestine-tx/

Videos that make me cry...

which is QUITE rare

This one is a stunningly creative as well as nostalgic, wedding toast. I don't know how many times I've seen the musical this number is based on but I was literally in tears from how wonderful this toast is.

Enjoy

Architecture!

I love multipurpose furniture!!! Anything that is highly functional really....


:D

http://www.impactlab.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/practical-staircase-2.jpg

Art

If you are into thought provoking works of art, even politically charged 'graffiti', you will love this guy...

http://www.banksy.co.uk/outdoors/outuk/horizontal_1.htm

He makes light of serious issues, in a sarcastic but clever way... entertaining and challenging

...I sound like the Reading Rainbow guy :P "If you enjoyed ____ then you might want to read ___, but you don't have to take my word for it" haha

Roadtrip Sunsets cont'd

The parting gleam/wink/peek....

...now you know why I don't write poetry ;D

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Roadtrip Sunsets

This was an awe-striking, welcome break from the view of the asphalt rolling for miles

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

SHOES =)

A friend of mine is obsessed with shoes. She literally had to take a fast from them because she felt convicted about how much of her life was taken up with shoes. 

Fortunately, I am not quite that obsessed :) So I freely indulged in a trip to DSW this weekend, and marched straight back to the clearance room :) *cue chorus of 'ahhhs' Without my shoe obsessed friend I would not have known about this room either. It's like a tucked away oasis of shoe glee. Just trying on any shoe that catches your eye is a great way to kill time. That's what I did :) No guilt and no regrets. Of course now I am also scavenging for spare change to buy the above pair ;-P

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Anniversaries...

   Today is pretty interesting. Anniversary of bloodiest day in American history - Civil War battle of Antietam. ( I find Civil War and World War history quite interesting. Mainly because the scale of the carnage is so hard to comprehend.) Of course, sadly, this pales in comparison to the number of people killed by abortion....the most 'politically correct war' ever.

   Today and this week are also the anniversary of our Constitution :) Yay!!! I love the fact that a few men took on responsibility for the political destiny of a group of people, and their moral standard, thereby forming the nation I am happy to live in. I wonder how this kind of character can be instilled today...?

   On a personal note, today is also the 13 month anniversary of dating a really sweet guy I am still UBER happy to call my boyfriend :)

He makes my life so much more full. :)

I would also like to take this opportunity to diss any superstitious nonsense about the number 13 and say that 13 can be the best yet! ...of anything :)

Happy September 17th! :)

p.s. I looked to see if today was any holiday that I did not know about....

there you have it. lol

Desk flowers

If you ask me, fresh flowers are bliss in a cup :) 

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Fuzzy things

The irony: now that I am older and more mature I am allowing myself to indulge in 'girly' pleasures more. ;-P Exhibit A: pink socks with polka dots that are actually fuzzy on the inside :D

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Dessert

First attempt at carmelized pears. . .used dark brown sugar, smart balance, ginger, and cinnamon. Over no sugar added vanilla ice cream. .. Total yum :)

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Dinner

Tilapia cooked with light soy and garlic powder, brown rice with oil and parsley. Not bad for scrimping through pantries :)

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

This day is off to an interesting start...breakfast thrown into sandwich baggies...no coffee...

To keep it in perspective I will dwell on the happy things. Yesterday I received a fall 'care package' from my sweet sister. Really I think we have just as much fun shopping for things to send each other as sending the various parcels that have become a tradition for marking seasons, anniversaries etc. So now my house smells like a carpet of fallen leaves :) This went remarkably well with the lingering smell of oatmeal cookies that I made last night :) Which brings me back to a happy point about breakfast in sandwich baggies; one of them contains oatmeal cookies :) Besides the fact that this batch turned out particularly well. I believe from now on I should use strictly whole wheat flour and dark brown sugar! :)

Now I must go, the breakroom coffee maker is beeping and I already feel a headache that must be subdued.