Life as a Martha Wannabee

Tablescape and Florals with my friend Cass

2010-08-09T18:31:00.000-07:00

I posted this on my photography blog but I wanted to share the loveliness here also.

One Saturday in July my friend Cass and I got together at my house and used teapots from the Goodwill, flowers from the produce market, and my antique china and stemware to create a tablescape.

I must say Cass out did herself for throwing this together in an afternoon.

Sources

Teapots : Good Will

Linen : Napkins from Etsy and Tablecloth from Crate and Barrel purchased two years ago.

China : Antique - my husband's great grandmother's china

Stemware: Inherited from my grandmother

Silverware : Sourced from Bed, Bath, and Beyond a couple of years ago

Candles: Ikea purchased last year

Cass at work opening up the roses.

Inspiration from Mrs. Obama

2010-08-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

Michelle Obama wore a similar dress to a celebration honoring Paul McCartney with the Gershwin Prize.

I am trying to rationalize purchasing it for myself even though I have no where to wear it.

Do you think its a bit much to wear just around the house?

Byron Lars Silk Charmeuse Dress in Grey & Blush - $316 at Carina New York

San Fransico Sneak Peek Photo

2010-08-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

Sneak Peek of a photo from our recent vacation to San Fransico.

1. Yes I am wearing a cat hat.
2. My husband didn't want to take the picture.
3. Husband hates the cat hat.
4. Cat hat came in handy since it was so cold and windy.
5. Cat hat is Kick A** Adorable.

Back from vacation and totally inspired

2010-08-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

Roe and I are back after a week in beautiful and chilly San Fransico. I have over 700 photos to go through and edit from our trip! Quite a task ahead of me. But before I share with you any of our photos, which quite frankly may take me a while to go through, I want to share with you images from an artist whose gallery we came across in Sonoma during our wine country tour. Both Roe and I are were totally captivated by her images with their bold vivid color and their ability to capture the beauty of everyday people and moments from other cultures. We walked through the gallery and around every turn you could hear us utter "WOW" in hushed tones. There are very few artists whose work moves me enough to say that I want one of their pieces, but with Lisa Kristine I want all of her pieces! After visiting the gallery Roe and I have decided to save to invest in one of her larger prints. I am so excited about the prospect of on day owning one of her works.

I highly encourage you to take a stop by her website and view her visually stunning work, and if you are so lucky to be in the Sonoma area also pay a visit to her gallery.

Oh Jack how I long for thee

2010-07-18T03:43:00.000-07:00

Since the weather has gotten warmer my longing for a little canine companion has just gotten stronger. My husband and I went to a breeder this past winter after falling in love with two little King Charles Cavalier spaniels we saw on our honeymoon. We decided to hold off on getting the new addition to our family till we move to our next house (which will fingers crossed be early next year and which is a whole bowl of anxiety since we have to get through selling our current home first). And even though we don't have our puppy yet I have already decided on a name and am anxiously waiting on the day when we can enjoy walks, cuddle together, and I will have his little anxious face greet me at the door.

So until that day comes Gentleman Jack just know there is someone longing for you with an excited and loving heart.

Simple Summer Pleasure

2010-07-13T16:39:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhh refreshing!

Fueling My Bag and Etsy obsession

2010-07-07T15:41:00.000-07:00

I have an obsession with etsy and an obsession with bags. So I squel with delight when I am able to merge both.

I blogged about Boopa Loopa a couple of weeks ago after thinking her bags were perfect for travel and stuffing all your goodies and distractions needed for a flight. I am always looking for something striking and different for a travel bag and for something that can haul a lot of my stuff (Kindle, magazines, snacks, medicine, etc). This bag did not disappoint.

Peta (owner of Boopa Loop)a makes the bags from vintage fabrics and they are truly one of a kind. I was so pleased to hear that I have one of only two and the other is with someone in Ireland. How tres exclusive!

I couldn't wait for our trip to San Fran later this month and I have been rocking it around Philly for the past 2 weeks. I secretly take pleasure in saying "It's from Amsterdam and I have the only one in the States." (Yes I have an inner snob. LOL)

Pictured here fresh out of the packaging when it arrived 2 weeks ago.

Garden Update : What's Blooming Now

2010-07-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

So the garden is in full swing and after weeks of hydrangeas the cone flowers are making their appearance. I will now be inundated with echinacea, black-eyed susans, and rudbeckia till September. The great part about them is they attract a multitude of butterflies, bees, and the most adorable little yellow birds. I am now waiting for my butterfly bushes to come in to really see the explosion of butterflies in the garden.

Mommy's Birthday

2010-07-05T13:36:00.001-07:00

Last week I had a birthday celebration for my mother and a group of her closest friends at XIX in the Bellevue Hyatt. I had originally intended to do a large celebration next year for mommy's 60th, however, given the health scares this year and stress of my grandmother's illness I thought it would be nice to do something special this year. The older I get the more I realize how important it is to value the time we have now with loved ones because time is so precious and short. Mommy and I have not alway been close especially during my teenage years but I can truly say that I know that she has always given me unconditional love, been unselfish and self sacrificing for me, and I know no matter what she will always be there. So it was sooooo very special for me to host a luncheon in her honor. And each one of my mom's friends are such lovely and warm woman. I've known most of these ladies my whole life and they have seen me grow from infancy to who I am now. I can only hope that I can mature as gracefully as they have. Don't they all look fab!

Dilemma

2010-07-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

So I finally found a writing desk for our living room after hemming and hawing for 2 months.

Problem its from West Elm.

Why is that a problem?

Because I redeemed a boat load of Amex points for a hefty gift card to Crate and Barrel, swearing we would get a desk from there.

Can you hear me banging my head against the wall right now?

Here is the a pic of the culprit. Now to bite the bullet and buy it.

Ok So what should I get with the CB gift card?

Maybe a chair - but the one I want is from Ballard!

Can't win for trying.

My visit with an old friend in Brooklyn

2010-06-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

The other weekend I was able to ride the train up to New York and spend the weekend with one of my oldest and dearest friends from college. I met Toya my first week of college and while we are soooo different in so many ways, we feel comfortable around each other and can talk for hours and hours when we are together. I love visiting her and her little family, her girls are so adorable and sweet, plus I get the opportunity to always see some cool site in NY. This trip was no different and we swung by the Brooklyn Flea Market. Though not large in size it is jammed pack with goodies. I found one vendor that made furniture from reclaimed wood (barns, doors, etc) and was so disappointed when I learned that they don't ship. Me and hubby would have to rent a truck and drive to NY to buy any of their items. And I am seriously debating it since they were so beautiful (And like a num-num forgot to snap a pic of any of their booth.)

And you know me being a big foodie I had to stop and get great food. We went to Cafe Habana Post in Brooklyn for hands down the best frozen mojito and cuban sandwiches anywhere. Oh my gosh I am drooling thinking about them. YUM.

Oh and in case you are wondering all pics were taken with my 35mm lens and the Nikon D90.

Enjoy!

There were tons of vintage Coach bags at the flea market. I mean everywhere! Maybe they are a hot item right now. Oh how I wanted to snag one. These were the bags when Coach only made leather and they were sturdy as hell.

My friend Toya taking my picture. Something that rarely happens these days since I took up photography.

Loveliness is Abound

2010-06-15T18:19:00.000-07:00

Right now loveliness is abound in the garden and I have vases of these all around the house. What a lovely sight to wake up to.

I missed my anniversary

2010-06-09T21:02:00.000-07:00

I missed my anniversary and didn't even realize it! It just struck me when I was talking to my friend Cass tonight about our plans for a photoshoot and I had to reference something on the blog and came across this.

Last month this time marked 6 months of me owning a Nikon DSLR. It was the anniversary of when I committed myself to learning photography as a "serious hobby". Sometimes I get soooooo frustrated that my photography is not where I want it to be and I get discouraged when I see the great work of so many other photographers. But I have to take a step back and look at how far I have come. I've gotten to this point by just rolling up my sleeves and digging in and committing myself to learning. And quite frankly I never thought one little inanimate object like a camera could change my life so much. I have never had anything light a fire in me like photography. I feel so blessed to be able to pursue something that I love and gives me and others so much joy. I am looking forward to where photography takes me in the next 6 months because it has taken me oh so far already.

For now I leave you with a photo I took around my "anniversary" at the Shoot the Shot Workshop I attended hosted by Isabel March.

And if you want you can follow my photography journey over at Girl Photography.

And yes this was totally a post giving myself a pat on the back. Hey we all need one every once in a while ;)

Great Find : Emerson Made=Pretty Loveliness

2010-06-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

I came across this great find at a recent bridal show I attended. I don't think you have to be a bride to find these darling for everyday.

Go check out the Emerson Made website to see more loveliness.

All shot with a Nikon D3000, 35mm, f2, ISO 400

Philadelphia Weddingbee Meetup at Silk City

2010-06-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

When I was planning my wedding I was a BIG time reader of Weddingbee.com, so I was thrilled to hear that a Philly meetup was occurring for all the area readers and Bees. The location was Silk City, a diner that has been around for ages, however, with the addition of the Beer Garden and a snazzy take on traditional diner faves Silk City is one of the best spots in the city for brunch. We lounged outside chatting it up sipping Bloody Marys and mimosas. Though I am 9 months out from my wedding I still occasionally stop over to weddingbee and read the updates and post a comment here and there. For all of you newly engaged gals who haven't discovered weddingbee.com head on over and check it out. I swear that it is super helpful to any bride and also crazy addictive.

flamingred - she came looking so chic and stylish, very SATC

Bee readers will recognize this lady. It's Mrs. Cupcake!

Flamingred's bridesmaid came out too.

Bee reader danadelphia.

PS All photos taken with a 35mm lens, edited in Lightroom, sharpened with Pioneer Woman's action in PSE. If you want to see the other settings go over to my Flickr stream and click the properties link for the photo.

What's in my camera bag

2010-06-03T16:33:00.000-07:00

So I have been asked what lens do I use and so here is what I carry around in my camera bag.

First off I am a Nikon girl. I know there are many in the Canon legions but I chose Nikon. One because it was recommended by a good friend of mine who is a fab photographer and uses Nikon too. Two when I went to choose my first DSLR I did not like the feel of the entry level Canons in my hand. They didn't feel as well made as Nikon.

I have 4 lenses in my current arsenal and I rent lens as needed. Hopefully one day I won't have to that but it takes a while till I can bite the bullet and get some of the big gun lenses that are upwards of $2 grand.Yes that is 2000 DOLLARS - US. Photography is not cheap.

From left to right:

1 - Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5/5.6 - this is the kit lens that came with my D3000. It was my primary lens when I first got my camera but I rarely use it now. I only take it out for when I need to get wide angle shots.

2. Nikon 35mm f/1.8 - I LUUUUUVVVVVVV this lens. It was the best investment of $200 ever. It is sharp and produces great photos like the one below. It is my little workhorse and I use it on every job. In fact I can do whole sessions or events with it. On my D90 and D3000 it more like a 50mm since they are DX (cropped frame sensors). Is the star of my little camera bag and I can't imagine leaving it at home.

3. Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6 - This was the second lens I purchased. I use it occasionally when I need to zoom from far away and I don't want to be obtrusive but I much rather prefer my prime lenses.

4. Nikon 50mm f/1.4 - People wax poetic about the 50mm and while I like it, I don't love it. Behind my 35mm it is my most frequently used lens. Maybe I have not fallen in love with it because I have DX camera and it is more like a 75mm lens on my bodies. When I switch to a FX maybe I will join the legions of adoring fans. But I do love the sharpness and beautiful bokeh it provides and use it as my primary portrait lens.

I am looking to get another lens soon (after promising my husband) no more lenses till the end of the year ;(

I have my eye on the following:

Nikon 20mm f/2.8
Nikon 24 mm f/2.8
Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8

I just need to decide on which one.

If you haven't noticed I love shooting with prime lens. i don't mind having to move and i love the results they give you.

And hopefully if I am a good girl and business is good this year I can get the holy grail - the Nikon 24-70 f/2.8.

Hope this helps.

Oh and I also have a SB600 external flash that I use on jobs as well, but I try my darndest not to use a flash and I never use one for my casual photgraphy (except today to take this pic - on my poorly lit bookcase). But almost every photo I have posted here on MarthWannabee has been without a flash.

The Garden has been all abloom

2010-06-03T15:12:00.000-07:00

The garden has just been bursting with flowers. My rose bushes all except one have been alive with color, my rhododendrons were bursting with lovely petals of pink, and now my hydrangeas are starting to make their appearance after a poor performance last summer. If the summer continues this way this may be the loveliest year for my garden yet.

Just towards the end of the bloom time for my rhodies.

My one foxglove plant which has now yielded all its flowers.

A new edition to the garden this year. I forget the name.

My hydrangeas are just starting to turn pink. I would love to have white ones.

Not a big fan of daisies but they are hardy and bloom for a long time.

My cactus, which sticks me ever year yields beautiful big yellow flowers. As you can see weeds love to hide out in it since the needless make it hard to weed.

Coreopsis another hardy plant that blooms all summer.

And my mini ivory roses. They are so lovely and are growing over their bed like weeds but I don't mind.

Pet adoption Day at Northern Liberties Piazza

2010-06-03T14:44:00.000-07:00

Did I ever share with you the pics from our outing to Pet Adoption Day in Northern Liberties at the Piazza? Be prepared for some major furry cuteness. We almost came home with a gorgeous pure bred cocker spaniel. However, Roe and I have decide to hold off on another fur baby till we get our new house and have more time to give it all the attention it deserves. Plus my little guy Donnie is getting old and crogegty and I swear he has a touch of AS (is that possible in cats), that I want to be able to focus just on him for now.

The little guy on the left was going to all the cages and spilling out the water bowls. Naughty!

Free dog treats offered by my friend Tara from Avery's Pet Styling Salon and Boutique.

I didn't forget my feline friends.

Experiments with Apple Pie

2010-05-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

It seems like I have not done a food posting in forever. No I am not on strike from cooking its just that I haven't been experimenting with anything new or doing anything that fabulous.

Last week I was inspired out of the blue to make apple pie to go along with our pork chop dinner. Now granted I LUUUVVVVV apple pie but I have never made it before in my life. (Isn't that terrible?) The biggest deterrent has always been that I didn't know a great pie crust recipe, that is until I learned Pioneer Woman's recipe. Only since then have I felt I had a foundation for making good pie. So I decided to take another page out of her recipe book and try her Flat Apple Pie Recipe.

Now I will tell you I had a hard time with this recipe because I did not thoroughly read the directions. It requires 2 pie crusts and I used one. DOOOOHHHH! Which resulted in too much filling, which tore the crust , which made filling spill onto the baking sheet and caused a hot smoky mess in my kitchen. So my filing could have been a little more caramelly (is that even a word but you know what I mean) but otherwise it was totally tasty. The recipe for the filling yields a filling that is just right in terms of taste - not too sweet not too tart. I only modified it a bit by adding cinnamon. I am definitely going to use the filling in more traditional pies as well.

And next time I will use 2 pie crusts!

As you can see it is extra brown (burnt) around the bottom edges. But it was still really yummy.

Pioneer Woman's Flat Apple Pie

Ingredients

5 peeled & sliced Granny Smith apples
2 tbsp. flour
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 tsp. salt
1 recipe Perfect Pie Crust
6 tbsp. butter
Cinnamon to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375-degrees.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the apples, flour, lemon juice, granulated sugar, brown sugar and salt. Set aside.
3. Roll out two pie crusts into large circles. Place the circles on large baking sheets.
4. Place half the apple mixture on one crust and other half on the other crust.
5. Fold over the edge of each crust so that it covers 2-3 inches of the apple mixture. No need to be artistic - the more rustic the better.
6. Dot the tops of the pies with chunks of butter.
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the filling is golden and bubbly. If the crust appears to brown too quickly, cover the edges with aluminum foil for the remaining baking time.
8. All to cool slightly, then slice into wedges with a pizza cutter.

Farmer's Market on the Piazza

2010-05-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

Roe and I went to SPCA Adoption Day this weekend at the Northern Liberties Piazza. We have been going back and forth about adding a new fur baby to our family. We already have Donnie my faithful feline friend but Roe has his heart set on a dog. We have visited breeders but quite frankly at this point neither one of us has the time to properly raise a dog. So needless to say we came home empty handed but I do have some photos to post of some of the cute cuddly guys we met.

Every weekend on the Piazza there is a farmer's market and me being a foodie could not pass up all the yummy farm fresh goodies. I even was able to stop over at Brown Betty's Cupcake Boutique and indulge in my love of moist cakey goodness.

Roe went crazy with the make your own snack mix and they had toffee covered cashews - OMG a taste of heaven.

Of course I had to get a half a dozen cupcakes (and yes I did share with my husband).

Planning a Luncheon for Mommy - Invitations

2010-05-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

As Deb from Owl and Bunny can attest to a couple of weeks ago I was going back and forth regarding choosing an invitation for my mother's birthday luncheon I am hosting. My mother will be 59 this year and I was holding off doing something special for her until next year when she turns the big 6-0. However, my mother had a series of health scares the past couple of months one of which involved a potential diagnosis of cancer, which thank the Lord it was not, so I thought why wait. This is the perfect time to celebrate her life and show my appreciation to her for being such a wonderful and giving mother. So I decided to do a birthday luncheon at the Philadelphia Park Hyatt Bellevue XIX, one of our favorite restaurants, for her and 5 of her closest friends.

I wanted the invite to be feminine, light, and sophisticated and also keep with my mother's style and taste. I went back and forth as to whether I should make them myself, order print your own through etsy, or go all out and have them custom done. In the process I had a hard time making up my mind and kept waffling back and forth between the three options. I even went as far as drafting up an invite in Photoshop but put the kibosh on it when my mother said that she hates grey and of course the invites I designed were grey and yellow.

Then I decided to go check out Tiny Prints/Wedding Paper Divas. I order my Christmas cards through them every year (I know shame on me for not using etsy) and recall that they had some very pretty party invites at reasonable prices. There I found a beautiful bridal shower invitation that I was able to customize to my needs. My mother loved it which was a big relief for me.

Now I can focus on florals and menu selection and of course I will keep you updated.

An afternoon with the Woman, the Myth, the Legend - Sylvia Weinstock

2010-05-21T19:33:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday my friend Cass and I went to a bridal event hosted by Eclatante in Northern Liberties. Cass and I are both newbies to the wedding industry and we thought it would be a great way to observe seasoned professionals. Well part of the draw for me for the afternoon was the opportunity to meet the legendary Sylvia Weinstock and I was not disappointed. Its clear that she is fabulously talented and one savvy business woman but its her personality that really sells you. She is just a dynamo - witty, funny, and engaging. The thing I am hearing again and again from people in the wedding industry is that while you are selling your goods and services what you are really selling is yourself. And I can see how Sylvia can draw people in and make them feel as though that she is giving them a once in a life time cake experience. Unfortunately we didn't get to sample any of her cake but I didn't care because it was just so awe inspiring to hear her speak.

Now if I can just meet Martha ......

I got a new toy!

2010-05-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

Feeding my photography bug has taken the place of my shopping for clothes and bags .... well almost.

But I do admit that I sit and drool over the B&H catalog earmarking all the new accessories and lenses I want. I bit the bullet and bought my new baby after taking a photography seminar earlier this month. My original plan was to get another body towards the end of the year but I couldn't hold out. Now my D3000 is relegated to my back up body and travel camera. I have already road tested my D90 and I love her. I see us doing fab things in the year ahead.

Why my posting has been erratic

2010-05-17T18:04:00.000-07:00

My posting has not been regular as I like because of .....

My photography has been taking off and all my free time has gone towards making it grow. Juggling a full time job, establishing a business, and still keeping up on the domestic front is hard.

I have so much to share with my garden, recipes, shopping, and home but just need more time to blog. I love my little blog and all my blog friends and want you to know hey I am still here.

FLICKR IS DOWN AND IT BLOWS BIG TIME

2010-05-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

My Flickr account is down!!!!!

Because I discontinued service with Verizon which was linked to my Yahoo account which was linked to my Flickr account, I now have no access to Flickr till someone decides to respond to my cry for help via email to their customer service.

This blows big time.

And means no blogging. Grrrrrrrrr!

And I pay to be a have a Flickr account. WTH.

The Most Magical Kitchen Product - EVER

2010-05-10T16:30:00.000-07:00

I want to introduce you to the most magical kitchen product ever created. EVER!

Bar Keepers Friend. And we are BFF's in the kitchen.

I use this product on my pots, pans, baking sheets, roaster, ceramic cookware, darn near everything. And it gets out the nastiest stains. All our beautiful Calphon cookware we got for our wedding is still shiny, silver, and stain free. Its just like new and its not from lack of use. It's from this little can of magic that is less than $2 a canister. Yes you read that right, less than $2. It even removes rust because my husband tested on that too.

I swear that you will fall in love with it too. So run don't walk and get yourself a can.

And no I am not being paid for this. I just really love this stuff that much.

Hot Weather = Sweet Tea aka Liquid Diabetes

2010-05-02T09:28:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me well knows that I do not indulge in caffeinated beverages or beverages that could potentially stain my teeth (red wine, strong tea, coffee). (Yes I am a clean teeth freak) I mainly drink water 98% of the time. But my one weakness is sweet tea which my husband and I jokingly call "Liquid Diabetes". And boy is it SWEET! Just the way both my husband and I like it. My husband's family is from West Virginia and my family from Georgia and Virginia so we were both raised on sweet tea being the drink of choice on hot days. And it just wasn't good if it wasn't done with a lot of sugar. The secret is to put the sugar in when its hot so that it dissolves. One of my pet peeves in restaurants is that they expect you to add in the sugar when its cold, then you have a pile of sugar at the bottom of the glass. YUCK!

I try not to make it too often but it is so easy and tasty. Plus for me it clearly falls into a comfort food category because it brings back fond memories.

So what is your drink of choice when the weather gets warm?

Vintage Lens Cases

2010-05-02T08:43:00.000-07:00

While I love my camera bag its kind of bulky to have strapped to me when I go out on shoots and every since hearing about the Shootsac I've wanted one. However, when you are establishing a business you have to prioritize your purchases and invest in what is going to give you the biggest bang for your buck. Unfortunately, the shootsac fell low on the list since it is a want and not a need. So I decide to take a trip over to my local camera shop Chestnut Hill Camera and see what they had to offer in terms of a small lens case that I could wear strapped across my body. I found a perfect little Lowepro lens bag at a great price but when the store associate told me they had vintage lens cases my ears perked up. I love vintage items and love to be a little quirky and different. When he brought out two large boxes filled with black leather lens cases I went gaga. I was able to find 2 in great condition which fits most of my lenses and for $25 they are a great affordable alternative for now. I am also thinking since they are padded that they may be great for using for travel on our vacations as well. Can't wait to put them to the field test.

Garden Update: What's blooming now

2010-04-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

I missed giving an update on my tulips which are now fading and were oh so lovely. (I accidently deleted the photos off my card - Yes shame on me). And I had so many pretty varieties and colors. Also I missed the Aubrieta which I have in pink and purple in my garden and is quite lovely too. I only wished it bloomed more than once - it only shows it beauty in April into early May. Most people have it in their gardens as border plants or in rock gardens. You have to watch it though because this plant can quickly spread and it will surprise you how much it has grown come the spring.

Aubrieta courtesy of Freefoto.com

However, it is iris season right now and my big beauties are starting to bloom. I have three colors - white, purple, and pink. The white are most abundant in my garden since they are the only iris variety that I have that blooms twice. (I believe there are some non-white varieties that are twice blooming but I have only seen the white.) My landscaper turned me onto them over 8 years ago. They bloom now in April- May and then will bloom again in August and sometimes in September. I love them because they are so low maintenance and require little work and are strong hardy plants. The leaves of the iris will remain green through out the summer and not die down or fade, however, I have planted other flowers such as lilies and coreopsis around them so that part of the garden still has lovely flowers and colors outside of their bloom time. I am thinking that next year I may actually have to divide my irises so they don't completely dominate the spots they are in. Also my pink lovelies are taking their time and have yet to bloom.

I also have this little beauty which I don't know the name of in both white and purple. If you know what this flower is please leave a comment.

I feel like a superstar

2010-04-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

This was not my planned post for today, however, I was so pleasantly surprised to see my engagement session from last year featured on The Fab Bride.

I feel like a superstar ;)

Go on over and check it and the beautiful work from Onada Photography.

Crate and Barrel Lust

2010-04-26T14:53:00.000-07:00

I got to see these in action this weekend at a bridal shower I shot this weekend and now I want them more than ever. They are definitely tres chic and stylish in person.

Crate and Barrel Swoop Bowls $7.95-17.95

And I want to throw this onto the list as well.

Crate and Barrel Agave Bowl $66.95

Heavenly Dishwasher (and its earth friendly)

2010-04-23T09:51:00.000-07:00

I know I am a little late with an Earth Day post but what the hey.

I wanted to share with you a great product that I have been using for the past month which I just happened to come across at Marshall's. (My gosh you never know what you will find in that place.)

Mrs.Meyers Clean Day Dishwashing Liquid is made from essential oils, biodegradable, and a cruelty free product. And OMG the lavender scent is the most heavenly thing. It fills the whole kitchen and dining room and then the dishwasher has the scent for days. It makes me want to run the dishwasher just so I can have the smell. I was also surprised that I noticed that our dishes are cleaner and have fewer streaks and spots than when we were using Cascade.

I have definitely been won over by Mrs. Meyers. Not bad for $4.99!

Photo taken with a 50mm lens (f/1.4 , 1/25 sec , ISO 200)

Black Bean Soup

2010-04-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

I developed a taste for black bean soup late in life. As a girl I would not touch beans swearing that kidney beans looked just like thumbs and totally dismissed all beans as disgusting. When I lived for a year in New Haven, CT and discovered Atticus Bookstore Cafe up the street from my apartment I became enchanted by black bean soup. They served a hearty black bean soup with fresh pieces of white bread with sides of butter and jam. YUMMMMM.

Ever since then I have been recreating my own version here at home making a different variation each time. However, I keep the basic ingredients the same chicken broth, rich black beans, onions, and carrots. From that foundation I build and make a rich hearty soup. But the great part of it is that its 1) a healthy source of protein, 2) low calorie, 3) can easily be made vegetarian with the use of vegetable broth, and 4) can be made more hearty with the addition of meat.

Black Bean Soup

* Goya canned Black Beans (1-29 ounce can & 2- 15.5 ounce cans)
* 32 ounces of chicken broth (can also do half chicken/vegetable or all vegetable broth)
* Olive Oil
* Half a large onion diced
* 1-2 Diced carrots
* Garlic
* Smoked Paprika
* Chili Powder
* Ground White Pepper
* Kosher Salt
* Fresh Chopped Cilantro
* Southwestern Salsa

Other great additions that work well with this soup:
* Andouille Sausage
* Shredded cooked chicken breast
* Tomatoes (fresh or canned)
* Corn (fresh or canned)

Directions

Heat about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in large soup pot or dutch oven. Add in onions, garlic, and carrots. Cook until onion slightly translucent.
Add in paprika and chili powder to taste. Cook 1-2 minutes more.
Add in chicken broth and beans (undrained). Cook for 10-15 minutes.
Add in salsa (if adding tomatoes and corn add in now), salt, and pepper. Cook 1-2 minutes.
Take half of beans from pot and process in food processor to puree. Add back into soup and cook for 10-15 minutes more. (Additionally I take a potato masher and mash some of the beans in the pot as well. If doing so would also add in meat at this time).
Taste and add additional seasoning if necessary.
Add in hopped cilantro.
Serve with sour cream or shredded mexican cheese topping.

_________________________________________________________

Also in an effort to give more info on my photography here is some information on the pictures in this post.

Photo 1 : Taken with 50mm, f/2.5, 1/80 sec

Photo 2 : Taken with 50mm, f/2.5, 1/100 sec

Both photos were taken in RAW format and edited in Lightroom where they were adjusted for white balance, sharpness, contrast, and given a color boost.

Random Act of Kindness

2010-04-20T15:19:00.000-07:00

I did a random act of kindness for a complete stranger this morning and it felt great!

It really made my day.

When was the last time you did a small gesture of kindness or generosity for a complete stranger?

My Wedding Featured on The Fab Bride!!!!!!

2010-04-19T06:58:00.000-07:00

My good friend Bola just launched a terrific new website geared towards Philly brides. In her own words TheFabBride.com is:

TheFabBride.com is an idea that Bola Onada Abodunde came up with to provide Philly brides with a resource that will help them learn who Philly's amazing and talented vendors are as well as inspire them with ideas for their own weddings. As a wedding photographer, the #1 complaint Bola received from brides was that there were no fun blogs out there solely dedicated to Philly brides and it was so hard to find the great vendors in the area. Being a bride-to-be herself she felt it was the perfect opportunity to put a resource together for all the Philly brides that shared the same frustrations and so TheFabBride was born!

I am so excited about her new endeavor and so happy that someone decided to fill the much needed gap here in the Philadelphia area bridal market.

And guess who is the first real wedding highlighted on the website : Moi - lil ole me!

Go over and check it out and all the great inspiration, info, and wedding prettiness The Fab Bride has to offer.

101 : Much harder than I thought it would be

2010-04-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

A random photo since every post should have pictures. This is one of the tulips in our garden.

When I committed myself to doing 101 in 10001, I thought no problem this should be a cake walk thinking up 101 things I would like to do. Easy Peasy. Oh boy was I wrong. I have struggled to come up with my 101. (Is this a sign that I have a boring unimaginative mind?) I wanted my list to be diverse and not just focused on one or two things that I love to do already. It would have been a cake walk to put cooking/baking and crafting as half of the list. But the intent of this project is to stretch myself, have some new experiences, work on some things I am remiss in, and challenge myself to tackle things that I am apprehensive over.

So here we go with my 101 in 1001, starting now (16 days behind schedule).

Enter a cooking contest
Officially launch my photography business (Done - in the process of making it all legal and legit with Uncle Sam and the state)
Have a baby or become pregnant
Travel to Italy
Get a dog
Learn to drive stick shift
Make a Quilt
Run a 5K race
Buy a new house
Sell my current house
Commit to a charity for volunteer work
Read 101 books
Read a chapter of the bible daily
Successfully grow peonies
Make a piece of clothing
Master making French Macaroons
Photograph 15 weddings
Go rock climbing
Learn to play pinocle
Make a piece of furniture (bench, shelves, etc)
Make a piece of art
Learn how to check tire pressure and put air in my tire
Layout a cohesive color scheme for the house
Create a book through Blurb on my family history
Research my husband's family tree
Go to performance of Nutcracker
Go to professional boxing match
Go to professional football game
Grow photography business
Go sledding
Design Christmas card
Have a birthday celebration
Take a walking tour of Philadelphia
Take a carriage ride
Eat dinner at Philly's top 5 restaurants
Make slipcovers for living room chairs
Stay at bed and breakfast
Go hiking
Legally change last name
Get a massage
Go swimming
Go to the beach
Gamble at a casino table
Visit family in Atlanta
Visit family in Detroit
Have mother/daughter outing every three months
Visit New York at Christmas
See a broadway show
Join a professional network group
Attend WPPI
Make a snow angel
Go see the circus
Drive go carts
Get dressed for work the majority of the week
Have a bake sale
Have a booth at a flea market
Do a road trip
Finish a complete puzzle book
Do a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle
Write a business plan
Repaint trim work
Try yoga
Try fitness boot camp
Abstain from sugar for a month
See the Grand Canyon
Complete a craft project every 3 months
Volunteer every quarter
See the Barnes exhibit
Run the Art Museum steps
Join a church
Learn to apply false eyelashes
Take a photography seminar
Keep a gratitude journal
Do a random act of kindness each week
Visit ABC in New York
Launch portfolio website
Blog at least 2 times a week
Finish wedding album
Get published on a big blog
Finish a 365-day project
Write a short story
Create my own baking recipe
Perfect making apple pie
Learn to roast a good chicken
Do a destination wedding
Have a dahlia garden
Plant over 100 bulbs for spring
Regularly get pedicures
Create a time capsule
Write a little note to someone every month
Send care packages to my aunties every quarter
Give away a free wedding shoot to a deserving bride
Mentor someone
Get a high end pair of designer shoes
Get a very high end pocketbook
Lay out on a blanket and count the stars at night
Camp in the backyard
Put up a hammock
Learn to make good lemonade
Learn how to spin a top
Ride a bike

Random Post

2010-04-06T18:32:00.000-07:00

Just a part of my serve ware collection. Look closely there is stuff in all the nooks and crannies. See bullet below. And yes those glasses still have stickers on them.

This is just a random post with a hodgepodge of stuff that is not expansive enough to be worthy of a separate post but I still want to get off my chest.

Traded in my Mini Cooper for an Audi. Right now I am on the fence as to if I made the right decision. Even though my husband assures me its not large I feel like I am driving in a boat. I miss the go cart handling and zippy compactness of Minnie.
I am at war with my car navigation system. I don't trust that it is going to get me where I need to go. I guess this brings to the surface my control issues and my inability to have blind faith in something.
I am obsessed with serve ware. And even though I have 2 sets of good china I want another complete set this one in a basic white. Not to mention that I have my eye on a couple of items from Crate and Barrel (serve bowls, platters, and glasses) [Maybe my obsession is worthy of an entire post].
My allergies are kicking my butt and I swear Rita's lemon water ice or Eddy's frozen lemon fruit pops helps calm them down.
One fashion trend I can't wait till it passes is black leggings. THEY ARE NOT MADE FOR EVERYONE PEOPLE!
I am reading the Thornbirds. I briefly remember the television series with Richard Chamberlain from when I was a girl and it being too adult for me to watch. Why didn't I pick this up sooner.
I am a Twitter fanatic now. Take Twitter over Facebook anyday.
Wondering if I should take my summer clothes out of storage. I still hold to the old school rule of no white before Labor day. However, we have almost 90 today and the forecast is for high 50-60 Saturday. WTH. I am so confused.
I promised my husband that tonight I am buying my last camera lens for a good long time. We will see how long this will last.

Easter

2010-04-04T17:12:00.000-07:00

So I am winding down from a wonderful Easter. This year I did not kill myself cooking a huge spread as I usually do. We were able to sleep in and then go to a fabulous brunch at XIX here in Philly at the Park Hyatt. They put out quite a spread as you can tell from my food baby tummy in these pics. Lesson learned - Don't wear a form fitting dress when you know you are going to make a pig of yourself at a smorgasbord. (And oh my goodness my husband finally took pictures of me. Gasp! I know I post tons of pics of Roe and never any of myself and now you know the reason.)

I know that there is a blaring absence of a mention of us attending church service, which hurts me to admit that we did not do on this most holiest of days. My husband and I currently have no church to call home and we have let this allow us to become remiss in attending any service on Sunday. We have spoken on this a couple of times in the last few weeks and about my desire for us to find a church home. I think that it is important for the strength of our relationship that we worship and pray together regularly and I would like church to provide that structure for us. So this Easter Sunday, as Jesus renewed us through his sacrifice, I am taking this time to renew myself in my faith and to start actively seeking a church home.

Hope all of you found some renewal on this Blessed Easter Sunday.

Hello Stranger!

2010-03-31T19:44:00.000-07:00

Hello Stranger!

Yes I have been a little MIA this past week but for good reason. First my photography business has picked up and my calendar is filling up. Yeah!!!! Also I finally got a new car this week. Let's observe a moment of silence for Mini (Mini Cooper) she was much loved and a reliable companion to the end but it was time to put her to rest. I love my new car but it seems so big in comparison to what I had before and I truly miss my go chart handling ;( Lastly, my 9-5 gig has also picked up , and hey a sister has to pay her bills, so that is always first and foremost.

But I am back with a new recipe. My sweet tooth has kicked in with a vengeance and the empty donut bag from tonight is full proof. (However, and some of you may hate me for revealing this, I am actually losing weight despite my sweet tooth binge. Crazy right? Once again I am just not eating enough calories through out the day to maintain my weight, which is equally as bad as over eating.) So Monday night I decided at 10 in the evening after coming back from dance class that I would make strawberry preserves. What the hell was I thinking? And me being someone who underestimates how long something will take was then up in the kitchen canning till about 11:30. And as if that wasn't crazy enough I decided while the cans were in for the final boil to just make oatmeal cookies for the hell of it. Why not take a full ride on the crazy train.

We have a ton of oatmeal left from granola craze so why not put them to use. I rarely eat oatmeal cookies and I am hard pressed to find one I truly enjoy but I go bat crazy for these. ( I ate oatmeal cookies for breakfast the past two days. Does that count as my daily serving of grains and fiber?) And ironically enough it's the recipe that comes on the inside lid of the Quaker Oatmeal canister. Nothing fancy or complicated. Just plain, easy, simple and good.

Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies (Raisins Optional)

Ingredients

1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter - Butter creates a flatter crispier cookie while shortening will give a higher lighter cookie. I prefer the flavor of butter and I also prefer the texture it gives the overall cookie.
1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups uncooked Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned) - I generally add the amount I see fit but this is the quantity the recipe calls for, but I generally add less than this (2 - 2 1/2 cups).
1 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat Oven to 350.

Beat together butter and sugars till creamy
Add eggs and vanilla; beat well
Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well
Stir in oats and raisins
Drop rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet
Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown
Cool and remove to wire rack.

Spring is definitely here. YAY!

2010-03-25T16:51:00.000-07:00

Moist Cakey Goodness

2010-03-25T16:44:00.001-07:00

Went to Philly Cupcake today and here is what is awaiting me for my evening snack.

UMMMMMM moist cakey goodness.

Let me wipe the drool away.

Kickoff of Photography Interview Series - Creature Gorgeous

2010-03-22T05:58:00.000-07:00

I know here on MarthaWannabee I do frequent posts displaying images I capture with my Nikon but I would like to branch out and do more posts that are informative in nature and that share some of the knowledge I am acquiring as I learn about photography. As part of this plan to provide more information about photography I thought it would be great to have a series of interviews with some of my fellow bloggers and ask them about the equipment they use to capture images for their blog. I am always curious as to what camera, lens, post-editing process, etc fellow bloggers use to achieve the look, feel, and style of their images. In fact 'photography' and 'camera' are the first two key words I search for on any new blog. And I thought why not just get out there and ask.

I immediately thought to ask Creature Gorgeous aka Mrs. Perfume from Weddingbee to be my first interviewee. I remember discovering her blog last year and thought that the look and style of her blog images were definitely distinctive and was intrigued by what she used in taking her pictures. Her images have a vintage dreamy quality and I love how she puts together a montage of photos for her posts. And I have also been dying to know how she captures such great images at all the fabulous restaurants she frequents.

So without further adieu Creature Gorgeous.

1. What camera and equipment (lens, flash, etc) do you use to take your blog photos?
I use a Panasonic GF1 with a 20mm Leica lens. It's the kit lens. There's a built in-flash, but I NEVER use it.

2. How long have you owned your camera?

Since October, so about five months. I'm still learning to use it, and use the "dummy" settings still.

3. What influenced you to get the camera you have? What features and capabilities do you like about it? What have you found to be some of the drawbacks?

I have to admit that my husband did a TON of research on it, and lobbied me to get a smaller profile dSLR. We have a friend, a very well-respected art gallerist who deals in photography. He's an avid photographer himself. Anyway, he had the Olympus (I think EP1 or EPL1) built on the same micro four thirds technology. And he loved it. So we researched it and decided to go with the very newly released GF1.

The main features are the high quality SLR images combined in a compact body. I love how highly portable it is. Sure, it's not as small as a point and shoot, but is a lot less weight than a regular SLR. I was really thinking of the Nikon D90. I already have an old film Cannon EOS, but in the end, I was sold when our friend the gallerist (who has a vast collection of super high end and rare cameras), said "What good is it if you leave it at home [because it's so big and heavy]?"

I have found it to be a little slow. There are also not that many lenses that are yet available. Although, you can purchase an adapter and attach any regular four thirds lens.

4. What camera were you using previous to this one if any?

I was using a Canon Elf point and shoot! I loved that camera but I dropped it a million times, once in a bowl of clam juice. It was so abused. And it got me back by not working.

5. Do you do any editing to your photos, if so what program do you use?

I definitely do some editing of my photos. The GF1 lets you do it in the camera, but I prefer using Picnik. I have to graduate to big girl editing with Photoshop, but so far, Picnik has served me well. And it's cheap (at I think $20 a year) and very intuitive.

6. Do you have any camera or camera equipment on your wish list?

I really want a macro lens because I do so much food photography. And also for my Etsy business. But maybe down the line for portraits and stuff and like that. But that's way down the road, so the Nikon D300S would probably be not so great by then.

7. You take a lot of great photos of the restaurants you've eaten at any tips for taking photos in public places?

Yes, be discreet as possible. That means no flash. Ever. It's hard sometimes when you whip out your camera, people tend to stare, but I think with the plethora of food bloggers they're getting used to it. I did read in Bon Appetit recently that there's a bit of a backlash because it's a little annoying. Having said all that, most restaurants have really low light, and of course, I don't carry a tripod, so I rest the camera on the table or my chest when taking pictures to keep it steady.

8. You also take photos while cooking, something I have not mastered, any tips for food photography and taking pictures while you cook?

I think it has a lot to do with the size of the camera. I can still hold it and shoot with one hand while stirring with the other. I also pause and stage, say a spoon, or knife to look like I'm chopping or stirring. Also taking a bunch of images in rapid succession (when I'm doing the one-handed thing) almost guarantees one good action shot! But believe me, I've almost dropped the camera many times. Yikes!

Project 52 - Week 8 & 9

2010-03-21T18:01:00.000-07:00

Well I fell behind in posting my weekly photos from my Project 52, so I am trying to play catch up.

Here are some of my photos from the past 2 weeks and if you would like to see more stop on over to Girl Photography.

Highlighted on Lookbook by Onada

2010-03-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

Lil' old me was highlighted today on Lookbook by Onada. (If it were possible I would be blushing.)

Onada is a fabulous photographer, businesswoman, fashionista, and all around great girl who I became friends with after she did my engagement pictures last year. Through her unbelievable ambition and work ethic she has since been a huge inspiration to me to get out there and start pursuing my heart's desire, namely starting a business and pursuing photography. So I was tickled pink when she asked me to be a part of her blogger interview series.

So go on over and check out the interview (the questions were really fun to answer) and stick around a while and check out her great lookbook.

Also check out her beautiful photography on Onada Photography and her fab fashions at The White Dress Shop.

Lost my mind - Target is dangerous

2010-03-18T15:15:00.000-07:00

Target is a very dangerous place. I went to Target last night for cleaning supplies and toiletries and not 1 minute into the store I lost my mind. It never fails that I get easily distracted the minute I walk into Target and before I know it I am off wandering looking at stuff I had no intent on buying when I walked in the door. And the Target near me has strategically placed women's clothing and handbags right near the entrance. So it's like BAM!!!! - pretty enticing frilly things as soon as you walk in whispering .... "Touch Me " ......"Try me on" .... "Take me home."

So along with cleaning supplies and toiletries I also scored 4 new dresses for spring/summer. In summer I am a dress fanatic, that is all I wear. I like to feel dainty and feminine plus feel cool and free. Target had an awesome selection this year and I could have certainly walked away with a lot more but had to restrain myself and get some semblance of sanity so my husband wouldn't think I completely went bat crazy.

Excuse the fact that I didn't take these photos on my dress dummy. Was just to lazy to take my wedding dress off and do the dress changes on Free (that is the name of my dress dummy and yes I named her.)

I got this little number for $11 - Yes $11 - ten plus one. I thought it was very Michelle-esque. And it has pockets always a plus. And not those stupid pockets right on the hip which make you look even more hippy but more towards the center which are masked almost as darting.

Michelle and one of her many florals.

I loved the retro 70's feel of this one and its a color I never wear (I don't know why I have an aversion to wearing red). I will have to move the buttons on the sleeve. For some reason when Target designed this they thought everyone has freakishly long monkey arms.

I thought this was so darling and feminine. It would also be fab as a bridesmaid dress.

And this one struck me as having a 40's vintage feel and is a cute day dress for spring/summer or what I like to call a "kick around" dress.

And the most I paid for any one dress was $25.

Sweeeeeeeeeeeet!

Pretty in Pink

2010-03-17T07:28:00.000-07:00

Yet another post about Michelle. I can't help myself - she wears such beautiful stylish clothes.

And as if the front wasn't pretty enough .....

Photos by J Scott Applewhite/AP images

Outfit : L'Wren Scott

Feel like Elaine from the Sponge Episode

2010-03-15T15:56:00.000-07:00

I was all prepared to do a post on what skin care products were a part of my daily beauty regime but no longer. The facial wash, skin serum, and SPF moisturizer I love are now discontinued and I am scrounging the internet trying to find what online seller has the last of the product in stock.

Right before the wedding I started using Dr. Susan Taylor's Rx for Brown Skin at the urging of my facialist. Dr. Taylor created a wonderful line of products that addressed the skin issues that face women of color. Myself I still suffer from occasional pimples which can leave dark marks on my skin which take 2-3 months to fade. Dr Taylor's products helped in lessening the frequency of my break outs and also helped the marks to fade faster. Well when I went to re up on my supply yesterday at Sephora I found out her manufacturing company went out of business. Now what am I supposed to do?

This sucks big time!!!!! Now I have to try various facial cocktails till I find the right one that works for me. Do you know how expensive face products are and for one not to work is tres tres tres annoying and costly.

Oh well ;(

Appeals to my inner geek

2010-03-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

The Google header for Pi Day (3.14) appeals to my inner geek.

Hard to let go years of mathematics study ;)

My Gosh These Are Good Brownies

2010-03-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

The pan right before being placed in the oven.

After seeing Shauna of Piece of Cake recipe for brownies I knew I had to try them. OMG, they did not disappoint. They were rich, dense, moist, and fudgey. So rich in fact that I had to share and gave half the pan to my contractor (I just couldn't have all that temptation in the house).

Go over and check out the recipe and beautiful photos on Shauna's blog.

Easy Peasy Vegetables

2010-03-11T19:14:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite dishes to make and its also good for you. As I was saying to my husband tonight it is a total departure from how I ate vegetables as a girl. Being raised in the tradition of southern cooking vegetables weren't thought to be properly cooked unless it involved some form of animal fat, smoked meat preferably pork, oil, or butter. But as an adult I have broken with tradition in an effort to eat and live healthier. This is how I prepare our vegetables 9 times out of 10 and the great thing about it is that it works well for a variety of vegetables. I have made this with squash, carrots, asparagus, onions, the list goes on with the simple additions of extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt and pepper for seasoning.

Easy Oven Baked Vegetables

Ingredients

Sliced vegetables (carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, onions, squash, etc) My favorite combination is carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, and onions
Extra virgin olive oil for grilling
Kosher salt
Pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400
Place vegetables on baking sheet and sprinkle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. (Tip: If using potatoes I try to cut the potatoes into smaller pieces so they cook at the same rate as the other vegetables.)
Cook until vegetables are tender and done. Fork will easily pierce vegetables.

Note: I was super excited to have this tonight since my diet has been so crappy of late and I have been craving fresh vegetables. But I guess it may have been cancelled out by the brownies I made using Shauna's recipe from Piece of Cake.

Busy Week

2010-03-11T13:54:00.000-08:00

I am having an extremely busy week and unfortunately I am not feeling up to my best. We are in day 3 of our bathroom mini-renovation. I can't wait till it's all done - I will definitely share pictures. I also got my sewing machine this week after saving for the past 2 months in my friend Bola's Saving to Splurge Challenge. Now I am trying to decide on what project I will tackle first. Its hard to decide when I see so many great thing such as the quilt Jen made and the totes Kim cranked out. And after a week of comfort food (still need to post the meatloaf recipe) I have gone back to hardly eating during the day which means I am low on energy. And despite the warm weather we have been experiencing all week I still have a mild case of the winter blahs. (A drawback of working from home and hardly leaving the house during the week.) So much so that I went to bed last night at 7. But look what I awoke to this morning and saw when I came downstairs. My husband gave me a dozen beautiful roses! What a way to brighten my day ;) I instantly put them in our new hurricanes I got from Home Goods last week. So here's to a better weekend!

What I love right now

2010-03-09T05:20:00.000-08:00

Monaco Bar Cabinet Crate and Barrel

I really want a nice bar for the house, we have all this great bar ware and I want something more sophisticated to house it then what we have currently.

Dreaming in Green - Moo Minicards

Would these not be awesome to use in creating a collage to hang as a piece of art in your home. I have been thinking that the blank space on our family room wall could use some color.

Gap Favorite Stretch T

All I want to wear here lately are simple stretch white t-shirts. They are so classic, clean, and simple.

Saul Loeb Getty Images

At first I was on the fence about the new hair but now I absolutely love it. And could someone give me that dress and the brooch? FAB-U-LOUS

My first portrait session

2010-03-08T16:57:00.000-08:00

So I gave you a sneak peak yesterday of the portrait session I did for Tamika.

I had to get these all edited by today since my friend Courtney was using the photos for Tamika's bridal shower. But I love editing anyway so I rushed right home to get started on them.

I met Tamika last year when she was a bridesmaid at Courtney's wedding. I knew she had a kind, giving, and loving spirit when she gave one of the most touching speeches at my Courtney's bridal shower. So it was my pleasure and quite a privilege to do this shoot. I am just hoping I get the opportunity to do a new born session for her.

And I am using this as my submission for my week of photos for my Project 52 ;)

And if you would like to follow me in my photography journey check out www.girl-photography.com

Photo Session Today

2010-03-07T14:46:00.000-08:00

I had a photo session for a lovely young woman whose bundle of joy is due next month. We were taking shots for her shower invites. I met her through the young lady whose birthday party I shot a couple of weeks ago. The shoot was at 8:30 this morning (I am so sleepy right now but need to finish up dinner). Luckily my friend who has been a model since she was a teenager was there assisting, which helped immensely. We all had a great time and after the session we went out for a hearty breakfast.

Each session is such a great learning experience for me and I become even more passionate about learning this craft and becoming better.

Will post more pics later this week but for now here is a peek.

Beans Anyone? Part II

2010-03-06T19:26:00.000-08:00

I am seriously behind on my food posts. I have been meaning to post about one of my absolute favorite quick meals in our house - black bean quesadillas for about two weeks.

Remember when my husband bought home industrial sized cans of beans. Well it wasn't just kidney beans but black beans also. After the chili I still had one large can of black beans left. So I decided to make quesadillas. I started making these about two years ago after getting tired of paying for them at Whole Foods. I simply took their label of ingredients and improvised my own with my food processor and Cuisanart Griddler (I used to use the Foreman Grill before we got the Griddler).

I like the fact that they are easy and fast to make which on nights when I have had a long day come in handy. I sometimes make the bean filling ahead of time and freeze for nights just like that. The other plus is they are completely vegetarian and gives us reprieve from eating meat. (Its nice to mix it up sometime)

Black Bean Quesadillas

can of black beans
salsa (I use a hot southwestern blend since it gives it more flavor and texture)
minced garlic
cumin
kosher salt
chili powder
large flour tortillas
Blend of mexican cheese grated
hot sauce (optional)
cilantro (optional)
corn (optional)

Rinse beans and pre cook in small saucepan for about 5 minutes
Add beans, salsa, garlic, seasonings (cumin, chili powder, salt, hot sauce), cilantro to food processor. Pulse until bean mixture is a thick paste. I prefer it to have some texture and not be completely smooth
Spread onto one half of flour tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese.
Fold tortilla and place on grill and cook until tortilla has sear marks about 3-5 minutes. Be careful not to overfill since the filling spreads as it cooks and can spill out of the quesadilla.

I have come out to play with the rest of the kids

2010-03-05T14:46:00.000-08:00

I am now on Twitter and Form Spring.

Yeah.

Click to follow me on Twitter

After some deliberation I have decided to join Twitter and Form Spring. After recently closing out my Facebook account I was a little leery about other forms of social media. Facebook had become a litany of updates of Mafia War and Farmville and how much can you really say to the person you shared cookies with at snack time over 20 years ago?

I am seeing that though there is still a lot of what I call social media spam and noise to wade through on Twitter it appears as though Twitter facilitates the exchange of information better than Facebook. Maybe forcing people to say what they need to in 180 characters or less helps people to condense stuff down to the relevant. Plus Twitter is a better forum to interact and network with people across a wide array of industries. So far I really like it. Now I just have to master Twitter etiquette.

In observing Form Spring from other blogs it just seemed like a lot of fun. So ask away.

So if you are interested in either following me in Twitter or asking me a question, I have added widgets for each on the sidebar.

Breakfast of Champions

2010-03-05T14:27:00.000-08:00

Yes I devoured warm moist yummy cakey goodness this morning. Yummmmm .....

I think I have taken the comfort food week a bit too far. I knew this would happen when I made that cake the other night that one morning this week I would have it for breakfast. But the ironic thing is I am loosing weight but not in a healthy way. I just don't get enough calories in me each day. I am falling into the habit of forgetting to eat and then just grabbing some crackers or granola at 1 or 2 in the afternoon as an after thought. And then I am lucky if I get dinner in me. My diet the past two weeks has been really crappy and full well balanced meals have been sporadic. And you see what I have deteriorated to - Cake for Breakfast.

I plan on getting some nice well rounded meals this weekend starting with a Big Salad tonight.

A little ray of sunshine

2010-03-04T14:09:00.000-08:00

I see signs of Spring poking its head out.

Yeah!

Warning - Could Cause a Diabetic Coma

2010-03-03T20:34:00.000-08:00

Nothing this good is ever good for you.

I am on this comfort food kick this week (and as I write this I am chowing down on a bowl of PW Chicken Potpie) and last night I tried my hand at Southern Praline Cake. Consistent with the southern tradition this cake is loaded down with a ton of butter and sugar which makes for good eating (and early heart disease - this is not a cake for faint of heart or those watching their figure).

Pralines - one of the famous treats of Savannah

I have been infatuated with pralines ever since our honeymoon in Savannah which seems to be the praline capital of America. I instantly became enamored with there rich buttery sweet taste, however, Roe finds them disturbing to his palette. He thinks they are just too sweet. But when you are raised in a household where sugar water and sweetening orange juice with sugar is the norm you have a high tolerance for sugar.

I bought back two boxes of pralines from our honeymoon which I have safely stowed away in our freezer. I ration them out to myself to eat with ice cream but I have really been saving them to develop a cake recipe with. I think it would be an interesting taste and texture to have bits of praline either in the cake or icing. I have been unsuccessful in finding a recipe that is in line with my imagination but I may have come across the next best thing.

The recipe directions are for a layer cake but I opted to forgo the layers. next time I will probably make it in a tube pan and stick with the glaze method of icing.

The icing for this Southern Praline Cake when prepared properly draws inspiration from the candy in look and flavor. The icing has that same rich buttery taste and smell as the candy. But warning it takes 3/4 cup of butter for the icing to achieve this feat. (The mere thought of that much fat could stop your heart). This cake has not the quite the density of pound cake and is heavier than your average layer cake. Yet it is rich with flavor due to the brown sugar and very moist. The cake really reminds of the cake I used to get as a girl from the older southern ladies at bake sales and community events. Rich, flavorful and dense.

My icing turned out to be more like a glaze since I substituted skim milk for evaporated milk in the original recipe. (I was too lazy at 9 last night to run to the grocery store). Ordinary milk has more moisture so its harder for the icing to get that thick spread consistency that the recipe intends. But sometimes a faux pas makes for good eats and I think the cake benefited from the glaze as opposed to the icing. I think the icing would have been too overwhelming in sweetness for the cake. Also I omitted the pecans since I used my last store of pecans on granola the other week. But I think they would add an excellent flavor to the cake but sans nuts was tasty as well.

Since learning of how much butter was used in the making of this cake Roe has refused to eat anymore outside of the huge piece he had today (he is in training for a race). And to prevent another red velvet fiasco I have quickly dispensed with freezing 3/4 of the cake.

And because I like you all so much :

Warning only bake this if you have friends and family to share it with or you don't mind putting on an extra 3-5 pounds.

The recipe is from grouprecipes.com and can be found here.

Southern Praline Cake

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1-1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
1 cup Light Brown Sugar, firmly packed
4 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Grease and flour three nine-inch round cake pans and preheat oven to 350°F.
Cream the butter or margarine with both Granulated Sugar and Light Brown Sugar until very light and fluffy, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt and add to the batter alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry mixture.
Stir in the vanilla extract.
Divide batter evenly among the prepared pans and bake in the center of the preheated oven for twenty-five to thirty minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the layers comes out clean.
Cool layers in their pans over a rack for ten minutes, then loosen and turn out layers directly onto racks for cooling. Cool layers thoroughly before icing.
Recipe yields a nine-inch, three-layer cake.

Southern Praline Icing

3/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar, firmly packed
4 large eggs of yolk
1 large can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups chopped pecans

Melt the butter or margarine in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Remove from heat, then stir in Granulated Sugar and Imperial Light Brown Sugar. (Sugars will not dissolve).
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the evaporated milk until smooth, then whisk this mixture into the saucepan with the sugar mixture.
Return saucepan to a medium heat setting and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick, shiny and caramel-like, about fifteen to twenty minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and pecans.
Cool icing to a good spreading consistency (about thirty minutes), then spread evenly between cooled cake layers and over the top and sides of the cake.
Recipe yields icing for a nine-inch, three-layer cake.

Project 52 - Week 7

2010-03-02T14:08:00.000-08:00

I am late in posting my pics from last week, but honestly my little Nikon didn't make it out that much ;(

All I have are these two lone photos.

I have an upcoming portrait session this weekend (YEAH! I am so excited), so hopefully next week's post will be much better.

This was before he shooed me away.

Taking inventory of our serve ware.

What I love right now

2010-03-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

This was in the most recent issue of the J Crew Catalog. I love the necklace. The model is Molly Carey a designer for J Crew and she made the necklace herself. So unique.

I love the whole trend of bib necklaces but I don't think they quite suit me. So I will just admire from a far.

Wouldn't You know it

2010-03-02T05:01:00.000-08:00

Photo courtesy of Ashley at (never home) maker

Last week after seeing this recipe posted by Ashley at (never home)maker I decided to bite the bullet and get a Le Creuset dutch oven. I have been on the fence for a while but this just pushed me over to the other side and with all the cooking I do I thought it would not go to waste.

Well I am not going to pay the ridiculous full price they charge for their products. Le Creuset is tres expensive. Plus I see them in Marshall's and Home Goods all the time at half the retail price.

However, wouldn't you know when I stopped in there this weekend to pick one up there were none. 0. Nada. Zip.

Ain't this a blip?! When I am not interested in getting one it seems like they have a million and one of these on the shelf. However, lo and behold on the day I am there to get one they are no where to be found.

Now the waiting and stalking begins.

Thanks Home Goods/Marshalls.

I finally got it - how to make good mashed potatoes

2010-03-01T15:56:00.000-08:00

This past Thursday after a week of subsisting on granola and practically nothing else, (I loose my appetite when I am stressed) I decided that I was going to make myself a fabulous down home comfort food rich meal. I had a hankering for mashed potatoes, caramelized onions, meatloaf (recipe to follow in future post), and string beans.

In the past I have had mixed results with my mashed potatoes. Sometimes they have turned out fabulous and other times not so fabulous. See most of my comfort food cooking has been learned through observation of my grandparents who were both wonderful cooks. However, I did not grow up eating mashed potatoes. The only time we had potatoes were as home fries with breakfast and even that was rare. My grandfather came from down south and the choice of starch where he was from was rice. So we had rice every day. And the ironic thing is my husband has to practically beg me to make it now and if it wasn't for the fact that we have a rice cooker I wouldn't dream of making it.

Back to the potatoes. I love their starchy goodness, especially when they are creamy and loaded down with butter, salt and pepper. But I have never properly learned to make them till now. Thank you Martha! The secret is using Yukon gold potatoes and my Kitchen Aid mixer. Not a potato ricer the Kitchen Aid mixer. I have never made potatoes so smooth or as creamy as the ones that came out of the mixer. No lumps what so ever.

And with the addition of the caramelized onions I was running through the house in glee. That just put them over the top. Roe thought I had lost my mind. But I knew they were good when he went back down stairs at midnight for a plate of mashed potatoes.

Mashed Potatoes (adapted from MS)

2 pounds russet, Yukon gold, or long white potatoes (Yukon Golds were perfect)
1 tablespoon salt, plus more to taste
1 cup milk, or cream (I used skim milk and they came out great, next time I will try cream)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Peel and cut potatoes into 1 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water; add 1 tablespoon salt. bring to a simmer. Keep potatoes at a low simmer until a knife slips in and out easily. Drain potatoes in a colander. Place milk in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.

Transfer hot, drained potatoes to bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed, until most lumps have disappeared, about 1 minute. Add butter; mix until blended. On low speed, add hot milk in a slow stream, then add pepper and salt to taste. Mix to combine.

Fold in caramelized onions.

Caramelized Onions

1 1/2 large white onions sliced
3 tablespoons of olive oil
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar (optional)
White wine

Heat olive oil in pan. Add in onions and stir to coat them with oil. As onions cook they will begin to become translucent, add in pinch of salt and sugar (the salt will aid in caramelization). Onions will begin to brown. Continue to stir. If they stick to pan deglaze with a small amount of wine. Cook until onions are desired color and taste. Onions will take about 20 minutes to caramelize.

My new bag is in

2010-02-28T15:43:00.000-08:00

As you know a couple of weeks ago I was debating whether or not I should invest in a new designer bag or a new lens and I was able to come to a happy compromise. I was able to purchase the 35mm Nikon lens and a bag from etsy seller Valhallabrooklyn.

After anxious waiting my bag is in and I LOVE IT. The leather is so soft and supple and the colorful lining gives it a little retro flair.

I am a purse fanatic and I love designer bags, but I am starting to not like designer prices. Over the past year I have moved away from getting big name designer bags and instead opting for well made bags done with high quality materials by independent artisans or unexpected retailers/designers.

I would highly recommend Valhallabrooklyn and I now have one of her luggage bags on my wish list.

I have the Larch bag in jet black.

Large travel bag I have my eye on.

There is a New Kid on the Block

2010-02-27T17:21:00.000-08:00

I saw this over at Daily Sip Studios Blog and was instantly intrigued.

I love fresh modern clothes that are also clean simple and classic. Thus my love affair with J Crew. So when I saw Land's End new line Canvas I was blown away. Yes Land's End! They have this image of dated suburban house wife but not any more. I think they are trying to give J Crew a run for their money. I have always thought they produced quality products, particularly their outerwear and canvas bags, so I am anxious to get some pieces from this line and test them out. Plus the prices are fantabulous.

Watch out J Crew there is a new kid on the block.

Photo courtesy of Land's End Canvas Facebook page

Photo courtesy of Fashion.Glam

Too Cute not to Post

2010-02-25T17:37:00.000-08:00

I'm bored. It's snowing (AGAIN!). I have the winter blahs and cabin fever.

So what the hey I might as well show you what Roe and I looked like when we were little people.

Obviously I hadn't yet learned how to sit like a lady.

The suit gets me every time in this picture. Plus the Mickey Mouse watch really puts it over the top - could he even tell time at that age?

Guess who has clients?

2010-02-24T16:24:00.000-08:00

That would be little ol' me.

People loved the pictures I took this past Saturday so much that I have already booked a maternity session and a graduation party with some other possible events in the works as well.

I am so excited that my heart feels like it is doing flips in my chest.

I have been hoping to launch a photography business since last year and now its really happening. While I say I am an "aspiring" lifestyle photographer since I am still a student of the craft, I just know that with ever fiber of my being that this is something I was meant to do. There has rarely been things in my life that I have been so passionate about it and to see things being set in motion is such a blessing.

If you would like to follow me on this journey hop over and check out my photography site Girl Photography. And of course I will keep posting pictures here as well.

What I love right now

2010-02-23T14:52:00.000-08:00

I could listen all day.

Have you heard of Bemz?

2010-02-23T14:46:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of Bemz?

I hadn't either till a couple of months ago when I read about them on another blog (I forget which one.) But if you own Ikea furniture like millions of us do then listen up.

Have you ever found an upholstered piece from Ikea and loved the shape but hated the fabric choices they had to offer? (I know I have never been a big fan of their fabric selection, and their strategy of offering everything in plain stark white cotton duck is just not practical for everyone.) Or is your upholstered piece discontinued and you can no longer buy different slipcovers? (Like what happened to us with the Ekeskog sofa. Loved, Loved the sofa. However, when I bought it the slip cover I loved best of all was just discontinued so I had to settle for my second choice.)

Well here is Bemz to the rescue.

They make affordable slipcovers for a wide range of Ikea furniture (pillows, chairs, arm chairs, and sofas), and they have a huge selection of quality fabrics in a variety of prints and colors. I have been stalking them for a while since getting a new slipcover for our sofa in the family room is high up there on my decorating wish list. I have even ordered samples a couple of times to see the quality and feel of their fabrics and it has just fueled my lust for a revamp even more.

And the fun part is you can play around and see pictures of your furniture piece with their different fabrics.

Here is the fun I had with our Ekeskog sofa.

All of these are way to busy for my liking but it is fun to play around.

I am leaning towards something more along these lines.

Yes something very neutral (yawn .... boring) but it gives me more versatility in terms of pulling in decorative pillows and fitting in with decor changes.

I have a dirty little secret

2010-02-23T12:00:00.000-08:00

I have a dirty little secret ..... I suffer from potty mouth.

Yeah I need to get the soap treatment.

It is very shocking to people when they first find out and really very few do. Only my closest and dearest friends know about my affliction. I have been suffering with this illness for a while and stress only makes it worse. The worse is when I am in the car driving. Luckily the other drivers can't hear what I am saying.

So I decided to do something about it.

Even though I am not Catholic every year I give up something for Lent to see if 1) I have the will power to do it and 2) to see if it can make a positive impact in my life and carry over outside of Lent. In years when I have felt that my sweet tooth had gotten out of control I cut out all forms of sweets which did curb my desire beyond the 40 days and got me back on track.

So I am seeing if this no potty mouth ban can carry over outside of Lent. So far I have slipped a couple of times but I have definitely seen an improvement in terms of how I even verbalize things to myself.

I am determined to get through this and make this change in my life.

Are there any bad habits in your life that you are trying to change?

Jambalaya - It's a Party in your mouth

2010-02-22T00:05:00.000-08:00

I always think of jambalaya as a party for your mouth. Its a mixture of everything I love - rice, meat, tomatoes (and to think I wouldn't touch tomatoes as a girl I thought they were yucky), hot spices all dancing around on your tongue. Even the word sounds festive.

Some people make it with chicken, some make it with shrimp, since I love meat in all its many forms I put chicken, shrimp, and sausage in my version. I try to make it whenever shrimp goes on sale and its a favorite of both myself and my husband.

Jambalaya

Ingredients

16 ounce bag of long grain rice
1 1/2 lbs of shrimp
1 lb of andouille sausage
1 extra large boneless skinless chicken breast
6 oz can of tomato paste
14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
1/2 large onion diced
2 celery stalks diced
1/2 large green pepper
minced garlic
Cajun seasoning
hot sauce
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt
ground white pepper
paprika
olive oil
2 1/2 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of water

1. Season chicken beast with cajun seasonings and cook till done. Dice into bite size pieces. Set aside.
2. Cook sausage and dice into bite size pieces. Set aside.
3. Peel and clean shrimp. Set aside.
4. In large pan or dutch oven heat olive oil (about a tablespoon). Add minced garlic, peppers, onion, and celery to pan. Cook until tender and onion is slightly translucent.
5. Add in tomato paste and rice. Cook about 3 minutes till rice is well coated.
6. Add in diced tomatoes with liquid, chicken broth, water, seasonings, bay leaves, sausage, and chicken.
7. Cover and cook until liquid is nearly absorbed and rice is almost done. (You may have to add additional water as it cooks). Stir occasionally during cooking to prevent rice from sticking to bottom of pan.
8. Add in shrimp
6. Stir in shrimp and cook until shrimp are pink in color and rice is done.

Project 52 - Week 6

2010-02-21T17:34:00.000-08:00

You can see additional photos from my week here, here, and here

Scenes from a Birthday Celebration

2010-02-21T06:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending my friend's ladies potluck birthday celebration. It was a day of good people, good food, good drink and of course laughs.

The Birthday Girl! Isn't she lovely.

Even the cat was a girl.

The only guy there ;)

Jillian or Tracy?

2010-02-19T05:20:00.000-08:00

Last night while I was vegging out and prior to watching Star Trek VII on hulu (Yes I am into science fiction. Right now I feel so geeky but what the hey I was a math major.) I was trying to decide if I want to be down with Jillian or Tracy.

The mean exercise drill sergeant from Biggest Loser that everyone loves to hate

The fairy like creature that floats around like a sprite and is BFF's with Gwyneth and Shakira

I just want something to supplement my days where I don't have dance class. Not trying to lose weight just maintain. And if I get a little more tone than great. (Who doesn't want to be more tone?)

However in no way am I trying to morph myself into this.

Have any of you tried either? Thoughts? Likes/Dislikes?

Is it that time of year again?

2010-02-19T04:43:00.000-08:00

Given that I was in a horrible mood yesterday I thought I would post about something that gives me great joy in the warm months. My garden.

I have been so focused on getting our bathroom redone, which is set to go the first week of March. Wohooo!!! However, we have to poly the new vanity sometime before then. Booooooooo!!!!!! And we are contemplating getting a new car. Sniff Sniff. I love little Minnie but she is not in tip top shape. That means doing a lot of research and going around to dealerships. So somewhere in the midst of this I see that it is time to start thinking about my little plot of land and what I want to do with it this summer.

I have perennials and shrubs (mostly flowering) surrounding the house and even beds out in the front. I try to choose low maintenance plants, however, no garden is without some form of maintenance.

Here is what our outside looks like in early summer. Now these photos are from '08 so imagine that these plants are much much larger now. And unfortunately the big task ahead of me this summer is thinning them out. I absolutely hate thinning out my plants because I feel like I am killing my little beauties. But it is a necessary evil because if left unchecked they will begin to crowd each other out. Perfect example are my spider plants which are lovely spring/early summer bloomers but spread like the plague. Those little suckers are the bullies in my garden and threaten to push out everything. Plus they pop up in the most surprising and unwanted places. And I hate to tell you this but echinacea or pink cone flowers are another bully. If you give them an inch they will take a mile.

Our door is to the side

Our side view or should I say front view.

You can see the lamb's ear at the bottom which has literally gotten out of control this past summer and the white irises that Roe finds a nuisance since they fall over right by the door. By mid-summer you start to see the gladiolas, hydrangea (which is quite frankly a bush now), black-eyed susans, and echinacea.

A pick of the back with our ornamental grass and butterfly bushes (which are my favorite since they bring so many lovely butterflies to the deck - quite a delight when we are relaxing outside). You can also see some lilies and cone flowers peeking out.

Picture of one of the big bullies in the garden. They are in a turf war with the spider plants for control of the side of the house. Little do they know that I will be the enforcer this summer.

These are the biggest thorn in my side. My roses are in the front beds off to the side of the driveway. I blame it on myself for not investing the time into learning the proper care of roses. Some of my bushes have grown like weeds while others loose their leaves mid way through the season but still bloom (WTF). It looks so horrible.

So I am faced with the decision of what plants I want to scale back, which ones I want to get rid of completely, and what new lovelies I want to introduce to our garden.

What are you planting this summer in terms of flowers? What has and hasn't worked for you? Does anyone have any tips about roses?

Tough Day

2010-02-18T17:51:00.000-08:00

I had a tough day.

Heard some very very distressing news.

On days like these the only thing that gets me through is prayer, the love of God and family, and finding beauty in the everyday.

So till tomorrow.

I leave you with a photo of my little guy in his usual morning spot - waiting for the opportunity when we are not looking so he can lick the drain. (Cats are strange creatures)

Guilty Pleasure

2010-02-17T16:07:00.000-08:00

Today I hauled my tush the 110 miles round trip down I-95 to my office in Delaware. I am pooped. I don't know how I used to do the commute everyday. Plus I even got social interaction with (gasp!) real people which sadly has also drained me of energy. (Socializing with a PC and a cat all day is definitely less taxing.)

But one good thing about my trips to the office is the fact that I get to patronize one of the best hoagie shops in the whole wide world. Capriotti's!

Now I am a Philly girl born and raised and we are to put it frankly sandwich snobs here. From the time we are able to eat table food we are chowing down on hoagies. I won't even touch a hoagie outside of the city of Philadelphia so for me to even try Capriotti's (which is a national chain - it hurts me to even write that - Breathe, breathe) was in and of itself a big deal. But to give a glowing endorsement is to some Philly natives akin to blasphemy.

They make a sandwich called the Bobbie that is like a little slice of heaven. Every time I go down to the office I have to bring back one of their 18" hoagies to share with my husband. (Yes we make pigs of ourselves. Oink. Oink.)

I dream about Bobbies.

Feast your eyes.

Fresh homemade turkey, cranberries, stuffing and mayo. And the bread is so soft and fresh. YUMMMMMMM

Plus they make a mean eggplant parm that literally feels like it melts in your mouth.

Look them up and if you are so blessed to have one near you. Run don't walk and see first hand the awesomeness that is Capriotti's.

Now that I have indulged in my fattening lunch , am all tuckered out from traveling up and down the highway, and had play time with other kids my age today I am too tired to go to ballet class. Just when I need it the most.

note - no photo from me since I was too busy stuffing my face full of tasty sandwich goodness

Can you cook with Pickles?

2010-02-17T05:05:00.000-08:00

courtesy of Food Network

Food Network Magazine is asking just that question.

For this month's secret ingredient contest the star food is pickles. I was racking my brain Saturday while out with Roe trying to think of how I could think outside the box and use pickles not just as a condiment but as a main ingredient.

If you are interested, the link to the contest rule and entries are here. Deadline is March 5th.

Oh yeah and grand prize is $500. Does that make it easier?

Book of lists

2010-02-16T18:42:00.000-08:00

I love to create lists and here lately I have been slacking. The only lists I have been creating of late are grocery lists for Roe. I guess between my camera, my laptop, my Iphone, and my Kindle (digital overload) I have fallen off with my traditional habit of hand writing out lists as a way to organize my thoughts. Lists are ways for me to not only to remember little things like "Hey we need more deodorant" but a way for me to map out and structure my dreams, aspirations, and desires. So to get back on track I created for myself a pretty little "Book of Lists".

Taking a plain kraft paper covered mole skin notebook, a piece of 12"x12" Amy Butler Scrapbook paper, and a glue stick I covered the notebook old school style like we used to do in elementary school.

I took an additional piece of scrapbook paper to create a decorative inside cover to hide the edges from where I folded the paper over from the front.

I then used my much neglected Xyron to create a label for the cover from a simple print out made in Mac Pages.

This project was extremely easy and took 10 minutes top. If you ever covered your text books in school then you can do this.

Now I have a cute little notebook to tote around for all my lists.

I never thought ....

2010-02-16T18:22:00.000-08:00

I never thought I would be jump up and down, wet my pants excited about a camera lens - but I am.
Today when I heard the mail truck outside and that sweet thump at the door which signals a package being left on the stoop, I flew downstairs. My little heart was racing as I ripped open the box and unveiled "My Precious".

I just had to bask in her loveliness for a second

I immediately started to take her for a test drive.

I can't wait to really put her to use with bokeh shots.

I am amazed at her sharpness and her ability to take pics in low light. I can't wait to put her fully out on the road Saturday when I will use it at a birthday luncheon. (Keep your fingers crossed. This is my first time taking photos at an event. I hope get good shots.)

Twitter???????

2010-02-16T10:20:00.000-08:00

Free twitter birds available for use on your blog courtesy of Luc Latulippe

I have a Twitter account but I have never used it.

To be honest I just don't get it.

I feel like the kid in high school who is on the social fringe looking at all the cool kids have fun. Wishing that I was in the inner circle and at the same time not.

Do you tweet? Do you like it? What do you use it for (talk with friends, exchange ideas within the online community, meet people, etc)? Am I missing out by not using Twitter?

Blueberry Muffins Part Deux

2010-02-16T08:09:00.000-08:00

Will I ever reach "Blueberry Muffin Nirvana"?

Yes, I was at it again this weekend. I am continuing on my quest to find blueberry muffin Nirvana. This weekend I got a little closer but the direct path to enlightenment still alludes me. (You may be subjected in the next couple of weeks to a whole series of blueberry muffin posts. Didn't I tell you that I am a perfectionist and once I get something in my sights I am like an old dog with a bone and won't let go.)

I gave Ms. Martha's recipe a try this go round. (Which you can find here in my earlier post on blueberry muffins.) Now Ms. Martha's recipe took a very non-muffin approach to mixing the batter, instead it relied on the creaming method which is the foundation of most cakes. Thus the batter was more dense then the Joy of Cooking recipe and shall I say more pound cake like in its consistency. While the recipe did yield a sweeter muffin because of the higher ratio of sugar, the muffin did not keep as well next day in terms of taste due to the lower butter content. Overall it was better than the first but still not good enough. I am a little disappointed in my girl Martha because I was hoping that she would knock it out of the park.

Ms.Martha's recipe was better but still not the BEST ;(

Next I will try Shauna's recipe from Piece of Cake.

update : Crazy thought ..... I am thinking I know "enough" (ie I have enough resources at my fingertips) to understand the chemistry of baking and the structure of a muffin recipe. Should I just forge ahead and develop my own recipe? Hmmmmmm.

Project 52 - Week 5

2010-02-15T18:30:00.000-08:00

What we did when weren't digging ourselves out from under all the snow.

You can see my photos from the week here and here and here.

Valentine Day

2010-02-15T16:14:00.000-08:00

photo by me ;)

I am not a big fan of Valentine but the Mister is, so that incents me to get into the holiday. We started the day by exchanging gifts. I was so surprised when Roosevelt told me this is the first time he received a gift on Valentine Day. I guess society sets as the norm that women should expect a gift on this day and for men they are just SOL. Well hearing that made me beam from ear to ear. And he especially liked it since it was "hand made" and from the heart.

A couple of weeks ago I used Iphoto to create a small 3.5"x4" 70 page book listing reasons why I love Roosevelt along with photos of him and of us. It didn't take long to pull together and for so little work it was a huge reward to see Roosevelt's smile when he opened it. (This is not my original idea, I shamelessly stole the idea from Mrs.Candy Corn of Weddingbee.)

I created a custom envelope for it out of Amy Butler 12"x 12" scrap book paper.

With my gift Roe once again surprised me. I had mentioned probably months ago that I love to give edible fruit arrangements as gifts but I had never received one. That is until yesterday.

It was a big one! I was barely able to make room for it in the refrigerator. We will be having fruit for a while. But wow is it YUMMY!

That evening we went out to the Prime Rib in Philadelphia which is in the historic Warwick Hotel. The food and the service was SUPERB! A great way to end the day.

It may be chilly outside but it's chili inside

2010-02-15T05:32:00.000-08:00

As you remember I had the dilemma of this

So when you have 2 lbs of kidney beans the only thing you can do is to make 5 quarts of chili!

The week of Snowpolycalpsye not only were we up to our necks in snow but in our house we were up to our necks in chili. While chili is a winter staple in our house I don't think we will be having it for a while given the massive quantities we had to eat last week.

What I love about chili is its simplicity. Beans, Meat, Tomatoes. From those simple ingredients there are so many variations. I don't think I ever make my chili the same way twice. I may use different beans, substitute vegetables like squash and zucchini for meat, use ground turkey instead of beef, etc. The possibilities are endless.

I am going to share with you my basic starter recipe with some minor notes as to what I modified to get the version we ate last week. (Once again I don't have exact quantities since I cook to taste - sorry ;( I know I need to start doing a better job about measuring while cooking.)

Chilly Outside Chili

Ingredients

Canned Tomato Sauce
Canned Diced Tomatos (sometimes I buy the ones that are already seasoned)
Ground Meat (For this version I used ground turkey but the traditional is made with ground beef)
Sausage (I like our chili meaty and usually add sausage. I use different varieties of italian sausage depending on what taste I am going for - sweet, mild or hot.)
Beans (Traditionally made with red kidney beans (dark or light) but I use a variety of other beans as well - black, chickpeas, white, etc. For this I used black and red kidney beans.)
Diced Onion (red or white)
Diced Green Pepper
Garlic (optional)
Cumin
Chili powder
White pepper
Hot Sauce
Brown Sugar
Kosher salt
Bay leaf
Beer (I use a lager. I don't use the whole bottle, probably only about 1/5-1/4 of the bottle)
Cheese
Sour Cream

Add in beans, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes to crock pot set to high. Add in seasonings (cumin, chili powder, white pepper, bay leaf). Let cook for about 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
While chili starter is going in crockpot cook ground meat, adding in any desired seasonings to meat. Drain from fat.
Cook sausage. I prefer to bake the sausage in the oven. Let rest and pat off any excess oil (especially if cooking in frying pan). When sausage has cooled slice into bite size pieces.
Add in meat, diced onions, diced green peppers, and garlic to crock pot. Also add in beer, hot sauce, and brown sugar. Taste and add in any additional seasonings (cumin, chili powder, etc).
Let cook another 1 - 1 1/2 hours.
Serve with grated cheese and sour cream.

Beauty in the everyday

2010-02-12T18:29:00.000-08:00

I got tired of taking pictures of snow. Enough snow already! So I began to hunt around the house for photo subjects. And while I was preparing my morning tea Wednesday I looked down and thought how beautiful the blend of tea leaves were. So much color and texture - a perfect photo subject.

Just goes to show that there is beauty all around us. You just have to open your eyes every once and a while to see it.

I've gone granola

2010-02-11T08:40:00.000-08:00

I've gone granola and I like it.

I got inspired to make my own granola after seeing a couple of posts for recipes around the blogsphere. After researching through my cookbooks and on the internet I decided to use as a foundation a recipe I found on the Martha Stewart website. The recipe is Farmhand's Choice Granola and comes from Nekisia Davis of Early Bird Foods who sells her granola mixes locally at various spots in Brooklyn NY. What I loved about the recipe is that it uses maple syrup for flavoring and extra virgin olive oil. Most of the recipes I found used vegetable oil and I thought the olive oil would definitely make it lighter and give it better flavor. (Oh how I wish I could have one of the oils from Fiore Artisan Oils and Vinegar that Erin over at Domestic Adventure is giving away.) Plus there was a video accompanying the recipe which is always a plus and super helpful.

If you want the full recipe just click on the link above. I am not a fan of too many seeds and coconut in my granola so I simplified the recipe to better fit our taste. But that is the beauty of granola you can do so many different mix ins to get just the way you like it. The recipe yields a sweet, yummy, flavorful granola. It is smells divine while it is baking in the oven.

Granola (adapted from Early Bird Foods recipe courtesy of MS website)

Ingredients

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup pure maple syrup, preferably Grade A
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 teaspoon of Kosher Salt
Pecans, coarsely chopped (I decided to o with pecans after I took the photo because I thought they would be a better compliment to the maple syrup flavoring)
Cinnamon to taste

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Place oats, pecans, syrup, olive oil, sugar, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl and mix until well combined.
Spread granola mixture in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until granola is toasted, about 45 minutes.
Remove granola from oven. Let cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container for up to 1 month. (If you would like to add raisins, craisins, or dried fruit you can do so after it has cooled.)

First Love

2010-02-11T07:38:00.000-08:00

The man I first loved.

The man who first held me and comforted me.

The man who first let me know I was special and beautiful.

I was your special girl and you were the world to me.

My grandpa.

I got this picture in the mail from my mother this week. So appropriate given that Valentines is Sunday.

Snow Day is turning into Snow Days

2010-02-10T19:55:00.000-08:00

It truly is Snowpocalypse here in the Mid-Atlantic and it is causing me to have the winter doldrums. And what sucks most that while everyone is enjoying days off from work I am plugging away business as usual since I work from home anyway.

Well I got the opportunity to snap a couple of shots last night and during the day.

The view on our street last night when the snow first started. Little id I know that we would have over 24 hours of snow, sleet, and "thunder snow".

I am hoping that we don't have damage to any of our shrubs due to the weight of the snow. The trees on the block are even starting to bend!

Roe digging us out and he will have to do another pass tomorrow morning.

Daydreaming

2010-02-10T10:01:00.000-08:00

Right now as we are up to our necks in snow I wish I could go back to this little slice of paradise in Hawaii.

Fun fact : This is the beach made famous in the movie From Here to Eternity with Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra, and Montgomery Cliff (I am an old movie buff)

You have to rub them - secret to good ribs

2010-02-09T09:05:00.000-08:00

The secret to good ribs is a good rub. Now up until about two years ago I knew virtually nothing about making BBQ, I only knew how to put my bib on and get at those tasty morsels of succulent meat. That was until I met my husband and lo and behold like every man he felt the call to cook meat outside over an open fire. Well at the exact same time my husband was looking into getting a grill the Martha Stewart Magazine published an article about BBQ and making meat rubs. ( Makes me think of the Buddhist saying I read in the book the Happiness Project - "When the student is ready, the teacher appears") Since then I have been experimenting with different rub recipes.

Around Christmas I noticed that pork was on sale at excellent prices. (Is this because of the glut in hams that time of year so the rest of the pig parts are on super sale?) So I was able to pick up a huge pack of pork ribs at an awesome price. Just because it's not warm outside doesn't mean you can't indulge in BBQ. I remember as a girl my grandmother made BBQ in the oven during winter and while you may not get that off the grill flavor it is still tasty.

A rub is a blend of spices and herbs that will give your meat more flavor. They should be applied the day before the meat is actually cooked and then the meat is cooked with the rub in place. When we BBQ our ribs we still slather them down with BBQ sauce, my husband and I like them wet and messy.

Now to my dismay I am not able to locate the MS article where I originally read about rubs but Joy of Cooking has a wonderful collection of recipes.

For my rub I use these basic ingredients and I just wing the proportions to my liking:

Brown Sugar
Paprika
White Ground Pepper
Kosher Salt
Cumin
Chili Powder
Ground Black Pepper

Here are some tips to cooking ribs in your oven as opposed to on the grill:

Cook them for a long period on a low temperature (350)
Cook covered with aluminum foil for about 1 1/2 hours. To get them to the point where the meat is falling off the bone they will have to cook longer and I suggest cooking at 300 with the covered foil for at least 2-3 hours.
Uncover and then start to baste every 10 minutes with sauce for at least an hour

And to serve a reference here is the recipe from Joy of Cooking for their Southern BBQ Dry Rub. If you get a chance look up there other rub recipes as well, they may inspire you to create your own. Now I have to work on perfecting my sauce!

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sweet or hot paprika
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons ground red pepper
2 tablespoons of cumin
1 teaspoon of mace
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup cracked black peppercorns

Where do pointe shoes go to die?

2010-02-08T20:46:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by Mrs. Hot Cocoa of Doubly Happy and Creature Gorgeous to take photos of all my lovely worn pointe shoes. I have a pointe shoe graveyard in my closet.

I take classes at least 2 times a week on Monday and Wednesday at Miss Wanda Hamilton's School of Classical Ballet. Though I took some classes in my early childhood, it was not till graduate school that I got serious and really started to study dance. I have been diligent in going to class at least 2-3 times a week for the past 11 years. I will admit that it can be extremely hard at times, especially here of late since I am starting to develop early signs of arthritis in my knees and ankles, but I have found not other form of exercise to be more rewarding or satisfying. Miss Wanda who owns the studio is definitely old school in how she teaches and is a ballet purist. For the hour and a half that we are in the class she definitely works you and you will sweat. About 5 years ago I began to study on pointe, I was so overjoyed and filled with glee that Miss Wanda finally thought I was ready. Little did I know the pain involved with doing pointe. (When I think back to my first pointe class I laugh. I thought I was going to be let in on some big secret of how you dance on pointe and I was told quite bluntly "There is no secret just get up on your toes. Do it." ) I could never find shoes that I felt completely comfortable in. And after suffering from sore ankles, loosing my two big toe nails, and not being able to wear open toed shoes for a year I turned in my pointe shoes after about a year and a half of study.

But as you can see I have quite a collection and I call it my "Point Shoe Graveyard"

Beans Anyone?

2010-02-08T15:31:00.000-08:00

Look at the quantity on the lower right hand side of the can - does anything strike you as odd?

My husband does the bulk of the grocery shopping in the house. I just hand over my list and he goes and picks up everything. Well Friday I told him that I wanted to make chili over the weekend and needed 'large' cans of dark and light kidney beans. No other instructions.

This is what he came home with.

Now how much chili am I supposed to make with 2 - 2lb can of kidney beans?

Got to love him, bless his heart.

I am throwing in the towel

2010-02-08T08:15:00.000-08:00

Trying to fit mopping into my schedule is causing me stress ;(

I am throwing in the towel and getting a monthly cleaning service again.

I tried to keep up on the housework (believe me I have tried) but with two people, a cat, 3 floors of living space, and 3 bathrooms I can't do it. Roe helps out but I will admit I am super anal about cleaning. It was something that we went back and forth about it since we have been living together, with Roe on the side of not having a cleaning service. But with our busy schedules we just let some things go some of the time and that is just not cutting it in my book. And I am a big component of out sourcing those tasks you either don't have the time for or you can't do. So I am going to have someone come in and do a thorough deep clean once a month. It doesn't mean I have to retire my Swifter and mop but it will make my life a little easier and make me feel a lot less guilty.

Just wondering though am I the only one who does a quick cleaning before the cleaning service comes? (Roe just laughs and thinks it's odd and defeats the purpose)

Has anyone else admitted that they needed to outsource a household task? Do you feel guilty or relieved?

Project 52 - Week 4

2010-02-07T18:45:00.000-08:00

Photos for the week.

I did a study of my grandfather's Kodak camera and the gladiola's I purchased at Produce Junction. Plus of course snow pics and pics of Roe. I was even able to slip one in of myself.

Blizzards are perfect for late night shopping

2010-02-06T23:57:00.000-08:00

While the weather outside has been frightful, I have been having one long slumber party here in the house. I take snow days as an opportunity to laze around the house, watch massive doses of mindless television, and to troll the internet looking at all the sites I don't normally get time to see. It is also the perfect opportunity to shop at 2 in the morning.

From my earlier post you may have seen that I was torn between getting a purse and getting a new lens. Well I was able to have the best of both worlds by choosing less expensive versions of both.

Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens

I went with the 35mm lens instead of the 50mm which was half the price. I went back and forth about which prime lens since I am really getting serious about my photography. But right now I need to just master good composition and eventually I can buy into the 50mm. After reading extensively on boards I think the 35mm is still a good solid lens because

its a fast lens
produces sharp pictures
its great for indoor and low light situation
its great for portrait

Look at the great shots you can get from the lens. Take a look at this one for example.

Flickr photo from ceazeone photostream

And while perusing on etsy I saw the seller valhallabrooklyn I had bookmarked months ago because I had fell in love with their travel bags. But saw they produced some really cool purses as well. While I love the Marc Jacobs bag, I already have two white/cream bags and another one just didn't seem to be practical. And valhallabrooklyn had an awesome black leather bag listed (can you believe that I don't have a basic black leather bag) at almost half the price of the Jacobs bag. It was a no brainer.

Larch bag from etsy seller Valhallabrooklyn in Jet Black

So I am torn no longer. I figured out a way to satisfy my purse addiction and my photography passion. (And the Jacobs bag is still on my wish list if anyone wants to get me a gift.)

15 Random Bits about the Wannabee

2010-02-06T18:32:00.000-08:00

Roe and I being silly for the camera - totally unrelated to the post. I just needed a photo.

So I felt like do a post about random tidbits about me. These are my favorite type of posts by bloggers because it uncovers just that random tidbits that you would never ever think to ask someone but tells a lot about who they are.

Well here we go.

I am a fanatic about going to the dental hygienist - I go 3-4 times a year for professional teeth cleaning.
I have panic attacks while flying and I am at the point where I need a heavy sedative to get on a plane. Call me BA from A-Team.
My most precious memories in my life are the days I got to hang out with my grandfather, tagging along on his errands, having him read to me, teaching me to play cards, watching cartoons, etc. I miss him everyday.
I learned how to drive at 21 and for the first year after I learned how to drive I would only drive on the highway after extreme duress.
I can not tell left from right. As a child I would always put my shoes on the wrong foot. [And I am not sharing the secret as to how I tell now]
My pet peeves are people sucking their teeth, heavy breathers, and spitting.
The only book I would read through 1st and 2nd grade was “Charlotte’s Web”. I cried when Charlotte died.
I talk to myself when I drive and getting ready in the morning. Call it a side affect of being an only child and having to entertain myself for hours on end.
I don’t ever want to retire and not work. I think that is sure way to bring death.
I don’t know how to ride a bike. My mother didn’t allow me to learn since she was in a terrible car accident on hers when she was little.
The best feeling in the summer is walking on thick lush grass barefoot.
I love my handwriting and I am glad my mother made me practice penmanship. That is why I am reluctant to go fully digital with an organizer. I just love seeing notes and lists written in my own hand too much. Vain I know.
I grew up only listening to country music and easy listening, my mother's choice not mine. Can we say Johnny Mathis and Kenny Rogers were my musical friends.
I don't have a favorite color or food. Too much variety to say I like one better than the others.
My dream job is to be a personal assistant to a famous movie star. Weird right?

Oh Martha What Can't You Do?

2010-02-05T23:51:00.000-08:00

What can't you do Martha, you little minx?

Is this kismet or what? I should be getting my new sewing machine around the time the book is set to release (March 30th).

Shrimp New Orleans Style

2010-02-05T15:12:00.000-08:00

Shrimp was on sale the other week at the market (noticing a pattern here) and I decided to make what I call Shrimp Creole, a dish I started to make many moons ago in graduate school. It is my take on the traditional Shrimp Etouffe.

It is yummy, spicey, and really hits the spot.

Shrimp Creole

1 1/2 lbs of large or jumbo shrimp
1 lb andouille sausage
1/2 medium green pepper
1/2 medium red pepper
2 stalks of celery
1/2 medium red onion
1/4 cup of butter
1/4 cup of flour
8-12 ounces of canned tomato sauce
29 ounce can of seasoned stewed tomatos (I used Itlalian seasoned)
minced garlic
paprika
thyme
hot sauce
ground white pepper
creole/cajun seasoning (sold in spice section of supermarket)
kosher salt
ground black pepper
Worchestershire sauce

1. Cook sausage, allow to cool and cut into slices, then set aside. I usually just bake mine in the oven as opposed to frying on top of the stove.

2. Peel and clean shrimp. Toss with paprika, ground white pepper, thyme, and ground black pepper.

3. Dice onion, celery, and peppers. Set aside.

4. In large pot melt butter on medium heat. Add in flour. Continue to stir with a whisk until roux becomes a rich brown color. Should be similiar in color to a penny.

5. Add in diced onion, peppers, celery, sausage, garlic, and thyme. Allow to cook for 5-7 minutes until vegetables are tender.

6. Add in stewed tomatos, tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Add desired seasonings at this time (cajun seasoning, salt, paprika, pepper, etc). Stir and bring to simmer.

7. Add in shrimp and allow to cook till shrimp turn pink.

8. Add additional seasonings to taste.

9. Serve over rice.

Getting a good word when you least expect it

2010-02-05T11:58:00.000-08:00

photo from incurlers Flickr photostream

Last night while I was at the hair salon for my weekly "wig toss", I was perusing the January issue of "O" while under the dryer. Now I am in no way a disciple of Ms. Oprah, and while I hold her in the highest regard and respect all the things she has done with her life I am not a big fan. (Don't get me started on what issues I have with Ms. Winfrey -Sorry Gals). But I do love her magazine. I think she has one of the few magazines out there that has well written articles of depth that address the personal development of inner selves. Plus it has the usual eye candy and visual fluff we love to devour in our magazines (hot new items, home decor, etc) done in a very stylish way.

Well the article was about livng your best year in 2010, a theme consistent with the Oprah mantra and brand, and this little gem just struck a deep chord with me. So much in fact that I thought about it all night and it has been on my mind today as well.

"Instead of planning to be perfect, plan to be a little better"

See I am a perfectionist. I hate not being the best at anything I do. If I can't do something well it causes me great frustration and distress. I am my own worse critic and am harder on myself than any one else. Upon completing a project I don't stand back and say "wow that's beautiful" instead I say "Wow look at that spot you missed" or "Wow you should have moved it a 1/2 inch more to the left". I am never satisfied with what I have accomplished becase I set for myself an impossible standard - PERFECTION.

So for 2010 I am going to try to be a little better and not perfect.

Do others suffer from "perfectionist syndrome"? How do you prevent it from allowing you to appreciate your talents and accomplishments?