Hello, March!

Well hello there, March!  Seeing March makes me think that winter is nearly over.  We've had another snow fall this past week and I'm ready for spring.  I'm ready for all things green.  Yes, green because St. Patrick's Day, but I'm also dreaming of green grass, green leaves and buds of green peaking through the dirt.  I love the possiblity of spring in March.  What do you love about March?  

 

Winter Tabletop Part 2

Last week I posted part 1 of this winter tabletop post.  Today I'm including a dessert you could serve if you were to use this tabletop idea for a little winter dinner party.  Sticking with the theme, I'm serving up a scoop of classic vanilla ice cream and I placed a triangle shaped sugar cookie that I frosted with royal icing to make it look like a snow covered mountain.      

Winter Tabletop Part 1

 

I was flipping through an issue of Midwest Living and stumbled across an idea for a tabletop inspired by the tundra.  The centerpiece included a bowl of rocks and artifical snow and I wanted to try it out.  I would describe midwest style as traditional and approachable, which the idea is. 

Well, I'm obessed with all things French and lately I've been drawn to some designs where the outline of natural elements or everyday objects are modernized and simplified and then presented in a playful manner.  So, I married these two concepts from Midwest Living and French design and this is how it turned out.  I placed light colored rocks on a flat glass plate and sprinkled on some artifical snow and placed some cold climate creatures around the plate.  Going with a palette of white and gray, I made the mountains in simple triangle shapes for both the centerpiece and napkin rings out of scrapbook paper and card stock.  I finished the napkin rings off with natural looking twine.  What do you think?  Come back later to check out part 2 of this post.

 

 

 

Celebrating Date Night This Weekend

I'm sooo looking forward to this weekend.  My husband and I are finally getting a long overdue date night.  We are treating this date night as our Valentine's Day celebration.  We usually don't exchange gifts, but we do exchange time.  With two small children, we rarely get a dinner alone where we don't need to cut someone else's food or that we actually get a chance to sit down through an entire meal.  Parents, you know what I'm talking about.  I can't wait to slowly eat my food, perhaps have a cocktail and enjoy an uninterupted conversation with my beloved.  I love spending time with my husband and way too often we take on the roles of "Mom" and "Dad", but forget to focus on the roles of "husband" and "wife".  Cheers to date night!  Have a beautiful weekend friends! xx 

My Valentine's Day Wish List

 

I think you can tell where the inspiration came from for this mood board.  I know some people find Valentine's Day annoying, but I just see it as a way to tell someone special in your life that you love them, because so many times throughout the year we forget to do just that.  It doesn't need to be a significant other or a spouse.  Tell your kids or your friends that you care.  These are just a few things I have on my wish list.  What's on your wish list?   

1. H & M 2.Essie 3.Send The Trend 4.Vintage Confections 5.Parc Boutique

Celebrating Snow This Weekend

It's Thursday and as I sit here writing this post, there is a major snow storm headed my way and to the east coast of the U.S.  I'm making sure we have everything we need in the house so that I don't have to run out tomorrow on the slippery roads.  My husband, my daughter and many other students are praying for a snow day so that they can have an extra long weekend.  One thing that I enjoy about snow is shoveling.  I know a little weird, but hear me out.  I like breathing in the cold air and standing in the silence of the neighborhood and simply hearing the scrape of the shovel against the pavement.  To me this is therapeutic, although I wouldn't be saying this after a week long snow fall.  Stay warm friends!  See you next week! xx 

P.S. We got our snow day.

Hello, February!

Hello, February!  Is is too late to say hello to February?  I don't think it's too late.  Well I had this post all planned out for the first day of February and then the flu hit me.  Blah!  The cold and flu season has been rough on my household. I've been trying to recover from my battle, while taking care of the other sickies in my family and I'm also trying to catch up on all the everyday things I missed while I was sick, so you can see why I had to put the blog on the back burner. 

Now, let's talk about some good things -Valentine's Day.  Swoon...what a sweet little holiday.  I love the pops of color and life that Valentine's Day brings to winter, as well as, the nostalgia that it brings to me.  Remember in elementary school when you constructed the little mail boxes made of an old shoe box to catch all the Valentine's Day cards?  You would decorate it with red construction paper, white doilies and stickers.  I get to relive those days with my oldest daughter now.  We brainstorm ideas and then we get to put together little goodie bags and cards for her classmates.  It's such a great way to bond with the people in our lives.  

Another great thing about February - the Oscars.  Many of us girls anticipate the glamour and glitz of this night.  Some of us have viewing parties of our own and play fashion police and I'm no exception.  I love to see who's wearing what and who's wearing what well.  That's what I love about February.  Tell me, what do you love about it?

Celebrating This Weekend - Love + Friendship

My family is soooo excited for this weekend.  We're celebrating a very good friend's wedding.  My daughters are the flower girls and my husband is doing a reading and we're thrilled for the festivities to begin.  So this weekend I will have a white wedding to help me break through the mid winter blues.  I'll get to dress up, dance the night away and enjoy the company of great friends.  What are you up to this weekend?

Winter Activites I Should Be Doing

You know how sometimes you don't see something that's right in front of you?  I've lived in Michigan almost my entire life and I think the state is sometimes referred to as a "winter wonderland", well clearly I have not taken advantage of what is right in front of me.  There are some winter activities that I would like to try out some day like cross country sking, ice skating or snowshoeing.  Nope, I haven't tried any of these things.  Maybe I should read Winter Trails: Michigan Guide Book to get me going.  The weird thing is, I enrolled my oldest daughter in ice skating classes, which she loved by the way.  Are there opportunities or experiences that are right in your own backyard that you haven't taken advantage of? 

1.REI 2. Skates 3. Campmor

Celebrating This Weekend: Warmth + Comfort

One of my favorite things about winter is that I have a night time ritual with my husband.  After we tuck the kids into bed I always ask my husband if he wants a cup of tea.  I always know that he will say "yes", but for some reason I still ask him this question every winter night.  I put on a pot of tea, I grab my favorite fluffy warm blanket that my sister bought for me a few Christmases ago and I sit with husband on our couch and watch television and hold onto a warm cup of tea in my perpetually cold hands.  This little winter ritual is something I look forward to when the day winds down.  Have a beautiful weekend friends.  Stay warm and comfy.  

{Sweet of the Week} Dala Horse Cake

One of my favorite weddings sites is Green Wedding Shoes.  There's so much lovely goodness there.  While browsing I came across a bright, beautifully detailed Swedish inspired wedding shoot.  Included in the details that you can't miss are the bright pops of red and the dala horses.  I have to admit I'm a bit obsessed right now with dala horses.  This amazing cake was created by Hey there, Cupcake.  I think I want one.  No, I know I want one.

Celebrating This Weekend - Holiday Break

My husband and daughter have had a nice long holiday break and we have enjoyed every minute of staying up late, sleeping in and slow mornings for almost a good two weeks, but on Monday its' back to the regular old routine.  Remember this post where I missed snow?  Well, over the break we received plenty of it and not much has melted away.  On Christmas Eve, when we walked out of church you could see through the glow of the parking lot lights the snow gently floating to the ground.  It was magical.  I haven't seen a white Christmas in years.  It was perfect. 

We will savor these last few days together, but in between that, I need to put away the holiday decor around my house.  It's such a chore, isn't it?  It's never as fun to put away as it is to put up and the house seems so empty afterwards.  So being with my family is really the celebration part of the weekend, the cleaning up part, eh, not so much.

Hello, January!

Hello January and hello 2013!!!  I absolutely love the beginning of a new year.  You can write a new chapter in your life.  Everything and anything is possible.  What will you do this year?  What can you do this year?  It's all up to you.  So far you have a blank page and you get to decide on how it begins and how it will end.  I hope this chapter in your life is an absolutely amazing one.  

Gingerbread Pancakes

My family would be happy to eat pancakes morning, noon or night.  To keep things interesting, I make different pancake flavors during different seasons.  This recipe for gingerbread pancakes infuses the tastes of the holidays into one delightful breakfast treat.  I hope you enjoy them as much as my family does.

 

 

I will be taking some time off from blogging so that I can enjoy the holidays with my family and friends. I wish all of you a peaceful and joyous holiday.  I'll see you in January! xx

 

 

Gold + Copper Holiday Table

Like many of us, I have been busy trying to get all of the details for the holidays taken care of, which has left me little time to blog.  I just wanted to write this post to share with you this gold and copper holiday table I'm planning for a Christmas day brunch I'm hosting.  I'm in love with metallic colors right now, which is perfect for holidays.  I filled cylinders with faux snow and put some fresh greenery inside them for centerpieces along with some gold and copper colored votive candle holders.  The gilded burlap runner and ornaments are from Target.  You got to love Target.  The ornaments also act as place cards for everyone.  I wrapped each place setting in gold glittery ribbon so that each one is like an individual present.  Simple, but it's always the little touches that make a difference. 

Snow

Initially I wanted to post a beautiful image without words, because this weekend has been full of sadness, but then I felt the need to write.  I've been finding beauty in snow lately.  I miss it right now.  Last winter there was very little snow, which is unusual around here.  I miss being inside and watching the snow fall silently to the ground.  I miss shoveling snow and then coming in to drink a warm cup of hot chocolate that's topped off with mountain of whipped cream.  I miss seeing rows of snow covered trees and the life that the snow can bring can bring to the barren landscape. 

via

 

Modern Christmas

My taste is all over the map.  I would describe it as traditional, modern, vintage.  The items below reflect my love of modern design.  Clean, simple and fresh.  The collection of modern shaped Christmas trees in the classic cloche from Dwell Studios reflects two mixes of styles that I like.  I was drawn to the simplicity of the shadow figures painted on the white background by Modern Inspired Design.  I love these metallic colors on these ornaments from Totem Color Blocks.  Aren't these nesting dolls  from Mokkasin just the cutest?  One of these little fellas reminds me of my husband.  Where ever your taste lies, I hope you have a wonderful holiday.  

{Sweet of the Week} Winter Cardinal Cookie

I came across this cardinal cookie on Sweetopia and immediately thought about my husband's grandmother.  She loved cardinals and collected them, sadly she is no longer with us and only by oldest daughter was able to meet her.  Every time we see a cardinal fly by, I always tell my daughters that their great-grandmother is with them.  Maybe I'll attempt to make this cookie for my husband, he would love that.  To find out how to make your own gingerbread cardinal cookie hop over to Sweetopia for the step by step directions. 

Hello December!

Well hello there December!  This is what I'm looking forward to this December: snow, birthdays, Christmas, smiles and magic.  We had very, very little snow last winter here in Michigan.  It was really weird, it didn't seem like winter at all.  To tell you the truth, I would much rather have warm weather than cold, but the snow and the cold make me appreciate the warm weather when it does come.  Snow is good when I don't need to leave the comfort of my home and I can just stay in and turn on the fireplace. 

Our family has two birthdays in December, my husband and my sister-in-law.  That allows for two birthday celebrations two weekends in a row.  Double cake and double fun!  Of course, I can't mention December without saying a little something about Christmas.  Christmas to me means so much more since I've had my children.  Children + Christmas = magic.  There is nothing better than to see the smiles on my girls' faces on Christmas morning in the glow of the lights on the tree.  What do you love about December?