yummy summery asiany lettuce wraps

...or 'we finally went grocery shopping!'

This month has been go-go-go and I am loving it, but the downside is that we haven't prioritized domestic basics.  We've gone camping almost every weekend and have various social engagements throughout the work week, be it sports, gymtime, happy hours, etc.  I know, boo hoo.  I'm definitely not complaining.  However, it felt so refreshing to go nuts at the market yesterday so that we could eat at home more, for all the day's meals.  Gabe and I eat vegetarian at home so we stocked up on fresh vegetables {hello! it's summer!} and basics like pastas, potatoes, wine.  Of course wine is a basic, how dare you question.

I love wine. Winey wine wine. Here it goes down. Down into my belly. Mmm mmm mmm.

Since it is summer, and it is warmer than I expected today {read: didn't think I needed to shave my legs, so I wore pants} I felt like making a cold and raw dinner.  That sounds odd.  I just mean I didn't want warm food.  I was starving after my hair appointment, so naturally I chose to spend an hour to prepare dinner.  All that chopping of vegetables and blending of saucey goodness was worth it, and I snacked on some veggies while I was prepping, so I lived.

You know when you make something and you are so freaking proud of yourself?  It doesn't even have to be something all that significant, but you know that is rocks and you are awesome!  {Assuming you are viciously nodding your heads} That is how I feel about the dinner I just made.  And enjoyed solo.  Solo supper.  Don't feel sad, I had wine.  What is that rule about not drinking alone?  Pssshhhh.

Peanut Sauce:
1/2 c  natural peanut butter
1/2 c  milk
3 T  freshly squeezed lime juice
2 T  packed brown sugar
1.5 T  low sodium soy sauce
2 T  Asian chili and garlic paste
1/3 c  orange juice
KS&P  to taste

Cups:
Several butter leaf lettuce cups
radishes, thinly sliced
yellow bell pepper, julienned
button mushrooms, caps only and thinly sliced
fresh basil, chiffonade
alfalfa sprouts {cuz they're awesome!}
mixed vegetable salad {slaw of cabbage and carrots and such}
toasted sesame oil
rice vinegar
teriyaki tofu, chunked

First blend all the ingredients for the peanut sauce in a blender and set aside.  Then toss all ingredients, except for the lettuce cups of course, in a bowl and drizzle some sesame oil and rice vinegar to taste.  I normally press and marinate my own tofu, but I grabbed some Wild Wood baked teriyaki sprouted tofu at the store and was eager to try it.  So yummy!  I highly recommend it.  Their brand makes all good stuff.  Then, fill your cups with the goods and top with peanut sauce.  The most important step is this one:  Open and pour yourself a glass of Bogle Chardonnay to enjoy with your lettuce cups.  I mean it.  Speaking of, time out...tank's empty.

...

Okay, I'm back.  Bogle is a local and a favorite wine of mine.  I went to school with the Bogle boys, and their vineyards dominate are located in the Delta.  Nugget had the chard on sale for $8.99 so I grabbed a couple, which is not nearly enough.  Sorry babe, I know you said you weren't going to drink in preparation for climbing that undisclosed mountain, but that doesn't mean I am going to cut back out of sympathy.  Love you!

Oh man, this peanut sauce! I made extra so I could pour it over anything and everything.

What have you friends been proudly making these summer nights?  I'd love to hear!  And even more importantly, what wines are you drinking right now?  Summertime is primetime for white varietals methinks.  Give me a delicious and chilled Sauvignon Blanc and/or Chardonnay, or perhaps a Viognier, and I will be happy as a clam.  Why do they say that?  A clam?  Is it because the split in their shells is shaped like a smile?  I wonder.

"we could totally do this"

After dropping off Megan and Tommy at their hotel Friday, I was a bit worried that Ethan would never stop crying for his parents.  I tried several approaches, alternating between speaking to him in soft dulcet tones, to completely ignoring him hoping he would self-soothe, but he continued to cry for the entire ten minute drive from the hotel to Gabe's dad's house. My plan was to bring the boys over there to go swimming, so I tried using this fun fact to divert Ethan's attention away from being apart from his parents.  Loud squeals in return.  When I got to the house, I called Gabe to come outside and surprise Ethan. He opened Ethan's door, popped his head in, and said, "Hey bud, wanna go swimming with uncle Gabey?"  Ethan happily said, "yeah!" and that was that.  My husband is a God-send.  From that point on, neither kid even whined, let alone cried.  We got the boys in their swimmers and spent the next hour playing in the pool.

We worked up an appetite after all that splashing, so we headed over to my parents' new house to visit and eat some all-American grub: watermelon, applesauce + Taco Bell. ;)

 My busy-bee-DIY-home-renovator-mom finally got to meet Blake! :)

My parents purchased a home on an acre and have spent the last year renovating the property.  I was so excited to bring the kids over to explore the yard and the back orchard, and Ethan loved seeing the neighbor's horses and watching the hawks fly overhead.  Next time we'll bring his quad over...

When we got home, it was bath time {so fun!} for the boys, then E brushed his teeth and we popped in Alice in Wonderland.  I remember showing that movie to E the last time we babysat him, so I hoped he would still dig it.  B fell asleep after chugging his bottle, and E kept looking over at me and rubbing his eyes, so I asked him if he wanted me to turn off the movie so he could go ni-night. He whispered, "yeah," then turned over and passed out.  Really?!  I had no idea it would be that easy to put the kids to sleep!  Gabe and I looked at each other, stunned, and Gabe said, "we could totally do this." 

The boys slept like champs until 7:30!  Gabe + I wondered why we were wide awake at 6.

Gabe made Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes for E, and I warmed up some baby cereal for B.  I was happy that both kids were 'morning people' and Bowie was happy to serve as babysitter while Gabe and I cleaned up the kitchen.

Before the triple-digit-temps kicked in, we took all four kids--including the furry four-legged ones--for a nice walk around the neighborhood.  

While B took a nap when we returned home, Gabe headed out to work and E and I colored a few pages in his Peanuts Halloween coloring book.  He said he wanted to color a picture for Bakey, and about four pages in, Bakey woke up.  

The three of us gathered on the quilt on the floor and watched my all-time favorite movie, that I was more than thrilled to expose E to, Labyrinth!  I was so glad he was in to it, and even cracked up at a few parts.  After the movie, we had a snack, then it was time to pick up Megan and Tommy from their hotel. 

Our house felt kind of empty and quiet without the kids, especially since they wore out the dogs so much that they were passed out in the front room for the better part of the day.  When I asked Gabe if he was ready for another baby slumber party, this time with our other friends' baby, Chloe, he replied, "next month."  :)

{all iPhone photos/video}

you can put anything in a quesadilla

I have been excited to use the beautiful squash blossoms in our garden since they bloomed, and had grand plans of hosting a brunch or luncheon with friends to showcase some gourmet chevre-quinoa-something-stuffed blossoms, but I didn't see that happening in the near future.  Quite a few of the blossoms have already shriveled up, so I knew if I wanted to eat them this year {I missed out last year for the same fancy plan procrastination reason} I had better just do it.

On my lunch hour today, I went home and quickly surveyed the goods I had on hand, which is how I came up with this quirky recipe:

Brie and Squash Blossom Quesadillas
{sub any ingredients with your favs}


2 black bean garlic tortillas
few squash blossoms, torn into pieces
hunk of brie, mostly creamy part but some rind is okay
Mexican blend shredded cheese
butter
KS&P

Ya'll know how to make a quesadilla, so instead of instructions, here are some pretty photos of my lunch. :)

 

 these locally made tortillas are my favorite...every flavor i've tried has been super delicious

 

 

hey mom, you should probably take us for a long walk to work off that fatty cheesy thing you just ate...good lookin' out, pups.

The blossoms don't have a strong distinguished flavor, probably because the tortillas and brie were both so flavorful, but they do provide a pop of pretty color.  Plus, eating flowers is fun! 

homemade cake + soup make this bleak weather bearable

Make your own soup from scratch!  Please.  :)

No canned or tubbed store-bought soup can match the taste and enjoyment of preparing your own.  And if you're in the mood to whip up your own soup this weekend, I recommend smitten kitchen's mushroom and farro soup!  I made it at the beginning of this week, with a few substitutions depending on the goods I had on hand, and it lasted us all week, up until just a few minutes ago when I polished off the last bowl. mmmmm... 

Here are her ingredients, with my changes in green:

Mushroom and Farro Orzo Soup
1/3 cup dried mushrooms like porcini 1 1/4 cups dried wild mushroom mix {Costco!}
2 tablespoons safflower oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 medium parsnip, grated and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound 5 fresh button mushrooms* (white, cremini, shiitake or a mixture thereof; I used 100% brown/creminis)
1/2 cup farro, pearled barley, or spelt, rinsed orzo
6 cups low sodium or salt-free beef broth or stock (vegetable, mushroom or chicken stock can be swapped)
1/4 cup dry sherry Marsala
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar ume plum vinegar

So, as you can see, I made almost an entirely different soup, but it came out amazing!  The first night, Gabe made little garlic potato bread toasts to go with it.  *Quick note about the lack of fresh mushrooms in my recipe:  that's all I had!  lol.  I would like to have used a whole pound of fresh and fewer dried, but it worked out fine.  

Aaaaaaand for dessert, I baked two cakes--one for the office {lucky guys!} and one for home--using another intriguing recipe from smitten kitchen.  She calls it Clementine Cake because--you guessed it--it calls for clementines!  Or cuties, or mini tangerines, or whatever you call them in your 'hood.  I don't know if they are popular everywhere, but around here folks buy these by the bushel all winter long, sometimes paying up to $10 for a small box. No joke!  In our home, we are always stocked up so I was thrilled to find this recipe and try my hand at it.  I love that it is a flourless, dairy-less cake that is super simple to make.  Oh, and it is especially delicious...for dessert, snack, or even breakfast as it turns out.

I opted to dust the tops of the cakes with powder sugar rather than make a glaze to drizzle, admittedly because I was feeling pretty lazy at this point and wanted to be done in the kitchen.  And don't worry about the cake being too tart or sweet, it isn't too anything.  It has a fun texture and a balanced flavor that will satisfy even this non-orange-flavor-liker {??}. 

spring is here. officially.

Gabe and I spent all day Saturday 'Spring cleaning,' and oh man what a difference it made!  We're not completely finished, but already our home feels lighter, happier, refreshed, and it begged to be redecorated.  Seeking inspiration yesterday, I grabbed my bible and started absorbing.  I can always count on domino to pull through for me. Always!

One piece in particular I was hoping to learn how to liven up was my IKEA Docksta table {ya know, the Eero Saarinen tulip table lookalike}, because where I had it placed was not working.  While reading the chapter on entry rooms, it hit me.  I decided to swap my beloved vintage heavy green chest {an old craigslist find from Iceland!} that was next to my front door with the Docksta table I had in the dining room.

Voila!  The chest--which stores all of our games, wine corks, and candles--works fabulously as a buffet, and looks pretty sophisticated with the extra dining chairs flanking it.  And the green next to the red hutch is so gorgeous. 

The Docksta in the front room works beautifully.  Although it is wider than the chest, it feels like it takes up less space.  Most of the pieces in this room are rectangular and boxy--including our new chaise from IKEA {a major score last weekend in the As-is section!!}--and the round table breaks up and lightens the overall room.  I just love it.  Now all I need is a few bulbs of fragrant paperwhites in the tall cylinder vase on the green chest, and a short and full bouquet of fresh spring blooms in the entry way.  Hubby, are you reading this? ;)  Oh, and I can't wait to find better lampshades for both the lamp on the chest and on the entry table because I don't love the current ones. 

I have been coveting this bed since its debut, so yesterday I finally sprung for it.  After brunch, Gabe + I braved the weekend crowds at IKEA and picked it up, along with an adorable outdoor patio set {but that's another post}.  To my surprise and excitement, the bed only cost $99!  For some reason I had thought it was twice that, but no.  Only a bill.  Sweet! 

We didn't buy the slats that support the mattress, so we used the boxspring from our guest bedroom, which made our bed super tall and hotel-like.  I am not sure I love it being so high, although I always said I wanted a high bed, so I am living with it for a week before I decide whether or not to go back, get the slats, and ditch the boxspring.  And one of these days I will have matching, or at least coordinating, bed linens like a grown-up.  lol

Still haven't unveiled our master bath renovation, because the decorating is taking longer than expected...soon, I'll post some before + afterish photos. In other big reno-news, we ordered all new dual pane energy efficient windows and sliders for our whole house!  This is our next big project that will definitely produce major results.

What's the last thing you did to make your home happy?

V-day surprise: hubby reads my blog!

I came home from work Monday to find this giant fort in my great room, made out of every sheet and blanket we own it seems, and about fifty clothespins and binder clips.  Hubby definitely surprised me!!  There were string lights, a roaring fire in the fireplace, fresh flowers in a vase, a nice bottle of wine, board games, and take-out for dinner and dessert from Hot Italian!  Wow.  It was so awesome.

He told me that due to weather, he was on to Plan E for how he was planning on treating me for the holiday, and after reading my post on forts, he knew building me this was the perfect surprise.  He was totally right.  It is now Wednesday, and the fort still remains up.  I love how organic it is, with the ladder and all...:)

 

We spent the evening chilling in our fort with our dogs; played Battleship, Yahtzee, and card games; ate delicious salad, pizza, and Zucchero, with Kokomo Pinot Noir; and exchanged our traditional two-cards-a-piece: one sweet, one funny.  It was really a great night. 

 

 

And for breakfast...leftover Zucchero + coffee. yum.

How was everyone's Valentine's Day?? I hope yours was splendid!

{And yep! That's an EmersonMade Jack Tack on my shirt pocket!!} ;)

yummy healthy quick veg lunch

I am fortunate enough to live only a couple miles from work, so I usually go home for lunch during the week.  Lately, I have been making some pretty unhealthy choices {cheese, fat, more fat} and it was all catching up with me.  My body was getting mad, so I treated it to a refreshingly healthy lunch yesterday.

I made a quick trip to the grocery store to pick up the fresh ingredients and arrived home with a concept, hoping it would turn out delicious.  I say hoping because I come up with new ideas for food all the time and while they seem great in theory, they don't always work in execution.
Well, I'm proud to admit, this lunch was a hit!

{photo taken w/ old Canon Powershot, not my new fancycam}

Salad:

Spring mix salad greens

blue cheese crumbles

walnuts

red d'Anjou pear

Dressing:

stone ground mustard

safflower oil

roasted walnut oil

white balsamic vinegar

KS&P

Main:

whole grain bagel, toasted

avocado

alfalfa sprouts, dressed with fresh lemon juice, KS&P, and a drop of safflower oil

KS&P, to taste

I know avocados and oil and cheese are fats, but two of the three are good fats, and I felt really good after eating!  I didn't experience that 3:00 crash at my desk, and I was sustained until I got around to eating dinner at around 8:00 last night.  So, I'd say this lunch was a success.

That smashed avocado on the toasted bagel was inspired by Miss Moss's tumblr page, dedicated to all things beautiful about breakfast.  So cute!  If I would have gotten up on time this morning, I so would have made one for breakfast, with some jam maybe.  Instead, I grabbed a banana and pop-tarts on my way out the door, hair in a messy ponytail, wearing an over-sized sweatshirt, boyfriend jeans, and Jack Purcells.  Oh well, it's Friday friends!!

I demand that you have a delicious weekend!

i'm :::cough cough::: back

Like so many others can relate this time of year, I was sick all last week.  Not fun.  Not fun at all.  I stayed home from work at the request of my co-worker who really didn't want to catch whatever I had, and I was in no position to argue.  While being home from work seems like a treat, it really isn't when you don't feel like doing anything but resting and begging to feel all better. 

Gabriel and I aren't ones to take meds to cure our colds or headaches, but rather drink gallons of natural hot teas and eat crate after crate of those adorable little Clementine tangerines that are packed with Vitamin C.  Although, when it comes to sinus infections, we are not opposed to taking antibiotics.  Luckily this time my cold didn't lead to that, so I'm still on the hot tea binge.

In other {more upbeat} news, we made a super-fun purchase for our home on Saturday!  In our gradual attempts to have a domino-approved home, we are trying to eliminate our reliance on overhead lighting when we entertain and instead use table lamps to provide flattering ambient lighting.  And so, we scored a pair of awesome table lamps for our great room at Pier1 that bring not only great lighting to the space, but a healthy dose of humor and whimsy!

They're Yoga Frogs!  And they're a lot bigger and more sophisticated looking in person.  We love them.  We even fooled Gabriel's mom yesterday when she came over for brunch and saw them.  She swore they were antiques handed down from a relative, because they don't look like generic run-of-the-mill department store pieces.  When we told her we got them on clearance, including the nice shades and bulbs, from Pier1 for only $19.98, she was stunned.  I was pretty surprised too, when we saw them in the store, by how nice they are.

They work perfectly in our space, but I was also thinking they would be equally charming in a unisex nursery!  Check 'em out, especially if you or parents you know appreciate heirloom pieces that aren't cheap and disposable like most nursery decor.  And, the neutral shade that comes with the lamp can easily be decorated with ribbon, fabric paint, sequence, stencils, etc. to personalize it to your space.  Oh, all these ideas!  I'm seriously considering hunting down another one now to put away for when we have a frog baby of our own...

Happy Monday all!  I'm off to peel + gorge on my hundredth golf ball-sized tangerine this week.  I'm hoping that will please my body enough to spare me the annoying cough attacks for at least the next few hours.

Halloween teasers

Busy. Busy. Busy.  Our 3rd Annual Halloween Party is this Friday, and Gabriel and I are in full-throttle planning and prep mode, but I wanted to share with you a few teaser photos, sans descriptions, until I do a full post on the party w/ our DIY projects.

 

 

 

Gotcha hooked now, don't I?

Mmmmmmm...kale chips...

Barring a major camera malfunctioning, I will definitely post on the party next week.  What are your Halloween plans??  Have I mentioned this time of year is my ultimate favorite?!

Happy Halloween, friends!!

Me, elsewhere: Apartment Therapy

Thanks, AT, for choosing my room to be part of your Behr Room For Color 2010 Contest!

Readers: If you like my room, please add it as a favorite. :)

In the interest of full disclosure, the room is unfinished.  We are working on installing new floors {cork!}, trimming out the huge windows, replacing said windows {and slider}, and updating the adjoining kitchen.  And, if you remember, I promised you I would post afterish pictures from our Valentine's Day paintfest this year, so, this is me finally making good on that promise. 

Also, I should confess that I did not style the room for these photos.  I thought about it, but other than these particular fresh flowers in the recycled S. Pellegrino glass bottles, our room always looks like it does in the photos on AT.  Nothing fancy.  Lived in.  Home.

me, elsewhere.

Thank you Marshal for finding me and taking an interest in my furry children + my coffee addiction.   I was honored to contribute to your wonderful project.

Check out Coffee With A Canine, not only because it is a super cool blog, but also because today's interview features my family!

What's a BEFORE without an AFTER

Do you recall me asking you to give me a week or so to provide decent 'after' photos of our guest-room-turned-master-bedroom?  Well, I meant six weeks.  Procrastinator Virgo, remember?  And although I can't honestly call these 'after' photos, as I change things so frequently, I shall call them 'afterish'--how's that?
First, here's one {or three} before photos: 

  
:::drumroll:::  And here are the afterish photos:

A few notes about the room:

• We painted the walls a peachy hue which is very complementary to our skin tones, we've noticed ;)
• We replaced the outdated fan/light fixture with the same one we put in the old master bedroom
• I majorly paired down the wardrobe in order to fit everything in the {much smaller} closet
• I swapped out the drapery, replacing the IKEA curtains with scarves that I got from Target and H&M
• Other than the wall paint, we didn't spend a dime on this room; everything in it was taken from other rooms in our home. I love free!
• The wooden box in the last photo was already being used as a doorstop, and just so happened to fit all of my flip flops perfectly in it. Score! The rest of my shoes are hiding behind the bedroom door.

Things still to be done:

• Hang the dressing mirror on the wall
• Patch the hole in the wall where the previous owners had {I'm guessing} intentions of installing an outlet
• Hang art on the walls!  I mean, the headboard looks nice and all, but it's the only thing on any of the walls.  That just won't do.
• Get curtain for closing off closet, even though my stuff looks so pretty and organized... ;)
• Someday get bed linens that actually match.  Maybe.

That headboard and I have a love-hate relationship.  I made it out of plywood, muslin, and batting when I moved in to my first place 5+ years ago--back when I was on a staple-gun-craft-rampage--and have considered chucking it many-a-time.  I think, 'I would rather have a nice sturdy modern graphic headboard from like West Elm or somewhere,' but when it comes down to it, I can't part with my labor of love.  So, to give it new life, I drape a piece of fabric over it to make it work with the space.  Thank you, domino.

Hubby loves the new room.  Dogs seem content there.  All is well.  Don't be surprised to see more {completely different} afterish photos of this room in the future, though.  It's just what I do.

Fabric: Look 4 Less

Ever since seeing Barrie Benson's perfect home featured in domino, the hubs and I have coveted F. Schumacher's Chiang Mai Dragon fabric {in aquamarine}, which Barrie used to cover her dining room chairs. 

domino: October 2007 issue {be. still. my. beating. heart.}

After contacting a distributor to the public in NY last year and requesting a quote for a couple of yards, I came to the realization {barring a miracle} that I would not be able to afford the real thing anytime soon.  Even scraps on ebay were expensive.  I searched for a decent replacement for a few months with no luck.  Until, browsing the shelves of Joann Fabric one glorious day, hubby found this.  I think the pattern looks more whimsy online than it does in person, honestly.  Here is a photo I took to give you a better idea:

The name of the fabric is "Koto" and is made in Japan by Calico.  At under $7/yard, it is a steal.  I snagged three yards and used it to cover the dining chairs of our mid-century Swedish dining set, and used some scraps to cover the light switch on the wall behind the dining area--super quick DIY style.  

By the way, the dining set might be up for sale soon.  It used to be my favorite MCM piece I own, but I have always preferred the aesthetic of the dining set on the TV show Friends, with the worn table and mismatched chairs.  I have told you about my obsession with chairs I'm sure, so I look forward to hunting and gathering to accompany the distressed farmhouse style table hubby plans to build out of reclaimed lumber to replace this dining set. 

So, Koto vs. Chiang Mai Dragon... Sure, the Calico craftsmanship does not even touch Schumacher, but for us frugals this fabric achieves a comparable look.  What do you guys think? 

IKEA 2011 catalog: favorites

Just picked up a copy of the IKEA 2011 catalog yesterday, and do you wanna know my favorite part(s)?
No, it wasn't the new lower prices, inspiring rooms, or the new designers.

My favorites were the spreads featuring the cute dads and their kids!  Goooood eye candy.  Thank you IKEA for your excellent taste in...style.

Unfortunately, I cannot share photos from the catalog on my blog, but I can share with you the pages on which you will see for yourself these adorable spreads.

Pages:
...89
...107
...109
...149

Have a stylish weekend everyone!

This weekend, I am:

1. Swapping our guest room and master bedroom.
2. Celebrating Mom's 50th birthday with a big bar bash.
3. Making my famous scones.

Last night while browsing through my inspiration binder, I got a wild hair.  To my friends and family it is no secret that I rearrange and redecorate regularly, so this should come as no surprise to them.  I need change, so we are moving out of our master bedroom and into our (smaller) guest room.  I have many valid reasons for doing this, as always, but mainly because the feng shui^ is much better in the guest room.  Ever since little sister and I painted the room a couple weeks ago when she visited, I have found myself spending more time in that room and really enjoy how it has come together.

There are a couple of obstacles to overcome with this move, though.  One, the closet is significantly smaller than the closet I currently have in the master bedroom.  That's right, I have.  Gabe's closet is in his studio in the adjacent room.  Totally necessary.  So, I will need to either downsize the wardrobe or store my out of season clothing in the other closet.  I may do a combination of both, because I love to get rid of things!  Another concern is placement of Ziggy's bed.  Bowie sleeps with us--all 70+ lbs of husky/shepherd on a queen size bed--but Ziggy has her own big bed on the floor, which will be tricky to place in the smaller room.  I don't doubt I can make it work, it's what I do, but it may take some trial-and-error.

When redecorating, I sometimes draw out the rooms and space plan that way, but more often I simply dive in and start pushing and pulling, flipping and lifting stuff.  The hands-on approach has produced the best results in my experience, even though the drawings always look promising. 

Since I got hubby's thumbs-up last night, and we survived our trial night of sleeping in the guest room, I plan on bursting through the door at 5 o'clock this afternoon when I get off work, blasting Feist, and commencing relocation.

Here is the BEFORE:

Gimme a week or so to produce a decent AFTER, won't you.  :)

In other news, Mom is turning the big 5-0 tomorrow, and at her request, we are having a big karaoke party for her tomorrow at a local bar.  As I've told you before, Mom is country.  A true-blue redneck woman.  Now, I can't divulge the details of this party, in case she is reading this post right now, so I'll have to be careful.  But I will give you a hint: you know who else is turning 50 this year?  No?  I'll tell you.  Little Debbie!  As in Little Debbie snack foods.  AND...wait for it...Mom's name is Debbie!  How perfect is that for a theme??  I sent out announcements a couple weeks ago, and have received a great response, so this party is turning out to be a great one!

Lastly, my homemade scones.  I have recently become absolutely obsessed with TasteSpotting, 'a community driven visual potluck,' as the site proclaims.  I stumbled upon it on Monday, and have been ogling ever since.  Several recipes have inspired me to make some really killer meals this week, like the BBQ mussels with white wine butter sauce, cold Dijon veggies salad, roasted creamer potatoes, and asiago pepper loaf I prepared for dinner on Monday, with them help of hubby and BILly (brother-in-law) Theodor.  I have not yet made savory scones, only sweet, so I plan on mixing it up on Sunday.  I have got the basic technique down for preparing my scones, all I have to do is swap out the berries and lavender with, I dunno, peas and bacon?  Or perhaps I will use roasted corn and...bacon?  Or bacon and bacon?  Mmmmm.  Bacon is the one thing I missed while I was a pescetarian the past year and a half...  Now we have been reunited and I am again fully satisfied.  Man this is a long post.

What are your weekend plans?  Anyone else driven by feng shui when decorating?  ^If so, a great reference is the book Practical Feng Shui, by Simon G. Brown.  Hubby bought it for me several years ago, and I depend on it every time I choose to spruce up a room.  My favorite section in the book is where he diagrams each position of the bed, facing every possible direction, and what each placement means.  We find that having our bed positioned so our heads are facing east when lying down is most favorable for us in our current stages of our lives.  In short, this position makes young professionals feel like the world is their oyster, so to speak.  Check it out.  And have a happy weekend!