Dessert today

Yes, I did try every one of these :)

A little peek

So neither picture below is really an accurate representation of my decorating skills or photography skills (okay, so maybe it does accurately reflect my photography skills).

Anyway, here is my bedroom before. I promise it looks sadder in this picture than it did in real life.

Here it is painted and with my new big girl bed, which was delivered today! Still need to get new side tables and pictures, but you all have been with me on this very long journey, so I felt I had to share even though there is still a ways to go. (Only if Tommy is reading this...honey, we are almost done! :)

I will keep you posted on my quest for bedside tables. We may end up getting the matching ones, but I would like to try a little harder on my non-matchy look. We'll see....

The Most Amazing Grilled Cheese EVER

This week "grilled cheese" has come up again and again. It is like the world was telling me to make one.

First, I was thinking about grilled cheese because of my friend Catherine's grilled cheese/melt bar that she is opening. Then, the Food Network's Unwrapped had a segment on cheese featuring the World's Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich from Mimi's Cafe. You guys, that grilled cheese looked amazing.

I gathered all of the ingredients:

A good bread
Garlic Butter
Grated Parmesan
Sliced Cheese (I used Sharp Cheddar, Swiss and Iris Dubliner's Cheese)

The grocery store didn't have any garlic butter, so I used Brummel and Brown and mixed it with minced garlic.

Spread that on the back of the sandwich and then dip it into the shredded parmesan. (Remember, you don't come here for my picture taking skillz.)

Place the bread cheese side down on the griddle, then add your slices of cheeses to each side of bread. I put my dubliner on one side and then my swiss and cheddar on the other side. Wait until they are sort of melty.

Then put the two sides together and you have the most beautiful, tasty, delicious grilled cheese ever.

I don't like mine too buttery, so the Brummel and Brown worked great. I cannot give you Tommy's exact quote on this blog (hi, mom and Aunt Angie), but basically it was the "most amazing grilled cheese sandwich ever."

Let me know if you guys try it!

Logo Love

When I initially started this blog the purpose was more business related. On the side I was doing websites and logos and for friends and friends of friends. My blog has kind of evolved in the past three years as more of a way for me to share things I like and love. I don't really do logos or websites anymore, but occassionally will help a friend out, which leads me to this post.

My sorority sister, Dawn, emailed me a week or so ago and is starting her own photography business in Austin. She is very talented and I cannot wait to share her site once she gets it up and running. She will be focusing on babies and families. (If I have any Austin readers, leave a message and I can have her send you her info.) Anyway, she was in need of a logo. And she was going to give me creative license, which is always very fun. (Obviously, she was very involved in the process, but there were no restrictions - just a girly logo.)



I had fun going back and forth with her and we both LOVE how it turned out:

I also wanted to share some of my other favorite logos that I have created over the years.

This next logo is from my friend Becky's business, Miss Bee's Specialties. Becky is BEYOND talented and artisitic. She does the most amazing work and sells some really, really amazing custom artwork, frames and stationery.

No longer in business anymore, I created this logo for a friend of a friend who had a custom card business. I have always loved this logo. She had the idea of a flower coming up out of the "i" and we both fell in love with this.

I created this logo for my friend Jackie who was starting a business selling nap mats and monogrammed items for kids. She has gone back to work full time and is no longer in business, but I loved how this logo turned out as well.

Now, my most famous logo has been for Sage Culinary Studio. Catherine and I used to work together and when I heard she was starting the studio, I just started creating logos and sending them to her. She probably thought I was crazy! The ideas evolved and we both came up with this.

I have to admit, it is pretty cool to drive by and see your logo in lights!

Photo via Tulsa Food Blog

Catherine also has a coffee bar and melt bar (a make your own grilled cheese bar -- isn't that awesome???) coming soon to her Brookside location, which I have done logos for too.

Hope you guys like them all!

Food Finds

As many of you who know me in real life, my food tastes might be considered "picky." (I, however, just like to think I have a very sophisticated palate.) I don't eat beef or pork, but do eat chicken, turkey and fish. So to come across a sausage that I like is a little unusual.

However, last night I cooked Tommy and I this Target Brand Archer Farms Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage and we both LOVED it. They are only about 100 calories per sausage and were both sweet and savory. I also happened to find the world's tiniest picture just to give you a visual.
Another food find that I have found at Target is their four cheese risotto. Once it is completely cooked, I always add a few tablespoons of parmesan cheese and I may or may not add more once it is plated. It is pretty good and makes a different side item other than the typical pasta, potatoes or rice.

I know I am missing out on more, so fill me in!

Happy Heart Day!

Yesterday my friend Iris and I (and let's be honest, mainly Iris) threw a little Valentine's Day dinner for our families.

Iris and I became friends through our husbands. They have known each other since they were 5 and when we met we just clicked. We are on some weird telepathic level with each other. I will go to her house and she will have something I just bought (usually from Target, so maybe this isn't so weird). We own the same jeans (not from Target), same shoes, gloves, serving pieces, etc. All bought separate from each other.

Case in point, last night I showed up at her house wearing pretty much the same sweater. I told you, weird.

Even more fun is that Iris and I now live down the street from each other. They just built their house less than a block away and it is just amazing!

Look how cute her decor is!

And I had to show you guys this. Do you not just love her island??? It looks awesome in her house.

So for the party we did an Italian theme. I had my cake guy make us an appetizer cheesecake. It is a savory cheesecake and is like a cheesecake brushetta. Amazing. If you live in Tulsa (or I guess outside of Tulsa and want this mailed to you) and want his info, leave me a comment and I will send you his flyer. They are a little pricey (like $40), but totally worth it!

How cute are these little toppers Iris had?

All the female "kids." On the left is Tommy's sister, Kristen, my sister, Allison and Finley, me and Iris.

Look at my tiny Valentine.

My mom, sister and Finley.

And my Valentine!

Tommy and I were on some telepathic level today. I have been craving chocolate covered strawberries, like almost bought them on two occasions in the past week craving. And then look what I got:

I hope you all got everything your heart desires!

Oh, in other news, I won another contest from The Perks! (Also, I am loving this blog!) Can you believe my winning streak? I have a feeling I will be winning a Pioneer Woman giveaway soon. ha!

Tea for Me and Help from You

Now that I have my new Keurig, I am kind of into drinking all things hot. Since I can only consume so many cups of coffee in a day before I get sugar/caffeine shakes, I have started drinking tea. However, I know NOTHING about tea. My favorite so far is the decaf (see aforementioned caffeine issues) Sweet Coconut Thai Chai Tea. I like it because it is sweet and dark and has a really good flavor. But I am looking for new flavors. So for all of your tea drinkers, tell me what I cannot live without.

On another note, I have not one thing planned for Valentine's Day. (And I have a recently engaged friend who needs ideas.) So give me your best Valentine's Day ideas/gifts!

Around the House

After a million snow days (I may have a flair for drama), my mom was finally able to come over this weekend. Both she and Iris have been my personal color gurus with regards to what color to paint my bedroom. After the equivalent cost of a gallon of paint and five "samples" later, we finally decided on Valspar Eucalyptus Leaf. (The Comfort Gray that I previously had thought was "the one" ended up being too baby blue on my walls. Sigh.)

Here is the color from the Valspar site. Here is the color (sort of -- this is with a flash and you know I am a horrible picture taker) on my wall. (This is to be a sneak peek, if you will. Our mattress is still awaiting the much discussed bed frame. And I still need side tables. And I am sure I need a lot of other things. But this serves the purpose.)

I have to say, the color in the room is a shade of grey/green/blue, but I am always shocked at how different the sample is from the color once it is finally painted on your wall. I do LOVE the color.

We ended up getting the paint at Ace Hardware because they have a No VOC paint that is still No VOC when you add color, which most stores do not have. It is expensive and would be totally worth it....if you also knew to buy the No VOC primer. I thought this was obvious to the person selling us the primer, but apparently not. So after spending twice as much money on the paint so that it wouldn't smell, I ended up with primer that had the paint odor, which completely defeated the purpose. Anyway, I am going to move on and let it go.

Also this weekend, I got a new shower curtain for our guest shower that has set for 9 months unused. I got it at Walmart and thought it was really cute. Their BHG and HomeTrends line have some fun patterns.

In person it is a little less white and more ivory. (Again, sorry for the picture quality.)

So that is what I have been up to. Let me know what you guys think!

Valentine's Day

This weekend Iris and I are having a little Valentine's Day party for our families. We are doing an Italian theme, but I ran across this picture on A. Party Style (I have met Anne in real life and she is awesome and awesomely talented - you must visit her blog) and had to share.
While this doesn't really go with our "theme," I think a shrimp cocktail platter placed in the shape of hearts is just so clever.

More soon!

Tulsa's largest snowman...

Resides down the street from me. Top that! For perspective, that is a 10 foot basketball goal.

Super Bowl Sunday

Forget the Super Bowl. What I will really be doing come Sunday is checking out Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl. Watch. And be prepared to die of cuteness.
If I were to go to a Super Bowl party, I would hope they were serving this amazing Snackadium.

It is almost too pretty to eat. Almost.

From Scott Pham via Maddycakes Muse.

You know what I have a lot of right now?

Spare time. You know what I don't have a lot of? Ability to drive myself anywhere. Sigh.

Anyway, with PLENTY of spare time it does give me the luxury to go back through my starred items in Google Reader. Which leads me to this post.

A lot of the accessory items in my house have come from Southern Living at Home now called Willow House. One of my favorite all time items is my Flatware Caddy. I use it at all of my parties and showers. I just love it. It even looks pretty on your countertop. As a matter of fact, I got this for my sister-in-law for Christmas.

Willow House actually doesn't carry the above caddy anymore, but it is manufactured by Godinger company. (I got my sister-in-law's at Tuesday Morning.)

However, I am LOVING the new flatware caddy that Willow House is selling in its place. It would go perfectly in my kitchen. But I will refrain. Does one really need two flatware caddies? (Truth be told, the answer may be yes.)


All of this leads me to the starred item I came across. It is the cutest and very wallet friendly flatware caddy featured on eighteen25 and I LOVE it. This would be such a fun hostess gift and it is so economical to do. Assuming you have a cricut or Silhouette. If not, I guess it might be easier to just buy one of the flatware caddies above.

I would love this as a gift. Honestly, I might just make some myself because they are just so darn cute. Get the full directions here. All you need are Glass jars and vinyl. (And a cutting device.) I wish I had thought of this myself.

Snow owl - take 2

Trying to post from my phone is harder than I thought, hence the triplicate post with verbiage. :)

How cute is this little owl??? Brooke (http://brooklyn924.wordpress.com/), who I met through blogging, knew how much Allison and I liked owls and got the hat and gloves for Finley. How sweet is she??

Bake and Freeze

First, happy birthday, mom!!! We are so lucky to have you in our lives and I hope you have a fabulous birthday. I just hope I get to see you! (My mom doesn't have Facebook -- so, this is as close as she will get to a social networking shout out.)


So yesterday I made several items to bake and freeze and thought I would share the links.

Giada De Laurentiis' Baked Chicken and Pastina

This meal is AWESOME. Megan cooked it for dinner one night at her house and I have been in love ever since. YUM!

Another favorite is Mexican Chicken Casserole. Super easy and super yum. Clearly, if I can do these it won't be a problem for any of you!

If you have any other links to meals that freeze well, let me know. I am going to try to do this more often!