in the making...: 2011-12-04

Friday, December 9, 2011

5 weekend necessities

This week went by soo fast!

which is not a bad thing!

5 weekend necessities

1. goat cheese with pistachio and cranberries

Since any sort of cow milk upsets my stomach, I am a big fan of goat cheese-

trader joe's also has the most delicious cranberry goat cheese- I dip everything in this stuff- as a matter of fact I just made holiday nachos with goat cheese- YUMMY!!

trader joes- $5

2. literary correspondence napkins

the cutest thing for hosting a brunch

anthropologie.com- $58

I'm not counting this as a necessity, but in fact, it certainly is.

Tear off napkins?!? WHAT?!?

Perfect for someone like me with a husband like mine.

He would have chosen to do Thanksgiving in paper plates and of course I went with the crystal and china, umm... hello- it's once a year!!

but- tear these "cloth" napkins off and you have the option to throw them away or save them and wash them up to 8 times.

pretty freakin genius.

I hope someone else out there is as excited as I am about this.

anthropologie.com- $38

3. table setting

Use jars from around the house and pine cones from around the neighborhood

You can buy the stumps at Michaels or cut down a small tree :)

add moss- also from Michaels (WAY cheaper than pottery barn's, I learned the hard way)

Add rosemary twigs on napkins for a great scent!

4. iphone printer

So- you know those 1221 pictures you have on your phone, that you really, really want but unfortunately will never get around to getting them all printed, let alone, go through them one afternoon?

Your crisis is solved- now you can print all those pics of the kiddos with santa right when you get home.

frontgate.com- $150

5. weekend outfit

you are outfitted to go anywhere in this combination- comfy and stylish.

Have a great weekend and remember:

heehee.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

defying the inevitable

You know it's the holiday season when you wake up a little groggy- it's not from opening too many presents or fighting the ever so slow walker in front of you at the mall.

nope.

A cocktail here, a cocktail there...

they all seemed to add up from the night before...

Then comes the bright morning sun, reflecting off the freshly fallen snow, and you lean over and say, "you're getting up with the baby".

(The ironic thing, is that I have yet to say that... new years resolution- say it for the next baby.)

12 drinks of Christmas

1. candy brandy

Pour 2 ounces of premium brandy into snifter

add a dash of simple syrup and an orange rind

sit by the fire and enjoy!

2. hot toddy

1 1/2 ounces premium whiskey

5 ounce hot tea

add 1/2 tsp of honey and a cinnamon stick

garnish with lemon

This drink will heal a sore throat- I use to drink these at work all the time

(come on- I worked at a restaurant)

3. champagne cooler

3 ounces champagne

1 ounce raspberry liquor (chambord is my fav)

granish with raspberry or orange peel

This is quite refreshing and a great sipper.

4. Christmas cosmo

1 1/2 ounces premium vodka

3 ounce cranberry juice

dash of simple syrup

dash of orange juice

crushed ice

strain into a cold glass

granish with cranberries

5. peppermint hot cocoa

4 ounce hot cocoa

1 ounce peppermint schnapps

garnish with crushed peppermint or peppermint stick

of course you always have a nice robust glass of wine or the strong, husky ice cold ale awaiting your arrival at all the parties...

tips from the pros

skip sugary drinks
order water or club soda in between
have your last drink early enough to allow your body to burn off the alcohol- generally you burn off about two-thirds of a drink per hour
if you take a painkiller to offset a potential headache- skip the acetaminophen and take something ibuprofen based.

natural cures for the holiday slumps

obviously rule 1- drink lots of water before you go to bed

drink tomato juice- it contains fructose, a type of sugar that helps your body metabolize alcohol more quickly

eat crackers and honey- honey also has a high level of fructose

have a cup of peppermint tea- peppermint is a carminative, a substance that removes accumulated gas from the stomach and intestines and relaxes them.

all else fails- try another shot.

lemon sour

1/2 organic lemon

1 1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp honey or maple syrup

juice lemon, reserve juice in cup
sliced the juice half in quarters and simmer in boiling water for 10 minutes
strain the water and combine with lemon juice in a cup
add honey or syrup- drink hot.

hilarious.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

tuesday teaser

So, it actually starting snowing here and boy oh boy was I ever excited!!

The only problem, you say?

It's not sticking and it stopped. I had big plans of chili and hot cocoa for my entertainment tonight. Now I get to look out the window and be reminded of empty promises from forecasters. dang. oh well, maybe tonight!!

tuesday teaser

absolutely love this wreath!! I'm thinking with the right outline for the wreath form- this would be an easy one!!

photo via poppytalk.blogspot.com

A little whimsy- how cute!! Trader Joe's has some great priced trees- grab your own pitchers, baskets, pots, whatever- and put them in!! I do this on my coffee table and get mini trees and put them in silver vases.

photo via theinspiredroom.net

I think rustic and holidays go hand in hand. You could even do this with your wine case from when you ordered all that wine for Christmas :)

photo via houzz.com

simply gorgeous. I love the fresh greenery and fruit. Plus, look at that chandelier in the dining room- that house is made for entertaining!!

photo via designmuse.wordpress.com

You could really do this on any table but why would you want to? This table is perfect!
(although I did a similar project for our Thanksgiving table and I used a white tablecloth with burlap runner- rustic and elegant)

photo via alittleglassbox.com

windows and wreaths are the all time favorite Christmas decor.
We do this on our house, although we don't have nearly as many windows or wreaths.

photo via 3.bp.blogspot.com