Now that you have had enough.. Chocolate Chip Cookies!!

I know most of you are probably sick of sweets at this point but I am a few weeks late on my blogging. 

Some privileged few have watched me make "my" famous cookies in the past. I have to give my Aunt Bridget credit for this however I was sick of my cookies never coming out like hers. I reached out and I am sorry to say that whoever makes "my" cookies, I was doing it all wrong. Seeing that this is Bridget's secret recipe I can not tell you how I made them or what I made them with but I can tell you that they are made with way more love than previously thought! 

Seeing I will not share the recipe or the how to, I will share some pictures of the process :) Try not to drool too much :) 

Preparing the surface

The mixture ready to bake! 

On the cookie sheet! 

The final product! 

If you are Nick, my neighbor or a coworker you can attest to the deliciousness of the cookie :) 

I hope that everyone had a great Holiday and has a Happy and safe New Years! 

Cheers, 

S

Before you judge.. Hear me out..

I know, I know it's a bit early.  Hear me out.. 

My husband and I have been living together for about almost 3 years now.  While living in our small apartment on the 3rd floor, we decided to forgo a Christmas tree and just put up some small decorations.  Last year during black Friday weekend we bought a fake tree which we were hoping to put in our new home that we had just purchased a month prior.  Due to unforeseen construction this never happened. Now that construction has been complete for awhile I decided that we could jump the gun a little bit this year.  To make my decision easier I knew that we would not have time to put up the tree next weekend and the weekend after that is Thanksgiving and we will be on the Cape.  If we wait until the next weekend it will be the first week of December and that only give us about 4 weeks with a tree.  Still not quite with me? Let me explain more my love for the holiday season. 

As much as I love the holiday season, I have always had issues with the greed that comes along with the it.  I hate it! I have to be honest and say that I am not the most religious person (I used to be but that is a post for another day) so I do not celebrate the Christmas that is known to Christians however I celebrate a season of giving.  The holiday season of giving really starts for me in November.  Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday as it focuses on family and togetherness.  So this really is my favorite time of year. So why not celebrate such a wonderful season.  Who doesn't get a little warm and fuzzy when they see my formal living room?!

A year ago my Husband and I decided to forgo the usual Christmas "gifts" and decided to "adopt a family".  We still bought a few small things for close loved ones but in lieu of larger gifts we bought gifts for a family that would have not been able to celebrate Christmas without our help.  You might say that this defeats my whole argument and in some cases I agree however when you read the lists of "wants" from a family in need you know you made the right decision.  It is such a great feeling waking up on Christmas morning knowing that 2 little kids who probably expected nothing got everything on their small list (warm clothes, books, board games etc.) as well as a few gifts for the parents.  

Christmas will be difficult for me this year for very personal reasons.  I am thankful that these beautiful decorations can keep me smiling throughout the whole holiday/giving season :) I  thankful that we are in a position to help out others in times of need.  I am thankful that my Mom is so supportive of me.  I am also thankful that my husband went along with my crazy request to decorate for the season this weekend (I was worried he might think that I went off the deep end).  I tried to listen to some holiday music while we decorated but that is where he drew the line! Haha I guess I can't blame him.  Although I will secretly admit that while doing errands today I stayed in a few stores a few moments longer just to hear some holiday music.

"It's the most wonderful time of the year, There'll be much mistletoeing, and hearts will be glowing, When loved ones are near, It's the most wonderful time of the year."

Much Love, 

S 

One, two.. THREE rainbows!

For a better part of the day today I sat on a wooden bench with a number in my hand waiting to be called.  First I had jury duty and then on my way back to Braintree I stopped at the RMV.  Yuck! And then my luck changed <3

 I pulled into my driveway only to notice a very short but vibrant rainbow.  I stood to take it in for a min looking around to see if there was another piece of it somewhere.  I know this sounds crazy but I looked to the right and saw 2 more rainbows.  It wasn't your typical rainbow however it's colors were still nice. The strangest part was that those rainbows were in the shape of a football! I know I know I seem nuts (and to be fair, that may be a little true).  I ran inside to grab the camera because I didn't think anyone would ever believe me.. See for yourself.. 

Ok, now that you think I am crazy do yourself a favor and watch this video! It's absolutely amazing! 

Go Buckeyes! 

Much Love, 

S

Pumpkins: Carving and Seed Roasting

If you think that the pumpkin carving tool that they sell at the stores are a gimmick you are WRONG! Those little green and orange carving tools are the best invention in terms of pumpkin carving! With that said I left my bag of them on the Cape and had to fork over another $1.99 to get one orange "saw" which came with a scooper (also a life saver in the world of de-gooping a pumpkin) :) I decided this year to draw my own design from designs that I searched on the Internet. I ended up choosing an Owl (might have something to do with my precious neighbor who pulls at my heart strings and is being a little owl for Halloween this year). 

I found our pumpkin at Trader Joe's for a great price of $3.99!! I have never had a bad pumpkin from TJ's. I cut the top and carefully gutted it and separated the seeds. I always make sure I get all the seeds as they really are a terrible thing to waste! 

Before I start carving I take the seeds inside and rinse them off, throw the remainder of the pumpkin in the compost bin and then we get down to business. This year I took a pencil and lightly drew what I need to carve on my pumpkin. I was a little skeptical about the owl but I must say, not to toot my own horn but not too bad! 

Now that the pumpkin was carved it was time to cook the seeds as a reward for all the hard work! I feel like every year I struggle with getting the seeds just right.  If you feel the same way look no further! After much research (a few too many google searches) I think I found the perfect way. What I learned and what many people don't realize is that the inside seeds cook much faster than the outside shell therefore end up with a funky tasting pumpkin seed that is sometimes burnt on the inside. So, I took my seeds and boiled them for 10 min! (Now would be a good time to heat the oven to 325°)

I took them out of the pan and poured them into a colander.  I patted them dry then put them in a bowl. Where I then put a small amount of olive oil and sea salt. I mixed them good so that they were coated evenly. I then sprayed the baking sheet with an olive oil cooking spray. Spread the seeds out onto the baking sheet as evenly as possible. Bake for 10 min, stir and bake for another 10. Oh my goodness! This was my best batch of pumpkin seeds ever! Even Nick was impressed :) 

Now it's time to sit down, relax and enjoy! 

Much Love, 

S 

The Vitamix!!

I know I know, I told you to grab a glass of wine and enjoy, however if you want to do like I have been, and grab your smoothie instead that is ok too :) 

Do you get sick of eating salads? Vegetable or fruit? I know I do.. 

Last month was my birthday and my amazing husband got me a Vitamix blender. Let me tell you this thing is amazing! I always liked fruit but usually only on a hot day at the beach.. Well not any more! Instead of an occasional glass of wine after or with dinner we (well Nick) makes us smoothies. We use frozen and fresh fruit for our concoctions and the possibilities are endless! This morning it was a honeydew melon ice and water.. That's it! As I type he is in the kitchen whipping up probably something tropical, strawberries, bananas and mango. Then he will probably whip up something else for the morning. 

When Nick is not whipping up some sort of fruity drink I am whipping up some soup. So far my favorite is the butternut squash soup, however today I made a yummy easy vegetable soup. Carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Mmm mmm good. 

Shown above are smoothies in the glasses and then veggie soup in the upper right hand corner.  The picture below features the butternut squash soup. 

If you are in the market for a blender I highly recommend the Vitamix. It may be a little pricey but I am seeing the benefits and I believe that we will have many more uses for it as time goes on ;) 

I have to warn you though your grocery carriage is going to start looking a little different! 

We try to do mostly organic but is almost impossible so we do what we can :) 

Please don't hesitate to share your favorite Vitamix or smoothie recipes ;) 

Much Love, 

S

Don't be afraid to.. Spray paint.. Or yard sale!

Nick (my husband) and I have been searching for end tables since we neared completion of our "new" home renovations. We had just about zero luck, everything we found was either over priced particle board or something so ridiculously expensive that it didn't make sense. Until our drive to the Cape one Friday.. I spotted end tables, light blue with a marble top on the side of the road. Of course Nick being skeptical of roadside buys I had to drag my mom back to further investigate. We get back there and there is a sign that says 2/$50 we asked if we could have then 2/$40! Solid wood! (my Mom's boyfriend Mick told me that the marble alone was worth $50!) Sure enough the seller said yes! 

    

We get the table back to our house and I decided that I want to use them in the bedroom which presents an issue with not only the color of the tables but the marble.

But then we have spray paint and fabric!!! 

I took a trip to Home Depot and found the perfect color gray spray paint (about $12.00 for 3 cans) and the perfect ceramic white knobs ($16.00). I had it in my head that I was going to get a gray and white chevron fabric to cover the marble. 

Note: I did not strip these tables at all as they already had a coat of paint on them. 

I set up shop outside and in a matter of about 3 hours I had spray painted the tables.  Remember it is very important to let the spray paint cure before handling too much. 

Here they are in drying mode.  Then it came time to shop for the fabric.  I took a ride to JoAnne's only to find that the Chevron they kept in stock was not anything that I was looking for :( however that good old everything happens for a reason came into play! I found a very stunning modern fabric of gray and bright white (to match the trim in our bedroom) it was perfect! When all was said and done I couldn't have been more proud! I think I even got one of my favorite compliments ever when I posted to FB. "You are magical like a Unicorn, please find stuff and make it pretty for me"

So folks.. Never be afraid of a little spray paint and a yard sale! 

I hope you enjoyed my first post! I have already learned that I must start using better photos to upload they seem a bit funky but that is the iPhone for you. 

Much Love, 

S