puppy talk

Last night, we were having dinner with some Junior League friends and their husbands and we started talking about our dogs. Oddly enough, we all admitted to having a "dog voice". For example, when I get home from work and ask Jackson how his day was, Cary will respond in "Jackson's voice". So now I'm curious - who else has a voice for their dog??

sample sale anyone?

Kate Spade is having an online sample sale!

Click here: http://www.katespade.com/samplesale/login.jsp and enter your email address, which puts you on their emailing list.

Happy Shopping!

busy, busy weekend

I just love when my weekends are full of fun activities and this weekend definitely delivered!
Saturday morning started off with the JLA bus tour. We started out at Zoo Atlanta where we watched the adorable pandas (I wanted to bring the baby one home with me!), the parakeets, and the lions - while learning about the zoo and the volunteer opportunities there. Next up was Atlanta Community Food Bank and Atlanta Union Mission. All three stops were extremely interesting, educational and eye-opening!

After the bus tour, I sadly had to pass up lunch at Taqueria del Sol with my provisional class to run a few errands then stopped by the house and chatted with our contractor and finally headed home for a quick lunch before leaving for an alumni event.

The event, a fundraiser for a scholarship fund at my school, was a big success and tons of fun with bbq, local beer, and Yacht Rock Revue - a fun and highly entertaining local band.

After some much-needed sleeping in Sunday morning, Cary and I took Jackson on a super-long walk around our neighborhood debating the pros and cons of various window styles. I think we finally narrowed it down to 4 styles! Next up tonight - roof shingles and doors! The excitement never stops...

Is it just me, or does the end of the year seem to speed up and get even more busy?

New Beginnings......

You may have noticed that I kind of stopped "Design Fridays" and general renovation updates. Nothing exciting has happened on that front for awhile as we've been dealing with both insurance and the mortgage company. Now however, things are really picking up! You may recall this post from last year when we purchased our house. Sadly this is what things look like now, mid-demolition:

I think this is really funny. I don't know why the toilet is still just sitting there.

This is the back of the house, where the trees hit. You can see between the two doors where the brick just crumbled in.

As much as it sucks seeing my house look like this, it's not as though it was livable after all the damage from the tree. I'm trying to stay positive and look forward to the great new house that we're building.

Yum

I love Martha Stewart. I would become her if I could (well, minus the jail time...) And I love her magazine and recipes. However, if I cooked like that all the time (heavy cream, butter, etc) I'd have to double my gym time to keep the extra weight off! Which is why I love the Fit to Eat column. I made this recipe the other night and it was delicious, easy, and extremely filling - I made half the recipe for dinner for the two of us and I still had leftovers for lunch!

(From Martha Stewart Living September 2009)

Tilapia with Barley, Shiitake and Edamame Salad

FOR THE SALAD
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces shiitake mushroom caps, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 shallots, minced (1/3 cup)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 cups frozen shelled edamame
3 cups cooked barley (from 1 cup dry)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper


FOR THE FISH
2 tilapia fillets (6 ounces each), halved lengthwise, or 4 fillets (3 ounces each)
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice (from 4 limes)
1/4 cup water




Make the salad: Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add shallots and garlic, and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add edamame, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes. Add barley, and heat through, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with salt, and season with pepper.
Make the fish: Sprinkle both sides of tilapia with salt, and season with pepper. Heat oil in saute pan over medium-high heat. Add tilapia, and cook until browned and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Add lime juice and water, carefully swirling pan to combine. Serve tilapia with barley salad, and drizzle with sauce.



*You could also make this with tofu or chicken if fish isn't your thing.*

rain, rain

I realize this may be a slight exaggeration, but I feel like it's been raining in Atlanta for a month. Seriously this has to stop. Last week it was raining so hard that we actually tried to get Jackson to use the toilet. It was unsuccessful, in case you're wondering...

there's a reason i'm an accountant, not an artist....

I made guacamole for last nights football-themed JLA meeting. It was supposed to look like a football field but...well I have a hard time drawing straight lines.

Oh well, it tasted good!

really, "Hotlanta"?

This past weekend was absolutely beautiful in Atlanta. Despite it being August, the weather was pleasantly warm and not all that humid. We took advantage by going to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens on Saturday.

The Japanese garden

Pretty ornamental peppers

The garden currently has an exhibition of sculptures by Henry Moore - this is looking through one of the sculptures with the Bank of America tower in the background.

One of Moore's favorite themes is mother and child. This sculpture is in the Orchid House.

The spiny forest

View of midtown Atlanta from the botanical garden, which is rightfully called an urban oasis.

We also had dinner with our fun and adventurous friends at a Bangladeshi restaurant. Yum and cheap and they let you bring your own wine!

summer concert fun

Last night we went with a few friends to see Michael Franti & Spearhead, Augustana, and Counting Crows at Chastain Park. I've seen Counting Crows live before and they were great. The show last night did not disappoint. It was an unusual format for a concert though. Rather than the normal 1 band, break, 1 band, break, main band - the three bands played together for nearly the entire show. At a few points all members of the three bands were onstage performing - 18 in all! It was a fun show.

The girls (and yes, that's a can of Bud Light I'm holding. Don't judge - the beer selection was limited and the wines consisted of red, white, and pink so Bud Light seemed like the best option!)

The guys

Junior League

Tonight is my first provisional meeting for Junior League of Atlanta! I'm so excited to meet my advisor and the other girls in my small group. The calendar already looks pretty busy but I'm actually looking forward to being busy with something other than work! Happy Monday everyone!

Dream Design Friday

I'm back with design Fridays! Not much to report this week on the reconstruction/renovation front, I guess things are progressing just slowly. Actually decorating and painting seems like a really long ways off but thinking about the end result helps give me patience with this boring and slow part. Here are some beautiful interiors that I just love...

I love how bright and airy the two rooms above seem, even with the bright pops of color. This is truely dream design for me since there's pretty much no chance of my husband ever agreeing to buy pink furniture! A girl can dream....

Now this may be more reasonable - I just wish that view could be found in Atlanta!

This is gorgeous as well for a more formal living area.

Although this room is much larger than any of ours, I love the overall concept. I think it's such an art to create a room like this that looks put together over time and "goes" without matching exactly.

That's all for today - hope everyone has a fab weekend!

House Update

Sadly this process is slow and frustrating! We met with a fabulous architect several times and have nailed down a design for the house. Now we're working with the contractor on budget, the insurance company on payment and the bank on a loan. If you can't tell, this is the boring part. However, I do have a fun drawing to share of what the front of the house will look like!

It's showing up a little small in blogger. But from the front, it's not all that different. Just a steeper roof and the upper windows will be actual windows that open instead of the glass faux windows up there before. I hope that actual construction will start in August or September and our contractor estimates 8 months until it's finished. sigh

Happy 4th!!

Happy Independence Day! I hope everyone enjoys the long weekend!
I'd also like to wish my grandparents a very happy 66th anniversary! I'm so sad to not be with them today but I know they are enjoying the day with the rest of my family.

Summer Cocktails

For a twist on the traditional mint julep, try this blackberry mint julep (courtesy of Martha Stewart, of course!) You'll need:

1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves
1 pint blackberries
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup bourbon
4 cups small ice cubes
4 sprigs of mint for garnish

Chop the mint leaves then puree the mint, blackberries and sugar in a blender. Press through a fine sieve into a bowl, discard seeds.
Return puree to blender and add the bourbon and ice; blend until smooth. Garnish each glass with a sprig of fresh mint and enjoy!

Sweet dreams

Since we'll need more bedroom furniture for our new house, I've been thinking it may be time for us to upgrade to a king-sized bed. (Plus I really want a Golden Retriever so 2 adults + Pug + Golden = we need a bigger bed!) Some bedroom pieces and design that I really like....

The Stratford Mahogany Sleigh Bed from Charles P Rogers. CPR has beautiful, if somewhat pricey beds, and they also have gorgeous bedding that is more reasonably priced and often on sale. I have a red linen duvet and shams that I bought several years ago. They been moved more times that I care to count and have been washed several times and still look vibrant so it's worth the money.

The Marston Sleigh bed from Restoration Hardware is similar and it's on sale right now.

This upholstered bed from Restoration Hardware is nice too - it looks so cozy!

Happy Birthday Jackson!!!

Jackson turns 3 years old today, which is like 18 in dog years. I can't believe he used to be this tiny (sorry the picture is so small, I have no idea how to fix that!)

Happy Birthday Jackson! You may be getting a nice big carrot tonight to celebrate ;)

4 quick years....

Four years ago today, we were saying our vows...

And celebrating with family and friends here

We both freely admit to dealing with our fair share of challenges these past four years, including the recent tree drama, but those challenges have definitely brought us closer and made our relationship stronger. I can't imagine a better man to spend the rest of my life with! Happy Anniversary to us!!

I just wanted to share a picture of the gorgeous peonies I bought the other day at Trader Joe's.

For $7.99 I'm very impressed! I hope everyone is enjoying an amazing summer weekend!

Classic Blue & White

This month's Traditional Home magazine provided some great eye candy for those of us who love blue and white. Here are a few of my favorite looks that I hope to incorporate into our new home!

Blue and white seems so fitting for outdoor spaces like the 3 above.

I love the look of plates hanging on the wall. I know some people think this is weird but my mom always did it so it seems totally normal to me.

We're planning to keep the traditional formal style in the front of our house and then make the back a bit more modern and open like this lovely open kitchen, dining area and family room. The crisp contrast between all the white and pops of blue really opens up the space even more.

That last one isn't from Traditional Home, it's Ralph Lauren's Palm Harbor collection.

Dream Design - bathrooms

Ok, ok, so I'm far from a perfect blogger and fell off track with design Fridays last week! But I'm back with some beautiful ideas. We're meeting with our architect next week to go over her first round of ideas for the house - maybe we can incorporate some of these!

I love this vintage-y freestanding tub. Since our house was originally built around 1920, we're trying to go with a slightly vintage, but updated, look. I think this tub fits the bill! Plus I love the built-in shelves on either side of the tub.

This tile is just beautiful - but maybe a tad too modern?

This bathroom has really interesting tile with a woven patten. I also really like how the vanity looks almost like a piece of furniture.

A steam shower like this one is definitely on the wish list!
Ahhh, this looks like a spa! Having this in your house could be dangerous - it would be so hard to leave!

Happy Thursday!

I just love these short work weeks after a holiday. Every week should be a 4 day work week in my opinion!

I picked up our second load of veggies the other day. Here they are on the counter, aren't they beautiful and delicious looking?

Thanks to the CSA, I've recently discovered a love for fresh dill. I threw some on top of a salad the other night and last night made a pesto-ish sauce with dill rather than basil and used it to top a chicken breast. Delish - so fresh and summery!

Dream Design Friday

**In an attempt to a) bring some structure to my blog, b) blog more frequently, and c) keep home renovation talk from dominating, I'll be introducing a few theme days. Friday will be 'Dream Design Fridays' since I've got a pretty big renovation project underway! Please feel free to share ideas and pictures - I'm not the most creative person in the world so I'd love any and all input. Thanks!**

Some dream kitchens that I'm loving right now...

I love the white marble counter tops and the glass front cabinets. But is this too much white?
Beautiful tile back splash and that stove/oven is amazing!

Love the furniture-like details of these cabinets...

Another white on white design and the back splash over the range is pressed tin ceiling tiles - I love the bit of antique charm that adds to this sleek kitchen.

Another white marble and glass-front cabinet combo. (All pictures courtesy of Traditional Home.com)