got corks?

wine corks, that is! I had tons that I'd been saving forever. I saw a similar project at a wine festival a long time ago and recently decided to make my own.

I still need to make a pretty bow for it (talented sister, are you reading?). Overall, I'm very happy with how it turned out. And before you start to worry about (or judge) my (our) drinking habits, I've been saving these corks for years. Some of them are from our wedding 5 years ago so it takes awhile to accumulate enough good ones for a project like this.

Too cute to resist

I was planning to post a project I recently completed, but this was too cute not to share. Yesterday's mail contained a small package for Jackson, from his "cousin" Inga....

Delicious Dinners

I made this for dinner last night:(picture from MarthaStewart.com)

It was delicious and very filling. But also time-consuming - don't try making this after work when you're starving! I will admit that using dried black beans gives a better, less mushy, consistency than canned. However, I think you could sub canned black beans for the dried and it would still be good. I plan to try that next time. I usually like to follow a recipe exactly the first time I make it and then tinker with it later.

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/brown-rice-and-black-beans

Signs of Spring

Spring has definitely arrived in Atlanta! I took this picture outside of a cute speciality foods shop in my neighborhood. They make all sorts of wonderful homemade spreads, pestos and spice mixes. Just walking in there makes me want to plan an elaborate picnic in the park! Although Bella Cucina is a local Atlanta company, they have been featured in Southern Living and on Oprah! Check out their website at http://www.bellacucina.com/shop.asp
Happy Spring!

Good things to remember.....

Happy Tuesday!

Finally, a house update!

A couple of more recent pictures of the renovation. Here's the front:

And from the back. The backyard is really sloped so we added a retaining wall so the yard will be more usable.

A list kind of day

I've been neglectful of my blog lately so here's a recap of what's been going on lately. In list form, because I love lists!

• Finally joining a yoga studio and starting to practice more regularly
• Spending a long weekend in NYC to celebrate my 30th birthday!
• Seeing Wicked in NYC
• Driving 2,241 miles - from Atlanta to Richmond, VA and back for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.
• Shopping for and wrapping Christmas gifts
• Christmas in Virginia with both families
• Holiday parties, holiday parties, holiday parties
• Self-assessment/review period at work
• Making an overwhelming amount of decisions relating to the (re) construction of our house (pictures coming tomorrow!)
• A low-key New Year's Eve celebration with dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Wisteria, and a nice bottle of champagne at home with Jackson (he even gets a little sip!)
• And since it's now snowing and freezing cold in Atlanta, I thought this little note that I saw on the fun blog of a fellow Atlantan was appropriate:

That pretty much sums it up! I hope everyone had a lovely holiday season!