When Amateurs Decorate:

I was browsing around Marshalls the other day looking for Halloween decorations when I hit the motherload. They had a whole section of dishes in the perfect pale blue color which matches my kitchen/dining room. I picked up this great platter for a steal:

And I also picked up a few each of these plates:

I bought them thinking they might look good on this empty wall in our kitchen.

(HATE the sconce in the hallway. Its days are numbered.)

Originally, I was thinking of hanging them sort of like this:

but it just seemed sort of boring. And lame. I was about to chuck the idea out the window and throw the plates in the kitchen cupboard, but I decided to give the interwebs a quick search for some inspiration. Inspiration I did find!

I love the look of the different colors and free-form patterns. I think I'm going to keep looking for some other prints, sizes and colors to mix in with what I have. There's not a creative bone in my body so creating a random arrangement like the pictures above seems a wee bit intimdating. Luckily, Martha Stewart has come to my rescue! She has a great tutorial on hanging plates for the decorating-challenged like me. Thank you Martha!

I'm thinking about putting an accent table or a wine rack underneath. The space isn't too wide but I think maybe something like this might work:

So, there are my big plans. Let's hope they pan out. We bought This Old House over a year ago and most of the walls are still bare. (The infamous mirror we bought to hang in our bedroom - still in the box.) I'm pretty sure that if this plate plan falls apart I'll lose what little faith I had in my ability to decorate this place on my own. If things turn out well, I'll update with pictures of the end result. If it doesn't go well....then I guess I'll be back looking for referrals for interior designers. Wish me luck!

WANTED

HAVE YOU SEEN ME?

Name: Libby

Height: about 4.5 inches

Weight: 29 oz.

Last Seen: Grocery store shelves, Fall 2008

We're in crisis mode at This Old House. Okay, I'm in crisis mode and The Mister has no idea anything is amiss.

There is a pumpkin shortage.

I have been to three grocery stores and the Super Target. NO PUMPKIN. There may not be any for weeks. What is a girl to do?

I have previously explained that experiencing fall in Florida requires some improvisation - the purchasing of fall scented candles, the displaying of fall decorations and the baking of delicious fall treats. I ask you, how is a girl supposed to fill her home with the mouth-watering aroma of pumpkin baked goods without pumpkin? No pumpkin roll, no pumpkin muffins, not even the ugly stepsister of pumpkin treats - plain old boring pumpkin pie. Yankee Candles only go so far. Eventually The Mister will get wise to my tricks, open the oven and demand to know "Where is this pumpkin deliciousness I am smelling?"

I will not stand for this. Libby's people - I demand an answer. And I don't want to hear anything about excessive rain, 1/3 of the crop lost... go sell it down the river. Just tell me when I'll have my pumpkin.

Oh, and you pumpkin patch people, don't even tell me this will affect my search for The Great Pumpkin. Last year, I didn't get a pumpkin. The Mister kept promising to take me but never quite got around to it. I'm still bitter and not quite ready to talk about it. Point is - this year's pumpkin has to be the best ever. So, let's try not to disappoint, okay? I'd hate to have to lose my shit in the middle of some church's pumpkin patch because they're down to their last three pumpkins which all look like they're left over from Halloween 2008.

Get it together pumpkin people. And fast.

target, how i love thee

Look at the little lovelies that Target left on my doorstep yesterday...

merona wrap dress in navy

I love this dress. It's comfy, flattering and perfect for the office. The neckline is high enough that you don't have to wear a cami underneath and the length is totally work appropriate. And it comes in three more colors. I have a feeling tar-jay might be leaving another package on my front porch very soon.

merona ruffle knit top

I saw this cute top a few weeks ago over at According to Nina but couldn't find it at my local Super T. While I was perusing target.com I came across it again and decided to add it to my cart. I was not disappointed. The ruffled sleeves are too cute.

merona notch collar split neck dress

I'm still a bit on the fence on this one. I think it looks cute on and much more slimming than it looks on the model. And brown is good for fall, right? However, I'm concerned that it's the type of dress that will wrinkle the second you put it on. I'm worried that by the time I make it to the office it will look like I slept in it. I showed the dress to The Mister and asked him to weigh in. His response: "It looks like our bed sheets." To be fair, he's right. The sheets on our bed are the exact same color. But it wasn't quite the response I was expecting. Don't you just love men? He said he liked it on me, but now I think of our sheets everytime I see the dress. Between that and the wrinkle worries, this one may be going back.

Oh - and the grand total for all three items - about $64. With cute finds like this at such great prices, I'm going to have a hard time explaining to The Mister why I really need the super cute Mily dress for $310. But don't worry - I'll figure something out. ; )

so nice to come home to.

throw in a glass of wine and i've got myself a nice little wednesday. details on what's inside the tar-jay package tomorrow. cute stuff.

Weekend Update

I know Tuesday is a little late to be getting around to recapping the weekend but I just didn't get to it yesterday. So here it is, a day late.

On Friday, The Mister and I met for lunch. We both work downtown and our offices are only about a mile apart so we're able to meet for lunch fairly often. Usually we meet at our favorite Thai restaurant, but on Friday we met at a great little place by my office. It's just a casual patio restaurant with sandwiches and salads but it's right on a lake. The weather was beautiful and we were tempted to spend the afternoon watching the swans and sipping cold beer. It's pretty hard to go back to the office when the view from lunch looks like this:

Of course, lunch ended and we both went back to the office. Friday night we met up with our friends Michelle & Frank for dinner at a yummy restaurant called Hue. I usually have a hard time convincing The Mister to go there (he says the food is too "fancy") but Michelle and I had made plans to get dinner together and the guys decided to join us at the last minute, so he had no choice. And wouldn't you know it, he loved his dinner. The weather was even more beautiful than it was at lunch so we took advantage and sat outside again.

Michelle & Frank. Aren't they cute?

Saturday was game day again. We decided to grill at the tailgate this week and everyone brought food for the grill and a dish to share. I made Pioneer Woman's Bacon-Wrapped Jalepeno Thingies. They were a hit, but to be honest, kind of a pain to make.

You need a bunch of jalepenos, an 8oz. package of cream cheese (I used reduced fat. Because that matters when you're wrapping something in bacon.), and bacon. I also added shrimp.

Slice the jalepenos in half and scrape out all the seeds and ribs. This is where the otherwise simple recipe becomes a pain in the arse. You do not want to touch the jalepeno flesh because the capsaicin (i belive the technical term is "spicy juice") will get into your fingers and burn your fingers and anything else they come in contact with. Cutting jalepenos and then touching your eye - that's a mistake you only make once. Anyway, to avoid this disaster you can wear gloves. But unless you're a proctologist, who has plastic gloves in the house? The only plastic gloves I have I wear to scrub toilets. I'd rather get spicy juice in my eye than eat poopy-jalepeno-thingies. So, I used a paring knife to cut out the ribs and seeds. It was effective, but time consuming. After you've done that (and begun to wonder why you decided to make this stupid recipe in the first place), fill each jalepeno half with cream cheese.

If you like shrimp, you can add those too. Far be it from me to mess with a Pioneer Woman recipe, but I think it's a tasty addition. The Mister doesn't like shrimp, so I did some without too.

I roast shrimp in the oven instead of boiling them. It gives them a lot more flavor. Plus, Ina Garten said to. When Ina talks, I listen. Unless you have giant jalepenos, you'll probably need to to cut the shrimp in half to make them fit into the jalepeno. After that, wrap 1/3 of a slice of bacon around the jalepeno and secure it with a toothpick.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.

They don't look like much, but they smell heavenly and will disappear before you have a chance to get them on a plate. If you've got a crowd who can handle the heat and you don't mind the bit of extra trouble required by this recipe, give them a try.

Back to gameday. As usual, we had a great time tailgating but not as great a time in the game. We managed to squeak out another win, but it wasn't pretty. We're only three games in and it's already feeling like a long season. But, my ever reliable Gators came through with a win against Tennessee! I think I'd be a lot happier on Saturdays if I spent more time watching the Gators and a little less time watching the Knights.

We ran into a few of our ADPi sisters at the tailgate.

Me & my sister-in-law Juli

Me & my sis

Saturday's game was a late one and it didn't end until after 11. The Mister and I slept in on Sunday and spent most of the day watching football. My 49ers won again and made my day! It's been a while since my Niners have started the season 2-0.

Sunday night we played in a trivia tournament for charity with some friends.

It was for charity, but that didn't stop some of our team members from using a few "intimidation tactics." All in good fun, of course.

We were pretty confident at the beginning of the game. At the end of Round 1, our team was in first place!

It didn't last. By the end of four rounds, we had fallen pretty far from the lead. While we didn't wind up winning, we had a great time and helped out a wonderful charity. Not surprisingly since I'm a giant nerd - I had the best time playing trivia. The same company which put on the charity trivia tournament offers trivia a few nights a week at different restaurants and bars downtown. You can bet I'll be trying to convince The Mister and friends to give trivia another try very soon!

I tivoed the Emmy's while we were at trivia, so I watched that when we got home. Overall, I thought the show was pretty good. Neil Patrick Harris was funny and I was happy to see 30 Rock win Best Comedy. However, I think Tina Fey was robbed for Best Actress in a Comedy Series and while I think Alec Baldwin is hilarious, I would have loved to see Jim Parsons win Best Actor in a Comedy. His character "Sheldon" on Big Bang Theory is a riot. Unless he's that big a nerd in real life, he is a great actor! I thought Leighton Meister (Blair) looked gorgeous as a presenter. Blake Lively's dress was a bit over the top for my taste, but hey - if you've got it, flaunt it!

It was another great weekend with family and friends and I'm so happy there are only three more days until we can do it all again.

Nerd Love

I love, love, love this show. And I don't care who knows it. These geeks are funny! Is anyone else watching this show? I didn't start watching until last season, but I liked it so much I bought season 1 on dvd. If you haven't given Big Bang Theory a chance - watch it. I think you'll like it. If not, well then more nerds for me! The season premiere is tonight on CBS at 9:30 EST.

Don't these nerds clean up well?

Fall Favorites

I am craving fall. I know fall doesn't officially start until September 22, but it's been at least 90 degrees here since May and there's no end in sight to this summer weather. I've been drooling over the sweaters in the J. Crew catalog for weeks and am green with envy each time my brother calls to brag about the cool Boston weather. According to weather.com the average daily temperature here wont' drop below 80 degrees until November. November! I just don't think I can wait that long. The leaves may not be changing color (palm trees are green all year) and around here you can get a fabulous tan well past Thanksgiving, but weather be damned, I'm ringing in the fall!

For me, one the best parts of fall is all the delicious smells. Fresh baked apple pie or pumpkin bread, cinnamon brooms from Publix, the Thanksgiving turkey in the oven, and my absolute favorite - the smell of the air on the first cool day of the season. (I swear that fresh cold air comes with the most wonderful smell. Am I the only one who smells this???) Because I refuse to wait until Thanksgiving for all those yummy smells, I buy fall scented candles and burn them througout the house. This one is my favorite:

It's Yankee Candle's Harvest scented candle. It has the most delicious, homey smell of cinnamon, pumpkin and apples (the fall trifecta) and it lasts forever.


Baking my fall favorites is another sure-fire way to get that autumn feeling I'm craving. Apples pies and crisps, pumpkin bread, pumpkin roll - yum, yum, yum! Last year, I think I baked a loaf of pumpkin bread every week. I'll be sure to share the recipe & pictures when I bake my first loaf this fall!

One of the most important fall activities has already begun - FOOTBALL! When I think of fall, I think of getting together with our "football family" for tailgating and Knights football. From September to December, when someone asks me about my weekend plans, you can bet the answer will simply be "Football."

Another fall favorite is decorating for holidays. I love putting up decorations - first for Halloween, then Thanksgiving, and then my very favorite of all Christmas! (is that technically winter? Sorry. It's hard to tell the difference between seasons in Florida.) My mom is always picking up the cutest seasonal decorations and mailing them to me. I think my entire collection of fall decorations is courtesy of Mom. She sent the cutest Halloween candle holder this year. It's a skeleton bride and groom and their hats hold tapers. The tapers she sent with it are white, but when you light them, the wax that drips down is red like blood! How adorably gross and perfectly Halloween is that?!?! I've promised myself I'll wait until October to bust out the Halloween decorations and I can't wait!

Last year we had a party to go to on Halloween and I think we're planning to go out again this year, but I'm hoping we can stay home long enough to hand out candy to a few trick or treaters. I just love seeing little ones all dressed up in their costumes!

This fall I have something special to look forward to. The Mister and I are spending our first Thanksgiving as a married couple in NYC. We are so excited! We'll be getting into the city on Wednesday, which means we'll be able to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade live from Times Square! I'm so excited to see the Christmas tree at Rockerfeller Center (though it probably won't be lit yet), the holiday window displays at all the department stores, and shop in NYC on Black Friday! (I haven't quite broken that news to The Mister yet. I'm going to wait on that one. Don't worry. He's not a frequent reader of the blog. He says that because he lives it, he doesn't have to read it all the time. I thought that was pretty funny, and also true.) Mostly, I'm excited to eat my way through that delicious city! Cupcakes at Crumbs, Italian at Angelo's in Little Italy, NY pizza....I'm hungry just thinking about it. I think I'll have to diet until we leave just to save up enough calories!

These are just a few of the things I'm looking forward to this fall. What are your fall favorites?

What Would Brian Boitano Make?

I've been humming this song for days:

That's right - the famous (infamous?) "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" from the movie South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut.

If you're wondering why, you must not have seen the newest show on the Food Network, "What Would Brian Boitano Make?" Yep, figure skater Brian Boitano now has his own cooking show on the Food Network.

Can you imagine how the pitch for this show went?

"How about a cooking show hosted by Brian Boitano?"

"The flamboyant figure skater?"

Totally embarassing confession time: This show cracks me up. Brian Boitano is campy and colorful and I love him. He dances around the kitchen while things saute, he's obsessed with a garlic chopper, and he's totally got a sense of humor about the South Park song - it's the intro to his show! (And thus the reason I can't get it out of my head.)

Plus, the food he makes looks great. He puts a new spin on classic dishes and makes cooking fun. Most of the episodes I've seen feature recipes that are great for entertaining, which I love. The episode where he deconstructs paella into tapas-style appetizers left me searching for an excuse to make a pitcher of sangria and throw a spanish themed party.

Rumor has it he's done an entire show featuring recipes with bacon. Any show that will devote an entire epoisode to bacon gets two very enthusiastic thumbs up from this girl.

Thank you to the Food Network for taking a chance on this show. He won't be replacing Ina Garten as my #1 Food Network crush, but I am lovin' me some Brian Boitano!

Fun With Pregnancy

(Mom - I'm NOT pregnant. You can start breathing again.)


A recent email exchange between myself and a newly pregnant friend who shall not be named:


From: moi
Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 4:14 PM
To: anonymous preggo friend
Re: Hey

When you start showing, do you intend to punch strangers who touch your belly without permission? Because I advocate that. Also, at least once after you start showing and someone asks if you're pregnant, will you please tell them no and then tell me what they say?

Hahaha. I'm evil. Maybe don't do that. You might make someone cry.


From: anonymous preggo friend
To: moi
Sent: Wed, Sep 16, 2009 4:19 pm
Subject: RE: Hey


God you are evil and I love it. Maybe with all the hormones raging I can say something like “No a--hole I am NOT pregnant!!!!” That would be SO funny. Would really freak someone out. I fear for the random stranger who comes up and touches me. They pick a bad day and there is a strong likelihood of me freaking out. I think I will adopt a new policy. Any stranger that comes up and touches my belly I will reach out and touch theirs. See how they like that. Or maybe even better go for a fat roll and pinch it. But I think that truly might be evil….

"Bobbbbaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy"

Oprah is interviewing Whitney Houston today. "Hell to the no" way am I missing this shit-show! I'm headed home at lunch to set the tivo. "Crack is wack." I bet this interview will be too.

Edited to Add: I haven't watched it yet. Between the Gossip Girl season premiere and the Patriots on Monday Night Football, the television at This Old House was occupied all night. Hopefully I can watch Parts 1 and 2 tonight.

Yummy Chili

I made chili this week. I know chili is sort of odd choice because it's still 90 degrees here everyday, but it's The Mister's favorite and he made a special request. Because we're trying to eat healthy, I just modified my favorite chili recipe. It was delicious and so healthy. Here's the craziest part - it's a Paula Deen recipe! (It's actually her son Jamie's recipe, but it was featured on an episode of her show.) Who knew Paula Deen had a healthy recipe? Well, here it is:

Jamie's Chili (Recipe adapted from The Food Network )

1 1/4 pounds extra lean ground beef, browned and drained
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper diced
2 cups chopped celery
2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (28-ounce) can whole, peeled tomatoes
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 package chili seasoning mix (I use the McCormick Hot Chili seasoning packet)
cumin
cayenne pepper (if you like things spicy)

In a skillet brown ground beef, drain and set aside. Spray large pot with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add the onion, green pepper, and celery and saute briefly. Stir in the diced and whole tomatoes. Add cumin, to taste, and cook for about 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add the beans, browned meat, chili seasoning and cayenne pepper(if you're using it). Partially cover, and let simmer for 4 hours.

For all you WW point counters, each 1 cup serving is only 2.5 points! If you have a few extra points, you can serve this with some light sour cream and 2% shredded cheese. This recipe makes a bunch of chili, so I usually freeze half of it. If you try it, I hope you like it! It's a hit at our house.

(Sorry there are no pictures. Turns out, chili doesn't photograph that well. And I wanted you all to try this. I figured the crummy pictures would significantly reduce the chances of that happening.)

Not fair.

I'm at home, watching the Gators on TV.

The Mister is at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, watching the Gators play.

WTF? Need I remind you that I am the University of Florida alumna and Gator fan and that The Mister has a degree from Florida flippin' State of all places. A Seminole fan at my Gator game. Where is the justice in that? Oh well. GO GATORS!

My Last First Kiss

Eight years ago today, I had my last first kiss. I didn't know it yet, but I had kissed the man I was going to marry.

On March 13, 2009, I married that man. In front of our family and friends, I kissed him again and he kissed me.

That day will always be special to us and we'll celebrate the anniversary of our marriage on March 13 and remember the beautiful, wonderful day we said "I do." But we'll also continue to celebrate September 11. Because that's the day it all started. One kiss and it was over. We knew. He was mine and I was his. March 13 just made it official.

So, happy anniversary B. Here's to many more. I couldn't be happier to kiss only you for the rest of my life.

Delicious and Nutritious

The Mister and I have been trying to eat more healthy lately. We've both been busy at work which has led to not enough time at the gym and too much take-out. So, in an effort to shed a few pounds, we've been trying to eat more home-cooked, healthy meals. Here are a few quick and easy meals we've really enjoyed.

Dijon Lime Chicken

(picture and recipe from Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes)

4 chicken thighs, skin removed
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp light Hellman's Mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, crushed
1-2 T. lime juice , salt and peper to taste

(this is slightly modified from the original recipe)

Preheat oven to 400°. Rinse the chicken and remove the skin and all fat; pat dry and set aside. In a large bowl combine dijon mustard, mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well. Add chicken to bowl, tossing well to coat. Spray a large baking pan with a nonstick spray. Place chicken to fit in a single layer. Bake until cooked through, about 30-35 minutes.

This was so easy to make and tasted great. I made the recipe with chicken thighs this time because I had some in the freezer, but next time I'll use chicken breasts or tenderloins because they're healthier.

Another healthy dinner we LOVED was kabobs on the grill. It couldn't have been easier to make and was sooo delicious. We used chicken breasts, lean beef, bell peppers and onions last time. We're planning to make them again this weekend and we'll add in some squash and zuchinni. I think everyone knows how to make kabobs, but I wanted to share my "picture recipe" anyway because I think they were almost as pretty as they were tasty!

This meal was so good we forgot it was healthy. I think it will become a staple at This Old House.

I also made a yummy, low point chili this week - I'll share pictures & the recipe soon!

These are a few of my favorite things.

We're all about substance here at For The Love. In keeping with the tradition of high-minded debate and thought provoking posts you've come to expect from me, I thought I'd share with you a few of my favorite beauty products.

Nars Blush in Orgasm

Ahhh, Nars Orgasm Blush. It's practically an urban legend. Magazines have been raving about this blush for years - telling you how it will change your life, solve your problems and may just be the solution to peace in the Middle East. I read these reviews in magazine after magazine and had always dismissed them, assuming all the attention was due to the clever name. Last summer, on a whim, I finally caved in to all the hype and threw down $25 bucks for this blush at Sephora.

I'm here to tell you - everything you've ever read is true. This blush is BEYOND amazing. It's the perfect color - not too pink or too peach and it has just enough shimmer without making you look like a drag queen. You can sweep on a bit for color during the day or pile it on at night for a more dramatic look. Somehow, it seems to look good on everyone, regardless of skin color. I do believe it's magic. I command thee - buy it. You will not be disappointed.

MAC Paint Pot

This stuff is genius. It's goes on creamy but dries immediately. It lasts forever and doesn't cake or crease. You can use it as you would powder eyeshadow, but I actually use it in a neutral color as a base for my eyeshadows. It keeps them from doing that gross cakey-crease you can sometimes get with regular eyeshadows. And it comes in bunches of colors. Love this!

Batiste Dry Shampoo

Dry shampoo is a lazy girl's best friend. If you're anything like me, your hair is a multi-step, labor intensive process. I wash, blow dry then follow up with a flat iron or curling iron. Not only does it take a while, but all the heat from blow drying, straightening and curling is really damaging.

Without dry shampoo, I need to wash my hair and go through the whole hair "process" about every other day. With dry shampoo, my hair is good for at least three days after I wash it. It saves me so much time. I just spray the dry shampoo on any part of my hair that looks greasy or flat. The greasiness instantly disappears and my hair has so much more volume and texture. Sometimes I even spray it on clear hair for the extra volume. Plus, I'm not blow drying as often and only have to touch up with the flat iron, so it saves my hair from a lot of heat damage. (I have another secret weapon against heat damage. Keep reading.)

I've tried a few of the more expensive brands of dry shampoo but in my opinion, they're just not worth the money now that I've found this lower cost alternative. (Bumble & Bumble works great but at 3x the price and I wasn't happy with the Oscar Blandi version I tried). You can pick this up at Sally Beauty or on the interwebs for around $7. Quite a bargain if I do say so myself!

Maybelline Full n' Soft Mascara

A cheapy, but a goody. I know most people love the traditional Maybelline Great Lash in the pink and green tube, but I think the Full n Soft is much better. I've used this mascara for as long as I can remember. It never clumps, makes my lashes so full and long, and stays put until you want to remove it. Best part - it's $6. If they ever discontinue this stuff I'll just be beside myself.

Kenra Thermal Styling Spray

Disclaimer: I have no idea if this product actually does what it says. It says that it protects your hair from damage caused by thermal styling. I hope it does. However, it also just makes your hair look better. I spray this on my hair when it's dry and then flat iron it. It kind of acts like hair spray, but without the gross crunchiness you get from most hairsprays. It makes my hair stay in place but still have movement. Yep, I realize that makes zero sense. Just trust me on this one. Also, it makes me feel better about all the flat ironing abuse I put my hair through. But really, what's the alternative? Walk around with the bed-head lookin' waves I was born with - me thinks notsomuch. So, I flat iron till my little heart's content with little to no guilt.

There you have it. A few of the products that help me look a little better than nature intended!