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Catalog Living

June 30, 2010 By

I’ve told you before how I find much of my home inspiration from catalogs…Pottery Barn is one of my favorites…but have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in those catalog scenes?  Well, I stumbled across the site Catalog Living today and all I can say is HI-LAR-I-OUS.  Here’s one of my favorite scenes:

“Hi Nancy, it’s Elaine.  I’m going to be a little late for lunch.  I can’t find my hat or my back-up hat.”

Pretty funny, right? Here’s my other favorite:

“Greta, the invitation specifically said to bring a yellow or white food or drink.  Now, please remove your brown cookies at once.”

And one more…

Sweetheart, the Turners will be here any minute now!  Did you put the plate of figs under the table?

To enjoy more, visit Catalog Living!

2 Comments Filed Under: Pop Culture

Back where I come from…

June 29, 2010 By

I had a wonderful weekend in Missouri! I spent time with family and friends and watched as my mom was ordained as a Presbyterian minister!  Congrats Mom!!! This is her with her siblings right after the ordination service.

Today, I thought I’d share with you some of my favorite things about where I’m from! I love the house where I grew up…why?  This is the view I woke up to every morning:

And we’re surrounded by trees! Lush, green trees!  Living in CA, I get used to a lot of brown, so it’s always refreshing when I go home to see so much GREEN!

This clock sits on our mantel.  It’s an old wind up clock that has been passed down in our family.  The key to wind it disappeared when I was in junior high, so it hasn’t worked for years, but my dad recently got a new one…so now it works!!!  It was a throwback to hear the little chimes from the clock the whole time I was home. I loved it!

This is the photo that is currently hanging above the mantel. That’s me and my sister Caroline. This was supposed to be the ultimate childhood picture.  And then the week after we took the photo, my mom found out she was pregnant with my youngest sister Sydney!  So now we have this gigantic photo of Caroline and I, but no picture of Sydney!  Poor Syd!

And my mom found this lamp a few years ago (her name is Doris).  My mom has such a fun sense of style!  Just when you think she’s getting a bit too predictable,  she throws in a lamp like this!

This is a pew from an old church that we’ve had in our house as long as I can remember.  I love it!

For a long time, my mom’s kitchen was cow-themed…so she painted our kitchen table (an old post office mail sorting table) to match!  We LOVED it growing up. My mom’s been trying to repaint it for years, and my sisters and I opposed it for years. I think we’ve all finally grown up enough to let it go (she has already purchased the paint!) but part of me is still a little bummed to see it changed! I know…not exactly design hall of fame…but it’s part of my childhood!  Anyway, without further ado…the cow table:

And last but not least…my cat Black Jack. I got her for my 12th birthday from my best friend Leslie.  She’s now 14!

Okay one more, speaking of Leslie…here’s her at my mom’s ordination service with her daughter Kinley (who was quite upset). I LOVE this picture:

So there you have it! A wonderful weekend!  What are your favorite things in YOUR childhood home?

1 Comment Filed Under: Musings

Crazy Ladies and Spicy Shrimp

June 24, 2010 By

I’m currently trekking back to Northeast Missouri for my mom’s ordination as a pastor on Sunday. I’m so excited!

But boy has it been a crazy day.  Everything seemed to be going smoothly…my flight from LAX to Denver (my layover) seemed to be getting off to a great start…that is, until a lady on our plane went berserk and the LAX police had to be brought on board! And when she started ATTACKING them (she scratched the cornea of one of the guys!) she had to be tasered, handcuffed, and physically removed from the plane! Seriously! After that, the flight attendants a few pass-angers on the plane had to give their statements to the police about the whole thing.  Even with all that, we only left 20 minutes late! I was psyched to be back on track…but when I FINALLY arrived in Denver, I found out that my flight from Denver to Kansas City was delayed two hours!

I complain, but actually, it hasn’t been that bad. I’m actually sitting in the USO (a club for military members and their families found in big airports), as I type. So I really can’t complain TOO much. But wow…what a crazy day!

Since I’m not at home to craft, decorate, cook, or bake this evening, I’d like to share with you the dinner my hubby made for me last night!

My hubby is a fabulous cook.  And one of his favorite dishes to make (and my favorite to eat!) is his spicy shrimp.  It’s an evolving dish that he changes a bit every time he makes it. He starts with shrimp (these were pre-cooked):

Jalapeños seeded and cut into slices:

Cheddar Cheese cut into small strips:

Bacon cooked until it’s very crispy and cut into squares:

And this was a new addition to the dish, cilantro:

Place the shrimp on top of the bacon, and then the cheese and jalapeño (and cilantro if you’re using it) on top of that.

Bake at 425 for 4-6 minutes (if you’re using raw shrimp, bake for 20-30 minutes and add the cheese halfway through). This is the result:

Gooey, spicy, goodness! Yum!

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Sweet Tarts!

June 23, 2010 By

No…not those kind…this kind!

This rustic tart is my new favorite dessert to make.  It’s soooo easy! All you need is a refrigerated pie crust, cornstarch, sugar, egg, and whatever fruit you have in your fruit bowl (I used strawberries and a nectarine).

Start by laying out the piecrust on a cooking sheet and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Next, chop up the fruit into bite-sized pieces, and stir with a tablespoon of cornstarch and two tablespoons of sugar.

Pour the fruit mixture into the pie crust and begin folding the pie crust edges around the fruit.

Finish folding until all the pie crust is folded around the edge. Brush with egg and sprinkle with a bit of sugar.

Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. It should come out like this:

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream! Enjoy!!!

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