brown goat
the life of city dwellers with a healthy obsession with natureArchive for i heart holidays
christmas in july?
i was never one to jump at the idea of christmas in july (although, i did want to change my birthday to july 15th instead of having to celebrate it on december 15th- in the month of one hundred family birthdays and christmas), but i couldn’t resist sharing these holiday images that i have been saving for a long time…
love the purple-ness of it all. and the wall stockings? TOO cute!
pretty paper and a lovely chandelier.
i have to admit…these images make me excited for the holidays! and, we will have a little one to share it all with this year…ahhh- just the thought of it makes my heart melt!
happy memorial day weekend!
i will spend my holiday weekend on call, but hoping i’m not too busy at work so i can accomplish all the things on our to-do list (golfing, jazz festival, planting flowers and herbs, farmer’s market…).
wish i was looking forward to this…
have a happy weekend! see you next week.
happy easter weekend!
i hope you have fun plans for the holiday weekend. my parents are driving up as i type, so david and i are planning to have a fun-filled spring weekend with my folks going to scott antique market (the world’s largest outdoor antique show!), watching the masters outside on our patio, visiting the atlanta botanical garden, introducing my parents to sam, and brunching at highland bakery among other things. david thinks he might be getting sick and mom is not feeling so well, so let’s hope they get better SOON…
happy easter to everyone!
guess what david’s working on…
i gave this to david for christmas. it’s a custom paint by numbers kit created by easy123art.com from a photo i submitted. its going to take a long while to finish since it is very detailed, but i will keep you posted on the progress. i’m going to wait to show you the photo it was created from until the very end (just for a dramatic effect). but i bet you can guess who the star of the painting is…i can hardly wait to see the final product!
paint, david, paint!
cheese and chocolate = love dinner
we had a fondue valentine’s dinner at home…it was so much fun and SO yummy! since the large number of fondue recipes out there can be overwhelming to sift through, i thought i’d share the ones we used since they were easy AND delicious. and, i found it difficult to choose which foods to select for dipping (so many recipes suggest the typical bread, fruit, sponge cake trio), so i wanted to share which foods we chose to eat with our fondue- we learned that the food can really make the meal.
cheese fondue, recipe for 2 (with plenty leftover):
foods for dipping- roasted brussels sprouts, kielbasa, grilled zucchini, and country french bread
toss 1/2 pound of shredded gruyere cheese with 1 1/2 tablespoons of unbleached all-purpose flour in a large bowl. rub the interior of your fondue pot with 1 clove of minced garlic. place pot on the stove over medium heat and add 1 cup dry white wine. bring to a simmer and add the cheese mixture, one handful at a time. stir in 1/4 teaspoon of grated nutmeg.
stir over low heat until smooth and cheese is melted and bubbling. transfer to your table stand. dip and enjoy!
of course, sadie loved it too!
chocolate fondue, again recipe for 2 (with plenty leftover):
foods for dipping- strawberries, cream cheese pound cake, and sliced apples
gently melt together over medium heat a 1/2 pound of dark chocolate, 2 tablespoons of half and half, and 1 tablespoon grand marnier. once melted and smooth, transfer to your table stand. dip and enjoy!
one hundred things that i love
in honor of valentine’s day, i compiled a list of one hundred things that i love. happy love weekend- i hope you spend it in good company doing something that makes you happy!
1. david…always, but especially after he’s freshly shaven 2. bread and butter with pots of jam and honey
3. a room filled with flickering candlelight
4. fireflies creating an incredible ballet of soft light
5. patio parties
6. october
7. a child napping with his blankie
8. waves
9. leaving work early for the holidays
10. stacks of old snapshots
11. baby pictures, slides, and movies
12. gardenias
13. fireplaces
14. farmer’s markets
15. the sound of rain on the roof
16. cheese stores
17. new england
18. doughnut holes
19. a dinner of champagne, candlelight, and pizza
20. the spring
21. fireworks
22. sitting outside as the seasons change
23. coffee
24. a child’s artwork
25. boat rides
26. BLTs
27. stackable band rings given in honor of a celebration
28. nail polish
29. letterpress
30. ballet flats
31. rolled up shirt sleeves
32. ribbons
33. strands of white lights
34. sunsets
35. eating lobster outdoors
36. toasted marshmallows, black outside and squishy inside
37. milkshakes
38. the warm gulf water
39. love letters
40. long dinners
41. spring flowers bursting into bloom
42. banjos
43. red wine and deep dish pizza nights
44. old trees
45. fishing villages
46. snuggling
47. beautiful and unique rooms
48. a celebration breakfast
49. planning things: a party, a vacation, a picnic, a camping trip
50. the energy to make fresh juice, grind coffee, and stir up a batch of muffins
51. pretty fabric
52. station wagons
53. lip gloss
54. pumpkins
55. sweatshirts and shorts
56. swimming pools
57. basil
58. a dog’s yawn
59. dance parties in the living room
60. seaside
61. post-thanksgiving sandwiches of turkey, mayo, salt and pepper on a dinner roll
62. furniture with a story
63. adirondack chairs
64. chandeliers
65. paper-cut snowflakes
66. rubber rain boots
67. real caesar salads
68. tree lined streets
69. glass candle holders
70. painted porch ceilings
71. mojitos
72. happy unplanned moments
73. swiss chocolate almond ice cream
74. brick streets
75. thunderstorms
76. fresh air and good food
77. matchboxes
78. homemade lemon filled pancakes
79. real whipped cream
80. palm-fringed beach
81. the first long days after the time changes for daylight savings
82. morning light
83. water dotted with sailboats
84. spending a night on the water in a sailboat
85. lists
86. honeysuckle
87. sweater dresses
88. being artsy-craftsy
89. being told you’re beautiful when you’re wearing an old t-shirt and jeans
90. summer homes
91. beautiful and creative baby nurseries
92. cold, yummy beer
93. bicycling in the evening
94. dining poolside
95. opening the windows
96. grilling your whole dinner
97. cupcakes
98. watching movies outside
99. reading menus
100. a romantic table for two next to the window
’tis the season
as usual, our christmas time in florida was most joyful! this year, in particular, we had TONS of fun!
over 5 days, we visited with family and even some dear high school friends,
ate at jerry’s drive-in (twice!), went to a christmas concert at the church where we were married, had 4 christmas celebrations (and got lots of nice new stuff),
shopped at some cute pensacola gift boutiques and at joe patti’s (of course), went out 3 times with cousins and aunts and uncles (SO fun!!!), AND attended a reheasal dinner, a wedding, and a christening.
hope your holidays have been as great as ours. here’s to a fabulous end to 2008!
30 years and 1 week old (happy belated birthday to me)!
so, again, an unplanned blogging break. several guesses as to why this may be: 1) instead of spending my computer time writing, for the past month, i have been spending my time on a computer christmas shopping, 2) work has been busier with more patients to see, so there is less computer time in general, and 3) lots of fun holiday and birthday activities attended, which would have been great blogging material, but i instead ignored the ideas and kept the computer shut.
so, while you may not be bothered by my lack of words, i am. to remedy the problem, i have made a promise to myself and will now make it to all of you, which i hope will make me more accountable, that i will post a blog at least twice weekly in 2009. i already have lots of ideas for posts, so i will just have to find the time to sit down and create.
for now, i am wishing everyone the merriest of christmases. thanks to all of you who sent warm birthday wishes (and gifts!) and for those of you who sent christmas cards (which we did not)- you have brightened our home with your cheery messages and lovely photos.
happy christmas!
santa’s little helper
after an unplanned break from the blogging world, i’m back. not sure what the absence was about…perhaps the holidays got the best of my time. but here i am again. i hope all is well in all of your worlds. i sure am enjoying december and the festiveness of the season!
since its the season for giving, here’s a little holiday cheer for all of you (images and idea courtesy of david) :
a remarkable resemblance, huh? our sadie has reminded us of santa’s little helper since the day she came to live with us. the likeness is uncanny really. around this time of year, that nickname of hers gets used a lot on our house!
happy holidays!
