Party Planning!

Well, I have been working on baby girl's party/shower that we will be having in October and I have been having so much fun with all the little details. The food is going to be so tasty and I wanted to have little markers for each food item so that guests would know what was in each dish. This is what I came up with.

(Nothing that a little wire and my needle nose pliers can't do...)

I used the cookie cutter that I used to make the invites to get the Africa shape.

I am so excited about how they came out. Each one took me about 2 minutes.

Jeesh, I just can't wait to get that little one here already...

We love fridays...

Kit and I are always off on fridays and we really try to make sure that we don't plan stuff so that we can just have a date day. Needless to say, we have had a really fun day being together. We had breakfast in a hole in the wall place in Brea called Choice Burgers.

(Don't let the name fool you, the breakfasts are really good...)

Then we headed to the Apple store, which Kit could seriously spend HOURS in. (It is fun to see all the new products and toys...) We are now the owners of snow leopard (which, thanks to my favorite nerdling, will make my technology life so much easier and faster.) Then we headed to Williams-Sonoma and finally found a jalapeno stuffed pepper griller.

(Our friends Mark and Jamie introduced us to it and it has changed our grilling lives...) The options are endless of how you could personalize your jalapenos.

Then we headed to Trader Joe's and got some ingredients to make the following recipe for lunch. Giada really has a gift. We made this recipe and we both loved it. It's crazy easy too!

Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup

and Grilled Crustini Bread

~from Giada~

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 sage leaf
• 2 (15-ounce) cans cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cloves garlic, cut in 1/2
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 slices ciabatta bread
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Directions

Place a medium, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, and shallot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sage and beans and stir to combine. Add the stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the garlic and simmer until the garlic is softened, about 10 minutes. Pour the soup into a large bowl. Carefully ladle 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup into a blender and puree until smooth. Be careful to hold the top of the blender tightly, as hot liquids expand when they are blended. Pour the blended soup back into the soup pan. Puree the remaining soup. Once all the soup is blended and back in the soup pan, add the cream and the pepper Keep warm, covered, over very low heat.

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the slices of ciabatta bread with extra-virgin olive oil. Grill the bread until warm and golden grill marks appear, about 3 minutes a side. Serve the soup in bowls with the grilled bread alongside.

We hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as we did. Again, this woman is brilliant!

Happy Friday!

bragging on my sister...

So my sister just finished the pillows for the baby girl's room and they could not be cuter. I am very proud of how hard my sister has worked to make this room a little haven for our niece and these pillows are such a fun addition...

Let get her here already, jeesh!

The curtains are in the turquoise flowered print and then we found all the other fabrics at JoAnns.

Make me an instrument of Thy peace...

I came across this prayer again this morning and it moved me to tears. I thought that I would share part of it.

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness; light;

and where there is sadness; joy.

Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

and it is in pardoning that we are pardoned...

Francis of Assisi

"that's a good meatball..."

Ok, so I have really never had a recipe for meatballs. I mean, my mom and my grandma have made them and they are amazing, but they just aren't as good when I try to make them. My mom gave me another recipe and Kit said it was a five star dinner, which was such a compliment, because Kit is the cook in our house. I cook but he is THE cook.

It made me realize that I need to be braver in the kitchen, to try new things and then I might find more family favorites to add to my repertoire.

I made a caprese salad to go along with it and the combination was AMAZING! So remember, meatballs are not only found on spaghetti... they will however be found at our house a whole lot more per Kit's request...

Have fun being brave in your kitchen!

ps, you can borrow Kit if you would like an encouraging soul to cook for...

Fish tank update...(again)...

Kit recently finished the woodwork on the base of his fish tank. He did such a great job and he can't wait to finally get the fish in there. He is planning to paint it and I am not sure about the hardware, but he is really pleased with how it turned out...

So if any one wants to come over for a swim, the pool is ready!

"By jove, I think she's got it!"

So with our recent travels, I have realized that I am not a very good packer and am usually pretty disorganized when it comes to getting my stuff together. (Who am I kidding, I am disorganized even when I am NOT traveling...) But, I think that I have recently figured out a way that has made life so much more organized.

Gardening tool totes.

You find them in the outdoor section of places like Target and Walmart. The thing that makes them different from other totes is the pockets and the durability. These puppies are meant to be dragged around in the dirt and stored outside. Mine has a thick vinyl lining and the whole thing is water proof. And did I mention the pockets?! Everything has it's own space and is easy to get to.

Here is mine. I got it at a discount store in Fullerton for $4 and have used it over 15 times. The way I figure it, the bag will be paying me to use it.

(Though Kit says that's not really how it works...)

Hey, if I can get organized, ANYONE can...