Honey We're Home

Art for Office (Cozamia)

2012-01-31T20:31:00.000-06:00

Hi all! I had planned on painting a large canvas for a giant blank wall in my office, but chickened out about hanging my own artwork in there. I also fell for an artist (Cozamia) I recently discovered on Pinterest, a site I find myself on daily, so I ordered one of her prints, the one below, that I'll probably hang horizontally. I think it'll add that perfect pop of color to the room. I can't wait to receive it!

I had some trouble narrowing it down, because I also loved the ones below.

And check out her office- so cool!

All images via Cozamia

Do you have a favorite source for art? I'm seeing more and more art I like on websites like Pinterest and etsy, and plan to incorporate more art into our home this year.

Media Cabinet Makeover {Bookshelf Styling}

2012-01-30T21:12:00.000-06:00

Hi all! Hope you had a great Monday! Over the weekend, I spent some time rearranging the media cabinet in our living room. I was getting bored with how the bookshelves were styled, thinking it had too few books and needed more color. I've gotten asked before about where we purchased the cabinet, but it's actually a built-in unit. You may remember how it's looked for the last year. I painted the back Jamestown Blue by Sherwin Williams when we first moved in.

The blue in the first picture isn't a good representation, but rather a result of poor camera settings. But it's not actually as dark as the photo below either:)

Anyways, I think you get the idea about what the shelves looked like. So after shopping our house for more books (brining some cookbooks out of the kitchen and into the living room- a previous faux pas for me) and buying ten used hardcover books at Half-Priced Books for just $1 each, I had much more visual interest. I also ditched the paper covers and went solely with the books themselves.

One of the biggest differences is that I took out the shelves at the very top that were relatively empty, and filled them with books. I also added a couple of decorative vases and boxes (already owned from Home Goods). I like keeping the photos in the shelves because seeing them just makes me happy. Here's a closer peek.

In keeping our bookshelves practical, the Pottery Barn clock counts down to nap and bedtime, and the kleenex are essential for a baby's constant runny nose.

My favorite row of books is below. I love the colors and two of my favorite books (Interior Wisdom and Food to Flowers) are housed there. The Christmas book is awesome too, and I was surprised to find such a pretty patterned book (the brown links) when I took the cover off of Nate Berkus Home Rules.

And all again at a glance.

Better, huh?

Creating a Beautiful, Bright Boy's Room (via A Thoughtful Place)

2012-01-24T22:15:00.000-06:00

After sharing peeks into her young son's "big boy" room, my good friend Courtney (A Thoughtful Place) recently revealed the whole room:) I am such a fan of how she pulled the room together and adore her color combination and personal touches. You can see more photos of the room and read about the handmade projects on her blog here.

Isn't her son absolutely adorable enjoying his reading nook?

The toy closet is genius!

A fun, interesting and personal gallery wall.

Our son is barely two and has never crawled out of his crib, so we're in no hurry to get him in a "big boy" bed, but this room sure is inspiring me for the future! AWESOME job Court! I'm sure G loves it!

*And I also wanted to mention that Courtney is a contributor to the online decor and lifestyle magazine, House of Fifty, and their latest issue is out today. Go HERE to read it:)

Bedding- Help!

2012-01-23T21:42:00.000-06:00

As you know, after having my eye on an upholstered headboard for our master bedroom, we finally bit the bullet and ordered the Aisling Cream Fabric King Bed from Overstock. We are still waiting for it to arrive.

In anticipation of the bed's arrival, I've been looking for new bedding to dress her in. Our current bedding is just plain white sheets with an aqua blanket. I'd like to keep the pale color, but add some pretty pattern to make it more interesting.

I really like this muted pastel bedding from Restoration Hardware. But it might be too muted.

It looks very similar or the same as Emily's bed from A Well Dressed Home. I like how she accessorized the bed with the grey zebra pillows from West Elm.

But I also like the Dwell Studio Batavia Dove Duvet Set. It's more modern and funky, but still soothing.

It also comes in a buttery yellow, which I always think is pretty. It looks great with the patterned sheets.

The paisley Pottery Barn bedding nice too.

Neiman Marcus has bed linens on sale right now. I like the Legacy "Ellington" but I'd have to pair it with something that's not geometric to soften it.

The Ikat is so awesome and also comes in light blue.

I fell in love with this Annette Tatum bedding, but I haven't seen it in a king size. The pinks, oranges and purples are fun but not overpowering. I tend to lean toward grey, pale blue or aqua, but this color palette is so refreshing.

A more affordable, but less colorful Target option is below.

Which one do you like best? Our walls are light grey and the new bed is cream fabric. Have you seen any others you like that I missed? I'm torn but might be leaning toward the Ikat or Dwell Studio with patterned sheets??

New Office

2012-01-18T21:43:00.000-06:00

Having recently moved into a different office building at work, I got the opportunity to choose a few goodies for my new office:) I still need artwork, so we'll see how that goes.

1. Crate & Barrel Jules Table

2. Z Gallerie Devon Mirror

3. Grocery store potted orchid

4. Pottery Barn chair

5-6. Overstock.com (I spray painted them gold)

7. Overstock.com

The Jules table is between my two client chairs opposite my desk and the mirror is on the large wall with my diplomas. I love the Pottery Barn desk chair as an alternative to most black, bulky office chairs. You know the ones:)

The black Overstock tables look great with a quick covering of gold spray paint. The #5 end table fits my printer perfectly on the bottom and I keep extra paper on the second shelf. The #7 table is cool, but the round part arrived a little bent (luckily, I think I can bend it into shape).

I also added a wall calendar (Paper Source) and desk calendar (Dabney Lee).

It's so nice to work from a space you enjoy!

Nails

2012-01-17T06:00:00.001-06:00

I recently decided to stop with the acrylic nails and have gone back to au natural. Since I had James nearly two years ago, I've been wearing fake nails. At first it was such a chore to try to fit in those bi-monthly sessions to the nail salon, but I got to where I looked forward to the hour of uninterrupted alone time. My nail girl, Cindy, did a really good job and I always, always did a french manicure on my hands.

But then I started wanting a change, and went with shorter nails and (gasp!) color on my nails.

Now, without the nails, I need to let mine strengthen so that they can grow a little. For the time being, I feel like I have boy hands that don't look that good. I think I'll still visit Cindy for manicures and hopefully, in a few months they'll look more like this.

via

So tell me, are you into your nails? Real, fake? It feels a lot better to me to type on the computer with my bare hands, but I also love the look of when I'd walk away from Cindy's chair with my freshly done nails. Nail polish doesn't last nearly as long on real nails. I've just been applying clear every few days.

For a secret santa gift last month, I got all these cute mini OPI nail colors that I'm so excited to try.

And I'm smitten with these barely pinky colors for my nails.

But I'm loving BLACK- Lincoln Park After Dark- for my toes lately.

Maybe this summer when I've got a bit of a tan, I'll go back to my trusty old french manicure. What colors are you loving now?

Making Art

2012-01-15T22:18:00.000-06:00

Y'all know that my little guy loves to color, but we've really only painted once (in the backyard with washable paints). Over the weekend, we headed to Michaels to pick up more supplies (acrylic paints, canvases, and paintbrushes) so we could both get in on the action. I've never painted before, but I was inspired by Jen of Made by Girl to try to create some of my own art for my office at work. I have the perfect wall for a large abstract painting above my desk. I was going to have James make it at first, then I decided to not be scared to try it myself. "Try it, you'll like it!"- I could also be losing my mind since I'm now hearing Gabba Gabba when I type.

Via Cocoa and Hearts

I doubt Jen's studio looks like ours:)

Yeah, we set up shop in the garage (cold outside!) and worked on the floor. James stepped on my first piece. We really need easels. I started playing around just to get the hang of it a little and when I feel more confident, I'll move on to my big canvas. I'll be sure to show you when it's finished:)

Have y'all tried painting? I've seen some great work by Natalie and her son (Designer Bags and Dirty Diapers). I'd love to see yours if you want to leave me a link in the comments. Let's have a great week!

New Upholstered Headboard

2012-01-11T22:06:00.000-06:00

We'll be having some house guests with us for awhile, and wanted to make them comfortable in our home so we decided to put a king-sized bed in our guest room, as opposed to the uncomfortable old queen bed that's in there now. Getting a king-sized mattress also called for a new king-sized headboard, so we decided to move our current headboard/footboard into the guest room and get a new one for our master bedroom. You might recall the styles I had been looking at last year.

I ended up purchasing one through Overstock.com, and it probably won't arrive for a few weeks. It got great reviews, so I'm really hoping it's nice!

It's the Aisling Cream Fabric King Platform Bed. I like the nailhead trim detailing and the fact that it's not just the headboard.

Our current bed (from Z Gallerie) will be heading to the guest room.

I've got lots I'd like to do to transform our bedroom, I'll be sure to show you when the bed arrives!

Dutch Oven Delight

2012-01-10T06:00:00.003-06:00

We've been craving some comfort food around here and I was itching at the chance to use the new dutch oven Santa dropped off this year. And by dropped off, I mean, the one I picked up on my way home from the grocery store the other day:) Since moving into our new house, in lieu of individual gifts at Christmas, we've been buying one "house present" that we both can use. Last year was our camera; this year, the dutch oven. Since my new year's resolution is cooking more, I'm planning to use it often and have heard there are so many things you can use it for. Do you have one? If so, what do you like to cook in it?

It sure looks pretty sitting on the stove- especially with a white kitchen. I chose red because the salesman said that the red and orange (flame) colors would never be discontinued, so if I wanted to build a set of same colors for the future, those are the safe colors. Not that I'll be buying a set, but I really just thought the red was beautiful and classic.

Chili with cornbread is delicious and I like making meals that we can eat for a few days. A guilty pleasure of mine is also chili cheese hot dogs with Hebrew National franks- mmmmm!

And by the way, here are the America's Test Kitchen magazines I mentioned in my resolution post. They give so much information beyond a basic cookbook, which is why I really like them.

I went ahead and bought the Cook's Illustrated Cookbook too and have started reading it. It doesn't have any color photos, but has illustrations and lots of commentary on why the recipes work.

I read all of your comments about how you learned to cook (or not! :) and your suggestions and what works for your family. I appreciate you sharing them and definitely plan to incorporate the "child responsible for a meal once-a-week" when that time comes. I also loved the commenter who said she makes one meal per night and if someone doesn't like it, they can have a PB&J. Works for me:)

The Baby Cave??

2012-01-09T06:00:00.001-06:00

When we build our home two years ago, the only thing my husband really wanted was his own, oversized garage. And a media room. He's so happy to have his man cave.

I think it's so funny that the man cave is now being occupied by a tricycle, race car, tractor, and wagon.

Makes me smile every time I open the garage door:)

Hope your week is off to a great start! Thank you for your prayers! Our family member is doing so much better!

New Year's Resolution

2012-01-06T22:17:00.001-06:00

Last year, I resolved to lose the rest of the baby weight I put on while pregnant with my son- I gained a total of 55 pounds. With a lot of running, working out/lifting weights, and better food choices, I reached my goal in the middle of the year!!! And happily, I'm maintaining my new weight. You can read about my journey here, here and here.

This year, I want to become a better cook. And I want to start cooking more in general. This last year I have felt quite guilty that I didn't cook more for my family. And when I did cook, I don't think my food was all that great. So I want to change that. I want my family to crave the meals I prepare and have "favorites"! Wouldn't that be something?! I have plenty of cookbooks, tools and equipment, and lots of recorded food shows on t.v., I just need to decide what I'm going to cook and try new things.

I recently came across the America's Test Kitchen Magazines/Cookbooks and LOVE them! They are so informative, providing essential information about ingredients and the cooking process, things that work and the explanation behind it. It's become essential reading for me.

I've planned to choose a variety of dishes that I want to learn to cook and practice on those dishes. I've made a little spreadsheet of the ingredients for our favorite meals to make grocery shopping easier.

We've had some extra family staying with us lately so it's been great to be able to prepare meals for everyone and then all sit down together to eat. I know they enjoy it and I feel good at having shown love through food. Such a nice thing. I've even been cooking lunches on the weekends, something I never usually did.

So far, the dishes that have been successful are:

Greek Pizza

Thai Steak Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw (I eliminated the tortilla for mine, but the rest of the family ate the theirs)

Shrimp Pasta with Pesto & Tomatoes

Add caption

Grilled Fish Tacos

via

Crab Cakes (Americas Test Kitchen recipe)

How did you learn to cook? I think most people are taught as children from their parents, which is what I want to do with my son. He already loves cooking so I'm hoping that my cooking journey will rub off on him and he will acquire a love and skill for preparing food.

I'd also be interested in your go-to recipes. I'm planning to cook about 3-4 meals a week, and grocery shop on Saturday mornings. Is that what you do? I like to have a fridge full of food for the weekend so I don't get that blank look from my hubby when he opens the fridge door:)

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*If you are a regular reader of this blog, you might have noticed that I haven't posted in a while. We have a family member who needs prayer for healing, so if you are the praying kind, I would really appreciate it.

Organized TOYS

2012-01-02T21:58:00.000-06:00

Hi all! I'm am raring to go for the new year! As much as I love the coziness and sentiment of the holidays, come January, I am ready for a fresh, clean start for the new year. I spent Sunday and Monday getting all the Christmas decor packed up and put away and the house looks so simple and clean again:)

Although we only bought James a few gifts for Christmas, our family brought lots of presents and with all the toys he's accumulated since birth, I knew that now was a good time to start getting his toys organized.

I started by gathering up all of the toys from the living room and putting everything in his room so I could put like toys and small parts together. His big race car, tricycle, dump truck and wagon went into the garage.

I kept some toys in the living room, but I am happy that it doesn't look like a toy box anymore (see below, the toy box version of the living room:)

Look at all those stuffed animals!

I found a $50 organizing shelf with bins at Target along with a few big canvas bins and got to work organizing and throwing out the broken toys and books. Are all kids this hard on books??

Little toys fit into these buckets and James has easy access to them.

The bigger toys fit nicely in these colorful bins.

To my surprise, the stuffed animals fit into two bins.

Now here's to trying to keep everything organized and clean! We are starting the "put your toys away" routine before bath and bedtime now:)

You can look on my "Organization" tab for more helpful organizing tips for toys and more!

Home Bloggers & Happy New Year!

2011-12-30T20:59:00.000-06:00

When I started this blog, I didn't know a thing about a "niche" or even that my blog would someday fall into some type of category. I started writing simply because I was going through lots of changes in my life like being newly married, pregnant, and building a home. To top it off, I suddenly decided that I wanted to stay at home when my baby arrived and quite unexpectedly left my job.

I needed a place to connect with other women and was delighted to find this world of blogs and bloggers who were interested in the same kinds of things as me. Welcome to the world of home bloggers.

Modern Jane

Small Shop Studio

Casa Greer

It wasn't really until I went to Blissdom that I even realized how many different types of blogs there were. Basically, if there's a hobby or business or sport, there are people who blog about it. At Blissdom, the "home bloggers" were definitely in the minority.

Rambling Renovators

The Fabulous Design File

I have come to have a special place in my heart for the "home blogger." A home blogger graciously and courageously opens her home (which is synonymous with her heart) and shares it with the world. We share our not only our decor failures, successes, and dilemmas, but also can't help but letting pieces of our relationships leak out into our blog too.

Schue Love

Ten June

And we get to know each other.

Sixty-Fifth Avenue

I feel like there is a special intimacy and closeness in the relationships we've formed with the home blogger through our readership and comments because of the intimacy of looking into each other's homes. It's as if we are being invited in for a cup of coffee and a chat. I know that when life gets busy and I haven't had a chance to "stop by" I miss it. Like I miss seeing a friend in real life.

A Thoughtful Place

Michaela Noelle Designs

Our homes are decorated with love, and although we may not be trained interior designers, we rock some pretty great personal design. We bounce ideas off of each other and take comments to heart.

To all you home bloggers and home creators and home lovers,

Our Christmas 2011

2011-12-28T21:40:00.000-06:00

Our Christmas this year was so fun with James, who is now 21 months old. Christmas Eve we always spend with my sister-in-law and her family, eating, playing with kids, and decorating cookies for Santa. These small cousins in their Christmas pj's melt me:)

James loves to sit on this couch in his cousins' play room. He's got his best Gabba Gabba friends with him.

We began Christmas morning with our traditional sour cream coffee cake.

We didn't overwhelm James with gifts, but he definitely understood the concept of opening presents this year.

We had a low-key Christmas dinner at our house, complete with crab cakes, beef tenderloin, sautéed mushrooms, and roasted carrots, onions and potatoes. Dessert was fudge, brownies, and assorted cookies.

I hope you enjoyed your holiday too. Are you looking forward to the new year??

Channing & Co. Giveaway WINNER

2011-12-27T20:34:00.000-06:00

Hi all! Hope your holidays were wonderful! I wanted to pop in and announce the winner of the Channing & Co. giveaway.

Thank you to everyone who entered!

Christmas Tree Lovin'

2011-12-22T06:00:00.001-06:00

I have so enjoyed seeing all the Christmas trees that everyone linked up to our Christmas Cheer Blogosphere link party last week. Trimming the tree really brings out the creativity and love of the Christmas season. For many of us, putting up the Christmas tree and decorating it with ornaments we've collected over the years signifies love and puts us in the holiday mood. I especially loved seeing y'all going to the tree lot to choose your tree and then the photos of the little babes hanging ornaments. So special and sweet.

I had so many favorites that I had to narrow it down to 20. You can go HERE to see all the links, nearly 200! Thank you again for linking up! Enjoy:)

11 Magnolia Lane I adore the outdoor tree and the view of the lake.

Peas and Crayons. Her ornaments and photos were so bright and clear!

The Yellow Cape Cod. Such a pretty color combination for her young daughter's tree.

The Yellow Cape Cod. The red is so festive.

Modern Maizy. This flocked tree is the perfect compliment to the chic living room.

Songbird. Rustic chic at its best.

Modern Jane. Her full aqua and silver tree is simply stunning.

Diapers and Divas. My heart melted at daddy lifting up son to put the topper on the tree. Daddy- don't fall off that chair! :)

Forever 88. Oliver stole the show:)

House Pretty. This contemporary tree on branches is just awesome. (not to mention the gallery wall)!

Decorgreat. Love, love, love.

The Lovely Cupboard. I adore the purples in the tree and the lovely wrapped presents.

Note Songs. This bright tree with the bold ribbon really caught my eye.

Swanky Chic Fete. Lilli's lime tree is beautiful all lit up.

Worley House. I thought Andrea's photograph of the ornaments on her tree and the lighting was beautiful. And I liked seeing her reflection in the ornament.

Redhead in Ruffled Flats. How cool is this photo?! Her ornaments were really cool too.

Plum Patchwork. Holy cow!! That's a 12-foot tree they trimmed to fit under the 9-foot roof!

Markham Street Design. So pretty and I love the skirt and the natural wrapped presents.

The Family Room Design Studio. The vibrant aqua and limes in this tree are awesome.

Mommas Me Time. Stole. My. Heart.

Look- in that first picture, little Ethan has his saw ready to help dada cut down the tree!

Thank you again for sharing your holiday memories, via your trees, with us!

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There is still time to enter to win $100 to Channing & Co. (handcrafted jewelry). Enter HERE!

Amanda Carol Interiors

2011-12-21T06:00:00.009-06:00

Several months ago I met a local blogger, Amanda, when I hosted a blogger get together in our city. Amanda attended the luncheon and we've kept in touch since and gotten to know each other better. Her blog is a daily read for me and I just love her work and photographs. She is so down-to-earth and a complete sweetheart.

Here we are last summer with Kristen (Fit 2 Feel Better)

After growing up with a love for interior design, Amanda is finally realizing her dream and has become an interior designer working with local and online clients. I want to help spread the word about her incredible talent. If you are looking for a designer to work with, I really encourage you to check out her blog and portfolio and get in touch with her!

Her home tour alone will inspire you. Or have you seen her Christmas decor? Simply stunning!

I wanted to share a few of Amanda's design boards with you. Which one do you like best?

A sophisticated sitting room that is both masculine and feminine.

A rustic-chic master bedroom.

A Restoration Hardware inspired dining room:

Bachelors Apartment in the City:

Our Impromptu Christmas Party

2011-12-20T06:00:00.001-06:00

One of our married couples was babysitting their almost 2-year old nephew this weekend, so we invited them over to play with James (their birthdays are about a month apart). That led us to invite another couple and their two kids (1 1/2 and a newborn) over, and another couple, and some girlfriends. Thus, an impromptu Christmas party was born.

To keep it simple, we just snacked on a few cheeses, meats, crackers, veggies, and nuts. My girlfriend brought the leftovers from her recent Christmas party (meatballs, pasta, and sausage/peppers/mushrooms). We just heated it up in the oven and it was delicious. Then I made my chocolate covered toffee. The girls drank mimosas and the boys drank beer.

The kids had fun playing together and it might have been even more fun for the old friends, who've known each other since their single days, to now be watching each other's kids play together. Have y'all experienced that yet?! It's a full circle moment and fun to be with people who knew you when.

I managed to snap a few pics before too many people arrived, but didn't get that many- you know how it is when you get busy refilling drinks, making sippy cup drinks, finding snacks for kiddos, busting out the baby swing for the new newborn, and just enjoying yourself.

3 cheeses (parmesan, brie, drunken goat), prosciutto, salami, and crackers. Hummus and pita chips too for our vegetarian friends. The flags were made with toothpicks and Japanese tape.

You cannot go wrong with a caprese salad or skewer (mozzarella, basil, and tomato) and a drizzle of olive oil.

Red and white grocery store flowers make a pretty bouquet with a gold bow.

Your friend loving on her friend's new baby.

Hubbies eating and drinking. Juice boxes on standby:)

Kids playing.

Here's to celebrating the season with family and friends:)

$100 GIVEAWAY {Channing & Co. Handcrafted Jewelry}

2011-12-19T06:00:00.003-06:00

Last summer while attending my girlfriend's son's 1st birthday party, I met one of the guests, Channing, a mother to an adorable 3-year old, who designs jewelry for her online boutique. I was admiring her pieces and we talked about meeting up so that I could buy one of her bracelets (the one below- love), but life got busy and we didn't get to meet up like I intended to.

Fast forward to last week, when I ran into Channing again at that same friend's Christmas party. I love it when you feel an instant "click" with someone and we chatted easily for a long time. We actually live near each other and plan to get our boys together soon. I told her about my blog and she offered to do a $100 giveaway from her esty shop, Channing & Co!

Here we are at the Christmas party- Channing is the cutie on the far left and I'm standing next to her. (iPhone pic:)

Channing & Co. is giving away a $100 Gift Certificate!

And enter code NEW10 for a 10% discount, good until December 27, 2011.

To Enter (leave a separate comment for each):

Visit Channing & Co. and leave a comment with your favorite product.
Follow/Like Channing & Co. on Facebook
Tweet about this giveaway
Facebook about this giveaway
Blog about this giveaway

The winner will be announced Tuesday, December 27, 2011.

Thank you for entering!

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Thank you to Amanda at Serenity Now for featuring my Holiday Card Display on her blog today. Check it out here!

Our Christmas Decor {2011}

2011-12-15T06:00:00.004-06:00

This year, our holiday decor is full of metallic colors and lots of greenery. I left a lot of decor in the bins I organized last year, but may create a few more little vignettes here and there over the weekend. My attention has been on gift buying this week (almost done!) and now cooking and baking, but I'm really enjoying the holiday decor in our home.

But I couldn't resist adding a few touches of red into the mix. These branches and berries sit on our kitchen counter.

A new throw pillow from Hobby Lobby.

And my favorite new addition- this adorable deer from Pier 1. I'm gonna have a hard time putting him away- he's so cute.

And this officially wraps up our Christmas Cheer Holiday Link Party!! Visit Michaela Noelle Designs blog to link up YOUR holiday decor. Thank you to everyone who linked up- I'm still looking at all the Christmas trees you linked to my blog:)

Guest Bath Update

2011-12-14T06:00:00.001-06:00

Our guest/half bath downstairs has been sadly lacking any decor and despite the pretty marble countertop and copper sink, looked really blah. I recently received my metallic gold "LOVE" print by Made By Girl and thought, "why not add it to this room?" I had originally intended the print for my closet or office or our entryway- and it may move in the future- but for now, the bathroom it is! :)

And since it's Christmastime, I added a mimi Christmas tree with gold-flecked branches (Hobby Lobby) and a vase full of ornaments.

In the future, I'd really like to wallpaper this room in a bold, graphic print, but that's for another day!

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p.s. Our Christmas Cheer Holiday Blogosphere Party wraps up tomorrow with Michaela (Michaela Noelle Designs) featuring Christmas Home Decor. Looking forward to getting a peek into your holiday home!

Holiday Link Party {Recipe- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies}

2011-12-13T06:00:00.003-06:00

I think this year the holidays have been all about the baking and eating! I can't seem to stop with the sweet treats lately. I love to indulge in all things chocolate and especially hot cocoa this time of year. I've got a great recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies to share with you today.

And be sure to link up YOUR recipe at Natasha's Blog (Schue Love) as we continue our Christmas Cheer Holiday Blogosphere Link Party. Thank you so much to everyone who has linked up so far:)

This recipe originates with cutie pie chef Curtis Stone from his Relaxed Cooking Cookbook.

Ingredients

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup natural chunky peanut butter (about 9 ounces / 280 grams) (I used creamy PB and peanuts)
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated / caster sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick / 125 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ½ tablespoons honey
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 ounces / 155 grams semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C.
Line 3 heavy large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
Using an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, honey, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended.
Stir the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture in 2 additions.
Stir in the chopped chocolate
Scoop about 3 tablespoonfuls of dough for each cookie onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.
Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the cookies puff and begin to brown on top but are still very soft to the touch.
Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
Using a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a rack and eat warm or cool completely.

Of course, I have to start with my trusty and oh-so-cute helper.

Gather all the ingredients.

Combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt) and the chocolate chips and nuts.

Add the peanut butter.

Mix.

Add the chocolate chips and nuts.

Prepare into balls

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Head over to Natasha's to link up your recipe and to check out the other links!

In case you've missed any of the parties so far, here they are!

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http://www.schuelove.com/2011/12/christmas-cheer-link-party-christmas.htmlhttp://www.schuelove.com/2011/12/christmas-cheer-link-party-christmas.html

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Also linking up to Centsational Girl Cookiepalooza!

M.A. Hadley American Pottery Giveaway WINNER

2011-12-11T08:32:00.000-06:00

Hi there! I hope y'all are enjoying your weekend! I wanted to announce the winner of the M.A. Hadley American Pottery Giveaway:)

The winner is

Congratulations! Thank you to everyone who entered!

Christmas Cheer Link Party {The Christmas Tree}

2011-12-08T07:59:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone! Welcome to the Christmas Tree edition of our Christmas Cheer Holiday Link Party!

We are getting closer to Christmas! Do you have your tree up and decorated yet? In our house, the tree goes up the day after Thanksgiving and comes down around the start of the new year. I so enjoy having the tree lit at night and really look forward to having it around each year.

Our tree is lit with white lights, filled with lots of gold, silver, and amber balls, as well as a few special sparkly ornaments.

The owl ornament is a nod to my grandma, who loves owls. Ours was found at Pier 1.

Some of the lights are still (remember last year) out on our faux tree:) Do you spy me and the tripod in the glass ornament?!

The "Our First Christmas" ornament is to the left.

And a little bit of bokah:)

I can't wait to see YOUR Christmas trees!! Link up below! I will be featuring some of your trees next week:)

<a href="http://honeywerehome.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-cheer-link-party-christmas.html<b><a href="http://michaelanoelledesigns.blogspot.com/">/</a></b>" target="_blank"><img src="<a href="http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee462/creativeindex/michaela-noelle/holiday200x200.jpg">http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee462/creativeindex/michaela-noelle/holiday200x200.jpg</a>" border="0" alt="Holiday"></a>

Merry Christmas from Our Family to Yours!

2011-12-07T06:00:00.001-06:00

I finally ordered our family Christmas cards. Yeah, it's a little late- should be here by the 14th, which means my friends and family might get them by Christmas if I get them addressed and in the mail in time:)

I couldn't decide if I was going to splurge on the Tiny Prints photo cards, do a less expensive Walgreens version, or buy regular cards and possibly put a photo inside?? Decisions, decisions. Then I recalled the cute family photo we took earlier this year and I knew it had to be the one for our cards. I went with the Tiny Prints card below.

I added the (1) after James' name after receiving some cards where the sender did that- I thought it was a good idea so you could reference how old the children are in the photo. Looking back, it might be hard to remember.

My other favorites are below. Isn't it cool how you can customize the card and preview it to see which one is your favorite?

I really liked the "Spread Holiday Cheer" but James' foot got cut off and I didn't want to have to keep resizing.

And below, his head and feet were cut off. I'm sure I could've fixed it, but I really like the one we ended up choosing- so festive. You really can't go wrong, can you?!

Are you doing cards this year? I almost didn't!