spring cleaning

yes, i fully understand that it is, indeed, still winter. however, because every day this week i’ve received a call from rita, our public information officer at 5:00 AM to inform that, “schools are canceled due to inclement weather” or “schools are operating on a three-hour delay,” i’m accepting the fact that my spring break is now nonexistent.

a rarity in north carolina:

but….it made us so happy….reminding us of home…

therefore, i decided i needed to take advantage of my premature-february-spring break and do a little cleaning/organizing/shuffling.

because i was stuck in the house for most of the week, the majority of the organization consisted of reshuffling resources that are already existent in the house. for example, remember our laundry room closet back in july 2009?

it was becoming a dumping ground for all things junk. and the shelving unit was just not practical, as we couldn’t access the entire use of the shelf. so i ejected the white shelf and replaced it with the “oldies but goodies” plastic shelves (circa 2001 when i was shipped off to wvu). they hold a plethora of easily accessible dryer sheets, handy dandy tools, out of season candles, and stain remover.

where to make use of the white shelving unit? but the garage, of course! it now houses beach gear, school bags that i tend to switch out with seasons, potting baskets patiently awaiting new plants this spring, and a big bag of winter quilts and blankets.

question: how do you store your sweaters? isn’t this quite the conundrum? i used to store them in these lined baskets underneath my bed:

instead, i have given each sweater its own home in this shoe-organizer-turned-sweater-house:

hopefully this will help prevent pesky picks that inevitably seem to appear.

we love our kitchen. we do. however, we do not have a pantry, which requires some creative thinking and effective usage of space to store pantry’ed items. until i found this 5.00 space-saver at lowe’s. it’s a wire crate that slides easily onto a shelf, allowing extra goods to be stored within it. yay.

doesn’t it feel good to, at the very least, rearrange and organize your closets & cupboards? it wasn’t much of an effort, but it curbed my cabin fever for a few days!

spice up your life

maybe it’s posh’s recent guest judge appearance on american idol that has me wanting to spice up my life.
it’s time to channel your inner baby, scary, posh, ginger, and sporty; and mix with basil, garlic, oregano, parsley, and pepper.

feel free to sing along as you attempt this spicy recipe (don’t deny you’ve forgotten the lyrics – it’s only been a mere 14 years).

turkey meatball parmesan
1. lock up your measuring cups and spoons. you’ll need your hand and a good eye (only one).
2. if you’ve attempted to use lean turkey breast in place of beef recipes (i.e. meatballs), i know you have discovered one ugly truth: cotton mouth syndrome. yep, as healthy as free-range organic turkey can be, it is drier than a georgia summer.
3. don’t give up! its time to infuse the cotton turkey with enough flavor and juice to convince any die-hard beef-a-tarian to make the switch.

whatcha need:
1 lb. ground turkey breast
1 egg
freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 onion, chopped in itty bitty pieces
1/2 green pepper, chopped in itty bitty pieces
1/2 tomato, chopped in itty bitty pieces
4 cloves garlic
breadcrumbs
2 spoonfuls of italian dressing
oregano
basil
red pepper flakes
parsley
red wine (merlot is always a good choice)
1 jar tomato sauce
mozzarella cheese
a hearty appetite

1. dump jar of spaghetti sauce in pot (we tried out trader joe’s organic). trick of trade for spicing things up (added bonus: clean remaining sauce out of jar in one fail swoop) – add a splash (or splashes) of wine in jar, shake vigorously, and pour into pot.

2. generously spice your sauce with basil, parsley, and plenty of red pepper flakes. allow to simmer for 30 minutes.

3. chop the onion, tomato, and pepper into the smallest pieces possible (to hide any trace of vegetables for those who claim severe allergies to anything green) and saute’ in 1 T olive oil in a pan that can go from stovetop to oven. once soft, add garlic and cook for 1 minute.

4. dump turkey breast, egg, parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, italian dressing, and basil in a mixing bowl. the art of the meatball is going to be using your own creative genius for adding the aforementioned ingredients at quantities that appeal to your own taste. mix with your hands. yes.

5. add sauteed veggies and mix.

6. shape into monstrous meatballs and place back into the pan to sear the tops/bottoms.

7. pour sauce over the meatballs and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until meat cooked through.

8. add parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese to the top and place back in the oven for 5 minutes until cheese melts over the top.

9. serve over pasta and enjoy!

in the spirit of super bowl sunday, feel free to share your favorite meatball (or meat-less ball) recipe and include secret ingredients, tricks of the trade, etc!

glam-o-queen

she loves all that glitters and gold.
she’s a sucker for glamor, sophistication, and bold patterns – after all, if you’ve got it, flaunt it

at any point in time, she is bedazzled, sparkled, and mod.
example 1: rockin’ these larger-than-life glasses from here in the middle of winter:

you know where i’m going with this. lauren wanted a moodboard all her own to reflect her own personal style. she already has a beautiful duvet from crate and barrel and shimmery curtains from ikea pictured here:

i wanted to give her an office space that could be tucked in a corner of small city-living space, so i put together these elements for a modern, streamlined, yet functional work area:

and for her room, i expanded on the already-existent purple, gray, and white color scheme with a similar palette, with punches of lime for visual contrast. notice the beveled mirror vanity and jewelry armoire. if that doesn’t scream hollywood, i don’t know what does. can’t you see our little glamor queen cozying up with a good book painting her finger nails in this room?

want the shopping list? Lauren’s Bedroom

moodrooms

i was faced with a design challenge last night.
thank goodness because being snowed in was starting to wreak havoc on my productivity.
i can only take rearranging closets and cupboards for so long.

my mother presented the design challenge of completely revamping their family room. my right brain started to activate (i wonder at times if it continues to function since it seems that my left brain career causes severe right brain atrophy).

comfy. warm. botanicals. natural. traditional.

i came up with four moodboards so she could visualize how the colors would work in the family room space.

Option 1: Botanical Beauty
This room combines a sectional (at Dad’s request) in a deep espresso, accented with a botanical area rug with rust, honey, and sage. The wooden candleholders and coffee table allow a natural, traditional vibe to the room. Most importantly, the green vases give the room a pop of color and light.

Option 2: Color Queen
At first glance, this option offers a color combination of cardinal red and slate blue, which may make some cringe; however, I like how the two colors offer a splash of serious color against the white coffee table and curtains. The pillows are a reflection of the area rug, with the same colors sewn throughout. This option allows my mom’s blue Fiesta dishes to flow seamlessly with the color scheme.

Option 3: Honey, I’m Home
Don’t you love the injection of honey in this room? This is probably the most “warm” of all the options and the light sofa allows the deep rust and honey accent colors to pop. The juxtaposition of silky pillows and curtains compliments earthy woven baskets in this room.

Option 4: Going Green
This room screams green, from the jute rug, the bamboo vases, teak coffee table, and embroidered poppy pillow. Pairing natural elements with spicy fabric patterns gives this room an interesting, yet comfortable effect to come home to.

Go ahead and weigh in! I know you have a favorite. Would you switch out some elements for others? See something you love? I have a breakdown for each moodboard if you’re wondering where to snatch that pillow or coffee table.

I had entirely too much fun with this project (breaking news: no school for me again tomorrow); therefore, if anyone else wants their own customized moodboard, let a girl know. Have a budget? I’ll come in under. Just want someone else’s opinion for an empty space? Holla.

Serious disclaimer: I have NO formalized design experience. I have the ability to cut and paste pictures together and turn them into a jpg file. However, I do like to match interior design to people’s personalities (which relates to psychology in some distant way). Which leads me to my next project on deck: putting together a moodboard for my glam-sister’s bedroom.

It’s fun. It’s a great right-brain exercise.

quiz bowl

remember the days of leafing through seventeen magazine, scanning the pages for the ever-coveted quizzes, which were sure to solve all of your problems with whether to date the quarterback or the guitarist, whether to wear blue or red to bring out the color of your eyes, and what style of your shoes said about your inner soul (i think i remember stilettos were perfectly correlated with a diva; and birkenstocks stated a union with nature). ah, revelations.

now it’s time for a more grown-up quiz, one that examines your decorating style. one, from ethan allen, firmly said that my decorating style is:

estate

“Estate is an eternal American summer. Sporty. Charming. Breezy yet cultivated. A union of antique inspiration and geometric clarity. Civilization in peaceful coexistence with robust outdoor life. In the main house or the guest cottage, effortless elegance.”

it gave me the following images:
(pink roses? ew ew ew). wrong answer, quiz gods.

anton’s decorating style?
he’s going global

“All about the international mix. An adventurous blend of British, African, Asian, and tropical touches. Juxtapose, and see the drama unfold. Brought to life with varied textures, hand-crafted accessories, fascinating woods, and natural fibers. For the eternally curious”

for those of you who know me, you know i don’t need an internet quiz to describe my ultimate inner style….

what about you?

can’t get enough?

big bertha banks

i have a confession. i’m in the middle of a love affair (it’s okay, anton is fully aware).

my oh-so-gracious mother and father are cognizant of my mini-obsession with all things culinary; therefore, they knew that visions of kitchenaid mixer sugar plums had been dancing in my head for years.

bertha banks came into my life on christmas day:

isn’t she beautiful? she deserves all the credit for my new bread-making resolution (kneading is no problem with a mixer engine with the power of pulling 3 small children, a dog, and a frog up a hill).

these mixers have been around since 1919 (when the price was 187.50, which is equal to 1900 bucks present-day), but became widely popular in homes after julia child featured the cobalt blue kitchenaid in her own kitchen (which is now in the smithsonian museum).

(see it in the back left corner?)

and in a time when practically everything you buy has a sticker that says “made in china” or “made in india,” these mixers are made by hand in a factory in greenville, ohio. impressive.

the first true test of bertha’s ability was making key lime meringue pie. only because my family had a frightening experience with key lime pie and its radioactive green coloring a week prior. i had to find out if key limes were capable of glowing in the dark, as this pie did. don’t be scared. we all had a bite and have had no serious side effects:

i thought i’d give it a try, using a southern living recipe from this book (which i recommend for everyone’s kitchen):

key lime pie
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup key lime juice
1/2 t. vanilla
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
pinch of salt

crust:
1 packet graham crackers, crushed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup sugar
6 T butter, melted
combine all ingredients and press into a 9 inch pie plate. bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes:

whisk egg yolks until blended:

whisk in key lime juice (it took the ENTIRE bag of key limes to make 1/2 cup of juice)

add condensed milk, vanilla, salt and whisk until blended. pour filing into crust.

meringue:
beat 3 egg whites and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar at high speed until foamy:
(it’s weird how this….

turns into this!

add 2 T sugar, 1 T at a time, beating until soft peak forms and sugar dissolves (2-4 minutes). spread meringue over filling. bake at 235 for 25-28 minutes. chill 8 hours, if desired. we could only find the willpower to wait 36 minutes…..

p.s. believe it or not, key lime pie (without any kind of chemical alteration) is yellow, which makes me wonder all the more what the heck we ate above…..

this little piggy went to market

it was a normal monday evening.
anton says, “do you want to watch a netflix movie?”
erin replies, “sure….i chose the last one, so surprise me.”
it was an innocent conversation; little did we know that the movie documentary we would watch one week ago today would forever change the meaning of food.

we watched this:

which was based off of this book:

HUGE disclaimer – as much as anton and i attempt at eating healthy, nutritious foods, we had previously turned away from the “organic” bandwagon perhaps number one for the additional expense, and number two because it seemed like it was the yuppie thing to do with whole foods and earth fares popping up in suburban neighborhoods all over the country.

the movie doesn’t blast just one industry, but delves deep into issues involving farming, politics, meat, poultry, diseases, and big-business corruption. sure, it’s one-sided, which is why researching the issues afterwards and making your own conclusions is the best part of being a consumer.

i have to be honest. throughout the film, i kept wondering, “what is anton thinking? is this changing the meat-lover-pizza man’s mind?” and it DID. so much so that we both decided to modify our grocery-shopping and food/drink consumption to be as pure, organic, and humane (and gmo-free) as we can afford.

are we going to be freaks about it? no. we have our industrialized vices that will need years of weaning to rid ourselves of things like dairy queen blizzards, doritos, hot tamales, and skittles.

are we going to be vegetarian? no. although no piece of red meat has ever entered my kitchen (and it shall stay that way), the number one change in the meat department is buying organic, cage-free, vegetarian-fed chicken. we already eat lots of fish; however, we are making sure to read the package for “wild-caught” versus “farm-raised.”

i totally understand if you’re reading this thinking, “yadda, yadda, organic shmorganic. carbon footprint, gmo’s, green-living is all a bunch of neo-hippie issues.” and that’s cool. if you’re not thinking that, i encourage you to explore this website, which has much information and external links to learn more and more and more.

one week after watching the documentary:
1. i made anton’s birthday cake completely organic (who knew they made organic powdered sugar?????)

2. we switched from eggland’s best eggs to trader joes cage-free, vegetarian-fed eggs. granted, we’re paying a dollar more per dozen; however, anton and i both have noticed a difference in color in the yolks (weird) and the cage-free eggs are fluffier for our daily breakfast sandwiches.

3. after doing the weekly grocery shopping today, i realized that reading labels is an extremely intimidating and eye-opening feat. it makes one wonder about the effects of chemicals, preservatives, and highly manufactured foods on one’s body. today i made a conscious effort to buy foods with less than 7 ingredients. try it sometime – it will drastically cut down your options!

4 i’ve made my own whole-wheat bread. the only problem is that it’s so delicious when it comes out of the oven that it may cause serious weight gain from bread inhalation.

have any of you joined the organic bandwagon? organic meat and cheeses only? veggies and fruits only? think it’s all a bunch of foodie mumbo jumbo? have you seen the documentary and want to weigh in? one organic, pesticide-free, gmo-free, wild-caught penny for your thoughts…..

feliz cumpleanos

twenty years ago:

happy 29th, my love!

sur’round here

when we bought our house a few months ago, we were pleasantly surprised and slightly intimidated by pre-wired surround sound in our living room.

naturally, the sheer thought of wires spiraling throughout the wall with no speaker output was driving anton mad. isn’t that every man’s worst nightmare?

anton received two in-wall speakers from santa clause this christmas and here’s the how-to for installing these bad boys:

1. unscrew the electrical junction box mounted to the wall stud:

2. pop the junction box off of the stud using a little bit of screwdriver and a lotta muscle to reveal the wires:

3. next, using a key saw, we *gulp* cut into our wall. we traced a square onto the wall with a pencil, and sawed a square so the speaker would snugly fit inside:

4. take the faceplate off of the speaker (you may paint it the color of your wall for continuity), hook up the wires, and set it inside, fastening it with the mounting screws included in the box:

5. now you see it:

6. now you don’t:

it’s the perfect location for some tube-watching in the living room as well as piping music into the kitchen, which gives a whole new meaning to dinner music

the year of barbie

the year was 1959.
the year barbie debuted:

as well as this lovely lady:

to celebrate her mid-century birthday, lauren, anton, and i conspired for months to plan a post-christmas beach trip as well as a surprise party on christmas day.

she was super-surprised by the party (and the creative gifts that were given, including a gift card to this senior hot spot).

to continue the party, we took off to marc and diane’s condo in atlantic beach.

my dream:

view from the porch:

the best part of the trip should have been the celebration of mom’s birthday; however, lauren found a frog at the aquarium (a santa frog, nonetheless), which may or may not have turned into a prince…….

a huge shoutout goes to this restaurant, which is our all-time favorite place to eat….if you ever find yourself on the crystal coast, a stop here is a must!

Wanna try your luck at Erin & Anton’s power point version of Name that Tune that highlights songs from the 1950s to 2009, in honor of Rene’s birthday? We triple dog dare you……