Tuesday, November 30, 2010

My tiny little mantel :)

My mantel is tiny, but still needs decorating for Christmas! Plus my fireplace moves around wherever I need it, so that is a bonus :)

Wow, now that I look at this picture, the candle is really leaning...looks like its gonna try and take off! My type a personality is having issues with it! :)

The tree, plate & snowflake votive are all from Crate & Barrel...what can I say, I have an obsession! I love the colors in the plate and the votive's are bone china. The tree is just perfectly whimsy :)
The gold & silver baubles are from the dollar store...I need to go get some miniature ones to fill in the gaps, but I love the shimmer the metallics add!

The Lettered Cottage

It's beginning...

...to look a lot like Christmas!

And oh how I am loving it!! I hope I'll get some better pictures taken of my living room tonight, in all its Christmas sparkle :) But here's a little sneak peak!

Monday, November 29, 2010

I won!!

Yup, I won my very first giveaway this weekend!! I'm so excited!

I won a $30 Target gift card from Courtney at A Thoughtful Place! I can't wait to go shopping!

Check out her blog if you haven't already, its one of my favorite reads!

Friday, November 26, 2010

Things that make me smile...

In honor of yesterday...

Hope you had a very thankful Thanksgiving! We are so blessed! As for me, I won't be eating for a week!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

are the holidays confused?

Happy Thanksgiving!! I've just arrived in northern Idaho & its looking much more like Christmas than Thanksgiving!! Everything is covered in snow & it is currently 12 degrees!


I'm just hoping the turkey won't mind sharing his day with some play time in the snow!
Hope you have a wonderful time celebrating everything you are thankful for! we are so blessed!

Friday, November 19, 2010

Yes, they are delicious!

So they may not look that great...but they are SO amazing!!


Very yummy! I actually bought peanut butter cups & peppermint bark candies!! They just seemed so much more Christmasie (that a word?)...I even broke out my santa clause hot pad :)

And then there's also the fact that I've been dying for some peppermint bark!

Cookies!

I'm going to a cookie exchange tomorrow...there are 21 people coming, so we all take 42 cookies and everyone leaves with 2 of each different kind! I'm kinda concerned about bringing 42 cookies home with me! lol. I'm hoping they will be okay to fly with me on Wednesday and then I will have some help eating them :)

I am trying a new recipe this year...

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

For the cookies:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 squares (2 oz.) unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

For the garnish:
3/4 cup finely chopped peanuts
36 miniature Peanut Butter Cups, frozen and unwrapped
1 cup peanut butter baking chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine chocolate in bowl and microwave at 50% for about 2 minutes, stir and repeat until smooth and melted. Cool slightly. Combine sugar and butter or shortening in large bowl. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer until blended and crumbly. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then salt and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add chocolate slowly. Mix until well blended. Stir in flour and soda with spoon until well blended. Shape dough into 1-1/4 inch balls. Roll in chopped peanuts. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until set. Press a frozen peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie immediately upon removing them from the oven. Press cookies up against peanut butter cup if desired for appearance, but do not touch the peanut butter cup again since it is now melted, it must remain intact. Cool completely. Melt the peanut butter chips and drizzle back and forth over the cookies using a parchment pouch or plastic bag with a little snip off the corner. Repeat with the chocolate, only drizzling at another angle from the peanut drizzle.

it just sounds so yummy! I'll let you know how they turn out! Anyone doing anything fun (or holiday related) this weekend?!

Things that make me smile...

I told you I was in to kitchens :) This one is big! But I love the paneled walls & ceilings! And the pots hanging above the stove...awesome!

Like last week's, it also has the wooden traditional looking table and chairs, I like the contrast they offer to the otherwise white room.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Inspiration

I've been itching to start the Holiday craziness...and this picture is definitely inspiring me to get out all the decorations! I can't wait to have my house filled with Christmas shimmer! Now if only I had a banister like this...I love the metallics!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Things that make me smile...

For some reason I'm really into kitchens right now! This one is particularly fun, I love the larger than life lantern and all those cubbyholes, just imagine the possibilities!
The wooden, traditional style table and chairs makes this otherwise fairly modern kitchen more homey...

Friday, November 5, 2010

Things that make me smile...

I had a birthday this week. I'm not sure if that makes me smile or not ;) I am now one year away from being quarter of a century...I'm debating about a "25 before 25" list, any suggestions for what I should include? I need some help jogging my imagination! After all my brain is getting older every day!