Walnut Banana Bread Adventure!

Starbucks' recipe! They just....gave it away...on a recipe card. What's wrong with these people?



Mashin' bananaz.

Addin' walnutz!

...more walnuts on top!

Fresh outta the oven!

With butter... juuuust before going in my belly with a glass o' milk.

This was super easy and so good for breakfast!

Tiny Shop Update!

After a month of 0 shop updates...BAM! I've added a pair of earrings and a ring! I recently acquired these pretty little peach colored roses and had to make some jewelry. They're perfect for spring! I love this color.

{ring}

{earrings}

ROOOAADD TRIPPPP!

I'm 90% sure we're going to Omaha in two weeks and since plane tickets are 400$ a pop (DUMBBB!) we're gonna fill the tires with air, get the oil changed and hit the great American road...(but we can only stop for bathroom breaks....we're on a time crunch!)

KIND OF EXCITED.

Cooler will be packed full of Red Bull and Starbucks espresso shots. It will definitely be a challenge, but we can do it!!

Paper Hearts and Treasure Hunts!

20 paper hearts cut from this super cute scrapbook paper found @ Hobby Lobby for like.. 30 cents for Ryan's Valentine's day TREASURE HUNT!!! He'll be all over the apartment building...in the lobby, in the parking garage, etc.  I wrote 20 little riddles he's got to figure out in order to find his next clue. There will be little treats hidden here and there and a surprise at the end! YAYYYY!! I probably had more fun planning it than I think he'll have actually doing the treasure hunt

.

In other treasure hunting news, we found a new happy hour place yesterday-  The Community Bar in Midtown.

OHHHHH WOW the food... this was no "bar food".. it was absolutely amazing food. We split 2 appetizers, Bangkok ravioli (dumplings) made of chicken and mushrooms in a green curry cilantro sauce and the goat cheese and pork egg rolls. I mean... I love goat cheese... you could put it on a dog biscuit and I'd call it a delicacy...but they were out of this world. Check out a review and photos here. Apparently Chef Bob does alot off the menu too. You can ask him to whip up a snack for you...whatever he's feeling..and he'll make you something unique and fantastic. The couple next to us were eating ribs which I didn't see on the menu. I was being nosy... telling them they smelled amazing... and the guy actually put a rib with BBQ sauce on a plate and gave it to us. HE GAVE US A RIB. LIKE ADAM GAVE TO EVE. How nice is that??  FOOD SHARING.

The drinks were great, too! We had a Moscow mule which is vodka and ginger beer (something Ryan and I drink often at home with Goya ginger beer, the spiciest we're found aside from Beaver's homemade) and a Moteato, tea vodka with mint, lemonade and soda water.

We'll definitely be back! If you're in the area, it's highly recommended.

I was a teenage mutant ninja turtle in another life.

I won't try to hide it. I love pizza. Pizza is my kryptonite, but because it's not amazing for you, I love looking for healthier options, where you can obliterate 2 big slices and not want to curl up in the fetal position afterwards, swearing you'll never eat again. One of my favorite meals to cook is homemade pizza because it's not just dinner, but it's a fun activity! Pour a glass of wine and get to choppin.  I like to peruse the produce aisles looking for anything that can be diced and sprinkled over a thin crust. Fresh Roma tomatoes, onion, green bell peppers, artichoke hearts, black olives, big plump mushrooms... oooo even though its 7:44 am... I'm craving. We always end up with this massive, 4.5" high concoction, piled with fresh veggies. It really is a sight to behold. More mushrooms? Yeah throw em on there...Oh, we missed a spot...needs more tomato. Done. Sometimes we'll even bypass the sodium packed tomato sauce and brush olive oil over the crust...maybe a little pesto.

So last night we tried something new! Instead of a mountain of veggies, we chose 3 little ingredients to layer on top of some fresh naan bread and made naan pizza caprese! It was divine. We spread olive oil and freshly grated garlic on slices of tandoori naan and topped with organic basil leaves, diced Roma tomatoes and low fat mozzarella. (probably threw a few goat cheese crumbles on there because I have an addiction). Boy did it smell good in the oven! It even tasted better, the naan was so crispy! Will definitely make again. So much flavor!

Do you ever make pizza at home? What kind of crust do you use and what are your favorite toppings?

[ images google, weheartit, and my own ]

Wo/Man vs. Her/Himself: Weight loss, Donuts and the Struggle

FACT: From Thanksgiving to Christmas, I gained 10 lbs. It didn't sneak up on me...but it wasn't what I'd call a completely conscious decision. I just didn't deny myself the tasty treats that come along with the holidays (and in an office environment, tasty treats are never few and far between this time of year). So many pretty, homemade delights...how can you say no to a wonderful lady who spent all day in the kitchen baking something delicious for you just to see your smile as you say "WOW... that is AMAZING... you MADE this" ? It would be plum rude. Who wants to be rude?

But now that the holidays are over and all the treats wrapped in red and green have been consumed, it's time to go back to eating like a human, not a garbage disposal. I'm eating salad, baked chicken and rice, fresh seafood, low sodium soups, opting for cottage cheese, honey and fruit instead of my soy milk & cookie before bed, laying off the beer...and even hitting the little gym we have in our building. 11 days have gone by and I'm happy to report that I've lost almost 5 lbs. (small victories!) It's not much but come on... it's half of what I gained!  For the most part, I behave at work. I bring my own lunch so I'm not tempted to go out and buy something terrible, I'll pass over the cookies, brownie bites & kolaches that vendor's bring...(If you buy my fittings & flanges, I'll bring you breakfast tacos! Come on! Give me your business!)

But every now and then, I think it may not be the worst thing in the world to fall of the wagon for a second, just make sure you enjoy the hell out of it and exercise a little restraint/ self control, i.e. no seconds).  If you limit yourself to raw asparagus spears and lemon water, you'll stop before you even start. You'll think "I hate this diet, I can never have anything that tastes good, this is bullsh!t, I quit". If I don't allow myself some small indulgence during my quest to drop the holiday 10, I'll just be another bitchy dieter. The rigid discipline can have a negative effect on you and your diet psychologically.

 Sure running for 2.5 miles and then eating a donut might be counterproductive... but it's definitely better than NOT running and eating the donut anyway, right? Am I justifying my donut consumption today? Maybe. Am I taking a step back? Possibly.Duh, they're bad for you...I don't eat them often (I seriously haven't had one in... oh... 6 months...) So at that rate, 2 donuts a year ain't bad. 

Yes, this donut was 217 verrryyy empty calories (it was a glazed Shipley, I looked it up) and truth be told, if I hadn't left my lunch in the car this morning (only to remember it as Ryan drove off...) I may have passed on the donut. But while I'm on the treadmill this evening...sweating, with the incline as high as it will go, I'll think "Damn, that was a good donut".

And I'll look forward to July 11th, when I can have another one.

** this is in no way any kind of dieting advice...just ramblings and observations about my current situation**

Room Tour: Bedroom

With each passing week we're making progress and making this house a home. We got so much done this weekend and I wanted to share. Welcome to the bedroom!

Hung painted frames and wall art. 

Ryan put our dresser together and I got a clothes rack to hang my vintage dresses (and it's a pretty good spot to let clothes hang-dry).

We sat the TV on top of a vintage olive green American Tourister

Decorated some exposed pipe with green and brown finger knitted "ropes".

...and now the part I think I love the most! Our re-purposed headboard! We found this great louvered door at a junk shop in Montrose for $25. It's the perfect size! We took it home, scrubbed it down (thing was dirrrtttyyyy) and hung it on two nails above the bed.

I love the scratches and imperfections on the door and just the overall effect it gives the room. The little slats are so perfect for tucking in cute note cards or decorative papers.

 

We're still hunting for a cool old bench for the foot of the bed, but I think we're almost done in this room!

 So fun!

Anatomy of our Christmas Tree

Happy almost Christmas y'all! Last night Ryan and I finally got around to decorating  our tree... we had a tree up before we had a TV or even silverware (priorities). But we're finally getting to the point where things are sorted and it's looking more and more like a home everyday! I thought I'd share a few shots of our modestly adorned tree:




Above we see a vintage paper Santa bought from an antique shop in the heights. I only wish I had 50 instead of just 5. I like how the paper ornament adds a different texture and dimension to the tree as opposed to glass or plastic. You can also see the "cornament" from Omaha!

  

We've got a touch of Mardi Gras already! Mom and I snagged a box of these pretty glittery fleur de lis when we were in Louisiana last weekend. It's hanging next to the Czech Kitchen Witch I bought in Prague in 2007. She's missing a foot... i know i have it somewhere....




Crocheted red and white garland!




Pretty glittery glass owl.




Sleepy fawn I bought at the Nutcracker Market this year!




Handmade German owl ornament I bought at the Nutcracker Market 2009



Close-up of the fantastic vintage paper Santa.



I love this fuzzy little owl my friend Amy gave to me last year. Before we decorated the tree we had the ornaments sitting on the counter and the Fuzz kept jumping up and dragging it all over the apartment. We'd try to hide it and she'd always find! Poor little owl...but I definitely see it's appeal to the Fuzz.



We really have a hodgepodge of items on this tree. Some weird, random things...I mean.. I may have (may have..) hung my 2007 TX state graduation tassel up there.... Srsly what else are you supposed to do with those things? We have a really pretty Nativity scene in a glass bulb,a cat wearing pink socks and a scarf, a gorgeous pelican ornament my mom gave me this year along with other wildlife, even a tranny Santa which is probably the strangest thing up there but... I really like how it came together. When you don't have much, you have to imrpovise!

All in all, it's a good little tree.

Do you guys have any weird things hanging on your tree?

Finger Knitting!

Fantastico finger knitting video right here! I learned on my lunch break today... I only wish I came across this before I crocheted 100 feet of Christmas tree garland! 

Crafty Christmas Bonanzaaaaa

Hello sweet visitors! I know Thanksgiving is in two days, but I'm still thinking a month down the road.

Christmas 2010 = D. I. freaking Y. With Ryan and I moving into a new apartment next week, our moneys will be a bit smaller this Christmas, but there will be no stressing out.  There will only be...busy!

I got a bit of a jump start this year since I anticipated the move...I had about 75% of my gift shopping done and my Christmas cards made at the beginning of November.  But there's still a fair bit to be done, like decorating the apartment after all the boxes unpacked. Decorating my home for Christmas is one of my favorite things about the holidays. I absolutely watching (or maybe directing? "More of the colorful lights! More on the bottom!") Dad string the lights and garland on the tree so we could dive into the boxes of ornaments, carefully unwrap the delicate Kleenex-packed ones are get-to-decoratin'.

This year will be the first time Ryan and I get to spend the Christmas season together. I'm determined to go  (a bit) overboard with the cheer and super determined to use mostly handmade, vintage and re-purposed items to do it

There's no limit to what you can do or make, just google Christmas DIY or look up tutorials and go nuts! Etsy has an endless supply of amazing vintage pieces and supplies, even pre-made kits, like this Winter Wonderland cupcake kit , this Holiday journal kit,  and this needle felted snowman kit  just to name a few, that can be shipped to your doorstep in days! 

If you like to shop local, hit up any antique shop. I guarantee they will have lots of vintage Christmas ornaments, figurines, cards and books. Last weekend Ryan and I snagged this 3 foot Santa

 at August Antiques  in the Heights (If you're in the Houston area, I recommend stopping by;  they have tons of Christmas items from the 50s and 60s!

I also bought a handful of these vintage Santa cut-outs to string up in the apartment.

At the moment, I'm waiting (not so patiently)  for my Jenni Bowlin chipboard buttons to come in the mail (via Etsy!) so I can make this awesome garland per Amanda's awesome tutorial found here.

So if you'd like to get your hands dirty this December, here are just a few of the hundreds of ideas and tips to help make your Christmas super DIY and unique:

Reuse broken or old ornaments to make a beautiful wreath! 

Use scrap yarn to wrap foam balls! 

I LOVE the candy cane candle in the upper left had corner!  I think the evergreen pieces on the outside of the glass adds such a classy touch to a table setting.

Great tutorial for making your own antique tin candles

This is what I'm working on now...crocheting Christmas tree garland. I chose fluffy white sparkly yarn to look like snow!

Use blank cards and scrap booking stickers or chipboard pieces to create your own unique cards! 

Chose pretty holiday fabric to make your own cheery bunting. Here is a no-sew tutorial!

Even if your gifts aren't handmade, you can add your own personal accents to the packaging! Use stamps, ribbons, buttons, or stickers to create your own gift tags. Blank tags can be found at Hobby Lobby or any craft store.

This is a great idea if you have kids and even if you don't making paper ornaments or decorative (using pretty holiday scrapbook paper) paper chains is a fun and easy way to add a handmade touch to your decor.



Happy Christmas crafting!

[photos from google images, light up Santa is mine]

DIY Christmas cards for 2010

YOU GUYS.

Hobby Lobby has ALOT of Christmas things on sale! You could TOTALLY raid the Christmas scrapbooking stuff and make your own one-of-a-kind Christmas cards! I bought a box of 10 blank stamping cards (with envelopes) at an art supply store in town the other day for less than 4$. Today on lunch I found these little 3D-ish guys with their super-cute winter outerwear and was like.. SHAZZAM.

UNIQUE HANDMADE CHRISTMAS CARDS!

Snag a little holiday stamp to embellish the scene a bit (maybe snow flakes? I also bought a little "Merry Christmas" stamp for the inside of the card...)  and you're done! Most of these scrapbooking 3D things already have sort of sticky backs but I super glued them to the card for good measure so they don't pop off in the mail.

I love that they're personal...YOU designed and created a holiday card for someone special.

It's gonna mean that much more!

Inside in red and green (stamped): 



I know it may be a bit early (I mean, I'm not mailing them yet...)...but it's one more thing you can scratch off that holiday to-do list!