New Bedding Ensemble

I'm planning on redecorating my bedroom thanks to Pinterest.  I shouldn't say redecorated because we've been in our new house for 5 years now and it's the one room that's never been decorated.  So, I got a little inspiration when I saw this Barbara Barry beauty on Pinterest.

I loved the Barbara Barry duvet but didn't care for the matching blue cover.  It was too shiny in person.  So I found a silk channel quilt at Pottery Barn that I liked so much better.  I later stumbled across Centsational Girl's blog and loved how she incorporated these Z. Gallerie "Kenya" pillows.

My bedding ensemble is complete but there's still so much to do...need curtains, new paint color and maybe even a new headboard.  More to come later...

Date Night!!

Hubbie and I stayed at the St. Regis Atlanta a few years ago when it first opened up and I think it is the most beautiful hotel in Atlanta.  Everything about it is my style or rather, my dream style.  I also love the location in a relaxed Buckhead neighborhood close to fabulous restuarants.  When we learned we were getting the opportunity to have a night away, I immediately started searching the internet for deals at the St. Regis (and unfortunately, there aren't really).  The best rate we could find was the prepaid room deal.  Oh well, it was worth every penny for our night away.  It was relaxing and best of all...quiet!! 

After we checked in, we headed straight for the pool to enjoy some cocktails.

It wasn't this empty when we went, I took this photo the next day.  Here is a photo of the cabana area below.

Here's a shot of our room.

You can't see it from the photo but there is a TV in the bathroom mirror.

Just a few shots of the lobby area because it's the prettiest part of the hotel.

Lunch in Atlanta's Design District

Last weekend, my folks came down and Hubbie and I got a much needed night away.  We spent the afternoon on the west side of Atlanta in the "Design District" and then spent the night at the St. Regis in Buckhead, Atlanta.  Even though we missed the kids, it was really great to have some alone time.

Here are some photos of our lunch at Ornsby's.  My co-worker calls it the Chuck E. Cheese's for adults and it's so true.

We started off with $3 cajun boiled peanuts that were delish!

  

Hubbie was the winner for lunch with his roast beef sandwich with pot roast gravy and horseradish cream...wow!

See, he knows he ordered a better dish than me.

JCT. is a restaurant and the menu looked incredible.  Next time, we're eating there.

 

More on St. Regis later...

I'm addicted to lip balm

If you know me, then you know I have an addiction to lip balm.  Chapstick Medicated Lip Balm is my favorite because of the scent, price and consistency of its application.  I keep a stick of lip balm...in my car, my office desk, my husband's car, my kitchen junk drawer, by my bed, in my bathroom, etc.  I have a hard time sleeping at night if, for some reason, I am without it.  I have been in that situation before and it's awful. I usually resort to lotion or lipstick whatever I can find that's similar. 

My coworker gave me the best gift ever a few year's ago.  She told me not to be too disappointed in my gift as it was small but let me tell ya, it has been the gift that keeps on giving two years later.  This lip balm has been my favorite night time ritual and I've had to hide because my kids like to raid it too.  It smells like oranges and the consistency is heavenly...it's smooth and doesn't cake not matter how much you slather on.  My co-worker says it's only available on-line or in Nashville.

Source:  Therapy Systems 

Easiest Recipe Ever!

Easy Braised Brisket

Source: Cooking Light

I'm making this brisket for dinner tonight and it's probably the fifth time I've made it.  It's always a hit with hubbie and the leftovers are even better a few days later.  I'm always drawn to recipes with few ingredients that cook themselves.  The only thing I do differently is add a couple of cloves of minced garlic and extra olives...because I love the salty bite of the olives.  Best served with mashed pototoes!

Amy Meier Design Love

I saw this photo in the February 2011 issue of Better Homes and Gardens and I carefully study it all the time because I love it so much.  I was excited to find it again on Pinterest so I could look at it from different angles.  I love the Expedit book case and the brass swing arm sconces.  I must have them! 

Source: Amy Meier Design

Happiness is...

JALAPENO POPPERS (on the Big Green Egg)

Oh how I love my grilled jalapeno poppers!  Hubbie and I found the recipe on the Big Green Egg website and we tweaked the recipe a little over the years to suite our tastes.  Here is the recipe:

15-17 large jalapeno peppers
1 pound of hot ground sausage (such as Jimmy Dean)
2 packages of reduced fat cream cheese
9 slices of a high quality bacon (such as Hormel Black Label)

Break up the sausage into bits into a frying pan and brown sausage until crisp and brown.  Transfer the cooked sausage into a food processor and pulse 3-4 times to give the sausage an even consistency.  Mix sausage in with softened cream cheese until evenly mixed.  Set aside.

Cook bacon slices in the microwave for a few minutes or until they are half cooked.  Cut bacon slices in half.  The reason 

Make a slit into the side of a jalapeno and scrape out the seeds with a spoon while being careful to keep the jalapeno intact.  We found the poppers grill better if you make the opening at the top of where the jalapeno would naturally lay flat.  Stuff the jalapeno with the cream cheese mixture and secure bacon on top with a toothpick that is place cross wise the jalapeno.  We used to wrap an entire piece of bacon around the jalapeno but we found the bacon burned on the bottom when grilled.

Grill jalapenos for 20 minutes or until tender at 300 degrees.  If you have a BGE, cook the poppers indirectly with a plate setter.

My Very First Post

Wow!  It's official, I'm a blogger.  I've heard of blogs for a while and read a few here and there but I really "discovered" them about eight months ago when a co-worker introduced me to her college friend's design blog.  I was blown away.  All of the beautiful photos mesmorized me and I fell in love with all of the stories on the blog.  I immediately thought to myself, "I can do that!".  But then I rethought that as I started following more and more blogs.  I wasn't sure if I had enough to talk about and I was really unsure of opening myself up to the world.  Photography was also an issue because I didn't have a good camera.  Well, I got a new camera a few months ago for my birthday and I'm at a point in my life where I'm ready to take a risk and to give it a shot.  The worst case scenario will be...only my parents will follow my blog.  If that's the case, so be it.  I'm ready to take a leap of faith.