Old St. Pat's

My husband and I recently joined a church in our neighborhood! We are attending the new member tour and dinner next week. (And no, you don't need to convert to Catholicism to join) This church is full of couples, young families, and single people. And did I mention the World's Largest Block Party???

Spring Break!

8 days away........

I can't help myself...

I added baby moccasins at the last second to my basket on endless.com, along with a new pair of fit flops. I figure brown will be cute for a boy or girl.

Dinner

Since our oven is broken and not heating up, this recipe from my aunt's new blog would be great to make for dinner.

Nursery ideas:

existing paint color
(BM Mineral Ice - it is a little more light blue than it looks here)

Flensted sheep mobile

vintage children's blocks framed from Room and Board

(for $219.00 - which I will make for around $20.00 for 2)

Catalina magazine rack from Pottery Barn Kids

safari rug from west elm

or this hopscotch rug at cb2

baby mod crib from walmart

vintage school map



Ikea hemnes dresser/changing table








Eames elephant

mirror on a mirror

(picture from AT)

In my quest to make our ugly guest bathroom more aesthetically pleasing, I came across this idea from Jenny that I might try.

Kreativ Blogger

My fantastic and creative cousin gave me this award!

And now, it is the law according to the rules that I must reveal seven things about myself:

1. I am pregnant and due on September 17, 2010!

2. I cry, as if it is me on stage, every year during the Best Actress Oscar acceptance speech.

3. When I was 2, I refused to wear anything but a red velvet dress for an entire year. Along with white tights and black shiny shoes. I remember getting upset in the church nursery if someone stepped on my black shiny shoes.

4. I floss my teeth EVERY night. In fact, I can't go to bed without doing so.

5. I am going to New Orleans with my mom and Grandma for a few days over my Spring Break!

6. I have suddenly turned into a minimalist, since our recent move. I find it easier to clean with less stuff sitting out and overall less stressful.

7. Henry turned 5 last week! We bought him a huge Ikea stuffed prostitute, I mean stuffed animal.

on my mind.....

Scooter's open today!!!!

And since I am 12 weeks pregnant, my husband asks me every day, "Can I get you anything?" (I need to add that he has gone and bought spiral Macaroni and Cheese, a Shamrock Shake, Blommer's Chocolate, Garrett's Popcorn, and offered to go to the store to get me a dinner roll and butter at 11pm) My response for the past 6 weeks has been, "Scooter's." We are going immediately after my Dr. appointment today!

Patent Leather and Pearls

My very talented cousin has a new blog and I highly recommend reading it because she has a unique/classic/fashion forward/wearable sense of style. (I blogged about her here) And she now has me obsessed with these Steve Madden Roady boots. I can't decide which color I like best.

train rack (part 2)

train racks

Since we don't have an official linen closet in the new place, we really needed a towel rack in the master bathroom. As nice as Pottery Barn's train racks are, the prices are not so nice. (most are around $170.00 to $250.00) I instead opted for Ikea's Grundtal towel hanger/shelf at $19.99. And I actually like it better because of the basic stainless steel design.

condo pictures:

the foyer

bath mat

One of my favorite new bath accessories is this rock bath mat. (if you go to the store, it is 20% off the online price) At first my husband thought I was crazy, but I really wanted a bath mat that didn't need to be washed. All I have to do with this one is vacuum it. And it feels SO good on my feet at the end of the day and takes me back to the rock covered beaches in the south of France.

As seen on....

my new favorite show, Modern Family

table from cb2

(in the brother's house - I only noticed this because it is the same table in my dining room)

arc lamp

Cuisinart Griddler

I was going to post pictures last night, but my husband and I spent 2 hours in Back to Bed picking out our mattress. We were initially just stopping by to look and get a price quote. That was until the salesman offered us 1 pillow and 10% off if we paid cash. We said we wanted to wait and think about it. Then he said he would give us 2 free pillows (instead of 1), 10% off (he copied a medical RX form), free boards for the mattress to sit on, and let us finance it for 2 years with no interest. I wanted to add in a pet bed for Henry, but I honestly didn't think they had them, until I saw this by Tempur-Pedic.

Dinner

Cubs stadium seats

While looking at apartment therapy for bar stool suggestions, I came across this house tour. Here are my favorites:

I wanted this entryway bench/locker from Pottery Barn, but my husband wanted Cubs stadium seats in our foyer. I first got the idea for lockers from my cousin's mom.

initial hooks from Anthropologie


I am going to try and post some pictures of our new place tonight!

bar stools

from overstock


or these from crate and barrel

expedit bookcase

(all pics from Isuwannee)

My husband will be building the Ikea expedit bookcase this weekend. That is, after we return the 4 square for the 5 square. Every piece of furniture looks tiny in our condo.
I will post pictures soon!

chicken potpie casserole

This might be the first dinner I make at our new place. And it looks very easy, especially if I buy the chopped onion, carrot, and celery mix from Trader Joe's.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 large carrot, peeled, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
One 8-ounce container sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 store-bought rotisserie chicken, meat torn into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling
Six to eight 1/2-inch-thick slices Italian bread

Directions:
1. Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400°.

2. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle the flour on top; stir for 1 minute. Stir in the cream and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken, parsley and parmesan; season with salt and pepper.

3. Transfer the chicken mixture to an 8-inch-by-10-inch baking dish. Trim the bread slices to fit on top of the chicken mixture in an even layer. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle parsley and the remaining parmesan on top. Bake until crispy, about 15 minutes.

(from Every Day with Rachel Ray December 2009)