Dear Project Runway....

You stood me up last night. I planned my entire day around curling up on the couch with you at 10 pm, and how do you thank me? You thank me by rerunning last week's episode. A call would have been nice. I'm mad and you stink! You forced me to tune into The Gauntlet 3 on MTV and thanks to you, I think my IQ dropped about 45 points. You better be back next week or we're breaking up! Signed XOBrie

Calling All Unicorns!

My poor 3 year old daughter's room is still decorated in the same wallpaper border that my dad put up for me when I was expecting my 9 year old son. It is done in the same wallpaper you may have seen in any nursery done circa late 90's. Here is the paper, I'm sure you've seen it a few million times ;) Laura Ashley Hey Diddle Diddle. It's cute but I'm over it.

This room is so not Caroline with all this blue and yellow, plus her favorite pastime last year was stripping off the wallpaper off while she was supposed to be napping! The room is in tough shape (I will post a "before" pic later)

She became very excited when I suggested the redecorating of her room. Instantly announcing, "I want it pink, with unicorns EVERYWHERE!!!" Um, ok?

So here is the plan: Wall paint color = Benjamin Moore 50's pink

Inside the wood framed border that goes around the middle of the room I am going to attempt a Harlequin diamond painted design by me.

With this wallpaper idea

http://www.kellyrightsell.com/decor/wallpaper/child/all/Harlequin-Balls/PP307/index.html?-session=kellybrightsell:44C4CD5C032d018B72SUR10E7E5B

and this color design (cute dress by Jennifer Reale Designs!)

I think it will be really cute, if I can pull it off like I have it in my mind!

Now to the unicorns.... I am a bit stumped. I did buy this print on Etsy over the weekend from seller bealoo

oh wait I did find this set also on etsy but I just don't think it's gonna work for the 3 year old's room lol! Artwork by seller Cherry Box. You can also purchase poor unicorn's decapitated body separately if you would like the complete set (yes that is true!) :) I am only teasing of course, b/c I am really not one to criticize anyone's art. I just know these are not what 3 yo Caroline had in mind for her room!

but other than this all I can find are frightening sci-fi dungeons and dragons looking beast-like unicorns and that's not what we're going for here! I do LOVE the way these bird prints look in Pottery Barn Catalog. Maybe I'll try my hand at painting a few on some canvas.

Last things to figure out is bedding, I don't think that will be too hard (famous last words!)

So if you see anything cute with Unicorns do send them my way! Hopefully I'll have this room completed before she turns 16!

Lost!

I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I am beyond excited about the return of Lost on Thursday. I don't think I have been this excited over a regular network tv show since 90210 ;)

xo, Brie

Dinner Party

Here are some recipes that I served at the party this weekend. The recipes were easy and I will definitely make them again!

Salad with pears, Gorgonzola, and candied walnuts (recipe compliments of Keely :)


I used a mix of lettuce for this. 1 pkg of spring greens and 1 head of boston bibb

2 bosc pears, crumbled gorgonzola and candied walnuts (by emerald nuts located in the produce aisle and also the baking aisle at my grocery store)


salad dressing

1/2 cup of fig balsamic vinegar
2 tsp of honey
fresh juice of one squeezed lemon
s/p
(put these in the blender and blend) with the blender running slowly add 1 cup of olive oil




Lasagna Rolls - Recipe below courtesy of Food Network and Giada De Laurentiis


These were easy and delicious! I had hoped to make a few over 12 just to have extra but the filling mix will definitely only make 12. I dried my lasagna noodles on a clean dry dish towel and rolled them up from there - I think it made it easier! Here is what it looked like before it went in the oven! It was great!

Complete recipe can be found here

and for dessert Frozen Key Lime Pie with recipe courtesy of Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) and The Food Network

I don't love regular key lime pie, but this one is completely delicious! It tastes like a great sorbet with whipped cream and graham cracker crust - yum! If the thought of the raw egg kind of freaks you out (like me!) there are side directions to slowly heat them to 140 degrees. I can't stop pulling this out of the freezer and nibbling on it.

Recipe can be found Here

I hope you'll try these because I think you will love them!

Recipes!

I cooked like a lunatic this weekend for the party but the good news is - all of these things I am about to tell you about are pretty easy and PERFECT to make a few days in advance. When we have people over, I actually want to hang out with them so while serving great food is a yes, slaving away that night in the kitchen is a big NO!

My first recipe here is for spinach dip. I kind of made it up myself trying to make it like "Houston's" (a restaurant we loved in DC). It really doesn't taste like Houston's but it has morphed into something we all really like, I make it every time we have people over. I bring it with me whenever I am invited somewhere. It always goes completely so I am guessing others like it too :) Sorry I don't have a pic or exact measurements but I will give you the recipe roughly be warned though, it's full of delicious dairy calories and therefore incredible!


Spinach Dip

1 pkg of chopped frozen spinach (no sauce) defrost in a colander in the sink
1 onion chopped
1/2 stick of butter
3/4 - 1 cup of heavy cream
5 slices of swiss cheese
salt and pepper


I make this whole thing in a nonstick frying pan right on the stove top. Melt the butter first and add the chopped onion (about 10 min). Really squeeze all water from the spinach and add to the onions in the pan. Continue to cook and incorporate about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper (be generous with the salt - you may have to keep tasting it b/c spinach really absorbs it for some reason) Add the heavy cream and heat through and just put your swiss cheese right on top and continue to stir until melted and soupy. You want it soupy, but not too soupy. You don't want it too dry either b/c it will break the chips when you go to dip. If it gets too thick, add a little more cream to thin it out. Totally delicious served with tortilla chips. My personal favorite are these:

Bring this to your Super Bowl party or this is a good one too (just use a rotisserie chicken if you would like to save time)

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Kids are home from school now, so I'll post the rest later! Do try these dips though, they are great! Enjoy! xo, Brie

Keeks and Brie are Here by Design Her Gals!

See them over there to right? Aren't they cute?! The design team created some html for us so we could post them to our blog. They are just what this blog needed :) Have you designed your "gal" yet? Click on ours to the right and it will take you directly to the site. Have fun and don't forget 5% of your orders through them go to directly to the "Gal to Gal Foundation"!

Our dinner party was a lot of fun last night. It always makes wonder why I don't do these things more regularly. Dinner was really yummy, I will post some pics tomorrow along with some recipes. We had 6 adults attend along with 12 kids (we ordered them pizza). It was great fun and I feel lucky to have found such nice friends to hang out with :)

As tired as I am feeling today, good Keeks and Brie ideas keep coming to me (not sure but it good ideas tend to hit me when I am exhausted). I am writing them down and heading into the "studio" to start something now. There may be a fun contest in the near future and the prize may be a beautiful new handbag for Spring, so please check back! Happy Sunday! xo, Brie

TGIF!!

It's been a long week and I couldn't be happier that the weekend is almost here! I went to spin this morning. The Friday instructor is by far the hardest - she loves high tension and lots of sprints. Nobody gets me sweating like the Friday teacher! Only downside is she is a great lover of bass pumping club music which I am not a huge fan of in any way. I am even less of a fan now because these songs I swear average 10 minutes in length! I keep checking the corners of the room for these guys - HA!




Have a great weekend!! We are hosting a little dinner party and I am making tasty food, I will tell you all about it Monday. xo, Brie

I Need!!!!

How adorable is this skirt? I'm going for it and using Valentine's Day as my angle ;)

http://www1.talbots.com/talbotsonline/product/largeritem.aspx?BID=S2008016114100359698253A8E4CF4B7955B&item=B149886&h=M&pfid=1456&sk=M

BLT anyone?

Another stinker picture here (notice how I was trying to be all photographer like with an interesting angle)! Kay had a basketball game and I wasn't going to count this in my Dinner Challenge, but they were so darn good I decided to take a picture and share anyway! I got this recipe from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa at Home) I really love everything she does, I have never NOT liked one of her recipes and they are usually pretty easy to make. No kooky ingredients that you have to run to 10 different specialty stores etc etc. Here is the link to the recipe, and PS it's not just ANY old BLT - it's a CALIFORNIA BLT, and it was awesome. Also baking the bacon in the oven is the way to go!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_37083,00.html

I am back on track and my cold is gone. I am also back to spinning! Today was great, I like Thur teacher a lot. Her ipod is really good... some highlights included Blister in the Sun by Violent Femmes and Squeezes' Another Nail in My Heart! Download them, you'll love them!

xo, Brie

Dinner Challenge Day 2 Lemon Chicken

Am I one lousy photographer or what? (please don't answer that!) This was my dinner for last night's challenge, check out the Flickr group . It was met with mixed reviews but I think it got a solid 7.5-8 on a scale of 10 from everyone in this household. This lemon chicken recipe sauce actually calls for heavy cream in the sauce. It is beyond delicious, but in the interest of saving a few calories here I just did the lemon part hold the cream.

Lemon Chicken

• boneless chicken breasts (4)


• 1/2 stick of butter


• 2 or 3 lemons (depends on the size)


• 1/3 cup of sherry (I cheated and used "cooking sherry" but I bet the real deal would be even better!)


• lemon zest from 2 of the lemons


• s/p

clean and trim up your chicken, pound it out a bit to make it flatter (I just like it thinner and it saves on cooking time) Melt your butter in the frying pan and add the chicken. Cook for 6 minutes on each side or so (I like it to get kind of brown). Remove chicken and set to the side. Add you zest, juice, and sherry to the frying pan and whisk it around a bit scraping up the brown bits etc. Let it bubble for a minute or 2 until slightly reduced. Return your chicken to the pan and coat to slightly reheat and serve.

I served this with a pastina (teeny stars) pasta and a little "I can't believe it's not butter" (I can't believe I LIKE I can't believe it's not butter, but I do!) and some green giant broccoli in cheese sauce. I thought the kids would like this broccoli but they hated it. Mr. KB and I loved it :D

Don't expect any great shakes for tonight, we have a basketball game so I may be doing a blt or something and will probably take the night off. I have big plans for the rest of the week though! Stay tuned! xo, Brie

Splash!

How adorable are these??? Lands End has really been turning up the cute volume to "11" these last couple of years and this really takes the cake! It's a little swim diaper complete with a mermaid tail! Thankfully these don't come in adult sizes or I could be making one giant fool of myself this summer :) Sadly neither of my girls will be able to squeeze into these as they are too big. Sizing is for little girls only 0-24 months. Hope to see the beach covered with little mermaids this summer! xo, Brie
http://www.landsend.com/pp/SwimCritterDiaperCover~180918_-1.html?bcc=y&action=order_more&sku_0=::BEN&CM_MERCH=IDX_00004__0000000421&origin=index

Dinner Challenge

My new friend Carrie has been really motivating me to try some new recipes. We are all getting tired of the same old, same old. Throw a home business and kids into the mix and cooking becomes less and less of a priority! Carrie has suggested (and you're invited too!) a 5 Night Dinner Challenge . (yes, I had to look up how to do that in html... it was surprisingly easy!) Here is where we will brain storm, try some new and easyish recipes to drag us all out of our rut. We're sharing recipes and encouraging pictures. She even set up a Flickr Group , sweet girl that she is... won't you join us?

This is not an old recipe, this is not a terribly original recipe, but it is something I do not make ALL that often, it's very easy and most importantly, it's something we all like!

Cheese Raviolis with Marinara Sauce

Marinara Sauce

1 large can of crushed tomatoes

1 medium onion chopped

1 minced clove of garlic (just use the press)

1-2 tbsp of olive oil

s/p

1/4 cup of sugar

maybe a splash of red wine if you have some open

saute onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent (approx 10 min)

mix in everything else in and simmer on low

buy some frozen raviolis that are quick to cook. Read the package b/c I have bought some that say boil for 15 minutes (who has time for that!) I recommend the costco kirkland ones in the blue bag. They are good and cook in 3-5 minutes in boiling water.

Serve Marinara over the top and sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese if you like it!

Make a quick salad and maybe an Italian bread and you are good to go!

Design Her Gals

Most of you already know... but in case you have been on an extended vacation somewhere, you should really check out http://www.designhergals.com/ I like this site for a lots of reasons

• It's fun! You can play with virtual paperdolls, make them look like you, dress them up, jewel them up (they even have converse low tops - every color!)


• you can make fun products featuring your "gal". For example I have made some shipping stickers and also some small cards which I sometimes use for price tags when we do a show


• their customer service is awesome! I am big lover of great customer service! I even emailed them last year and asked them make me some freckles and the next day they did!


• they give back to charity. 5% of every order goes to their nonprofit org called the gal to gal foundation. Gal to Gal helps raise funds and awareness for women with stage IV breast cancer. http://www.galtogal.com/

They are currently working on some html for me so I can post my "Brie Gal" (I like her b/c she is skinnier than me) along with my sis Keeks right here on the blog! Hopefully sometime today!

Last but not least.... 30% sale (today is the LAST day) you have to order TWO things (that will not be hard) and use promo code: ITEMS2 at checkout. Have fun! xo, Brie

Please bear with me....

As I am giving my blog a makeover. I honestly have no idea what I am doing but the lack of pink on my old "dots" template was totally bumming me out. I think I lika this look! I'll continue to tweak around here... I'd really like a snazzy header but that may be too much to take on for one day. For now the pink has lifted my mood tremendously :)

Darn you Yahoo Top 5 Stories

Thanks for telling me who won the Amazing Race before I watched it :( I am only half way through it here, so much for the suspense!

Hilarious Costco Piece

Here is the link to that sampler article I was telling you about in the previous post. You will have to zoom in to read but it is worth the effort. Very funny! Dave by the way fits the "camper" description to the tee! Kudos to Laurie Notaro - this is good stuff!

http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/200506/?pg=21

Adventures in Costco

"Well, um, actually a pretty nice little Saturday, we're going to go to Home Depot. Yeah, buy some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that. Maybe Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I don't know, I don't know if we'll have enough time."
This is one of my favorite movie quotes.... this was also my day today ;) Can you name the movie?



We just got back from a nice little weekend trip to Costco (with all 4 kids no less) We hosted a small soiree last night and are all dragging to say the least - why we decided to take this on I seriously have no idea!

Costco on the weekends is just a bad idea for so many reasons, I realized the moment I flashed my membership card and crossed that thresh hold that I had made a tremendous mistake.

First off it appears as if everyone in the state of NJ has decided to shop here today. Are we expecting a blizzard? Is it Super Bowl Sunday? What the heck is going on??? The parking lot is completely jammed and it's like playing frogger to get safely to the front door with all the parking madness.

The samplers - I once read a hilarious article about the 4 types of costco samplers, if I can find it I will post it later. Each and everyone of them were out in full force and ready to trample me and my young children in order to get 1/6 of a nuked chicken mcnugget in a paper cupcake wrapper.

The great mental debaters - should I get these Colgate toothbrushes? Let me turn my cart sideways so as to block incoming and outgoing traffic and ponder it a bit, I will read the package thoroughly, I will count how many come in the package, wait are these the ones I have a coupon for?? Just buy them, they are toothbrushes!!!

The line - you will have to start jockeying for a position somewhere around the book section to get into a line. Even walking without a cart is difficult to maneuver around, and with a cart??? Impossible!

The loading and unloading of the car - this is where your tetris skills can really pay off! Esp if you drive a minivan like me with zero trunk space to speak of.

All of this being said - I seriously LOVE Costco! I just don't recommend it on the weekends :) You are taking your life into your hands. Thankfully this ordeal is now over and we have a lifetime supply of Tide, Cascade, and snack sized Doritos! Now if that doesn't give you a feeling of security, I don't know what will! xo, Brie

Shoe Envy

Did anyone catch Oprah on Tuesday? I think the show was called "Face Behind the Name". The business woman in me loves it when she runs shows like this featuring the owners and inventors behind the brand. This piece included the founders of Cold Stone Creamery, Carmex lip balm, and the inventor of a new high lighter from bic to name a few. I find these stories to be pretty inspiring and most definitely motivational!

She featured a French shoe designer by the name of Christian Louboutin - I guess he is famous for making the "red soled" shoes. I personally had never heard of him, but believe me when I tell you, these shoes were beyond fab!!! They got me quite excited and I wouldn't even describe myself as a "shoe girl" - sneaker girl, yes! (more on that in future post) shoe girl, no! Aren't these so awesome?? Only 1,110 dollars for the red pair at Barney's New York - guess I'll only be wearing these babies in my dreams :) xo, Brie

Quick Shout Out to Peapod Delivery!

I have been trapped inside all week with poor sick Caroline (who by the way has "shared" her cold with me now) We both feel not so great today and I am running low on things to make dinner with, lunch with, snacks.... you name it we are out or almost out of it!

Stop and Shop Peapod to the rescue! I just did a full order online and will have it delivered here sometime tomorrow between 8a - 10a! Use coupon codes like "first" "second" "third" depending which order number it is for you and get 5 dollars off (basically free delivery) your order! A wonderful alternative to 1. having no food in the house, 2. going out with your sick child, or 3. sending your husband out with a list only to have him arrive home with all the wrong things ;) xo, Brie

Favorite Boutique - Jennifer Reale Designs

Don't you just love fate? I found out about Jennifer Reale Designs a few years back and contacted her about getting some new duds. When I first laid eyes on her site, I felt like somebody was reading my mind and designing clothes just for me!!! I bought a few pieces and have been completely hooked ever since!

Jennifer's designs are really taking off and it's no surprise! She now has 2 retail locations on the east coast (Plymouth, Ma and Delray Beach, Fla) and in addition to her beautiful clothing line, she also offers Keeks and Brie handbags and accessories :) We are a match made in heaven!

http://www.jenniferreale.com/

Sneak Peek

Just finished this combo which will also be included in our soon to debut Spring line up! I am a sucker for pink and brown :)

PS American Idol starts tonight at 8pm! I love that show (perfect sewing tv)... they always drag out the beginning with the auditions which can get old quick but if it means another William Hung is discovered, I'll power through. She bangs, she bangs ;) xo Brie

The No Snow = No Fun Monday

Well I did say I'd be back Monday but I haven't had time to take pics for some upcoming spots to share, so here's the weekend in a nutshell :)

Kayla's birthday was fun, I think she had a good time and liked her gifts. 11 year olds are a lot harder to buy for than 3 year olds, that's for sure!

We went to bed excited to wake up to lots of snow! Our real first biggie of the winter season! They predicted 5-10 inches for our area. They said it would start as rain and promised we'd wake up to a winter wonderland! Would we have our first "for real"snow day and no school? Would we get a 90 minute delay? I didn't care... as long as I can sleep past my usual 6:45 am I'll be happy. I woke up about 4:30 and am eager to see all that snow, whipped open the shade to find it still RAINING! Then I layed in bed obsessing over why isn't it snowing, fret over how I have to go to Dunkin Donuts first thing in the morning to get Kayla's birthday treats since I threw caution to the wind and didn't bake the cupcakes. Continue to obsess until around 6:30, fall asleep, alarm rings at 6:45 am. Hello meterologists, you are killing me.

Despite all of our disappointment that there is no snow, the kids got over it quickly and seemed to have a great day, I however am exhausted! My parents are visiting for the birthday weekend and we had a nice chat about some fun new Keeks and Brie products (they have great ideas). I did some test samples today, they are not fully ready for the shelves, but do seem promising!! Stay tuned..... xo Brie

Spinning: The Devil's Workshop?

In an effort for a new and healthier me in 2008, I have been partaking in some spinning classes at my local Y. Since its only the 11th of January, I am trying not to get too excited here, but I think I may have found something I can actually stick with!

I am not going to lie.... its hard as h-e-double hockey sticks. I am miserable pretty much throughout the entire 45 minute routine except for the first and last five minutes which are warm up and cool down. Those I can handle :) All the hard work aside, the feeling you get when that class is over is awesome and that's what keeps me coming back. I should also add that I have a few good friends meeting me there each time and that doesn't hurt either. (More pressure not to bail!) The music is good too and I just downloaded Wanna Be Startin' Something by Michael J after an inspiring spin this week! Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma cu sa! Love it! Have a great weekend, I'll be back on Monday! xo, Brie

PS Only got around to watching Project Runway last night - spinning is making me so tired and I can't keep my eyes open past 10! All I can say is - THANK GOD Christian stayed! I didn't know what to think of this young 21 yo designer at first... he's a little cocky, a lot of funky, but at the end of the day his sass has grown on me. He won't win, but I do

♥ Christian, he's got lots more good reality moments and fierce designs in him!

HoneyChild Ink

Just received another fabulous delivery from Ms. J. Lane Spotts of HoneyChild Ink! For those of you who don't know, Jamie created our most fabulous mermaid logo that you see (with zero direction I might add... she just sent it and she was EXACTLY what we wanted)!!

Our latest project was thank you notes for Kayla to send out to family and friends for her birthday. As you can see they are adorable as usual! Her packaging is always fab too which makes these perfect for gifts. She is incredibly professional, nice, and takes custom requests too! She did Caroline's birth announcements a few years ago and I was delighted with the way they turned out too!

You must check her out! Thank you Jamie! xo Brie

http://honeychildink.com/

Saboteurs!

I think the vineyard vines guys are trying to get me in trouble..... I am really trying to curtail my spending a bit but then they have to go and mark down the skirt I have been eyeing all fall from 145 to 59.99!!!! You have found my Achilles heel..........Sold :) Thanks a lot ♥

http://www.vineyardvines.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/products.detail/categoryID/70242fb5-e193-472e-85a1-96f8a1a14494/productID/66b3087d-c4f7-426c-8026-ed4c7548823c/

Chicken Chili

Here is an easy recipe that is not only good for you, you can make it in the crock pot! Fix it and forget it until dinner!

Ingredients:

• rotisserie chicken


• one small/medium onion diced


• 1 larger can of crushed tomato


• 1 smaller can of diced tomato


• 1 can of pink beans


• 1 can of black beans


• 1 small can of corn


• 1/4 cup sugar


• 1 packet of chili mix (taco season also works great if you like it more spicy)


• salt and pepper to taste

Dice up your onion and saute until soft in a skillet. I have been just kind of spritzing it in pam cooking spray to save on calories. In your crock pot put crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, sugar, chili packet, and salt and pepper and give it a little stir. Drain both cans of beans and corn and throw that in, shred up your rotisserie (I only use the breast meat, but use whatever you like!) don't forget your onion in the skillet, put that in there too. Give it a few more stirs to mix, set your crock pot to low, put on the lid and forget it until dinner. Enjoy, xo Brie

ETA: Keeks feels she should receive some credit for the recipe as it is a collaboration between her and my Aunt Rosemary! So sorry.....my darling!

PS I am no weight watchers expert but I have a feeling 1 cup of this will be low in points! Save the leftovers (if there are any!) for lunch :)

May the Force Be With You

I saw Star Wars at the movie theatre when I was in first grade and to quote those guys from In Living Color.... "haaaated it!" I still don't get it to this day. My boys (and oldest daughter for that matter) LOVE it. They really can't get enough!

So the boys are in love with legos and esp the Star Wars figures. That's all they wanted for Christmas. They must have been good because Na Na and Monka (that's Kayla speak for grandpa) got them each a few and Santa brought them some too. Believe it or not these little fellows add up quickly!!!

I bought this old print box at an antique shop on the Cape a few years ago. I had big plans to collect little miniatures and fill it up and make it look so cute. That plan never really got off the ground, but I knew that print box could come in handy some day. This doubles as a storage center and wall art at the same time for their room. I'm giving this 2 snaps up ;) xo Brie

Keep it Clean

Housekeeping has never really been my "thing". I have been working on it diligently for the last 3 years and I AM getting better at it if I do say so myself. There are some tricks to this with a few things I need to do DAILY to stay on top of things. The most important being:

1. a load of laundry a day (this means the whole 9 yards, including putting it away which I detest!)


2. vacuuming my family room/sweeping kitchen (they are kind of connected) at least once a day


3. making all the beds - RIGHT AWAY in the morning. If I put it off, I never get back up there. My oldest daughter is a gem and makes her own. The boys should make their own but I cut them a little break b/c they are in bunk beds, so the pay off is they keep their room picked up.


4. Start dinner (even if its only in your mind) first thing in the morning

These tips have helped me along tremendously! Hope they help you too :) If you need more help try http://www.flylady.com/ she's hard core, but does in a manageable way. Good luck! xo, Brie

PS I almost forgot to mention my FAVORITE counter spray - method cucumber (the green one) environmentally friendly and smells so good! You'll even notice it continuing to smell good upon returning home from errands. Available at Target and Stop and Shop :)

Phase 2 Complete (kind of)

This took me 3 hours to refold and organize. It really looked like a fabric explosion took place somewhere around the middle of my reorganization, I nearly fled the scene. As I uploaded the pic I so proudly took, at a second glance I realize this does not look all that impressive. HOWEVER, had you seen the "before" shot (which I admit I was too embarrassed to take) you would probably be offering me lots of congratulations and maybe even a prize ;) The important thing is, I now have a better grasp on what I have and will actually be able to find it when I need it. Only 10 more stations to go!

My New Favorite Drink

Surprisingly contains no spirits! A quick disclaimer before I reveal the secret recipe....

1. I never drink it out of this fancy glass mug. Usually more like a leftover supersize McD's cup!



2. I never put the fancy lime on the side either! That would require way too much effort and is a bit ridiculous, no?

Just made for a more attractive photo, thats all!

Here's the recipe:

• big cup of ice (I prefer crushed for this one)



• lots of plain seltzer (flavored could work too though)



• splash of cranberry juice (just a teeny bit)



• 1/3 of a lime squeezed on the top (I use my favorite squeezer thingy from Williams Sonoma

Here is my squeezer, its on my top 10 favorite kitchen gadgets!

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/sku7662000/index.cfm?pkey=xsrd0m1%7C15%7C%7C%7C0%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7Ccitrus&cm%5Fsrc=SCH

So good and healthy too! Way better than a soda :) xo Brie

Look at what I just got!

I really hated taking down my over sized ornament, I really got used to having something hanging there! I had a brilliant idea the other night and started looking around online for a glass ball ornament to fill its spot, these are also called kugels or a witch ball. After browsing a bunch of very unexciting websites, I finally came across a great site with a huge selection. I went for it and got a BIG one, I love it! I am also very happy to recommend this site because it has tons of beautiful ones to choose from, super quick shipping (I only ordered it on 1/1), great prices and fantastic customer service from owners Dave and Sue Simpson. http://www.kugelhouse.com/ Happy New Year to me :D

Its Freezing Outside but it Feels like Spring

Well, not really it is actually really freezing (3 degrees F!) it feels so far from Spring.... but I just completed our first new handbag for Spring! Still no official name, I need to sit and think on that. Suggestions are welcome!! Isn't is cute though? I really love it! xo, Brie

2007 a year in review

I always love these, but can't seem to ever get through one year without getting teary when I see the video montage of the year in review. This is incredibly well done! Count your blessings, and here's to good health and good times in 2008 for everyone. Happy New Year!! xo, Brie