5 Years

George and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary on Halloween.  Well, we said "Happy Anniversary" and exchanged a kiss then went to get trick-or-treating candy! 

We celebrated our anniversary a few days later with a wonderful dinner at a beautiful boutique hotel in in the posh suburbs.

And since we are watching-our-pennies, we got a $100 gift certificate for $50 from restaurants.com and agreed to spend $10 each on gifts.
We have a thing with cards.  I have actually saved every card we have ever exchanged. 

So when I came home from work, I was greeted with these lovelies...

Steffler is one sweet hubby!  He always gets/makes the best cards.  And when I say "makes", he is known for buying a card he likes, crossing out some of the words and adds his own.  I love it!

My gift for him was memory box.  I bought a cool, magnetic gift box from Barnes and Noble.  Yes, it's a gift box but I loved the map (kind of works with our plans to travel more).

I added a label to the front, like so...

 

Then I grabbed a bunch of pictures of us over the last 5 years... look how little we were!

And tossed in a stack of index cards and leftover wedding envelops...



We are writing our memories over the last 5 years on an index card and putting it in the envelop with the pictures.  We are also making a few predictions for the next year.

This can be our new tradition for years to come.  Add of few pictures, log a few memories, make a few predictions and look back on "us" over the years.  We can't wait for the day we can share this with our kids!

Happy Sunday :)

Have a Little Faith With Me

I grew up in the Catholic church.  I really enjoyed that time in my life and that early connection I made with God.

I still have a very strong sense of faith but I have fallen away from attending church.  I have to be honest, I no longer 100% believe in the Catholic faith.  We did get married in the church, but I feel God made us all and loves us all and would never want us to hate someone that he made.  No Exceptions.

George and his family did not practice religion.  And prior to meeting me, like back in his high school days, George might have even said he was an Atheist. 

We discussed our religions and faith in the first months of our relationship (guess you could say we "knew" early on that we were forever).  And I asked him "If I was hurt, and lying in a hospital bed, and the doctors said they didn't know if I would make it, would you say "God please keep her here with me?" 

He said yes.  And I accepted that: I knew he was a man of faith.

After our Pre-Cana classes (which we LOVED... would do it again tomorrow), George and I really felt a connection with out faith.  That our union was greater than us.  It was kind of awesome.  We also walked away set on raising our family with faith.  Maybe not in the Catholic church but most definitely with faith.

Lately, I have been wanting to have that connection again.  We have not been to church since our wedding. I have had many talks with God, some of my favorite saints and praying almost daily.  But I am longing for that sense of community my old church had to offer.

We just don't have a church we belong to.  My childhood church is 30-40 minutes away but, like I said, I have fallen away from that church.  So I am looking for a fresh start.

How do you "shop" for a church?

Thanksgiving a la Martha: My Mother, My Mentor

True story, when I was younger, I told people that I was Martha Stewart's daughter she put up for adoption and people believed me.  I'm not sure what's worse; that I told this bold-face lie or that people believed it.

Yes, I was mesmerized by the Martha Stewart lifestyle at a young age.  So it was no surprise that when I was getting married, she was my first point of reference for guidance and support through the planning process.

Now that I am married, a homeowner and starting a family, she is still my go-to source for all things cooking/entertaining/crafting/organizing/decorating.  I may not find the most of-the-moment ideas from her but she has the classics down.

So when I started planning our first Thanksgiving dinner for George's 20 family members, I immediately went to MarthaStewart.com and got my inspiration on.

After much research and testing (on roasting chickens) we are going with Martha's Herb-Roasted Turkey...

I love chopping the fresh herbs, mixing them in soft butter then rubbing the mixture all over. 

Next, and almost as important as the turkey, is the stuffing...

This is her Simple Stuffing that I am going to jazz up a touch with brown butter sage.

I also plan on turning to the Crockpot for help.

First I am going to make "Company's Coming" mashed potatoes.  They are a staple in my family and I hope George's family will love them too.  You make these the day before then put in the Crockpot to warm the day of.  They have butter, cream cheese and sour cream... fat, fat and fat so you know they are good!

Martha has a version very similar too:

Big Martha's Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese
3 1/2 pounds white or Yukon Gold potatoes
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup whole milk, warmed
1/2 cup heavy cream, warmed

Directions

1.Place potatoes and 1 tablespoon salt in a medium pot, cover with cold water by 2 inches, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover partially, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 35 minutes. Drain, and let stand until just cool enough to handle. Rub off skins, and discard. Cut potatoes into large pieces.

2.Combine potatoes, cream cheese, butter, milk, and 1/4 cup cream in a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until combined. Season with salt and pepper, and beat to desired consistency.

3.Return mashed potatoes to pot, and place over medium heat. Add remaining cream, and cook, stirring constantly, until heated through. Serve immediately, or keep warm in a covered bowl over simmering water for up to 2 hours.
______________

I also will be tapping a candied yams souffle from the Food Network...

Mmmm...

And finally, my all time favorite side dish: Green bean casserole by Campbell's

I remember my first official Thanksgiving with George's family.  It was just after our 1 year anniversary and it was my first time not having dinner with my Mom.  I asked George to ask his family if they planned on having green bean casserole and, if not, would it be okay for me to bring it.  Well, his family had never had it and they were fine with me bringing something. 

I poured my heart into that dish!  I was so worried about it being not too soupy, not too bland and the crunchy onion topping still had to be crunchy.  My efforts paid off... it was a hit!  I have brought this to every Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner since.

I will make homemade cranberries with orange zest and maybe roast root vegatable or squash, but the above are all in place.

Now I have to figure out a chocolate dessert since his aunt is bringing her famous (not joking) pies.  Don't worry, I know just who to turn to...

Um, P.S.

You may have noticed, we already have many of the items from the Living Room Mood Board.

Well, sit down my friend and let me tell you a story.

It was a cold and rainy day in early September.  Summer was just barely over but anyone in Upstate NY can tell you that, come August 1st, summer might has well be over cause we are all preparing for fall!

~sigh~ i <3 fall

Back to the story.  This early September day had me in the mood for all things fall ... apples, leaves, donuts, pumpkins, boots, donuts, cider, hayrides, donuts. 

We also happened to go to George's family for a visit that day.  As usual, the family is gathered around the table... one topic-of-conversation lead to another (the entire family has conversational ADD, like me!) and before I knew it, we volunteered to host Thanksgiving for all 20 members of his family!!

Um, yeah.  20.

And though I love all my in-law family members, I have this need to impress them still.   I think it's because I married the baby and the only boy...

So, yeah, we have been collecting all the necessary materials so we can host our FIRST THANKSGIVING!

The living room is almost complete.  We have all the pieces for the dining room and are still working on getting the arrangement just right.  We want to get the attic (which is finished, but we have nothing) in entertaining order as well.

George is gone next week on business so you know what that means: I'm preparing a While-You-Were-Out!

So that's the scoop.  Any tips on hosting a large, holiday for the first time? 

Living Room Mood Board

Yep, still without a camera.  But that's okay, I have the world of Google Images to get me through!

So, for your consideration, I present: The Living Room Mood Board

The wall color is Benjamin Moore's Frappe made with Behr all in one paint and primer. It is much lighter than it is showing... there is more of a cream tone.

The couch is from Ashley Furniture and was our FIRST purchase together from 4.5 years ago!  We got the whole set but I will be editing down so it's less matchy.

We have chocolate brown and steel blue throw pillows. Both are from Sears, just last week to be exact.  The brown are sturdy cotton for $7 and the blue are 100% silk for... wait for it... $13!!  I literally squeaked and loaded my arms up with 4 of these beauties.

We ordered the area rug from Overstock.com this evening ... we were originally looking for something a bit more basic with less print but our budget and color demands, this transitional-style area rug should do!  If not, they have a great return policy :)

The lamp is similar to the lamps I purchased from the Christmas Tree Shop a few months back.  They are tall and curvy with great white shades.  And for $14 each, I was S.O.L.D.

The white, round coffee table is my project for this weekend.  I purchased a round, solid wood coffee table from craigslist and will be giving it a new white finish.

Finally, I AM IN LOVE!  Yes, with George, but even more so with the drop cloth curtains!  I saw this idea from The Walton's blog (by way of Young House Love).  I bought, washed, dried, ironed and hung the curtains but they were lacking body and they were a bit too long.  So I got some hemming tape and brought the bottom up 6 inches and the top 4 inches.  It was easy as pie and made ALL the difference... I am smitten and plan to do the same for our French doors in the dining room.

So I know it looks a little shabby-chic, but I promise, I am not into the distressed look.  Washed out, sure!  But not beaten to death.  I like things to look new or in their best possible shape.

I also know what you are thinking: neutral overload!

I know, I know.  But I promise I am planing on injecting more color!  I love the idea of pairing the cool blue with spring-silvery sage greens and little pops of red. 

So, I'm not a pro, but what do you think?  Good base to play with other colors or are we WAY off base?

Discuss...