Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Busy Bee Me
I'm sorry I have been such an awful blogger! I had jury duty on Monday and got to sit around the courthouse from 8:00am-5:30pm- it was not fun, but I did my job as a good citizen. I have also been super busy painting for the show tomorrow- wow, is it really tomorrow?!? I might be in trouble! Just kidding- I'll be fine. It might be a late night, like it was last night, but I'll wrap everything up!
Since I have been so awful, and plan on being awful until Friday- here are some fun random blogs that I stumbled upon and love to visit!
A Painting a Day
Emily Style
Chi-Town Chic
J.Moments
Yarnstorm
Enjoy, and I hope to see everyone at the show tomorrow!!!
Friday, August 22, 2008
J-List: Artist Edition
This J-List is dedicated to a few of the artists that I love. They inspire me to keep painting. There aren't really actual items for sale on this list (unless you have millions to spend on art), but I am selling a little imagination, art smarts and fancy! I have included 2 of my favorite paintings from each artist. Enjoy!Wayne Thiebaud
Big Suckers, 1970-71
Cakes, 1963Robert Delaunay
Homage to Bleriot, 1914
Champs de Mars. La Tour rouge, 1911Renoir
A Girl with a Watering Can, 1876
Luncheon of the Boating Party, 1980-81Andy Warhol
Gold Marilyn Monroe, 1962
Queen Elizabeth, II, 1985I might do this again... I have so many more I want to add!!!
Everyone have a wonderful weekend!!!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
I actually cooked!
I actually cooked! I never cook in the summer, but I was watching Rachel Ray's 30 Min Meals last week, and I got inspired! I made her Pizzagna!!! It was WONDERFUL! I added extra red pepper and black olives. I also made it healthier with low fat skim cheeses and turkey pepperoni. It was so easy and oh so tasty!
1 pound pasta curls (recommended: campagnelle by Barilla; short fusilli or cavatappi twists may be substituted)
Salt
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, a couple of handfuls
Handful parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup sliced pepperoni, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 green or red bell pepper, seeded, quartered and thinly sliced
1 onion, quartered then thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
12 crimini mushrooms (baby portabellos), thinly sliced
Black pepper
1 (28-ounces) can crushed tomatoes
3/4 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Loaf of crusty bread
1 pound pasta curls (recommended: campagnelle by Barilla; short fusilli or cavatappi twists may be substituted)
Salt
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, a couple of handfuls
Handful parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup sliced pepperoni, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 green or red bell pepper, seeded, quartered and thinly sliced
1 onion, quartered then thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
12 crimini mushrooms (baby portabellos), thinly sliced
Black pepper
1 (28-ounces) can crushed tomatoes
3/4 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Loaf of crusty bread
Preheat broiler.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add pasta and salt the water.
While the water boils combine ricotta, Parmigiano, parsley and pepperoni in a large bowl and reserve.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat with extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. When the oil is hot, add the peppers, onions, garlic and mushrooms. Saute 6 to 8 minutes until tender and mushrooms are dark. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Stir in tomatoes and reduce heat to low.
Add a ladle of starchy cooking water to the ricotta just before you drain the pasta. Drain pasta then toss with ricotta and pepperoni mixture. Pour pasta into a baking dish and top evenly with peppers, onion and mushroom sauce. Top with a layer of mozzarella, oregano and red pepper flakes. Place under hot broiler and melt cheese until golden and bubbly. Remove and serve with crusty bread.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
ETSY Makes Me Very Happy
So, I think ETSY is one of the best websites on earth. I just love it. Everything is so fun and different! I love supporting the artists too! Here are a couple of my favorite ETSY peeps. Do you have any favorites? Please share in the comments!
KathrynRiechert
Bee Happy Necklace
I stumbled accross Kathryn's work when I was looking up bee jewelry. Yes, I have a think for bees at the moment. Last month is was bluebirds- I like to keep things interesting! I love how everything is organic and simple. Also, happiness is my goal in life- so the Bee Happy necklace just fits.
BirdzNbeez
Owl Blossom Necklace
I recently purchased a very sweet "Oui" necklace that also had a very sweet little bird attached. I couldn't have been happier with my selection! I love that her jewelry is vintage inspired.
KathrynRiechert
Bee Happy NecklaceI stumbled accross Kathryn's work when I was looking up bee jewelry. Yes, I have a think for bees at the moment. Last month is was bluebirds- I like to keep things interesting! I love how everything is organic and simple. Also, happiness is my goal in life- so the Bee Happy necklace just fits.
BirdzNbeez
Owl Blossom Necklace
I recently purchased a very sweet "Oui" necklace that also had a very sweet little bird attached. I couldn't have been happier with my selection! I love that her jewelry is vintage inspired.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
I've been Tagged
The Rules: Answer the questions using only one word. Then tag three others. I tag: Jessica, Christina, Nat and Courtney
1. Where is your cell phone? Car
2. Your significant other? smartypants
3. Your hair? wild
4. Your mother? giving
5. Your father? hard-working
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? Olympics
8 Your favorite drink? H20
9. Your dream/goal? happiness
10. The room you’re in? frustrating
11. Your hobby? artsy
12. Your fear? mediocrity
13. What do you want to be in 6 years? myself
14. What you’re not? tidy
15. Muffins? chocolate
16. One of your wish list items? Italy
17. Where you grew up? Texas
18. The last thing you did? phone
19. What are you wearing? polka-dots
20. Favorite gadget? ipod
21. Your pets? heartbeat
22. Your computer? speedy
23. Your mood? frustrated
24. Missing someone? sometimes
25. Your car? reliable
26. Something you’re not wearing? pants
27. Favorite store? banana
28. Like someone? Gregor
29. Your favorite color? red
30. When is the last time you laughed? lunch
31. Last time you cried? July
J-List: Sweet Summer Sales Edition
Summer is sadly coming to an end in the next few weeks, but that means end of summer sales at all of my favorite stores! Being in Texas, the heat hangs out with us until around November- so the summer wardrobe, if chosen correctly, can last way into the fall! Here are some of my favorite summer sale finds!
Summer Dresses You Can Also Wear in the Fall
I love to shop the summer end of season sales, but I also hate buying something that I might not wear until next year. I tend to purchase clothes that can be worn for multiple seasons. I don't always do this, but it is nice to give yourself options. So, here are a few cute summer dresses that you could totally wear alone or with a cardigan for fall! All on sale!
J.Crew Allison Dress: $99.00
Banana Republic Cap-Sleeve T-shirt Dress $39.99
Gap Seamed Drawstring Dress $39.99
Nordstroms BCBGMAXAZRIA Cap-Sleeve Jersey Dress $106.90
The Summer Cardigan
I always love wearing sleeveless summer sun dresses, like the one from the Gap shown above, but I have a hard time wearing them to work without wearing a cardigan over them. I feel like on their own they are too bare or two casual for work. That is why I love light weight cardigans. I wear them all the time. They are cool when your out, warmish when the A/C at work is blasting and add a bit of office friendly sophistication and to any fun sun dress. If you get the right colors you can wear them in the spring and fall too, and these are all on sale right now!
J.Crew Avery Ruffle Cardigan: $59.99
Gap Trapeze Cardigan: $19.99
Banana Republic Long Sleeve Animal Print Cardigan: $49.99
Bee Jewelry
Well, this isn't on sale, but I added it in just for kicks. Bees are a fun way to add a bit of happiness to any outfit. I have always liked bees. They go from flower to flower and spread the love, and then they make honey! In my opinion, God did pretty good when He made the Bees :)
Slane & Slane Bee Pendant Necklace: $390.00
Erica Weiner Brass Bee Necklace: $32.00
Kenneth Jay Lane Pave Bee Ring: $95.00
This is also not on sale, but I love it! Check out my new favorite Coach bags... please Greg??? P.S. The brown one I actually like in the plum color.
Summer Dresses You Can Also Wear in the Fall
I love to shop the summer end of season sales, but I also hate buying something that I might not wear until next year. I tend to purchase clothes that can be worn for multiple seasons. I don't always do this, but it is nice to give yourself options. So, here are a few cute summer dresses that you could totally wear alone or with a cardigan for fall! All on sale!
J.Crew Allison Dress: $99.00
Banana Republic Cap-Sleeve T-shirt Dress $39.99
Gap Seamed Drawstring Dress $39.99
Nordstroms BCBGMAXAZRIA Cap-Sleeve Jersey Dress $106.90The Summer Cardigan
I always love wearing sleeveless summer sun dresses, like the one from the Gap shown above, but I have a hard time wearing them to work without wearing a cardigan over them. I feel like on their own they are too bare or two casual for work. That is why I love light weight cardigans. I wear them all the time. They are cool when your out, warmish when the A/C at work is blasting and add a bit of office friendly sophistication and to any fun sun dress. If you get the right colors you can wear them in the spring and fall too, and these are all on sale right now!
J.Crew Avery Ruffle Cardigan: $59.99
Gap Trapeze Cardigan: $19.99 
Banana Republic Long Sleeve Animal Print Cardigan: $49.99Bee Jewelry
Well, this isn't on sale, but I added it in just for kicks. Bees are a fun way to add a bit of happiness to any outfit. I have always liked bees. They go from flower to flower and spread the love, and then they make honey! In my opinion, God did pretty good when He made the Bees :)
Slane & Slane Bee Pendant Necklace: $390.00
Erica Weiner Brass Bee Necklace: $32.00
Kenneth Jay Lane Pave Bee Ring: $95.00This is also not on sale, but I love it! Check out my new favorite Coach bags... please Greg??? P.S. The brown one I actually like in the plum color.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Fun Filled Tennis Weekend
Well we didn't win, BUT we had a fantastic time! We gave it our best, and we can still hold our heads up high!
Here is the weekend in detail. This is long, but I use my blog as a personal journal and would like to remember what happened this past weekend- sorry.
On Thursday I drove in from Tyler to Dallas and stayed with my fabulous friend Courtney. Jaran and Courtney met me and my team for a fun Mexican dinner at Ojedas. They had pretty good/strong margaritas! I then spent the night with Court and met her adorable puppy Cash. What a sweetheart! The next morning we woke up, somewhat early, and went to breakfast, with Cash, at Einstein's Bagels. Super yum as always- so glad Tyler is getting 2! I had practice with the team at 10:00am at Fretz park, then we all went to lunch at the also always yummy La Madeline. Then I booked it to Opus to drop off some paintings, then went to see my Memaw do her therapy in Plano. She is doing great!
After visiting with Memaw and my parents, I went to check in at the hotel my team was staying at, and then had yet another team practice. It was fun, but hot. Then we all went to Momo's Italian Cafe for dinner. We went stinky- how awful is that, but we did call and Momo said to come on! Kind of gross, but we needed to get to bed early!
We got up at 5:00am for our 7:00am match on Saturday at Northwood Country Club. How awful is that! We played the Valley, and we totally kicked butt. My sweet friend Jaran came to watch us. Me and my doubles partner Toni beat them pretty bad. It was fun. We had one other pair win, and one lost- so we won 2 out of 3 and won that round.
We went back to the hotel for a bite to eat- worst idea of the weekend for me. We had eggs, salsa and beans at the hotel restaurant. I never really eat breakfast, and I am not a huge fan of eggs- but I figured I needed to eat something. I should have stuck with my usual granola bar and some fruit. We played back at Northwood again and played Dallas at 11:30am, and I felt awful the first set. It was getting pretty hot at that point (the courts were 117 degrees!), and eating breakfast is no way to play for me. We lost the first set 5-7, which isn't too bad, and I snapped out of my funk in the 2nd set and we won 6-1. We had a tie breaker set, and we were ahead 8-6 until the girl serving to my team mate decided to serve it to me in the front right box! It totally hit my racket, and they got the point. That threw me off, and then the official "The Tennis Nazi" said that my partner called an out ball too late- which she totally didn't- and we lost the tie breaker set. It was a hard loss. My team won one other set, but the other pair lost in a tiebreaker, and we lost that round. Stunk.
So after our sad little loss, we went to the hotel and went swimming. A couple of the ladies wanted to go to the USTA banquet, but 4 of us passed and went to the Galleria to Grand Luxe. Oh it was so good! I had the Carmel Asian Chicken- to die for. We then went shopping around the Galleria- I fell in love with a few things at Coach, and then we all tried out the $4,000 massage chair at Brookstone. It was heaven, and we all felt better after our turn in the chair. Debbie got an adorable dress at Nordstroms, and then we went back to the hotel and crashed.
On Sunday we were all fired up to win. We played Fort Worth at Canyon Creek at 10:00am. Toni and I started off super strong. We won 6-1 the first set. The 2nd set we were not so lucky. Toni started to not feel so great, and we lost 4-6. Then the tie breaker set we lost 6-10. It was a really hard loss. If we had won this round we would might have gone on the to the finals. The rest of the team lost as well that morning. It was a sad time for us, and we were said we let our awesome coach down. He was SO sweet to come support us. Not many coaches came. He brought his 3 month old baby and wife. We really appreciated his support! He is the world's best coach.
After we sulked a bit on the ride back to the hotel, we packed up our stuff, showered and went to Freebirds as a final team treat. It was super yummy. Then a few of us went to Golfsmith and purchased some really cute tennis outfits to cheer us up. It helped! Then we headed home and decided to shrug off the weekend as great fun and great exercise!
It was our first tournament, and I think we did really well. We held our own and brought what we brought. I hope we do it again next year!
I will try to add pictures of the weekend soon. I never had my camera handy at the right moment!
Here is the weekend in detail. This is long, but I use my blog as a personal journal and would like to remember what happened this past weekend- sorry.
On Thursday I drove in from Tyler to Dallas and stayed with my fabulous friend Courtney. Jaran and Courtney met me and my team for a fun Mexican dinner at Ojedas. They had pretty good/strong margaritas! I then spent the night with Court and met her adorable puppy Cash. What a sweetheart! The next morning we woke up, somewhat early, and went to breakfast, with Cash, at Einstein's Bagels. Super yum as always- so glad Tyler is getting 2! I had practice with the team at 10:00am at Fretz park, then we all went to lunch at the also always yummy La Madeline. Then I booked it to Opus to drop off some paintings, then went to see my Memaw do her therapy in Plano. She is doing great!
After visiting with Memaw and my parents, I went to check in at the hotel my team was staying at, and then had yet another team practice. It was fun, but hot. Then we all went to Momo's Italian Cafe for dinner. We went stinky- how awful is that, but we did call and Momo said to come on! Kind of gross, but we needed to get to bed early!
We got up at 5:00am for our 7:00am match on Saturday at Northwood Country Club. How awful is that! We played the Valley, and we totally kicked butt. My sweet friend Jaran came to watch us. Me and my doubles partner Toni beat them pretty bad. It was fun. We had one other pair win, and one lost- so we won 2 out of 3 and won that round.
We went back to the hotel for a bite to eat- worst idea of the weekend for me. We had eggs, salsa and beans at the hotel restaurant. I never really eat breakfast, and I am not a huge fan of eggs- but I figured I needed to eat something. I should have stuck with my usual granola bar and some fruit. We played back at Northwood again and played Dallas at 11:30am, and I felt awful the first set. It was getting pretty hot at that point (the courts were 117 degrees!), and eating breakfast is no way to play for me. We lost the first set 5-7, which isn't too bad, and I snapped out of my funk in the 2nd set and we won 6-1. We had a tie breaker set, and we were ahead 8-6 until the girl serving to my team mate decided to serve it to me in the front right box! It totally hit my racket, and they got the point. That threw me off, and then the official "The Tennis Nazi" said that my partner called an out ball too late- which she totally didn't- and we lost the tie breaker set. It was a hard loss. My team won one other set, but the other pair lost in a tiebreaker, and we lost that round. Stunk.
So after our sad little loss, we went to the hotel and went swimming. A couple of the ladies wanted to go to the USTA banquet, but 4 of us passed and went to the Galleria to Grand Luxe. Oh it was so good! I had the Carmel Asian Chicken- to die for. We then went shopping around the Galleria- I fell in love with a few things at Coach, and then we all tried out the $4,000 massage chair at Brookstone. It was heaven, and we all felt better after our turn in the chair. Debbie got an adorable dress at Nordstroms, and then we went back to the hotel and crashed.
On Sunday we were all fired up to win. We played Fort Worth at Canyon Creek at 10:00am. Toni and I started off super strong. We won 6-1 the first set. The 2nd set we were not so lucky. Toni started to not feel so great, and we lost 4-6. Then the tie breaker set we lost 6-10. It was a really hard loss. If we had won this round we would might have gone on the to the finals. The rest of the team lost as well that morning. It was a sad time for us, and we were said we let our awesome coach down. He was SO sweet to come support us. Not many coaches came. He brought his 3 month old baby and wife. We really appreciated his support! He is the world's best coach.
After we sulked a bit on the ride back to the hotel, we packed up our stuff, showered and went to Freebirds as a final team treat. It was super yummy. Then a few of us went to Golfsmith and purchased some really cute tennis outfits to cheer us up. It helped! Then we headed home and decided to shrug off the weekend as great fun and great exercise!
It was our first tournament, and I think we did really well. We held our own and brought what we brought. I hope we do it again next year!
I will try to add pictures of the weekend soon. I never had my camera handy at the right moment!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Tennis Tennis Tennis
Well, my life has kinda been busy with all of the tennis prep lately. Not much else is going on! Greg leaves today for a night in Houston, and then I leave tomorrow for Dallas and we will miss each other until Sunday! Kind of stinks, but we will survive.
I am getting excited for the tournament. Our coach thinks we will do really well! I hope we don't disappoint! I need to work on getting all of my attire cleaned and ready to go. Our coach gave us a rather long list of stuff we need to bring, might need to do a little shopping! I am also debating on if I want to go to tennis clinic tonight- can't decide if I should rest up or not!
I am staying with my friends the Brysons on Thursday, and hopefully Court and Jaran will join me and my team for a little Mexican dinner that night. We have practice on Friday, and then our first game is 7:00am on Saturday. We will be there by 6:30, and I will probably be half asleep during the first set! Let's hope I find a Starbucks on the way to the country club!
Okay, lots to do today but hopefully I will report a smashing victory on Monday!!!
Here is a sample of one of our teams many saucy outfits-
I am getting excited for the tournament. Our coach thinks we will do really well! I hope we don't disappoint! I need to work on getting all of my attire cleaned and ready to go. Our coach gave us a rather long list of stuff we need to bring, might need to do a little shopping! I am also debating on if I want to go to tennis clinic tonight- can't decide if I should rest up or not!
I am staying with my friends the Brysons on Thursday, and hopefully Court and Jaran will join me and my team for a little Mexican dinner that night. We have practice on Friday, and then our first game is 7:00am on Saturday. We will be there by 6:30, and I will probably be half asleep during the first set! Let's hope I find a Starbucks on the way to the country club!
Okay, lots to do today but hopefully I will report a smashing victory on Monday!!!
Here is a sample of one of our teams many saucy outfits-
Monday, August 4, 2008
One Hot Weekend
Wow, was it hot this weekend in Texas or what?! My car said 106, and the Tyler high was 104! How awful is that. I like 95-100 in the summer, but even Summer loving me is not a fan of 100+ temps! YUCK!
So on Saturday I shopped. I know I was not supposed to, but wow Dillard's was having an great sale! I also returned some stuff, so it all evened out- kind of!!! I got these cute little shoes in blue, and they were such a good deal!!
Christie and Nathan are also back from their vacation to see family, so I got to hit up Hobby Lobby and Target with them on Saturday night before Greg and I went to a late dinner. So glad they are back! Nathan likes his jumpy thing!
Greg also finally found Mario Kart for Wii on Friday- he even left work to track it down! We played a bit of that. It was fun, but I think I like my Wii Fit more. I am never good at the racing games. I get too excited, go to fast and hit everything. I do like that you use an actual wheel to race- that makes it a bit easier. Greg is great at it of course, but maybe I will get better!
I also finally wore my new www.NIKEID.com custom Jenny Love shoes this weekend! I LOVE them! They were so comfortable! I went shopping in Canton with my mom on Sunday- ONLY to the indoor a/c place (mom and dad bailed on their booth this weekend)- and they were very fun. I also wore them to the grocery store. I got lots of compliments all day, and one lady even knew where I made them! I can't wear them to play tennis, but I can wear them everywhere else!!! Thanks Greg for one awesome birthday gift!
I have a busy week this week. I play tennis tonight, tomorrow and Wednesday, and then I am off to Dallas Thursday night for my Lonestar team's USTA Tennis Tournament! We won the Tyler/East Texas area (woo hoo!), so we are off to compete for all of Texas! I am so excited! Pray for cooler temps this weekend. I am going to come home exhausted, but I am so so excited! We have worked so hard, and yes- we rock!!!
So on Saturday I shopped. I know I was not supposed to, but wow Dillard's was having an great sale! I also returned some stuff, so it all evened out- kind of!!! I got these cute little shoes in blue, and they were such a good deal!!
Christie and Nathan are also back from their vacation to see family, so I got to hit up Hobby Lobby and Target with them on Saturday night before Greg and I went to a late dinner. So glad they are back! Nathan likes his jumpy thing!
Greg also finally found Mario Kart for Wii on Friday- he even left work to track it down! We played a bit of that. It was fun, but I think I like my Wii Fit more. I am never good at the racing games. I get too excited, go to fast and hit everything. I do like that you use an actual wheel to race- that makes it a bit easier. Greg is great at it of course, but maybe I will get better!
I also finally wore my new www.NIKEID.com custom Jenny Love shoes this weekend! I LOVE them! They were so comfortable! I went shopping in Canton with my mom on Sunday- ONLY to the indoor a/c place (mom and dad bailed on their booth this weekend)- and they were very fun. I also wore them to the grocery store. I got lots of compliments all day, and one lady even knew where I made them! I can't wear them to play tennis, but I can wear them everywhere else!!! Thanks Greg for one awesome birthday gift!
I have a busy week this week. I play tennis tonight, tomorrow and Wednesday, and then I am off to Dallas Thursday night for my Lonestar team's USTA Tennis Tournament! We won the Tyler/East Texas area (woo hoo!), so we are off to compete for all of Texas! I am so excited! Pray for cooler temps this weekend. I am going to come home exhausted, but I am so so excited! We have worked so hard, and yes- we rock!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
