Tuesday, September 30, 2008

5 Favorite Halloween Finds


This soap looks so good I could just eat it up! I can imagine taking a shower and cleaning off with a big bar of this. Mmmm. . . . You can buy one for yourself at BubblesUpbyBethieB on etsy


I think my little 3 year old would love Yoga class if I could get her one of these cute Yoga outfits for the fall season. Adorable! Get one for your little one at LemonsandLollis on Etsy



I don't usually get dressed up to take the kids out Trick or Treating but it's always nice to get a little festive. This will do the trick! Hunt one out for yourself at HomeStudio on etsy



Last week I heard a tip about buying a Halloween Scrapbook and putting your Halloween pictures of the kids in it every year. That way you have all your costumes from year to year in one (or two) spots. I loved the idea. I'm going to start with this scrapbook from Tudor Designs on etsy



I know my little girl is an angel most of the time but sometimes it is appropriate for her to be wearing horns. Check these out at ViolentBelle on etsy

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Halloween Special




Wouldn't your little one love to have a special Boo bracelet to wear for the month of October?

I'm running a special!

Free Shipping on the Boo Bracelet in my ETSY shop

Goop


Gweneth Paltrow is launching a new site.

Goop Nourish the Inner Aspect

There isn't much to see on the site now but you can sign up for her newsletter.

She says in the intro that she is working on some recipes and those will be included in the newsletter. Also, "travel notes, fashion buys, and a few other surprises."

I'm interested to see how this website plays out. She seems to be getting some slack for launching the site before there was any content.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Giveaway over at Little Window Shoppe


Now run! Don't walk! over to Little Window Shoppe!

Emily is offering an awesome giveaway that you won't want to miss. I would so love these makeup brushes.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Martha, Martha, Martha!

I realized that I never told you what we got as gifts for being in the audience.

Maria Alexandra Vettese and Stephanie Congdon Barnes
brought along a copy of their book A Year of Mornings 3191 Miles Apart It's an amazing book of photography. Two friends living across the country from one another take pictures and post them to a common blog for a year. The book is a compilation of those photos. It's amazing to see how the photos were related when the two had never discussed what they would be photographing that day.


Also we received the calendar from Meg from Cute Overload. All things cute and cuddly.


Last but definitely not least we got an HP All in One Wireless Printer. How cool!


After the Martha Stewart Show we were so hungry! Remember I could not eat anything earlier due to excitement.

We ate the Blue Water Grill. How fabulous! The service was great. The food was yummy. The atmosphere was perfect. The restaurant is an old converted bank and we sat up on the balcony. We had a great view of the street and the rest of the restaurant.

We were a little early for our lunch reservation and so we had strolled through the Union Square Market. This is an amazing space stuck right in the middle of the city. It was breathtaking to see flats of wheat grass and fresh chickens, barrels of beautiful flowers and fresh goat cheeses. The market was filled with people strolling and buying. There were people sitting on park benches and laying in the grass enjoying the sunny end of summer day. I so wish that I was within walking distance to a market like this.


I really do know how fortunate I was to take such a wonderful trip. It is something I will remember for the rest of my life. I'm already wishing I could go back to NYC. I have such a fantastic husband who was more than willing to take a day off of his busy schedule to hang out with the kids and get them where they needed to be. I had a super friend who didn't hesitate for a minute to accompany me on this trip. I'm so thankful to both of you for making this happen!

Friday, September 19, 2008

The Martha Experience


I have to say that this was one of the most exciting things that has ever happened to me. From the moment that I found out I had tickets until, well, it's still exciting! My head is just reeling from thinking of it all and trying to soak up every bit of it and place it into my memory so as never to forget it.

We took the train from Harrisburg to NYC. It was a 3.5 hour train ride but so much fun to sit, look at magazines, chat with friends, and just relax. Just relax. Yeah right! My stomach had butterflies the whole time but I wasn't going to complain. They were good butterflies. Butterflies I would love to have everyday.



When we got to the city we checked into the hotel and took a few minutes to freshen up. We headed out to a place that seems to really represent what the city is. Cafeteria is a 24 hour restaurant that is trendy and stylish.



I had Cobb Salad and of course a Cosmo. Both of which were great! We even got to see Miss Jay from America's Next Top Model walk in. You can see the people walk by on the street from where we were sitting. Just as we were wondering what famous person we would see next Robert Verdi walked by.





My best, best friend from high school met us there. She is a fashion designer in NYC and knows all the best spots. She ended up driving us to the Empire State Building at 12:30 at night. It was awesome. No lines! I didn't go up. I'm too much of a chicken when heights are concerned.

We turned in then because we knew it would be an early morning for us. We had to be in line at Martha by 8:30.



We ended up being in line at 7:30 because we wanted to make sure we would get a spot. Turns out we weren't the only ones to have this idea. We were probably one of the first 15 people in line.This is what we saw when we got out of the cab.





The Martha employees were very friendly and the process was very systematic. They got us in and we were on our way!

Walking up the stairs to go to our seats was so exciting. When you walk out to get to your seats you are literally down on the floor where Martha airs the show. For a moment I thought I had walked out to the wrong place. Then they direct you up to your seats.



Martha looked beautiful. She is so thin and tall! She seemed very focused. I almost thought I was going to cry when she walked out. They have you all rise out of your seats and really give her a warm welcome. The audience was really pumped up to see her.



The guests were all great.

Perez Hilton
offered some tips to people who are just starting out blogging.

Matt Armendariz
made Alfajores. They looked so yummy. I wish they would have shared with the audience. I was so nervous that morning I couldn't eat a thing before the show! You can check out his recipe on his site.

Deb
from Smitten Kitchen talked about her most popular recipe, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake. You can also find that on her site.

I wish they would have done more with Eddie Ross. His site is so awesome. I love the Before and After section where he take a piece of furniture he picked up at a thrift shop or flea market and turns it into something so beautiful. I love to do that although I think I have a lot to learn from him! He showed how you can take vintage buttons and postcards and turn them into great little items around your house. He's also a contestant on Top Design on Bravo.

Margaret Roach's blog is A Way to Garden. She showed her site and talked about her frog boys. She also talked about some her top visited posts. One of which was a post in which she asked people to comment on their biggest garden "no no's". Colored mulch was mentioned! Hope they weren't talking about the black stuff! That's what we have.

There were other segments to the show but I think this post is long enough. I gave you my favorite parts. Again, such an awesome experience.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Such an experience to see Martha

Attending the Martha Stewart Show was definitely an experience of a lifetime. I am even more in awe of Martha than I ever was before. I am waiting on pictures to post my full experience.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Tip from Martha

I've had a clogged drain in my bathroom that's been annoying me. I pulled out all the yucky gunky stuff and tried this trip from Martha. Worked great!

DIY Drain Cleaners
From:
Healthy Home 2008

DIY
Pour 1/2 cup baking soda, followed by 1/2 cup white vinegar, down drain, and cover with a plug or rag. The mixture will work to break down any fats into salt and harmless gas. Flush with boiling water.

Tips
To prevent clogs, make sure your drain has a screen that keeps out solids. In the kitchen, never pour fat down the drain. In the bathroom, brush hair before getting into the shower. And go easy on soaps, shampoos, and especially conditioners and products that contain oils.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Love Today

Did anyone happen to watch the show on CW last night, Priveleged. Cute, smart, witty girl as the main character.

They started off the show with "Love Today" by Mika. My favorite!

Go check out my shop for more "Love Today" products!


Monday, September 8, 2008

Please help me decide





What should I wear to the Martha Show!? The ticket says "Dress to Impress".

I have some ideas. Any top I would pair with dressier dark jeans. Let me know which ones you like.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

My Martha Stewart Show Promotion


In celebration of my getting tickets to the Martha Stewart Show I'm offering a half off sale over at my Etsy shop.


Come in and buy a pair of Pony Os and get a second pair at half off until 9/17.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Friday Night Dinner Fried Green Tomatoes Oh and Pizza

So all in all I think the Fried Green Tomatoes were a success. I loved them! It was the first time I had eaten them so I have nothing to compare mine to.
I only fried up one tomato. I wasn't sure how they would be received. My pickiest eater (well, aside from Hubster) was surprisingly interested in them. He really loved the sauce and ended up cleaning the dip bowl with his pizza.
They were tasty. The right amount of salt with the right amount of crunch. I would add a little more spice to the recipe the next time. I think the recipe called for seafood seasoning. I used Old Bay. Half of a teaspoon. I would use more next time for a little zing.
I think these would be great paired with crab cakes and some corn on the cob. A bounty of summer dinner.
I would make the dipping sauce again too. We love fried zucchini cookies in this house and I think this dipping sauce would go well with those too. I normally serve a horseradish sauce with the zucchini and that might be interesting to try with the FGT.
I would call it a success and keep these in mind for next summer when I have an over abundance of tomatoes both ripe and green.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Fried Green Tomatoes

Fried Green Tomatoes will be part of dinner tonight. I'm following a recipe from . . . .who else? Martha of course!


Fried Green Tomatoes

Prep: 20 minutesTotal: 20 minutes

Ingredients
Serves 4
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons seafood seasoning
2 medium green tomatoes (both ends sliced off), each cut crosswise into 4 slices
1/2 cup vegetable oil, such as safflower
Directions
In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper, and set sauce aside.
Place flour, eggs, and cornmeal each in a separate bowl, and season each with 1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. Working with a few slices at a time, dip tomatoes in flour, then eggs, and finally cornmeal.
In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Working in two batches, fry tomatoes until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side; transfer to baking sheet, and sprinkle with salt. Serve immediately with sauce.

Martha and the Beef Brisket

In honor of heading out to the Martha Stewart Show in 15 days I'm going to be trying to do everything "Martha" style and blogging about it. I'm going to start off with making a Beef Brisket this weekend and following one of Martha's recipes. Here it is.


Coffee-Glazed Oven Brisket

A coffee-based barbecue sauce makes oven-braised brisket even more moist and flavorful. Serve it with your favorite mashed potatoes.

Prep: 10 minutesTotal: 3 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients
Serves 6
3 pounds beef brisket (thin first-cut)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup freshly brewed black coffee
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Season beef brisket with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven over high heat, warm oil. Add brisket, fat side down, and cook until well browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove from heat.
In a small bowl, combine coffee, ketchup, chili sauce, honey, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and soy sauce. Pour over brisket.
Cover; bake, flipping halfway through, until meat shreds easily with a fork, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove from oven; slice on the bias against the grain. Transfer remaining sauce from Dutch oven to a gravy boat, and serve with brisket.

Martha is calling all bloggers!

Are you part of a group that would like to attend "The Martha Stewart Show"? If so, we want to hear from you. Please complete this short survey, which will help us learn more about you and your group. We may even invite your group to attend one of our fun, special-theme shows!
"The Martha Stewart Show" Season 4
MARTHA is now accepting ticket requests for our new season!Calling All Bloggers!Do you blog about your wedding plans, your favorite TV show, your new baby, fashion, celebrities, etc.?Then we have a show just for you! Coming up, an entire audience on "The Martha Stewart Show" will be filledwith bloggers. If you're interested in attending this fun and unique show, request ticketson our ticket-request page. Be sure to tell us what you and your guests blog about -- the more information the better!
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Guess who got tickets? Yours truly! I will be traveling up to the city on the 16th and spend the day on the 17th. Hope I'll be seeing you there!