Suggestions please!

Last weekend was an inspiring weekend! My Mom, Michael and I spent Saturday together exploring the fabulous  Monticello Antiques store on Stark followed by a trip to William Sonoma and Elephants. The antique store had so many interesting pretty things, it made me want a bigger house! I only ended up buying one thing; an old Edgar Allen Poe book which, I am going to use to make my Halloween Cards (I will explain in a later post). We found some very random things (that I would never want), one of which was a stuffed cat - with a fan blowing right on it causing it's fur blow. Can you say creepy?

The suggestions I am asking for are regarding my purchase from William Sonoma. Mike and I got a very generous gift card for our wedding and I went in with a plan. I was going to get a food processor, a cookie sheet, and a grill pan. My plan was quickly destroyed by my lovely Mother who had other things in mind. After showing her each thing I intended to purchase, she replied by saying, "You can buy that at Bed Bath and Beyond with a 20% off coupon." True. Then she convinced me to buy something I would never normally buy if I had not had a gift card. The end result was a beautiful slate colored, cast iron, enamel pot. I must admit, I have wanted one for quite some time but have always been to cheap to buy one (they are spendy). So now I have this amazing new addition to my kitchen and I don't quite know what to do with it. My mom has told me it's great for roasts, but does anyone have any other ideas?

Oh Sampson...

Oh married life...Now that the wedding has finally come and gone there is a chance I can get back to life as I used to know it. Oh wait...on our one week anniversary - after much begging and convincing, Michael and I took home our very own furry little monster. It is crazy how "at the right place at the right time" we were. I don't even know how we ended up at the PetSmart on 82nd, but we did. Our little Sampson didn't even make it into the cage before I scooped him up and knew he was mine...I mean...ours (especially when it comes to picking up his mess in the backyard).

He loves flowers...eating and smelling them.

Daisy looks huge now compared to Sampson. She has been playing with him very nicely. Sampson loved going over to Mom and Dad's and exploring in the huge backyard.

He was a rescue puppy and is a little small due to having Parvo in his first months of life. This is a very contagious and sever virus that can be caught by puppies who have not yet had their shots. Our tough puppy made it through with the help of his amazing Foster Mommy Tracy who has been so helpful to us so far in our journey as dog owners. When we first took him home we were a little concerned with his lack of energy and were worried that he wouldn't be the outgoing, fun-loving dog we wanted. Then comes Monday morning when I wake up at the crack of dawn for work to a barking, running, tail wagging puppy who really wanted some quality play time! Our worries of having an energyless puppy have now been replaced with worries about chewed up shoes, and knocked over garbage cans as well as getting our fingers bitten off!

Long story short, we are so in love with him and although at 2am when I hear his little cries from the end of our bed and I think to myself, "WHAT DID WE DO!?", I still love coming home to him every day and taking that stubborn leash-hater on his nightly walks!

Sampson trying to prevent getting "leashed". We promise, it's not as horrible as it sounds.

This is what he does when we try to take him for a walk. He is getting much better.

He is just like a baby, if we want him to sleep, we just put him in the car and he's out like a light!

Go-To Dish

I first heard of Quinoa (ki-nwa) because one of the Aveda shampoos has Quinoa as an ingredient. Low and behold, I find out, Quinoa is not only good for your hair, but your body as well. It is somewhat of a funny food, as it is a lot like a grain, but it is in fact related to beets, spinach and....tumbleweeds. Because of it's significant amount of amino acids, quinoa is actually a complete protein! Anyway, onto the delicious stuff...

My beautiful, wonderful and talented friend Jessica cooked this dish for me a few months ago, and it has become the "go-to" meal in my house ever since.

What you need:
Quinoa (a little spendy, but buy it in bulk at Winco or Freddy's and you will save some money)
Italian seasoning (or basically any seasoning, I didn't have what the recipe called for a couple of times and made do)
Tons of veggies (I use, spinach, diced mushrooms, diced zuchini, garlic, chopped onion, shredded carrots, peppers, whatever is in my fridge)
Sharp Cheddar (yum)

What to do:
- Mix 1 part Quinoa, 2 parts water in a pot and bring to a boil. Let simmer until water is gone. Put lid on and set aside.
- Put the vegetables (minus the spinach), and seasoning in a pan or wok with about 2 tablespoons Olive Oil. Saute until delicious.
- Add spinach towards the end
- Add salt and pepper to taste

I usually throw the Quinoa in with the vegetables once they are done and add a little grated cheese.

The BEST thing about this meal is you can serve it so many different ways, and you do not have to follow the recipe exactly. Jessica stuffed red peppers with her Quinoa mixture and baked the peppers with the stuffing inside. I serve mine with Panko and Parmesan encrusted Tilapia.

photo is a little busy due to our lack of white dishes.

Try it out and let me know how it went or if you made any yummy changes.

Mom's Day Madness!

This Mother's Day, Mike and I hosted for my side of the family, which proved to be most rewarding and a little chaotic. I tend to over-commit myself and end up stressing out when I entertain (although I must say, it always turns out spectacular)! Because of this lovely little fact about myself, I kept the menu very simple. BLTACs (bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado and cheese), my Grandma's macaroni salad and fresh fruit with homemade whipped cream. If you ask my Brother, he would say he could have done without the whipped cream - only because I gave him the tedious job of whipping it.

We put a pretty table cloth on our table, and made the island look pretty. It's amazing what a $10 bouquet can do for a small space. By the way... If you ever want fresh flowers for an event, or just to add some color - you should drive out towards Boring. There are so many flower stands with beautiful bouquets for anywhere from $5 to $10. Such a steal, especially keeping in mind they are double or triple the size you can buy for that much at a grocery store. Sadly, it is no longer the most convenient option for me, and seeing as I am a chronic procrastinator...I settled for Freddy's selection.

 Obsessed with my Anthropologie bowls. The table cloth is from an antique store in Missouri.

 Grandma & Mom opening their much deserved Mother's Day gifts.

In the end, although our tiny kitchen was crowded...I think the day was a success! I even had some wonderful and experienced ladies help me load the dishwasher after!

If these walls could talk...

Finally! We have hammered the first nail(s) in the wall! I have had newspaper cutouts taped to the wall for weeks now, just waiting for my mom's approval on the placement of our "photo collage".  She was brilliant when she recommended tracing each picture frame on newspaper and cutting them out. This allowed me to tape the cutouts to the wall and play around with how I wanted them organized. I have hung photo collages before and I can tell you - this was much easier.

Michael and I love looking around at antique stores and we found quite a treasure last time we were there. The antique mall in Troutdale has a large collection of old newspaper pages out of the Oregonian, New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. They had the most interesting photos and topics on them and we bought 3 different ones. After all was said and done, the total came to $20.80. We plan to purchase frames and matting for the newspaper pages and hanging them upstairs. Such an inexpensive way to get beautiful, entertaining and unique wall art! I am so excited to see how they turn out and I think our guests will have a fun time enjoying the content of the papers. 

I can go to sleep tonight feeling a little more accomplished and a little more like this is our home. Tomorrow is Mother's Day and the first real event we will hold at our new home. It's a little stressful, because I always want everything to be perfectly coordinated and put together - but I am sure it will all come together.